daydreams
to me it seems
are the only thing
in which i dream
they bubble up
and take their leave
catching thoughtful waves
by any means

they shoot across
the galaxies
from oceans vast
sea to shinning sea
finding pieces
that they need
to continue on
in their day dreams

from future ventures
to playful pasts
don the spacesuit
raise the mast
take the day
from overcast
bright sunshine
where'er i'm at

with daydreams
i tag along
close my eyes
and i am gone
with these dreams
i'm always on
i've found out
there's no plateau

I need somebody
To teach me a love song
Somebody
Willing to sing along
Somebody
That's good with harmony
To sing in octaves
Above and below me
I need somebody
To stand in my chorus line
Somebody
To sing with me for life
Somebody
To put their name on it
Somebody willing
To sing it with me to the end

I feel for those on the side of the road
Holding the sign of despair in hand
Is this what it's come to where all they can do
Is find a corner with what little they have left

You know the ones, the ones who never look up
Ashamed of where life has placed them
In the grand scheme of things the water is deep
You can see that without even saying

Where was the helping hand from the beginning
The lifeboat in their sea of doubt
Did we not see them gasping while desperately treading
Where all we have now is a measly hand out

When it comes to what matters aren't we all in this together
In this game of win or lose no one draws
Keeping the cardboard handy always at ready
Because holding the sign could be me after all

Don't be depressed
When you open your wallet
Or stick calloused hands
Into empty pockets

Where the lap that you have
Is not luxury
Don't worry,
The best things in life are free

From the smile of a child
To the holding of hands
Or when a friend gives
Words of encouragement
When someone you know
Says something nice
And you see that they mean it
By the look in their eyes
That soft warming glow
When you know you're in love
When that someone you love
Says you're more than enough
When the sun comes around
To another new day
Giving another chance
To get it all straight

So don't be depressed
When you open your wallet
Or stick calloused hands
Into empty pockets

Where the lap that you have
Is not luxury
Don't worry,
The best things in life are free

In the center of town
There's an old music box
Where people take turns
Turning the ****

Whatever song
You are feeling that day
That is the song
The music box plays

From songs of sorrow
That bring about tears
The music box has
Had it's share over years

Even the happy
With melodies of pure joy
There's not a song
The music box does not know

Children take turns
Playing their childish tunes
While the old and the frayed
Remember well that time too

The music box
Has been around for so long
Yet not a soul knows
How it picks the perfect song

Music has changed
So much over time
Yet still has a calming effect
Over the beasts in our lives

Perhaps that's the job
Of the music box
As the people in town
Take turns turning the ****

You never know the curves life throws
Until the day you have a child
Soon to realize in the quickest of time
Beyond a shadow of a doubt

That you have found your purpose
While they've yet to find theirs out
So right there and then you begin to pray for them
All that heaven will allow

Carrying them through childhood to youth
A praying father on his knees
Teaching them right to love God, country, and life
And all things in-between

Preparing them for the struggles
Not knowing God was preparing you
For the battle soon to begin in Afghanistan
That you and your son would be going through

As he was destined to join the Army
Born a faithful servant through and through
With a love for the joy of freedom
And a beacon for that truth

Shipped off at a tender young age
Relying on the strength of God's love
Once a child in your hands now a young man
Proud of the solider he has become

You tell him to write his mother
As you wipe a tear and give him a hug
There is no love any stronger
Than that between a father and son

Back home you prepare for the battle
You wish you did not have to fight
As you pray without ceasing, prayers ever reaching
From daylight to night back to dawn's early light

You know God hears the prayers of his people
Still you have no earthly idea
The legions of angels God sends to protect your son and his friends
Where under His wings they're safely kept

To be soon brought back home beat down and worn
But thank you Lord still in one piece
All for God, country, and freedom
All for a world that's in need

You never do know the curves life throws
So it's best that you're always prepared
And how you do that is lay it all in God's lap
Giving it all up to him in prayer

I know love is the answer
But what is the question
In the world of today
I can't help but keep asking

Is it comforting a crying child
Or giving a homeless man a hand
Is it telling your brother no matter your color
We can still be friends

Is it helping out the widow
When loneliness is all she sees
Or nothing more than a simple smile
When you pass someone on the streets

Is it valuing that someone
When they feel no need to live
Or giving the last of what you've got
When it's the last you've got to give

Is it stepping out of your comfort zone
To speak the loving truth
All with the full knowledge
That the world will turn it's back on you

Is it proclaiming the name of Jesus
That puts heads in a spin
When he is love and he is the answer
To all of life's questions

All of us in life are born to die
In the middle of it all we live our lives

Some take it far to the extreme
Others barely know what that word means

Tomorrow is the next days day before
Never live your life like it's a chore

For the way that I am feeling there's a sound
The best way to describe it is on the wind

Most times at the point of in-between
Is the in and out of how we breathe

Everything you see points to the sign
All of us in life are born to die

this company is heading straight to the top
with our new improved line of fairy farts
soon our catch phrase will be all over the place
a slight touch of magic in a jar

first and foremost a disclaimer though
in the making of farts not one fairy was harmed
we house and feed, take care of their every need
so there's no need for alarm

once we discovered how the ***** could be used
down here on fairy farm
we've had all our men chase after them
capturing bottom barks into a jar

then by hand we transfer them
from pint up to gallon size
to be used all the way from laundry detergent
to a line of makeup that's soft on the eyes

we even have samples of candles
bath and body works just bought the whole lot
plus it runs machines cheaper than gasoline
so far the highest bid is from Exon

we're also in talks of a contract
with a highly secretive govern(mental) agency
who wants all the gas with no questions asked
but on that we'll have to wait and see

in the mean time our workers continue to bottle it up
all the fairy farts from all the fairy butts
it's a job that flatuates deep to the heart
but with this job what's not to love

as you watch the fairies flutter to and fro
hearing the cute little ***** wherever they go
who would have guessed who could have known
how much a business like this would grow

Life is one big lesson
Be it easy, be it hard
There's no sense in guessing
You'll know soon enough when it comes along

I can tell you this from experience
With everything I've seen
The hardest lessons that you learn
Are the ones you most likely keep

What is it that you cling to
What is it that clings to you

Is it old or is it new
Is it borrowed or is it blue
Did you choose
Or did it choose
Does it sick to you like glue
Never wanting to let loose
Does it know your every move
Contemplate the things you do

What is it that you cling to
What is it that clings to you

So many times I have missed this train
I get to the station just as it pulls away
Leaving me stranded here on rusty tracks
Not sure if it'll ever be back

In the distance I hear the whistle blow
Of the thoughts I once had that I used to know
Holding the tickets that I earlier bought
Now to the long gone Train of Thought

Can't help but think of the times that I've ignored
The conductor as he cries out all aboard
I always seem to be left behind
As the Train of Thought pulls off down the line

before i breath in my last breathe
long before there's nothing left
before the last thing I have to say
before i spend my final day

before there's nothing more that i can do
i'd like to spend one more moment with you

before all of this comes to an end
where there's no more laughter no more grins
before i pass on from this life
onto the other side

i feel the need to part this truth
i'd like to spend one more moment with you

before it is the hammer falls
before i climb eternity's wall
before this fragile jar of clay
breaks on that final day

before this side i up and lose
i'd like to spend one more moment with you

before i take the final dip
before i let it all slide and slip
before i take my goodbye leave
from all this that i see

before i bon voyage this cruise
i'd like to spend one more moment with you

michael was a poet
from the moment he arrived
taking all that he was given
and putting it to rhyme

holding to the certainty
on the day that he was born
michael would take it all in hand
and live it out in poem

he would fill his days with laughter
letting sadness have the night
as it came in bits and pieces
in the poetry he would write

there were those that never understood
what brought his thoughts to mind
beyond the space he was living in
on another plain in time

dipping often in the rhythm
as his tide would ebb and flow
michael was a poet
and that's all he's ever known

It's been awhile
I'm finally tired of it all
I'm going to find my act and get it together

I look inside of the drawer
Where I know I've seen it before
But it's no longer there... go figure

I then search the high shelf
Where it once hung out
But after years all there is is dust

So I look a few shelves below
Where these days it might go
But once again no such luck

So I head to the mall
Where they sell it all
To get myself a brand new act

But the ones that I see
Are too pricey for me
So after fighting the crowds I left

That's when I saw the store
"Discount Bargain's Galore"
I hit the brakes and went back inside

They had mega shelves stacked
With half price discount acts
Only problem...assembly required

I went and purchased a few
Well actually two
In case I lose my act along the way

I took them both home
And now wish I had known
Buying better, the headaches I'd saved

First off the instructions were missing
So it was like in the wind I was *******
That's what I did when I had my old act

With a hammer and plenty of glue
And a couple left over loose screws
I put my act back together at last

Now that my act is together
Since you ask...yes I am feeling better
Going to grab life by the reins and just do it

With my act now in the bag
Going to give it all that I have
As soon as I find what I did with my
"Round To It"

Said the gay man
to the straight man
can we not just be friends

Said the straight man
to the gay man
take hold of my hand

We'll never make it
with this hatred
let us make amends

It's not too late to
say I love you
after all aren't we all kin

Being the family of man
I'm sure we can
live and all let live

Said the straight man
and the gay man
let's bring hatred to an end

Everything these days is backwards
In and out and upside down
People looking for an answer
Silence being the only sound

What used to be a sky of blue
Is now an angry sea of red
It’s hard to know just what to do
With the world turned on its head

With ears to lend we question men
Of all the mysteries to this life
All we get is a tickling
But nothing funny do we find

In this world of what once mattered
Long ago, all closed down
Leaving people with no answer
Silence being the only sound

I have met my quota today
On how much crazy I can take
It didn't take too long
Before I was worn down
I have met my quota today

Held out as long as I could
Before my senses tried to book
Running fast so they could keep
What little bit of sanity
Held out as long as I could

I deserve some kind of prize
That I didn't blacken someone's eyes
As I wanted to swing
All kinds of lethal things
I deserve some kind of prize

There should be some sort of law
Some people should not be let outdoors
Either that or a safe place
The rest of us could stay
There should be some sort of law

As I have met my quota today
On how much crazy I can take
Lucky for the world
I'm now locked away safe at home
As I have met my quota today

Standing at the pantry
As another year flies by
I take out the same candles
I blew out this time last July

To celebrate your birthday
Another one you've missed
Maybe celebrate is to strong a word
When the death of you brought it all to this

I always bake your favorite cake
Store bought just won't do
You always said you liked the icing best
So I add an extra spoonful or two

The same number of candles from last year
As your years are put on hold
One thing about you not being here
Is you never do grow old

When the party's over
Candles burned a little further than before
I take them off with a lump in my throat
And close back the pantry door

There's no reasonable explanation
As to how this all went down
When the world woke up one morning
All made up as clowns

Not a single person across the land
Did this phenomenon not claim
With big red buttons on their chests 
Spelling out new funny names

There was Patches and Petunia
Floppy and Cupcake
Winky and Bumper the Clown
Were just a few that they displayed

Everyone went about their business 
Only now they all carpooled
You could see clowns piling out of cars everywhere
From businesses to stores to schools

Crime it did die down
Because all the guns that people have
Instead of shooting bullets
Shoot out brightly colored Big Bang Flags

Of course the circus lost its glamour
With an audience made up of clowns
It's hard to tell who's there enjoying 
And who's entertaining all the crowds

People stopped taking each other seriously 
Over anything they had to say
Pointing at each other and laughing
As they go about their day

Who knew a thing like this would happen
When the world went to bed last night
That the very next morning
They'd wake up clowns for life

Oh, I almost forgot the Politicians
Were the only ones to stay the same
It's already a simple known fact
When you're already a clown you don't need to change

This here's a tale
of the left and the right
Who met in the middle
and had a big fight
The other sides wrong
in the things that they like
The lines have been drawn
and we've all chosen sides

They're dragging us down
we're heading straight South
We no longer need watches
with time running out
Where you might ask
my friend we're hell bound
So hang on tight kiddies
cause it's happening now

We held out our hands
turns out that they bite
As darkness moves in
consuming the light
We're naked in the open
with no where to hide
With

       Nothing

               Now

                     Left

                           Of

                              What

                                    Once

                                           Was

                                                Right

there came a day
that all words went away
packed up their last sentence
and caught the last train

leaving the crowd
with nothing to say
as they stood with blank stares
giving half hearted waves

with no more words to be known
the crowd turned and went home
where the strangest thing happen
from then on they all got along

there were no racial slurs
no more insults to hurl
the best kind of silence
could be heard all over the world

there was no hate to spew
the way evil sometimes is used
with no words to be heard
there was no more bad news

with no words of hate
love flooded in waves
because love can be shown
when there's nothing to say

love wowed the crowd
without the slightest shoutout
with no words in the way
love could be easily found

no one knew what to make
the day the words went away
but are now all happy in love
and glad they left on that day

I only want a woman
To cook and to clean
No other obligations
Do I really need

No hassles, no hurdles
For me to jump through
No one to tell me
What to not and to do

One that doesn't mind me
Doing nothing all day
Or spouting off mindless talk
With nothing really to say

A woman that does what I need
And then goes away
To do it all over again
On the very next day

Guess what I'm saying I need
Is a woman of some kind
That is all three of these
Deaf, dumb, and blind

Why must this cross I carry
Be such a heavy burden
I'm to weak on my own to do this
That much I know for certain

You have more faith in me Lord
Than I have in myself
If you really knew me
You would find somebody else

That is when it is you remind me
Who you've used to build your kingdom come
Prostitutes, thieves, and liars
The list goes on and on

When you needed perfection
That's the moment you sent us your Son
Who am I to even question
The Perfect Righteous One

Sometimes I seem to forget Lord
You're the one who knows me best
You look beyond my present
You're not concerned with my past

You're the one who knows of the future
Because you hold it all in your hands
To bring forth that which you have promised
In the fulfillment of your mighty plan

So Lord, help lift this cross that I carry
Onto this great sinners back
Giving me the strength to succeed
In all the things for you that I lack

What if yesterday, today, and tomorrow
Came together for one day
Would they all dwell on their past mistakes
Or live life for today

Would they dream about tomorrow
As today's dreams fly away
If they had it all to do again
Would they relive yesterday

Life can be confusing
My hope is that you'll find
That after yesterday, today, and tomorrow
have had their say
You'll live one day at a time

when will i ever learn...
i'm thinking never if even ever
the cause and effect of the hurt
with my actions all that happened

when will i ever see...
the air i breath is not all about me
when all of my thoughts and deeds
bring focus to the changes i need

when will this i confess...
that out of this i made a mess
from what i had to what is left
all the way to what i should have kept

A bright new future on display
At the start of each new day
In the spoken word of yes I can
With the name of Gunner Van

Bringing hope to us all
This precious gift wrapped so small
A heart beating thunder he's sure to have
This child of wonder, Gunner Van

He'll grow up strong he'll grow up tall
Hand him the world he'll take it all
There's not a word that can not be said
About the love we have for Gunner Van

i know a girl
who's out of this world
that loves to talk to shadows

be it the trees
or tall buildings
it really doesn't matter

i'm thinking that
they must talk back
as she nods her head in wonder

if one runs out
of things to talk about
she turns her attention to another

she rarely smiles
when the sun goes down
with no one to talk to or listen

over time
what she finds
is people aren't quite as interesting

this girl i know
perhaps you've seen her before
that loves to talk to shadows

tragedy is the word that comes to me
every time i pass your home
how did it all come to this
that you no longer are around

a family torn apart
by the injustice we call life
not that it's unaware it just doesn't care
what you think of wrong or right

to take a young loving mother
with so much potential left
out for a date with cancer
in the dining out of death

the marriage bond was broken
when along came death do us part
no words need be spoken
with the hardening of the heart

then along came the bottle
taking place of the marriage bed
she could never leave your heart
nor could she leave you head

whoever could have imagined
that it would come to this
that all would fade to black so fast
but what about the kids

they watched their mother like no other
try and smile away the pain
as their father seemed to lose control
to the bottle everyday

this isn't what they planed for
so they didn't plan ahead
do you think you'll live forever
if you never think of death

so now we turn to the children
since mom and dad have left the scene
all they can do now daily
is live their parents nightmarish dream

Would you like to be in my movie
I'm going to make you a star
You'll be my leading lady
Feel free to come as you are

It will be billed as a comedy
With a bit of romance in the mix
We'll have oodles of fun in the making
I'll even put you on my A-list

When we're not busy in the filming
We can both go over our lines
Where you tell me you love me
And I'll repeat back in kind

It will have its share of sequels
I'm thinking more than 4 or 5
We might even make the cover of People
That way we'll know we've arrived

So let's try and set up a meeting
Discuss over dinner what we can do
About you being in my hit movie
Where I'll make a star out of you

I find myself on the road
poet's walk on
Keeping the stride
in time to the rhyme
With no way of knowing
where I am going
Trying to stay tight
to the center line

Call it a whim
the puddles that I step in
Before anything's said
most times over my head
I still stick to the road
cause it's all that I know
Trying not to step
to the right or the left

I pick up a rock
toss it out like a thought
Setting it free
at high velocity
Hoping it lands
at the point of my pen
And not roaming free
in the weeds

For so long now I've been
on this road with no end
Following the flow
wherever it goes
That's fine by me
I'll see where it leads
This poets road
that I am on

Where I used to have hair
Now I have it no more
Where I used to not
Now it's starting to grow

From the tops of my toes
To the tip of my nose
The in and out of  my ears
Not to mention my derriére

From the front of my knees
To the back side if you please
On my knuckles it grows
First and second joint

My eyebrows now look
Like a caterpillar that's spawning
There's not an odd spot
That my hair is not growing

From my chinny chin chin
To the mole on my back
There are so many new places
That new hair is at

As I'm getting old
It's crazy where the hair grows
And that's only the places I see
Where I can't, lord only knows

Don't even get me started
A bull shopping for china
Don't even get me going
You have no way of knowing

If you really have to ask
Why all of this broken glass
Tip toeing through the pass
Both with our impostors mask

Never having filled it up
Drinking from the half empty cup
Hear the crashing of our love
This bull in the china shop

You say you've heard of me
And most of what I've done
Why is it that your standing there
Why don't you turn and run

Didn't your mom and dad
Teach you anything
After this, after all
You say you've heard of me

The reputation that I have
Has been buried deep
In the souls of many
But just shy of six feet

Some people find it sad
If the truth you must
I can be both good and bad
Just ask the two of us

You say you've heard of me
Perhaps you should exam
Look further in the deep
To find out who I am

Do you think she still loves me
Do you think she still cares
Do you think she remembers
That I was even there

Do you think that she misses
How things used to be
But above all do you think
That she thinks about me

Do you think we could ever
Get back together again
If we took it slowly
Starting over as friends

Do you think there's enough
That we could mend
Or is the fabric of forgotten love
Too tough to stitch

Do you think that I'm putting
Too much thought into this
Should I give up the ghost
Let go of the past

Do you think there's a chance
That I'll ever forget
What we once had
What do you think

Everyone loves a love poem
One that grabs hold the heart
Takes you from the place your at
To a place you wish you were

Giving hope to all the hopeless
Those diamonds in the rough
Sprinkling stardust on the dreamers dream
All the while rhyming for the purpose of love

For love poems surrender it over
To the side of all of our dreams
Whether future or past, your first or your last
The good or the bad, it could go either way

Yes, everyone loves a love poem
One that tugs at the strings
Bringing to mind one love of a kind
But if not at least it helps with the dream