Just 10 minutes a day
could bring about a change
Instead of the 10 minutes that I waste
giving it away
With the tick tock of the clock
the time is getting late
When just 10 minutes a day
could bring about a change

Yes, it is best to take some action
instead of just complain
Time is just to precious
to waste it all away
Many things can be accomplished
even in the rain
One big change is to finally find
Joy after deep pain

Just ten minutes a day
could change another's life
Wouldn't that be a better way
to learn to pass the time
If someone gives you a nickel
give back to them a dime
Because just ten minutes a day
could turn around a life

sun baked fields

rows of cotton

time can't heal

a stench so rotten

scars that form

on darkened backs

cuts so deep

don't leave the head

mother's cry

the whips they crack

this kind of life

only healed by death

stolen souls

from broken homes

face of the proud

beaten down

over a hundred years

not much has changed

different scars

on different names

what we find

in the drag of time

that whips still crack

mother's still cry

16 tears
welled up in her eyes
it was at that very moment
she knew she would cry

16 droplets of rain
fell from the sky
into the cistern
that once was so dry

16 men
all waited in line
for the opportunity
that would only be given to 9

16 candles
burning so bright
holding tight to the future
that will be laid out in time

16 hands
like those of the blind
reaching for something
not sure of what they will find

16 minutes
is never much time
though it depends on
where your heading in life

16 tears
fell from her eyes
when they reached the floor
that's when she realized

When life's not going right
Guess you could say it's going wrong
Do what it is I always do
Pick up the telephone
Dial my favorite number
They've never steered me wrong
Of course that number is
1-800-Not My Fault

In any situation
At any given time
#1 on my speed dial
Connects me directly to their line
I seem to call it often
Not giving it much thought
My fingers know just where to go
1-800-Not My Fault

Missed your anniversary?
Or the twins Bar Mitzvah?
To avoid all the yelling and crying
Do it out of love
Remember this time around
You won't be doing it for naught
So pick up the telephone
1-800-Not My Fault

Cooking in the kitchen
You set the house on fire
The one time you do laundry
You throw your wife's tight jeans in the dryer
Fired from your job a month ago
For a month you've been hiding that with lies
Just so it is you don't get caught...dial
1-800-Not My Fault

So my friend remember this number
If your ever in a jam
Just excuse yourself a moment
Dial as fast as your fingers can
Age it does not matter
Neither being a woman, child, or man
No need to be distraught
Come on now...you know the number
1-800-Not My Fault

When life's not going right
Guess you could say it's going wrong
Do what it is I always do
Pick up the telephone
Dial my favorite number
They've never steered me wrong
Of course that number is
1-800-Not My Fault

In any situation
At any given time
#1 on my speed dial
Connects me directly to their line
I seem to call it often
Not giving it much thought
My fingers know just where to go
1-800-Not My Fault

Missed your anniversary?
Or the twins Bar Mitzvah?
To avoid all the yelling and crying
Do it out of love
Remember this time around
You won't be doing it for naught
So pick up the telephone
1-800-Not My Fault

Cooking in the kitchen
You set the house on fire
The one time you do laundry
You throw your wife's tight jeans in the dryer
Fired from your job a month ago
For a month you've been hiding that with lies
Just so it is you don't get caught...dial
1-800-Not My Fault

So my friend remember this
If your ever in a jam
Just excuse yourself a moment
Dial as fast as your fingers can
Age it does not matter
Neither being a woman, child, or man
No need to be distraught
Come on now...you know the number
1-800-Not My Fault

Sunday's find you sitting in the pew
Listening to the words being said
Catching a few as they're thrown at you
But most blowing over your head

It's not like you haven't heard them before
After all you've been here for years
You know most of the hymns as you hum along
Even a couple might bring a slight tear

Back in the car, Bible back on the dash
On the go as your running late
You'll dust it off next time in the Church lot
It's not like during the week you share your faith

Cause it's all in your head but not in your heart
Just a few short 18 inches away
Don't be the one to miss out on the love
Between those 18 inches today

Next time your in Church, take in the word
Breath in deep the truth being shared
For it's inside the heart that God does his best work
A soft heart's more pliable than a hard head

God speaks something new to you daily
It's your job to listen with a wanting soul
Though it's easier to say than be done I'm afraid
But listen closely cause God wants you to know

Don't give dust a chance to settle on your Bible
And the wear it gets shouldn't be from the sun
But with you turning the page as you study each day
Able to share the Good News with everyone

Cause it shouldn't be all in your head but also your heart
Which is just 18 inches away
Please don't be the one to miss out on the love
*Of those 18 inches today

Thinking back to the time
Of nineteen seventy-five
Slick as spit
Truly alive
Mountains of hope
Star studded dreams
Held tight the belief
There wasn't a thing
This bunch of rag tags
Could not achieve

Made it our lot
Over the top
Had what we grabbed
Before we were caught
Dreams seem to fade
At a high cost
Thicken the plot
Like it or not
Never prepared
For such a loss

How many have died
Since nineteen seventy-five
The board on the wall
Is there to remind
Some lasted for years
Others cut in their prime
When their worst fear
Stepped up to their side
Only to find
Death's not very kind

Fame riding fortune
Felt we were bound
That is till our star
Hit solid ground
Say what you will
About dreams of youth
They're greatly needed
To pull you through
Not a thing now to hide
Nineteen seventy-five

Hey kid, whatcha doing here
Has it already been a year
Father time is all grown up
2017 I wish you luck

Years gone by to tell the truth
Have been more than a bit rough on you
It's time to pass off the baton
To the new kid on the block

This new kid to come along
We hope to fatten him all up
With the best of everything
All the goodies life can bring

We'll treat this year like no other
Save the baby and bathwater
Keep him around until he's old
Polishing the silver, shining the gold

As every year we hold out hope
That this one's not all that she wrote
Oh and if you don't mind,
One more thing
Will you get the phone...
I think I hear the New Year ring

Hey kid, whatcha doing here
Has it already been a year
Father time is all grown up
2020 I wish you luck

Years gone by to tell the truth
Have been more than a bit rough on you
It's time to pass off the baton
To the new kid on the block

This new kid to come along
We hope to fatten him all up
With the best of everything
All the goodies life can bring

We'll treat this year like no other
Save the baby and bathwater
Keep him around until he's old
Polishing the silver, shining the gold

As every year we hold out hope
That this one's not all that she wrote
Oh and if you don't mind,
One more thing

Will you get the phone...
I think I hear the New Year ring

The Sun it peeks out from the dark
Flicks its Bic, lights a spark
Thinks of itself as a star
As it makes its way
To a brighter day
With so much to say

Winks at the Moon to its left
Halfway hidden in a cleft
Bids good night tells it to rest
Until dark rolls back around
Where it can again shoot up the town
As the sun is going down

sights that
entice
toss a line
take a bite
wish you may
wish you might
not held
so tight
too late
you find
wasting of
your time
beware
don't dare
it's best
you don't go there
still you
take a dip
just a pinch
no more than an inch
no one
wiser
used to it
secrets kept
with that done
with that said
call off
all bets

I've got 2 bit psychic powers
On that just trust me
Where barely beyond my nose
Is how far into the future I can see

And as far as communicating goes
With those on the other side
I have a hard enough time talking with
Loved ones here in life

My bank account is so low
I can't afford a Crystal ball
The closest thing I have to that
Is the glass **** on my door

Where the only reflection in it
That I have ever seen
Is my sweaty palm print
As I daily take my leave

And when it comes to Tarot cards
I would never dare to touch
The only pictures that I like
Are those in comic books

So sit across the table
And gaze into my eyes
You'll see I'll be a 2 bit psychic
Until the day I die

I found an old love on a social site
Opened up the book and saw her face
Can't help but notice the years have been good to her
And the life that she has made

I foolishly went and messaged her
Said we both seem to be doing well
But on these sites we sometimes lie
So that can be really hard to tell

She took it on herself to traveled North
As I left home to grab the world
It must be cold where she placed her feet
Me, I'm back on Florida soil

We both have families now going on 30 years
Her a Grandmother, me two daughters and a loving wife
Seems just yesterday she was standing here
A big part of my life

We exchanged our pleasantries
And at that time we realized
There was still that spark in our heartbeats
Something we could not deny

She said it's been nice but feel that I must go
I said you probably are right
That we're both happy that's good to know
As we both said our goodbyes

I looked at my watch
It's a quarter till four
I'm not so sure
I want to be here anymore

They called me and your mother
We called up your friends
When the doctor informed us
This might be the end

You'd been in an accident
Out on the interstate
Which begs of the question
Why you, why this

Here with you broken
I think of your smile
The one I am hoping
To see again in time

With all the tears flowing
Among mournful cries
There's no way of knowing
If this is goodbye

That's when I open my eyes
Much to my surprise
I'm in my bedroom
Lit by the blinking clock light

Flashing the time
Of a quarter till four
My mind set on you
As my feet touch the floor

I head towards your room
In a daze from the dream
As my hand turns the ****
I hear the phone ring...

Three hundred sixty-five
Broken days, wasted nights
I've spent on the road without you

Twelve lonely months
Away from home I've been gone
When I'll be back I haven't a clue

Twenty four hours
The only thing in my power
Is taking it day by day

Hour by waking hour
Life is only sour
Color a deeper shade of gray

Minute by minute
Counting every second
Until I'm back home again

Three hundred sixty-five
Broken days, wasted nights
Is no way for a man to live

have you seen
me as i fly
off the ground
but only 3 feet high

at that altitude
it's hard to impress
when fields of grass
tickle my chest

keeping eyes out
for one thing or another
being slapped in the face
by all the ground clutter

with super hero's
it's hard to compete
when you're off the ground
at only 3 feet

but i still find
that fighting crime
at ground level
suits me fine

because seriously
it's hard to fly in the sky
when you find yourself
afraid of heights

if love don't get you nowhere
at least it got you as far as here

For 47 years, yes 47 years
I've been writing poetry
At times I feel I'm in control
At other times I feel it's controlling me

It has taken me up the mountain
It has hung me off the ledge
If you ask me, something ain't right
Perhaps it's all in this poets head

With poetry being an emotional thing
It pushes as it pulls
I take up it's bell and let it ring
That's about all I know how to do

I slap it left as it slaps me right
Right upside the head
Smack dab in the middle of tomorrow night
Where poetry has made up my bed

Because for 47 years, yes 47 years
I've been writing poetry
At times I feel I'm in control
While at other times I feel it's controlling me

she loves me

she loves me not

she's the only

thing that i've got

and this 4 petal rose

that i'm picking on

not sure that i like

where this is going

5:09 in the morning
I slap the alarm a second time
Guess I best be going
If I plan to catch the 6:09

That's all I seem to do these days
Is travel the salesman's life
But what else can one man do
With three kids and a wife

I hate the life I'm living
Of never being home
I know they love and cherish me
But I still feel so all alone

With the T.V. as my only companion
In this dreary hotel room
Each time I leave a part of me
Knowing I'll be back real soon

The life of a traveling salesman
Is nothing if it's not hard
Most days they barely look at me
As they hold their hand out for my card

I still must brave the days ahead
For the little ones and wife back home
To give to them a better life
Than the one in which I roam

5:09 in the morning
I slap the alarm a second time
Guess I best be going
If I plan to catch the 6:09

5:09 in the morning
I slap the alarm a second time
Guess I best be going
If I plan to catch the 6:09

That's all I seem to do these days
Is travel the salesman's life
But what else can one man do
With three kids and a wife

I hate the life I'm living
Of never being home
I know they love and cherish me
But I still feel so all alone

With the T.V. as my only companion
In this dreary hotel room
Each time I leave a part of me
Knowing I'll be back real soon

The life of a traveling salesman
Is nothing if it's not hard
Most days they barely look at me
As they hold their hand out for my card

I still must brave the days ahead
For the little ones and wife back home
To give to them a better life
Than the one in which I roam

5:09 in the morning
I slap the alarm a second time
Guess I best be going
If I plan to catch the 6:09

a grassy knoll
shots rang out
left a world in fear
with a world in doubt

we watched Camelot
suddenly pass away
on the harsh streets of Dallas
50 years ago today

as the 60's arrived
newly on the scene
hello nightmare
goodbye american dream

on that fateful day
it all fell apart
shot a hole in our soul
left a hole in our heart

when on that grassy knoll
shots rang out
which left a world in fear
to a world in doubt

a grassy knoll
shots rang out
left a world in fear
with a world in doubt

we watched Camelot
suddenly pass away
on the harsh streets of Dallas
52 years ago today

as the 60's arrived
newly on the scene
hello nightmare
goodbye american dream

on that fateful day
it all fell apart
shot a hole in our soul
left a hole in our heart

when on that grassy knoll
shots rang out
which left a world in fear
to a world in doubt

a grassy knoll
shots rang out
left a world in fear
with a world in doubt

we watched Camelot
suddenly pass away
on the harsh streets of Dallas
53 years ago today

as the 60's arrived
newly on the scene
hello nightmare
goodbye american dream

on that fateful day
it all fell apart
shot a hole in our soul
left a hole in our heart

when on that grassy knoll
shots rang out
which left a world in fear
to a world in doubt

There's a few too many years
Clinging on these old bones
You can tell by the way
They creak and grind as they groan

And with the condition of the skin
That loosely covers them
More than not a few wonder years
They have had to live

With what little wispy bit
Of thinning hair that's left
There's more gray thatch than that of black
These days at its best

Then there's the ever dimming down
Of the once bright stage lights
That I hate to place the blame
On my old age eyesight

And with the continued way
The mind skips, dips, and wanes
I find it's all a part of life's
Greatest give away

Which makes it harder than ever
To know if I was told
That this is how it really feels
When my friend you have grown old

is it true that the way she moves
is a tribute to the 60's groove

flower power out of pure delight
body paint underneath black light

on most days you will find
she's with Jefferson on an Airplane flight

following a rabbit down a hole
saying Grace as she Slickly goes

she's mellow in a yellow sense
hippie in her happenstance

psychedelic in a Asbury breeze
parking it where'er she please

yes i think that it's all true
that she's a tribute to the 60's groove

I found an 8x10
Taken who knows when
Pictured a couple in all their glory

I never realized
Till I saw it with my own eyes
I miss the way things used to be

Those days are now long gone
We both have moved along
Separate ways to write a different story

To me a mystery
To you one of intrigue
Each chapter verse should have held a warning

That it would come to this
In an 8x10 no less
Have you read the part where I say I'm sorry

The way things have turned out
In this storyline no doubt
With no way to know if you agree with me

As we never got that far
In the time of who we were
Which brought about the end of this story

The promise we made that day on A1A
Whoever was left alive would drive
With the ashes in the seat, the first one to leave
Making it to the Keys one final time

Lived our lives with no thought who'd be the first one out
Every minute of every day along the way
No need for a starter gun as we were always on the run
Making life easier to give away than ever save

And don't life have a way of twisting in it's crazy run
With the jest of it's last twist is Jimmy's gone
Leaving me in the drivers seat, Jimmy's ashes next to me
Rolling down A1A like a song

As an afterthought Jimmy dreamed of being an astronaut
So we stopped off for a tour of Cape Canaveral  
Not really sure of why with Jimmy already in flight
Leaving far behind this crazy world

Was that him that spoke up dude let's go to Hollywood
But Florida's Hollywood only has shooting stars
Jimmy never once complained we were taking the long way
Or even asked me once where we were

Talked of life along the way from Pompano to Biscayne Bay
Top pulled back, blowing free in the wind
Last stop on this quest, the very edge of Key West
Where I mixed Jimmy's ashes with the sea and sand
Which was the last part of this A1A crazy plan

Shoop, Shoop
Shoe, ***, ***
Shoop, Shoop
Shoe, ***

The moment I laid eyes on you
I knew it was true love
You were sharing a root beer float with your friends
Down at the soda shop

I looked debonair in my Pompadour
You cute in your poodle skirt
I took out my comb to slick down the sides
As you smiled, giggled, and twirled

I asked if you'd like to go out
Just you and me on a date
I picked you up at seven o'clock
In my 56' Chevrolet

Your father gave me a stern look
Your mother a gleam in her eye
He asked where we were going
Why to church sir, I said with a smile

Shoop, Shoop
Shoe, ***, ***
Shoop, Shoop
Shoe, ***

I took you to the drive in
Bobs Burgers and Late Night Shakes
Afterwards we both went dancing
At the Hop just down the street

You had my heart all in a flutter
As we slowed danced all night
It was then I knew for certain
That I would make you my lovely wife

I got you home way past your curfew
Your dads silhouette by the front door
You said I can't go back to that
I pressed the peddle to the floor

So here we are these many years later
Me as your husband you as my wife
With our grand kids playing about our feet
Thinking back to that fateful night

Shoop, Shoop
Shoe, ***, ***
Shoop, Shoop
Shoe, ***

I tried to write a lullaby
With a 70's theme of sorts
Kids drinking Sunny "D" in their jammies
Girls in Mindy, Boys in Mork

But that's as far as I could get
This dried up crinkly brain stays in a daze
So I picked up the phone, dialed up some friends
In hopes of a friendly Friday night game of charades

Of course Sylvester brought his Ouija board
He thinks with the other side he's in tune
I hate to break it to Houdini here
But I think he's inhaled to many fumes

My friends say that I'm just paranoid
Like a jester without a court
So I turn and apologize to Sylvester
Okay dude, pull out the board

We place our fingers on the Doohickey
Or is that the Thingamajig
Redrum, Redrum, Redrum, is all that it spells
As Sylvester has a fit

He knocks the game table over
And screams it's that movie, The Shining all over again
This is ****** spelled backwards people
As the smell of the dead blows in on the wind

In all of the dark spirit world excitement
I think I even ***'d myself
I suggest in a manly way with a wet spot on the front of my Bell Bottom jeans
That we put the Ouija board back up on the shelf

I really wasn't expecting an evening
Of doom and gloom and tombs and such
I think I'll go back to writing that 70's lullaby
If you don't mind...thank you very much

abby normal is a very good friend of mine
she and i hang out most all of the time
friends like that can be so hard to find
abby normal, always on my mind

when me and my friend abby go out on dates
you know that abby always has me pay
and believe me with abby i do pay
as abby normal always gets her way

abby normal lives on the outskirts of town
abby dresses up and pretends she's someone else
you never know with abby just what that's all about
until the day it's to late that you find it out

more often than not
where i get my gum
is not off any shelf
but underneath table tops

though the flavor is off
you can't beat the cost
and with only a chew or two before you
have it all back to soft

embarrassed or not
just drop out of sight
as you're coming back up
use your knife to slice

there's an array of variety
that is so cheep it's free
to tickle the tongue
and dazzle the teeth

so next time you see
that you're out to eat
and you drop the knife on my advice
there's no need to thank me

A to me your A okay

B mine forever and a day

C what all you mean to me

Delectable

Exceptionally

F forever once again

G the spin you put me in

H is how I handle it

I will never ever quit

J the joy in all of this

L is love are you

M

N with me

O

Please don't

Quit

Remember

This

Stuck with me

U will always be

Very soon

W too I will be

X pect nothing less from me

Yours now and forever more, from A to

Z naturally

how many times have you said
that your life is one big mess
and that the ringing in your head
tells you you're a wreck

although that thought may be true
here's some positiveness for you
take the negativity off your menu
and on this tidbit chew

keep those thoughts out of your head
although they're hungry they need not be fed
there's no need for them to spread
in the time that you have left

because if you weren't a whopping mess
how ever then would you be blessed
and in who would you find your rest
with that being said

accept that yes with great finesse
the one true God loves you no less
to him you are a beautiful mess
and he can handle it

Today I'm happy to say
Is a day like no other
All the haters in life
Turned into life lovers

All the protesters went home
Cause they didn't care anymore
"Oh, what a beautiful thing"

Everyone took time to smile
And wave to their nighbors
They stoped long enough
To do each other favors

It was a sight to behold
The seed of love being sown
"Yes, it was a beautiful thing"

People went out of their way
To go out of their way
If there was anything good
That is what they would say

It caught on so fast
Hate was a thing of the past
"Oh, what a beautiful thing"

It was a finally tuned storm
That took over Americas shores
If one gave their all
The other gave even more

It was a pleasure to see
Love the way it was intended to be
"Yes, it was a beautiful thing"

Yes it was a beautiful thing
But it was all just a dream
I woke up smak dab back
Into lifes reality

I still feel it could come true
It needs to start with a few
How about me and you

"Wouldn't that be a beautiful thing"

how many times
have i fallen in
make it back to the edge
to do it all again
a valuable trait
this beneficial lesson
if nothing else
i've learned how to swim

how many times
have i tried to fly
with my head in the clouds
fogging up my mind
it's easy to dream
but hard to hold on tight
a beneficial lesson
is to keep your eyes on the prize

how many times
have i been against the ropes
beaten up, beaten down
with a ways to go
a beneficial lesson
given in this spurt of growth
never give in, never give out
never give up hope

This here is a poem
About a boy and girl
How they met each other
And changed each other's world

It's a simple tale
One that stands up for the ages
When in love they fell
And turned each other's pages

Both of them grew up
On the same side of town
Though neither of them knew
The other was around

But as fate would show
To them his face that day
Peaking round the corner
To give itself away

In the middle of the soda shop
They caught each other's eye
Quickly looked away
As they both were kinda shy

That something quickly clicked
Deep inside their hearts
As whispers go the whisper said
This is where it starts

That was years ago
Give or take a few
Now the kids are grown
And their grandkids too

As they watch it all
From the rusty swing on the porch
Thinking of the day they met
That changed each other's world

You can tell a lot
about the heart of a man
By the way he holds
a crying child's hand

By the way he feels
the need to keep peace
With those less deserving
him being the highest of these

You can tell a lot
about the soul of a man
By the way he works out
inside of his plans

By the does he once did
he never kept hid
By the courage he has
when he has nothing left

You can tell a lot
about the mind of a man
By the way that he minds
the peace being kept

By the thoughts that he has
in the things that he says
You can certainly tell
a lot about a man

You can tell a lot
about the heart of a man
By the way he holds
a crying child's hand
By the way he feels
the need to keep peace
With those less deserving
him being the highest of these

You can tell a lot
about the soul of a man
By the way he works out
inside of his plans
By the does he once did
he never kept hid
By the courage he has
when he has nothing left

You can tell a lot
about the mind of a man
By the way that he minds
the peace being kept
By the thoughts that he has
in the things that he says
You can certainly tell
a lot about a man

I've never met a girl like you

The simple pleasure in your smile
A tinder moment in the making
The casual walk of the extra mile
The story line from the beginning
A mystery to be found
The upper hand in the hand of giving
All that heaven will allow

So much about you that holds the truth

The morning after the best of dreams
The game that you can never lose
The slip that's in the stream
The second hand that's on the Rolex
Coffee lightly mixed with cream
The truth and notion about the truth
All that is meant to be

There's something special about you girl

As you bring the early to the late
The blending in of mixed emotions
The icing that's on the cake
The street on the sunny side of forever
The perfect ending to every day
The all in all that really matters
The last word there is to say

Like I said and it's the truth,
I've never met a girl like you

Is that Abraham Lincoln at the end of the bar
He's got all the women giggling and flustered
Him and his little red fancy sports car
How can any man next to him even pass mustered

I swear Honest Abe keeps on eyeing my girl
As I draw her closer, holding her tight
He stands and he winks says wanna go for a whirl
Last I saw of her was the wave from that cars passenger side

Now I have the 16th president to blame for my misery
Who would have thought it would happen like this
Always blamed the president that we have now
Guess I'll have to add Abe to the list

Next time I see Abraham Lincoln at the end of the bar
I'm taking my date and heading straight for the door

My family is taking me out
In search of a brand new suit
One in which they can bury me in
I'll be leaving here real soon

You can tell it in my walk
You can see it in my eyes
If I last more than another month
Even I will be surprised

You can hear it in my rasp
You can smell it on my breath
Not a whole lot of need to ask
Who it is that's kissing death

That's why they feel the urgent need
To go out and buy me a brand new suit
Something that will match my casket
Something in a baby blue

They're soon to make a Broadway play
Out of all our yesterday's
A musical extravaganza set the scene
Of a younger you and younger me

They'll have to hire the brightest stars
To play the part of who we were
They'll build it out from center stage
Displaying out our younger days

Music will highlight it all
Bringing the house down with loud applause
To keep it real they'll add some truth
A younger me and younger you

We'll be a part of rank and file
For days on end they'll talk about
With our names in Broadway lights
In how we spent our younger lives

Take a left on Almost There                        
And a right on Never Mind
Head straight onto Backwards Place
Passing by Not On Your Life        
      
Stopping at the corner of                    
Touch To Much & Not Enough
Right across the street from              
The ally way of Just Because

Where you'll find a man that's selling            
Bags of wants and needs              
So that you don't waste your trip
Of your day in Absurd City