.          IF I WERE A POET

                             The
                     First stanza
                     would be a      
       magnatic attic captivating
            Elegant architects of
                     iridescence  
                        Vividly
       propelling pupils to edges
                 Of the schleras        
        Compelling pens to pages
                    of new eras
    

            IF I WERE A POET
                                
                         ­              The
                              Second
                 Stanza would
             Mirror Zues's
          spear slicing through
        tears drowning in clouds
         striking fields of pens
                        Egniting the
                    capsules of
                 Variegated
               Lands


            IF I WERE A POET

                            The
                     Last stanza
             would sail summers
           tame winters bathe in  
         springs of autumn praise  
           deeds of the monarchs
           reigning over raining
           rainbows nurturing the
         clouds planting wings on
       the ground giving free will
          to plants to seed the sky  
           with warmth and love
                of nature's heart.

The city has changed from what it used to be. Old buildings are torn down and new ones take their place. Streets are paved over and torn up. People in suits come and promise to make things better, but nothing ever comes of it. While one neighborhood is lifted up, I can't afford to live there anymore. I am shuffled off to the last place that was renovated. 20 years ago when I was born, This was the new thing, new buildings clean streets and lots of hope, but none for someone like me. I couldn't afford it then as I could not afford the new neighborhood where I used to live now. They talk about urban renewal, but they never do anything to bring change to the people, they only redo the buildings and make more money which none of us ever see. So much for the idea of being renewed. My home is gone and I am back where I was before. In what used to belong to someone else, I now live in their hand me down lives they have been upgraded, but there is no renewal for me.

I'm not a very attractive guy

I think I'll always be alone
Never touched or loved by a woman

I was lying against a rock
That was part of a group of large rocks
On the side of the mountain

A pretty asian woman
Said that she got scared
Because she thought
I was part of the rock

I said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"

Maybe I am a part of the rock
Cold and hard
Untouched and alone

Women aren't attracted to me
And I'll probably always be alone
I'll never find a female friend

And I don't think God really cares

If I were to be a day of the week,
I would be a Tuesday

Not a Monday, bright and yellow
Understanding that today “there be dragons here”
and we must be Ready to conquer, ready to claim,
ready to fight

Not Wednesday, Orange and steady
Containing a consistency that reminds us
we can make it, we will make it

And not the vibrant green Thursday  
Full of promise, anticipation
And the hope of what’s to come

But nor am I the explosive Friday
Dark, and passionate, dedicated
To the thrill and fervor of life

Or a Silver Saturday
Slick and slippery with the idea
Of adventure but that holds no guarantees

Yet still I cannot be Sunday
Muted Gold with warm mornings
and laid back afternoons but always
With the lingering remembrance of tomorrow

No, I am Tuesday

I am faded red
I am the waiting day
The looked over bridge of
What’s now, what’s next
Stuck forever in some delicate limbo

I am the stepping stone
The illusive day floating in and out
Behind the scenes, behind the week
I am tuesday

Breaking down in pools of water
which surround me, envelop me

I am immersed
In a world tinted blue

Underwater… Under pressure

Bubbles play around me
Tempting but untouchable
For fear of fingerprints that pop

Bubbles are unreliable

Hold my hand and hold me down
Let me go and let me rise


Up Up Up to the top
To the surface…. well, almost

Foot neatly caught
In weeds too strong to snap

But maybe thats good
Maybe the surface is too real… too tangible

Maybe it’s safer here
In my world tinted blue

Maybe it’s safer here…
Breaking down in pools of water

What's on my mind?

Change
Change in me
Change in how I see

To see color
and to see love
not hate

To see history
and to accept truth
no matter what it is

To see suffering
and to suffer too
for that is empathy

To see happiness
to be happy for them
and not be jealous

To see life
to accept my choices
and not blame others

To see you
and to understand
as I ask of you

To see human
and respect their life
and not be afraid

To see a book
and to believe in grace
for faith is all I have