A good poet speaks to a generation.
A great poet’s work echoes loudly through the ages.
The rest of us just talk to ourselves and hope someone is eavesdropping.

In a nation torn with racial strife
where killing seems a way of life
where rappers hold the people’s court
and looting is a favorite sport
where drugs and thugs, both black and white,
govern day and rule the night
seems Superman is fast asleep
as shadows o’er the addicts creep
no soap will wash away the smell
of stories we’re afraid to tell.

Truth isn’t always as it seems
judges judge, the lawyer screams
there are two sides in every fight
yet everybody “knows” what’s right
for the FacebookYouTube miracle
sends evidence empirical
across the globe at speeds of light
while the real truth stays out of sight
oft hidden by grey overcoats
of politicians gathering votes.

Words conveniently disguise
weakness clothed in pompous lies,
historical infirmities,
unsupported generalities,
privileged complicity,
intentional duplicity,
centuries of grief and pain
suffered for another’s gain
twenty score and one year more
pounding at the tiger’s door.

Unjustifiably we cringe
when the door bursts open, rent from hinge
an angry mob spills from the dark
pent-up powder keg; a spark
ignites a nation, blacks and whites
protest filled and anxious nights
sweep our nation shore to shore
conscience values cut to core
Will the bell of freedom ever ring?
“The Voice of the Unheard,” said King

As always, angry mobs subside
rise and fall just like the tide
perhaps will leave a water mark
remembrance of the now cold spark
buildings, broken glass repaired
protesters home their grievance aired
reporters and the camera crews
move on and search for other news
We, silent privileged, sit in chairs
and watch the news with vacant stares.

“The Voice of the Unheard,” said King
will the rest of us learn anything?
will any of us hear, and change?
examine values, rearrange
priorities and constitution
sincerely seek a just solution
go marching forward hand in hand
endeavoring to understand
can centuries of wrong turn right?
and win the war with peaceful might.

Will 2020 be the year that starts the revelation?
Do we have the strength and skill to cure the ill
  which permeates our nation?
Will we ever hear our anthem play
and look around and see
all men, all women standing proud
not compelled to take a knee
if hand on heart we do our part, it cannot be too late
to gather strength together
and make our nation great.

Phil Lindsey 6/10/2020

I was young
And you were beautiful
You were laughing
At my youth
I didn’t know
That you were lying
All I saw was naked truth
You were bored
I was a plaything
Killing time
Late afternoon
Came the evening
Shared a cigarette
Blew some smoke rings at the moon
Went inside
You made a drink
Said you needed time to think
The phone rang
I was thoughtful
Went into the other room
Turned the TV on
So I couldn’t hear
When I came back
I found you’d gone.
You left a note
Not of apology
But of conclusion
Just the same.
And a twenty for the taxi home.
You said that you were glad I came.
PwL  5/24/15

When all else fails, and you’re forced to run,
Stop, turn around, start shoot’n with a gun
Laugh a little louder, have a little fun,
Walk into the web that the **** spider spun.

In the midst of laugh’n, cry outloud awhile,
Then try to dry your eyes and fake it with a smile
Hide your hard-earned happiness with a grain of guile,
And join the judge and jury in attendance at your trial.

As they announce the verdict, stand there ill at ease,
Pretend you’re in a Catholic Church and get down on your knees
Be it bread and water, or be it wine and cheese
You’re sweatin’ and it’s hot as Hell; the party goers freeze.

Life can be so easy, but we make it awful hard
It’s a game of inches; sometimes we miss it by a yard,
Play another hand of poker, and get the lucky card
Or find the buried treasure in your own back yard.
Phil Lindsey 5/5/16

Over Sixty years of marriage
We know that Dad still hurts
But the only words he ever said,
"We knew one of us would go first."
Phil Lindsey, 4/15/15

Yesterday is gone.
Your actions can’t be undone,
Why not learn and teach?

How should we mourn our Mother?
Who gave us Life and Love and Dreams.
How do we tell the world we love her?
Tears are not enough, it seems.
Should we sing a song of tribute?
Build a monument of stone?
Or find a quiet corner, and
Meditate alone?

We remember words of comfort.
When we needed her the most.
We remember cheerful laughter,
Should we then raise a toast?
To Her Life, Her Love, Her Memory!
For Memories never die.
Remember, though, when we’re alone
That it’s ok to cry.

Mom's journey ended early
And we must stay and grieve.
Days and weeks pass slowly
When our friends and family leave,
Memories, often blurry,
Run together like the weeks
And can’t repel the sadness
Or give the solace that we seek.

But though we mourn her passing
In unique and private ways,
We must remember what she taught us,
And how she lived her days
With humor, grace, and patience,
With love for family, and friends.
We must pass it forward always
Our gift to her, that never ends.

pwl 12/14

Am I the only one you follow home
From the subway late at night,
As the street lights form my shadow,
Hours before the morning light?

My briefcase, though it’s leather
Is empty. And it’s old.
Once, long months and years ago
It may have carried gold,

But I’ve thrown it all away
As I’ve gambled ‘way my soul,
You are stalking just a shadow man;
I cannot make you whole.

I can tell you stories,
Some are lies and some are true
I’ve no intent of malice,
It’s just a thing that poets do.

Turn an ordinary circumstance
Into song for all to read,
Sometimes the song cuts close to home
Causes heart to ache or bleed.

When a poem causes reader tears
The poet also cries,
For the pain that wounds the reader’s heart
Is real in poet’s eyes.
Phil Lindsey  5/28/15

Oh Filbert what you thinking?
You were always such a nut
I want to slap you in the face
Punch you in the gut
Take away your laughter
Replace it with a frown
You just shouldn’t be that happy
When there’s misery all around.
pwl 5/20/15

Take comfort in your faith,
Imperfect it may be
The soul that you've devoted
God, alone can see.
He knows and understands you,
Hears your questions, feels your pain.
He gave His Son to save us,
He would do it all again.
So when the night is darkest,
You're in the Garden all alone,
Know it was God who sent you there,
He is there to bring you Home.

pwl - long ago
Have posted this in honor of Mom, Norma Lee Lindsey,
May 7, 1932 - November 15, 2014

Thinking of Richard Riddle today on his birthday.  RIP

Do you miss me? Want to
Kiss me?  Want to hold me
Very tight?
Are you lonely, want me
Only.  Want to love me thru
The night?
Will you stay true if I
Love you? Will you be mine for
Many years?
Will we ever be together? Will
Our laughter dry
The tears?
Will you smile and say you
Love me? In the morning
and the night?
Will your smile be the
Sunshine that makes the world
All right?
If you answer that you want to
And you want to
Hold my hand.
Then you've given me a purpose
I think you will
Understand.
I am yours for Now and
Ever.  I am yours in
Heart and Soul.
I am yours from any distance,
You're the one that
Makes me whole.
pwL 2006

When the smoke alarms are beeping,
And it’s almost three AM,
And the batteries you need are at the store.
And the toilet’s overflowing
And you’re forty minutes late,
And you’re thinkin’, “Man
There must be something more.”

When the kids ask you for money,
And you could use some money too,
And the car could use a brand new set of brakes.
And the washer isn’t working,
And the dryer doesn’t dry
And you’re thinkin’, “Man,
There must be some mistake.”

When the rain just keeps on coming,
And you’ve stepped into the mud,
And spilled coffee on your brand new set of clothes.
And you’re not ready for the morning,
And the kids just missed the bus,
And you’re thinkin’, “Man,
I wonder if it shows?”

But when you know that you can’t take it,
And you’re throwin’ in the towel,
And you’re thinkin’ that you should run far away.
You look up and there’s a rainbow, and
You see your baby smile, and
You know that you can take it,
One more day!
Phil Lindsey 8/9/16

An infant, eyes wide open, stares into the world and sees nothing. An adult narrows his vision and sees what he wants. An old man closes his eyes and sees everything.
Phil Lindsey, August 10, 2016

They walked into the crowded room;
Spotlight hot; it made them sweat,
The crowd was cautious, curious,
Yet they had no regret.
For they were open, honest,
Wore their feelings on their sleeve,
And while the world was watching,
Professed what they believe.

We are equal. We are worthy,
Of your tolerance and love,
There is but One should judge us,
They are in Heaven, up above.
Should a God that loves us equally,
Be considered gender queer?
Can future generations
Be rid of prejudice and fear?

We only ask you give us,
A chance, an equal shot.
You will find that we will give you
Everything we’ve got.
We will make a difference in this world,
We will find our place among the rest
Some strive for mediocrity,
We will strive to be the best!
Phil Lindsey 1/9/17

"Do your poems always rhyme?", she asked. "No, he answered."

It would be easier for me to track a dinosaur through time;
To solve the evolution mystery, or make the dictionary rhyme.
To change the course of history would be easier to do
Than for me to spend a single day
Without a thought of you.

It would be easier for me to make the stars all disappear;
To make a blind man see your face, or make a deaf man hear.
To make the world stop fighting would be easier to do
Than for me to spend a day without
A single thought of you.

A single thought of you?
I only wish that it were true,
But I think of you a thousand times a day.
In my heart I hope that you
Are sometimes thinking of me too,
And I never want, won’t ever want, these thoughts to go away.

It would be easier for me to turn a mountain into sand;
To turn a desert into ocean, or an ocean into land.
To make the earth stop turning would be easier to do
Than for me to spend a day without
A single thought of you.

A single thought of you?
I only wish that it were true,
But I think of you a thousand times a day.
In my heart I hope that you
Are always thinking of me too,
And I never want, won’t ever want, these thoughts to go away.

If our lives were only easy, we would both know what to say,
Know when to hold each other closer and know when to push away.
To live with this emotion is no easy thing to do
And I'll never spend another day
Without a thought of you.
And in my heart I hope that you
Are always thinking of me too,
And I never want, won’t ever want, these thoughts to go away.

pwl 2006

Ballads, rhythmic fun
Joyful song, Cries of despair
All kinds of poems.

A poem ran away from me
To catch, I tried in vain
It was swift and fleeting
I caught but the refrain.

I struggled with it mightily
And fought the best I could,
But the poem got the best of me
As I somehow knew it would.

For I am mortally infirm
And my poems, too, are ill,
A Doctor’s bedside manner
Requires he be still.

And listen to the patient’s voice
No matter what the words
For often, dying is the choice
When one cannot be heard.

“I’m fine, I’m fine”, the patient says.
I must go back to work.
But the X-rays show a shadow
Where the lethal cancer lurks.

And all the while I sing. I sing.
I commiserate my fate.
For I showed up at the finish line
A hundred years too late.

PwL 5/15/15

An artist with a universal canvas, using words as paint.

You may have thought I was pretentious
A little crazy, lost my senses
Can’t believe that I confided
Everything, but I’ve decided
There was nothing else that I could do that night.
And I’d do it all again.

Won’t lose sleep wonderin’ if I’m wrong
I’ve made mistakes some – now and then
But I’m telling you I love you,
And I’d do it all again.

You got to know the whole thing scared me
Like someone else, inside just dared me
My resolve began to weaken
And my mouth just started speakin’
Told you more than I had right to
You were hard to say good night to
And I’d do it all again

Won’t lose sleep wonderin’ if I’m wrong
I’ve made mistakes some – now and then
But I’m telling you I love you,
And I’d do it all again.

Sometimes now I lay back and listen,
Then my eyes tear up and glisten
I’m convinced that you have shown me
You want to love me not to own me
And you make me much more happy
Than I have a right to be
And I’d do it all again.

So I won’t lose sleep wonderin’ if I’m wrong
I’ve made mistakes some – now and then
But I’m telling you I love you,
And I’ll do it all again.

When we think back to that kiss
Hoping it would lead to this
I guess that we both learned a lesson
That I’m glad we didn’t miss
Spending days and nights together
There’s no question as to whether
We’d do it all again.
And we’d do it all again.

We can’t lose sleep wonderin’ if we’re wrong
We’ve made mistakes some – now and then
But we know we love each other
And we’d do it all again.
You know we’d do it all again.
PwL 2006

She loved and learned
I crashed and burned
I will crash and burn again
She told me I was immature
But I was younger then.
pwl 5/20/15

On Valentine's Day
Cards red with hearts and flowers
Cards read with love.

There once were some bats in Wohan
Who infected the meat they were on
The Chinese got sick first
But we have suffered the worst
We can’t even shake hands till it’s gone!

Richard's son posted a note on his FB page letting friends know that Richard passed away, peacefully, in his sleep, of natural causes. Hello Poetry has lost not only a fine poet, but a great individual with his passing. He was always quick with a compliment, and seemed to enjoy life.  As a tribute, you might want to take some time and re-read some of his work.

Rest in Peace, Richard!

Richard Riddle’s birthday today. RIP

Sleep, my friend, and dream of youth and glory days,
when the heat of sun in summer burned a hole through clouds and haze,
and we focused on the present, for the past was gone and done,
and we waited, for the balance of our lives had not begun.

Wake, my friend, and see the living all around, for your
family and your friends are most surely gathered ‘round to
hold your hand, and whisper words of hope and faith and prayer, and
know that God is listening, and know that God is there.

Cry, my friend, for tears, like rain, will help to cleanse the soul.
Understand He has a purpose, understand He has a goal,
and even though it isn’t fair, He is with you every hour
so thank Him for your blessings, and rejoice in Heaven’s power.

Sing, my friend, with angels, when the pain of life is gone,
and your family and your friends are left on earth to carry on,
but only for a second, then they will be with you again,
for life on earth is fleeting, eternal life will never end.
Phil Lindsey 8/4/17