A wood sprite cowled in rain drop diamonds
The lantern from above is shining ever brighter
Bluebirds and cardinals return to my vision ,
a golden religion with sacraments measured in legions ..
Sing O' thrasher , my lover , of gray blankets now parted ,
of streams fulfilled , longing for the ocean deep , of laughter
and harmony twixt earth and sea* ...

The color of depression would be neutral . A window to the outside world of myriad colors that pass unnoticed .
Awe inspiring light from Christmas trees , the stars in the midnight sky  
Ribbons and decorations on a soldiers dress uniform , the brilliant hues of the Appalachian forest
The view of Earth from Apollo in 1969 , a cellar in Nice holding red and white wines
The brilliant lights of downtown , the toy section at the local Walmart
The dark blue atmosphere at twilight , peach skin tones , violet eye shadow , porcelain mugs , silver coffee service
A cinnamon teddy bear held by a young girl , the apple of her fathers eye in a brown toy chair
The color of music pleasing to ones ear ? The glow in a proud heart and the tones of fear ?
The color of difficulty ? The color of regret ? The hue of amnesty ?
A reflection of our ultimate demise ?

Somebody got a shotgun from Santa
If I craved loud noise I would move to Atlanta
They've fired it every ten seconds
At least they seem to be firing in the opposite
direction
Woe unto me , the southern holiday firearm obsession* ...

The driving rain is a catalyst
for change , for opening hearts
or tearing them apart , for poetic
muse , for paying your dues , unencumbered
on the golden rail or a first class ticket
to certain hell
The drops tap time outside my window
A trickle a trifle to a deep crescendo
With innuendos of a special nature ,
midnight functionality failure ,
belaying the cliffs of Dover
one wrong move , into 'the Channel'
and over

Who made the hawk so sad
in winter sky , etching it's loneliness
to my wandering eye ,
Noble upon the tallest elm
Steeped in curiosity , crying tales
of Cherokee , of Muscogee , of hunter
and warring party*

*What hand did color the Georgia dusk ,
with lavender blue oils and orange sunshine
traipsing centurion forest
With waterbirds following the lantern of
God home , through arable pastures , o'er granite domes

Shining vistas quelled by encroaching -
onyx pall
Rain filled mementos of a confused May
Sky blue wild flowers decorating red loam -
banks , a lonely Heron stands watch o'er -
storm filled , uncertain dominion ranks
Brown leaves become sailboats on laden creeks
Matted pastures , thunders raucous laughter
Rainy songs 'neath umbrella hardwood trees ,
mud puddle looking glass , Box turtle paradise
Twinkling brush , continuous wildlife theater in kudzu terrariums Salamanders , snails and musical tree frogs preside over the misty afternoon stage

Tuesday is a 'Whisper shower' away
A night without fearsome lightning nor blustery winds
The entrancing song of tickled chimes from front porch swings
Harmonious pitter -patter of evening rains
The steady trickle of copper , gutter drains
Sweet , melodic call of Barn Owls o'er darkened fields
Gentle drops of healing water from Cottonwood , Magnolia and Crape Myrtle trees , splendiferous offerings courtesy of cumulonimbus progeny , eventide hail of Spring Killdeer , Mockingbird and Whippoorwill harmony

Every approachable Dawn bears testament as Earths recipients receive blessings ad infinitum , at love , universe and oceans continuum .. Aphrodite adorns the coming day with tokens of warmth be it ray of hope or tears of joy .. Lux expectat vos munid !

Ours is to provoke thought , stir lively conversation , relay life experiences on every occasion , brushed with a tad of fantasy tinted on the mortarboard of creativity and brilliant imagination ...
Quiet walks through country lanes that come to creation before the storytellers keen eye .. Cicada filled trees , blackberry thickets , strawberry dreams and Esquire rabbits ,
June Bugs on shoulders edge telling tall tales , Sir Bullfrog in character at the wishing well !
Relaying truths to conjure hope in the layperson , with austere poetic compilation , guidelines and hardened steel reserve commitment to excellence before my peers !

The kids frolicked in the steam of hot summer streets
Rainbows appeared in the western sky
Rain cooled Main Street , a Tennessee breeze
removed raw heat , rushing downspouts and gutters
before welcome eyes
Tree frogs sang songs of dusk
'Stormwater' fell from oaks in perfect time
Crickets began to chime
Sailing stick boats by moonlight
A cardinal burst into song in the young night
A young dove sang a hopeful tune
Cicadas bid praise for unpredictable June ....

Fighting the reduction of me
With musical phrasing , window
gazing , trips to the coffee *** ,
relatable poesy , I often envision a friend                                                           ­          with yellow roses and lavender posies for
my monument or in celebration of sudden notoriety ,
who knows* ...

Afternoon octaves from a Raspberry arbor ,
streaming with Honeybee delight , fledgeling
Cardinals hopping from branch to branch ,
Rubies pause then pose , streak away in zig-zag
flight
Bluejays crack acorns on cobblestone drives ,
Red wasp , Swallowtails and Cuckoo bees dance
in warm light , Cinnamon coated fawns dance
the forever fields of soybeans , Sugar Magnolias
stand tall in Purple clover dreams

Cold Sun with calling Raven
Morning soloist in the Cyan school tree haven
Wild berry blush , springtime zephyr maven -
relaying messages o'er crystal oceans of red wire grass
and brunette morning straw

Sticks and stones may break my bones but --
words will cause the Third World War ...

Soldier retrograde street-fighter
Molotov pressure cooker Christian
time bomb exploder carpet bomber
terroristic naval artillery quagmire
knee deep hell bent atrocity filled
suicide Iran bomber shotgun strafe militaristic
sweep Marine Muslim civilian shopping
mall siege dependent oil driven world
leader Russian handshaker photograph maker
invader

A generous amount of ferocious wind , a ladle of roaring thunder and a cup or two of 'nerve racking hail ..'
A handful of blue lightning with a pressure cooker full of rain ,
an armful of 'nasty charcoal nimbus' and 'puppy dog- puffy cumulus' stirred into a heaping bowl of 'humid Georgia sunshine ..'
Turn the Old rooster weathervane to the East , hurry up and gather the last pile of leaves ..
Get the turkey chicks in the barn , shut down the smokehouse ..
Tie the scarecrow off , call the family together and head for the storm cellar !

Silver bells in miracle laden available sky , the aliens are aware of our plight tonight , they continuously bathe our physical shells in love which we're unable to recognize , they gently coax and relax Earthly creatures with nurturing color on celestial nights , if we could only open our minds to the calm of twilight* ....

Brick red walls and black rotting roofs , a slothful purpose in every new move
Gutted, paint peeled shacks , revolving attic vents , remembering smoke filled
chimney stacks
Sea oat dancers performing , tin buildings glowing , the aged are growing bold in March sun , long live these abandoned monuments , pray for former champions* ...

Contemplating self immolation at a movie theater , somewhere in America , how many shots will take out the maximum amount of targets , children unknowingly face their mortality at a popular location . Placed a call with God , on a cellular phone , need clarification on what constitutes abomination before his high court ? He's busy with affairs of his own , so here's a message for you all with my gun ...Totality minus reason ! Woke up at three a.m. . Deaths invoice begs , at what price liberty ? Malevolent ,  homegrown terror , ostensibly the lesser of two evils , killing future Nobel Laureates or a promising young Doctor that solved the cure for cancer , sadly at peace , face down ..Ringing .. Message from Mom , distressed , on a cellular phone , are you busy with affairs of your own ? When are you coming home ?

I long for the smell of fresh turned soil , an experience I've never forgotten ..
The smell of diesel , oil and grease  ..The ringing of harrow and bush hog ...
My Liberty overalls and size ten clod hoppers , suede cowboy hat , pocket watch and Bloodhound tobacco ..
Bob White Quail walking the wood line waiting to
get their fill of turned ground morsels , grains and grasshoppers ..
Curious Whitetailed Deer hiding in the shadows , Redtailed Hawks
with a keen eye for field rats escaping the plow ..
A sixty two Massey Harris that ran like a' Top ' through rain
and heat , never missing a beat !
My mind prays for the simple life of man and machine , the brushfires
of March , the restoration of God's green earth ..

Candy apples are the stuff of fairy tales sold by Carnival barkers in pin striped coat -tails , for artist dreaming out loud , for Kings and Queens with simple Honeysuckle Crowns
To first time lovers that nervously hold hands , to zany conductors striking up the band
The flavor inviting calliope music on Riverboats Sundays , Saturday mornings at the Zoo ,  laughing at the Monkeys* ......

A willow tree filled with switches
The primary tool for a son -of- a
*****
Blue lake water lent her reflection
A neighboring persimmon tree to -
relieve hunger , a hayfield for -
needed redemption
A dying barn for blocking madness
A guitar to quell the sadness* ...

The random shower teases the imagination -
with thoughts of melancholy Gods
Stardust trapped in rain drops , colliding -
with earth
Amassing , expanding , cutting a path -
through black granite , flint and pink marble
Demanding the ocean on a collision course
with high mountains , enveloping the valley -
floor with wholesale anger and destruction
Redefining the mantle of the world with sheer power .. Fear not , for it's merely a timid January shower* .. :)

Tranquility upon this body of water , killdeer , blue jay , mallard and Canadian goose occupy her shore this Summer , oasis surrounded by urban sprawl , last refuge for young at heart , she mystifies to this very day.........I skip a stone across her wide , blue expanse in the name of all that protect and preserve her , young and old , and those in the nurture of the womb , with hope that they may witness her beauty in the days ahead ...........

Recall the training days of April with
juvenile curiosity , myriad painted butterflies
sailing golden-green opportunity
Wisteria , honeysuckle fencerow borders ,
Young Cottontails darting to an fro over
flowered , broom sage cover
Honey and nectar filled the air , Quarter
Horses worked the stair step valleys on
dew covered morns , Longhorn cattle
called home by the tolling farm bell ,
Rhode Island Reds foraged the fresh turned
farrows , sunbeams emblazoned woodland narrows

I've carried different flags in my day ..Worn tired emotions on both
sleeves ... Call me the King of Altruism .. The poet that hid as the shot glasses slammed the kitchen table harder with each drink .. The sight of Smirnoff ***** bottles are wicked painful to this very day .. The little ******* that sent his thoughts to the secret blue sky with wooden matches and red eyes so no one could read them .. Never understood , doomed and terminally depressed ..No hope .. No cure ... Everything is getting 'tighter' year after year.. Tighter I would say .. The house , the last bastion of private contemplation and solace is growing small .. Like the injured animal it's sheltering tonight .. Wringing out the last bit of memory on a web site , until the well eventually runs dry ... No more running or hanging on to the left arm with the right hand ..Goodbye Reflections , facing the living dead , Genuflections regarding the waste of days .. Hours of atrophy fulfilled ..

When I become electricity I'll
need hashish to complete my
wiring
A schematic of pills and liquor
for my quest to soar higher
For in my days trapped in flesh ,
emotion revealed my ignorance
Trust was a spring loaded trap that
bit my ankles repeatedly
Benevolence was a pit viper coiled
in the weeds
Women were my downfall with ploys and tricks
Promises revealed themselves as fleas spreading disease
I stumbled upon a capital city which turned
out to be a movie set
Contractors from the four corners of Earth were
busy filling it with fake furniture , mannequins made of
wood and plastic limousines
Gunfire led me back to reality that evening
Doberman pinschers exposed their teeth with
unmitigated anger* ..

The annoying , scraggly gent without hope in his-
eyes could very well be Jesus in disguise ..

Copious birdsong with candor along the windward lake shoreline
Natures electricity demanding conduit at the forest divide
Chipper 'Wrensong' , curious Ravens speak of the morn , rollicking gray tree barkers , southbound 'honkers' ride the blind of Autumn sun , diamond piedmont dew dabbled with new-day spices of black pepper , sage and English tea cinnamon
Brown cathead biscuits , warm sorghum syrup and peach butter breakfast
Cattle call bell tones crack the solitude , the thunder of hooves embellish the shine of rolling pasture , of thick spearmint beside gravel roads , steam collecting along quiet pecan groves , o'er fertile fields at rest

Gray hardwood Creek saga , hillside natural harmonies
Woodland musicians and warriors blended into
Coweta flora with piedmont songsters
Sip sip cha shree mockingbird melody
Whoo -reet bobwhite chantey from floor to -
windamere operas brushing live oak canopies
Land blushing with evening blue , stippled in
magenta and lavender cirrus sunset* ...

Make the transition from burdensome flesh
to inanimate light , not life in the physical sense
but as proud orbs that brighten our very skies ...
Traveling waves of collective understanding ,
a peaceful unbiased advanced order , relayed through
the miracle of time and space , revealed in a
civilization unlike our own through an alien prism
reflecting brilliant as yet unknown colors ....

And on this day when our afterlife is solved ,
When all fear of death is absolved ...
The persistent needs of flesh arrested ,
Our true purpose within the Universe shall
become quite evident ...

There was a void in my perception ,
an opening where the Sun appeared
I thought it was a crack in my fragile world
but it proved to be a doorway instead .. I smiled once again ..

I pondered the gravity of worldly existence along
the mountain bottom .. Reaching for the summit in vain ,
only to turn with a view of the valley below ..
I rejoiced at my unaware , improving condition ..

Disce te in hoc mundo ,  ( Learn thy place in this world )

Delivered to the academy of criminality at thirteen , studied under the masters , received a degree just prior to release , now walking the streets beside his captors ...
Educated by the state , now a wounded animal has been thrown from it's cage , to fend for himself at age fifteen , to make a living in his early teens ..
Fast food won't pay bills , no high school degree and zero skills ..
A life sentence for one mistake , a bright future snuffed at a tender age ..

Blustery , midnight blue and black
We go way back
Inversions in the key of life and
mute hopelessness at times
We're 'old hat' , you and I* ........

Yeah we're gonna get it right.....
Yeah we're gonna get it right....
Moppin' that hog all day, yeah we're gonna do it right !
Can you feel it down inside ?
Can you feel it down inside ?
Talkin' bout the music an the fire deep inside
Do you feel it down inside ?
Lord we gonna shout all night
Lord we gonna shout all night
One more mile to the bridge
Lord we're gonna get it right
Are you feelin' love tonight ?
Are you feelin' love tonight ?
Let me tell ya bout the man dear brother
Yeah we gonna get it right...
He's a comin' from the East..
Lord a comin' from the East...
Mark my word dear brother ..
He's a comin' from the East..
So we're gonna get it right ..
Say we're gonna get it right ....
One more mile to the bridge
Lord we're gonna do it right ....

Home of afternoon coppered timberland
Dancing wire grass and shimmering tin
Egrets in the house of deep blue sunsets
Dove songs riding winter winds* ...

I defy any man or woman upon the face of this Earth to explain color to the blind , hearing to the deaf , speech to the mute  , a peach to one devoid of gustation , chemical depression to the unaffected .....

To cull ones mouth for the warm Summer rains , for the wine of Concord
grape and huckleberry , for the tonic soured meat of tall grass ..
The cool morning dew atop Oak and Maple history , to overhear the
tall tale buffoonery of morning Crows and Wild Turkeys ..
To catch the midday sunshine , reach for the Harvest Moon at twilight ..
Yearning the freeman's forested religiosity , the captivation of starry
oceans filled with the secret language of angels ...

A trillion lights in the midnight sky minus one never to be truthfully discovered nor acknowledged ...

When I heard the news this morning everything stopped for awhile . My sadness turned to disbelief as I pondered my own mortality. Human beings are cursed with the thought of mind knowing where their ultimate destination lies , the grave . For the successful musician the CD , cassette or the album creates the illusion of immortality. You will be remembered as one of the great guitarist in the history of rock music !
I'm heartbroken over your passing today but thankful for the memories you've shared and left behind for us to enjoy !

A young Owl taught four songbirds each day , they chimed in the tree tops with glee and magical , musical serendipity , singing love songs in beautiful four point harmony .. Today two songsters and the elderly Owl await by the window to complete their wondrous ballads , to count off time and write rhyme . Freed to chant atop every tree , revel in melodious joy , to be perched together along the Olive branch for all eternity  ..

I just wanted to tell you about brown eyed Carolynn , the sweetest little girl I've ever laid two eyes upon .. They say Harrison looks just like his Grandfather ,  growing bigger by the hour , as tall as his father one day if that's even possible .. Mary Ellen has turned my world upside down , you two would absolutely adore one another , I can't wait to look over and see her pretty face every morning ! I've lost the beard plus a hundred or so pounds , traded in farm life for the woods in Chattahoochee Hills .. Mom is feeling better and doing what she loves , eating Chinese food and watching old shows .. Just thought I'd check in with you for awhile tonight and keep you up to date on all that is good in my life ! Later ....

King Thomas , a Rhode Island Red , broke the silence sharply at 4: 30 a.m. .. Calling his knights to order , both Chinese geese marched , tails wagging , to the side porch to inform the house of the new day , with a noise that could wake the dead !... Little Bear , Chief and Preacher , would instantly beg for their morning constitution while Templeton and Cody , our two tabbies , would sit nervously wondering what was happening ! Little Bear , master of mischief , would circle the hens in their morning exercise ritual , with a smile from ear to ear..! The sound of laying hens in utter distress would invite the rabbit dogs across the street to bay continuously which incited his four other dogs ,  German shepherds , to run their enclosure thereby waking every other dog in the northeast quadrant of Henry County it seemed ! Atlanta was a quiet country town compared to Kelleytown , Ga. in the wee hours of the morn !

Birthdays , celebrations , myriad recollections forgotten-
But I will take to my deathbed my childhood on the banks of the Chattahoochee !

Blackberry blossom and glorious Honeysuckle vine
Dark green Ferns and scented Loblolly Pines ...
Brush , briar thickets reducing visibility to arms reach
An Ole grey Opossum high atop a Cottonwood Tree ..
Thick floors of pine needles and knee high wild grasses
Yellow Locust , green grasshoppers flying in advance on stair -step hillsides leading into chilly Walnut Creek ...
Sandbars filled with quartz and mica , glistening between the 'Brick red clay cliffs' as far as you can see downstream ..
Painted turtles and Blue Herons , Cottonmouths and Black Racers ..
The music of life at every turn , every ripple of water , swaying River Birch ..

Walking 'Simplicity Lanes'
Like a Creek maiden with a shining mane
Her elders are shapes and songs of the forest
Bluebirds announce her forthcoming presence -
along the still waters ....
Every minnow , stoneroller & shiner circles the surface
Umber , greens & blues
Entangled vine & summer pine
White sand marries red clay shoulders
Wet feet , tickling grasses
Dandelion , wild onion & briar
Morning glory & honeysuckle
Sunbeams & field smoke
Honey & brine .....

A morning ****** passed
Acorns crashed into asphalt
Grass swayed south ,
November sun quietly falling down
Paint by number scenes
Stoic evergreens , white gravel roads
Inquisitive sparrows to follow me home*...

The bottom land was made
for slide guitar and mason jars
Water from the 'River Jordan' with
blue notes , alms for vagabonds ,
I'm quite familiar with their songs
Nor am I the first untouchable touched by
by the Live Oak riverbanks , I belong
on this bank recalling hardscrabble decades ,
a marriage without love , a thirty- eight token
from a hollow point self medicated Grandfather , Father ,
and two uncle problem solution , I dilute these memories
with Painters **** and the cold April waters of the *****
Within the mud on these two feet rest the others , reduced to
dirt and river water , fed on by trees , dung beetles , tiger mosquitoes , bobcats , snappers and coyotes
Cool topwater holding the Milky Way in her lap ,
air filled in pine sap , 'brackwater' and red mud
My cigarette , my **** , my shotgun* ..

It was quite evident as a teenager , drawing Boston's guitar shaped space ship on the back of an English book , playing the opening riff to Smoke on the Water with a broomstick
Hiding in the closet , listening to Kiss's first album , singing in front of the mirror to REO Speedwagon
Bad Company on the eight track in my '63 Ford Falcon , taking a Guess Who album to show and tell in Kindergarten
Reciting every lyric on Three Dog Night albums , Foreigner turned up so loud that the windows would ratttle !
Learning Free songs note by note on the guitar , playing Born to be Wild like I was on a World Tour
My heroes are Page , Scholz , Perry and Geddy Lee ! Soundgarden , Alice in Chains , Mott the Hoople and Queen
Jimi Hendrix bringing his Strat to life , Eddie's blistering fretwork !
Crosby , Stills and Nash , three part Angelic vocal harmonies , Ronnie James Dio wailing like a banshee !
A Gibson through a Marshall , A Fender through a Vox , a Tele through a Peavey , a Rickenbacker through an Orange !
Jim Morrison turning poetry into song , Elton John baring his soul through the piano
Eddie Vedder in a trance on stage , Anne Wilson crying out in pain  , Layne Staley raising the hairs on the back of your neck , the reassuring voices of McCartney and Lennon , every musical note committed to paper by George Harrison
Chris Cornell screaming into the night , the aura of Robert Plant onstage
the sweet guitar work of Eric Clapton , heart wrenching soul of Janis Joplin
The wailing guitar of Robin Trower , the blues power of Rory Gallagher
Siren song of Annie Lennox to the infectious , brilliant lyrics of Tom Petty

When I hear Steppenwolf I smell **** , when Foreigners playing
I'm tripping on tab tea .. Danny Joe Brown was yelling , ZZ Top was my musical religion .. Black Sabbath rocked my world , Robin Trower made my head swirl ! My Sg and Peavey would make the ground burn , my wah pedal made the Earth turn ...
Bostons first album blew my mind , Running with the Pack and a bottle of wine ....
Randolph Wilson was my occupation , Jimi Hendrix held it all together !