My father built
This family up
To where it is
From where it was
From calloused hands
To faithful knees
He did it all
For family

Husband, dad, friend
Is who you were
I only wish
There'd been a cure
I miss you now
With all of my heart
Missing you more
The patriarch

Wide in the smile
Sly to the eye
Soft to the touch
Strong in the might
Hard as you try
It's tough to find
A father like that
As good as mine

Those left behind
To carry on
A faithful wife
Three loving sons
My only hope
Is we do the same
In passing along
This family name

As you put your trust
In all of us
Raising us right
Truthful and just
Knowing one day
That where we were
We too would be
The patriarch

Let me write my books of poetry,
Sing into a microphone with no connection.
Let me wash my hair in the rain
As a means to get myself dry,
To find a connection;

To cleanse my skin with ancient water
That tiptoed the forest before Man.
Let me punch the code of my identity
Into the melody and not the spreadsheet.
Allow me to **** all the people

I was before I felt alive.
Old means for yesterdays,
Ends that caused me
To start over again.

Let me send letters to New England,
Let me drink coffee on the pedestal
Of a day spent sober-
Buckle of the grass in the wind,
Mind lost to cloud canopies
And transparent heartbeats.

Let me kiss a foreign tongue
To learn that all lies taste the same.
Let me take off my clothes
When I am alone, simply to remember
That I can.

Moon: a companion,
Windowsill vigils at dawn,
Medication for the side effect
Caused by the cure.

Let me wash up in the Jovian seas
When my feet are rooted to the Earth.
Let my mind pester the working day
With dreams for tomorrow,
With catastrophes blacklisted in the sky.

Let me write my books of poetry,
Songs of sadness with no tune.
All the feelings I forgot,
All the passion I outgrew.

We parked at the side of the road,
You put my hand up your skirt,
Said “I’ve had a lifetime of hurt,
Make me feel that I am not alone.”

Could hardly kiss you for the lack of breath,
Could hardly look at you in the fear
Of how it feels to forget.

You had a man at home.
I was more alone than you could ever be.
Felt no sympathy for your cause of misery
Amongst luxury;

Could hardly say no in this lack of flesh,
This tom-cat longing
Once all the daylight has left.

We parked at the side of the road,
Old-stringed guitar: all rhythm and no tone.
Limbs splay across the gear-stick;
Passionless and cold,

Weak delirium of instinct
Was enough to get me through.
Could hardly speak to you

Once the engine started again.
You pulled your skirt down,
Turned the radio on,
And wondered *who cheated who?

My life it is so busy these days
I need to save time where I can
So to shave off a few minutes here and there
I've come up with a master plan

Astronaut underwear
That's just a given
How much time that's going to save
I need not even mention

I'm going to wear my glasses below my nose
That way my nose for itself can see
Whether it needs picking or not
That's going to save my finger and me a lot of grief

Soap on a rope will go around my neck
I'll bathe in sinks as I get ripe
To save on minutes and energy
I'll do one pit at a time

I'll pull out my agua blue polyester leisure suit
That I've saved from the 70's
I'll wear it all the time, even to bed at night
Those suckers stay wrinkle free

My toothbrush I'll paste up and place in my mouth
When I hop into bed for a good nights sleep
In the morning I'll be all freshened and brushed
From a night of grinding teeth

I even got the brilliant idea
One night while watching my dog
A device on his rear so he can mop
While he scratches his **** across the floor

These are just a few good ideas
I'm sure I'll think of more
Once I have all this spare time
Sitting around bored outta my gourd

We keep running in our races
But we're going nowhere brother
When will we all face it
That we need each other

Red, Yellow,  Black, and White
Inside all the same
No matter light of day or dark of night
The family of man

Play the card of ignorance
Where hatred does abound
Loss of life and innocence
Never to be found

Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew
What ever mold and make
I am here the same as you
All for heavens sake

I am not like you
And you are not like me
All special in our own rights
If I may speak truthfully

Gay, Straight, Trans, or Lesbian
However you play your song
We all sing the same tune of man
Why can't we get along

All the Nations have a notion
Of how to survive
If we take this any further
None will be left alive

The North, the South, the East, the West
Be it green or be it sand
We're all on this big blue ball together
All in the family of man

Truth is you
weren't blameless
I saw your eyes
flash red that night
the fire in your palms
wouldn't burn out.

Together we were
a suicide pact,
there was something
about the drug in
each others eyes
that made us want
to overdose.

We itched like
razor blades
on each others skin,
our tongues a noose,
heartbeats fast,
furious.

My hands bled love
my knuckles
bruised like skies
I puked up every word
until I could finally
say goodbye.

This heart  is always open for business
Feel free to step inside
Round the clock, 24 hours
For whenever you have the time

There is always room for seconds
Even thirds if you so desire
The menu won't leave you guessing
Offering a variety of warming sides

Fill your plate up with the caring
Pouring onto it, a boat load of love
This heart encourages sharing
Of these delights there is never enough

You're more than welcome to bring your friends
There is always room for everyone
Friday nights it has karaoke
With plenty of song to sing along

Come inside for the daily specials
A little something to lighten the mood
If you don't have time to enjoy it here
Feel free to take this heart home with you

love
is doing a good job of
hiding from the truth

that i
have been keeping an eye
on you

if caught in mid-stare
i wouldn't know where
or what to say

i have become
an expert on
...the gaze away

the moment you turn
is when i've learned
to avert my eyes

at embarrassments request
i do my best
to not have you find

me in the dream
of you and me
that's going nowhere

if you caught my look
i'd be on the hook
of you knowing i care

if you caught me once
that'd be enough
to not know what to make

of the moment right then
as i begin once again
...the gaze away