Who Am I…©

Am I a biological cocktail
Of atoms and genes

A being of enlightenment
From another cosmos

A melding of time and experiences
Twisted into a known identity

A confluence of memories
That will one day fade into thin air

A figment of my imagination
Or yours

A spiritual being going through a human existence
“We are human beings, not human doings.

Every once in a while we need to stop and smell the roses,
Hear what is really being said, taste the essence of life,
Touch someone’s heart and see life for what it truly is,
A journey with rest areas.”

Andreas Simic©

Are the Five Alive©

Can you see it through...
The fog
The smog
The mist

Can you smell it through...
The fear
The odors
The stench

Can you hear it through...
The noise
The racket
The chatter

Can you taste it through...
The spices
The flavors
The bland

Can you touch it through...
The pain
The sorrow
The concessions

If you’ve made it this far through
The gauntlet known as life

Take a bow  for you are alive with the big five
Sight, smell, hearing, taste and feel are for real

Andreas Simic©

From the Back of the Bus©

The journey to school via that yellow tin can
They call it a bus at least where I come from, man

Long and narrow it transports it’s precious cargo
And delivers daily where we must show to grow

My favorite destination of that vehicle not of choice
Was the back of the bus so I could hide inside and rejoice

Many lessons were learned on the way to school
Observing life from that back of that melting *** pool

One learned about friendship between two friends
The shy kid whose ride was a means to an end

The bully that would run amok
Those were the ones that would have me duck

There were smiles and frowns alike
Most days I would rather ride my bike

Some days were up but most days were down
In the midst of the crowd and the class clown

Intersperse that beautiful girl
And the kids that made you want to hurl

Some were kind and some were tough
Seeing some of both was enough

Not realizing at that young age
This was preparing us for a different life stage

The ride was a daily grind
While I was looking for something else to find

From the back of the bus

Andreas Simic©

From the Back of the Bus©

The journey to school via that yellow tin can
They call it a bus at least where I come from, man

Long and narrow it transports it’s precious cargo
And delivers daily where we must show to grow

My favorite destination of that vehicle not of choice
Was the back of the bus so I could hide inside and rejoice

Many lessons were learned on the way to school
Observing life from that back of that melting *** pool

One learned about friendship between two friends
The shy kid whose ride was a means to an end

The bully that would run amok
Those were the ones that would have me duck

There were smiles and frowns alike
Most days I would rather ride my bike

Some days were up but most days were down
In the midst of the crowd and the class clown

Intersperse that beautiful girl
And the kids that made you want to hurl

Some were kind and some were tough
Seeing some of both was enough

Not realizing at that young age
This was preparing us for a different life stage

The ride was a daily grind
While I was looking for something else to find

From the back of the bus

Andreas Simic©

The Craving©
Until now I have never really FELT the meaning of craving
Yet here I am doing exactly that

I crave to write
For some unknown
Unexplained reason

The words
And ideas
Are pouring out of me

Like a faucet
That cannot
Be turned off

Why now
Why here
Why at all

It doesn’t make sense
Is it mere pretense
Or heaven sent

Do the words
Have meaning or
Is it me just screaming

My goal is inspiration
For others or
So I think

What if what I write
Readers see as
Something that stinks

So back to
Where it
All began

Why am I craving
This particular
Fall or at all

Andreas Simic©

Growing up country...A day in the life ©
I lay on my bed awake staring at the ceiling
No need for an alarm cause I have two
One is brooster the rooster and the is
A holler I call “father”

And then there it is the shout from below
“Get up you slugs we have things to do and places to go”
I leap out of bed toss on some clothes no need to be picky
For we ain’t likely to see nobody this way today

The race down the stairs is on, only three brothers to beat
Getting to the kitchen table to get a seat and grub to eat
The smell of bacon permeates the air
And mom is at the bottom stair to give a hug right there

As we chow down we all look around at each other
Knowing full well the list and which one we druthers
There’s tillin the garden with a ***, muckin the pens with its stench,
Fence mendin with barb wire or ridein that metal steed named Deere

And on this day through luck of the draw or Dad’s decision
I create furrow after furrow with precision and after awhile
And many circles complete the mind tends to wander into a haze
As you slide from side to side on that hard seat amidst a glaze

What will this fall harvest bring after the chores are complete
A trip to the fair and rodeo to compete and there I will be the winner
In that girl’s blue eyes as I lift up that grand prize
She’ll notice me then, that pretty little thing and proudly wear my ring

The old John Deere will transform from a metal steed to a pickup I will need
For those kids who will be taught to heed, respect their elders and lay seed
We’ll live on a farm just like this one built on strong backs from generation
To generation hoping to build a better nation

Andreas Simic©

The Balancing Act©

It is as though I am constantly in a balancing act
I envy those that seemingly do not go through
This process of weighing things in my mind

Those like poker players that can go “all in”
Shove their chips into the middle of the table
As if there wasn’t even a fore thought involved

No, my mind has to go through “the process”
Is this a good decision or bad
What will be the consequences

Why am I doing this
What are the odds of something bad happening
How will the results affect my life

I look at the homeless who wander my streets
Judgment floods my mind
But is there jealousy at the heart of it

Is theirs a conscious choice
To have no bosses, no one to account to
Are they free from the balancing act

What of the daredevils that navigate Niagara falls
Who leap to peril do they juggle their decision
Or is there absolute clarity of the mind

Pros and cons
Ins and outs
Good or bad

Happy or sad
Mad or glad
The balancing act

Andreas Simic©

Lost Words©

It was only later
After seeing him hooked up to a ventilator

That I realized what he had said
And a reflection came that I would later retread

For deep down inside I always knew
That my dad was there for me as I grew

He was harsh and intense on occasion
Some would even call it abrasion

But there was that other side
When we were alone me along for the ride

He did his duty as a father
Bringing home the bacon with little bother

But the lessons taught
Were what I bought

How to strive
To stay alive

To be the best I can be
For all to see

Have kindness for my fellow man
Help wherever I can

Be a father to a son
Be there to protect everyone

Give a care
If you dare

That tomorrow will be a better day
When you get ego out of the way

As I sit here to lament
I recall those lost words he had repent

After waiting all those long years
And though he is long gone they still bring me tears

Those lost words you ask “I love you…”

Andreas Simic©

The Glimpse©

As he rode down the escalator
Eyes upon the next step
Caution on his mind
The throng of people
Surrounding him like a fence
Something told him to look up
Was it an inkling
Was it intuition
Was it a premonition
Was it fate
But look up he did
And in that moment their eyes met
It was a mere seconds of a lifetime
But they were both transfixed
He going down
She coming up
A passing of two strangers
Eyes locked
Was this a flight of fancy
Or the real thing
He would never know
For she was gone around the corner
And he was on his way to work
Destiny would have to prevail
Someday but not today

Andreas Simic©

The Blame Game©

I am irate, I want to be angry.
Something has set me off
And I want someone to be responsible
To be the target of my rage

I just want to let loose
To vent this unexplained feeling
It is like a storm that has brewed
And now like a tornado wants to become a twister

To unleash that which has been pent up
Now looking for someone to ****** my energy upon
A nameless victim who doesn’t even see it coming
Who will be the benefactor of the ****** released

Likely someone who is close like a spouse or a friend
Or maybe a complete stranger
Unaware of the catalyst
That will spark this verbal assault

I just need that someone who will listen
To my frustration, my angst, my worries
Hear what I have to say and just be
The voice of reason

And as time passes
As I journal and negotiate with myself
It has begun to dissipate, to unravel
And the storm has passed

There is no one to blame
It was all part of the game.

Andreas Simic©