Like an endless arrow aimed at the heart of nowhere
The road ahead smashes itself against the distant mountains.

Now the road lasers toward a far horizon and falls off
The edge of the world into cloudy skies.

Cows, like freckles on a distant green field, pay no attention,
And by what miracle is there grass in this barren landscape.

Orange posts on thick black bases march along the roadway edges
Like determined Boy Scouts on an endless hike.

Miles and hours roll away in equal measure and nothing changes
But somehow nothing manages to ever stay the same.

No cactus and no tumbleweed, no sand dunes or gullies.
Only gravel plains that go forever without the smallest signs of  life.

A hundred miles and not a village, not a human or a gas pump
Nothing but the fear of breaking down with no phone signal.

All those places on the map a crazy quilt of boarded up abandoned.
Where others’ dreams have come to die and wither in the sun.

Coasting in on final fumes, the the station is a savior and a clown
Finding humor in the city folk who didn’t know the landscape.

Who didn’t know you fill your tank in every town you pass
And never let it get below the half way marker on the gauge.

A final push and finally the Fallon signs appear
Relief is like a cooling breeze that makes the last miles fly.

And there is Fallon, little town where everybody wears a gun
In leather pouches on their belt, and rebel flags are seen.

Where good ole boys and relatives have welcome mats
And handshakes that morph into hugs that sometimes last too long.

Where mosquitos rule the skies and snakes may keep you company
But everyone you come across will soon become your friend.

The paradoxes build a wall that can’t be gotten over
And the only way to go is back to where we started from.

Highway 95 has brought us to a wholly different world
And sadly, we don’t speak the language or understand the rules.

Nothing but to turn around and make that endless drive again.
No one on the road but us, as lonely as it was before.

The trip was made with hopes held high for a new beginning
But the future offered us came with too much baggage.

So highway 95 goes on...and on... and ever on
For some a super highway, for some a mere dead end.

ljm

I'll  do nothing...
bad in life that will make my mother cry.
You can disgrace me, debase me, tie me to a railroad track.
But once the tears flow from my beloved mother, there's  no putting them back.

I'll  do nothing, bear this in mind and hear it,
I'll  do nothing that will diminish her spirit.
I  wont let evil near it. 
 I'll honor her by being like her, and proudly cheer it.

    A mother is nurture, she is the birth of nature.
A teacher not a taker, a mentor not a faker.
The ultimate God given talent, a human being maker.

She forsakes hers for the needs of  yours,
with dreams of high aspirations of her off- spring for,
nothing less, till their health and happiness soar.

Who else in this jaded,
complicated,
world gives unconditional love.  Who else.
Who else has you in their thoughts expressly, wantonly.
Who else has you in their thoughts religously, constantly. 
 
Concerned about your wants and needs, worries and dreads,  
doesn't want to pry, so she prays for you instead.
Who else.
No one else!

I'll  do nothing bad in life that will make my mother cry.

G          S           O                 I           T    
   A    E                 F          D    S    S      E
       L                                         A             R

W i n d s   o f   C h a n g e  

Breeze Of Hope

calm stillness

         ljm

Though my dad and I
may not always see eye to eye
I can count on these simple facts
to remain true:
He will support me in my choices.
He will offer advice when I need it.
He will protect me when I feel unsafe.
He will make jokes
with varying degrees of success.
He will teach me stuff about cars.
(Stuff that won't stick in my head
no matter how hard he tries,
sorry dad)
He will always be in my corner
even when I'm wrong
(And he'll allow me to figure that out
for myself)
He will ask what I think
and will not say my way of thinking is bad
just because he disagrees.
He will do his best to be there for me.
He will always love me
no matter where life takes me.
Just as I love him.

Happy Father's day!

Let's try something different today
Let's laugh with our demons
Instead of sulking and crying
when they slither out of our minds tonight
Perhaps it would scare them away
And make us fall asleep in time
Let's greet the sunlit morning
With a smile instead of a frown
And hope that the day would bring
Heaps of joys
Rather than reasons for us
To worry about
Let's paint the dreary world around us
With vibrant colors
Of kindness and compassion
Save our karmic demise
And rejoice when we see their eyes
Widen with a pleasant surprise
Let us try to trust ourselves tonight
Let go of our fears and doubts
Drain every ounce of hate
Out of our veins
Forget about our flaws and faults
Under a star speckled sky
Let's try
To fall in love with ourselves
Without any rhyme or reason
Without hesitating for a moment
For the rest of our lives

When the light is dipping low and her eyes begin to glow
I find the safest place to go and that's with her.

When a dream drifts slowly in and the world begins to dim
and the night opens a door through which I slowly amble
through, I'll be
meeting you there on the other side

The evenings call to me
to set me free
from all the worries of the day.