Herb - Hello Poetry

Herb Apr 2019

If I were eighty
I'd slit my throat
Or take a long voyage
In a leaky boat
I'd climb the highest mountain
And then jump off
I'd be so desperate
I'd take up golf

I'd go to the Galapagos
Those prehistoric isles
Where the past lives on
And the lizard smiles
Or to the Yucatan
With it's ancient race
The glory may be gone
But they left a trace

I'd take every chance
I'd drive at night
I'd speak my mind
And dare you to fight
For I've nothing to lose
How long can one live?
I've given what I can
Though I have more to give

I still have more left
Of what I was given
"Stand out of my way,
'Cause I'm not through living"

Written for my Dad on his eightieth birthday, eleven years before he died. He lived a life of which I am both proud and envious.

Herb Apr 2019

Past, Present, Future

i was my Past
i am my Present
i will be my Future

i can See what was
i can Feel what is
i can Imagine what will be

other than these things
i Know nothing...
and i Care not

so let the Days come
and the Nights go
bringing me closer
to what i will Find
in the moment of Tomorrow,
and Time to touch what is Now.

Herb Apr 2019

Building a Better World

I've got a trillion tons of clay
To mold and shape in my own way
I'm going to build a thing of worth
I'm going to build a better Earth
A world where troubles don't abide
Where human rights are not denied
Where all the races live as one
Where peace can never be undone

I did it before, and I'll do it again
Set things in place, and let it begin
Once in a while... a guiding touch
Creating change doesn't take that much
'Cause change is what that planet needs
I'll tend the soil and sow the seeds
I'll give that world a second chance
To rise above it's decadence

(7 days and 4.3 billion years later)

What went wrong? Earth is the same.
What it was once, it again became
I gave Man rivers, sparkling and pure
But now, they smell like an open sewer
My beautiful sky; so lovely and blue
Is now a smoky, acidic brew
I gave Man a mind to out-think his greed
But, he used it to win, not to succeed

A better world from a perfect plan...

Yet, I should have built a better Man

Herb Apr 2019

Never Speak Ill of the Dead

Vampires are a cranky lot
Refuse to die when they are shot
Will drink blood... when it's hot
You reflect...  they do not

They give you reasons to despise
They are evil in your eyes
They will only tell you lies
They enjoy when someone dies

Oh, so human, but not quite
To the world they are a blight
You are frightened by their might
They are darkness...  you are light

But they are people just like you
Tho, with different points of view
Still, they have their rights too
Their own agendas to pursue

So you best be circumspect
Give a Vampire due respect
And in your case he may elect
To praise your soul and intellect

Treat a Vampire with some class
And good will you shall amass
Or things may turn around, alas
To come and bite you in the a...  neck

#prejudice

Herb Apr 2019

To Live Perchance To Dream

Have you ever had a dream?
Of how your life will be
Where your path will lead
And all that you will see

You'll have the perfect job
And have the perfect spouse
You'll raise your perfect kids
In your "Homes and Gardens" house

But it's rare that dreams work out
Just as you had them planned
You'll find they have to change
For life is shifting sand

You have to adjust your dream
To make it fit the facts
Of all those unexpected
Twists, turns, and setbacks

Then further down the road
Your dream looks like a fake
But, if one is to dream
They eventually must wake
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Don't feel your dream is lost
And you life, you can't redeem
I think that you are lucky...

Because I've never had a dream

This poem is dedicated to Me, Myself, and Herb... ...Okay, I plagiarized again... I stole a line from Mr. Shakespeare and changed one word... or, allow me to say... "Perchanged" one word.

Herb Apr 2019

The Look of Love

I recall when we first met
Lord, you were looking good
Your hair was fixed just right
You looked like a woman who could...
There was a spark between us
We started the dating game
But, that was years ago
Now you just don't look the same

Your belly was flat and firm
The curve of your waist sublime
I counted the hours and minutes
Until we could spend some time...
Spend some time together
In a lust that knew no shame
But, that was years ago
Now you just don't look the same

I remember those things we did
I remember that night in the park
No one could see you but me
And I took you in the dark...
We wrestled in the heat
Your breath fanned my flame
But, that was years ago
Now you just don't look the same
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So many things have happened
The children... our financial woes
Pain, and grief... the passing of years
It all adds up... and shows

Do I really want to go back?
To that time I can't reclaim
Because, when I look in your eyes
Honey, you look the same

It just occurred to me that I'm a plagiarist. I stole the title of this poem from Burt Bacharach, who wrote a song by the same title... a song I absorbed in my youth... ...The poem is basically from my experience, but the feeling is encapsulated in Mr. Bacharach's lyrics... ...But isn't every poem an act of plagiaism... the retelling of a story which has already been told... ...Allow me to refer you to Bacharach's "The Look of Love" performed by Dionne Warwick.

Herb Apr 2019

Left/Right Black/White

Step to the right. You'll see the
                                                              light. Come join the people who
                                                              fight the good fight.
Step to the left. Don't be bereft, of
the power to put injustice to
death.
                                                               Follow our lead. It is agreed. If
                                                               you toe the line, you will
                                                               succeed.
Don't go along. Don't follow the
throng. The list of their failures
is varied and long.
                                                                An eye for an eye. If you ****
                                                                you should die. The rule of law
                                                                you must not defy.
Killing is killing. We must be
willing, to put a stop to the
blood we are spilling.
                                                                 Stay the course. That historical
                                                                 force. Ourselves from tradition
                                                                 we must not divorce.
Broaden your view. Try something
new. Become a part of the new world
that's due.
                                                                  Progress is good. It promotes
                                                                  brotherhood. If it can be done
                                                                  it's ordained that we should.
We must conserve. Our resources
preserve. Or ruin this world and
get what we deserve.
                                                                  God is with us. In him we
                                                                  trust. He in his wisdom has
                                                                  made our cause just.
We have the choice. We are one
voice. In our dedication the world
will rejoice.

                           _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _

                                     Is there no middle ground?
                                      A consensus to be found?
                      Or do we keep going around and around?
                                                 Up and down
                                                Back and forth
                          A continual state of south versus north?

This poem was written circa 1999. Sorry, I can't get that first line to move right.