Down inside black depths of despair,
Many a day, have I wandered there,
An eternal night to haunt in my dreams,
Surreal wonderings, not as it seems,
The mind loses focus, wavers and flies,
In endless abysses and starless skies,
The promise of death, it’s only reprieve
So often I have been led to believe,
To the mind in its madness, it’s a surprise,
That beaten and broken, the sun still can rise,
But red stained has a beauty, all of its own
And I know in my musings, I am not alone,
But when we are facing, those travels through hell,
We forget that our scars make a story to tell.
And life’s not for winning, there’s no succeed,
We’re here for the lessons, we’re all gonna bleed,

JDoyle

My eyes open to morning’s light,
The glowing window shining bright,
But so indistinct the colors seem,
Am I aware or still to dream?
And I ponder long, if I should stay,
As the day dawns rose or gray,

A precious moment, rare to see,
And just to maybe hope and be,
The softest, briefest touch of death,
With a still heart and quiet breath,
And I know that, I would rather stay,
As the day turns rose or grey,

But we live to dare and dream and try,
With so little time before we die,
And we must give all we can give,
There is only, just, this chance to live,
And though I linger, I rarely stay,
To watch the day be rose or gray.

JDoyle

There’s something about acceptance,
That really is the key,
Though often stalled by reluctance,
It’s how we need to be,
Then we can move to reflectance,
And that’s when we start to see,
From there we find transcendence,
It’s then that we are free.

JDoyle

The leaves are all gone,
The wind whisks them by,
An autumnal dawn,
A cloud covered sky,
The sun’s shining bright,
The mountain stands bare,
I blink in the light,
A new day is here.

JDoyle

I am a restless wanderer,
And I wonder often too,
I wander where I want to,
And I wonder what to do,
I wander up the mountain,
Then I wonder what is true,
I wander down the river,
And wonder at the water blue,
I wander through the valley,
And I wonder point of view,
I wander ever farther,
And I wonder questions through,
I wander where my heart leads,
And I wonder that way too.

JDoyle

I’m so much like my brother snake,
Searching for warmth, I fail to make,
To lie in the sun or curl up inside,
The colder it gets, the more that I hide,
Comparable to the vampire’s lust,
Desperate for warmth, knowing I must,
Upon my brethren impose,
For body heat or some extra clothes,
I go to heat, as a moth to a flame,
Seeking for warmth, always the same,
When autumn falls, and cold settles in,
I start my search for warmth again.

JDoyle

It feels adventurous to walk a trail,
Lest we forget the ones who blazed it,
Go this way and all is well,
Envious of, who first appraised it,

Freedom found in a world anew,
Blessed they that walked in silence,
Those society could not subdue,
Who made a life by sheer defiance,

We follow now, so thankful for,
Discovered beauty they chose to share,
But leave the trail, to go explore,
And sometimes be the one to dare,

JDoyle

The sun is shining brightly,
and I feel the urge to go,
But there’s something in the shadows,
that I just have to know,
This pull of dual worlds splitting,
that the brightness cannot clean,
For I know the pain of darkness,
as my heart lies in between,
And I am being called to,
the morning’s ray of light,
Even as my soul is seeking,
for the comfort of the night,

JDoyle

I think that it’s the questions,
Some innocently ask,
That cause me such turmoil,
I falter at the task,
The problem is the answer,
Is often rather dark,
So then I try to lighten,
Though tend to miss the mark,
Too vaguely do I tell it,
And it never really sets,
But the closer I get to truthful,
The more uncomfortable it gets,
I struggle with a balance,
To tell the truth and lie,
Cause no one likes the answers,
That cause beliefs to go awry,
It’s compartmentalized compassion,
Just for situations, pre-explained,
Have replaced real human empathy,
For the many types of pain,
And I think it’s true of many,
What you see isn’t what you get,
And that really is a topic,
Society chooses to forget.

JDoyle

Freedom, the long forgotten dream,          
Do you remember?
Shining in the morning, just a distant gleam,
What was it that you wanted,
And are you as you seem?

Is it you that lost it, careless in your ways,
Or was it everyone
A sacrifice freely given, to make for better days,
Was it worth it?
And are we better off now, here in this modern haze?

What is the price of freedom, dream though it may be?
Security and comfort,
That is the question isn’t it? so now we start to see,
Subtly it happens,
We lose our dreams of freedom, and join society.

But is that the way it is, or just what we’ve been told?
Who made those rules,
Do we have to sell our freedom, for another person’s gold?
Why?
Society gives no security,  and it’s gilt is chipped and old.

But the world is much the same, as when we turned our eyes,
Downward,
There are still the forests, rivers, deserts, seas, and skies,
Reminders,
That freedoms just forgotten, and maybe plagued with lies.

Don’t we all still see it, in the morning light?
Hope
Don’t we all still feel it, as evening turns to night?
Peace
Don’t let freedom be forgotten, it’s not to sell for comfort,
It is our human right.

J. Doyle

Life is waiting,
When I’m unsure,
I can’t decide,
What life is for,
I am tired,
I wait for night,
I cannot sleep,
I wait for light,
Waiting, waiting,
I think that I,
Am waiting for,
My turn to die,
But someday soon,
I’ll find inside,
Maybe tomorrow,
I can decide,
For now I’m waiting,
Don’t know what for,
But I need some time,
And then some more.

JDoyle

Just a tweak of perspective,
I somehow have to find,
And maybe looking upside down,
Will help untangle or unwind,
For a solution must be somewhere,
And if I delve into my mind,
If I sift through all the clutter,
And remove what makes me blind,
There! There before me,
Or maybe it’s behind,
Is the path that I’m not seeing,
A way eluding, undefined,
But once I can just glimpse it,
Then, then I’ll be inclined,
To follow it to hell and back,
Through pain and lessons, intertwined.

JDoyle

Time and again was history lost,
For a tyrant will reign at any cost,
Our books destroyed,
and minds subdued,
Or heroes slandered,
and spirits abused,
But hope, like life will find a way,
A light will shine, there’ll be a new day,
And hidden, kept hidden,
safely away,
Once thought destroyed,
forever to stay,
The wisdom that our ancestors knew,
They kept it for us, and never withdrew,
But waited, they waited,
through the long night,
To be revealed,
when the timing was right.
Fear not the darkness, just use it well,
And when the sun rises, there’ll be a new tale.

JDoyle

The wind it calls me, come along, to the lands that wait anew,
The mountain thrums and beckons to me, see the peaks I’ve made for you,
The sea it whispers then it roars, leave the world behind, askew,
My heart to pound and soul to go, tempered always by today,
To return and wait again, as again I’m called away,
As my heart aches from the beating  and my soul screams for release,
Away, away, from lands I know, not every soul desires peace,
But banners bright and shining mail, and clashing swords that seek the heart,
Or gunsmoke thick and cannon’s roar,
And charges brave as lives depart,
Pirate flags on winds of change above a rocking deck of gore,
Flying crafts take to the skies, and seek frontiers, forevermore,
Dystopia, a chance to fight, as society does fray,
And all the while, my restless soul, leads me once again, away.

JDoyle

I could say it’s the freedom,
With no one to tell me no,
And I love when I’m deciding,
Just where and when to go,

I might say it’s the quiet,
Of silence all around,
No voice to mar the beauty,
Of time without a sound,

I’ll add it’s the adventure,
When all I have is me,
There’s really nothing like it,
The wonders that I see,

But the time I spend alone,
Is when my soul can rest,
And really it’s the company,
It’s when I like me best.

JDoyle

Friend Raven, where have you been?
“Over the trees and across the sky,
Through the forests, when shadows lie,
And to the heavens where angels fly,”

And my friend Raven, where do you go?
“Across a bridge of rainbow light,
Northwards in the coming night,
To aid the Old One through the fight.”

“Raven tell me, what do you see?
“All there is, and The Spirit knows,
Life relinquished, life that grows,
What you wanted, what you chose,”

Raven, do you hear the cry?
“I hear the wail of the Phantom Queen,
The cry of battles, to be seen,
The song of steel and Banshee keen,”

Friend of mine, do you know the way?
“The way ahead is dark indeed,
Times of trouble, times of need,
You may still live, but you will bleed,”

Raven friend, I’m coming too.
“I leave the way, to follow clear,
Loud my song, with few who hear,
The end is nigh, the time is near,

JDoyle

Just beyond my fingertips,
On the other side of time,
I wander far and further,
Searching for the perfect rhyme,

A wanderer still hoping,
A traveler from afar,
A lost observer watching,
For the distant shooting star,

Just over the horizon,
Further than the dragons fly,
On the farther side of nowhere,
There’s a castle in the sky,

And we can go together,
We can find our way there soon,
And we’ll be forever happy,
On the dark side of the moon.

JDoyle

A gossamer veil of evening,
Gently tossed upon the day,
As Luminescent moonbeams,
Coalesce to light the way,
For life is a real illusion,
As all the world is a play,
And forever is just a moment,
That will never go away.

JDoyle

Thorn in my hand from adventure gone ill,
My body to wound, my spirit to fill,
I thought I removed you, but no, not quite,
Small under my skin, just out of sight,
A little reminder, when brushed against,
Of days of splendor when freedom was sensed,
The skin has grown over, the wound to renew,
The repercussions so many, the feelings so few,
At last I release you, now we part ways,
No doubt I’ll meet more of you, on some other days.

J.Doyle

As hearts and minds forget they’re free,
The red sun sets, will tomorrow be?
Confused and cruel hypocrisy?
Accepting this new way,

A starless night, so full of hate,
Choosing wrong, just to call it fate,
To harm is not to liberate,
So far, we’ve gone astray,

A future we won’t recognize,
With it’s conformity and lies,
The day will dawn, in different eyes,
That quickly look away,

JDoyle

The first hag closed her only eye,
She murmured soft “I’ll tell you why,
Violence, it comes along with life,
As does sadness, death and strife,
An agent of change, to use so well,
It’s not who starts, but who will fail,”

The next hag shook her gray locks free,
She crooned, “dear one, can’t you see,
A natural order, again revealed,
If they won’t talk, they **** or be killed,
The sun will rise up, yellow or red,
And love remains, for living and dead,”

The third hag cackled, grinning wide,
She laughed, “there isn’t a right side,
Glory for some, a winner shall rise,
To give their own mix, of truth and lies,
Fear not the changes, face each day,
The soul continues, come what may,”

JDoyle

The gentle wind disrupts the grass,
Swaying flowers, let it pass,
Wind whispers through the trees,
Teasing summer, with a breeze,
Telling us, life doesn’t last,
Live it now! And rushes past,
The wind roars to bring the storm,
Then it changes, cool and warm,
Spring’s wind will be gone soon,
Round the world and to the moon,
Find yourself, within the song,
Spread your wings and go along,

JDoyle

Mother births us, wishes well,
Father carries us through hell,
Sets us down to hear a tale,
Of what is best to do,

Mother rations, not to much,
Father gives a guiding touch,
Sparingly, he’ll use a crutch,
You must rely on you,

Mother kisses us goodnight,
Father sets the dark alight,
Let’s us know that all is right,
And it begins anew.

JDoyle

How often now, does emptiness
consume me,
Traded here and there for stoic pain,
Desperation rising up, as hope
eludes me,
As the tears of sorrow fall like rain,
Mockery that irritates and just
disgusts me,
Always someone bleating the refrain,
I’m trapped amongst a people that
confound me,
Not enough to hear myself complain,
My uselessness demeans and so
frustrates me,
My hands worthy of so much disdain,

JDoyle

Blustering, gusty, winds that blow,
Twisting trees sway to and fro,
Shadows dappled, clouds are low,
The brook it babbles, let it flow,
Sunlight peeks out, all aglow,
I’m heading home but walking slow.

JDoyle

Sometimes, I can walk the walk,
Mostly cause I’ve tripped before,
And face plants come as quite a shock,
But what you see, down on the floor,

Too loudly, I will talk the talk,
And often times just nonsense spout,
Words left open, free to mock,
It gives me more to think about,

JDoyle