I decided today when I woke up
To write a poem  for everyone
I'd start off with the very old
And end up with the young

In between I'd have kings and queens
Along with a peasant or two
A genius with a dozen degrees
Even a few without a clue

For the in-laws and the outlaws
Though at times they act the same
If right now they're sitting next to you
No need to mention names

I'd also write it for the Catholics
Protestants and Jews
So as not to leave anyone out
A Methodist marching band with kazoos

What would a poem for everyone be
Without rodeo and circus clowns
The ones that paint happy faces
Over the top of their life's frowns

The tall the short and skinny of course
Those that are tipping the scale
Which these days are most of us
But let's not dip into that well

And of course I can't leave out
All the gays and all the straights
Who never knew that they were straight
Until the gays knew they were gay

I guess we've all been labeled
I really don't mean to offend
Oops...I almost forgot to include
All the mustached women and hairy backed men

If you find you weren't in here
And think that your unmentionable
I'd like you to know my friend
My rudeness was unintentional

You may take this poem for everyone
And do with it what you wish
Perhaps the closest receptacle
Where it may join it's friends...the trash

I do believe the time has arrived
For me to tap into my serious side
It's been fun and games in this poets life
Deeper meaningful pieces I feel I must write

I'll start off by writing of the experience
Of those in the throes of life's masterful dance
Of a child's do's and don'ts, cans and can'ts
Catching an orphan's tears if given the chance

I'll weave rhyming tales on the mountain tops
Of a silence so thick, you can hear a pin drop
Filling a wish the lost never had, never got
A profound idea the moment it's caught

I'll pull the thoughts out of the clouds and the mind of the wind
Of a perfect lines ever beginning and end
I'll open the lonely hearts up of all women and men
Then I'll write it all over again

But this time I'll add all the sorrow I see
The loss of a child and a family down on their knees
Of the heartache that will and will never be
The pain that we feel but prefer not to see

Yes, I do believe the time has arrived
For me to tap into my serious side

When you ask of me, why poetry
I'm not sure you understand
That it's the center of my universe
The very depth of who I am

The molecules in the air I breath
Oxygen pulsing through the veins
The storm brewing beneath the surface
The pounding of the rain

It's the timeless anticipation
Of the thought that's yet to come
The tearing open of life's seam
The beating of the drum

The first peak of the desert flower
When it feels the gentle touch of spring
The smile in the eyes of a child
And all the joy it brings

The in and out of the tide
In the pulling of the waves
When you ask of me, why poetry
What more is there to say

Two separate continents
Different people, different lands
Yet with the same deep desire
To reach out and hold each others hands

To break the icy cold wall surrounding them
And search for the hot and burning passion
inside of their hearts
To dig deeper into the very corner of their souls
And colour the world with poetic art

Painting a picture where the world comes together
Through the harmony of rhyme
Creating a peaceful understanding
That will withstand the test of time

Tempted by the ****** snow
They struggle and stagger
until their blood fills the red warm lake
While the fools see the poetry world as detrimental
To them everything is just a beautiful mistake

And mistakes are made to make sure the world stays
On the edge of curiosity
Bringing together those people in distant lands
Back to that harmony

Poets are language lovers
As well as secret dreamers
In their vulnerable hearts they treasure
And live out those dreams forever and ever