I’ll be There

When the time comes – And it will –

And you need someone to take your hand,

To lead you through the danger zone,

To slay the multi-headed dragon,

 

To share your sorrows and your joy,

The hectic noisy quiet moments.

To stare into a cloudless sky and

Wonder where it all began,

 

To stand in wake for loved one lost and

Ponder why it all must end.

When life is just a puzzle where

The pieces don’t quite seem to fit,

 

And you are left with questions that

The sages of the ages fear.

When others have abandoned you,

Don’t worry,

I’ll be there.

 

Caught From Behind

Simple when you get down to it.

Twist it to he left, unscrew it.

Waited far too long, you blew it.

Now you cannot win.

 

Race the beast, your feet are flying.

Credit due at least for trying.

If you lose, no need for crying.

You can try again.

 

Sprint ahead into the lead.

Good advice remains unheeded.

No reserve left when it’s needed

Puts you in a bind.

 

Leaves you in a situation

No amount of perspiration

Can avoid the culmination,

You – Caught from behind.

 

Lead Us Forward

Forge ahead, oh mighty one,

Feel the breath of the chosen one

Hot on your nape

Craving the victory so long desired,

So long elusive,
so distant,

So close.

 

Spirit undaunted by tribulation,

No speculation on which way to move.

Dive straight ahead

Without dread or emotion,

Caution abandoned.

Your cause

Our effect.

 

You shall not waiver

In determination.

Your steely-eyed mission

Can know no retreat.

We cannot lose,

We shall not fail.

The ending is written

As you lead the way.

 

Take My Hand

There’s a place where teardrops go

To lose their memories,

In a land where pain and sorrow can’t survive.

Every heartache knows the way

To pray on bended knees

Til the passion of forgiveness can arrive.

 

I have felt the winds of chance

Flowing over us

Taking all control of fate from our command.

But I know it’s not too late

If you believe in you and me.

We can make it if you’ll only take my hand.

 

There are words we can’t take back even

If we wanted to.

There are things that we have done

We can’t undo.

But a future without us is unacceptable.

My life would have no meaning without you.

 

There’s a place where we can go

To bring back happiness,

Holding all the hope two people can demand.

We can’t find our way alone.

That’s impossible.

We can make it if you’ll only take my hand.

 

Rising Star

Had time not been cruel

I’d hitch my rig to your rising star

As you follow your dream.

How high you might soar

In the milky blue skyway

To taste the adrenaline

Of each starlight beam.

 

This is your time to

Brighten the heavens,

To dance among millions and

Try to outshine

Every shimmering sun

Spreading light to her planets

While sipping the nectar

Of sparkling wine.

 

Nothing can tether

Your high-flying spirit.

Grace is your partner

In this silent run.

I’ll stand in your shadow,

Bask in your glory.

My time has passed.

Yours has only begun.

 

It’s a Pleasure

We meet…

And it’s a pleasure

From a handshake to a hug,

From an eye-induced embarkment

To a ladened bon voyage.

 

In a smile-embraced encounter

A melody in tune,

Some soon to be nostalgia in

A memory collage.

 

Defeat is not a measure

To consider in our world.

It’s a place reserved for others

Who’ve forgotten how to win.

 

As we stand at the finish line

And savor victory,

We look toward another contest

And remember where we’ve been.

 

And when the day is over

And the music fades away,

When angels call to glory

And our story starts anew,

 

I’ll write you one more love song

As the light begins to dim

To tell you one last time

It was a pleasure loving you.

 

Leave It Alone

There are times when a well-spoken word

Can bring peace to a troubled world,

But lately the words between us

Only get in the way.

The more that we talk, the more we sound bitter

Til the words finally cut to the bone.

I believe that it might have been better

To just leave it alone.

 

The world will keep turning, and

Hearts will keep yearning

In whispers that speak soft and low.

But your words undo me,

The anger cuts through me,

And I simply can’t let it go.

 

A handful of laughter can’t hide

All the heartache we hold inside.

There’s just not much left to say

When the feeling is gone.

If we can’t learn trust in each other

There’s no need to talk at all.

We might as well talk to ourselves

And just leave it alone.

 

A Song for You

Maybe Elton John could have

Done a better job,

Or John Denver in his subtle and bemused

Befuddled way.

They knew the nuance needed,

All the buttons to be pushed

To make all the ladies tingle

As they gently swoon and sway.

But

         <Chorus>

This song’s for you.

No one else can steal the show,

And I know it’s true

That our love can only grow.

Right from the start

It’s as if I always knew

That my heart will always sing

A song for you.

 

True love is forever

Or at least that’s what they say.

When you find that special someone to adore.

You find it growing stronger

Every minute, every day,

Strolling hand in hand

Through every open door.

And

         <Repeat Chorus>

 

I Believe in Miracles

I believe in every heart

There lives an inner dream

Walking hand in hand with hope

Waiting for the day

When just a touch, a fleeting glance

Can sometimes lead us on

To a land where miracles

Are common so they say.

I believe in miracles.

I see one every day.

When I look into your eyes

I know that it must be true.

Never stop and never doubt

That Heaven looked my way.

I believe in miracles.

I believe in you.

 

You were only passing through,

Could have walked on by.

Never gave a second thought

To this poor fool’s company.

But Heaven must have intervened

When that sunbeam caught your eye,

And beckoned you to follow through

And led you here to me.

I believe in miracles.

I see one every day.

When I look into your eyes

I know that it must be true.

Never stop and never doubt

That Heaven looked my way.

I believe in miracles.

I believe in you.

Beware of Angels

When I met you we couldn’t have been happier.

We had everything lovers can desire.

There was never a doubt in my mind

Our story was forever.

I called you my angel straight from paradise

With a voice singing sweetly like a choir,

And a promise you’d always be true

And you would leave me never.

But

Beware of angels

         Making promises that they can’t keep

Beware of angels

         Breaking hearts and leaving scars so deep

Beware of angels.

         Leaves you weeping through the lonely night.

Beware of angels.

No one can say what makes love fade away,

No body even wants to know.

But even an angel can change

And not know the reason why.

But the touch of your fingers,

The tear in your eye,

Saying, “Darling, it’s time for me to go”,

And my heart stops beating as I realize

This is goodbye.

So

Beware of angels

         Making promises that they can’t keep

Beware of angels

         Breaking hearts and leaving scars so deep

Beware of angels.

         Leaves you weeping through the lonely night.

Beware of angels.

Old Stoneface

Trying to glimpse at a hint of reflection

From smoky gray eyes is impossible.

Like playing poker with Old Stoneface

When the stakes on the table are do or die.

 

No reason why you should hide in your mask,

Sweating the task of incumbent relief,

Mystical thief of presumed confidence,

You bait me, and I take your delicate hook.

 

Your crown of bamboozlement tilts to the right,

And I am left sporting the court jester’s hat.

No surprise that when the cards are revealed

My fate is sealed and the rent money’s lost.

 

Such is the cost of a gambler’s trade,

Hope dashed to pieces more often than not.

Lessons forgotten or never quite learned,

Betrayed by a face made of stone.

 

In Need of a Blessing

I don’t ask for much; there’s

Not too much I truly need;

A book, a pencil, a quiet hour

Nesting in my easy chair.

 

The trials of a hectic day

A spinning top slowly winding down

To a wobble, a wiggle,

A final spin.

At rest til started up again.

 

So, why feel cheated? Discontent?

What great malady ensues?

Is the quest so daunting

That it makes me cry for

Devine benevolence to intervene?

Is the path so troubled and

Fraught with brambles that

Every step is a task of its own?

 

Perhaps the masters of overstatement

Have sold me a house in sad need of repair,

A money pit with no end to the cycle,

Forever in need.

Forever in need.

In need of acceptance.

In need of a prophesy.

In need of a blessing

To find my way.

 

A Quiet Storm

Subtleties that bake and boil

Smoldering under a noonday sun,

Never quite erupting into

Molten fire and lava,

 

Never billowing the skies

With fiery ash and fever.

Never raging, ravaging

In naked holocaust.

 

Most content to view events

With quiet desperation,

Riding out the mounting waves

That crash against the shores.

 

Lifting up her chin against

A wall of rain torrential

More intent on what was won

Than what she might have lost.

 

Let the storm pass – as it will –

Let Hades dissipate.

The gold that lies at rainbows end

Is surely worth the wait.

 

Bow Out Gracefully

Makes me wonder if ever you cared,

This thunderous wanderlust

Bordered by prejudice

Edging an infamous side-tracking jaunt.

Base lining odd treatment

Mainlining argument

Streamlining instruments ready to flaunt.

 

It was no accident

Shielded by incidence

Trashing our picket fence,

Making your choice.

You never gave a clue

Pounding the avenue

Looking for something new,

Losing your voice.

 

Now we need look beyond

Sunset, to break the dawn

Now that our past has gone slithering by.

Bowing out gracefully

What was not meant to be

Comes about naturally.

No need to cry.

 

Heart Bender

Do not fold, spindle or mutilate

This heart.

It is sent to you

Preformed, filled with

A billion delights

All ready to eat like

A chocolate surprise.

Open your eyes to

An optical feast

From the most to the least

Stretching hither to yon.

 

Hope springs from darkness,

Searches for light with

A fever and fervor

Reserved for the righteous to

Bask in the glow,

Forever to grow,

 

To bend but not break

If the answer is “no”.

 

For Love or Money

Funny, the reasons so often decried

For actions unfettered,

Undisclosed.

The weeping, the wailing,

The tight upscale railing,

The lies and disguises,

The sinking boat bailing.

 

More often than not

All filters down to

One or the other,

Sometimes both.

 

Be it love or money,

Persimmons or honey,

Dark, dank or sunny

The net of its worth is

A price worth its weight in

Emotion or cash, and

Choice is the demon who

Rations the stash.

 

Giving

Take your pleasures

Where you find them;

At least that’s what I’ve always heard.

Doesn’t mean you

Step on toes to

Writhe in throes of ecstasy.

 

Simple acts of kindness carry

Special blessings in their tote,

Free to all who spread their joy,

Joy to all who spread them free.

 

Is it just me?

Might you agree?

Might pilgrims see the

High degree of blessings

Held in giving hands

Riding on an endless sea.

 

Awake at Midnight

Watching walls…

         Awake again

With midnight creeping past my door.

Mind awash with daylight dread,

Thoughts unsaid,

         Sad regrets.

 

A million ways to make amends

For slights and slashes of the tongue,

Songs unsung or sung so much

They cannot leave my hollow head.

 

Nagging hunger for a slice of

Humble pie as recompense.

Trying hard to make some sense of

Arguments and quarrels.

 

Oh, the horror.

         Ah, the humor.

Steeped in rumored innuendo

Meant to send no earthly message

For the masses to ignore.

 

Oh, that I could clear my head of

Past regrets,

         Future frets.

Perhaps I would not find myself alone

         Awake at midnight.

 

Trust

I will not question your remiss.

You cannot help your folly in

A frenzied, fashioned, frivolous

Profusion of profession.

 

Within a welt of weariness

Without a weathered wariness

You seethe a certain innocence

That escalates confusion.

 

How could I doubt?

Why should I shout?

What kind of lout would question?

To taunt or mock

Would cause a shock

But garner no confession.

 

I will not cry

Or alibi

Or grumble in disgust.

Sometimes the fat

Is rendered to

A simple act of trust.

 

Blessings Abound

My humble life has been so blessed

In myriad of ways,

I offer up a thankful prayer

For every breath I take.

So many acts of thoughtfulness

And debts I must repay

To friend or foe or family

Or just for kindness sake.

 

I lift my gaze up to the clouds

And somewhere far beyond,

To all of those who’ve gone before,

Who entered Heaven’s gate,

Who searched for something to believe

But ended all too soon,

And took with them a comfort

That had always been their fate.

 

Blessings are not hard to find,

They’re scattered all around.

One only needs to look inside

To see where they abound.

 

Fleet Afoot

The racing speed of a desperate cheetah…

The delicate grace of his fleeing prey…

With deft and defiance an agile surfer

Angles the crest of an angry wave.

 

High-stepping kickers on pitch, field or rink

Leap with dexterity, race to the goal…

Turning the tables to stem the aggression…

Quick to defend… Eager to save.

 

I stand in amazement,

Staggered in awe,

Cheer for the effort

As if it were mine.

Praise to the winner,

Bask in the glory.

Sharing a toast, let us

Savor the wine.

 

Life Goes On

If the end is the beginning and

The portal must be breached,

Then the search need not fall heavily

Upon the beaten masses who

Sit and weep and keep the vigil

Deep into the night,

Who cast their gaze toward heaven til

The hopeless feeling passes.

 

And you and I bear witness

And stalk uneasy truths

And wonder at the wonder of

The awful wondrousness.

Dare we pose the question?

Dare we to offer answer?

Are we somehow at fault and

If we are, do we confess?

 

For every sparkling dewdrop

For every baby’s cry

For every lilt of laughter in

A halt and brazen world

There lives a new beginning

There lives a sad goodbye 

A bittersweet dilemma

As the story is unfurled.

 

Grace

Swift… The sword can be

         So unforgiving

Striking at random

         In tandem or thrice

Stalking the night in

         Succinct predilection

Pumped with bravado

         Knowing no shame

Where is my White Knight

         On galloping steed?

Swift to the fray he rides

         Brandishing steel

Taking the mantel of

         Conquering angel

Holding the laurel of

         Sweet victory

 

Grace be my savior

         Hope my redeemer

Yielding a kiss on

         My welcoming cheek

Offering manna replete

         Sweet with honey

Wrapped in blue velvet to

         Comfort my soul

Blessings abide as

         The sun hugs horizons

Always tomorrow in

         His home or mine

Filled with a confidence

         Uncompromising

Fear cannot live in

         A house blessed by grace.

You May Go Now

Thank you for coming,

Bless you for sharing,

But this episode has come to conclusion.

There will be more,

Perhaps even better.

A broad invitation allows no exclusion.

 

We will be wiser

When next we gather,

Banking experience along the way,

Bringing perspective to

Feast at our table,

Saving dessert for another day.

 

This has been grand

To be in your company,

Share in your mind with insightful delight.

So with contentment

Tinged with regret

I bid you sweet silent goodnight.

The Lesson of Walden

One great lesson

         To be learned,

All that’s needed

         To get by.

When the burden

         Gets too heavy,

Take a step back…

         Simplify.

 

Sometimes seems to

         Overwhelm,

Logic lost on

         Asking why.

Only one sure

         Way around it,

Break the pieces…

         Simplify.

 

When “the world is

         Too much with us”,

Troubles seem to

         Multiply,

Find a single

         Word of wisdom

Waiting for you…

         Simplify. 

 

At Peace

It has been hard to get this far.

I could show you bumps and bruises,

Scars incurred along the way, but

You don’t really want to see.

 

There were tears, yes, quite a few,

Always with a sense of loss.

The trails they left were lessons learned.

Guess that’s how it’s meant to be.

 

Objects may appear to be much

Smaller held in retrospect.

But when the walls were crashing down

There was no time to think,

 

Only to react before

The whore of Armageddon

Pillaged hope, left me bare

Without a drop to drink.

 

Only now in silent witness

Do I know release,

Letting up and letting go to

Find myself at peace.

 

In Pieces

A storyline as common as

The shoes upon your feet,

Sneaking up behind you as

You look the other way.

 

You were just an actor

Strutting loud upon a stage

Spouting lines that someone else

Had given you to say.

 

Amazing how simplicity

Can be so damned elusive,

How digging out and digging in

Can leave you stupefied.

 

The telling of the tale

Becomes a complicated matter

Spinning truth in circles til

You don’t know who has lied.

 

Prideful dissertation

Creates many cracks and creases,

Shattering hope, leaving lives

In tiny little pieces.

 

Let

Let it snow. It makes no difference.

Couldn’t stop it anyway.

Let the beast eat til he’s full.

He’ll not be here tomorrow.

 

Count the melting drop by drop

To swell the streams of springtime.

Starlight yields to sunlight

Laying waste to pain and sorrow.

 

Let the bells peel loud and clear.

Let the drums pound steady.

Let the voices reach to heaven

Singing lofty praise.

 

Let me carry all your burdens,

Dry your tear-stained cheeks,

Take you by your trembling hand and

Lead you through the maze.

 

Let your thoughts be crystal bright.

Let your heart be free.

Stand beside me in the light

For all the world to see.

 

Get

Get up! Get out! Get over

Being prodded, poked and petrified

By every evil entity that

Enters your environment.

 

Paranoia doesn’t suit you?

Turn and kick him in the crotch.

Lay the bastard on the floor

Wond’ring where his victim went.

 

Scary as it all may seem

You still are in control.

Toe to toe, eye to eye

You stand unflinching in his face.

 

Move to get the upper hand,

To get the bully on the ground.

Even if you lose you know there’s

No remorse… no disgrace.

 

Life will hand you trials,

Give you sorrows and regret.

What you give it in return

Determines what you get.

 

Fret

Nervous little ice icicle

         Dangling from my downspout,

Slither with a shimmy as a

         Shimmer in the sun.

Wake the woes within your soul to

         Lounge the day away.

Bake away to nothingness

         Before the dawn is done.

 

Blissful in your ignorance

         Thankful for the void.

Pressureless and meaningless

         To flit the day to naught.

Not a chore to measure,

         Not a treasure to be found.

Nothing to be learned today.

         Nothing to be taught.

 

No sad crown upon your head,

         No golden amulet.

No responsibility,

         No need for you to fret.