The Innocence of a Child

Hate unlearned,

Selfishness applying to

An empty bottle, nothing more.

No fear unless the inner ear

Perceives a sense of falling.

All else unlearned,

A block of clay

All moistened, primed for molding.

 

Wide eyed child of innocence

Breathe the air of youthfulness.

Soon the world will beat a path

To rob you of your freedom.

Lessons come in many sizes

Shapes and forms. Who knows the package?

Circumstance and happenstance

Are strange professors, guiding all.

 

May your teacher be compassion.

May your lesson be the truth.

May your heart be always open

As it was in unlearned youth.

 

Down is Up... Up Is Down

The world is downside, upside down,

Topsy turvy, overturned.

Which side? Where side? What side? Who?

Ever changing,

Nothing learned.

Bills come...

You pay.

What's that?

No way?

That's what you say.

Don't play dumb.

Sitting, waiting, hesitating,

Never knowing what may come.

Vast profusion

Of illusion,

Mass confusion all around.

No one knows which way it goes

When down is up

And up is down.

 

Do You Fear the Wind?

The rustle of a patient breeze

Sighs softly through the waiting trees,

Touching every single leaf as it glides by.

Laying soft against my skin,

Who could fear the gentle wind

Rising from the fragile earth

To kiss a waiting sky?

Will you be as benevolent

When patience runs its' course?

Will you stand to face the wind

When rolling clouds amass?

Or will you run to shelter,

Fleeing deep into your cave,

When mother nature's greatest force

Begins to rise and pass?

Unseen powers drive the wind.

The breath of God is billowing,

Swirling inhales,

Angry exhales,

Twisting, falling, growing,

Tangled fears will multiply,

Foresee a bitter end as

Heads get buried in the sand.

Do you fear the wind?

Drag Queens, Tambourines and Mom's Apple Pie

Ching-chinga-ching-ching, ching-chinga-ching.

Tambourine pounds rhythmically to palm and thigh.

Cheerful, laughing emanations wafting through the air,

Almost as American as mom's apple pie.

Folksy music of a note simplistic in its view,

Dressed in Levis, flannel shirt, bare feet and fishing pole.

"Hardly" understanding or tolerant of any who oppose

What was once her noble sentiments and goals.

 

The drag queen bursts upon the scene

With fashion and with flare,

Traveling a vast uncharted sea.

Being what he has to be and

Answering the dare,

Taking up the challenges

To set his spirit free.

 

Tambourines pound chinga-ching,

And folk songs fill the air,

Waving flags and ragging "fags"

With righteous indignation.

Commentary saddened through

A lack of understanding.

Sad obituary to a closed imagination.

Save Me Wolfman Jack

Deep into the night he sauntered,

Seeking souls of restlessness,

Saint or sinner,

Priest or pirate,

Cure for the insomniac.

Gravel cords to pierce the darkness

As the meek and weak confess.

Crying out in desperate measure,

"Help me!  Save me! Wolfman jack"

 

Sneaking in a dedication,

Lonely hearts a specialty.

Howling to a moanful moon

He spins another stack

Of unbridled joy and romance meant

To wile the night away.

Screaming loud into the darkness,

"Help me!  Save me!  Wolfman Jack."

 

If... Then...

If the chicken came first,

Then where did the egg come from?

If the egg was first,

How did it get laid?

If life gives you roses,

Enjoy the profusion.

If life gives you lemons,

Make lemonade.

 

If freedom is paid for

By loss of a life,

Then whose freedom was it

You sought to attain?

If reason is lost,

Then freedom means little

When nothing but

Bittersweet memories remain.

 

If Jesus was man,

Then are we immortal?

If sin is a curse, then

Why is there such blight?

If questions abound unspoken, unanswered,

Then our quest lies deep

In the heart of the night.

 

The Tribute

It seems so unfair

That we should pay tribute

To those who from all but

Our memories are gone.

The stars that glow bright

Are not all in the heavens,

All through our midst

They are scattered and strewn.

 

We as a race get to

Choose our own heroes,

Canonize saints

Long after they've passed.

Tributes and monuments

Grace our cathedrals and

Squares end to end,

The first to the last.

 

There are heroes among us,

Saints by our sides.

Slaves to compassion abound.

So, here's to the living

Who give of themselves

Everywhere love can be found.

 

What Do You Want?

What do you want out of life?

Do you want fortune or undying fame?

Do you view life as a pretending game?

Tell me,

What do you want out of life?

 

Do you know why you are here?

Don't you think it's a bit queer?

Can you insist that you truly exist?

Do you know why you are here?

 

Such philosophical mush

Must put your mind in a rush.

If you've an answer, please,

Don't fear to flaunt it.

Tell us all.

Just what do you want?

 

The Other Shoe

We sat befuddled and bemused

At news too curious to ignore,

Wondering what great misfortune

Dropped its' shadow at our door.

 

It seems there's always something

Brewing, stewing, simmering.

It comes in pairs or sometimes threes,

At times full-circling.

 

So, here we sit, our minds agog,

Backed firm against the wall,

Braced and ready, waiting for

The other shoe to fall.

 

Teacher Teacher

Who taught the teacher who

Taught the teacher who

Taught all those treasures to you?

Who gave them knowledge and

Foresight to realize

You must know everything

There is to know?

What makes the ages evolve

In their wisdom and

Keep adding more as the

Eons pass by?

Who fills the oceans with

Waters of learning,

Understanding the

Ebb and the flow.

 

Questions need answering.

Curious minds

Deserve to be fed

With the figures and facts.

Starving minds falter

When teachers don't teach them,

Leaving them prey

To the reapers attack.

 

Peanuts...

Peanuts, peaches, pulp and pine.

Up at sun up... Bed by nine.

Preaching Jesus... Cursing wine...

Always hoping for a sign

From up above to offer hope...

Ever trying hard to cope and

Justify a life so fine as

Peanuts, peaches, pulp and pine.

Top Dog

Top dog holds the handle.

Top dog pulls the strings.

Top dog keeps the biggest part,

The best of everything.

Top dog never feels the pain

Or taste the bitter sting.

Top dog is the champion who

Gets to wear the ring.

Top dog gets the grandest view,

The chance to taste it all.

Top dog rides the rooftops with

The farthest to fall.

 

The Expert

The expert stands in the midst of a pasture

Surrounded by cow pies and other manure,

Spreading advice like jelly on toast

Until hardly an ear can escape or endure.

 

Who could amass such a trivia trove?

Why must we listen?

When will it end?

Experts and bullshit hand in hand,

One washing the other, their only true friends.

 

Knowing it all is a cumbersome burden,

One that I hope never settles on me.

Hopefully there's always more for the learning.

"Expert" is one thing I don't want to be.

 

The Innocent Bystander

Just passing by,

Minding my business,

Meaning no harm,

Intending no wrong,

Wanting no evil

To darken my doorway,

Never expecting

To hear danger's song.

Resting my guard

In the cool of the evening,

Easing concern

As the world passes by,

Primed as a victim

To predators watching,

Walking contentedly

Where dangers lie.

Who would have known?

Who could have guessed

That the bystander's trust

Could have been so betrayed?

Just passing by,

Minding my business.

Left dashed, disillusioned,

Bashed and afraid.

 

Sparkles

Crystalline fireflies dance on the water

Like Mister Bojangles tapping a tune.

The sun settles in with the earth as its' pillow.

Its waltz on the water gives way to the moon.

 

Dewdrops awaken the clear mountain morning,

Touching the light to its' delicate beads.

Sparkling fancy foretelling the future,

The crystal of gypsies fulfilling our needs.

 

Champagne bubbles race to the surface,

A few clinging fast to the side of the glass.

Rising and gasping and bursting in air,

Joyfully, thankfully free at last.

 

Where do you look to find your sparkles?

What will you cling to when day is done?

Who will you sing to when shadows grow tall

And the lake waters dance with the setting sun?

 

Going Home

Dawn breaks across the north Georgia Mountains

Like a peek-a-boo child in a harmless game,

Flashing its' smile between tall standing pine,

Piercing the windows of the slow moving train.

 

Kudzu so thick by the side of the tracks

Blanketing hillsides, fences and trees,

Smothering, choking the edge of the forest,

Bringing the mighty oak to it’s' knees.

 

Off in the distance the cattle are grazing.

A corn field flies by topped with gold-braided hair.

The peaks and the valleys misted with bluish gray

Mystery, haunted by crisp morning air.

 

Pensiveness grows into anticipation,

Anxious to see those familiar faces,

Wondering what changes may have occurred.

Will you still recognize people and places?

 

Change is inevitable, constant, ongoing,

No matter how far or how long we may roam.

Shall we philosophize or be pragmatic?

No time to think of that.

We're going home.

If It's Good for You, It Must Taste Awful

Remember all those medicines

You took when you were little.

Paregoric, castor oil, vile liquids

Blackened to opaque.

Mom said, "It will make you better", but I do believe

I'd rather have green apples

And a three-day bellyache.

Where is justice? Sweet as honey.

Who decided in such haste

That everything that's good for you

Should have such awful aftertaste?

Flavor it with grape or cherry.

Mix it with some orange juice.

Tease it with a twist of lemon.

Bribe me with a chocolate moose.

Why can't ice cream be a cure-all

Instead of what we must endure?

Then we'd all be clamoring

To catch the illness for the cure.

Life is filled with irony

And one thing is always true...

It most likely will taste awful

If it's really good for you.

 

The Envelope Please

The suspense is building.

Anxiety runs thick in the air

Like the mist of a fog.

The crowd is aflutter

With anticipation.

Suspended in tension

Awake and agog.

Who could have written

This narrative drama

Dripping with circumstance,

Clinching its' fist

In white-knuckled wanting,

Holding its' breath,

Waiting to see

Whose star has been kissed?

Finally, the time is here.

A prayer ascends from bending knees.

Who will it be?

Will it be me?

Oh god! The envelope, please.

 

Waking Up in the Middle of the Night

I shouldn't have had that last glass of water,

That last cup of coffee,

Last drink of tea.

Shouldn't have drifted off

With a mind racing, recalling, reliving

The day angrily.

Dreams have a habit of walking the night,

Waking with fright as their victims fall prey,

Fearful of yesterday,

Dreading tomorrow,

Wondering what will arrive with the day.

Pity the mind can't erase all it's worry,

Blank out regrets and

Make everything right.

Sleep is too precious to be interrupted.

I hate waking up in the cold of the night.

 

What Is Your Hurry?

Vexed by the tide of the swamp which surrounds us,

Hurrying, scurrying all in a flurry.

Often forgetting to look where we're going,

Blind to the obvious, too much to worry

About. Catch the train or the plane,

See the man down the lane,

Take a pill for the pain before it slows you down.

Make a date just for two,

Keeping objects in view,

Just too much to get through,

Keeps you wearing a frown.

Is it not a concern

When the mind cannot learn

To put details in limbo and push it aside?

Tell me true, what's the rush?

Why the maddening crush?

Who gave you this bronco to ride?

 

Why Do We Cheat Each Other?

Lessons come hard for cheaters.

They don't always get it the first time,

The second, the third.

Someone forgot to tell them their shortcut

To finding the answer was terribly wrong.

Somewhere along the highway of lessons in life

They simply did not get the word.

Or somehow the tune went awry in their minds,

Erasing the words to the song.

 

Wanting and winning and taking and getting

Are viruses growing, infecting the heart,

Dulling the senses of kindness and giving,

Setting compassion alone and apart.

What do we win when we covet our neighbor?

What prize does envy align on our shelves?

Nothing is gained when we cheat on each other.

We just wind up cheating ourselves.

 

The Bitch Was Right

"What a bitch!" Was his quick response.

"How could she say that to me?"

What was her motive?

What did I do?

What does she want me to be?

 

So defensive... So damned touchy...

Can't she take a joke?

Can't she see my side of things?

Why must I wear her yolk?

I don't need this from anyone,

Won't take it anyway.

There's plenty more where she came from.

Tomorrow's another day.

 

Then comes tomorrow's calm reflection,

Simmering through the night.

Often said, a clearer head

Reveals the "bitch" was right.

 

Do You Love...?

Do you love to see the sunrise,

Pink and orange, blue and red?

Do you watch it settle on the tree tops,

Nodding off to bed?

Do you love to hear the robin sing?

...To watch the rabbits play?

Can you sit and watch the autumn trees

'Til the leaves have blown away?

Do you love the snow?

Do you love the rain?

...The wheat fields green and gold?

Will you stay with me?

Will you be with me when

We both are growing old?

Do you love the thought of a happy heart?

Is it what you want to be?

Would it make you sad if we were apart?

Tell me true,

Do you love me?

 

What Is A Friend?

How many friends do you have in your life?

Not acquaintances, coworkers, fair-weather friends,

Not neighbors or vendors you see on occasion

Exchanging a joke-de-jour, flashing a grin.

 

A friend... A true friend is a diamond uncut,

A treasure unmeasured by gemstone or gold,

A movie awaiting a storybook ending,

A welcoming shelter, relief from the cold.

 

Who can you tell your most intimate secrets

And not expect judgement or guilt in return?

Who do you go to when life gives you roses?

Who shares desire for the things that you yearn?

 

Whose is the shoulder you seek in your sorrow?

Whose are the eyes that reflect your delight?

Who is the one who will stand at your side

And go toe to toe when you fight the good fight?

 

Who sees you through and then comes back to you

Sharing joys and sorrows, the good times, the strife?

The question unanswered. Think through it once more.

How many friends do you have in your life?

 

God Bless the Givers

The world is overpopulated with

Those who only take.

Grasping grabbers, cold back-stabbers

Always on the make.

Rolex wearing, never caring,

Always wanting more.

Never knowing sacrifice,

A bold self-serving whore.

With oh! So many on the take,

Not knowing how to live,

We cherish those who can forsake

Themselves and learn to give.

Parables are written and

Stories touch the soul

Of those kind-hearted givers

Who sacrifice their goals

To deliver aid and comfort

To those who are in need,

Who never ask for recompense

For their unselfish deeds.

God bless the givers,

Bless them all,

Their numbers multiply.

Inner peace befriends the hearts

Of those who don't ask why.

 

Look At Me

I've never been to a nudist camp

Where folks parade undressed,

Never spent the day at a topless beach

Where women flaunt their breasts.

A slave to inhibition I

Suppose I'll always be.

Too shy to display just a smile

And say,

"Hey world! Come look at me!"

Do Naked People Have More Fun?

They say that "clothes doth make the man".

The woman also, I suppose.

But is this hang-up accurate?

What is this thing we have with clothes?

No quibbling. I know the answer.

The mystery resolved.

The most fun that I've ever had,

No clothing was involved.

 

Trying To Quit

Habits can be such a pain,

Can cause you anguish,

Give you fits.

Especially when you decide

It's really time to call it quits.

Physically and mentally

You're never quite prepared.

Talking tough is easy

Though inside you're really scared

To think of giving up your crutches,

Cherished little quirks.

It really burns when others spurn

Cajolingly and smirk

And smile and even laugh out loud

At your latest vain attempt.

The last thing that you need is mocking

When you seek redemption

From the strangle hold, creating a

Revival from the deep.

Self-denial is enough to

Make the strongest weep.

Finding all the puzzle pieces,

Seeing how they fit,

No one knows how tough it goes

Until they try to quit.

 

Break Dancing! What the hell was that all about?

Phases, fads, forgotten fashions

Come and go, unbridled passions

Stealing through into the night,

Swirling whirlwinds in their flight.

 

Frisbees, yo-yos, hula hoops,

Derby hats and spats... Zuit-suits

And boogie-boards to cruise the waves,

All the hep-cats were the rave.

 

It was not so long ago

Break dancing was the latest craze.

Twisting, spinning, topsy-turvy,

How they would amaze the

Sedentary like myself

Who watch in awe from an easy chair,

Wondering how the hell can they do

What they're doing there?

Better yet, I wondered "why"?

What scheme? What aim? What plan?

The answer is a simple one.

They do it 'cause they can.

 

Break It Up

Stop that fighting! Break it up!

No bickering allowed.

Do that stuff when you're alone,

Not standing in a crowd.

Talk it out. Don't stand there yapping

Like a bitten pup.

Grown up people keep their heads.

For god's sake, break it up!