Carousel

Up and down, around the magic circle

Into wonderland,

Flying, floating fantasies of

Fearless fairies flying high.

Wait for no one,

Casting eyes and casting fate

To gentle winds,

Dancing to a lively muse

Who knows no lullaby.

 

Newly indestructible,

Mounted on a faithful steed,

Armored in imagination,

Sally forth with shield and sword.

Slaying dragons, tilting windmills,

Rescuing the maiden fair,

Seeking justice in the end

To be its own reward.

 

There are cares and grave concerns

That must be brought to bear,

But only when the ride is done

Will I be forced to care.

 

Nickelodeon

You were truly before my time,

But that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.

Nickelodeon, play for the piper,

Give them a tune as they wait for the band.

This symbol of joy placed a

Smile on the face, a

Dance in the step, a

Song in the heart of all who

Were lucky enough to have known

The nameless enchantment

Unique to her name.

 

I grew up later, knowing her grandchild.

Three for a quarter and

Hungry for more.

Playing the records I’d heard on the radio,

Now entirely at my command.

Driving the older crowd

Into submission,

Wond’ring what mock aberration was next.

Dancing a jig if it suited my purpose.

No false apology,

No sense of shame.

 

Nickelodeon, thanks for your progeny.

Who knows what wonders will shadow your fame?

Survivor

I often wondered which of us would

Ultimately outlast the other

In this snarling war of words where

Reason is a casualty.

 

Grappling like jungle beasts who know

The tactics of our foe

And seek to slash with razor teeth

All semblance of reality.

 

Can’t remember who was first,

Don’t recall the reason why,

Only know that it’s been going on

Far longer than it should.

 

Pass the blame from left to right

To left again, and on it goes.

Don’t know how to stop it

If we should, if we could.

 

No way to resolve the difference.

No hope to revive.

One moves on and one is left

Struggling to survive.

 

Shadows

Shadow Stalker, cold and gray,

Bend my eyes to find your shape

Hiding from the naked light,

Secrets kept beneath your cape.

 

Would you steal my sanity?

Leave me here to quake and quell?

Lead me down a narrow path

Into the darkest pits of Hell?

 

Such a fine and fragile line

Separates you from the light.

Desperate to be known to none,

Always running from a fight.

 

Play the reuse of your deception

While your stealth divines my fate.

Help me find your dark agenda

Before it is forever late.

 

Patience serves the waiting throngs

And hope is never all or none.

For every place a shadow falls

Somewhere there must be sun.

 

Placebo

What was meant to be a cure

For a broken heart turned out to be

Little more than a sugar pill,

Blind faith taken for a ride.

 

Turns out naught was as it seemed

In your tawdry token web

Ringed with phantoms of obsession

Talking trash, singing hope.

 

And I believed you.

Bad mistake.

Yours was not a random cure.

Taunting me with your placebo

As the knife turned in your hand.

 

Now I see you in the light

And the question begs to ask.

Can a heart that’s broken twice

Find the strength to carry on?

 

Escapade

Here I sit biding time

Waiting for the world to start

Revolving, solving every woe,

Spinning as it did before.

 

Are you here?

Are you real?

Must I steal a memory

From darkened corners, dusty rooms

Caged and sealed behind locked doors.

 

Shall we share abandon in

Our reckless new adventure,

Or is it just a mindless prank

Of my imagination?

 

Tell me that your world is true

And I’ll pick up the gauntlet,

Walk beside you every step,

No thought or hesitation.

 

Standing on the threshold as

You contemplate the dare,

Leap into your escapade,

I will join you there.

 

Mustang

Wild and free.

Wild and free.

Storm the open range

As hooves of thunder

Flee reality.

Chase a fleeting wind that

Only you can see

Through canyons

Where no other

Dares to tread.

 

Untamed eyes

Detect the lies

That seek your capture,

Brandishing a lasso as

They seek their prize.

Tinged with disappointment

When they realize

The futile chase on

Which they have been led.

 

No one can control you

When the day is done.

Wild and free your destiny.

Run, mustang. Run.

 

Wisp

Hardly noticing at first

From the corner of my eye,

Soft flame lightly flickering,

Dancing on a candlewick.

And you are in the afterglow,

Or are you just a whisper?

A wistful wisp of saffron

Gently coloring my world.

 

Fortunate indeed to have

The pleasure of your favor

If only for the briefest instant

In this restless life.

Yielding to the certainty that

Nothing is forever,

Clinging to the moment to

Create a memory.

 

Crease the vein of fond remembrance,

Foster every treasure,

Cherish every fleeting glance

As though it were the last.

Let there be a thousand nights

Of grateful meditation

When the winsome wisp of you

Causes me to smile.

 

Sacrifice

There are tributes to be paid

For every passage in our journey.

Every footfall on the pathway

Lands on someone’s territory.

 

Willingly we yield to barter,

Giving this to garner that,

Coveting the grander treasure,

Reaching for the greater glory.

 

Mostly it is just a game,

A simple reuse of give and take.

Fire a shot into the air

To see who scrambles and who stays.

 

But when price becomes too dear

Challenges are brought to bear.

Sacrifices must be made

To exit from the jumbled maze.

 

You must ask yourself the questions

When the seller sets his price.

Are you ready?

Are you willing?

Will you make the sacrifice?

 

Revelation

Behold what deep dark secrets

May reveal bold truth when finally

The veil is lifted from sad eyes

And windows open to the soul.

 

Pray for guidance as you enter

Realms of possibility.

Some will find the diamond treasure,

Others fail to meet the toll.

 

All who seek are apt to learn

The wondrous feeling that abides

In finding true direction,

Repositioning their flight.

 

All is golden in this sanctum

Where epiphany resides

Waiting to astound the masters

With it’s sudden blinding light.

 

Find the path to revelation,

Gently bend to turn the stone.

Others wait to hear your answer.

You need never be alone.

 

Dream Weaver

Sneaks into your docile head as it

Snugly hugs the eiderdown,

Subtle yet persistent

Tapping gently on your sleepy eyes.

 

Speaking first in monotones

So low you hardly hear her voice,

Building to an aria of

Soulful sweet melodic tones.

 

Echoing your darkest secrets

Off the wall of deep desire,

Chambers filled with priceless treasure

Finally within your grasp.

 

Constant motion fills the darkness.

Heroes rise and villains fall

And you are left to raise the trophy

In the throes of victory.

 

Gentle weaver linger long

Fulfilling every fantasy.

All too soon the dawn will break

To whisk your winsome world away.

 

Islander

It’s lonesome sometimes,

     Left out here so far from all the

Hurley burley screaming, scheming,

     Loathsome flotsam

Prevalent among the masses.

 

Lonesome and yet peaceful

     Never being touched by

Greasy, grimy gruesome fingers

     Pointing, probing, always begging,

Wanting more.

 

Peaceful in this paradise

     Where sunset follows sunrise follows

Sunset on the ocean rise.

Worries vanish to horizons

Never to be seen again.

 

Paradise, a fantasy,

     Living, breathing make-believe,

Settled on this island shore

     To give me hope, to inspire,

Help me make it through the day,

Attack the tiger where he sleeps.

 

Bonanza

Where is the prize that the fables devise?

Does it live at the end of the rainbow?

Unveil the lies of the subtle disguise

Til the truth is abundantly clear.

 

Stalking the obvious, sleuthing the sleuth

In a frenzied and fanciful quest.

Shedding the truth of an innocent youth

Brings a lesson too heavy to bear.

 

If there is gold in her treasures untold

Then the wait will be worth all the pain.

Barter is cold for the soul bought and sold,

So be careful the mantle you wear.

 

Bonanza is real. It’s a feeling you steal,

Euphoria beyond all measures.

Broker your deal as you plaintively kneel

At the feet of the keeper of treasures.

 

Tributaries

Starts with a trickle,

Barely perceptible,

Inkling, tinkling,

Constant in yield,

Draining its’ juices

To waiting receptacle,

Hugging the earth

With her warm liquid arms.

 

Moving with gravity

Layer to layer,

Languishing long enough

To feed her soul.

Forever lover,

Always a player.

Lonely meanderings

Through field and farm.

 

Seeking her sisters,

Longing to join them.

Building a family

Across the soil.

Looking to join the

Grand ocean of longing,

Grateful reward for

Her labor and toil

 

Shivaree

Gather round now friends and kin,

A celebration is at hand.

Bang the cymbals, tap the tins,

Lasting long past setting sun.

 

Starting on a lifelong journey,

Set a mark to state your case.

There’s no resting for the weary

In this helter-skelter pace.

 

Kiss your partner. Kiss again.

Fill your glasses to the top.

Turn your faces to the wind,

Forever after has begun.

 

Still outside the noise continues.

There will be no sleep tonight.

Only visionary vistas,

Dreams of heaven wrapped in lace.

 

Compunction

Couldn’t help it.

Had to have it.

Wouldn’t think to give it back.

Only felt a slight regret.

Hardly overcome with guilt.

 

It was there for anyone

To come and fill its melting pot

Then scurry off with their reward

Before the door was firmly shut.

 

It was you who was afraid

To break the rules that you had set,

Take a chance that someone else

Could read the patchwork of your quilt.

 

I was firmly on your side,

Ready to defy the hoards,

To overcome the obstacles,

Heal each little nick and cut.

 

Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be.

Suppose we both are better served.

Time will count our history to

Give us both what we deserve.

 

Sashay

I could quote Carly Simon

From her song on vanity,

Visioning her subject as he

Strolls into a crowded room.

 

Or picture Dolly Levi

At the posh Harmonia Gardens

As she artfully descends the stairs

And grown men stop to stare and swoon.

 

Picture in your mind as

Travolta struts on Saturday.

All the ladies salivate

Just wishing he would look their way.

 

I had thought I’d seen it all

When Tyra hit the runway stage,

Made the perfect sashay statement.

Surely there was no mistake.

 

Then I see you tilt your hip,

Toss your hair, wink an eye,

Take a step into the room to

Leave all others in your wake.

Proclivity

“If you’re so inclined”, he uttered,

“You’ll find happiness on the edge.”

Though living on the darker side

Presents more problems than it solves.

 

Tried to answer, only stuttered,

Felt the leverage of the wedge.

Turned civility aside to

See what alternates evolved.

 

Winced a little, then I shuddered.

Should I step out on the ledge?

Put aside all guilt and pride?

Throw my life to angry wolves?

 

Should my mind be blank or cluttered?

I’ve a tendency to hedge.

This proclivity inside me

Does not have a strong resolve.

 

Lead instead into the light.

I will make the right decision,

Battle through the fiery fight,

View the world with perfect vision.

 

Emancipation

So, you think that you want to be free of me,

Believe that you’ve finally found the key,

Started to view things with clarity.

Well, that may all be very true.

 

I had been thinking along the same line,

Wond’ring about you and me for some time,

Thinking how everything used to be fine

Until somebody changed.

Was it you?

 

I didn’t think there was ever a doubt

What this relationship was all about.

When we began we were both so devout,

Committed to making it work.

 

You could have told me when things went awry.

I had no reason for questioning why.

We just sat back and let time go by.

No wonder I feel like a jerk.

 

You want your freedom?

Take it and run.

No one is stopping you.

Face it, you’ve won.

 

Ensconced

I’m not going anywhere.

This is much too comfortable

Sitting here like limp spaghetti

Waiting for the day to end.

A day from hell that took so long

Trying to unfold itself,

Now that it has trickled down

I’ve no desire to start again.

 

Perhaps a bit of mindless drivel.

Television, there’s the trick.

Or I could just drift into doze mode

Trying to read Harry Potter,

Sip a touch of pinot noir

To smooth the edges, soothe the soul.

I just refuse to add another

Single burden to my blotter.

 

You may think me selfish,

Even lazy to react this way.

Do not care.

Will not give in.

I am settled for the day.

 

Harbinger

Let the bells ring loud, ring clear

Heralding the crimson news.

Headlines speak in bold reviews

Announcing your arrival.

 

Flower petals pave the way,

Their luscious fragrance to allay

The subtle fears that fill your ears

And threaten your survival.

 

Be it known throughout the land

That tolerance has met its match,

Opened doors, removed the latch

That held it fast so long.

 

Free the light so it may shine

In places it has never been,

Set it free to sing again

And right unending wrongs.

 

You are just the harbinger

Searching, seeking out the truth;

All the lost imaginings

Forgotten in your youth.

 

Nexus

In our quest for common ground

Differences are often found

Too much to bear or overcome

Til all negotiation fails.

 

Like Montague to Capulet

The nexus was sweet Juliet,

Or at least she should have been

If better winds had filled her sails.

 

All can end so tragically

When clans or nations disagree.

Words and actions fail to grasp

The gist of commonality.

 

Warped opinion often lies,

Views the world with blinded eyes,

Leading lemmings to the edge

Where hope and reason all but dies.

 

It is you and you alone

Must solve this bitter mystery.

See the nexus. Find the link

Connecting destiny.

 

Serendipity

My good fortune

Finding you.

Sweet-souled serendipity

Smiling softly in your eyes with

Soothing sounds of sultry sighs.

 

Singing such seductive songs

Of milk and honey

Come what may.

Getting lost along the way

We stumble to our precious prize.

 

Seeking someday,

Stopping by to

Savor every saucy spice.

Happy growing old together.

Content in knowing

All is right.

 

Superfluous

Let’s stop all this drivel,

It’s just kibble for the addle-brained.

Try to simplify the mix

Without the tricks that drone and drain.

 

Finding words

Far less absurd

That will not curdle on the tongue.

Gently croon

A simple tune

That lingers after being sung.

 

Choosing words and actions

Built on traction,

Never slip or slide.

Keeping sails trimmed lively

Til arriving

On the other side.

 

Hack the excess, cut the blubber

Right down to the bone.

State the facts with certainty,

Leave the rest alone.

 

Uncouth

No sooner had his footfall played

Upon the threshold of the room

The truth smacked of the obvious,

This common soul did not belong.

 

I might have felt remorse about

His awkward and ungainly tone,

But feelings were all swept away

When first words formed upon his tongue.

 

Ravings of uncultured thought from

Such a boorish little mind.

Spewing crude and clumsy voice to  

Fill the room with fetid air.

 

Turn away and find a corner,

Hope that soon he’ll go away.

Growing small out on a ledge

Trapped in just my underwear.

 

Wilting from embarrassment.

Denying any blame.

Don’t know who invited him.

Don’t know why I came.

 

Phantasmagoria

Magic lanterns in a dream

Bending, blending, changing shapes

And sizes til they run together

Feather-lite and then to naught.

 

Bits and pieces, this and that,

Can’t remember all the story,

Scattered treasures buried deep

Beneath the sands of afterthought.

 

Rapidly the scenes are changing,

Grand illusions on display.

Heavily they layer one on one

Forever asking more.

 

Was it real or just imagined?

Will it ever come again?

Fearless flight of fantasy

Mesmerizing every pore.

 

Sleepless phantom of the night

Keeping dreams alive,

Dancing freely through my mind

That hope may long survive.

 

Nefarious

Feel the caustic wickedness

That sallies forth from fiery eyes.

Cage the beast before it flies

To dust the souls of piety.

 

Demons breathing firebrand

Nefarious in their delight

To capture unsuspecting minds

And bend them into shapes of fear.

 

Plotting as the village sleeps,

Plodding through the endless night

To land on open windowsills,

Set to pounce before the dawn.

 

Preying on the innocents

Who fail to recognize their fate,

Who sadly fain to raise their shields,

Never reach to draw their swords.

 

Praying for a silver knight to

Cleanse the stale and fetid air,

To quell the dread iniquity

And save the maiden fair.