Taming the Beast

Deep inside his cavernous labyrinth

The beast lies sleeping

Dreaming his dreams,

His dastardly, bastardly beastie dreams of

Mauling, marauding and masticating

His helpless victims

Down to the bone.

 

Those victims, all zombie toads,

So unaware of the fate that awaits

In his bone crushing jaws.

The unfathomed likelihood he will awake

With fire in his belly and

Blood on his tongue.

 

What can we do?

 

Call for Sir Lancelot across the deep channel?

Cry for Quixote to ride on his quest?

The beast must be tamed

Else he be vanquished.

The village demands

Someone rise to the test.

 

A Subtle Awakening

There was no epiphany,

No sparks, no flash,

No rockets red glare

When first our eyes became intertwined.

It was simply a knowing

As if the ages had once again

Caused our paths to cross

And something inside had

Awakened once more as it had

A hundred times before.

 

We were no strangers,

No earth-bound souls

Searching, struggling into the light.

Just kindred spirits

Strolling the cycle

Finding each other again and again,

Knowing that even the

Reaper who parts us

Will see us united

As eons progress.

 

Flair

Such panache,

   Such flair,

      Such a gift of gab has he,

Riding wave on wave of

   Billowy praise for

      Adoring eyes to see.

 

Love him, hate him or

   Despise him with his cooing

      Brooding eyes.

Catch the tone of

   Innocence delivered in

      His scathing lies.

 

Do not, cannot,

   Will not fall

      To his contemptuous snare.

For he is but a charlatan,

   Although…

      He does have flair.

     

Centered

In this blue funk

Self-righteous world it is

So easy to go off kilter,

To skew to the left,

Skid to the right,

Slip, slide and sashay on

Ice-covered pathways.

 

Every distraction demands

Just a little attention as

Everything multiplies and

Next thing you know all

Vision is lost and all that is left

Are the tears in your eyes.

 

Lying alone in your midnight enclosure

Lost as you contemplate

What might have been.

Looking for ways to get back to the center.

It never hurts to

Start over again.

 

Weaving Through Traffic

Left lane

   Right lane

      Center lane

         Storm drain

Hurry! Always hurrying

In White Rabbit fashion.

 

In and out and in again

Like a damned accordion,

Caution tossed into the wind

With multi-purple passion.

 

Cannot pause to meditate,

Can’t afford now to be late,

No time to consider fate or

Stop to smell the clover.

 

Cannot deal with hesitation,

No time to truck agitation,

Must belay this aggravation e’er

Hatter’s party’s over.

 

Pray for Devine intervention,

Even miracles are mentioned,

Puritanical intention

Offered as excuse.

 

Up ahead the traffic lessens,

Dormouse offers his confessions,

Thankful for such grand concessions,

Sad for the abuse.

 

A Winner at Last

I’ve always wanted to be a winner,

To drink from the cup,

Garner the prize,

Speak all the platitudes,

Thank all the little folks,

Soak the applause from a grateful throng.

 

But fame can be fleeting

And crowds can turn ugly,

And notoriety has its price.

The path becomes muddled with

So many choices til

Differences fade between right and wrong.

 

There will be millions… billions of choices

To make in a world

Spinning far too fast.

In the end there is no compromise,

And life has made me

A winner at last.

 

Heaven Awaits

Nice to know that

When it’s over it’s

Not really over at all.

 

Just like the sun will

Wake in the morning,

Just like summertime

Yields into fall.

 

Pass the baton to

Continue the relay,

Hardly missing a step or a beat.

Reaching the end to only start over,

No looking back

Or accepting defeat.

 

Reaching beyond

This mortal subsistence,

Flaunting assurance

Time never abates.

No need to fret this

Befuddled existence.

Grace be not envy…

Heaven awaits.

 

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.