New Day

A new day     
     New time
          New era dawning,
New plans and challenges
     Seem to abound.

Old friends estrange

     As priorities change
While lives rearrange and
     New friendships are found.

New blazed directions

     Discover affections
          So many selections
To batter about.

And I in my wisdom

     Will brave criticism
To choose from among them
          And count them all down.

Forward projecting,

     Backward protecting,
          Ever correcting to
               Sight and to sound.

Laughing and weeping,

     Time crawling or creeping,
          Constantly keeping
               My feet on the ground.

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Are You Here?

Where are you right now
While I’m trying to talk to you?
Are you here in this brief moment
Or a thousand miles away
On some sandy beach at sunset
By a bonfire sipping wine?
Do you hear the words I’m saying
And the meaning they convey?

In a world of daydream stalkers
Does your expertise surpass?
Can you cling for just an instant,
Hear what others need to say?

Focus.
Simple focus is a bane to your existence,
And I don’t have the patience
To bring you into the fray,
So pucker up and hustle up and
Learn to pay attention
                         Just for once.
It would truly make my day.

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The Cost

Good morning, my good and trusted friend;

So lovely, as always, to visit again.

Can’t seem to remember how long it has been
Since the last time our two paths have crossed.

Was it late September

                         As seasons were changing?
Time loses meaning
                         With lives rearranging,
And memory fails in the process of aging
And old friendships fade until lost.

But we are forever, and never forget.
We’ll last past the sunset,
                         No fear of regret.
A boy and his dream ever present, as yet
Unfulfilled, still weighing the cost.

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Long Time Ago

Had a lot of druthers
In those early days of youth,
Back before reality revealed
The ugly truth.
Could have done a lot of things,
Most anything I wanted.
No one there to dash my dreams,
No memories that haunted.
Could have been a singer,
Then my voice began to change.
Could have been a cowboy
Riding on the open range.
Could have been a lawyer
Out there fighting for a cause.
Could have been an actor
Only fighting for applause.
But over time fate has a way
Of calmly stepping in,
And though sometimes it knocks you down
You get back up again.
Looking back without regret
It now seems clear to me,
What happened then to bring me here
Was surely meant to be.

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Sometimes Wonder

Sometimes wonder

     As I wander aimlessly

          From think to thought,
Picking pieces
     Of the puzzle
          Looking for the perfect fit.
Does it matter
     If the meter runs completely
          Down to naught?
Consequences
     Consequently run the
          Entire alphabet.
Tiresome to be contemplating,
     Worried what
          The world might see.
Wholesome to be
     Born in wisdom,
          Knowing what will be will be.

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Some Days

Distant rumbles from a sky of
Misty gray, hanging low,
Moving steady, marking time,
Marching soldier in your prime.
Crispness chilling morning air,
Sitting on my front porch chair
I ponder what the day will bring.
Daintily the wind chimes sing
As robins chirp
And folks walk by,
Gentle breezes seem to sigh
And slide across the pine tree’s boughs,
Who protests slightly, but allows.
Plans were made
But will they serve?
Will protests yield what they deserve?
Or should I simply roll along
To see what fate holds in her song?
Some days are like this one,
No doubt.
I’ll wait to see what it’s about.
 
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Positives

Mama always taught me that

There’s good in everyone,

That I should seek the positive
And overlook the rest.

Must admit, sometimes you have to

Look real deep to find it.
Some people give the microscope
A grueling, daunting test.

But if you seek, and seek you must,

And dwell on positives,
You just might find that
Life’s more kind
As you ponder your quest.

Is it worth the effort

To seek people at their best?
I believe that it’s the key
To life’s true happiness.
 

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Bigger Picture

Searching through the scrambled pieces,
Hundreds, thousands, maybe more
Scattered loosely, helter skelter
Laid out on the puzzle board.
Trying hard to find an interlocking place
To fit, to be,
To integrate with all the rest
And form a perfect symmetry.

No one piece can be forgotten,

Not a single one misplaced,
Else the picture be misshapened
Vision hopelessly erased.
But when the whole has come together
And each piece knows where it should be,
Witness all the bigger picture
Formed with perfect clarity.
 
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Escape

Tortured by the husking fruitless
Daily crush of energy marauders
Vexing, ever vexing and
Flexing brawny sinuous flesh,
Flaunting faux powers in feckless faces.
Pity the fools.

I close my eyes,

Lower my expectations and
Wait for sweet dreams
To invade my property.
Oft times comes easy,
Approaching angelic.
The bully backs down
Looking elsewhere for folly.
Prison bars soften and the gates open wide
As velveteen breezes offer their wings
Leaving me free to escape to Nirvana
Where honey flows free
And roses e’er bloom,
And thoughts are but whispers
Born on the wind.
 
I will linger here a while to
Follow the dream,
Seize the ring.
No misgivings for time well spent.

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Silly Giggles

Nostalgic for the good old days
Of life’s simplistic interludes,
When dreams were fresh as lavender
As sunlight burns the morning dew.

Silly giggles way back then

Were all the sport we ever sought,
No responsibilities could
Trump the task of levity.

And weren’t we happy with our lot?

Time and trial our last concerns.
Foresight was for other fools
To dole and dither fitfully.

Sad to lose the youthful verve

That spawned so many memories, but
Time can be a spiteful mistress
If allowed to have her way.

Now in twilight do I find
The subtle nuance of her gift.
The looking back rekindles joy that
Silly giggles gave us then.

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Heartshine

Mindful embraces form

Elegant sources
Gently caressing the
Lace-covered edges of memory 
Harboring every emotion,
As I feel your Heartshine
Soft on my face.

Brighter than sunlight,

Fresher than springtime,
Warmer than summer
I bask in your glow.
Supple as willow trees
Free-flowing branches
Dancing with breezes,
I hold your embrace.

Welcome sweet Heartshine,

Come stay a while.
Linger til long shadows
Fade into night.
Joy is your reverie,
Truth your companion,
Beckoning all
To join in your chase.

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Princess Bride

Sleepy nation wakes the dawning,
Spies the bunting on each ledge,
Something special stirs the scent of
Incense wafting in the breeze.

Quick to dress in finery

To suit such glorious occasion,
Chins held high and chests puffed full
In maximum anticipation.

Four white horses lead the carriage

Fully draped in ceremony
As the trumpets sound the herald
Echoing glad tidings all.

Out she steps to breathless watchers,
Daintily her footfall glides,
Steadfastly her regal father
Leads his angel down the aisle.

Now she stands before the altar,

Nations watching, filled with pride,
And her young prince stands beside her
Proud to wed his princess bride.

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Waking Up

I know I had a dream last night,
But can’t remember it at all.
No details. Not a single one.
Just a happy glow that left me warm.

Spectrums filled with glowing light.

Images both grand and small.

A first class flight into the sun
With hands that keep me safe from harm.

Something in it feels so right

Answering the siren’s call.
A million treasures to be won.
No resistance to her charm.
 
Landing safely from my flight,
Eyes wide open, standing tall.
Sweet dream lady, come and gone,
Leaving me to sense her charm.
                        
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You'll Never Know

Comes a time in every life
You’re standing at a crossroads
And you just can’t decide which way to go.
Do you turn right?
Should you go left or
Just go straight ahead?
Do you walk alone
Or just go with the flow?

I’ve heard it said the brave die young

To make their way to Heaven,
And I’d surely like to live beyond my prime.
But if I must make the sacrifice,
Then it’s just a given and
I’ll have to give it up before my time.

Are you afraid to take a stand

And be the only one?
Would you dare to spread your wings
And fly into the sun?

Happiness is standing close,
It’s just a smile away,
You can turn away or stand and watch it grow.
Do you turn right?
Do you turn left or
Just go straight ahead?
Unless you make a choice you’ll never know.

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I'll Get There Someday

Many pathways I have dreamed
Of traveling in my brief time,
Far too many distant places,
So much on a bucket list.
The distance between here and Heaven
Not so great as one might think.
Perhaps just a dream away,
A silent stroll into the mist.
Longings are but toothless phantoms,
Fearsome shadows void of flesh,
Victims of reality
That come to chase the dream away.
Persistence and tenacity,
Like Superman and Captain Marvel
Arriving in the nick of time.
… I’ll get there someday.

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Where Dreams Sleep

Rest in silence, Sweet Dream Maker.
There is much for you tomorrow.
Sleep until your name is called
And you can rise renewed, refreshed.

Visions visit in the darkness,
Become clear with light of day,
Seek fruition once your passion
Fills the mind with clarity.

It is you who holds the spark,
Quick the human breast inspires
With vapory wisdom, reaching deep
To grasp at fleeting fantasy.

If only I could find your lair,
Touch your secrets, dark and deep,
What untold wisdom could be found
To know the chamber where you sleep.

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Best Laid Plans

Time again for the boys of summer
To start a journey that will last into
The depths of autumn ,
Dwindling down to the final two…
The final one.

But now, right now,
Everything is even,
Everyone is champion;
Number one.
Plans and schemes and drafts and trades,
Every scenario,
Every projection has laid a path
To be clearly followed.
All are winners at this early stage.

And we will follow
With pencil and passion
Living vicariously to the end.
Some heroes will fall.
Some dreams will fulfill,
Our only duty:
Enjoy the ride.


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Don’t Give Up

Sure, it’s hard.
No one said that it would be an easy ride.
Roads are long
And filled with potholes, detours, roadblocks and asides.
Is it worth
The consequences of decisions you abide?
Can you take
The pain you must endure to finally win the prize?
Questions,
Always questions must need answering so dreams survive.
Onward,
Always onward, looking upward, keeping hope alive.
Pausing only briefly for a sip from Inspiration’s cup.
Pressing on with head held high
Determined never to give up.

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Wishes and Dreams

I had a dream
That spurred a wish
That led to a thought
That inspired a plan
That created an outline
That became a blueprint
For a brand new project
Fraught with obstacles
Resolved through tenacity
Then brought to fruition
With a sense of accomplishment,
A shining example
Presented to others
Who also
Have a dream.

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Pray for Tomorrow

Okay, so today was not so great,
Weighted with tribulation and trials
Til it seemed that it would have no end.
But it did end,
And I survived,
And what, at times, seemed that it might destroy
Only tended to make me stronger,
While burdens offered became lessons learned,
And blessed relief made the journey worthwhile.

Now, as my head touches feathery pillows,
Now, as my eyes cleanse the harsh light of day,
I peacefully pause to reflect on my blessings
And pray for tomorrow
With hope born anew.

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Yes, I Can

They didn’t start out with intent
To shatter every untold mark,
To set a new goal to attain,
To reach the crest of Everest,
To pass the dark side or the moon
And go beyond the Sun and stars.
But somewhere there along the way
Someone took notice of their deed,
Pointed toward a lofty goal
And set a process in its place.
It became like Joltin’ Joe
Clipping fast to fifty six,
Or Ripken’s ironman marathon
As he reached the unreachable.
No one claimed that it was easy.
No one said there’d be no pain.
No one even saw it coming,
Just a happy happenstance.
Was it from a childhood dream?
Was it even in their plan?
Only one thing is for certain.
When asked,
The answer,
“Yes, I can.”

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Sleep Without Dreams

Keeping up appearance,
Dancing the dance of the socialite,
Hanging on shallow words
Meant to impress,
Breathing the corporate mantra,
Hmmm… ya ya hmmm… ya ya hmmm.
Day in
Day out,
Days flow by unyielding.
Not my own…
Someone else’s vision,
Someone else’s profit.

Someday soon I’ll spread my wings,
Plot my course,
Find my way.
This nine to five existence
Is like sleep without dreams;
Restores the body
But does nothing for the soul.
But I want to dream…

I have a dream,
And someday soon…
Someday…
Soon.

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Hope Rises

From the ashes of despair,
     On a wish
          A dream
               A prayer.
Thankful just to be alive,
     Vision quest
          Renewed,
               Revived,
As the air comes wafting in,
     Scented breezes,
          Gentle friend,
New directions are revealed,
     Untold secrets
          Unconcealed.
Lift the darkness from my eyes,
     Clear the way so hope may rise.



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Whose Dream is This?

I won’t hear of world unrest today,
Even though I know that it exists.
Can’t let anger penetrate
The wall that I have built,
Nothing to disturb this restful bliss.

I’ll be turning off the evening news before it starts.
Nothing there but torment and unrest.
Nothing of the goodness
And the healing that I crave,
Puts my patient nurturing to test.

Don’t think for a moment I am callous,
Hardened and unfeeling to the plight.
Quite contrary. I have hope for all humanity.
I just don’t want to think of it
Or dwell on it tonight.

Give me just one moment of good graces.
Give me peace to close a hectic day.
Let serenity flood every corner of my mind.
Really,
Whose dream is this anyway?


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I Dreamed an Angel

Some believe,
     Some deny,
          Some have reservations
Having never touched or even seen
And wouldn’t even recognize
The flow,
     The glow,
          The haunting brilliance
Dancing in her eyes.
But I believe,
     Can conceive
          The sweet soft features in her face
As she appears,
     Consoles my fears
          And disappears without a trace.


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Rainbow Rider

Wistful, waxing rainbow rider
Chasing after stormy weather
Wrangling the hope that follows,
Kissing every childhood dream.

Saddled upon colored horses,
Rising from a distant land
From horizon to horizon
Spreading joy to every corner.

Leaping color upon color
Sweet magenta fades to blue
In disappearing majesty
To find the hue of sunlight’s glow.

Sweet, the arc of your bright bow
Quickly fades from mortal view.
Happiness is in your mount
Touching hearts in your brief time.

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Until Tomorrow is Today

Each reality of today
Was someone’s dream of yesterday.
Perhaps unknown,
Unfelt,
Unseen,
A feathered angel lost in sleep.
Stealth shadows from another world
That slowly seep into the mind
And brighten with the daylight’s touch
Until tomorrow is today
And we can see her rosy cheeks,
Feel her warming gentle touch,
Hold the hope that she inspires
And taste the nectar
In her kiss.


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…Perhaps To Dream

Do I want?

Will I go?

Could it be?

Might I know?

In my sleep,

In my mind

Thoughts abandon

Fleeting time.

Rounding corners

To arrive in

Places where

Sweet hope survives.

Softly sliding

Into slumber

Where no fearful

Giants lumber.

Lying by her

Gentle stream

In solitude…

Perhaps to dream.

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Dreamers

Microscopic snapshots of
What might have been,
Could someday be.
Whimsy’s kite of fancy
Lightly fluttering on eagle wings,
Looking down as I look up
So desperate to keep control.
Time stands still as dreams unwind
To endless possibilities.

Let me follow where you lead.
Let me rise above the clouds
To go,
To seek beyond horizons
Past the stars and galaxies,
Passing gates and boundaries
To find Nirvana’s honey well.
Knowing that when I awake
It will be so…

It will be so.



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Watching the Freak Show

Now, I'm no raving beauty, it's true,
But there is one thing, for sure, that I know.
The freaks are alive and they live everywhere,
And they never fail to put on a show.
They travel the halls and they frequent the malls
Aimlessly roaming the streets without fear,
And I wonder and ponder as they pass me by
Is it possible they own a mirror?
If they do, do they use it? For I just can't see
How they hope to be understood.
Do they stand there before it and think to themselves,
"Damn it all! I'm looking good!"
It seems that they've really gone out of their way
To tickle the fringe of the truly absurd.
My thought is to laugh, but I hold it inside,
And just shake my head... Don't say a word.
Oh! To be different! To stand from the crowd.
To totally be so unique.
The price that you pay to have people say
As they point at you, "Look at the freak!"

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111 Applies to EVERYONE for 2011! Try It Yourself!

Baltimore

Charm City, they have named you.
It seems quite apropos
To anyone who's ever taken time
Enough to know.
Birthplace of a nation's anthem...
Home to Ruth and Poe...
Gleaming blocks of shining marble
Lined row after row.
Born of maritime profession;
Nurtured by the seas;
Gateway to the mighty Chesapeake.
Tall ships filled your gracious harbor,
Laying off their bounty,
Resplendent in their glory,
Bold and sleek.
Gobs from every point and every corner east to west
Revel in your hospitality.
While those who know you best of all,
Those who call you home,
Know full well your place in history.
More than just a crab house by the harbor,
You deserve a place of reverence in the book of time.
Only now, your head held high, the world is taking notice;
Baltimore, a city in it's prime.

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Frozen

Could I but capture this blissful moment
Frozen in time, I would.
Were you to bait my soul to surrender,
It would be well understood.

Seeking caresses of your midnight flower
Leaves me in ecstasy’s wake
Taunting my senses to new heights of freedom,
Challenging to elevate.

I was but callow, shallow, emotionless
Prior to the being of you.
Fighting off daylight, shrinking to midnight,
Living in deep shades of blue.

You are my gulf stream, killing off icebergs,
Leading me to pristine shore.
All that my frozen heart needed to thaw.
Filled…
Never wanting for more.

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Shish Kabob

Life is just a shish kabob,
Little this, little that.
Skewered, seasoned, marinated,
Grilled and eaten on the fly.

Finger food to tempt the tastes of
Every epicuric yen.
Flame-fired fuel on a stick
To please the palate and the eye.

Savoring the flavoring as
Drippings splatter on the coals.
When it’s offered up to you,
You take it without asking why.

Tiny tidbits.
Eat this… skip that.
Pass those on to someone else.
Compliment your gracious host
Before it’s time to say goodbye.

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Unexpected gift

Life can be hard and
Often fate lands a cruel blow
At the worst of times,
Driving hard toward the precipice
Of despair
With lemming mentality
Begging to end.

Praying for miracles
Real or imagined
Reaching for fragments
Of hope to hold onto.
Making a wish on
The first star of evening,
Patiently waiting for
Grace to step in.

Who would have guessed
Or even imagined
The answer of answers
Was there all along
Wrapped with a ribbon and
Ready to open.
You…
My unexpected gift…

My friend.

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You Are There

Witness... You are witness...
You are fabric...
You are there.
The truth calls out your name from
All directions... Everywhere.
Fact has found you one with nature,
Naked, unaware.
There's no crying, no denying,
Face it!
You are there.

Where did you think that you were headed?
Some far off distant isle?
Peeling grapes and coconuts
Or living a life of style in
A villa near to coastal waters
In the south of Spain?
Where no one stops to ask you favor.
No one gives you pain.
Oh, if it could only be...
But life seems seldom fair.
Where you are
Is where you are.
Face it...
You are there.

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Candles at Sunset

The last few strands of sunlight
Filter softly through the window sheers
To leave angelic patterns reaching hands
Across a darkening room to
Touch the tips of candles flame.

Seated near a windows frame
You catch a glimpse of setting sun
And wave goodbye until tomorrow.
Beckoning the favor fair of
Earth and air, flood and fire.

Keeper of all vigilance,
Symbol of all faith.
Offering a beacon to the
Lonely wayward wanderer.
Patient at the journeys end
To guide the weary home.

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Ode to Coffee

Marvelous liquid
From marvelous bean...
Heavenly flavor and taste...
Luscious aroma...
A pallet's delight...
A sin to consume it in haste.

Amenable to
An enhancement in kind;
A sweetener or
Maybe some cream.

Sipping the nectar
Of nature's creation;
Inhaling the scent
Of the slow rising steam.

Starting the day
With an eye-opening burst,
Or topping an evening's repast,
There's nothing like coffee
To satisfy
From the first drop to the last.

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Wake Up and Smell the Morning

Crisp nocturnal air comes creeping
In my head as sunrise beckons
And the night bird sings its pleasure
Welcoming the coming day.
In the kitchen, no denying,
Coffee lifts its aromatics to
The membrane of my being,
Treasure served on silver tray.
Crispy bacon, toast with jelly,
Luscious melon on the side.
Cornucopic feast of fancy,
So much more than I deserve.
Keeping with the rituals of
Staunch traditions eons old,
Nourishing our temple to
Obediently serve.
How can you lie silent when
The dawning calls your name?
Wake and smell the morning
Sweetly joining in the game.

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The News

Sometimes I believe that
The whole world's gone mad.
Sometimes I think it's just me.
I look at what's happening
All over the globe
And I just can't believe what I see.

It's not just those things
That occur far away in a land
I can't even pronounce.
More frightful by far
Is the neighborhood news;
The scandal the newsmen announce.

A child caught in cross fire;
An innocent victim;
Life ended before it begins.
Old folks cheated
And robbed of their savings
By people they thought were their friends.

The list is the same
From Maine to Montana,
From Moscow to Kalamazoo.
No wonder at all why we get so depressed
From simply watching the news.

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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?


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Lessons

I don’t know why I listened to
That voice inside my head.
It kept telling me to take a chance on you.
It’s a lesson that I learned too late
To help avoid the pain
And winding up a broken-hearted fool.

There are lessons to be learned,
Bridges to be burned,
Keys to turn to open every door.
But something in my mind, leaving logic far behind,
Always keeps me coming back for more.

You said it was over,
You’d found somebody new,
Like you did a dozen times before.
But when it didn’t work out,
And that one ended, too,
You came running back to me and asked for more.

There are lessons to be learned,
Bridges to be burned,
Keys to turn to open every door.
But something in my mind, leaving logic far behind,
Always keeps me coming back for more.

There must be some limit to
What one poor heart can take
And somehow pick itself up off the ground.
Someday I may find it and
You shouldn’t be surprised.
You’ll look for me and I won’t be around.

There are lessons to be learned,
Bridges to be burned,
Keys to turn to open every door.
But something in my mind, leaving logic far behind,
Always keeps me coming back for more.

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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.



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Wingless Dragons

Oh, mythical, mystical creature,
Daughter of whimsy born on the wind.
Why have you banished yourself to seclusion?
Why have you chosen to shed your wings?
Yours was a time that begged of a challenge,
Quest for the Grail, a fight to the end.
No second-guessing or thoughts of collusion.
Giving no quarter, not even to kings.
Higher than mountaintops you soared with eagles,
Holding dominion o’er all that you see.
Taking at will to fulfill your desire,
Fearing no predator or enemy.
But fate was not kind to your wheel of fortune.
Your day was challenged, time ran its course
Leaving your storyline sadly unfinished,
Leaving your grieving heart filled with remorse.

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Reflection

Reflection brings epiphany.
I always thought there’d be more time.
It doesn’t seem to be quite fair,
The things we could have, should have shared,
The simple things that loved ones say
That help to get us through each day,
The loving care,
The being there,
The guidance when we’ve lost our way.
But time goes by and lives get filled,
And complications settle in.
Before you know it we’ve grown older,
If not wiser near the end.
The things I should have,
Would have said,
The emptiness it leaves behind.
I would have said “I love you” more,
But I thought there’d be more time.

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Bilge Water

Chattering, clattering,
Nothing much mattering,
Ceaseless profusion of audio splattering
Eardrum to eardrum
Wistfully scattering all that is new,
Newsworthy or no.
You know the one,
Jittering, twittering,
Much like the hummingbird
Jumping and flittering
Flower to flower,
Sliding and slithering
Gulping each morsel to
Make itself grow.
You stop to listen
All in your dithering.
Cannot believe so much
Aggregate blithering.
Just so much bilge water,
Nothing for keeping,
But nowhere to hide
And no cliff for leaping.

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Go Get the Pliers

Is that blasted thing broken again?
It seems we just fixed it a short time ago.
Go get the pliers, the hammer and wrench.
Oh heck! Just bring the whole toolbox this time.
We’ll see what we missed on the last repair.
Tweak it and tune it up just like a pro.
Clean it and glean it til it shines like gold
With nary a hint or a speckle of grime.
Worst case scenario, we fall short,
Our futile efforts fail to convert.
Then we need look for an alternate means
For achieving the goal to which we aspire.
But you and I are a crafty lot,
Not afraid to go diving in dirt.
Fearless, undaunted we rake through the muck,
Knowing the prize that can rise from the mire.
We never know the tools we possess
Til challenge steps up and we call him a liar.



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