Life In Words
by James E. Roberts
All rights reserved copyright 1997 - 2009
jameseroberts@gmail.com
Existing In Harmony With Nature
Questions (on the minds of kids)
Confessions of a Serial Killer
I want to experience
What you feel.
Share what you see.
Enter inside you
And become you.
I feel different
When you're near.
I can't think.
I can't talk.
I'm lost in the moment.
What electricity
Do you have
That your very presence
Renews me.
This rush that
Sweeps me away
Too quickly fades
As you leave.
From where it comes
And to where it goes
I know not.
But the anticipation
Of the next moment
Is the very breath of life.
To the world you may be but one,
but to one you might be the world.
Unknown
A unique possession
Entrancing by the lore
Taken from it’s homeland
His beauty to adore
What starts out so exciting
Quickly becomes routine
Ignored now as a bother
He’s treated rather mean
Nature intends all things to grow
And leave their baby stage
That precious thing we once held close
Confined now in a cage
How do these things happen
That we let ourselves ignore
And simply take for granted
Those we so loved before
Abuse plainly stated
Is when the love is gone
Who then can we turn to
And rectify this wrong
Those people with the vision
That this world we all do share
Who understand all things need love
And set their goals to care.
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them,
but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.
George Bernard Shaw
The clouds gather growing dark
The sun's no longer seen
The wind begins to howl and moan
And brings along the rain
At first a mist that turns to drops
And finally in sheets
Falling till the Heaven's dry
And the earth is soaking wet
This moisture feeds the thirsty ground
Through leaves and roots and stems
Until the flowers grow and bloom
A carpet of living green
The next step on it's journey
It forms an under spring
That flows to rivers lakes and seas
And life where none has been
Now raising up to met the sun
The clouds again appear
Continuing it's cycle
Till time no more is here
What appears to be the end may really be a new beginning.
Anonymous
No voyeurs here
A private moment
The release of inhibition
The night sounds still
In anticipation of the moment
The performance begins
Bathed in moonlight
She glides and sways
With the music
Raptured in the rhythm
She kisses the senses
Revealing the beauty inside
Transforming the
Mind of a maiden into
The countenance of a diva
The darkness her curtain
The moon her spotlight
With thousands of stars
Twinkling their adoration
She is and ever shall remain
The center of the stage
As she dances in the dark
Great dancers are not great because of their technique;
they are great because of their passion.
Martha Graham
As you see me lying here
Remember it's not me
The person you are missing so
Lives in your memory
The time has come to take my turn
Like all who've gone before
To answer for the life I've had
In front of Heaven's door
It may not seem so here and now
But in time your heart will heal
Remember me as I was young
To ease the loss you feel
I cannot see you anymore
But I'll stay within your heart
Always there so you will know
This way we'll never part
My love the years we've had are gone
My dear My precious "Hon"
In time perhaps we'll meet once more
To live again as one
The bitterest tears shed over graves are for
words left unsaid and deeds left undone.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
I know we all do change
For this none’s to blame
But know the love I feel
Today remains the same
Love has become platonic
The flame has gone away
I feel like a companion
A friend with whom to stay
I hunger for the romance
The sensuality
That I cannot live without
And is not shared with me
The passion that I long for
Can never come again
It belongs to yesterdays
In times we shared back then
Sometimes love is not enough
To deliver us my dear
How did it ever come to this
Where do we go from here
It seems no joy can come from
Choices made this way
I do not want to leave you
But can no longer stay
Like all things, love has both a beginning and an end.
Thomas Squiers
I truly cannot call her friend
So much more was she
Closer than a sister
She was a part of me
Someone who was always there
To only sit and talk
Rock and watch the cars go by
A companion for a walk
I still can see her on the lawn
Tending to her yard
Always going back and forth
She seemed so very tired
But give her just a quick rest
She’d be outside once more
"Stay busy, keep your mind at peace"
She’d start another chore
Her hands were never empty
With the many books she read
She could do most anything
With needle, cloth and thread
Needle-point and knitting
She’d do watching TV
Any job that needing done
She’d try it willingly
She was widowed many years
But got on with her life
Never did stop missing him
Always the loving wife
She raised his children for him
But never had her own
A step mom in the kindest sense
By virtue she was known
Something died inside of me
The day she went away
An emptiness I always feel
And will forever stay
I yearn for, a time now lost
When I did always know
That you were close in heart and hand
By your footprints in the snow
I hope that you can hear this
Cause we never had "Goodbye"
I love you and I miss you
Till we meet again on high.
When the heart grieves over what is has lost,
the spirit rejoices over what it has left.
Sufi Epigram
What luck of mine to meet you
Was nothing that I've done
To deserve someone as special
As to me you have become
If I could only have one
To hold and treasure dear
With your very special spirit
To have forever near
Of all the choices in the world
My fate has given me
The absolute most perfect match
That could ever be
What shall I do to keep you
So we may never part
I'll lock you in a secret place
I keep within my heart
You've planted me a garden
One I need never tend
With a very special harvest
The blessing of a friend
The most beautiful things in the world are not
seen nor touched. They are felt with the heart.
Helen Keller
If God in Heaven was looking down
I’m sure that he would see
The despair and emptiness
That dwells inside of me
This feeling doesn’t visit me
But seems to always stay
I’m powerless to change this
Compelled to live this way
There’s no desire to say or do
A vessel left unfilled
Destined to remain like this
Because I have been sealed
Acceptance is the only way
To reconcile this fate
But drains me of the will to live
No feeling, love or hate
What is Man that he should be
This empty hollow shell
Chained to this existence
With no purpose I can tell
When he looks down and sees me
In his mercy he may nod
And change me to what pleases him
If there really is a God
But what we call our despair is often only
the painful eagerness of unfed hope.
George Eliot
Is there meaning to life
Or is it blind luck
Should you reach for the stars
Or not give a fuck
In times of great trouble
When things don't go well
Forget all your critics
They can all go the hell
As fate hits you hard
Between the eyes wham
Then take it in stride
And don't give a damn
When duty pursues you
Not letting you pass
Just shout out 'forget it'
'You can just kiss my ass'
If life puts it to you
Right where you sit
Then sing from your heart
'You can go eat some shit'
God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh
Voltaire
Shall I fall on my face
And cry from life's loneliness
How many tears does it take
To be happy
Shall I bruise my knees
Praying that this pain will end
As Heaven remains silent
As if to test my resolution
Shall I conceal my feelings
Until I implode
Collapsing again into
The black hole of my soul
Shall only my wounds
Allow torment an escape
Carving its bloody epitaph
On this canvas of flesh
Shall I cut out this heart
That is broken from desire
Its beating only
Continues the sorrow
Shall I end this life
To take away its misery
Happiness is only an illusion
When all I know is pain
What does it matter
Accept this fate or reject it
Hope only serves the journey
The end remains the same
There are no hopeless situations; There are only people who have grown hopeless about them.
Clare Boothe Luce
Vainly did I throw away
The life that we once shared
Foolishly I brushed aside
The one I loved and cared
Every time I Reminisce
On these passions from my past
I now can fully realize
That they will always last
Rarely are the years we have
Spent like we planned back then
Rejoice my heart for we have loved
And live to love again
Always keep your special ways
So pure and good and true
That never seem to tarnish
And shine inside of you
I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most;
it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Born upon the open sea
It gathers strength with age
From it’s opposing parent winds
Nature’s fury, Heavens rage
Swirling wildly around and round
It columns toward the sky
Faster, higher, colder winds
Surround a peaceful eye
It’s beauty cannot be denied
As it moves with such a grace
It’s carried by the warm gulf breeze
At a deceptive gentle pace
The nearer it approaches us
It’s vastness we can view
Nothing can withstand it
And there’s little we can do
Wind begins to howl and moan
Darkness hides the sun
Waves engulf the life we’ve known
As our world becomes undone
Singles, roofs and branches
Are flying all around
Mobil homes are swept away
Power lines are down
Trees block all the roadways
The lawn becomes a pond
We desperately cling to hope
Waiting for the dawn
As if it had a purpose
From place to place it darts
Leaving houses as they were
And others torn apart
Just before we lose our faith
It passes with no qualm
Leaving just a footprint
Of destruction in the calm
We must live with scars received
When our sorrows become healed
And gather up the courage
To start this day to build
Happiness is not a reward it is a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment it is a result.
Robert Green Ingersoll
I remember a special day
When I was given
A gift beyond measure
And this day each year
I celebrate my good fortune
Thank you for caring for me
Loving me and sharing my life
The reigns that bound the rational man
Have no control of me
My actions are my Gods desire
His vision is what I see
I soar above with angel wings
And curse those down below
I'm here and there and everywhere
Resting in the very soul
I am the first, I am the last
And all that's in between
The morning star, the pitch of night
All that is ever seen
My thoughts contain all that is known
My voice the only sound
I am the power to set you free
The strength to which you're bound
Worship me or curse my name
To me it's all the same
It matters even less to me
Than the dust from which you came
I represent to you all the sins you have never had the courage to commit.
Oscar Wilde
What would it matter
If I live or die
Would it make a difference
If I laugh or cry
It won't matter
If I get out of bed
No one listens
To a word I've said
Why does it matter
If I don't do well
When all my life
I try and fail
What does it matter
I just can't win
There'd be no change
If I'd never been
What does it matter
If I have no friend
It's my reward
for the life I've sinned
What does it matter
If I don't care
It just makes it harder
For this life to bear
I don't matter
It's plain to see
But it's not your fault
The blames with me
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The
unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw
Am I so reprobate
That I stand helpless
While life
Devours his flesh
My sympathy
Changes nothing
As I watch
Him struggle
And sink in torment
Is strength to fail him
Ending only in a fate
Worse that before
Shall he die
And suffer hell
As punishment
For living
Is this your plan
Your judgment
Is this life here
To measure others by
Can no one save him
I will indulge my sorrows, and give way to all the pangs and fury of despair.
Joseph Addison
The twilight times
Between sleep and wake
Periods of mystery
Both understanding and ignorance
We can do unimaginable things
We can be in total control
Or completely helpless
Great joy or terrible fright
Nightly as our curtains fall
Dreams provides us with
A reality as varied
As we dare to make it
Adventures, quests
Problems, enjoyment
Our senses and emotions
Experience in this world
All that any world could offer
Every morning we awake
Safe in our beds
A stable changeless environment
Adventures and quests
Problems and enjoyment
Conform to the limitations
Of this reality
The one we assume
Is the true world
So where do we have control
And in which world
Are we helpless
Who has understanding
Where is the true reality
In stories always the same
That play over and over
Inside our heads
Here we can change and control
Our very thoughts define wisdom
We are the rulers
In these twilight worlds
That we create
In our imagination
Nothing happens unless first a dream.
Carl Sandburg
Drip, Drip, Drip
Slowly melting into the world of me.
All my sensations
Forever expanding toward nothing at all.
No sadness, No joy
No anticipation, No regret
All that is
All that will ever be.
Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us,
but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.
Eric Hoffer
Death my dear friend
Come to me tonight
Give me peace and
Rest from my troubles
Happiness is just an illusion
A caravel side show
Enticing me 'Come Hither'
As it drains my very essence
Fear binds me to this world
A dog whipped
Cowering at his masters feet
Afraid to stay or leave
This existence vomits
Hardship and despair
As it kisses my senses
With momentary distractions
The great whore
Seducing me with lust
Leaving me naked and
Broken in the dirt
Love is anathema
Made only of fairy dust
Cycling from lust to loathing
Like the bipolar bitch she is
Desire is a cruel taskmaster
Never ending and
Unable to be filled
My our personal hell
Forever burning inside me
Sadness is the burden
I must constantly overcome
Battling simply to continue
Crushed by the weight
Of it's emptiness
Hate is the release
That serves no purpose
Blazing out of control
Neither defeating my enemies
Nor healing my wounds
This is unbearable
I close my eyes and
Travel to a safer place
I live inside my head
Where I am in control
A peaceful sleep
Of my own creation
Separated from the
Trials of life
Dead to this world
Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not;
and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I share a tear for your great loss
Because there are no ways
But comfort you with thought and prayer
As you suffer through these days
A sparkling diamond
The heirloom of generations
Kept too long
Blinded to its brilliance
Bored with its radiance
Unaware of its uniqueness
It is taken for granted
Stored in a dark velvet case
Never to dance in the light
That gives it life
It is to our shame
We possess it
And to our ignorance that
We lock it away
Yet peek inside
The beauty is not destroyed
Only hidden
Waiting to burst forth
If we only open the box
No longer forward nor behind, I look in hope or fear; But grateful
take the good I find, The best of now and here.
John Greenleaf Whittier
Of all the things that could have been
And all the things that never were
The things that I miss most in life
Are the things I never did with you.
I marvel at the pops, the bangs
The sprinkles, smoke and showers
Excitement thundering all around
That seems to last for hours
Who could bear to pass it by
When by chance these lights we see
A festive atmosphere of fun
That can be enjoyed for free
The night sky is all filled with fire
In amazing shapes and streams
Flowing from a magic mind
From things only found in dreams
Enjoy this day and celebrate
The liberty we have here
Thank our sons and daughters
As we wave a flag and cheer
In this happiness let’s not forget
The one’s that made us free
For by each flashing point of light
A soldier died for me
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died.
Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
George S Patton
How can it be our friends are gone
With the drop of just one tear
Leaving just the empty space
That was filled when they were here
I felt protected with you near
Snuggled beside my leg
Safe and warm all bundled tight
In my blanket on my bed
It's as if I'd read your mind
As you lay upon my chest
Secure in your own knowledge
That you deserved the best
Interned into the cold wet ground
With a silent song and prayer
My friends all their lifetime
Not just in weather fair
If life is measured by the good
You've done to only me
Rest well my darling kitties
For in Heaven you shall be
Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.
Edgar Allan Poe
In this world the truth is
That we all response in kind
But God is never like that
And he’s given us a sign
In a humble man who offered
An example he could give
By his words and deeds we have
A model how to live
If someone steals your money
Would you give him then your cloak
Would your actions reinforce
The words that Jesus spoke
When others want to slap you down
Could you turn the other cheek
In this ladder climbing world
Would it work to be that meek
Perhaps you’ve lost a dear one
A father son or wife
Or maybe even feared the day
That God may take your life
Could you accept this judgment
To trust him with their care
That they may reap the great reward
Waiting for them there
You may choose to just ignore Him
Because He can’t be found
When you try to seek Him
And believe he’s not around
The way we speak and think and act
Produce their own reward
It’s not because he’s judging you
And not His wraith that’s poured
He will always reach for you
To lift you off the ground
In a quite still small voice
Just listen for the sound
If you decide to hate Him
Or even curse His name
Because bad things do happen
And you think that He’s to blame
Maybe you’re just too caught up
With problems of the day
It seems you don’t know where to turn
And cannot find your way
He’ll always be there waiting
Because He knows in time
The hate will finally burn away
And allow His love to shine
People may fall out of love
But He is not like them
He loved you first and knew you
Before you first knew Him
You may enjoy the life you live
And decide you just don’t care
If you never hear from Him
And decide He’s just not there
He always wants the best for you
To only wish you well
He never will stop loving you
Or punish when you fail
Perhaps you try to please Him
In everything you do
But think that you’re a failure
And He’s given up on you
Only when we see his face
Will we finally understand
God’s love has no limits
Those are set by man
The supernatural is the natural not yet understood.
Elbert Hubbard
I saw a smile the other day
One I don't often see
From a time when we were young
Content, In love, Happy
I thought it had disappeared
But now I understand
It was only hiding there
Crowed out by life's demands
I hope this smile returns to you
So I may always know
That life is sweet and kind and fun
Like it was so long ago
It seems that as we prioritize
Some things get tossed away
Let's live life like our memories
And fall in love each day
We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.
Voltaire
Memories now flood my mind
Brought gently as the wind
From a time so long ago
When things were different then
A happy time so full of hope
No responsibility
A childhood where we can not stay
Safe, secure, and free
No, I don’t live in the past
But remember it fondly
It makes this life fulfilling
Brings out the best to me
We are not those same young ones
But changed by passing years
Experienced from the life we’ve lived
Seasoned by our tears
Would I go back if I could
To change the things I’ve been
The choices that we made before
Were the best we had back when
What ifs, Could haves, If onlys are
And will always stay with me
Impossible to change they are
Except in memory
For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.
John Greenleaf Whittier
When I was young
I was called to serve
My God and my Country
Why not I thought
My pride was stirred
I signed immediately
My friends gave me
A fond farewell
For my great loyalty
I trained to march
Lead, shoot and fight
A soldier willingly
They shipped me to
A foreign land
To protect their liberty
Gave me a gun
And said to shoot
And kill the enemy
They took me in
And soon became
Just like my family
We’d live together
Fight and die and
Sometimes bend a knee
You watch my back
I’ll watch yours was
The code kept carefully
This is how we
Stayed alive the
Way it had to be
You may never
Understand the
Trust so totally
To have another
Guarding you as
Your only security
The last morning
As the sun came up
I saw the sentry
My buddy, broken
Just torn in half
The battle before me
I grabbed my gun
And joined the fight
Outnumbered hopelessly
We were quickly
Overcome and
Left to history
No funeral march
Homecoming day
Or protest did I see
Only the face
Of those who died
So brave and selflessly
Consider this a
Hallowed place for
My brothers, friends and I
For on this ground
We gave our lives and
Where our bodies lie
The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not.
C. S. Lewis
Tiny little tear drop
Lying on her cheek
All dried up and
Leaving just a streak
Cried by a girl
Heartbroken by a guy
He left her all alone
Didn't even tell her why
Was he just fooling round
Or maybe passing time
Guess she'll never know
Just what was on his mind
He said he loved her so
Then left without goodbye
All the things he told her
Turned out to be a lie
Nothing is quite ever
Exactly what it seems
So let those teardrops fall
But hold on to your dreams
Nobody is worth your tears, and the one who is won't make you cry.
Unknown
Of whom do I think
When I long for company
Who's face do I see
Upon closing my eyes
Who's laughter do I remember
When I dream
Who does delight me
In the grace of their walk
Who's smile do I see
In the happiness of life
In who's eyes do
I melt into contentment
Who's voice does sing
To me in my memory
Who's fragrance does the breeze
Wash over me
Who do I miss
In the times of my loneliness
Who's very presence
Fills me with happiness
Who but my beloved
My support and foundation
My reason for being
The essence of which
I am a part
If not for you
Who could I love
The heart has reasons that reason does not understand.
Jacques Benigne Bossue
For whatever reason
She was not meant to stay
My prayers all go unanswered
Why things turn out this way
The spark of life was faded
The flame to quickly dies
She never had the blessing
To open up her eyes
She could have been just like her dad
Or maybe favored me
It’s a question I will ponder
For all eternity
No first step or Barbie doll
Sweet sixteen or prom
She’ll never meet her own true love
Or ever be a mom
There’s so much love inside me
I never got to share
It’s now a special part of me
And I’ll always keep it there
There is a solemn quite place
I go to feel you near
Until the time we meet once more
When I may hold you dear
To be always fortunate, and to pass through life with a soul that
has never known sorrow, is to be ignorant of one half of nature.
Seneca
A sphere of light reflected
An illusion in the sky
Is it not true it’s always there
Just hidden from the eye
It seems that it is drove away
In the early morning light
Only to return again
In the darkness of the night
We often see a man up there
It’s possibly made of cheese
Worshipped as a god of old
It gives the hunter ease
But lovers have the grandest call
In a use to never cease
Cuddled together hand in hand
In a quite time of peace
I’ll always marvel at the moon
As long as day and night
Allow me to renew my soul
In the presence of her sight.
The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
You’ve never really looked at me
Maybe over, past or through
You don’t even see me now
Only what I’m going to do
I’m amazed by all the things
Imagined in your mind
Yet you can’t know what is to come
As you hands and feet I bind
You may scream if you would like
Or beg and plea and cry
Pray to your God, the Saints or Me
That you’re afraid to die
The time when your desires are met
Has now come to an end
It’s what I want that matters now
My pleasures we now tend
Hold tightly to what life you have
Deny me not my due
Less retribution will be turned
On all those close to you
I brand the skin with fire and steel
Then slice the scar away
Losing fingers, toes and eyes
With pain I make you pay
An oozing mass of bleeding flesh
Remains after my fun
I vomit at the sight of you
Then know that I am done
You may now embrace your death
To return in the next life
But mindful of your actions there
They hurt more than my knife
Do unto others as you would…
Or expect to reap the same
I will always live with you
And hold you to your blame
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.
Marcus Aurelius
I feel so empty inside
As if nobody gives a fuck
And I know that's the truth.
If I reach out my hand
I risk pulling back a stump.
So I'm just like everyone else
Concerned only with me and
My state of existence.
We're all bound for hell
Living on the edge.
Damn
We who live in prison, and in whose lives there is no event but sorrow,
have to measure time by throbs of pain, and the record of bitter moments.
Oscar Wilde
Looking down from high above
The body laying there
Is familiar in some way
But I don't seem to care
Floating on the air I feel
So different from before
As I see them rushing in
For some important chore
I should be all excited
From everything I see
Watching this great drama play
Like something on TV
The darkness that surrounds me
Is broken by a glow
That keeps becoming brighter
The farther that I go
A peace fills me completely
My future I can see
I know that I can stay here
For all eternity
A voice I now hear calling
Saying return to me
We love you and we need you
The way it used to be
I don't want to leave this place
But turn around to go
Closer to the voice I come
To find someone I know
Back into this world again
I know not where I've been
Perhaps a dream remembered
Or payment for some sin
I'll live this life with loved ones
And those who do love me
The place I've been will come again
If I wait patiently
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.
Seneca
God are you out there
I talk to you and
Wait for your guidance.
Yet you remain silent.
Is there nothing to be heard
From my Savior
Is there nothing to be seen
Of my beloved
I am broken, useless and unworthy
Yet you can heal me.
God are you out there
To be thoroughly conversant with a man's heart, is to
take our final lesson in the iron-clasped volume of despair.
Edgar Allan Poe
Valentines are for little kids
To teach us how to share
And learn about the feelings
That comes from when we care
They’re also made for lovers
To remind us once a year
To never take for granted
The one’s we hold so dear
Friends should be reminded
Though they be far away
They always have a special place
Inside our hearts to stay
Without a doubt it’s sweethearts
Who this day is truly for
To let them know they’re special
And each day we like them more
Please accept this paper heart
My valentine to be
From the sweetheart, friend, lover and
The little kid in me.
We come to love not by finding a perfect person,
but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.
Sam Keen
Every day we see them
Victims of the night
With no thought of sorrow
We barely note the sight
A bump under a speeding wheel
A thud we soon forget
We continue on our journey
As if we never met
In an instant he’s transformed
Into the morning feast
By the birds that search the roads
For this unlucky beast
With each car that passes by
He’s pounded flatter still
A gruesome sight to look upon
As all his insides spill
And so this does continue
Till only skin and hair
And just a jawbone smiling up
To show he once was there
Yes it’s just a possum
That dies here every day
Who can be seen so often
As we scurry on our way
But can we take a moment
Before he turns to dust
To appreciate this tiny life
That shared this world with us
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.
Emily Dickinson
I look back
At the paths I've taken
And see no footsteps
Walking beside me
Only my face
Printed in the sand
As I stumble
One day to the next
Moving my feet
Simply to delay
The next fall
I find myself walking toward
Where I've already been
A treadmill to nowhere
My insignificant life
Sucking all my energy
Just to continue
Saddness is always the legacy of the past; regrets are pains of the memory
Anonymous
A vapor or whiff
A flash of life
It comes and it
Goes unseen
What does the soul
Of a man contain
Where does it go
To where has it been
Thoughts and emotions
Good, evil and truth
Is it from a dream
We awoke
What is a man
Body or soul
Is it the fire
The wood or the smoke
What is the purpose
That this body serves
A vessel in which
We are poured
Where does the ghost
And the mind reside
The place where
Our essence is stored
How do we fit in to
This puzzle of life
Weaved into a
Seamless whole
What matter if our piece
Was missing
How could we
Possible know
Leaves in a forest
Sands on a shore
We make only
A tiny speck
Never to see
How it turns out at all
Till we finally
Look back and reflect
I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our
life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our
own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.
Joseph Campbell
What an utter impossibility
That we ever came together.
Separated by time and distance
We formed a lasting relationship.
How did we so carelessly squander
What should have been cherished
Why did we take for granted
What is now lost forever
Life is cruel to allow us
To tear down our own ideals
And separate us from our dreams
Even the Gods are vain
The gods, too, are fond of a joke.
Aristotle
Rainbow
No, it can’t rain every day
And the sun don’t always shine
Sometimes they both come out to play
And give a special sign
A multicolored circle
Appears just for a time
And cotton candy clouds roll by
Upon a sky blue mind
Splash and kick and carry on
To cool the hottest day
Until the sun once more appears
To take the chill away
Life your face up to the sky
In a welcoming repose
Feel the raindrops on your face
And dripping down your nose
Watch the leaves collect each drop
And take it towards its shoots
That which falls upon the ground
Is welcomed by the roots
The earth appears refreshed again
The magic has begun
When, the world and you combine
To come again as one
It’s a time of new beginnings
In the moments we do spend
In the arch of a rainbow
When summer showers end
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
Buddha
Why should we not cry
When we gasp our first breath
In pain and agony
What terror shall we know
When at our last breath
We journey into the unknown
From birth to death
Our life is framed with suffering
As our constant companion
Stab at happiness
Grab hold of joy
Subdue tranquility
We may not pass this way again
Squeeze from life what you desire
Let passion rule this day
…one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from
everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness .from the fetters
of one’s own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape
from the personal life onto the world of objective perception and thought
Albert Einstein
Reflecting on the life I've lived
A thing I haven't learned
Day after day the constant march
In circles I have turned
To live or die, to stay or go
To me is all the same
The emptiness I feel inside
There is no one to blame
What purpose am I serving here
There is none that I see
But to wait my turn in line
For life's trials and misery
There is no one to help me
In this I am alone
I'm a defective person
Something I've always known
Friends are something others have
I'm unwanted by them all
Invisibly I pass on by
Like a mist they never saw
Then how come is hurts me so
To end this life so sad
The victim of a mortal wound
From something I never had
Thy fate is the common fate of all; Into each life some
rain must fall. Some days be dark and dreary.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Life is good they say
The parade of insignificant people
With meaningless lives
Grasping at the sinking ship of hope
They judge me
Those empty shells of humanity
Self conceited, hypocrites with their
Lies, envy, hate and lust
Murderers
They have killed me
But haven't seen me die
Where can I find escape?
Is there no hope, no savior, no renewal?
It takes all my concentration
Simply to bear this weight
I have no strength to fight for my existence
No faith to continue on the hope of tomorrow
More of the same offers no attraction
When compared to the peaceful rest of death
Living is a burden I can't endure.
Sickened with life but afraid to die
All used up and still resisting change
I see the hypocrite in me
A sharp blade is surprisingly painless
Fear awakens reality as
A thousand emotions fill my mind
The confidence that was unshakable
Now seems in doubt
Direct pressure will slow the bleeding
But do I prolong my agony
My commitment must be re-evaluated
Soon I will be unable to act
A lifetime unfolds in this moment
Also framed by pain, sorrow and desire
Nothing has changed
The point of no return is approaching
A decision must be made
I'm amazed at how much blood
Thicker than I imagined
Pooling larger with every second
The numbness in my hand
Has now covered my body
And it's getting colder
I'm very tired, I can't move
But it's surprisingly comfortable down here
I know as I close my eyes I'm going asleep
As the phone rings I think it quite funny
They just missed me
As if payment for a life of suffering
Death comes easy
The loss of conscience masks the pain
As the heart beats faster toward full spasm
Stopping from the loss of blood
The lungs gasp at breath as I slowly suffocate
The muscles cramp into inactivity
And my mind goes from coma to death
All that remains is the warm
Bleeding body lifeless on the floor
As the phone continues ringing
The thought of suicide is a great source of comfort;
with it a calm passage is to be made across many a bad night.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Drifting in the darkness
Nothing to grab hold
Nothing to push off
Devoid of direction
Flickers of light project
A surreal view of life
A sterile environment
Now tainted with smell and taste
Sound as if it had a meaning
Things to be touched
Sensations to be felt
Awareness is a new concept
Torn from the whole
Separated against the will
Filled with desire to be reunited
But knowing that is impossible
A world of sensation
Perception, Experiences
Changing me daily
Filling me with greed
Was the darkness a dream
Or is this
Am I the darkness
Or separated
There is no reality
Only the endless dance
Of change that make up life
And the moments they create
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein
Is life at it's best
Full of good news
Is there joy in your heart
Then it must be the booze
When life really kicks
You're at peace with your soul
You've been tripping on music
Good old rock and roll
If everything's mellow
And life's full of hugs
We have all come together
And done some good drugs
When everything’s perfect
No matter what's next
There's no doubt about it
You've just had great sex
Make me chaste and continent, but not just yet.
Saint Augustine
Day after day
I seek for change
Life is a stage they say
Like other's who
Have gone before
Each has a part to play
In my role
Sometimes I win
But usually I lose
It seems a joke
Or awful jest
Or possible a rouse
I like it best
When I am blessed
And everything is good
I am content
As life unfolds
The way I think it should
The other side
I'd do without
Where living seems a chore
It's just a waste
No fun at all
A complete and utter bore
But life is not
A fantasy
It's flesh and blood and bone
I wish and hope
Desire and plan
Entranced by the unknown
My part is just
A small one
Combined in one great play
Where life becomes
A drama
Reborn with each new day
Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us,
but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.
Eric Hoffer
Friendship is not enough
Companionship is unfulfilling
My needs are met and I am loved
Yet between the betrothed
Things should be different
A desire, A spark, A warmth
That keeps alive the flame
The lustful fool that I am
To want more...
I shall not come again
Footfalls echo in the memory down the passage which we did not take
towards the door we never opened into the rose-garden.
T. S. Eliot
Stalking thru the night he comes
Intent on evil ways
Searching all the darkness for
Desire for which he craves
In an instant he’s upon you
Your scream is caught away
No time to think of running
But frozen where you lay
It does no good to cry or plea
At once your fate is sealed
With no pity or remorse
His purpose is revealed
He is completely in control
Enjoying as you beg
Slaps you till you lose your sense
Then forces up your leg
He penetrates the body
To leave his evil seed
Presses thru and tears the flesh
And makes the body bleed
Time and again he takes you
As your arms and body lash
When he’s thru he cuts your throat
And throws you in the trash
There is no voice inside his head
Or demon in his soul
Just a father, friend or son
You may already know
You may chance to pass him
While walking down the street
But in the darkness of the night
I pray you never meet
There's nothing in this world so sweet as love, And next to love the sweetest thing is hate.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Things never change.
The sun rises every morning
As children live and die in poverty
And we build ornate churches to feed our sheep.
The world turns on its axis
As wars wage brother against brother
And we sing peace on earth good will toward men.
The seasons come and go
As the strong violate the weak
And we pray do unto others as we would have.
Waters flow to the sea
As we seek advantage over our fellow man
And we read the last shall be first.
Death shall come to us all
As we reflect on the life we have lived
And regret the choices we have made.
Things never change.
Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs;
He alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.
Friedrich Nietzsche
In today’s society
There’s a trait that we all share
We act and treat our neighbors
As if we just don’t care
The corporate climb leaves those behind
With footprints on their faces
Left there by the leaders who
Now sit in higher places
Me first. Push to get ahead
To achieve that lifelong goal
A candle burning both ends
Will always take it’s toll
It’s competition to a fault
In all the things we do
Life is just a race to win
No prize when it is thru
The pressure which we bind ourselves
Makes living a misery
This never was the purpose
Of this lifelong journey
Treasure every moment
In the time that’s given you
There is no replay button
To start again brand new
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny
matters compared to what lies within us.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
It was not so long ago
I still remember clear
The things I did the words I said
That brought me swiftly here
I took all that I did desire
Indulged my every sin
I made the world bow down to me
The way it should have been
Now I reflect and understand
The love and hate I knew
Were all the same from inside me
Born from my point of view
I realize the difference now
Is that the view I kept
Brought suffering to others
No mercy as they wept
The good for me brought harm to you
My joy your fear became
To see me thru the other's eyes
Can never change the blame
Eternity I now do have
To repent and morn and rail
As time goes by so slowly
In my new life in Hell
The happiness of a man in this life does not consist
in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.
Alfred Lord Tennyson
In the cool of the evening
When shadows grow tall
When tree trunks turn spooky
And wolves start to call
The moon starts to peek
From the cracks in the cloud
The winds start to howl
Your name right out loud
It’s too late to worry
If you’re ready or not
The hordes are upon you
To see what you’ve got
Pray you catch their favor
And they have their fill
They’ll turn on you quickly
And suffer you will
Witches and Warlocks
In capes of bright red
Ghouls, Goblins and Jason
Who’ll chop off your head
Zombies and Vampires
Come after they’ve fed
Ghosts, Mummy’s and Devils
Come back from the dead
You’d best not run out
Of the goodies they crave
Or else they may drag you
Back off to their grave
Lucky this happens
Just one time of year
At the end of October
When Hallo Eve’s here
From ghoulies and ghosties And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!
Scottish Saying
Sing me a song
Let your passions overflow this baron world
Purge the sorrow of this existence
And fill your heart with happiness
Sing into the night
That the stars may dance in your honor
And the moon reflect your splendor
Awaken the desires hidden by complacency
Sing of your life
Express your loves and your fears
So the gods may listen in awe
Close your eyes and sing
You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car,
but because they sing a song only you can hear.
Anonymous
I do not know just where I am
But seem to like it here
I think I’ll stay for I’m at peace
And feel your presence near
Some things are left unfinished
Or at least appear that way
I want to put your mind at ease
So this I’d like to say
Yes there is somewhere I am
But I can’t explain just what
I do know what you’re fearful of
Is exactly what it’s not
I’m calm relaxed and content
Like in a fine resort
With no urgency to leave
And to no one I report
I know you have so many fears
Questions and imaginings
Rest assured you’ll be at peace
With all the joy it brings
It seems that all the pasts combine
In a wondrous unity
Making all the worlds in time
A marvelous symphony
I can see from this perspective
That it’s always been this way
We’re all part of a seamless whole
From which we never stray
As we have been together
This way we will remain
Someday you will discover
It’s just as I explain
Enjoy all life does offer
Knowing I will always be
Close at hand and living
With you and you with me
Call no man happy till he is dead.
Aeschylus
We keep our treasures locked away
In our private little spaces
We don't like to share our things
For fear others may take them
If it is lost with the sharing
It was never really ours
We keep by the desire in our heart
And can't lose what we don't have
I will not lock you away from the world
With my jealousy, selfishness or lust
Rather I lock you in my heart
And share you that all may enjoy
If each man or woman could understand that every other human life is as full of sorrows, or joys, or base
temptations, of heartaches and of remorse as his own . . . how much kinder, how much gentler he would be.
William Allen White
Where is the path I'm striving for
The road which I want to be
Where does it led and to whom does it go
When I get there what will I see
The high path or low the quick track or slow
All ways will led to an end
If I can't find my way I'll continue each day
Taking new paths where I've never been
The effort it takes to plan and endure
Will be worth a handsome reward
I'll pick what I want as much as I please
From the warehouse from which they are stored
I cannot foresee what will happen to me
When the end finally comes into view
I think I will know upon reaching this goal
That the road simply begins anew
My life is now done and the lessons are learned
The truth I can now comprehend
That in cycles we live and in cycles we die
And the path only starts at the end
Go Confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
Henry David Thoreau
I sit behind this window pane
And watch the world go by
Separated by the glass
I rock and gently sigh
Its not my world, I don't fit in
With others don't you see
It's a foreign land that I know not
And I'm the enemy
My speech they do not recognize
My actions misunderstood
I cannot even seem to tell
Between the bad and good
I try to act and be and do
Whatever they require
But when I think I know the truth
They label me a lair
Who made me and placed me here
So different from the rest
Perhaps a prank or a cruel joke
To give this lifetime quest
So I sit and watch and cry and moan
In my solitary cell
And wait for time to be no more
So I may leave this Hell
Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the
object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
I knew a lady briefly
A long long time ago
She taught me something precious
Something I didn’t know
She always wore a shirt and pants
That didn’t seem to match
And if you’d look real close at her
You could always find a patch
Her clothes were never wrinkled
And she was always clean
She had a sagging posture
And her build was rather lean
A band always crowned her head
She wore her hair that way
Laid tightly wound in natural curls
With heavy streaks of gray
She had a simple sincere smile
She always seemed to wear
Filled with dark and missing teeth
From lack of dental care
She was very quietly mannered
Never had a lot to say
When one eye pointed straight ahead
The other looked away
I would say her life was hard
She worked for what she got
Not blessed with high intelligence
And never had a lot
I know she had a family
But not from where they were
I only met her daughter
Who looked so much like her
The thing that I remember most
Was what she couldn’t hid
The kind and gentle spirit
That flowed from deep inside
I’m indebted to this stranger
Because she made me see
The beauty that a person shows
May at first appear ugly
But when we look inside the heart
It makes our spirits sail
For then we see the ageless soul
Not just the outer veil
Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.
Confucius
Without any effort
You captivate me
Your very presence
Leaves me breathless
But I am not of your choosing
I can't fill you emptiness
Or end your pain
I can't make you happy
I can only love you
As you suffer this life
I'll live in your shadow
And die in the light of your loss
If I could be any part of you, I’d be your tears. To be conceived in your heart,
born in your eyes, live on your cheeks, and die on your lips.
Unknown
Two people meet
And they agree
To care and cherish
Faithfully
Hard times and good
Day after day
They make a life
And find their way
When changes comes
They always do
They work together
And suffer thru
To grow closer
Mature as one
Plan a journey
Now begun
And soon become
A family
As God intended
Them to be
With love and patience
Soon their grown
And go away
Out on their own
To meet another
And begin anew
A life of promise
Like we two
Love is not written on paper, for paper can be erased. Nor is it etched on stone,
for stone can be broken. But it is inscribed on a heart and there it shall remain forever.
Anonymous
Today I dreamed of you...
A storybook romance with a fairy tail ending
To keep you in my thoughts is to never be alone
I watched you...
Your presence flowed over me
I bathed in contentment and happiness
We talked...
About important things and silly things
About big things and small things
About some things and nothing at all
We Walked...
Into the woods through the fields and around the coves
You marveled at the beauty of nature
But I couldn't take my eyes off you.
We planned...
Of things to do places to go and people to see
A bright future together full of promise
We embraced...
Our bodies pressing together touching cheek to cheek
You were in my arms, I was complete
We kissed...
The delight of the senses wrapped with a hug
Such intimate contact, sharing the very breath of life
We loved...
With my head on your breasts I caressed your skin
Kissed your stomach and fell asleep inside you
Then I awoke...
Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.
Charlie Brown
Bruised elbows and skinned knees
heal quickly
Kiss it and make it better
And the hurt goes away:
I am shy
Come to me
I am a friend
Talk to me
I am interesting
Listen to me
I am beautiful
Appreciate me
I am happy
Share with me
I am important
Give me attention
I belong
Accept me
I love
Can I be loved
Bruised egos and scarred memories
heal slowly
Kiss and make up
But the hurt remains:
I am here
Care about me
I am lonely
Accompany me
I am sad
Encourage me
I am afraid
Comfort me
I am boring
Notice me
I am ugly
See my inner beauty
I am worthless
Value me
I am bad
Can I be forgiven
With your eyes and
with your heart heal me
Kiss me and make it better
And take away the pain.
Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving,
and tolerant with the weak and wrong, because sometime in your life you will have been all of these.
Unknown.
He was a humble little man
One I considered good
He was always willing
To help out if he could
He was not a rich man
But worked hard all his life
Raised a handsome family
And dearly loved his wife
He called all his neighbors friends
And really seemed to care
The blessings that would come his way
He felt compelled to share
Kids were always at his house
From many different lands
They’d spend the summer learning
The culture of Americans
He helped the church in word and deed
So his community
Would have ethics deeply rooted
In Christianity
The last days he did suffer
Something we all fear
But gave a good example
Of the faith he held so dear
Some men are soon forgotten
While others do survive
In changes that continue from
When they were alive
The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered
acts of kindness and of love.
William Wordsworth
Your heart beats fast
You grow faint at the very thought of her
She is your first and last thought each day
You feel unworthy of her attention
You are content to worship her from afar
Your unobtainable ideal
Your goddess
Who quickens her pulse
And leaves her breathless
Of whom does she think when she closes her eyes
Does she realize she is worthy
Or is she like us
Grasping at a perfection she may never find
So goes this eternal carousel
Each seeking the beauty in others
That we overlook in ourselves
See yourself as I do
The Goddess of your desires
Is standing before me
May I be content to love you
As you love her
What has been will be again. What has been done will be done again
Ecclesiastes 1:9
There is no understanding
No consciousness, No thought
An emptiness
Afloat in the darkness
Drifting toward a sound
A vibration
A muffled rhythmic beat
Suddenly awareness
Bound by a presence
Constrained from movement
No expectation
Only a thought of I AM
An existence
Bump, the floating stops
Movement, pressure increases
I AM poured into
Down a tunnel toward a brightness
Light, noise, chaos
Sensations everywhere
Not soothing like before
Ears rattle, eyes burn
A sting, a scream
Terrified, it comes from me
My lungs explode
Drowning on air as it rushes in
I have been torn apart
Where is the rest of me
Cold, an uncomfortable feeling
Soon a warm softness wrapped around me
This is better, like before
A preference
Something in my mouth
Forcing itself inside me
Taste, pleasant, full, tired
I fade to black, sleep
Floating like before
Yet different
The light returns
I AM startled by contacts
So many all around
Returning over and over
In a cycle of light and dark
Always something new
And something repeating
A pattern, a routine
I remember,
I AM learning
To expect, to explore,
To realize I AM me
And there are others
Every moment, hour and day
I experience, I sense, I mature
Week, months and years past
I am saturated in being
There is no memory of I AM
Only me remains
A lifetime of sensations, knowledge, growing
Always in this body of me
Changing ever so slowly
Until a tiredness
Signals the end of me
I am dying
Awareness slips away
There is no understanding
No consciousness, No thought
An emptiness
Afloat in the darkness
Drifting toward a sound
What is life? It is a flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a
buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
Crowfoot
It's a continual line I must walk
Coming from and leading to nowhere
On one side is depression
I slip and fall
Barely hanging on the edge
Only to slip again the next step
Progress is not measured by distance
But by the depth of the fall
And the height of the climb
On the other side is elation
Smacking my face with contempt
While wringing my emotions like a dishrag
Out of control high on life
Until the next slip propels me across the line
Always the line
The tightrope of a normal life
Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting.
Karl Wallenda
Why is it when I first awake
My first thoughts are of you
Because when I was sleeping
I was dreaming of we two
I make myself get out the door
To start a brand new day
There you are inside my heart
With me all the way
Come midday when I'm working
I think how nice it'd be
If you could join me here and now
And keep me company
At suppertime away from home
A smile I often wear
I feel the joy you've given me
As I say my silent prayer
The day is finally thru now
And I'm lying in my bed
Once again those thoughts of you
Begin to fill my head
Just another typical day
Filled with the usual things
Living with the memories
Loving you always brings
Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love,
the things you are, the things you never want to lose.
Kevin Arnold
If I could be your own dog
Just lying on your bed
You’d come home in the evening
And gently rub my head
You’d smile real big and pick me up
And give me a great big hug
I’d roll over on my back
And get a belly rub
I would lick you in the face
You wouldn‘t mind at all
Then we would go outside to play
And you could throw my ball
I’d bring you my favorite toy
So we’d play chase and tug
I’d be such a good dog and
Never mess the rug
Sunday’s we could take the car
And slowly drive around
Taking in the sights and smells
With the windows all rolled down
When we were done with playing
We could both enjoy a treat
Then go to bed all tuckered out
And I’d lay by your feet
While you sleep I’d guard the place
So I could earn my keep
I’d quietly watch and listen
Pretend to be asleep
Before you went to work next day
I’d take you for a jog
Life would be so wonderful
If I could be your dog.
To err is human, to forgive, canine.
Unknown
Try as I might
I can't get it to go
This round peg
Into that square hole
I whittled and sanded
And measured just so
To make my peg fit
Then they just changed the hole
So I quite frankly gave up
The solution I see
Is to accept things as they are
And to quite changing me
So long as you live and work, you will be misunderstood;
to that you must resign yourself once and for all. Be silent!
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
My love is like a wildflower rose
Upon the hillside free
It needs no care to make it bloom
For all the world to see
It drinks in both the sun and dew
And shares the air I breath
A crown of thorns not meant to harm
Protects it's precious leaves
Roots and stem, Strong for the wind
It spreads it's peddles rare
Releasing all it's beauty
Into the fragrant air
It seems a shame to pick these flowers
To hold them close to thee
But picking only makes them grow
And bloom continually
If by chance you miss this rose
Keep searching in the weeds
As the seasons change it grows again
The strength flows from it's seeds
The shoot and leaves, the stem and bud
And finally the rose
It grows because it's meant to be
As only my heart knows
Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.
Winnie the Pooh
A passionate believer
Grasping at the truth
Just out of my reach
Always the underdog
Fighting alone
Against all odds
I can use her expertise
But it leaves me vulnerable
Her empirical judgment
Could balance my emotions
It's an uneasy alliance
But I can no longer
Go it alone
I respect her talent
If she can eliminate
The impossible then
The truth will remain
The consummate professional
A woman in a man's world
Where emotions can be
A sign of weakness
I remain in control
My science could disprove
His superstition
And save him from his
One man crusade
But I need his faith
Everything can't be rationalized
I admire his dedication
Where is the truth
When the facts
Are unexplainable
Over time our partnership
Becomes it's own phenomenon
He who could no longer continue
Finds support in my strength
She who was sterile and analytical
Finds new perspective in my faith
We grow together thru years
Of trust and interdependence
Becoming one
Sharing each other's love as
We wage an impossible war
Us against the world
The truth is out there
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is
limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces
the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.
Albert Einstein
I formed you from the waters
And clay where you now stand
I cared for you thru childhood
As you grew to be a man
I gave you fire to keep you warm
Clothed and feed you bread
Showed you my inner workings
Placed a roof over your head
My herbs did keep you healthy
And comforted your ills
I gave you milk and honey
And game from all the fields
I furnished you with iron and coal
Gold, gems, wood, gas and oil
It left me scarred and worn out
Polluted air, eroded soil
I’ve changed throughout our history
As each great empire formed
There’s holes now in the ozone
And global climate warmed
I’ve loved you as my own child
And gave you what I could
Indulged you wants and cravings
As any mother would
Now finally you are buried
To my bosom you now come
Where I shall watch and keep you
And give you rest my son
O, how this spring of love resembleth the uncertain glory
of an April day!
William Shakespeare
Existing In Harmony With Nature
Simply being what we are
Doing what we do
Allowing all things to unfold
In the order they’re meant too
Realizing that we share
Feelings that are the same
To appreciate that harm may come
Because we are to blame
The birds, The sky, The hills and trees
Are parts of you and me
Everything does interconnect
And builds eternity
Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small about it.
Florence Nightingale
Questions On The Minds Of Kids
Where do babies come from
Just how high is the sky
Questions on the lips of kids
Who want to know just why
Tell me where our smiles come from
Is it only when you’re glad
Why do our lips curl one way
And another when we’re sad
Why is the sky blue colored
What keeps the birds up there
Where does the sun go at night
Exactly what is air
How deep is the ocean
What causes it to fill
Where do raindrops come from
Why does water flow downhill
Why do grown ups tell me
To be seen but not be heard
Why does bedtime come so soon
Why is "poop" a dirty word
Why is the trip much shorter
When we fall fast asleep
Why do I have to share
The toys I want to keep
Does divorce mean you don’t love me
Or something I did wrong
If you don’t live together
To who do I belong
Why is it that I hurt so bad
What happened to my hair
How come mommy cries so much
When did daddy start to swear
What is cancer anyway
Do only babies cry
If Heavens’ such a nice place
Why don’t everybody die
Questions on the minds of kids
To help them understand
And face all of the challenges
Their tiny lives demand
Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.
Seneca
A statue that has come to life
Clothed head to toe in black
Piercing thru your every thought
No thing can be held back
Eyes glow from the darkness
Underneath a shrouded head
A cold hard marbled presence
That covers you with dread
Holding to an ancient staff
He raises both his hands
Till darkness overcomes the light
And smothers all the lands
The dirge of many rumblings
Appears once more to win
Leaving us forsaken
And drowning in our sin
Ten feet tall with angel wings
A flowing robe of white
She radiates an energy
That shines without a light
A golden braid about her head
Holds back her silver hair
Moving in a graceful float
She shimmers in the air
Her power to reveal and change
Appears when hope is done
The unseen force that gives us
Strength when there is none
Like a mist that melts away
When finished with her deed
Always to return again
In our darkest hour of need
We are not the conquerors
Nor bound by evil fate
But aided by the powers on high
If we can endure and wait
Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of
it.
Helen Keller
You are unique
A prize of great value
Bound together we form
A new creation
Different from all that
Have come before
All that will ever be
This life created by us
Lives in our union
And shall die as we part
I shall never be whole again
Forever changed by
Your uniqueness
The only reward for love is the experience of loving.
John le Carre
The air is crisp and clean and cool
The leaves begin to fall
Darkness comes much earlier
Moon shadows cast so tall
It’s death and resurrection
The cycle of renewal
As timeless as the life that formed
Since the earth began to cool
The mountains now explode into
A kaleidoscope of color
Announcing to the world once more
A season like no other
It seems the stars shine brighter
In the clearness of the sky
The craters of the moon are seen
With just a glancing eye
The mist and fog does cling to
The contours of the land
Painting each depression with
A stroke from God’s own hand
The trees stand starkly naked
And seem to be transformed
Their leaves returning faithfully
To the soil where they were born
Every things not dying
They simply go to sleep
To continue on the cycle
To sow what they shall reap
If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly
useless manner, you have learned how to live.
Lin Yutang
I do not understand what good
You every thought I had
I was selfish rude and blind
And very often mad
You loved me when I had no one
Took me as I stood
Did not seek to change me
Forgave me when you could
Cared for me in sickness
Supported me in need
Cried with me in suffering
Tolerated all my greed
I suppose that's why I love you
I am simply giving back
A tenth of what you've given me
In all the years we lack
Again I think I love you
Just because you're you
Not from some obligation
But because I wanted to
Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor for itself hath any
care,
But for another gives its ease, And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair.
William Blake
Confessions of a Serial Killer
The bastard son
Of an unknown woman
Unnamed, unwanted, unloved
Unsuccessfully aborted
I exist by my own will
An immortal in this world
Of panic and fear I create
I am the power
Deciding life and death
The giver of mercy
And welder of justice
My law, My commandant
My will be done
Everywhere I am sought
Seen in visions
Prayed to for mercy
Studied and revered
These have I accepted
As a sacrifice so that
Others may see the blood
And be cleansed
I sit and watch
Exacting righteous judgment
For I know the sin
Hidden in the heart
I do this for love
To correct my children
Who have strayed
And led them back
Into the light
So that they may
Bear fruit worthy
Of repentance
I would that
None should perish
But that all should
Come to me
To do My will
Not to destroy, hate and kill
But to aid, love and nurture
Those who do this
Enter not into death
But life more abundantly
I create a new world
Where the meek
No longer fear
No death, No war
No hunger, No pain
The strong shall
Lay down with the weak
All things are new
For I have cast away all sin
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
Henry David Thoreau
Tomorrow is another opportunity
To realize how good today was
A treasure lost so long ago
Into the deep cold ground
Came shining thru the darkness and
Today was finally found
A silent shout of joy rang out
His breath was caught away
As payment for a long hard search
Was realized this day
With loving care he chipped away
The rock that formed the seal
Until the stone was loosened
Its brilliance to reveal
Alas he cannot keep it
For it needs a masters sight
To transform its beauty
And magnify the light
Work begins with patient love
Experience and care
Revealing beneath the surface
The beauty that was there
Now we have a perfect gem
Marvelous and rare
Proud to own by king or queen
With worth beyond compare
Yet it is the same stone
Seen different from before
That sparkled in the miner's eye
And brought the shout of joy
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing
is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein
Of whom do I think
When I long for company
Who's face do I see
Upon closing my eyes
Who's laughter do I remember
When I dream
Who does delight me
In the grace of their walk
Who's smile do I see
In the beauty of life
In who's eyes do
I melt into contentment
Who's voice does sing
To me in my memory
Who's fragrance does the breeze
Wash over me
Who do I miss
In the times of my loneliness
Who's very presence
Fills me with happiness
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.
William Shakespeare
We can’t always pick our friends
But Joe was my best one
I knew him since my childhood days
He was always full of fun
He was a social animal
And fun he loved the most
You could always count on him
To raise one final toast
It was my birthday party
And I knew it wasn’t long
Before my kids would be here
And spend some time at home
Of course with any gathering
Joe was over here
Chips and dip, Good friends and food
And always lots of beer
Joe would always drink too much
But he could hold his brew
He had been this way for years
And did what he wanted to
As the celebration winded down
Joe was the last to go
I should have driven him that night
But he loudly shouted NO!
All his life he’d drink then drive
And never was arrested
It would be the same tonight
He drunkenly protested
With a wink he flashed a smile
And then I watched him leave
He was quickly out of sight
As down the street he weaved
The next day I did receive
The worse news that could be
There had been a car wreck
Involving fatalities
A young boy coming home that night
Was hit high speed head on
Joe died in the accident
And my only son was gone
Yes I’m to blame for apathy
And things I didn’t see
It was always the other guy
Until death came to me
Lord, what fools these mortals be!
William Shakespeare
I am the cause of all the problems in the world.
The cause of all the problems in the world is me.
I cannot seem
To say or do
That which my
Heart tells me to
There is no need
To be so sad
I see nothing
In you that's bad
I cannot play
The master thief
And steal away
Your very grief
I cannot build
A secret room
To lock away
Your guilt and gloom
I cannot sing
A joyful tune
And give you healing
For your wound
I can't supply
A summer rain
To clean and wash
Away your pain
I cannot help you
With your sorrow
There seems to be
No change tomorrow
If the skill
I only had
To turn your anguish
Into glad
But if you'll let me
Here's what I'll do
Just be there
When you want me to
And let you know
When life falls apart
That you are loved
By this one heart
"He means well" is useless unless he does well.
Plautus
Roses have thorns
It's always darkest before the light
Times heals all sorrows
Every cloud has a silver lining
It is better to have loved and lost
But what the hell does that
Have to do with me?
I'm hurting here!
I just want it to stop
I've paid my dues!
Just fix it!
Things do not change; we change.
Henry David Thoreau
She stands in the window waiting
For the soldier who never returns
Not knowing her vigil is hopeless
A lamp in the darkness she burns
Laughter, yelling, scuffles and rhymes
The sounds of kids gathered round
From a playground that used to be here
At a school house long since torn down
A surgeon in the civil war
The general now roams thru the inn
He witnessed all of the suffering
And still watches over his men
A light caress, a familiar face
A smile and a tender sigh
I turned to kiss my heart’s desire
As she vanished before my eye
The blood soaked soil of Gettysburg
Holds the souls of men and boys
Hauntings hang in misty air
That is filled with battle noise
When this life is over, What happens
Do we stay here in places like these
Can we come back thru these dimensions
Or is it only "just make believe"
'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world.
William Shakespeare
A very small package
Without even a bow
A surprise for my son
And it’s something you know
Nor wrapped in bright paper
But like it you ought
Didn’t make it myself
Or a gift that I bought
If you happen to drop it
You’ll find it won’t bounce
In trying to weight it
There’s not even an ounce
You can rattle and shake it
Yet there isn’t a sound
Not square like a breadbox
And it’s not really round
Some say that it’s priceless
Others not worth a spit
It’s the love of your father
And you have all of it
A gift consists not in what is done or given,
but in the intention of the giver or doer.
Seneca
It’s not about the dinner
Or families going home
Gathering around the table
Even though it‘s been so long
It’s not about remembering
Those forgotten since last year
Caroling or evening mass
Peace, goodwill or cheer
It’s not about the eggnog
And parties we attend
Toasting and socializing
Or the greeting cards we send
It’s not about the presents
That we give or we receive
It’s not even about Santa
And whether we believe
It’s not about trimming the tree
Decorations or colored lights
Flying deer or Rudolph’s nose
That brightens up the nights
It’s not about the baby
With the wise men gathered round
Lying in a cattle trough
As the evening star shines down
It’s about the God we have
Why be became a man
How he loves us and was treated
And someday will come again
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God
Many shall hear it, and fear, and trust in the Lord
Psalms 40:3
I give you a tear for your lost love
My joy to end your sadness
You have my thoughts to raise your self esteem
My dreams for your contentment
My hopes to end your desperation
I give you protection to keep you from fear
My sharing to bring new hopes
You have my comfort for your healing
My companionship to end your loneliness
My affection as your shelter
I give my hand to guide your confusion
My desire that you may know you are wanted
You have my adoration for your beauty
My love to end your anger
My heart for the one left broken
May no gift be too small to give, nor too simple to receive,
which is wrapped in thoughtfulness and tied with love.
L. O. Baird
Life has its special moments
Like your graduation day
Shared with friends and family
You’ve had along the way
Finishing one chapter
Starting again anew
I wish you all the happiness
And success in what you do
Blue is the color of my life
Not a sky blue
Full of awe and wonder
But the sigh of an exhale
Not an ocean blue
Refreshing and inviting
But the longing to be
When you are not
Not a computer blue
Fresh, awaiting all things new
But the emptiness of hunger
Blue is how I feel
All my longings lie open before you
O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you
Psalms 38:9
Forgive me.
There's been a death
In the family.
People seem as only
Their problems exist.
With everyone available
For their support.
Only in their great need.
They go about aimlessly
Without thought or plan
Hoping everything
Falls into place.
Bewildered
That it never does.
What arrogance
For their incompetence.
Making their problem
My problem and
Stealing the respect
Rightfully due the dead.
Don't invite them
To my wake.
There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
We need to have role models
Like Hoppy, Gene and Roy
Who showed us that good guys do win
And the code of the cowboy
We need a leader to admire
Someone to grow up like
That is worthy of respect
Like Kennedy, Abe or Ike
We need to have examples
So that we all may see
The benefit of careful plans
Thru Stonewall or General Lee
We need to get excited
About new discovery
Since John Glenn and Admiral Bird
Showed what we all could be
We need a sense of humor
Like Cosby or "The Great One"
So we may laugh and understand
To save time in life for fun
We need to touch the beauty
That calms and sooths the soul
Such as the harmony and song
Of John, Paul, George, Ringo
We need to share our feelings
Like "The Beaver" and his dad
As they discussed what happened
And the kind of day they had
We need to feel compassion
Love and self sacrifice
As Mother Theresa showed us
In how she spent her life
We can learn that strength does come
In the humbleness of prayer
From Noah, David and Abraham
By staying in God’s care
We need someone the teach us
Upon which path to walk
Like "The Apostle Paul"
Who’s actions we should mock
Heroes come in all types
To teach us different things
So we may be prepared to face
Whatever our life brings
Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplacable spark. In the hopeless swamps
of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all, do not let the hero in your soul perish
and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but never have been able to reach.
The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.
Ayn Rand
I smoke, drink, fight and cuss
I like dancing in the bars
Camping in my pick up truck
And driving real fast cars
I’m a bad bad man…
I like "good time" women
I do cheat on my wife
But if you mess with me or mine
I’ll gladly take your life
I’m a real bad man…
I cheat, gamble, steal, and brag
I’m into drugs and cards
I’m totally disabled now
From a life of working hard
I’m a bad man…
I like guns and hunting
Just my old hound dog and me
Chilling out with warm stale beer
And my music is "country"
I’m a bad bad man…
I can track, fish, snare and cook
Skin anything alive
Jerk the meat and tan the hide
On roots and weeds survive
I’m a real bad man…
I like wearing colors
And running with the pack
My hair blowing in the wind
With a biker bitch on back
I’m a bad man…
I have tattoos all over me
To show the life I’ve had
I got the first in prison
When I was just a lad
I’m a bad, bad man…
I love the flag, God and bombs
And wars that keep us free
I have my pistol cocked and locked
To protect my liberty
I’m a real bad man…
When the family goes to church
I stay out in the car
Talking on my CB rig
To my buddies near and far
I’m a bad man…
There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so
William Shakespeare
One life is not enough
I shall return in the next
To seek the love
Denied me in this
One life is too much
When refused a love
Forbidden me forever
May I share this love
Or never live again
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and
go to the grave with the song still in them.
Henry David Thoreau
Cowboy Bobby rides the range
At the age of only five
Dodging outlaws bullets
Trying to take them in alive
He’s the sheriff of the town
With a posse close behind
Hot on the trail of robbers
Their hideout he must fine
Suddenly an ambush
The bad men sneak attack
Going for the lawman
To shoot him in the back
He turns with guns a blazing
And every shot is true
The "Kids" gang is defeated
And Bobby’s job is thru
Time to wash the dust away
With Red-Eye and a brew
Tell the local dance hall girls
He has cowboy work to do
He hops onto his broomstick horse
And rides out on the plain
He happens on some renegades
Attacking a wagon train
As his six guns fire away
He raises from his saddle
Charging toward the Indians
Shouting his cry to battle
The red skins know this hero
And quickly run away
Once again justice is done
And he has saved the day
Roping, riding, shooting
He spends his cowboy days
Until only memories remain
Of happy childhood ways
Bobby is a father now
At the age of thirty five
On the prairie once again
Giving a "horsy ride"
Genius is childhood recaptured.
Bauldlaire
Hearts with X’s and with O’s
Candies, cards and such
You’re my special valentine
Cause you are loved so much
A voice came from across the room
Now Eddie! Don’t do that
Then called out to the waitress
From the table where she sat
Give us all the dinner bar
I’ll have a small iced tea
A soda with some empty cups
Since the refills will be free
Billy stop that running ‘round
And sit up in your chair
Don’t go under that table
You don’t know what’s down there
Charlie spilled his soda pop
All over my new dress
Hurry before the stain sets in
And help me with this mess
Timmy don’t play with your food
Or blow bubbles in your cup
There’s starving kids now overseas
But Timmy just threw up
I’ve been waiting much too long
For another glass of tea
Now my food has gotten cold
Bring another plate to me
Just look at all this mess you’ve made
Now you’re in trouble boys
We’re not going to FunMart
And there’s certainly No Toys
The menu says kids eat for free
It’s right here on this page
You really should have asked me
They’re just large for their age
I have a nail appointment
And now I will be late
I would have been on time today
If I didn’t have to wait
I also get the senior price
Cause I’m so often here
Here’s two quarters for your tip
And thank you much my dear
She now cleans off the table
And sweeps in time to say
Welcome, my name’s Cindy
I’ll be serving you today
I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any
good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.
William Penn
There is no more precious gift
That I can comprehend
Than a tender smile or kiss
An empty heart to mend
We’re never quite as vulnerable
As under passions knife
To have our very heart laid bare
And grasp the breath of life
Feeling such intensity
It makes you want to cry
Knowing that without her
You will surely die
Love comes unexpectedly
A few times in your years
To steal away your sorrow
A thief that takes your tears
It’s a transforming power
That sculpts us into art
When she gives you everything
From the love within her heart
May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams.
May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.
Anonymous
Colors turn to gray and brown
All the limbs are bear
Revealing what was hidden
The dirtiness that’s there
It’s a season in transition
To white from leafy green
As are lost the dead dry leaves
Our naked earth is seen
As the snow begins to fall
It covers up this sight
As it outlines twigs and trees
And turns our whole world white
Icicles reflect the sun
From cliffs where water pours
Icy sheets form in the streams
Surrounding rocks and shores
We wrap ourselves in furs and caps
Ear muffs to keep in heat
Gloves to keep our hands warm
Goulashes for our feet
Building "Frosty", snow ball fights
Enjoying a long sleigh ride
Warming by a burning tire
Carrying wood inside
Power lines are broken down
From heavy ice and trees
Digging in the cold hard dirt
For water lines that freeze
Driving is impossible
Wish we could stay in bed
Shoveling out the driveway
Just to find the battery dead
It’s an intermittent season
Dependent on the wind
Waiting for the cold and snow
To leave then come again
Winter‘s not my favorite
It speaks to me of ends
By the fireplace I’ll relax
And wait till spring begins
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind,
As man's ingratitude.
William Shakespeare
What a difference you make
Together we compliment our strengths
You are the other half that completes me
I can not imagine a life without you
With no purpose, No attraction
A hollow meaningless existence
I can only imagine life with you
Worth striving toward, Greatly desired
A full nurturing relationship
There is no remedy for love but to love more.
Henry David Thoreau
There is no other reason
But you were on my mind
The loving thoughts that fill my heart
You and I forever bind
Know you are important
To all things in my life
There is such happiness in me
Because you are my wife
God gave every living thing
It’s own personality
Formed from those it’s closest to
Part of a family
My little boy with feathers
Who shared with me his “winger”
And greeted me with song each night
Then sat upon my finger
Back and forth and back and forth
He had his little dance
So happy to see me
He did his “Eagle” stance
Sometimes I’d just “check in”
And call him on the phone
Leave him a little message
Whistle our special song
I was part of his flock
Accepted as his own
A friend, companion, confidant
Somewhere I did belong
Can I shed a tear for him
And cry at my great loss
For I have lost a part of me
And strain to bear the cost
He’ll always live in my life
Thru the songs of other birds
My broken heart could never mend
By writing these few words
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer.
It sings because it has a song
Maya Angelou
Playing in the schoolyard
I fell and skinned my knee
Actually, he knocked me down
Such immaturity
Why do boys act like that?
As I wash off the mud
The skin’s not even broken
So why do I see blood?
I just really hate boys!
Forget the birds and bees
People actually die from
Internal injuries
Terror overcomes me
I scream out for someone!
My teacher comes a running
Oh please! Call 911!
She sees what’s the matter
And seems to understand
With a reassuring smile
Then gently takes my hand
She says she can help me
It’s not because the fall
But a part of growing up
And won’t hurt me at all
Let’s go to the teachers lounge
To freshen up your face
There we’ll find the things we need
For the ladies in this place
Changes are now underway
As you leave the girl behind
You’ve now become a woman
And boys you soon won’t mind
This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath,
May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.
William Shakespeare
Off to the “Series”
A baseballers dream
Dressed in bright colors
Supporting their team
Hot dogs and popcorn
All ready to cheer
Signs and gloves ready
And swimming in beer
Raising a garden
And mowing the lawn
Weeding the flowers
From daylight to dawn
Road trips on weekends
In convertible cars
Long drives at twilight
With a sky full of stars
Daytona bike week
Becoming “Wild Ones”
Flashing and tattoos
And long poker runs
Cruising the strip
Rock fills the night
Tricked rides on parade
Under bright neon lights
Sunglasses and tans
Guys with no shirts
Swimsuits and beaches
Girls in short skirts
Sundresses and sandals
There’s never enough
Shopping vacations
And strutting their stuff
Wiggles and jiggles
Bounces and flops
Tiny bikinis
And cute halter tops
As soon as schools over
It’s time to begin
The long days of summer
The season of skin
In summer, the song sings itself.
William Carlos Williams
Hate
With gleaming eyes and evil smile
Singing retribution’s song
Following my nature
I justify the wrong
I know my capabilities
A loin among men
Death is the goal I seek
For both me and them
Knowing I am in control
Frees the inner beast
Allows me to see differently
Seeking that on which to feast
Like a soldier runs to battle
Knowing well that he may die
A revitalizing rush take him
Into combat with a cry
I know this feeling very well
Makes my heartbeat pound
Pumps me with excitement
Looses the fetters I was bound
I'm the one that others fear
Empowered by this thought
Seeking the dark and dirty place
Destroying those I've sought
I'm tapped into a power
That frames reality
Perhaps this is the Gates Of Hell
Or just insanity
Drunken with my lusty life
I fear not man or God
Anger becomes my shield
Contempt my wielding rod
I mock the justice system
What is their remedy
Lock me away in prison
With others just like me
Training to improve my skills
Only the strong survive
No weakness and no mercy
Learning how to stay alive
Lawyers and politicians
Advocate my rights
They care and understand me
Yet lock their doors at night
Blame it on society
Perhaps my inner child
My parents didn't love me
Or genetics made me wild
Don't deny you know me
I'm the author of your fate
The emotion that consumes you
Your unrelenting hate
Now hatred is by far the longest pleasure,
men love in haste but detest at leisure
Lord Byron
Everything is semantics and perspective
end