They are in the alleys of our cities
in the parks of our small towns
and under bridges
even in many tiny villages

Their cries for help go unheard
as if they have no voice

More often than not
they are ignored
as if they are invisible

Yet they are there
and in need

Is there a point to life
when all that exists in the heart is despair
when basic human needs
are only delivered for a very short
and temporary moment
when any relief and happiness
is shallow enough
to be washed away in the next

What point is there when
depression
is all you have

Life should be full
real and honest
delivering joy to the heart
encouragement to the spirit
peace to the soul
and a satisfaction to the stomach

The streets seldom provide for these needs

Governments attempt to criminalize people
for a homelessness
that is beyond the control
of these people who have lost all hope
and have been reduced to life in the streets
for the greed of the super rich
and an ever growing lack of care
for those we should be treating
as brothers and sisters

When did we cease as a nation
to be “for the people”

How did our government
get to the point of turning away from the people
to serve the rich above all others

Churches
regardless of their denominations
or religions
claim they are there to do Gods work

Since when has it been Gods work
to leave children hungry
cold, lonely and in the streets

Since when has it been Gods work
to treat other humans as vermin
because they have been dirtied on the surface
because of a life of hardship
have different beliefs, customs or life styles

So many do so little
they are the sayers

There are a few that do all they can
they are the doers

The doers
some are believers
others are not
the doers
have hearts
broken for those in need

Where governments and religions
now stand in the way
of help for these people
made of the same clay
giving a voice to the homeless
so they might have their say
the doers step in
and help as they may

There is a stream
that carries the music of life through the forest.
Ever calming the soul and spirit
of the creatures beneath the canopy above.

As I sit by waters side,
my toes being kissed by its current
I find an unexpected blessing
that was ever there for me.
All that was needed
was for me to accept it

To get here I  left a world ravaged by
a rushed and impatient society.
Its greed  and lack of kindness
has taken its sad toll of men.

It would have owned me
had I not come to this place I now sit.
Far away from that world
free of stress, in true comfort.
A place more tranquil
than one could ever imagine.

The thoughts of the world I have left
have been washed from my mind.
My soul, my very spirit
has grown new ears.
My heart has opened
peace and joy have entered.

I am one with the forest.
The stream flows through me.
I am filled with its music.

He lay helpless in the gutter
so many people walking by
he was treated me as if  invisible
he could see them avert their eyes
was it his tattered clothing
the gaunt face of hunger he wore
they ignored his plea for help
what has made them immune
to their hearts
you would swear
they were born without one
how is it that they have so little care
for those who have needs
that they can no longer provide for themselves
so many who's only crime
was that they were the working poor
sentenced to life on the streets
the homeless
who have fallen through the cracks
here in this land of plenty
this country that spends so much
in support of other countries
while criminalizing the results
of their own greed
here in the richest nation on Earth

Violence begets violence, hate begets hate
this issue must end before it's too late

it's one thing to spank, quite another to beat
whether its done at home or out in the street

public embarrassment just angers your kid
resentment will grow of which you'll never be rid

families then broken bonds forever lost
public beatings have a terrible cost

this circle exists and there is no denying
in the end what you'll find is a parent who's crying

wondering why their kids have lost all respect
when their beatings have been a form of neglect

sparing the rod is not spoiling the child
when it's most often the rod that makes the youth wild

parents wake up, if it's fear that you want
what you will gain are regrets that forever will haunt

your child needs you to be their greatest hero
don't treat them in a way that you appear as a zero

the mother in Baltimore in that brief little session
has taught to her son a truly terrible lesson

there's a form of discipline, one that's way over the line
that when their child misbehaves, they've learned that beatings are fine

you see beatings get passed down to the next generation
when the kids beat their own kids, it's a regeneration

nobody's been listening, the problem's not gone
the circle continues and the beating goes on

Been riding the bus
ever since I first can remember.
So many drivers.
So many different fellow riders.
Each and every one
totally individual.
Sure, they may have had some things in common
but no two were exactly alike.
Everyone had something,
it may not have been much,
but there was something about them that
changed me,
molded me,
made me who I became.
Right now I'm still riding that same bus.
I'm still changing every day.
I've not seen any purpose
in ending my ride at this time.
Some day the bus will reach it's final destination.
My ride will end.
My hope is that I've made a difference along the way.

They come into our lives
then sometime later they go
just what brought us together
there's no way to know

We were molded and shaped
as we walked side by side
strangers became friends
during the times our lives coincide

There is one thing that I'm certain of
for the time they've been here
every moment spent together
should be the times we hold dear

I wished to be free
Within me a war was raging
My feeling was that I had no control
over who I was
I was powerless to break free
from the chain my past had become
Had I been living a lie
for too long of a time
Was I even the same person
as when I was young
I never really did like
the direction and activities
of those who I had called my friends
Why was being like them
the direction I had chosen
for the way I wanted to see myself
Why was their acceptance
so ****** important
I have enslaved myself
to an image
Why had I not given the truth a chance
to set me free