The hours go by like minutes
and the weeks go by like days
as the years keep flying by
and we look at our reflection
and think about the many
things that we could have done
if we had only been able to
stop our minds from wondering
about what we left behind.

I never thought I'd be alone
this far down the line and
sometimes I think that maybe
it was all nothing but wasted time.

So I live from day to day and
dream about tomorrow and wonder
what I am going to say next about
life and its pains and sorrows.

Love has come and love has gone
so many times and in so many
different ways but it never stays
and it always leaves me with so many
rhymes about love and thoughts of
maybe tomorrows.

Seems like happiness is only reserved
for some but we soon discover that
life is really only what we make it and
we learn how to take it and how not
to fake it.

Sometimes in order to keep it together
we have to leave it alone so love
what you have before life teaches
you to love what you lost.
                                                            Jon York     2014

why do. . .the prettiest
                  smiles always
                  hide the
                  deepest secrets
                  and

why are. . .the prettiest eyes
                   always the eyes
                   that have cried
                   the most tears.

why do. . . the kindest hearts
                   always feel the
                    most pain.

why do. . . failures often lead
                   us to success and
                   false discoveries
                   often lead us to
                   the truth.

why do. . . we hold on so
                   tightly when
                   terrified of a
                   loss and fail
                   to just let go.

why does. .happiness
                   always appear
                   to be so
                   frightening and

why don't. .we stop
                     holding on to
                     what hurts and
                     start making
                     room for what
                     feels good.           Jon York       2014

There is much to learn by
listening so be sensitive to
the needs and the pain of
those around you and see
the good in those whose
lives have touched yours.

Too often we underestimate
the power of a touch, a kind
word, a sincere smile, a
listening ear, an honest
compliment, or even the
smallest act of caring, all
of which have the potential
to turn a life around.

Some words are timeless
and our entire lives will
consist of many fires and
much rain and sunny days
that never seem to end and
after each experience we will
never be the same because
each one is part of our
growing and as a result
we become more knowing.

Commend more and
condemn less and realize
that you would not trade
your life with anyone else
if you could see behind
closed doors.                        Jon York                2014

As my emotions
become intense
they spill out on
to paper in ink
as words that
sometimes make
one think.

I am just a traveler
searching for purity
and in my travels
I have learned not
to count the days
but to try to make
each day count.

10 years of time in
the blink of an eye
as the years go by
so quick it almost
makes one sick.

Mindset is everything
because every day
is another chance
to change your life.

We have to believe
that we are here to
make a difference
and not just to exist.

A risk is worth taking
as long as it is for a
good cause and
contributes something.

Good things come to
those who believe
in themselves and
better things come
to those who are
patient and live
in the now but the
best things come
to those who never
give up and keep
getting back up
after being knocked
down.

So put away that
frown as you look
for that purity that
sometimes rarely
comes around.                                  Jon York           2014

Love is. . .an obsession, everybody wants it,
everybody seeks it, but few ever achieve it
and those who do achieve it will cherish it,
be lost in it, and among all will
never forget it.

Love is. . . the most powerful emotion known,
and one the most important things in life is to
learn is how to give  love and let it come in as
love can heal any wound but equally love
can leave some very painful scars that last a
very long time.

Love is. . .the only satisfactory answer to the
problem of human existence because bad things
happen to us and how we respond to them defines
our character and the quality of our life and we can
choose to sit in sadness, immobilized with pain
from our loss or we can rise above the pain and
treasure the most precious gifts that we have, life
and love.

Love is. . .a puzzle posed by the emotions and
not likely to be solved by reason and it is hard to
get into but even harder to get out of and soon
we realize that there is only one happiness in life
- to love and to be loved and anytime not spent
on love is wasted.

Love is. . .loving without fear, trusting without
questioning, needing without demanding, wanting
without restrictions, accepting without change,
desiring without inhibitions and only time is capable
of understanding how valuable love is.    
                                                                ­            Jon York         2014

As we grow older
. . .We discover that the meaning of life is
to give meaning to our lives and that pain
is inevitable but suffering is optional and
that we should save the best part of ourselves
for the person who deserves us.

As we grow older
. . . We discover that the best thing about the future
is that it comes just one day at a time and it is
far better to be alone than to be in bad company and
we have to cry sometimes not because we are weak
but because we have been strong for so long.

As we grow older
. . . We discover that telling the truth and making
someone cry is better than telling a lie and making
someone smile and mistakes are part of the dues
one pays for a full life.

As we grow older
. . .We discover that the strongest people are
the ones who love beyond all faults, cry
behind closed doors and fight battles that
nobody knows about.

As we grow older
. . .We discover that if we miss somebody
we call and if we want to meet somebody
we invite and if we want to be understood
we explain and if we have questions
we ask and if we don't like something
we say it and if we like something
we state it and if we want something
we ask for it and if we love someone
we tell them.

As we grow older
. . .We discover that if we are depressed
we are living in the past and if we are anxious
we are living in the future and if we are at peace
we are living in the present and what we see
depends mainly on what we look for and anywhere
is paradise and that is up to us and we know that
if we if never try, we will never know.
                                                           ­                     Jon York         2014

The fear from combat in a war
doesn't just go away, you just
have to learn how to use it
and I choose to write because
it is my escape and it gives me
such a needed break from all
of those ugly thoughts.

I wrestle with the demons of
doubt, with my past failures,
with my injuries, with that
unrelenting voice that tells me
to stop life and to give up living,
but I was once a Marine, one of
the chosen few, and from
the Corps I  knew one thing
and that is I will be
victorious.

I sometimes have to walk
backwards so that I can see
the road I just walked and
can connect with my inner self
and as a writer I can look at
my canvas from a different
perspective turning bad events
into beautiful words.

Life provides the contours and
as poets we provide the shading
and the color knowing that the
wheels will keep turning, the Sun
will keep shining, just as the stars
will keep falling and the moon
will keep shining.                         Jon York         2014

Words are thoughts
I cannot speak so I write
my feelings because I am
sometimes unsure of
everything else except
my poetry and sometimes
it is like the wind that
changes direction all
of the time.

Depression can be
a poets silent death
but myself I  choose
new beginnings because
one must turn tragedy
into tenacity and make
new starts playing
new parts.

Mistakes mean you're
trying so don't be
too ******* yourself
because there are always
plenty of people willing
to do that for you so
just do your best and
surrender the rest
while turning your
attitude into gratitude.      Jon York      2014

Sometimes. . .  everyone seems normal,
until you get to know them,
                 . . .  we have to accept that not
every situation is a win, but every single one
is a learning experience,
                 . . . we have to realize that there are
far, far better things ahead, than any we
leave behind,
                 . . . it is the mind-forged handcuffs
that are the hardest to break.
                 . . . we will meet someone whose soul
is not aligned with ours, send them love
and move along,

Sometimes. . . the secret of change is to focus
all of our energy on the new, not on fighting the old,
                 . . . it is necessary to stretch outside our
comfort zone and expand our consciousness,
                 . . . we will find what we are looking for,
or maybe we won't.
                 . . . it's better to die on your feet than to
live on your knees,

Sometimes. . . we get distracted and we forget to look
at the most beautiful things in life,
                  . . . the distance between your dreams and
your reality is called action,
                 . . . it is a blessing and sometimes it is a curse
to feel everything so deeply,
                 . . . I am humble enough to know that I'm
not better than anybody and sometimes I am wise
enough to know that I'm different from the rest,
                 . . . we have to be our self in a world that is
constantly trying to make us something else.

Sometimes. . . we have to realize that no matter
who we are or what we have been through, we are
capable of finding peace,
                 . . . we have to realize that we will get there
when we are meant to get there, so we must relax,
breathe and be patient,
                 . . . comparing our self to others is a fools
game and will steal our joy and the only person that
we should compare our self to is the person
we were yesterday,
                 . . . 'later' often becomes 'never' so what are you
waiting for.                                                   Jon York      2014

Always. . .
. . .give more than others expected
and do it cheerfully,
. . .remember to notify your face,
when you feel terrific,
. . .try to live deeply and passionately
and to talk slowly and think quickly,
. . .remember that when you lose,
don't lose the LESSON.

Never. . .
. . .overlook life's small joys while
searching for the big ones,
. . .judge your success by what you
had to give up in order to get it,
. . .swap your integrity for money,
power or fame,
. . .be ashamed of honest tears or
confuse foolishness with BRAVERY.

Always. . .
. . .be prepared better than what
you think you need to be,
. . .remember that great love
and great achievements involve
great risk,
. . .remember to follow your own star
regardless of what others say.
. . .try to remember those magical moments
that life hands you.
. . .remember to be quick to take
advantage of an ADVANTAGE.

Never. . .
. . .ignore evil or decide to do
nothing about it,
. . .take friends, your health,
or a romantic relationship for granted,
. . .take what you cannot use
or will never need,
. . .tell a friend who is experiencing
deep sorrow or pain, "I know how you feel",
You DON'T.

Always. . .
. . .tell your loved ones know that
you love them because you might
not see another day,
. . .know that the young take pride
in their strength, but the gray hairs
of wisdom are even more BEAUTIFUL.
                                                      ­            Jon York      2014

If I could find a word
to describe how I feel
about you, I'd write it
over and over again
in a love letter to you.

You bring the best
out in me and I know
that you can see
what your love
does to me.

The way you hug
me in the morning
as I sleep and the way
that you kiss me
goodbye as you leave,
trying not to wake me.

Your actions speak
volumes and by them
I know that you truly
love me and I don't
have to ask, because
we both know that
this kind of love lasts.

As the years seem
to fly by, we both know
that neither of us
have to cry anymore
because there is
so much love in store.

Our hearts now
have a home and
know that they are
no longer alone.                     Jon York         2014

Whenever you have
the opportunity to laugh,
laugh and whenever you have
the opportunity to dance,
dance and when you have
the opportunity to sing,
sing and one day you will find
that you have created your
own paradise.

Some see the basket half empty,
and others see it half full
while some see life as hopeless,
others hopeful but know
that gift of happiness
belongs to those who unwrap it
and know that the best thing
about the future is that
it only comes one day
at a time.

There is only one happiness in life
and that is to love and be loved
and the essence of life is
the conviction that we  
are loved for ourselves as
happiness held is the seed
and happiness shared is the flower
and it is the songs you sing,
the smiles you wear that make
the Sun shine everywhere.

Take time to laugh
because it is the music of your soul
and understand that nothing
is worth more than this day
and the gift of happiness belongs
to those who unwrap it
and it can be yours
to stay.                              Jon York    2014

All we really want in these later years
is more cheers as we become
more grateful for each morning
that we wake up and we just keep hoping
for one more day or one more month
or maybe one more year or maybe two
or three or four because we are not ready
to exit that final door.

It's amazing out there so don't
mind what happens as we all will  
encounter many defeats,
but we will not be defeated
knowing that we can't go back
and start a new beginning
but we can start today
and make a new ending.

Find the courage to embrace dreams,
the strength to sacrifice for them
and the determination to fulfill them
knowing that kindness, beauty,
and truth can show us the way
time after time and give us
the courage to face life
for one more day.

Everybody wants to go to Heaven,
but nobody wants to die
so don't give up and don't give in
because there is always an answer
for everything.

No one lives in perfection
and tomorrow is a new untarnished day
so start it with something good to say
about your stay here and the life
you hold to be so dear.

Realize that nothing will ever change
until your pain of remaining the same
outweighs the pain of changing
so don't let the world bring you
to your knees and start each new day
as you please or it will pass you by
like a warm Summer breeze.        Jon York      2014

A picture is so much more interesting with contrast,
movement, and different points of view
and so is life so be kind to yourself
if all of your pictures don't turn out
because it happens to all artists and know
that your most patient model is the one that you see
in the mirror and learn from looking at yourself
and be patient as the times goes by.

Time waits for no one and I wish I knew
why it is always in such a hurry
and still I am guilty of trying to **** some of it
or trying to pass it and if I could only
steal away a minute, I'd try to recall
all of those lost years and then I'd take a second
to reflect on all of my mistakes and wrong decisions
that resulted in so many lost loves
and all of the times I should have worn gloves
when handling a situation.

In my remaining days or years, however long I may have,
I will measure in moments the loves that have found me
and the many times that I faced death only
to rise from the flames and even though
I can't control it, I can set the tempo to a rhythm
of an infinite beat knowing that it might be
in seconds,minutes, hours or years
and it is not  about how long we are here,
but it is about what we leave.

Before my sands slip through the hour glass
I hope my words will build a legacy to last
from my poems about my life, my loves
and my battles in the past in a time that
went so fast as I try to relate that love
is something we all embrace, not something
just found on a face and sometimes it
is an unwanted feeling creeping inside
and impossible to hide as our hearts are broken
and feelings down inside begin to be awoken.

Love, hate, selfishness, temptation... all play out
in a matter of seconds and the battle between
heart and mind begins and love becomes a story
that never gets old, like the poetry I wrote when I was young
that inspired words of long ago tomorrows so enjoy it
while it is here because we look up and it is gone
and we never had the time to say "so long."

Life's coming attractions are born of our imagination
and the only real actions in our lives take place
on that bridge between one another and while
on that bridge pride says "it is impossible"
and experience says "it is too risky" and reason says
"it is pointless" while the heart whispers "give it a try"
and it is only then that we can make a new start
and play a new part.                                                 Jon York         2014

In my journey I have learned. . .
that there is no short-cut
to life and each and every
situation that I have encountered
has brought me to the now
and that now is all
that I have.

In my journey there were those. . .
who showed me the
different ways to go
and the ways
not to go.

In my journey there were those. . .
whose weakness and ignorance
darkened my path
and encouraged me to
turn the other way.

In my journey there were those. . .
who showed me how to love
and how not to live
and have showed me
what I am and what
I am not.

In my journey there were those. . .
who brought me love
by the means of both
darkness and light and gave me
the ability and sight to see
what is real and what
is right.

In my journey I have learned. . .
that it takes strength to conquer,
that it takes courage to surrender,
that it takes strength to feel a friends pain,
that it takes courage to feel your own pain,
that it takes strength to survive,
that it takes courage to love again,
that the journey is the reward.
                                                       Jon York         2014

We all have to believe
in something as sometimes
circumstances are beyond
our control but how we react
to those circumstances
is in our power.

2014 is here and as
I throw away another calender
I wonder if there was
anything or anybody in
the past year that I can hold
to be dear and I wish
everything was just that easy
as just throwing away the old
and starting new.

There's got to be something
better than this I am thinking
but there is a smile when
the pain comes because
the pain gonna make
everything all right because
when we can't change something
about somebody that causes us pain
we are challenged to
change ourselves.

Love comes to those who
still hope as well as those
who still believe and to those
who can still love even though
they have been hurt before,
so we must let the love
in our hearts find the love
waiting in our dreams.

So in this new year of 2014
let the laughter that we
might find in our tomorrows
wipe away the pain
that we had in our yesterdays
and may we find comfort
on difficult days, smiles when
sadness intrudes and rainbows
that will follow the clouds
and love that will complete
our lives.

The power of our thoughts
create our universe,
be it hit or miss, sadness or bliss,
which all come at the
whim of our minds,
so in this new year of 2014
we have to focus and believe
and all that we desire will
be ours to receive.                        Jon York       2014

The words they come from
somewhere in my mind
like a beautiful breeze blowing
wind in your face or like a smile
that only takes a moment
and costs nothing but gives much,
like a memory that lasts forever.

Don't take your eyes off love's
swift feet even for a second,
because if you do you'll find
yourself in a field of lonesomeness
and know that it is in loving that the heart
finds its quest and it is in giving, not getting,
that our lives are best.

I've climbed to the top
of the mountain and touched
the dew on the morning rose
and witnessed the beauty of nature
and bathed in that beauty and as
my memory runs over those yesterdays
knowing that the only way
I can ever go back,
is the way I just did,
back into the fast-fading
thoughts of an old mind.

When I was young I was
full of fun, learning of life,
living each hour fast and free,
almost as if each were my last
and later, still young but a veteran
of an ugly war that changed me forever,
I knew just enough about life
to regard it more valuable
than before.

Involved in many of life's mysteries
of serving causes or friends,
both of which become
more dangerous with time,
made some of my actions
feel like a crime,
somewhere in my mind.

But I continue and I am still alive
knowing that love is so much more
than an empty desire and beauty
is also so much more than
the new that fades away
so fast.                                                  Jon York             2013

Match the frequency
of the reality you want
and you will get that reality
today because yesterday
is history and tomorrow
is a mystery but know
that today is a gift.

Forget what hurt you
in the past and never forget
what it taught you as you
find balance over your years,
as you live for today
and answer to nobody
except yourself.

Start the next chapter
of your life and if you
find someone who
makes you smile
and someone who
checks up on you often
to see if your okay
and someone who watches
out for you and wants
the very best for you,
don't let them go.

Keep them close
and never take them
for granted because
people like that
are just too hard
to find.

Get out of your own way
and you will be surprised
what will come to you
and realize that choice,
not chance determines
your destiny, so make
the right choice.         Jon York       2013

Different           Be vulnerable yet invincible
Individuals       and at the same time
Valuing             be strong yet weak and
Each other         be drunk but sober,
Regardless of    staying high but grounded
Skin                    and stable but chaotic.
Intellect        
Talents or           Love yourself first and
Years                   everything else falls
                            into line and know that
                            you cannot be comfortable
                            without your own approval.
      
                             It is not about taking that
                             first step but in making sure
                             that a first step can
                             be found.

                              Know that the pen that
                              writes your life's story
                              must be held in your
                              own hands.                               Jon York              2013

Sometimes words are not
enough to describe what I feel
and sometimes I just want to
watch the sunsets and dance in the rain
and greet the day with love in my heart
that feels a little less pain.

There can never be a rainbow
without some rain so drink your tears
from the fountain of wisdom as you
embrace your fears for this is your
armor for your battles
yet to come.

We ask what is love,
is it happiness and is it what
every one hopes for and
if I had a single flower for every time
I thought I had found love,
I could walk forever
in my garden.

Love broke through to me
and made me feel so alive and
so fulfilled and I am no longer fragile,
but strong because what was thought
to be broken beyond repair is
healed now as the myriad fragments
were collected and put back together
and repaired as love gave me hope
and a reason to carry on.

Love is the sole reason that I feel
like I do and with each passing morning
I am reborn anew and with the colors I paint
I can't quite capture the hue.                           Jon York     2013

My words will pass and and be forgotten
but what counts for me is
that I write them.

The longer I live the more my mind dwells
upon the beauty and the wonder of the world
and the more I learn to see beauty and goodness everywhere
and the more I realize that the
joy of life is to love.

Old age will come and it is not always kind
but know that this day will not come around again
and know that every day is a new beginning
so find the strength and the courage
that lies within because it takes strength to love
and it takes courage to be loved as well as
it takes strength and courage to live.

Don't find fault with the man who limps or stumbles
along the road of life unless you have worn
the shoes he wears or struggled
beneath his load.

A spark of loneliness, a memory, a tilted smile,
these things bring tears to my eyes and deep inside
these silent tears flow to that secret place in my soul
and I would rather have one pleasant word in kindness
said to me than flattery when my heart is still and
my life on earth has ceased to be.

But right now I write these words and go day by day
trying just to find something more to say
and too soon my words will pass and be forgotten
but I keep writing them on this day because
this is what I do and that is just my way.            Jon York            2013

After observing
and experiencing rude
and hurtful behavior
of so many I can judge
those people or I can
love them but I can't
do both at the
same time.

Know that there is love
in your heart and it isn't
really love until you
give it away and it doesn't
matter how you love,
it matters only that
you do love.

Have the capacity to create
to overcome, to endure,
to transform, and to be greater
than your suffering.

This time on earth called life
has been such an amazing
journey for me and there
are still so many miles to go
and still so many things
to learn and still so
much to see.

The longer I live
the more my mind dwells
upon the beauty
and the wonder of the world
and the more that I learn
to see beauty and goodness
everywhere the more I begin
to know that the real
joy of life is to love.                              Jon York         2013

The heart, such a delicate part
of the human anatomy
because it can be so easily bruised,
so easily hurt, and easily broken
but sometimes when it needs to be,
it can be one of the strongest parts
of our body and it will
carry you through when
all else has failed.

Everyone plays a part while
trying to protect their tender heart
but it breaks so easily and sometimes
it is so very difficult to repair
and make a new start.

So sometimes you have to try
to not think with your heart
but you will find that this is where
the love that you feel will always
start and that is in the heart.

Take the time to think about
what you are doing before
you involve your heart if you can
but remember the heart
is always hungry for love
and that it has to be fed
or you will just feel dead.

Give love to others
and you will receive
all of the love that you need
but learn to protect your heart
from the very start.             Jon  York            2013

My life is poetry and I am always
with pen and paper close at hand
knowing that my experiences
both past and present give me
the words that I write.  

I live these remaining days of my
life, however long that may be,
just a soul in this crazy beautiful world
with poetry as my art and I dwell
within these shadows but it is
in these shadows that I can see,
being careful, calm, and free.

Haunted by memories
that return to me in my sleep,
I go to these empty places
filled with empty faces
always trying to
consume me.

So many thoughts in my head
as I sleep and so many when
I am awake leaving me
to think to myself that it is
such a waste not to write them down,
knowing that what has happened to me
is poetry in motion even though
they sometimes cause me to frown.

I have tasted the fruits of love
and from them come my words
and they prove to be
a never ending
source for my poetry
and I will write as long as time
permits me to do so
and as long as there's
breath within me.                                    Jon York        2013

Sometimes I don't know what to say
about life's tastes because words
are not enough to describe
what I really feel because
I find beauty in ordinary things
and this is a gift I hope that I never lose
because life is too short to waste
so I remember well life's and love's
sweet taste and the bittersweet taste
of the many lies that always
come so well disguised.

Remember well those many loves
that you thought at the time
were real and the many loves
that you were able to steal
but most of all remember those loves
that were real because they tasted
so sweet and never missed a beat
so drink your fears, for it is
the armor for the battles
to come.

When all hope seems lost
and you fall tattered and torn
and in pain, look to the light within
because there can be no rainbow
without some rain,

So watch the sunsets
and dance in the rain
because there is not a minute
or a second to spare while we are here
so wash away that pain realizing
how much you have to gain,
knowing that sometimes
the other persons definition of forever
is not nearly as long as yours
and that makes it harder
to say I'm okay.

And remember that sometimes
you forget what is real
and sometimes you forget
how to feel  so you ask yourself
what is love, is it what
everyone hopes for or
is it a drug.or a poison
or is it accepting someone
for who and what they really are
no matter what, or is it
just an emotion only a few
ever experience.

Does love last a lifetime or maybe
just a few years or a month or a day
or is it only in dreams and the answer
to this seems to come at the right time for everyone
and all we all can do is remember it,
so we drink in as much as we can
and try to understand all of life's
different tastes.                      Jon York           2013

One of the greatest challenges we face
is how to use our emotions as a key
for attaining success in life,
so learn to understand your emotions,
and then master them.

the three things that we desire most in life,
happiness, freedom, and peace of mind,
can be obtained by giving them
to someone else and know that happiness
is not in our circumstances
but in ourselves..

choose to have enough happiness
to make you sweet, enough trials
to make you strong, enough sorrow
to keep you human and enough hope
to make you happy and do what
makes you happiest knowing that
if you look to others for fulfillment
you will never be fulfilled.

imagine that every person in the world
is enlightened but you and that they
are all your teachers, each doing
just the right thing to help you learn
perfect patience,, perfect wisdom,
perfect compassion, as you learn
that the secret of happiness is the
realization that life is a gift,
not a right.                                 Jon York          2013

maybe next time. . .
I will realize that life is more than who we are
and that will never change and I will be able
to live my dreams and choose how
to live and what to give.

what if. . .
we could choose whether or not to be born
or we could choose our parents and choose when to die
and there was never any reason to ever lie.

maybe next time. . .
I will realize that attitude is more important than facts
and attitude is more important than the past,
than education, than money, than circumstances,
than failures, than successes, than what people
may think or say or do.

what if. . .
we had a choice everyday regarding the attitude
that we will embrace for that day
and we were in charge of those attitudes
and we could realize the impact
of attitude on our lives.

maybe next time. . .
I can be goodness and mercy and compassion
and be understanding and peace and joy and light
and I can be forgiveness and patience,
strength and courage, a helper in time of need,
a comforter in time of sorrow, a healer in time of injury,
a teacher in times of confusion.

maybe next time. . .
I can be the deepest wisdom and the highest truth,
the greatest peace and the grandest love
and I chose to know myself as
all of these things always.

what if. . .
there is something special I want to do
and I finally learn that I do not receive wisdom
but that I must discover it for myself
and I know that my journey through the wilderness
is something which no one else
can make for me.

maybe next time. . .
I will examine my options closer
and I can be more selective and more patient
and can separate her lies from her truth. . .
maybe next time. . .            
                                                      Jon York        2013

This bright new day... complete with
24 hours of opportunities, choices, and attitudes
cannot be exchanged, replaced or refunded,
so handle it with care and make the most of it
for there is only one per person.

There are no mistakes, only lessons
so love yourself, trust your choices,
and everything is possible and don't let
your circumstances harden you so much
that you become resentful and afraid,
just let them soften you and make you kinder
because you always have that choice.

Whether you accept life or not
is not really a choice because
really the only choice is how
and always know that "heaven on earth"
is a choice that you must make,
not a place that you find.

We have two choices in this life
and they are to accept things the way they are
or to accept responsibility for changing them
and know that in a time of crisis
all expectations, all pride and all fear of embarrassment or failure
will just fall away leaving only
what is truly important.

Once we start to see the beauty of love and life,
the ugliness that is all around us
starts to disappear and we can begin to enjoy
the life that we are in and we can also realize
that all of the peace, wisdom and joy in the universe
is already within us and we don't have to
gain, develop, or attain them because
all we really need to do is to open our eyes
and realize what is already here
and who we really are.

Learn much from those who have gone before you
and from them learn perfect patience, perfect wisdom,
perfect compassion and always believe
that you will ultimately succeed
at whatever you do,
never forgetting the value of persistence
and never forgetting that the highest
form of wisdom is kindness.

Learn to live for others and they will live for you
and learn that the problem is not that there are problems
but that the problem is expecting otherwise
and know that our time here is limited
so don't waste it living someone else's life which
will lead to strange days indeed.                                   Jon York          2013

I have. . .
lived well, laughed often,
and loved much and I hope
that I leave this world
better than I found it
whether by a perfect poem
or by a rescued soul.

I have. . .
never lacked appreciation
of Earth's beauty or failed
to express it and I have always
looked for the best in others
and given the best I had.

I have. . .
enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men
and the love of children
that I have had the
honor to teach.

I have. . .
become aware of the treasures
of love and life and I hope
others have learned from me
and love me before I depart
my quest for a rare
and perfect tomorrow.

I have. . .
learned the hard way
that there is no such thing
as a perfect ending
and that some poems don't rhyme
and that some stories don't have
a clear beginning, middle,
and end.

I have. . .
learned that life is
about not knowing, having to change,
taking the moment and making
the best of it without knowing
what is going to happen
next.                                           Jon York    2013

We either embody power
or crave it and sometimes
things just happen and there's
nobody to blame, so just
keep playing the game
and start living and find
something to be
happy about.

Experience as much as you can
and have fun while learning
from your mistakes
and try to find the causes
of your problems and eliminate them
while remembering
that nobody is perfect and that
we all make mistakes because
we are only human.

Be here now because
now is all you have
and when you are here,
you are here and when
you are gone, you are gone,
so don't dwell on problems
that don't really exist
and you will be transformed
into living fully while you are here,
so just be here now.                            Jon  York        2013

It seems that all my life from place to place I go
like a rolling stone, no moss and no face,
as the ladies just come and go,
leaving without a trace as though
I was drifting through an endless space
of this time called life.

And oh what a magical, mystical trip it has been
and I have no idea when it will end
so all I do is wish on a four leaf clover hoping
that I will be given more time to experience one
more love and the many gifts
it has to offer before
it is over.

Yes, there has been much hurt and much pain
but that is all just part of the game
and we have to realize
that there are always two sides to everything
that happens and where there is good
there is bad and where there is happy
there is sad and this is a fact
no one can escape.

I know that I am approaching
the end of my journey
and that it could come at any second
or at any hour, on any day of the week,
or even as I speak and if it does
this is what I had to say on this warm
wonderful day while living
this time called life.

And I am grateful for the many loves
that have come my way making
this ride a little easier and I am grateful
to have been blessed with long healthy life  
and the ability to write about it
and all of its ups and downs, smiles and frowns,
devils and clowns.

Of course I am sad that I am alone
in these remaining years but the other side of that
is I won't have to shed any tears
watching a love fade away
and disappear or watch as tears
are shed for me as the years go by
and my health may
fade away.

But it isn't over yet and I still have
a long way to go, and a lot of love
left to show so for now
I stay busy living and
with my words I keep giving.                                            Jon York      2013

Master change
rather than allowing
it to master you
and don't mind
what happens
as you may encounter
many defeats.

We will not
be defeated
when we realize
that when we forgive
we don't change the past,
we change the future.

We can't go back
and start
a new beginning
but we can start today
and make a
new ending.                Jon  York     2013

Daily doses of inspiration & wisdom
are highly recommended for our health and well being
and when you find that you can tell your stories
without bringing up any pain then you know
you are healed or starting on the road to healing
and you will know when you start
to get that feeling.
]
In my words and poems I tell stories
of changes, stories of love found and love lost
and maybe a little about the cost of love,
and yes in the beginning there was a lot
of hurt and pain but as the words came
it started slowly to go.

At first it was very slow but as
more words and poems came I found that I no longer
had to feel such misery and pain and I actually
began to feel like I had something to gain
and something to give to others
with the same.

So many poems it took to wash away the pain
and I hope my words will let others see
that words and poems can set you free
and as I breathe and release that which
no longer serves me knowing that change
is a process, not an event, I finally realized
that the love you take is equal
to the love you make.

The power of the universe will come
to your assistance if your heart and mind
are in unity so in the end be kind
because EVERYONE is fighting their own battles
and trying to find their own
peace of mind.             Jon York       2013

Today is the beginning of a new day so start it
by knowing that you have been given this day
to use as you will and know that what you do today
is important because you are exchanging
a day of your life for it.

Life is not about expecting, hoping and wishing,
it is about doing, being and becoming
and the choices you have made not yesterday but today
so talk happiness, talk love, peace of mind
and talk health.

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on
to greater achievements of the future
believing in yourself and having faith in
your abilities because when tomorrow comes
this day will be gone forever and what we
have left behind, be it love or poetry
all we can do is hope that others
learned from us.

Come out from behind the clouds and shine
and decide that you will not live an unlived life
and promise yourself to be so strong
that nothing can disturb your peace of mind
while you think only the best
and expect only the best.

Be aware of the treasure that you are
and don't lose sight of the beauty
that surrounds you while in your quest
for some rare and perfect tomorrow.

Don't wish me happiness, just wish me
courage, strength and a sense of humor
knowing that I need them all
to go on living.

The real test of courage is not to die
but to go on living knowing that courage
comes first and that reality follows courage,
truthfulness follows courage, so be courageous
and everything will fall into place
and don't overestimate the competition
or underestimate yourself because
you are better than you think.           Jon York      2013

If I could go back
over the days and trace my steps
through all of the ways
I think the first thing I would do
would be to find my way to you
and seek to take from out of your heart
the pain for which
the greatest part
I was to blame.                        

Our love was like a cigarette
easily started...quickly done
then tossed away
without regret and then
you light up another one .                  Jon York      2013

once I knew. . .
wonderful nights in the month of June,
a breeze softly blowing, a tender moon,
the perfume of roses sweet in the air,
the stillness of your beauty
so perfect so rare.

long drives with you
beneath starlet skies
as I drank deeply and eagerly
of the love in your eyes
whispering tender words
vowing you were mine.

but now. . .
I find the loneliness of nights
filled with dreams of you
and I, wonder, always wondering
if you miss me too
and I wonder if something
about the moon each night
brings me worries poignant
and a teardrop bright.

I played the game
and I staked my heart and lost
but the game wasn't fair
with convention the cost
and you did what you thought
was right.

I knew it and yet
my heart broke
and it seems
I never forget.

Would we be parted know...
had things not been so
or did you really love me,
I'll never know.     Jon York       2013

I talk not of strength because my heart has known
and fought with weakness through long hours alone
as the days go by and the weeks rush on
and before I know it another year is gone but
I will be happy if someone who has read me says
"I'm better because he passed this way."

Age is just a state of mind especially
if you have left your dreams behind
but if from life you have taken the best
and love you hold as the years go by
then it really doesn't matter how the birthdays fly
because you are not old.

I give many thanks for a long life so far
even though it may have brought me
much bitterness and strife but I give thanks for
all of the many of love's joys that I am given
and I will always cherish the tears and the joys
that I have had for love's dear sake even though
sometimes grief followed in its wake but still
I can forget love's sorrow in loves joy.

As my heart grows empty of every
thought unkind I find peace hovering all around me
and joy filling my mind and I count my blessings
because they have not been few and I wonder
what next I am going to do.

No tear was ever shed in vain
and in the end my sorrowing heart could find
no curse but only blessings in the hand of pain
so I continue to try to write something
that takes a little sadness from the worlds vast store
because I have been blessed to make of joys too scanty
some a little more.

I grow a little more tired at the end of each day
and a little less anxious to have my way
and a little less ready to scold and blame
as I near my journey's end where
time and eternity meet and blend.

While my heart throbs to the tread
of the passing years I have learned
life's hardest lesson and that
is learning to wait and I have also learned
that through life's suffering
my heart only grew stronger.

Let my words come just when they are needed
like a beautiful breeze blowing wind in your face
like a smile that only takes a moment
and costs nothing but gives much like a memory
that can last forever and know that
it is in loving and not being loved
that the heart finds its quest
and it is in giving not getting that
our lives are best.                                                Jon York        2013

The days, the months, the years just keep flying by
but where there used to be tears have now been
replaced with cheers that I am still here
and I sit looking out the window as I travel
down the road of life observing and learning
from experience that everyone has their own
little or maybe big secrets that will never ever
be revealed to anyone and so many pretend
to be something or someone that they are not
as they often overlook the fact that
the truth will always be the truth
even if no one believes it but a lie is still a lie
even if everyone believes it.

I am who I am and what you see is what you get
and your approval is not needed and some of the time
I live in seclusion seemingly trapped in some illusion
lost but found as the world keeps spinning around
as there are times there  seems no escape
from my confusion but I am happy alone
because there I can roam the innards of my mind
and like the three things that cannot be hidden-
the sun, the moon, and the truth,
my words always find their way out.

I am who I am, an Artist/writer
and I let my power of love overcome
my love of power and through my words of love
I tell no lies and what I am in your eyes
doesn't really matter and I don't care
what others think because I don't live my life
for anybody but me.

Others can live their lies and pretend
but in the end all will know what they really are
and there will be no love only shame
that will fit like a glove as they shovel the dirt
over their grave leaving only those left behind
to feel their pain.

I am far from being what I want to be
but with my soul's help I shall succeed
as I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate
and the more I think about it the more I realize
that there is nothing more artistic
then to love others with the words that I write
and writing those words that are in my soul
makes the pain stop so I write away my pain
expecting no gain except to know that
somewhere somehow my words gave
someone the ability to love again.          Jon  York          2013

back then. . .
so young and so full of life as
I tried to have as much fun as
I could with so many lovers
that came and went like night
and day as so many wanted my
love but I couldn't stay because
it just wasn't my way but I learned
from those mistakes and was able
to find the causes of my problems
and eliminate them.

back then. . .
I didn't know where to begin or if
it would ever end so I just didn't
pretend because life isn't like the
movies where everybody wins and
my words come from within while
some from real dark places I have
been in and some ugly faces I have
seen in what sometimes feels like
a dream.

back then. . .
I was sharp and tight just looking
for a fight when I was a soldier
making one those many one-shot
one -**** missions that I was so good at
or trying to hold a useless hill in a war
no one wants to remember but will
never let go.

and now. . .
I write my thoughts in an attempt
to escape those demons that invade
my head and want me dead and it
is day to day hoping that I will be
given just one more heart to hold
and just one more night to get it right
with just one more lover to get me
through another night.

and now. . .
I have learned to be here now
because now is all that we have
and when you are here, you are
here and when you are gone, you
are gone so you have to realize
that it isn't a problem to be gone
as long as you are really here
when you are here.

but now. . .
if I were to leave and never come back
no one would care for real love seems
now so rare and it just seems to be
hit and miss...sadness then bliss all at
the whim of the mind but now if
things go wrong I don't quit but I stick
to the fight nor do I give up though
the pace seems slower because who
knows I might succeed with just one
more blow and it is no longer for show.      
                                                               Jon  York       2013

you have no idea what my journey is all about
so don't compare my life to others' because
sometimes life isn't fair but it is still good
so realize that life is too short to waste time
hating anyone and make peace with your past
so it won't ***** up your present and know
that everything changes in the blink of an eye
so get busy living and know that mistakes
are just lessons of wisdom because
the past cannot be changed and the future
is yet in your power.

I wanted to be a writer whose words touched
and changed those who read me
and I write and many read what I write
as they just try to get it right and sometimes
I might over prepare but mostly I just go with
the flow of words that come to me
from the inspiration that I get from those
who surround me but no one is in charge
of my happiness except me.

In all of my life-changing situations
I have chosen life when it would have been
much easier to go the other way
but I have forgiven everyone everything
and given time time and however
good or bad something was
I knew that it would change
and that I would be loved not because
of anything I did or didn't do and I  finally
realized that growing old beats the alternative
of dying young while realizing that miracles
are waiting everywhere so I show up and try
to make the most of life.

All that truly matters in the end
is that you are loved and I know that the best
is yet to come realizing that life
isn't tied with a bow
but it is still a gift.

An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way
and I as a poet/artist say hard things in a simple way
knowing that it will all be over much too soon
and sometimes I am impatient and sometimes a little insecure
and sometimes I make mistakes but if you
can't handle my worst then you
don't deserve my best.            Jon  York         2013

The feelings that I try
so hard to hide are always
able to escape in my poetry
and in those words
I am naked to the world
and  there I cannot lie.

I open my heart hoping
that readers will see the vastness
of  my own insignificance
hoping that my words
have the power to
change someone for
the better.

My poetry is usually written
single draft as a means
of expressing emotion-in-the-moment
and I allow the words to flow
watching where
they go.

Don't compare my life to others
because sometimes life isn't fair but
it is still good so make peace with your past
so it won't ***** up your present
and know that everything changes
in the blink of an eye.

However good or bad something is
know that it will change
and you will be loved not
because of something you did
or didn't do.

Come to realize that
growing old beats the alternative
-dying young and miracles are waiting
everywhere as the words
that I have to offer the world
always find their way
out of me.                            Jon York        2013

One day I'll remember. . .
the poetry I wrote when my heart was broken
and how those feelings inspired
so many poems with words of lost loves
and I'll remember meeting a new love
and how we touched and how
it meant so much.

how you touched me that first day we met
and how you inspired words from my heart
as we both were hoping
that we could start something
that would never end
and I'll never forget the words that we spoke
under a full moon and stars
and the way you smiled when I spoke
of giving us hope for
the coming years together.

And I could never forget
the way that you held on to me
as we slept and pieces of you
will always be beside me engraved
into my mind carefully
etched by time.

I'll remember how your love
was like a fire that was sparked quickly
and burned with intense heat
but burned out so quickly
and my soul was lost in the flame
leaving me never the same.

And I can't forget how my soul
tried to bring harmony and order
out of chaos as it attempted to
introduce meaning and affect
where there was none as it gave me
highs and lows to a landscape
that was previously flat.

And I'll remember looking at the words
that I wrote as they came to paper
and realizing that I am not my pain
and I am not my past
but I discovered my soul
by writing those words that were
just trying to fill
a great big hole.

Only a powerful soul can offer love
and be humble and these words helped me
to discover this and let me realize
that any time not spent on love
is wasted.                                         Jon  York        2013

I am sixty-four and it has been forty-three years
since I fought in America's only losing war
as a highly trained combat Marine
whose only job was to ****
and still after so long not a single day
goes by that I don't wonder  
why I didn't die.

And I won't lie because there are
so many times I wish I was dead
because of what goes on in my head
and sometimes I just sit and cry
but for some reason I find strength
and overcome what was long ago done
by me as a youth and I know
that I will live to see
another season but can't
see the reason.

Thirteen months of daily combat
in the "Valley of Death" seemed over so fast
as each of us just tried to last
just one more day and now thoughts about it
forever will last and sometimes
sleep never comes because Charlie haunts
us day and night as we sit up
waiting for daylight.

Memorial Day Celebrations are nice
and they mean well but for some of us
it is our own personal Hell because of the crap
ignorant people say and their words make us sad
but at least I am glad that I am not
one of the many Veterans who will
commit suicide today and that trend continues
every day of the week 365 days a year
which has to bring a tear.

So Memorial Day just reminds Vietnam Veterans
that we are a generation that society
would like to forget but so many of us
are still here and are trying to hang on to life so dear
but so many of us know that the end
is so very near.                                                  Jon York     2013    
                                                                ­            Vietnam  USMC  1969-70  
                                                                ­            A Shau Valley - I Corp

Love is a story
that never gets old because
time doesn't exist with love
only clocks exist and once
you change the way
you look at things
the things you are looking at
change.

I am an old man
and have seen  
known and felt many troubles
but most of them didn't really
need to happen so know
that life is not always fair
but that it is still
good.

Life isn't about finding yourself
life is about creating yourself
so understand those changes
taking place in your mind and body
and above all be kind and know
that in every living thing
there is the desire
for love.

Be yourself because everyone else
is already taken and speak the truth
even if your voice starts shaking
knowing that risks must be taken
because one of the greatest
hazards in life is to
risk nothing.

As I mark my words in prmanent ink
I can see that I am so much more
than people think and as I wander
through this lifetime
with the years flying by
I can't help but wonder why
I am still here and if I knew
no telling what I might
possibly do.

Because life is full of misery
loneliness and suffering
and it is all over much too soon
I feel so deeply I can't describe it
and sometimes I am so overwhelmed
that it becomes hard to breathe
so I changed the way I look at things
and I find that those things
I am looking at have changed and
it sets me free.                              Jon York          2013

I will take charge of my life
and savor each moment that I have left
and let my wounds heal
as I open my senses to the beauty
that surrounds me as I make
my dreams become reality.

In my journey. . .
as I turn the pages I find
that braver is the one who overcomes
his desires and not just his enemies
because the hardest victory
is over self.

In my journey. . .
no person will have the power
to keep me upset or lonely and today
I choose to deepen my understanding of myself
and others and today I choose healthy
interactions with others and good
expectations of this day.

In my journey. . .
I choose to have purpose on earth
and I will strengthen my direction
with the words that I write
and the messages that I give myself
as those messages are the most important
messages that I could hear.

In my journey. . .
I affirm my personal power
now that we have met and I affirm
my capacity to give love to
and to receive love from this
very special lady who knows I have purpose
and together we celebrate the miracle
of being alive as she helps me
channel my directions.

In my journey. . .
She helps me to slow down my thoughts
and to change my perceptions and she gives me
the ability to handle all that confronts me
as renewed energy surges through me
and today she is the one that gives me the joy
of belonging and the quiet ecstasy
of mutual nurturing as we reach out
to one another's hands.

In my journey today. . .
I am still a student of life
and will not condemn myself
for inadequacies or mistakes
nor faults or failings as I focus
on beauty and virtue and goodness
because I have come so far in my journey
and still a way to go and with her
by my side it will go
nice and slow.               Jon  York       2013

I wake up in the dark of the night
with something to write
as the words just start coming
and seem to be looking for a place to go
where they can be read
as if someone else was in my head
so I start putting these words down
and later after reading my own words
I sometimes can't hardly believe
what I just said.

Simply a muse
using my open and willing mind
to convey thoughts and inspiration
while using me as a station
so I let the words flow
looking at them in the end
wondering if these thoughts
I should show.

Failure is a teacher
and really only a slight delay
because each day is just one day
and on this one maybe
I have something to say
like past defeats were only
a detour and not dead ends.

A recent detour introduced me
to what love is and what it should
be by showing me
what I have been missing
and I was able to realize this
as we started kissing and then
becoming a pair in love.

The future is uncertain
and the end is always so very near
so don't close your eyes for too long
or your future could disappear
and understand as well as
have strength knowing that
a little love goes a long way
and a lot of love lasts forever.

Never forget that your presence
is a present to the world
and that you are unique
and one of a kind
so remember that lifes treasures
are people together
and that it is never too late
to get it straight.

Count your blesings
and not your troubles and do
ordinary things in an extraordinary way
and take the time to wish upon a star
while never forgetting
how special you are and dance
in the rain and ignore
the pain.                                               Jon York       2013

it's all right. . . .
to have a passion for life
and to keep trying to get it right
at any age as long as
you don't lose sight of the world
around you and you don't
take love for granted.

it's all right. . . .
if love finds you at any age
during your years
but remember to
turn the page so there
will be no tears.

it's all right. . . .
to make your passion for love
like a flame of fire
that burns into your soul
making it whole.

it's all right. . . .
to have the courage
to embrace your dreams
and to have the strength to
sacrifice for them
and the determination
to fulfill them.

it's all right. . . .
to recall old hurts
but remember that nothing
is gained by living in the past
and that it is all right to
forgive and forget
and to share what you have
with those who have so much
less than you.

it's all right. . . .
to avoid temptation
because as you grow older
it starts avoiding you
and it's all right to forget that
you are absent minded
because we get old too soon
and smart too late.

it's all right. . . .
if you are old but
still have something on the ball
but are just too tired
to bounce it.

it's all right. . . .
to be human.             Jon York           2013

While on this voyage
keep your windows clean because
if you break down
you can still enjoy the view
as the world goes by because
about the time you learn
to make the most of life
most of it is gone but age
is a matter of the mind
- if you don't mind,
it doesn't matter.

realize that anyone
can get old,
all you have to do
is live long enough
because it takes a long time
to become old.

Learn that it is not about
getting a chance but it is about
taking a chance and understand
that we are strong
because we are weak
and we are beautiful
because we have flaws
and we are fearless
because we have been afraid
and wise because we have
been foolish.

As the world goes by
I am left with coils of memory
as the time flies whether
we are having fun or not
but at least I have learned
to know the difference between
a good love and a bad love
and that is simple
- a good love never ends
and in the end love is the only thing
we are left with after all
is said and done.

I have gone from long hair
to longing for hair
and from acid rock
to acid reflux and from
rocking out with the Rolling Stones
to being worried about
having kidney stones
but I still rock and roll
and will till I die and
that is no lie.

I don't know when or how
it happened and
I never saw it coming going
from tight bulging muscles
and a flat stomach and
a full head of brown  hair
now replaced with folds
and salt and pepper thined out hair
along with a gray beard
and bones that need care
and fall I don't dare.

Once upon a time
eyes like an eagle able to
pick off a VC at 1200 yards
with one shot and one ****
in a far away war time won't forget
in that far away place
so long ago but now
my focus is slow
and I wish I didn't know now
what I didn't know then.

If only I could stop my mind
but a man is not old
as long as he is seeking something
and growing old is nothing
more than a bad habit
which a busy man has
no time to form.  

Know that you are young
at any age if we are still planning
for a tomorrow and as the world
flies by we have to realize
that it is better to be hated
for what you are
than to be loved
for what you are not
and remember that you were
born an original so
don't die a copy.             Jon York          2013

So many words looking for a home
or just a page to rest upon
or a rhyme to complete or a poem
that they can call home
as they look forward to the beauty
of the next moment or the next hour
and as they sink roots
into the present
their strength grows
as they think about
tomorrow.

Sometimes the world is just
too loud for these ears
that sometimes hear words
that don't need to be said
and stories that don't
need to be told
along with lies that others
thought that they
could hide.

Some things  aren't meant
to be heard and upon hearing
these things it sometimes
makes me wish
that I was deaf to
the world.

I would
rather give up
hearing those sweet
sounds like those
that lovers make
in the pre-dawn hours
of the night than
to be assaulted
by things that I never
wanted to hear.

As the world goes by
I stand before it
smiling and loving because
I have laid naked and bared my soul
and quenched my dreams
and lost my pride
beside so many
while deep inside
always true.

Again I rise out of the ashes
ready to face the world again
enslaved by poetry
and reading endless poems
and writing happy ever afters
about true love
and the one.

When I am done
I am brought back to the real world
of disappointments and cheaters
but know that if I seek
not outside that I will find
that heaven is within.

This time I found love
and my own heaven
that is here to stay
and that is all that
I need to say.

Know the value of love
and don't be tormented
by things out of your control
and know that people
will forget what you said
and forget what you did
but will never forget
how you made
them feel.
                                             Jon  York       2013

I remember. . . .
When I first heard your voice
and I knew at that very instant
I had no choice but
to make you mine
in time.

I remember. . .
That you saw my pain
and my sorrow and you made
me look forward to
another tomorrow
and you made me laugh
and feel alive again.

I remember. . .
The first time we touched
and it seemed so right
that I never wanted to let go
and when you told me
that you loved me
and it set me free because
I not only believed it,
I felt it too.

I remember. . .
When I felt your smile
as we kissed and
as we lay in bed together  
nothing else mattered.

I remember. . .
when you called me
just to hear my voice
and thinking to myself
where would I be if you
hadn't come along
and set me free.

I remember. . .
the feeling of your body
so soft and warm as you
slowly rode me
through the night
and oh my what
a beautiful sight.

I remember. . .
telling you that I once
knew a place cold and frightening
and bitterly blue
and if you should find
yourself there too
I'd hold your hand
and walk with you.
                                           Jon York                2013