From the very top
Let's start this off
With happily ever after

And from the moment here
Make the way clear
For the sound of Loves Pitter Patter

Moving far beyond
The ache of alone
To one of joy and laughter

Born with a need
For sweet relief
To the sound of Loves Pitter Patter

There's a ray of hope
We all hope to know
In the realm of things that matter

Leaving you with this
Do your best to not miss
The sound of Loves Pitter Patter

Through the struggle and the strife
Every single day of life
Did it ever cross our minds to think
That the ladder we would climb
In our daily 9 to 5
Would turn out to be this slippery

We started down this crooked road
With the highest of highest hopes
Thinking there was nothing we could not achieve
Little did we know
Our daily do's would all be don'ts
And we would settle from mediocracy

Moving up and down, in and out
To the sounds of not allowed
Bringing it all close to the brink
We can try and figure out
This riddle filled with doubt
Humming to its tune while skipping beats

Now all we seem to do is strive
Just to try and make it by
Hoping we'll at least see some relief
It didn't start out this way
All out to break the bank
Now all we do is settle for mediocracy

You might be right
I may be wrong
But then again
Could be both of us
Pointing fingers
Hitching thumbs
All of the figures
Don't add up

Playing dumb...
To what's going on

Going down
What's cooking up
Mixing, stirring
Double barrel guns
Mixed messages
Poured out in throngs
Seeing is believing
Just move along

Playing dumb...
To what's going on

Fistful fighting
To the bone
Ignorance
Is all we know
No standing up
To what we own
Hope for the best
Don't make it so

Playing dumb...
To what's going on

what's the sense in reminiscing
being the one that's left behind
when all your friends go missing
by way the art of dying

when you reach the fold of much too old
to want to carry on
if truth be known out loud was told
all your friends are gone

what's the sense in reminiscing
if all you do is cry
no need to waste time guessing
when you know the reason why

when the world moves into season
where all it knows is cold
in its quest best be believing
that you're the next to go

what's the sense in reminiscing
if all you have are last goodbyes
trying to keep the secret hidden
that death is a part of life

you find this section hard to row
being the last one in the boat
what's the sense in reminiscing
when you can barely stay afloat

Not sure if this would be consider taboo
To even mention the view
Did I just hear her say the word touche
When the doctor proceeded to do what she had to do

With stage crew and camara in hand
Filming what little dignity I have left
Are the tapes rolling, I may need consoling
When this crazy trip finds somewhere to land

Do I even need to mention the day before
Pills and laxatives by the score
To clean out my innards must be at least 10 pounds thinner
Need I say anything anymore

Back to the uncomfortable crowd
You can hear a pin drop at the sound
For them it's routine, for me a dastardly deed
Could someone please send in the clowns

Adding a touch of savoir faire
Excuse me, is there enough room in there
If things get a bit tight make sure the pliers are sanitized
Anyone up for a game of truth or dare

Doesn't get anymore personal than this
Best friends now without even a kiss
Operation at 7 film at 11
To be viewed YouTube via Internet

Back in the day when I was seventeen
Most of me was wrinkle free
Had a full head of hair that's now switched to my ears
I even think I had a memory

Way back when in my younger days
I could stay up way past late
Now I'm lucky most the time if I make it to nine
Otherwise I'm  zombiefied  all the next day

Back in the day when I was seventeen
I had eyes that could clearly see
Now with glasses on I struggle to see what's going on
Even if it's right in front of me

Way back when in my younger days
When I was fit and trim without all this weight
Now I can barely bust a move tying my own shoes
To even think to make it to the starting gate

Back in the day when I was seventeen
That I'd end up this way was never on my screen
Old as dirt where every inch of me hurts
This I never dreamed when I was seventeen

you keep collecting your dollars
without any sense
in what you are wanting
in how it is spent
how much of life
are you banking on it
collecting your dollars
without any sense

you dream of tomorrow
without being awake
making yesterdays sorrows
todays mistakes
drawing up plans
without saving the date
tomorrow will come
but you'll be too late

when your fistful of dollars
are all white washed rinsed
expecting a change
every spin of the wind
you take all you've saved
with a mindset to give
but find out to late
nothing makes any sense

Both burning down this blacktop
At times out of control
With life ahead our daily backdrop
Heart to heart and soul to soul

How many miles is not the matter
Or how often we've paid the toll
As far as we can see it's you and me
To the end of this road

There's been rest stops, there's been exits
More than one construction zone
Still you and me in keeping with
To have, to love, to hold

Blessed to not have yet reached our sunset
Moving on these brittle bones
Getting close but not quite there yet
To the end of this road

Blessings landing in our laps
As the windows down are rolled
With hair on top our heads a raging mess
What little we still own

At times heeding signs of warning
Of all life's does and don'ts
We've done it well with the stories to tell
To the end of this road

Times like these are hard to choose
Who's to win and who's to lose
All depends on what you do
And where you line up with the truth

Doesn't matter where you are
When it comes to fighting wars
Who can say whose keeping score
As we fall on our on swords

Where's the good in all the harm
Brother against brother with loaded arms
Can we not see what's going on
As this world buys the farm

With scissor hands we cut the cord
Without a plan can we afford
To show ourselves for all we're worth
As we fall on our own swords

We unequally divide a fabric torn
With needle eyes, can't see to sew
Would all this change had we known
In all this that there's little hope

As hate and deception bore in our hearts
We continue the fighting of this war
With only one outcome that is for sure
As we all fall on our own swords

I am not a fan of Jesus
To you that might seem odd
No longer will I sit here
And watch what's going on
Won't hang out on the side lines
Cheering from the stands
When it comes to Jesus
I no longer am a fan

I am a follower of Jesus
One that gets involved
However Jesus needs us
I will answer to the call
In this world of death and pain
Where all of nature groans
Through his strength and saving grace
Jesus I will follow

I am not a fan of Jesus
Only here for the thrill
One of the 5000 as he feeds us
Looking for another meal
Using him as fire insurance
My golden key into Heaven
When it comes to Jesus
I no longer am a fan

I am a follower of Jesus
One that knows the truth
Both in my head and in my heart
Not a fan without a clue
One that stands for righteousness
When the world won't play along
I will stop at nothing less
Than Jesus to follow

You may feel you have a voice
Even think you have a choice
But we will tell you what to say
And if you don't behave, take it all away

We will tell you who to hate
For your own good for goodness sake
Don't give an inch, don't compromise
We'll spread our truth made up of lies

You'll have a choice of who to vote
But we'll only give you one of those
We're so good you'll think you thought
All of this out on your own

We'll change your minds how we decide
How close to set the battle lines
We'll have you cussing family, friends
Not trusting a single one of them

You'll love it here in Zombieland
Working for pennies, pounding sand
We'll wave the carrot on a stick
Have you constantly reaching out for it

Where you may think you have a choice
Even feel you have a voice
But crazy is as crazy does
And you will never be rid of us

Last year in order to save some money
Which in hindsight wasn't smart
Me and my buddies got together
To make our own fireworks

And as luck would have it
We found all we need under the kitchen sink
The whole time looking to do this cheap
Instead we came out free

Knowing this day would draw a crowd
As soon as the rumor mill filled up
So in our vast wisdom with a few cells missing
We mixed the batch up in Jimmy's tub

Not being exact on science
As illustrated in that magazine
We felt no need to measure
And might have gone a bit extreme

As soon as the stuff started bubbling up
That thought did cross our minds
Remember at the start, saying it wasn't smart
And that little mention of hindsight

With the size of the flash, little wonder we're not ash
And still have all our fingers and toes
It's hard to explain the size of the bang
And why now Jimmy's house is one big hole

But we did put on a show not soon forgotten
That could be seen from outer space
And where Jimmy's house used to be
There's now a community pool in it's place

So come and join us on this holiday
Burgers, beer, and of course fireworks
In fact we're heading to Davy's house now
To mix a few things up...

We raise the white flag
But who's flag is it
Since we've all about had enough

The moms and dads
Along with their screaming kids
Are all but fed up with this stuff

Why always say
We don't get your way
Then force our way in a cloud of dust

We think we know
Life's does and don'ts
But long ago we missed the bus

A stitch in time
Should draw the line
But we're all the time changing it up

We roll the dice
On cheap talk and lies
When will all of this be done

The up's and downs
Along with the turn arounds
No thank you very much

Let's switch the flag
To checkered instead
And call this crazy race run

This is a poem
That comes straight from my heart
Bypassing my brain
And all other parts
From there to my pen
In writing it down
This poem in your hand
That you're holding now

This poem breathes into it
Its very own life
Brings its own tears
If there's a need to cry
This poem has it all
With a need for no more
This poem that you hold
This poem from my heart

This poem comes with no title
With no need to explain
Something so simple
As a given name
All that it has
Is all that it is
This poem from my heart
Is all that it gives

You're just...

One line away from the beginning
One line away from the end
One line away this day made
One line away from where you're at

One breath away from being happy
On breath away from being sad
One breath away from living life today
One short breath from certain death

One thought away from what you're thinking
One thought to what's been said
One thought away from the meaning
One from putting that thought to rest

One nod away from agreeing
One nod from the opposite
One nod away from seeing
You could care less

One beat away from the answer
Is there a heaven or a hell
One beat away from a lifetime of guessing
One beat, too late to tell

One move from all that matters
One move from front to back
One move away with nothing left to say
One move from the very last...One

What can you say
But to say, we've been played
For the genuine fools we are

Guaranteed to follow through
In a trail of drool
Knuckles dragging on the floor

This Mob mentality
Is no great mystery
Just skipping along the beaten path

That for years we've been
Following
Not thinking one iota for ourselves

Whatever flavors made
Of the Kool-Aid
We gladly guzzle down

Then ask for seconds
To what they're handing
For us to happily pass around

The more the merrier
As things get scarier
But what else can we do

When time after time
We've moved the line
In this life where the Mob Rules

With their lips a-flapping
and only half a mind to boot
The sound is one hand clapping
off beat and out of tune
When your life's been zombified
what else can you do
Flying with...
the latest flock of fools

Like a drowning man with no arms or legs
bobbing in a pool
Going down for the 3rd time and
never learned to count in school
The only form of education
was learning to break the rules
Flying with...
the latest flock of fools

Feeling like you're owed this
without paying any dues
Frantically waving a list
of the hardships you've been through
Before you do I think that you
should ask for a clue
Flying with...
the latest flock of fools

Claiming to be the resistance
has the friction loosened screws
With the few that you are missing
do you rattle when you move
Remember righty tighty
and always lefty loose
Flying with...
the latest flock of fools

Teleprompter this
Teleprompter that
Agenda, mindbender
Forging the facts
Rolling towards the right
Leaning to the left
Dim the lights inside your mind
...Talking Heads

Toss the line
Cast the net
Spin, real them in
Quite the catch
Hook, line, and sinker
Believing all that's said
Filled with fear, glad you're here
...Talking Heads

How long can this go on
Hedging their bets
Hold tight, no end in sight
At least not yet
Don't let it bother you
Worry your weary head
To tell the truth, it's what they do
...Talking Heads

You can black out the windows
Bolt all the doors
When you hear someone knocking
Prostrate on the floor

Press the mute button
With the ring of the phone
Where you're always alone
In a country of one

You can construct a sign
Raise high your fist
Write out demands
On your latest wish list

Scream till you're horse
At the top of your lungs
All this and more
In a country of one

Call a single summit
To bring about peace
Declare that you've won it
Then set yourself free

But can you talk
And at the same time chew gum
Walking the walk
In a country of one

You can tell yourself lies
Until you're satisfied
Question the answer
With no reason why

Subtract the hate
Add in the love
But still jump the gun
In a country of one

I'm a man of many faces
I've carved out over time
I carry them around with me
In a leather bag strapped to my side

Usually I'll leave it up to others
How it is they set the mood
The way we interact
To what face it is I choose

I have a face I use for concern
One I have that looks deep in thought
I'm still working on the one that looks like it's in love
But I'm not sure I'll use it a lot

I've got one that's fairly happy
It's taken years to carve it out
Five different ones in stages of sadness
Two that are riddled with doubt

I hold onto one that no longer fits me
I haven't worn in quite some time
It's the face that I was born with
The innocence of a child

One I've carved over and over
Cause I wear it out all the time
It's the one with the look of disbelief
When it gazes on the state of mankind

I have a face with which I greet strangers
One I use with friends
Also a face that says I'm sorry
If I need to make amends

But there is one I don't carry with me
The face I leave at home
For when I lock my door at night
It's the face I call alone...

There's a rise in the East
That sets fast in the West
That those in the middle
Happily accept

Where what others say
We eat, sleep, and breath
Giving our souls away
With an insatiable need

Having those in our lives
That we've never met
Hiding inside
All but our regrets

Would we know a righteous voice
If we heard one out loud
Given the choice
Alone in the crowd

Crying out for understanding
Screaming loudly for peace
Not only want it but demand it
With conviction skin deep

With the do as I say
Not as I do attitude
All think they're right
Without a single clue

With the set in the West
That comes back around
As the beast in the East
Lays it all down

In Narcissist Nation
It's all about self
What's in it for me
Forget everyone else

The views you cling to
I do not approve
In this all the above attitude
Without a clue

In Narcissist Nation
Only I have the right
To say what I say
False truth in my eyes

I'll follow the crowd
To the dark side of town
Then light a fire
And burn it all down

In Narcissist Nation
There's no need to discuss
I'll scream at you
While at me you cuss

With new slogans and sayings
On which to feed
As the world continues baking
In insanity

In Narcissist Nation
This will not end good
If we continue forsaking
All that we should

If we only focus inward
In this I, Me, Mine, time
And not see through into
This narcissistic lie

Just when you thought that you'd had enough
Craziness is making another run
Remove the fork cause it ain't quite done
Grab your **** and buckle it up

We are all in for the wildest of rides
Pushing and pulling us out with the tide
Too late now to somehow change your mind
We've all slipped knee deep in the slide

Mad as a Hatter slather up buttercup
Here comes the batter looking for a home run
Out of the park when it comes to undone
At a loss for words feel free to hum

Beat your chest and drool on yourself
As you watch the world round you melt
These are the cards that we've been dealt
Where danger dangles under the kilt

Sand yourself down when things get rough
Craziness is making a lunge
Just when you think that you've had enough
Grab your **** and buckle it up

i once was a child
many moons ago
innocence and wonder
is where i made my home
then into life's fabric
reality was sown
i miss the child
now he's grown

i once was a child
without a care in the world
till the day i found
myself in the world
the only thing keeping me
is gravity holds
while it all spins
out of control

i once was a child
in the hope i'd find
happiness beyond measure
with the treasures in this life
but the days grew longer
then came on the night
many moons ago
when i was a child

I carry around a Phillips head
To tighten up loose screws
An empty bag I keep in hand
To collect all the marbles that I lose

The elevator I'm riding in
Doesn't stop at all the floors
Happy with insanity
Who out there could ask for more

The toys that are in my attic
When they come out to play
Take my hand as we skip through Bizarro land
On any given day

Card games are entertaining
But always over so fast
When what I'm holding in my hand
Is not quite a full deck

Being four quarters short of a dollar
I will never strike it rich
Nor live in the nicest of places
Having a load that's short a few bricks

So if you come a knocking
And find nobody home
I'm out on the streets of crazy
But believe me I'm never alone

sometimes my dreams make a living
sometimes they barely make out
sometimes it seems that sometimes my dreams
are more than just riddled with doubt

sometimes my dreams dream me
that's when i have to pinch myself
is this all a dream or mostly reality
and at what point do i figure that out

sometimes my dreams take a minute
sometimes they go on and on
feels like i've seen it as they all have me in it
sometimes with strangers, sometimes alone

sometimes i dream in slow motion
sometimes i dream i can fly
sometimes it seems that sometimes my dreams
are just a long drawn out dream in the question of why

sometimes i dream in color
though i'm told it's all black and white
and with that being said it's all in my head
as i bid you all a goodnight

I'm not looking for your pity
That party's done left town
If you ever decide you miss me
You won't find me around

Though who here am I kidding
If you must know the truth
As sure as I am living
I can't seem to get over you

As long as I've been standing here
In both word and deed
We know the truth is clear
I'm no good for you nor you for me

It's a hapless situation
But what's a man to do
When he has a heart that's beating
I can't seem to get over you

A rocky path that must be followed
Leading heaven only knows
To a promise that is hollow
With far less highs than there are lows

It's a daily situation
And me here without a clue
As life around me caves in
I can't seem to get over you

I've turned the sound up loud
Set the lights aglow
Looking high and low
for the words I hope
Searching, searching for the perfect poem

Removed all of the locks
Off every single box
That in my life I've tried
my best to open up
Searching, searching for the perfect poem

I've rounded corners here
Taken flights of stairs
From this point of want
to who knows where
Searching, searching for the perfect poem

I've tossed the coin and caught
My lucky share or not
When it rains it pours
flooding my life's lot
Searching, searching for the perfect poem

You can shake your head
At the daily circumstance
Giving into whim
with another chance
Searching, searching for the perfect poem

...searching for the perfect poem

Happily ever after
With children at play
Amidst the skipping and laughter
Where love has its say
On all that matters

Tell me a story of...

All people, all nations
Coming together
In what we have to say
Listening to each other
Sister to sister
Brother to brother

Tell me a story of...

Where it's not about self
But about others
No matter nationalities
Religion or color
Remove all the hate
Pull back the covers

Tell me a story of...

Happily ever after
The rest of our days
Where we look at each other
All the same way
Where all that matters
Is love has its say

Tell me a story of...

I went to the deepest part of the forest
to seek the wisdom of the owl
Asked if he knew just where to find it
and if it was allowed
He said that he had no idea
where it was or what it means
So he sent me further on my way
down along the sea

I went to the edge of the ocean
and asked a dolphin passing by
If he could tell me where it was
and if he knew the reason why
He told me he's swam the seven seas
enduring all of life's inclement weather
The only advice he gave to me
go my friend and check the desert

So I ventured to the desert
what I found was a dry and dusty land
I searched for days in the suns beating rays
for someone to answer this one question
With a bit of luck I found a shady spot
underneath a Mastic tree
Where I sat down from my journey long enough
to find the answer to my question is 'me'

I have this simple if not profound question
No way could I be wrong
What would be the harm in living
Inside a Jimmy Buffett song

On a cool calming beach way out of reach
A tropical paradise further south
Than anyone could find some
Way of finding me out

With the latest in concoctions
Sipping back at the thrill
Having a few boat drinks
In Margaritaville

While defying gravity
On this big round ball
Just look at me pretty as you please
Inside a Jimmy Buffett song

Taking it all in naturally
Living in 3/4 time
Tell me my friend what could be the sin in
Making it one day at a time

I hear Livingston went to Texas
I'm about to do the same
As I raise a toast to those I know
Along the Gulf Coast way

I knew my life would end up
Sooner here than not
It's more like a grab than a give up
Inside a Jimmy Buffett song

When you make your way from Paris
To all points in between
You find there's no sense in caring
For the things that you don't need

I'm going to change my latitude with a new attitude
As I gently move along
Keeping the beat in the key of Sea
Inside a Jimmy Buffett song

Most things never work out
Exactly as they're planned
Finding out there's not enough fingers to count
All of life's daily demands

Not much to-do with running smooth
That you could hope to find
With judge and crew keeping a thumb on you
Guilty in your prime

Sentenced to hard labor
The remainder of your days
You could sell your soul for early parole
As the jury in your case takes points away

Try as hard as you might you'll never quite find
Even while raising your hand in demand
The slip and slide on the smooth part of life
Never goes as planned

do you remember me
like i remember you
did time plant a seed
overtime that grew

remembering the best of times
or the times that all went wrong
has it helped to change your mind
since our time now is long gone

does the one that holds your heart
have a grip on love to last
or will he be eventually like me
a distance thought in the past

although we're past i still have kept
you in the corner of my mind
where it grows inside the fold
i pull out from time to time

more often than not
where i get my gum
is not off any shelf
but underneath table tops

though the flavor is off
you can't beat the cost
and with only a chew or two before you
have it all back to soft

embarrassed or not
just drop out of sight
as you're coming back up
use your knife to slice

there's an array of variety
that is so cheep it's free
to tickle the tongue
and dazzle the teeth

so next time you see
that you're out to eat
and you drop the knife on my advice
there's no need to thank me

Turning the tide
On this Etch A Sketch life
Drawing on reason
Erase what I find
Still colored clueless
In black and white
Memories useless
Most of the time

This Etch A Sketch
Takes just a sec
Before it's all over
Turned on its head
Abstract in sand
Makes its own bed
Shaken not stirred
Till there's nothing let

Can only hope
That's not all she wrote
Cleaning the slate
No water, no soap
Turning of knobs
Continues to grow
This Etch A Sketch life
I draw on alone

She's the cover that draws you in
From the front to the back
She's the book I'd love to read

She's a real page turner
Dog eared from right to left
She's the book I'd love to read

You just can not put her down
And with that being said
She's the book I'd love to read

With a voice angelic
From the vast heavens above
She's the song I'd love to sing

Sweetly hums her melody
From here to kingdom come
She's the song I'd love to sing

Is there anything more welcoming
Than the air filled with song
She's the song I'd love to sing

Sweet fragrance to the point
Where that is all I need
She's the air I'd love to breathe

Feeling all a-flutter
Light headed in her breeze
She's the air I'd love to breathe

Far more than my lungs could hold
But not less than I need
She's the air I'd love to breathe

We're living in a world of confusion
From one moment into the next
The grinding of gears twisting our fears
Bubble trouble inside of our heads

We're living in a world of confusion
Where we don't know who to believe
The flapping tongues wag as fast as they can
Without ever skipping a beat

We're living in a world of confusion
Causing this spinning of heads
From the upside of down to the inside of out
Until there's not any sense left

We're living in a world of confusion
Where guessing is anyone's game
The eyes used to hold the lies being told
Now everyone's wearing dark shades

We're living in a world of confusion
Sit, the table's already set
With dull forks and knives to carve up our lives
Would you like seconds on that

We're living in a world of confusion
Where the everyday rules have been changed
What once was okay is no longer in play
From one day into the next

We're living in a world of confusion
Where normal seems odd at its best
Crazy now hides out in plain sight
Right skedaddled at the first chance

And with all of this being said
I'm calling off all bets
Toss it all in into the losing bin
We're living in a world of confusion

Who bangs the drums of war
Our so called leaders in search of more power
That insatiable itch that can't be scratched
Off the broken country's back

Who bangs the drums of hate
Dishes out decisiveness onto our plates
Server, cook, and maitre d'
Yet leaves the trash for the least of these

Who bangs the drums of deceit
Making us all out as enemies
Tells us do this while they do that
Through backroom deals and secrets kept

Who bangs the drums of fear
To keep us on edge year after frightful year
Just when we think we've had enough
They pull something else out of the box

Who bangs the drums that keep us off beat
Takes the steady out of our feet
Won't leave us alone until they're done
There's more than one that bangs the drums

Every time I start to think
I think I shouldn't think at all
Whether or not I'm thinking big
Or I am thinking small

It all has more or less to do
With the way I think my thoughts
And if those thoughts I'm thinking
Are even thoughts at all

I think I think of things that count
As I tighten up my belt
Some thoughts I think out loud
While others whisper to themselves

Some thoughts I have are set on snooze
Befuddled through the day
Not quite ready, hanging loose
Always running late

And if I'm called to have a thought
I put it all on hold
Because throughout this process
I'm mostly lost in thought

I sit behind this one candle
When after last year I figured out
There were way too many on this old cake
To attempt or even dare to count

I've watched the years flow like cheap wine
Some sweet, some bitter to the taste
A metaphor to this life in kind
So easily poured down the drain

As my so called friends and family
Gather with practiced smiles
Knowing this may be it for me
Slowly counting down

With no need to blow the candle out
As it sits and melts alone
How much further I don't dare say
Though I know it won't be long

where is this month's messiah
today's saving grace
to pull it all together
put it back in place

take the mistakes we've all made
write them down in song
take it early before too late
before this month is gone

the one we've all been hoping for
the one with new ideas
as a people we're running short
on the hit and miss

a master filled with miracles
bookoo up their sleeves
to do the tricks, leave the bill
shut the lights out when they leaves

i've picked out the colors
chosen the brushes
now to find a corner
in which to paint
one way or another
without any rush
i'll have it done
by the end of the day
and then i'll sit back
with my back to the wall
with no excuse
in the mess that i've made
with the over used brushes
dipped in an excess of colors
that in this corner
i so often paint