in the morning it comes
as no surprise
first thing i do
is open up my eyes
step to the window
throw back the shades
fill the room
with a brand new day

without a word
being said
i clear my throat
which helps clear my head
preparing me
to be on my way
if you haven't yet guessed
it's a brand new day

wave to the neighbors
make some new friends
every day that's how
my day begins
lord bless my soul
do i even need say
you should already know
this is a brand new day

We need another Martin Luther King
Today now more than ever
Someone to take the faithful leap
That will bring us all together

Who sees the plight of man for what it is
All one race, no color
Where together in harmony we all shall stand
Sister to sister, brother to brother

A leader with a vision
With open arms and callused hands
That will peacefully fight for all that's right
Over every square inch of this land

To lift us out of this world in doubt
Not silent on what really matters
Raising our voices in joyful sound
A world where we love each other

One who hears the righteous call
And says here I am send me
For freedoms sake above it all
Like Martin Luther King

Why does death bring out the best in us
Where we don't speak of ill will
Is the suffering enough from the loss
That we don't dare add to the bill

When it's hard to find words so kind
We might say God rest their soul
Try and smile knowing all the while
The truth is left untold

Makes you wonder why when we're still alive
We let each other be
Reasoning that it's their life to live
And has nothing to do with me

Too late to make a difference
Now that they're not coming back
Knowing the truth it's still what we do
When don't speak ill of the dead

I have this brain
With which I sometimes think

A set of eyes
Stuck in sockets to see

Two healthy lungs
That know the key is to breath

To keep my heart pumping
In its perpetual beat

A mouth that too often
Doesn't think when it speaks

A stomach that growls
When it's time too feed

Not too picky
When it comes to its choice of eats

Other body parts involved
In the space between

Some working fine
Others struggling to reach

All miraculously entwined  
From my head to feet

These are just a few parts I've got
That make up part of me

Life is a gamble
With stakes always high
No room for the faint at heart
So play your cards right

Keep an eye on the dealer
To a tee to a fault
He's the one who's the keeper
Win, lose or draw

Over time you will find
Life is not that kind
With a flip of the wrist
With a roll of the dice

If you're still around
Long after last call
Count yourself lucky
Win, lose or draw

Take a spin on the wheel
Landing red or black
Double or nothing here's the deal
There's no turning back

It might keep you up at nights
Invade all your thoughts
With the feeling something ain't right
Win, lose or draw

I don't know whats in the steps that I take
The tears that I shed
The heavy breaths that I am taking

Nor do I know the direction
The pain in my heart
Is taking me

I don't know whats in the words that I hear
The scene that I see
The weight of the load that I feel

The sky's color
When it finds the place
It hopes to find

I don't know
What to feel, what to see,
What to hear and what to say

I don't know how to pronounce
Any of the words
In the language of love

And I don't know how much further
I can walk this path
Before I fall apart

There are times that we move freely
Amongst decisions day to day
And other times are hindered
By the choices that we make

All the time creating noises
Leaving others in our wake
From the up to the down
In our choice of give and take

We have the choice of do and don't
The choice of right and wrong
Where you either will or won't
When those choices come along

Some choose the path of foolishness
Others walk among the wise
Lessons learned in badges earned
In the choices of mankind

Here today, gone tomorrow
Too often comes as a surprise
From the joy to the sorrow
All can happen overnight

What you have that you hold onto
Often can slip out of hand
Be it old or be it brand new
Be it life or be it death

Here today, gone tomorrow
Where have you placed all your eggs
Do you beg, steal, or borrow
Where on earth have you made your bed

Are your possessions of any value
Do you treasure all you have
What would happen if they left you
Would you think there's nothing left

Here today, gone tomorrow
Would that mark the end of it
Does the thought leave you hollow
Or would you make the best of it

Pick yourself up by the boot straps
Do your best to carry on
You're not the first nor the last
When here today, gone tomorrow comes along

At times it's hard to find my way
When all I do is run in place
If I ever get to where I am
Will I then find there's nothing left

If I could make it to the crest
Of the hill inside my head
Possibly will I then see
There are needs beyond just me

And of these lines upon my face
That tell of stories packed with age
Of all the battles I've been in
That I could neither lose nor win

In the running of this race
Where I find it hard to find my place
If I ever get to where I am
Will I then find there's nothing left

Life is a game of Chutes and Ladders
At every step you roll the dice
What you think really doesn't matter
Each day you'll either climb or slide

With every move you take your chances
You will either rise or plunge
Don't ask me, I have no answers
You'll never know until you're done

Where every step along the way
Is a case of do or die
It makes no difference in how you play
With every day a roll of dice

In this game of Chutes and Ladders
That some out there fondly call life
Where your next move at any given moment
You will either climb or slide

When I look deep I see
I'm my own worst enemy
Hard as it is to believe
Trying my best to destroy me

Most of what I think is right
Packaged sweetly comes back to bite
With heavy heart and heavy sigh
Far too often this I find

Always thinking of myself
Disguised as being here to help
Selfish needs for no one else
As I play the cards I've dealt

Like a box of squawk that talks
Snake in the weeds before it's caught
What you see both sold and bought
Here for me, I'm thinking not

Staking claim to ***** deeds
Whispering this is all you need
As under my thumb me I keep
Who needs enemies when I have me

The time we spend together
Is like a day of flying kites
Holding on real tight
Morning, noon, and night

Where there always seems to be
The tug of a gentle breeze
Reminding you and me
What will be will be

As always with love
The wind can come up blblusterous
But never run amok
Always heading up

To always have to hold
A promise we will keep
Holding on tightly
To each others strings

I can't help it, I've got the shakes
I'm back to see the man
He rolls it tight just the way I like
Adds a little extra if I ask

He must have gotten a special order
Isn't that a deeper shade of green
Perhaps from the South of Asia
Where they grow the finest **** across the sea

There's a tingle of excitement
At all the variety
As my man rolls up a little something special
He knows what pleases me

He's got to know just what it does
Measuring the product as I watch
Not speaking a word, the place is silent
The anticipation, almost to much

My mind and mouth are salivating
The whole table is lighting up
We're all so very happy
To be having "sushi" again for lunch

How long will it take these tears to dry
Before it's safe to go back outside
And of these puddles at our feet
Salty tears make salty seas

How long can we play this charade
Before we give ourselves away
And if we had a chance to guess
Would we care more or less

How long before we need a bigger boat
To try and keep this all afloat
If we had two of everything
Would it make a difference in the end

How long will it take these tears to understand
And are tears ever really planned  
Can we find strength in defeat
Splashing puddles in the street

How long will it take these tears to dry
Before it's safe once again to cry
And of these puddles at our feet
Salty tears make salty seas

There are some things you will never know
Unless some things you learn to let go

And some things that you'll never find
Unless you take the chance of life

How will you know if you can swim
If you never try and dive right in

Or find you're not afraid of heights
If the mountain you never climb

How will you ever learn to fly
If you never reach out for the sky

And how will you ever know of love
If you first don't give some things up

How will you ever know this life
If you don't give it a try

And how will you know the pleasure of it
If before you start you've already quit

Can't think of much of nothing
That I like any better
Than a big ole spoonful
Of my favorite peanut butter

And as I lick to have it stick
To the roof of my mouth
A thing I do more often
Than I could ever count

I like the crunchy better
Than I do over plain
But when it comes down to it
I'll swing either way

I'll even toast to honey roasted
When I'm feeling sweet
As long as it's peanut butter
Makes no difference to me

It compliments chocolate
And you should taste it in a pie
You'd think you'd died and gone to heaven
After the first bite

If you're into veggies
It goes good with celery
And the way that it sits on a Ritz
Is like a masterpiece

But if neither of that suits you
You can fill in a banana
Add a little honey
But only if you wanna

And what kind of sandwich
Would jelly be like
If it didn't have peanut butter
To share the other side

So now you know how it is
And exactly how I feel  
With the substance peanut butter
Being the real deal

Spoon it out of the jar
And thickly spread it on
Cause peanut butter even
Goes good with a poem

i don't need happy times
i don't need the sun to shine
i only need these tears to cry

if i don't have you...

i don't need the birds to sing
i don't need the bells rings
i can't think of anything i need

if i don't have you...

i don't need a day of bliss
i don't need a morning kiss
i don't need any of this

if i don't have you...

i don't need a star filled night
nor do i need the romantic moonlight
all i need is a room to hide

if i don't have you...

i don't need it all worth while
i don't need a field of scented flowers
and i certainly no longer need a smile

if i don't have you...

i don't need skies of blue
i don't need my dreams come true
nor do i need the earth to move

when all i really need is you...

one step forward, two steps back
that is how most of us live
in our daily circumstance
one step forward, two steps back

progress made is progress spent
wondering where it all went
always late to the main event
one step forward, two steps back

running right while leaning left
taking back what we've been given
what we lack in our goals met
one step forward, two steps back

To tell the truth
I have a picture of you
That I keep inside my mind

You haven't changed
Still pretty much the same
As you were at the time

It's all that's left
Went and lost the rest
In my years of wandering moves

Where this restless soul
Has more control
And has yet to turn me loose

Unlike it did
To the pictures I had
Of you and I at one time

Now all I see
That I've been able to keep
Is this picture of you in my mind

This years resolution
With much considered thought
After all this time find that I
Will give it all to God

Because this world to me means nothing
And holds onto even less
Than what I see I could ever need
Or even care to have

With the aging of this eyesight
The more I tend to see
What is important to my walk
And this tender heart in me

This year I'll get more excersise
But this time of the spiritual kind
Learn to love the Lord much more
With all my heart, my soul, and mind

To wake up each morning early
Feeding on the Bread of Life
Share the cleansing blood of the chosen one
To other souls in kind

I will learn to love my fellow man
Unconditionally
That what will shine will be Jesus' light
When they see or think of me

I will pray to God without ceasing
In every circumstance
And take each day along the way
For the blessing that it is

This years resolution
With much considered thought
After all this time find that I
Will this time give it all to God

When we were young we raised our cup
Here's to innocence
We knew enough to rely on love
But that's as far as our knowledge went

Tender and green by all means
Was anyone surpirsed
Feeling safe in our day to day
With our parents by our side

Then, oh lookie they're here the teenage years
Where we think we know it all
Not sure about that but our happiness
Were days spent at the mall

Back and forth soon enough runs its course
As it always does with time
Life gets tough for all of us
Losing our way when we close our eyes

Who would have known how fast it'd go
When adolescence took a stroll
With life once free, a party
Until it got out of control

Win or lose the battle still ensues
What was once a piece of cake
Where innocence once rode the fence
To fall off along the way

i want to take off
all my inhibitions
toss them to the wind
bask in the sun
with the freedom i've been given

start seeing life
in a different frame of mind
toss the doubt that keeps me down
a little more picturesque
than what my inhibitions fed

Young love feeds mostly on heartbreak
It doesn't seem to understand
That it's more give than take
In what you have to say
Than it is high on demand

Young love itself can be rather selfish
It's just what young lovers do
They say practice is perfect
And will be well worth it
Still it's hard when love is this new

Young love feeds off each other
And believe me it's not always kind
It does what it does
It says just because
Its footing it's still trying to find

Young love can be forever bound
Inside of your memory
Where it tosses and turns
Both grieves and yearns
As you lose what you're not meant to keep

Young love can be a bit awkward
As it's fairly new to the scene
One day to catch on
To a mature love
That will blossom when it reaches its peak

Never give up when it comes to young love
As it's just biding its time
Because love in the making
Is never time wasted
Whenever love comes to mind

Each morning I sit
On the edge of the bed
Stirring the thoughts
Inside of my head

One thing I've found
In the finding of out
If my thoughts sit too long
They tend to gel

So I start on the left
Stir to the right
Mixing up thoughts
Inside of my mind

I do what I do
Before I set the cruise
Revs my mind up
For a moment or two

On the edge of the bed
Where each morning I sit
Stirring the thoughts
Inside of my head

I'd like to know...
How far we'll go
In the selling off
Of our souls

With lives at play
Everyday
How much more
Will we give away

I'd like to know...
Before I give up hope
How far down
The rabbit hole we'll go

As life's ladder
Loses it rungs
Where greed is equal
To the sum

I'd like to know...
How far we'll go
Before we reap
The seeds we've sown

From trying to do
It all on our own
Then again maybe
I don't want to know

With the day after Christmas
We return to the normality
Of me not looking at you
And you not talking to me

With hands deep in our pockets
Holding tight the spare change
Where we don't loose what little we've got
Or give too much away

Where all that is seen
Is the blind destiny
As I climb over you
On the rung of what's in it for me

With the day after Christmas
We're back to where we were
Not trying to be
Such good boys and girls

Where a grudge I unwrap
And think bad about you
Wait a minute that
Was the day before too

Where we take peace on Earth
And good will towards men
And pack it away
For another year

Where the Government
Sends us back to the war
With no earthly idea
Of what we're fighting for

Where we don't listen
To the cries of the children
As all of this happens
The day after Christmas

My brain is like
a boomerang
I have these thoughts
I can't contain
I toss them out
they come right back
Wack me in the head
with things I've said
With not much thought
to what I say
My brain is like
a boomerang

What child is this
In which we're blessed
Who gives the world
It's gentle rest

A world that is
In the greatest need
Of the one true God
The Prince of Peace

He doesn't come
Wrapped in a box
He comes wrapped in
His Perfect love

The best of gifts
One can receive
The Lord of Lords
King of Kings

What went through your mind, oh Wondrous Creator
When as baby Jesus you let out your first cry
Did you know at that moment you were the Savior
Of this fallen world and all of mankind

Did you recognize your mother Mary
And see her as your special child
Only you God at such tender a moment
Could give us your all at such tender a time

Did your first sight at creation astound you
As you looked through the blur of finite
From the beginning you'd always seen clearly
In the presence of your Fathers light

Did the warmth of God's Spirit surround you
As the December chill settled over the land
Were you holding the hand of the Father
In the transition from Son of God to Son of Man

When you heard the first bleat of the lambs
Were your thoughts on being the shepherd of man
That would lead all those gone astray
Did you already know of that day

These are questions that I tend to ponder
On the greatest gift the world's ever known
I will praise you for all of the wonder
The first Christmas that your love, my Savior was born

Mother Nature ran a want ad
In this year's Farmers Almanac

Seems these days she's wearing thin
With the progress made by modern man

She needs a little extra help
With the here and there and there about

The whole earth needs a good sweeping
From the ocean floors to the river streams

From high above to down below
All of the trash that has been thrown

With all the extra dust around
She can't keep up with the dusting down

That is why she placed the ad
In hopes of getting help with that

Resumes started pouring fast
From North to South, East to West

So many from around the globe
Who would have guessed, who could have known

There were so many that were keen
In wanting to keep the Planet clean

Right then and there on the spot
She hired them all, the entire lot

She gave them brooms, their own dust pans
Sent them all throughout the land

To every crevice, to every crook
To give the world a spit shine look

So many helpers worked that day
Into the yawning wee hours late

Until the earth was **** and span
Every water splash, every grain of sand

From underneath to over top
Everyone had cleaned it up

Bi-weekly now she runs the ad
Inside the Farmers Almanac

i may know the feeling
but have yet to find the words

i may have the question
but the answer i've not heard

i may know what's up
but can't seem to put it down

i may raise the cup
while i've yet to wear the crown

i may know the jest of it
but far from the whole affair

i may have my shoes tied tight
and still stumble everywhere

i may know what's right
and still mostly get it wrong

i may have the rhyme
but have yet to find the poem

Here,
With your hand in mine
Here,
Is where we best spend our time

You and I gazing off in the distance
Walking towards it so neither one miss it

Here,
Is where the future begins
Here,
In the palm of our hands

Holding on tight, helping each other
Both hearts in time, best friends and lovers

Here,
At the center of it
Here,
Our hands perfectly fit

Mine in yours, yours in mine
Both in kind, tight in bind

Here,
Is where I am alive
Here,
With your hand in mine

Some are born into this world
To either win or lose
It all depends on where you land
Inside that attitude

You can whine and cry, roll your eyes
But why not try something new
It may sound upside down or inside out
The happy-go-lucky blues

As a teen you try your best to angst
Cause that's just what teenagers do
Not sure what it is but you know that
You've got something to prove

Of course you hate your parents
And all they put you through
To you life bites so why not try
The happy-go-lucky blues

It's not like you ever change your mind
That's what we all expect from you
But this time try and keep it light
You'll be surprised what that can do

I can almost guarantee, believe you me
You're going to like this new you
It may sound odd but it's really not
The happy-go-lucky blues

If we stopped painting hate with such broad strokes
Perhaps one day we could erase
The darkened color of the heart with loves cure
Then the color of hate would lose its place
In the colors that man has learned to make

What if truth was a color
Would it be your favorite one to wear
Would it fit you or hang loose
And would you wear it everywhere

there comes a time
between hellos and goodbyes
where we make the best of friends

at the start of hello
there's no way to know
when we will say hello again

still we play along
in the comings and goings
most of the time hedging our bets

because we never know
the direction the flow
or how swift the current might get

as we're swimming through life
in the low and high tides
above it all trying to keep our heads

sometimes we find
the time to say goodbye
with what little time there is left

hard to believe
they're about to leave
while hoping all words have been said

there comes a time
between hellos and goodbyes
where we also lose the best of friends

I'm looking for a Christmas miracle
This year like no other
That we will see each and every need
And reach out to one another

That every woman and man throughout the land
Will set aside their differences
And shut their mouths long enough to find out
More is learned from the art of listening

That we hold out our hands to whomever we can
No matter race, creed, or color
Hoping to find the value in life
All of us being sisters and brothers

May we open our eyes and ears to the cries
Of the ones that truly need us
Learn it's best to give than take what others have
A righteous step in the direction of freedom

This year I'm looking for a Christmas miracle
One that will last us a lifetime
Where we see the real reason for this joyous season
Gods love through his son poured out over mankind

All these wrinkles on my face
Just in case you haven't guessed
Are laugh lines that I've placed there
So you don't see the many tears

Cause if I didn't laugh I'd cry
At the signs of the times
That's why you find these tears I hide
Behind all of these laugh lines

I find myself busy
With nothing much to do
The days pass by quickly
With me always on the move

From one day to another
And on into the next
Busy at doing nothing
Without any rest

Getting nothing done
With all the in-between
Slipping as I'm sliding
In the shape of staying busy

And a busy man I am
With nothing much at all
Thinking that I do
When I really don't

In the frame of mind
Of busy all the time
Always on the hunt
Of what I'm trying to find

With not a thing to do
Either here or make believe
How could I ever lose
When I find I'm this busy

The world today
Stopped in mid-spin
Fed up with the shape
That man's put her in

Gone on too long
With his selfishness
Putting a stop to it all
The world thinks is best

From the building up
To the tearing down
The ever persistent
Obnoxious sounds

With no peace at all
In cities or towns
Over hill over dale
In leaps and bounds

From the arguments
That always ensue
The world's had enough
Of me and you

The blue of the streams
Now brown and green
When the world tries to breathe
It comes out a sneeze

Which creates havoc
Throughout the land
From earthquakes to tornadoes
North, South, East, and West

That's why the world today
Stopped in mid-spin
Putting all of this nonsense
To a bitter end

Now all the world does
Is float out in space
Peaceful and relaxing
Without the human race

Chained to my past
Of when I was a kid
All the secrets that I've kept
All the shame of it

Chained by thoughts of failure
And not being good enough
Chained by all the thoughts that I
Would rather give it up

Chained by indecision
Should I follow or should I lead
And which way every day
Will my chains be taking me

Chained by broken heartache
Afraid it will come again
I wear these chains like I do my name
Or the comfort of a friend

Chained by what I can't or don't
Feel I can let go
Would I have these chains this very day
If all this I would have known

I remember in my youth
Give a hoot, don't pollute
And the Indian gentleman
Who cried a tear over his trashed land

As I view the world today
And the way we all behave
Tossing trash from out our cars
Where in the world do we think we are

When all is done and all is said
Who's going to clean up this mess
As garbage blows in front of me
Like haphazard desert tumble weeds

That part of life I don't get
Why can't we pick up our own trash
Were we all born into royalty
Expecting others to cater to our needs

Treating Mother Earth like a garbage bin
When did it come down to this
She says she's tired of being trashed
And begging please pick up your mess

Let's keep Christ in Christmas
Say the stickers and the signs
When was the day we lost our way
And can we find it back in time

Perhaps if we focused less on us
And more on the risen King
He'd not only be in Christmas
But also everything

I'm not saying that old St. Nicholas
Does not serve out a purpose
But when it comes to saving souls
I'm pretty sure he's worthless

So let's keep Christ throughout the year
Not only in this season
Making it to those around us clear
He truly is the reason

This life I lead
Is a wide open door
You can see through me
Like a glass bottom boat

Read my inner thoughts
Like a comic book
Know what I'm about
From just one look

I'm a recipe
That's pretty simple to follow
A bit bitter to taste
Yet easy to swallow

You can write what you like
Be it right or wrong
Take what you find
You won't be too far off

A familiar tune
That's easy to sing
An under breath hum
In the key of C

In a wide open book
That begs to be read
Take just one look
You'll know me from beginning to end

This I know for sure
That there ain't no cure
But to run out of men
When it comes to fighting wars

If you're asking me
There ain't no mistaking
To fight our way out of this
We need to stop misbehaving

Can't we come together
And do ourselves some talking
Try on another mans shoes
Get to some serious walking

If you're asking me
Our world leaders are acting childish
Put them all in time out
Before they go and **** us

If we don't do it soon
I'm afraid they'll drop the big one
Blow us to the Moon
Even taking along the innocent

If you're asking me
The world is still worth saving
Though the river mostly flows
At this time it's coagulating

We fight our wars for peace
Who's crazy idea is that
How can this we achieve
If you're asking me

each new morning
brings to light
another chance
to get it right
another day
to go for it
another chance
to try again
another way
to put in place
a welcomed dose
much needed grace
another chance
for you to find
a better way
in which to chime
before this day
draws to an end
another chance
to begin again
as each new morning
brings to light
another chance
to get it right