How many folk you meet
are one step from the street
One paycheck away
from nada in the bank
Today's society
could give a hill of beans
Stuck on the same roundabout
with no one to let you out
Broke Down

Families that are forced
to live out of their cars
Can't afford the gasoline
to keep the running heat
In these times of lean
deemed mean on the streets
Too little too late you find this out
you are the faceless face in the crowd
Broke Down

Another day another find
Confronted by a bold-faced sign
Doors padlocked with no one there
Fine print reads, closed beyond repair
Pay no heed
As strong men weep
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
All around a hurtful sound
Broke Down

Break me Lord...

So in my brokenness you can put me back together

Take me Lord...

Rearange the pieces that do not fit

Into your mold...

Pour me out for better

Bought and sold...

In Christ Jesus I will live

I jog daily through the Broken City
Past the projects and abandoned shopping malls
One thing you can say about the broken city
It plays no favors, it takes every soul

Through the middle runs the ***** river
Filled with smells of late night memories
It's waves slap the shore like it's saying something
Echoing the heartbeat of the city's broken dreams

No use in tuning into the nightly news
It's an endless loop of daily tragedies
With the mothers crying for their babies
And babies daddy's never on the scene

So I continue to run
In hopes it clears my head
From the mess that I see
Of what all is left

As I jog through the Broken City
Past the projects and abandoned shopping malls
One thing you can say about the broken city
It plays no favors, it takes every soul...

Broken dreams and empty bottles
To match the promises I've made
Set out as a reminder
Along the tracks that I have laid

If I could dance to the chance
To do it all again
It's with certainty, stupidity
Would again raise the winning hand

Cause when it comes to lessons
Needing to be learned
I'm pretty sure that Scout badge
I have never earned

I came into this world with nothing
And that's about how much I've kept
And I'll keep holding on to it
Until there's nothing of it left

Broken dreams and empty bottles
To match the promises I've made
Set out as a reminder
Along the tracks that I have laid

Laid out on the kitchen linoleum floor
Broken pieces like a clear glass jar
Be careful now you don't cut yourself
On what shards of me are left

I'd always considered myself shatterproof
That is until the day I met you
You picked me up then threw me down
Just to hear my broken sound

Breakng me in a clean sweep
Trying to keep this all so neat
Though it does not change the simple fact
All I am to you is broken glass

Broken hearts and handgranades
Are a couple things people toss away
A little fact known
Both can explode
Where the damage that's done
is pretty much the same

there's a broken love poem
lays beside my bed
won't leave me alone
dreams of words unsaid

i wake every hour
inside every wakening hour
to its constant whisper
with its need for closure

this broken love poem
will not leave me be
this broken love poem
that whispers in my sleep

if i broke my promise
would it break your heart
the one i made between you
that night and all the stars

the one where i took your hand
and looked into your eyes
the promise i made between you
and the nights open sky

could i use the excuse
that the days have brought a change
when i woke that early morning
and the night no longer remained

I promised myself I wouldn't think about you
I promised myself I could live without you
That's a promise I made, only to be
A promise I never intended to keep

I promised I wouldn't let you into my dreams
I promised if I did, I would ask you to leave
I found out last night that my promise is weak
Because it's a promise I couldn't keep

I promised myself I'd no longer love you
A promise I made that never came through
A promise long ago before I could see
That was a promise I never would keep

Could there be such a thing

As bubblegum poetry

And if there is

When you chew it

Do you read it and savour

The bubblegum flavor

Or is what you just read

Over too fast

Does it blow bubbles of thought

In your head more than not

And does it come sugar free

For no guilt when you read

Close cousin to a bubblegum song

Where you can't help but hum along

I personally think that it would be sweet

If there was such a thing as bubblegum poetry

Whenever I have random thoughts
That pop into my head
A little bubble magically appears
Like those in comic strips

Where you can see exactly
What it is that I'm thinking
From the moment of Zen that comes at the end
To the bubbles humble beginnings

As punctuation marks add to my art
If you could call it that
I call it thoughts inside a bubble
Like those in comic stripes

I'm not here to hear the facts
They only tend to muddled
The knowledge that I clearly lack
The feelings that I cuddle
...where ignorance is subtle

I don't seem to see the sense
In listening to others
As I am more than hell bent
In hiding neath the covers
...where I can't be bothered

I wonder where the wonder went
But fail to wonder what it meant
Inside life'***** and miss
Is that any way to live
...biting down ******* the bit

I don't hear but here's the facts
I'd rather stay befuddled
In the dark where I am at
I find it far less trouble
...inside my frosty bubble

Buckets of tears
Buckets of rain
Funny to me
Both look the same

As the clouds and I
Both give away
Buckets of sorrow
Over years we have saved

Both come with handles
For easy pour
Both look the same
Spilled out on the floor

Today I found my long lost Pet Rock
You know, the one from the 70's
I was sure years ago I'd lost him for good
Go ahead, ask if I'm happy

I found him on the side of the road
Just relaxing at doing nothing
I guess without me in his life
He was major bored or something

I picked him up and we both hugged
It was a very emotional moment
I know what your thinking to yourself
Kinda brings a tear to your eye now don't it

After exchanging the usual pleasantries
I placed him in a kerchief of silken lining
If I didn't tell you I skipped all the way home
You know I would be lying

Getting back to the house all tuckered out
We went early to bed
I fluffed a pillow up just enough
So Buddy could lay his weary head

I can't tell you how good it feels right now
To have my Pet Rock back home with me
At last my life can get back into
A mode of normalcy



Wait....You didn't honestly think I would end it here did you?



When we woke up early the next morning
I poured Buddy a bowl Fruity Pebbles
He looked at me rather strangely
As if questioning, what do you think I'm some sort of cannibal?

After that little speed bump in our relationship
To get our friendship back on track
I suggested we go somewhere special
Buddy suggested we take a nap

I'd forgotten after all these years
How much he liked to lay around
Guess nothing much has changed
On this, his side of Gravel town

Buddy and I do everything together
My Love for this rock, can't get out of my head
Where my life was once filled with immeasurable sadness
Now overflows with loads of joy instead

That is until the day we went to the park
And he wanted to skip across the lake
At that point I realize
He and I might have made a grave mistake...

This poem was built for comfort
But also built for speed
Gets you to that place real fast
The warm fuzzy feeling that you need

Cuts out all the middle men
Standing in the way
Gently gets down to brass tactics
With just what it wants to say

So please sit back and relax
As these verses strap you in
For that high speed marshmallowie feeling
From beginning to the end

0-60 in less seconds
Than you can blink an eye
But still has the softest shoulder
On which a man can cry

Runs on pure adrenaline
No need for gasoline
This poem that's built for comfort
But also built for speed

This world's full of Bullies
All in on the take
Giving them power
A mistake we all made
Now rule over us
In power and pride
This world full of Bullies
Hard pressed to deny

Every sandbox, a Bully
The world, their playground
Don't dare get unruly
They'll take you down
Into the pit
Where they themselves belong
This world full of Bullies
Tell me I'm wrong

This world full of Bullies
Would have us believe
They hold the power
We hold the need
To rule over us
Kick sand in our face
With so many Bullies
Being today's commonplace

Makes one tend to wonder
If we all stood our ground
Would there no longer
Be Bullies around

Although this may sound odd
As they're packing down the sod
Make sure you're buried alive
In the name of Jesus Christ

None of us rightfully know
Where we'll be, the day we go
Or the exact time
We'll up and spend our last dime

Just make sure your soul's not dead
When they place the silk beneath your head
Please take my advice
Make sure you're buried alive

Yes, it may sound strange
Packed away inside your crate
But those that lived for Christ
Will be buried alive

Where true life begins
Free from death, free from sin
Eternity on golden streets
Free from all our worldly needs

The present suffering that we have
Does not compare to what's ahead
Take this Godly advice
Make sure you're buried alive

Those of us in the know
Don't go through life without this hope
Living unafraid
Of what's to come beyond the grave

We're confident and sure
This shell will hold our soul no more
At last satisfied
Being buried alive

Don't let them bury you dead in sin
Which is no way for man to live
Make sure you're buried alive
In the Name and Spirit of Jesus Christ

I'm taking this feeling that I've found
And burying it deep in the ground
I'm doing this just
In case I fall in love

I'm marking the spot with an  "X"
I'm drawing myself out a map
This feeling I'd hate to lose
For when I run into you

I'm running out now to buy the place
Where my buried feeling is safe
I would hate to one day find out
Someone beat me to it and built over it a beautiful house

So on the day that we both meet
I'll uncover this feeling and set it free
I can't wait for the day that I do
Hand over this feeling to you

Button up your pants and tighten your shoes
I'm fixing to let this story loose
One that years ago, set this place on fire
And if that ain't the truth, you can call me a liar

It involves Willie Scruggs and sweet Ida May
On the day they both gave their souls away
A man was killed and buried forever deep
Down along the edge of Gooseberry creek

They'd both gotten themselves in the worst of binds
Trying to live on the high side of life
But that's like trying to chase down a runaway train
On a poor mans track in a rich mans game

That's when High Roller Johnny the Ace rolled into town
The day sweet Ida May laid her convictions down
Against Johnny the Ace the deck was stacked
To take away the cards he was playing and not give them back

Ida May took to Johnny and poured on the charm
Till Johnny was ready to saddle the horse plus buy the farm
Ready to spend the remainder of all of his days
Doing whatever he could to please Ida May

Johnny fell head over heels for that beauty queen
Right about the time Willie came on the scene
Pulled out his gun for the statement he wanted to make
Death smiled big was the statement he made that day

They buried the body, buried it deep
Just like I said on the edge of Gooseberry creek
Our young lovers are out there still on the run
Ida May, Johnny Ace, and Willie Scruggs gun

Where they are gambling whats left of their lives
Ever since the day that Willie Scruggs died
The day that they set this whole town on fire
And if that ain't the truth you can call me a liar

you want to know what my wish is
to permanently burn my bridges
so, i never have to go back
to that

listening to the voices
of all of my bad choices
in thinking i was right
not quite

if you ask me i see no sense
in doing it all again
the results would be the same
what a shame

that's why i'm here with matches
in front of all my bridges
so, i never have to go back
to that again

how many bridges
must you burn
before a lesson
is ever learned

how deep the river
how wide the stream
how far the gap
that's in-between

are you prepared
to swim to shore
if the burning bridge
is all you know

will you take with you
the innocent
will you turn your back
on a drowning man

how many times
must it burn down
with no concern
for those around

pass the match then turn your head
there's bridges to burn till nothing's left

light it up and burn it down
no way will i go back now

i tried to do the best i could
that any man standing would

but even that at times is not enough
as smoke is rising over the bluff

do you think they will remember me
when without a bridge the water's deep

no need to swim the other side
i'll get on with life in the coming tide

so pass the match and turn your head
there's bridges to burn till nothings left

Countdown
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
We have ignition
In the writing of poem after poem

How many times have I circled this galaxy
In search of new ideas
Putting a space age drain on me
Adding another one to the list

Far out ideas from far out on the edge
To the ones grounded back home
How many times have I shook the Etch A Sketch
Only to give the **** another turn

I've reach the peak of loneliness
As I stare out my portal of emptiness
A space age dream, a space age mess
And me light years away, from life no less

As the light on my fuel gauge blinks critical
I'm left with not a lot more to say
It's hard not to be anymore cynical
As the light burns out and this ship fades away

Take my shovel
From out the shed
Going to try by best
To bury my past

The hole must be
At least six feet deep
Don't want it coming back
And haunting me

I pick a spot
I seldom cross
Not marking the grave
In hopes it gets lost

I feel the less
That I step foot
Lessens the chance
Of it coming back up

When all is done
And all is said
I hang the shovel
Back in the shed
And do my best
To forget the past

bury me
neath the old oak tree
or an open field
if you feel the need
or leave me lay
where you found me
on the day
you bury me

bury me
in a pauper's grave
or a rich man's plot
on any given day
either way
would be okay
I'd have no say
where you bury me

bury me
along a straightened path
so, I can see
what lays ahead
six feet deep
my final rest
that is all
that needs be said
when you bury me

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

I spent my early life
Looking out from behind
The chain link fence on the turkey farm

There they fed me right
Fattened up my thighs
After all, what could be the harm

If it was up to me
I would never leave
It's where I prefer to spend my years

But alas will come the day
When all good turkey's have to say
Arrivederci...I am outta here

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          Unlike those sloppy pigs that live next door
          To be a tender turkey is my call
          And all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, you wanna eat me

They just took Turkey Jack
To the shed out back
Where we never heard from him again

Just like yesterday
With my friend Turkey Dave
Strange they haven't messed with Turkey Slim

Am I the next in line
Could this here be my time
My head placed on the chopping block

As I say my goodbyes
To all the gals and guys
I gobble to Mary Lou as an after thought

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          So delicious they're coming back for more
          Tenderized to the very core
          All they want to do is eat me
          
          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          A slap in the face to the Honey Ham
          To be a tinder turkey is my call
          Heavy on the gravy with a side of yams

Now that you know my tale
I hope I told it well
Enjoy this day with your family and your friends

So remember then
Don't leave the stuffing in
And dinner will go the way that it was planned

          *I was born to be a Butter Ball
          The highest honor of them all
          Into the open oven I must fall
          Cause all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, all you wanna do is eat me

I spent my early life
Looking out from behind
The chain link fence on the turkey farm

There they fed me right
Fattened up my thighs
After all, what could be the harm

If it was up to me
I would never leave
It's where I prefer to spend my years

But alas will come the day
When all good turkey's have to say
Arrivederci...I am outta here

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          Unlike those sloppy pigs that live next door
          To be a tender turkey is my call
          And all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, you wanna eat me

They just took Turkey Jack
To the shed out back
Where we never heard from him again

Just like yesterday
With my friend Turkey Dave
Strange they haven't messed with Turkey Slim

Am I the next in line
Could this here be my time
My head placed on the chopping block

As I say my goodbyes
To all the gals and guys
I gobble to Mary Lou as an after thought

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          So delicious they're coming back for more
          Tenderized to the very core
          All they want to do is eat me
          
          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          A slap in the face to the Honey Ham
          To be a tinder turkey is my call
          Heavy on the gravy with a side of yams

Now that you know my tale
I hope I told it well
Enjoy this day with your family and your friends

So remember then
Don't leave the stuffing in
And dinner will go the way that it was planned

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          The highest honor of them all
          Into the open oven I must fall
          Cause all you want to do is eat me
          *Yes, all you wanna do is eat me

I spent my early life
Looking out from behind
The chain link fence on the turkey farm

There they fed me right
Fattened up my thighs
After all, what could be the harm

If it was up to me
I would never leave
It's where I prefer to spend my years

But alas will come the day
When all good turkey's have to say
Arrivederci...I am outta here

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          Unlike those sloppy pigs that live next door
          To be a tender turkey is my call
          And all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, you wanna eat me

They just took Turkey Jack
To the shed out back
Where we never heard from him again

Just like yesterday
With my friend Turkey Dave
Strange they haven't messed with Turkey Slim

Am I the next in line
Could this here be my time
My head placed on the chopping block

As I say my goodbyes
To all the gals and guys
I gobble to Mary Lou as an after thought

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          So delicious they're coming back for more
          Tenderized to the very core
          All they want to do is eat me
          
          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          A slap in the face to the Honey Ham
          To be a tinder turkey is my call
          Heavy on the gravy with a side of yams

Now that you know my tale
I hope I told it well
Enjoy this day with your family and your friends

So remember then
Don't leave the stuffing in
And dinner will go the way that it was planned

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          The highest honor of them all
          Into the open oven I must fall
          Cause all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, all you wanna do is eat me

I spent my early life
Looking out from behind
The chain link fence on the turkey farm

There they fed me right
Fattened up my thighs
After all, what could be the harm

If it was up to me
I would never leave
It's where I prefer to spend my years

But alas will come the day
When all good turkey's have to say
Arrivederci...I am outta here

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          Unlike those sloppy pigs that live next door
          To be a tender turkey is my call
          And all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, you wanna eat me

They just took Turkey Jack
To the shed out back
Where we never heard from him again

Just like yesterday
With my friend Turkey Dave
Strange they haven't messed with Turkey Slim

Am I the next in line
Could this here be my time
My head placed on the chopping block

As I say my goodbyes
To all the gals and guys
I gobble to Mary Lou as an after thought

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          So delicious they're coming back for more
          Tenderized to the very core
          All they want to do is eat me
          
          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          A slap in the face to the Honey Ham
          To be a tinder turkey is my call
          Heavy on the gravy with a side of yams

Now that you know my tale
I hope I told it well
Enjoy this day with your family and your friends

So remember then
Don't leave the stuffing in
And dinner will go the way that it was planned

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          The highest honor of them all
          Into the open oven I must fall
          Cause all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, all you wanna do is eat me

I spent my early life
Looking out from behind
The chain link fence on the turkey farm

There they fed me right
Fattened up my thighs
After all, what could be the harm

If it was up to me
I would never leave
It's where I prefer to spend my years

But alas will come the day
When all good turkey's have to say
Arrivederci...I am outta here

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          Unlike those sloppy pigs that live next door
          To be a tender turkey is my call
          And all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, you wanna eat me

They just took Turkey Jack
To the shed out back
Where we never heard from him again

Just like yesterday
With my friend Turkey Dave
Strange they haven't messed with Turkey Slim

Am I the next in line
Could this here be my time
My head placed on the chopping block

As I say my goodbyes
To all the gals and guys
I gobble to Mary Lou as an after thought

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          So delicious they're coming back for more
          Tenderized to the very core
          All they want to do is eat me
          
          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          A slap in the face to the Honey Ham
          To be a tinder turkey is my call
          Heavy on the gravy with a side of yams

Now that you know my tale
I hope I told it well
Enjoy this day with your family and your friends

So remember then
Don't leave the stuffing in
And dinner will go the way that it was planned

          I was born to be a Butter Ball
          The highest honor of them all
          Into the open oven I must fall
          Cause all you want to do is eat me
          Yes, all you wanna do is eat me

Look at all these buttons
How could we live without them
From tightening of the collar
To buttoning up the lip

Buttons on your tired blue jeans
That keep your barn door closed
And look at how cute Penelope looks
With her button nose

Buttons on appliances
To turn them on and off
Buttons on our game shows
People pound with little thought

Buttons that are ill placed
By who's authority
Make us turn to those and say
Could you help me please

Then there is the red one
That could quickly end it all
In a handcuffed suitcase
Fondly called the Nuclear Football

And if that isn't bad enough
How about Buttons, the creepy Clown
That gives kids heebie jeebies
Whenever the Circus comes to town

Then there's button down the hatches
Or is that batten, I can't be sure
I'll try my best to let it slip
In hopes of no Google search

Here at this time, I find that I
Need to wrap this up
And instead of a bow, well you know
I'll just sew it up with a button on top

I have come to realize
That most of what we buy
From those supposedly in the know
Isn't always worth the price

We buy their lame excuses
On why the world is bad
Instead of what the truth is
They've made this mess the way it is

Plan it, can it, in a frantic
The need to go green
Pompous piggies in a panic
We buy the mud tossed in mid-scream

We buy their fiction over fact
Like it's the gospel truth
When what we're left with once again
Is as I say not as I do

We buy they know what's good for us
Like we can't tell ourselves
Rust or bust, dust to dust
Anything they can sell

We'll buy it all, above all else…

Should have first kicked the tires
Checked underneath the hood
This lousy lot is full of liars
Too late to change my mind but would if I could

Guess we'll have to wait and see
How this vehicle runs its course
By then we may be in way too deep
...Buyers Remorse

I never doubted the constant commercials
Pointing me to the need of greed
A pearly white smile that spoke of hope
Up on blocks, covered in weeds

No more drive thru Happy Meals
All the buildings are closed
Never once thought it'd be that big a deal
...Buyers Remorse

A promise said ain't no promise kept
This cat now out of the bag
Is it me, he, or she out of our heads
Could someone please queue the laugh track

Cause no one in their right mind is laughing
Too late now to shut the door
Can't believe all this is happening
...Buyers remorse

here comes the buzz
here comes the feed
don't bother with facts
there's really no need

if you're looking for stories
to sensationalize
if you need entertainment
just fill it with lies

and where we are going
is anyone's guess
as we fill in the byline
with anonymous

saying we heard it from sources
we can not confirm
but it still is our hope
you believe every word

though you may have your doubts
about what you just read
we've still placed that thought
inside of your head

I'd like to fly this life
By way of the bird
Feather free in finding time
Instead of life in a blur

I'd like to sit atop a tree
Rest in peace unfurled
Feather free in my own keep
By way of the bird

A pretty bird born free
That feels beauty is for others

What her mirror sees
Are the blemishes undiscovered

Has a set of wings
Yet keeps them folded under

Born to loudly sing
But took on self doubt as her lover

Lives her life as is
She has never known another

Sitting on her perch
In the cage she's built around her

A pretty bird born free
That feels beauty is for others

What her mirror sees
Are the blemishes undiscovered

Has a set of wings
Yet keeps them folded under

Born to loudly sing
But took on self doubt as her lover

Lives her life as is
She has never known another

Sitting on her perch
In the cage she's built around her

When I look real hard what I see
Is a world that's in cahoots
With that worst that's inside you and me
That we've carelessly let loose

If we had clearly seen it coming
Would we have tried to stop the flow
Or continue to sit, playing ignorant
On the thrown of do not know

Instead of being hateful and hurtful
With no tender thought of love
Can we not try and be more merciful
To those that don't get enough

It's so easy to let the worst escape
From the dark recesses of the mind
Fanning the constant flames of hate
With those who think in kind

Realizing there's a problem
And that we're all to blame
Is going to take every single one of us
To set this record straight

So when we look real hard we'll see
We're not all in cahoots
With the worst inside of you and me
In everything we do

We need to learn to love each other
With the time that we have left
Calling each other sister and brother
And accept the differences

This is California
Before it slides into the sea
Don't say I didn't warn ya
It's a beautiful place to be

It can certainly hypnotize
With the blueness of its skies
In every corner you will find
The sun can't help but shine

This is California
Exudes an attitude
Don't say I didn't warn ya
A completely different mood

From anything you've ever seen
Hope to have or hope to be
Once you're there you'll never leave
This California dream

This is California
The land of opportunity
Don't say I didn't warn ya
Before it slides into the sea

It's hard to hide
so don't even try
No need to run
when your caught in the eye

They're watching you
and your every move
So be careful citizen
in whatever you do

There are cameras
On every corner

They're placed there they say
for protections sake
Be careful you don't
make a mistake

They've got your name
though your only a number
In this paranoia state
It's little wonder

There are cameras
On every corner

No need to smile
no need to say cheese
Guilty as charged
how do you plead

Polaroid judge, jury, hangman
all rolled into one
Modern convenience
gets the job done

When there are cameras
**On every corner

I do not like the sound
of what I just found out
After all the aftershock
might just take me down
It's hard to whisper CANCER
when CANCER screams out loud
A sucker punch in the gut
to knock the breath right out

Leaving in the questioning
of how much time is left
Also in the wondering
of how you measure it
What is the first to give out
the body or courage
And is there a way that I can change
from out of this death mask

Pull the covers tighter
the days are growing cold
Feel free my love to tidy up
sweeping hair from off the floor
This isn't at all how
life was to unfold
Never thought being this young
would make me feel so old

I wish you could take this from me
and toss it in the trash
Digging deep at this disease
until there's nothing left
I don't know who to quote
but I'm sure someone has said
It's hard to whisper CANCER
with CANCER screaming in your head
MH

I've lost too many friends to cancer and have one right now fighting that battle