Charles Bukowski ate my girlfriend
He started with her head
Fiddled with her like finger food
Putty in his hands

Charles Bukowski took my girlfriend
Slapped her hard upside the face
Now she likes it *****
So this poets been replaced

I'd like to say so long Charlie
As far as I'm concerned
You can hit the literary highway
Never to return

Charles Bukowski took my girlfriend
And showed her a good time
As I'm watching from the shallow end
Of my kiddie pool of simple rhyme

Charles Bukowski ate my girlfriend
Chewed her up then spit her out
Now that good for nothing Charlie
Is all she talks about

Charles Darwin was a zombie
******* peoples brain
Some daddies and some mommies
Have never been the same

Ever since he came along
Monkeying around
Digging deep in misery
This not so fertile ground

Charlie the zombie
***** brains out through a straw
Now we seldom listen
To what is truth anymore

There's no bones about it
If we're keeping score
He opened the pit for us to sit in it
Filling it with drool

Pardon, Charlies Darwin
Do you see what has been done
People have forgotten
Where we all come from

Lost our way to this day
A world zombified
Without our brains to this fate
Over man-made lies

Something happens to a man
The moment he escapes death
Changing his whole attitude
In the way he thinks, in the things he do

An epiphany knocks him to his knees
Moves him over to a new reality
What was important then to what's important now
Is never the same when he finds this out

When Deaths hand loses its grip and slips
Never will he go back to where he was at
Because when a man escapes death
It turns him around and changes all of his plans

How many are there
I'd say a lot
Trying hard
To beat the clock
What I know
From what I'm told
There's no way
To not grow old

Globs of lotion
Piles of pills
Living high
Off endorphin thrills
Jog yourself
Around the block
Hum your mantra
Holding healing rocks

**** the fat
Or slice the knife
Two wrongs don't
Make it right
The only way
I'm afraid
Is to lie
About your age

I wake up each day
With the best of intentions
So get out of my way
Because I'm a Christian
The first thing I do
Is pray of course
And with that out of the way
I check off the box

Head down to the kitchen
To put coffee on
Then search for my bible
Now where could it have gone
Right where I last set it
I read chapter and verse
I then close it up
And check off the box

Get myself dressed
In my best conservativness
Making sure not to forget
The cross around my neck
Wanting the world to know
I'm saved and not lost
In case my actions don't show
As I check off the box

I step out the door
All about the Lord's business
Looking for unsuspecting souls
To which I can witness
It's what I've got to do
Like it or not
And as soon as I'm through
I check off the box

I pray before meals
Thankful what's set before me
And thankful for not
Being like the sinners I see
With their salvation plan
I wish them good luck
Not like they haven't been warned
As I check off the box

With another satisfying day
Under my belt
Along the way I heard someone say
They had Jesus in their heart
Which got me to thinking
A lot of meaningful thoughts
But in the meantime
I'll just check off the box

I wake up each day
With the best of intentions
So get out of my way
Because I'm a Christian
The first thing I do
Is pray of course
And with that out of the way
I check off the box

Head down to the kitchen
To put coffee on
Search for my Bible
Now where could it have gone
I find it, I dust it
Read chapter and verse
I then close it up
And I check off the box

Get myself dressed
In my best conservativness
Making sure not to forget
The cross around my neck
Wanting the world to know
I'm saved and not lost
In case my actions don't show
As I check off the box

I step out the door
All about the Lord's business
Looking for unsuspecting souls
To which I can witness
It's what I've got to do
Like it or not
And as soon as I'm through
I check off the box

I pray before meals
Thankful what's set before me
And thankful for not
Being like the sinners I see
With their salvation plan
I wish them good luck
Not like they haven't been warned
As I checked off the box

With another satisfying Day
Under my belt
Along the way I heard someone say
They had Jesus in their heart
Which got me to thinking
A lot of meaningful thoughts
But in the meantime
I'll just check off the box

Do you ever get thirsty
With a cup that's half empty
Instead of a cup half full

Do you ever wish
There was much more than this
And think of life as only cruel

Where it don't fit your needs
Or hold your beliefs
Till you don't know what your going to do

Do you wonder why
Your such a downtrodden guy
And everyone's happy but you

Do you see that there's more
But it could never be yours
And you see that as cut in stone truth

Well listen to this
In case it is you missed
It's all in the right attitude

You'd be surprised
At what ahead lies
If you'd bid the old you adieu

So raise your glass high
Half full to the sky
And start this day off in the new

Here's to the relying on of man
To get us out of the jam were in
Although the woe upon our land
Has been brought on by the plans of man

Here's to all the ignorance
And the signs of the times that we have missed
In the riding high of its blissfulness
With man's right hand in all of this

Cherish the time
Set it to memory
Burn it into your soul
For it soon will be gone
As these sands of time
Pour out so quickly
Faster than we know
Leaving a hole
We're all waiting in line
With father times keeping
Life's ladder folds
At its choice of footholds
Cherish the time
Celebrate it freely
Ready, set, go
We're all going home

I have these two Cherubs
That sit on my shoulders
After all these years
It's hard to keep them in order

Every time it is I try to have fun
Or do what I think is exciting
The one on the left says go for it
While the guy on the right says look out for lightning

The problem I have is I listen to
The wrong Cherub most of the time
It's so hard to tell which one holds the truth
And which one of them is lying

After all of our time together
You'd think I would have learned my lesson
Do they both really know what's going on
Or are both of my Cherubs just guessing

I talked with a poet friend
On the phone today
Can't say I didn't find it all
More than a little strange

The conversation went quite naturally
No bleeps, burps, or dead air
Funny she should call me
Me being here, her being there

I understood her English accent
Her, me my Southern draw
We both got a good laugh in
Isn't that why she called after all

This is something I have dreamed of
By chance to one day meet
Some of the special friends
That I have made through poetry

So this day I will remember
In my diary, pencil it in
That poets have real voices
They don't all just talk with pens

Not sure when all of this started
Maybe the day sanity departed
But now I find that I like to chew
On anything the color of blue

The transition was rather simple
Erasures from colored pencils
Of course you know the color I choose
Do I need to keep reminding you

And who in their right mind would not pack lunch
Without the world of Crayola in a colorful box
They even give the crayons fancy names
Although all the shades of blue taste the same

And for a chew with a bite without the bark
I always do blue from the Play-Doh jar
To be fair other colors I've tried
But haven't I told you it's the blue that I like

Don't dare get me wrong there is normal I find
Why I'm a softy for good a blueberry pie

Then there's blue Pixie sticks
And blue Kool-Aid mix
Blue frozen pops
Blue chewy gum drops
Blue Gatorade
Blue frosted cupcakes
Who ever knew
There was so much color blue

And I know what you think
Call it a hunch
But the Permanent Marker
I needed only try once

Like I said
I'm not sure when all of this started
Maybe the day sanity departed...

Chicken Little had it right
When he ran for his life
No time for 911 calling

All he had time to do
Were a few **** a doodle doos
All the while screaming the sky is falling

You can always hope for the best
But who out there studies for tests
Hello, this is history calling

Won't you come please join us
There's plenty of room on the bus
As life on this side is rather daunting

Pretty sure we've been here before
But hey, who's keeping score
Are we forwards or backwards crawling

Chicken Little had it right
When he ran for his life
All the while screaming the sky is falling

Little boys and little girls
Playing in the sand
Taking life for all its worth
Without a care in hand
Enjoy it all little ones
While it is you can
Before this life grabs hold of you
And you begin to understand

Time you spend with mommy
Daily in the park
Good times for you to have
Till daylight kisses dark
If you're  within the sound of my voice
Take a moment where you are
Hug them tight your inner child
For all that they are worth

Childlike innocence always is
The first thing that we lose
Trying to get it back seems to be
The last thing that we choose
I'm sure we would try harder
If we only knew
How much losing it would change
Our very point of view

When we stop to view it all
Through wide open eyes
Hits us all so very hard
Should we be surprised
Happens to the best of us
And so goes our lives
Dreaming of forgotten years
Innocence of a child

I know you are but what am I
Wins an argument every time
There's never been a better come back line
In your arsenal you can find
I know you are but what am I

Your mother wears combat boots
Are words you can choose to get their goose
Whether or not it is true
Nothing more that you need do
Than to state your mother wears combat boots

I am rubber you are glue
Whatever bounces off me sticks to you
Is a great line for you to choose
If they're throwing insults back at you
I am rubber you are glue

You're a gray sprinkle on a rainbow cupcake
Can just about ruin the sweetest of days
They know what you mean and hear what you say
When you throw that little bit of ditty their way
You're a gray sprinkle on a rainbow cake

It takes one to know one
Will pretty much get the job done
Standing still or on the run
From the hip with your insult gun
Not a better one than, it takes one to know one

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

today is
quiet and shy
a bit confused
questioning why

today is
new to the scene
catch it in its prime
before it ups and leaves

today is
sad and downcast
till comes tomorrow
where it changes its path

today is
picture perfect
film at 11
59 then that's it

today is
both hot and cold
where you get to choose
the soup that comforts your soul

today is
loud and out of control
grabs ahold
not letting go

today is
another day
you can start anew
today make a change

When it comes to choices
Deep down to the roots
I will still spin the color wheel
On the choice that I choose
Dealing with daily cravings
There's no need to regroup
On the choices I'd be making
My life would choose the blues

Evaluate the situation
Try and adjust my mood
Fold the flag I have been waving
Go for something new
Try and stall these afterthoughts
Continually on the move
Thinking things, I ought not
My life chooses the blues

From one end to the other
I set this ship on cruise
If I could choose another
We all know what I would do
If it weren't for red and yellow
I would have no clue
Being a simple fellow
Whose life would choose the blues

I want a beard like Chris's beard
But I can't even grow hair on my chest
This may sound strange if not a bit weird
That I have a Chris beard full on man crush

I swear I'm not gay, why I'm even straighter than straight
You can call my house and ask my wife
She'll tell you I'm out back juggling chainsaws all day
And other manly things I do with my life

But with hair on my face there's not the slightest trace
Not a follicle will you even find
But with Chris's beard I think that it's clear
That sucker could grow over night

So yes, I want a beard like Chris's beard
And that is the straight up fact Jack
Cause with a beard like Chris's manly beard
I wouldn't have to put up with anyone's crap

Don't know what to say about it
With the warm breeze blowing by
But don't ever tend to doubt it
Feels like Christmas in July

I thought I'd lost you forever
And you were never coming back
But here I am on this beach of sand
With sugar plums dancing in my head

With the palm trees swaying peacefully
Down here in Cider Grove
It suddenly occurs to me
You're the only present that I want

As I watch you walk the shoreline
You and your picture perfect smile
Here as a reminder
Feels like Christmas in July

As you turn your gaze upon me
The ocean sparkles like lights on trees
That sets off the warmest glow
Of the holiday's in heat

At last count all I can think about
Is hanging my lucky stars
On the cider tree next to me
When it's clear that's where you are

At present like you never left
Once again here by my side
Opening up the love we have
Feels like Christmas in July

Without so much as a thought
In what you have to say
What comes out of your Church Mouth
Seems to sound okay

Your loosely quoting of scripture
Not quite sure where it is at
But it's somewhere in the Bible
And of that you know as fact

As you smile with your Church Mouth
Is this really who you are
Cause what you squeeze between your teeth
Isn't always in your heart

It all but sounds so righteous
Gives impressions of a saint
But if you dig much deeper
That's something that you ain't

If all you knew you set to spew
Too soon you would be found
You can not always hide behind
What comes out of your Church Mouth

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

Why is it in life
That the innocent so often die

Taking with them our hearts
For all that they are worth

Do they take our hearts up to heaven
With the soul purpose to mend them

Slowly giving back portions when they feel
Our hearts have had time to heal

there's a circle
we're all in
properly called
influence

rubbing on
rubbing off
inner feelings
outer thoughts

moving through
this time in life
bringing others
to our side

holding tight
to reasons why
they are wrong
and we are right

in this circle
of influence
we all find
ourselves in

I dream often about the circus
A place I loved to go to as a child
Mesmerized by clowns and jugglers
Enthralled by animals from the wild

As the lights dim and the spot light shines
The ringmaster steps into its glow
"Welcome one, welcome all
to the Wilkie circus show! "

That's when things take a turn
As they always do in dreams
The spotlight finds me in the crowd
As the ringmaster calls my name

I find myself in the center ring
Dressed up just like a clown
Fuzzy yellow hair, big red nose
And grandma's paisley gown!

It turns even odder I'd say as the animals parade
With heads and bodies that are mismatched
Lions with the heads of monkey's
and zebras with the smiles of Cheshire cats
It doesn't get much stranger than that!

A flash of light and everything changes
I find myself on the high wire
My balance beam a giant matchstick
And "HELP" its been lit on fire!

That's when I start twirling it like a baton
As the crowd below chants my name
You never know what will happen next
In the circus of my dreams

The buildings in the city
Love to talk about
All the hustle that's within
And bustle that's without

Downtown people always
Scurrying here and there
As the buildings windows
Take on a reflective stare

Everyone around them
Always on the go
Not knowing where they're going
But staying with the flow

Not at all the least bit concerned
With other peoples lives
As they take another rung
On the corporate ladder of lies

If the buildings could they would
Try and help them out
They feel they're partially to blame
Since the city came about

When men all got together
To give progress a name
Not knowing this same progress
Would be their ball and chain

If the buildings only had
Warned some time ago
That most of what man attains
Leads to his downfall

Thought I'd start off with a clean slate today
Completely clear my mind
Sit in a darkened room
Give it a little time

See what there is inside of me
Digging deep what I will find
Grab a hold the poet soul
Spend the extra dime

I found I like it better here
Without the fuddle of mankind
Just me, the darkness, and my mind
In the deeper meaning of the rhyme

we're as good as dead
is all they've said
from beginning to end

sheeple led
to the edge
and then back again

in the 60's shout
oil was out no doubt
and look it's still around

when the 70's came
it was much the same
the ice age would freeze us out

in the 80's they
blamed acid rain
for destroying all the crops

the 90's scare
of course, the ozone layer
but the farm was never bought

in 2000 they felt
the glaciers would melt
causing the oceans to rise

then in 2010
we'd all be swimming
under a ten-foot tide

here we are today
where it's all much the same
as they shake and stir our brains

to the latest scare
keeping the fear
under the name of climate change

I hide behind these walls
So I don’t know at all
What I do not see
Has less chance of hurting me

I might burn a few
Bridges, one or two
Leaving me no need
Of looking behind me

I cover up my ears
So I don’t have to hear
Words spoken true
When spoken to

Close tight both my eyes
Hoping to lose sight
Of the things they do
That I myself do too

Having little doubt
I keep an open mouth
That clearly runs away
With what I have to say

What comes to light
You are bound to find
Through all of this
Sadly, a closed off mind

Good Lord what have we done
Can we not see what we've become
Choosing sides in our back bites
In that where is the love

Do you remember where you were
The day the world learned to hurt
As sisters and brothers turned on each other
Could you be part of the cure

Are we all now in the dark
About our wicked hardened hearts
Much more gullible than ever pliable
Is that who we all now are

When did we decide to choose sides
In this game of do or die
When did hate become our playmate
And then proceed to destroy our lives

Is it too late to turn back
Could there even be a chance
Or is it too late to find a loving word in kind
With what little time we have left

As we're standing on the edge
Thinking we're hedging all our bets
We'll slip and slide right off the side
Being this close to the edge

I stepped close to the edge

Smoked a cigarette

Close to the edge of no return

Close to the edge of having nothing left

Leaving behind all that I have known

Close to the line of

Don't step over it this time

Close to losing my way back

To the planting of the seed

To being the one in need

Sand in my hand the conviction that I lack

Closer to my finger on the trigger

Placing my mouth on the barrel of the gun

I'm not talking suicide

This is a metaphor for life

Closer to it all coming undone

I stood beside of you and promised
Forever yours, forever mine
That I'd be by your side for all of this life
All the way to closing time

As we balance above the chasm
Holding hands on life's thin line
I want you to know I'll never let you go
That I'll be here till closing time

If things get a bit off kilter
Or we join in on the daily grind
I'll do what ever it takes with our love to make
It all the way to closing time

When the twilight years come aching
To dim our once youthful light
I'll remember the promise that we started with
As we draw near to closing time

And when on the wind we both are taken
As we leave it all behind
It will be with confidence we know that we made it
All the way to closing time

I'm seriously thinking that it's time
To close down this production line
The constant flow in the making of poems
Has taken is toll on this poor soul

As the machinery sputters and coughs
Tossing it all against the wall
24 hours a day with so much rhyming at play
The time may be now as the hour grows late

I keep looking for the freedom within
A man without his paper and pen
Holding out on this self doubt
Should I take it now while I still know how

As I head for the door to shut out the lights
After giving my all as it's taken all of my life  
The only thing now left to be said
Is I don't have the courage...  
could someone else please throw the switch

They've brought in a new factory to town
One for the making of clouds
As there's a desperate need for shady relief
To take a bit of the bite out of the sun's bitter heat

Where they're trying something new that's never been done
Adding splashes of color to add to the fun
So when the newly formed clouds swirl out of the stacks
They won't be the typical doldrum of white, gray, and black

There'll be purples and blues, reds, oranges, and yellows
Pinks mixed with greens as the clouds flow and billow
And just when the wind causes the clouds to collide
There'll be a rainbow of colors that will pour from the sky

Who woulda, coulda, shoulda
Beyond a reasonable doubt
Ever imagined what would happen
With a factory of colorful clouds

Down along the coast of my soul
As beaten and battered as it is
I feel I have little control
And it won't be long till there's nothing left

As the pounding waves of humanity
Slowly wash it away piece by piece
Pulling sanity's sand from my shore
Depositing it into the deep

Down along the coast of my soul
How much more can one person give
Treading water out of control
Until I feel there's nothing left

i just happen
to stop by
happenstance?
or
the right time
circumstance
you could be right
on this
coincidental rhyme

takes me where
i need to be
on this wild
imaginary stream
from point a
to point b
on through
z
in reckoning

in the light
of ties that bind
bring it all
into light
line by line
by
inticing line
on this
coincidental rhyme  

in the turning
of the page
secrets there
to give away
brought to you
this truth
face to face
as this rhyme
makes its way

wrap the finger string
and pull it tight
keep it there
to remind
of the day
you chanced to find
the jest
of this
coincidental rhyme

You start with Coke
Regular
A glass bottle
Is preferred
If you're reaching for Pepsi
Get a clue
That sweet drink
Just won't do
A bag of peanuts
The salted kind
Which ever brand
Suits you fine
Grab your Coke
Pop the lid
Take a good
Long sip from it
Pour the peanuts
From the bag
Into the Coke
Till there's none left
Tilt it back
Drink and chew
Cause that's just what
You're supposed to do
If you're wondering what
This delicacy is called
It's Coke & Peanuts
That's Southern ya'll

dark are the eyes
through which we see
hard is the heart
that inside beats
only the lonely
know of the deeds
cold are the hands
that outward reach

follow the progress
that gets in the way
swallow the innocence
in what we say
two-sided knife
baked in the cake
savor the flavor
of the escape

hold onto your breath
if there's any left
along with the secrets
that you have kept
tossing and turning
in unmade beds
knowing the deeds
cold are the hands

I've collected so many collections
I'm about collected all out
Now in hindsight and reflection
I'm beginning to have a few doubts

Losing touch with those I've come to know
It's like losing a part of myself
Emptiness now is what I mostly feel
Is this happening to anyone else?

Can anyone else out there relate
To this young poet's candor
To what has become another series of weights
Doing its best to pull me under

What started off as good intentions
Has once again gone completely South
Need I even mention
That's not what poetry is supposed to be all about

As I continue in my collecting of collections
Carrying the banner in this parade
It wasn't the plan but strike up the band
As we all grow to rue the day

if grass were blue
and sky was green
in the oceans open field
i'd float in dreams
to the outer banks
of in between
under a chartreuse moon
in waves of tangerine

as pink dolphins
come together as one
and sing out loud
to the purple sirens song
near the jagged rock
where the sailors warn
of the changing colors
of the coming storm

i'd still think of you
as if grass were blue
on the changing tide
of the oceans hue
as i live by
what i thought i knew
with sky's of green
and grass of blue

Life starts out each day
In colorful waves
From the purple mountains majesty
To the white caps they display
As the suns yellow rays
Captures the forests dark shade
Life is a colorful display

From the sheen of green leaves
On branches of brown
Above moss covered grey rock
On top of mud red dirt ground
As the bluejay gives way
Richness abounds
With natures most colorful sounds

The green and gold of the seas splash
On the sands mixture of beige
With a backdrop blue of the sky
Giving way to the ache
As the Crayola of colors
Leaves the box to come out and play
On this most colorful of days

Life comes in colors
go ahead, feel free to choose one
Though most have a tendency to bleed
into each other they run

While mixing greens with yellows
gives off certain hues
Orange you the slightest bit curious
what reds and yellows will do

Depends on your wave length
to the colors you choose
Whether it be the
red, green, yellow, or blue

With the stirring of emotions
life's paint in a can
As we spread it about
till there's nothing left

If you are sad and lonely
A deeper shade of blue
If you will call me honey
I'll come and take care of you

If your man has made you angry
Where all you see is red
You've got my number baby
I'll come over and hold your hand

If you are thinking maybe
The grass is greener on this side
That's not always true lady
Cause what you have now, I could be that guy

You may have colorful thoughts of me at this moment
But these moments never last
Because every side of the road a man is on
You'll still need to cut the grass...

I will remember the moment it happened
I will remember the pleasure and pain
I will remember the far off direction
As well as the color of rain

I will question all mans excuses
I will question birds in mid-flight
I will question the late along with the early
As well as the color of why

I will talk of the young in the whispers
I will talk of the bond before it lets loose
I will talk of the tear that brings on the storm
As well as the color of cruel

If you'll show me the reason for falter
If you'll show me the point of enough
If you'll show me the given back taken
As well as the color of love