We come in different sizes
Different heights, different shapes
Nothing should surprise us
These differences in the make

Differences in attitude
Opinions skewed we think count
In what and how the way we do
Plus the things that we allow

We talk in different accents
Be it North, East, South, or West
Once we open up our mouths
It isn't all that hard to guess

Differences as night and day
In the way we behave
Differences in colors
Different pigments in our shades

We gravitate towards comfort
What feels right in our thin skin
Is it any wonder
Why we're all so different

one day every direction
known to man
decided to change directions
on a whim

north went west
east went south
up, side to side
then decided down

left went in circles
while straight veered to the right
forward, backwards
until it lost sight

and where do you begin
when it comes to in
it went the opposite
and we all know what that is

which leaves us in limbo
not knowing the way to go
and how long it takes to get there
since high is now low

…all in the speed of slow

We all travel down different roads
This side of the ground
Some are long while some are short
In the way we get around

But each my friends has a dead end
That we'll all reach one day
Either short or either long
It's bound to come our way

So be wise the car you drive
And who grips your steering wheel
All the difference it'll make on dead end day
At the gates of Heaven or the pits of Hell

How often have you tried it on for size
Only then to realize
Try as hard as you might
It doesn't fit your busy life

If only then you knew
How it would be affecting you
Sometimes it's best to choose
A different shade of truth

Try your best to simplify
A past that you can't hide
Still, it doesn't make it right
This out of mind out of sight

A battle rages inside of you
Hard pressed to let it loose
Sometimes you just need to use
A different shade of truth

You might find picking sides
Doesn't always make it right
It's hard at times to read the signs
If the blind, follow the blind

Who has control over you
Taught you how to jump through hoops
Think again on how you choose
A different shade of truth

She keeps on digging at nothing
Not knowing where they've been tossed
With the feeling at least nothing is something
If you're searching for what you have lost

But before she can leave it all behind
There's a simple urge of tidy and neat
So she fills in all the empty holes
That once held her childhood dreams

She wants no one around here tripping
Into that vast emptiness
Because even empty dreams can be captivating
If they are dug with enough finesse

Been digging this hole
For far too long
My pickaxe and shovel
I've about worn them down

Wish I could say
They've been put to good use
But when digging a hole
That's not always the truth

The pickaxe is my mouth
The shovel my mind
In the digging of deep
I've worked both overtime

The handles I break
As I can't handle it
You'd think I'd learn from mistakes
And finally, quit

But quitting's not easy
When digging a hole
And how long I'll go
Lord only knows

Cause I've been digging this hole
Longer than I care to count
My pickaxe and shovel
I've about worn them both down

Leaning on my shovel
With pillow in hand
Pull up tight the covers
Heading towards dream land

Where I can start the process
Soundly in my sleep
Searching through the nonsense
Digging deep my dreams

To stay away from nightmares
I sift through softer sand
Too many times, I've been there
Growing in hard pan

With those close to the surface
I treasure the meaning
Making it all worth it
Digging deep my dreams

There really is no science
In fact, hardly a clue
In the way you find it
Dreams both old and new

But like I said, pillow in hand
Shovel on which to lean
All of this the process
Digging deep my dreams

Leaning on my shovel
With pillow in hand
Waiting on another
Midnight dream in sand

Where I can start the process
Soundly in my sleep
Searching till there’s nothing left
Digging deep my dreams

I try and stay away from nightmares
Usually in hardpan
Digging there can be a bear
Avoiding all I can

The ones closer to the surface
Come with less meaning
Seldom are they worth it
Digging deep my dreams

There really is no science
In fact hardly a clue
In the way I find it
As dreams stay on the move

Like I said pillow in hand
Shovel on which to lean
All of this a process
Digging deep my dreams

I'm going to take myself to dinner
Guess you could say a date
I'll make sure to bring myself home early
I know how I hate to stay out late

I'll order off a fancy French menu
Just to try and impress myself
Cause when it is that I go out
I treat myself like no one else

I'll carry on  a great conversation
But of course underneath my breath
I don't want those at the next table
To think I'm talking to myself

I might even order off the desert menu
Though I know I'm trying to watch my weight
I'll ask for one spoon instead of two
Don't want to get too weird on this date

When the bill does come around
I won't hesitate to pick it up
And I won't rudely gasp and comment
That I think I ordered the expensive grub

I'll drive straight back to the house
Then tell myself goodnight
Saying I had the best of times
Then go inside and shut the lights

with one disaster after another
hang on tight for the wild ride
this loopy loop that we go through
with all its dips and most its dives

no need in guessing what's next to happen
this dog that bites in broad daylight
don't let what's left catch you napping
or it might mush your mangled mind

storms blow through tighting up the noose
makes it harder to breath with each passing breeze
mother nature it's true has bi-polar moods
that keeps us all knocking our knobbly knees  

never do we know what she's going to throw
this winch with a wrench into the mix
when her dastardly don'ts are masterfully done
the only thing left on her list is continue to kick

out one disaster after another
as we all hang tight for the wildest of rides
in this loopy loop we all go through
with all of its dips and most of its dive

Growing up in the back woods
Not a single one of us knowed
That we were in any way dirt poor
All because we hadn't been told

A family that survived on shared love
In tattered clothes outworn
Us kids lived for adventure
While Mama was living on hope

Never once were we burdened
By the constant pull of T.V.
There was no way for that to happen
Without electricity

Surviving day and night on the light
From both the Sun and the Moon
Relying on the family shared fiddle
When we needed to hear some of our favorite tunes

A family that survived on shared love
In tattered clothes outworn
Us kids lived for adventure
While Mama was living on hope

With no time in life to be caught bored
Living off the blessings we got
You might think we were dirt poor
...I'm thinking not

The world sometimes to me
Seems like a kitchen sink
With problem dishes piled high to the rim

Clogging up the drain
In the name of placing blame
With no one willing to wash them

Where soon enough we find
We've left the crust to dry
With the ***** secrets that our dishes have

With no way to rinse
And even if we did
There still would be the lingering stench

Leaving them there
Year after year
No one willing to roll up their sleeves

And lend a helping hand
To clean up the mess of man
We've all made in the world's kitchen sink

Who ever said
That life was all fun
I'm sure never lived
Around anyone

If you live long enough
Around anyone
Sooner or later
They'll disappoint

From acquaintances
To the closest of friends
Even yourself
If truth be said

There's not a time
That you won't find
Someone let's you down
Somewhere in life

If they drop the ball
Then it's your call
If you forgive and forget
Then move along

Because whoever said
That life is all fun
I'm sure never lived
Around anyone

Stepping up to the bar
With Leisure Suits on
And high heeled kicker sneakers

As the spinning glass ball
Revolves round our souls
Freely making Bee Gee believers

Watching guys and gals dance
In their bell bottom flared pants
Silver and gold in fabric

With the tapping of toes
To the highs and the lows
More out of force than habit

We all had the fever
Saturday night believers
Revolting with Travolta

On the lit up dance floors
All stars of course
Cause this ain't your mamas salsa

All kings and queens
Of the late 70's
Dancing feet being our treasure

Day after day
It's how we'd escape
Into Donna's Summer time pleasure

Back then I suppose
We had no way to know
How deep would be the dive

When the world as a whole
All thumbed their nose
As new Wave ate disco alive

Where we step up to the bar
With black tie and shades dark...

a therapy circle
of disturbed mimes
sit around and talk about
their silent lives

does this really come
as a surprise
a few hold up signs
that say i am crying

they all meet together
every other thursday night
stepping out of their boxes
hanging it all out to dry

they always feel better
about their lives
as they go back home
to their husbands and wives

after every session
they pull out umbrellas and fly
waving goodbye
this therapy circle
of disturbed mimes

Here we go again, this silly man
By the name of Diver Dan
Always in search of happiness
But never with a plan

Before he'd know what's going on
He'd dive right in headfirst
Into any given situation
Doing his best to bring the worst

You would think by now if he thought about
The concept of consequence
He'd be the first to turn around
And head back to the place he'd been

But not so with Diver Dan
As he quickly makes his way
To the nearest springing board
Where arms and purpose he would flay

Diving into deep conclusions
With no thought or master plan
And so it goes, for the one we know
As the infamous Diver Dan

Starting out
Starting now
Changing the way
Life's going down
Pull up the roots
As I pull out
I won't allow
This shadows doubt
Paid my dues
For my upkeep
Diver Down
Digging deep
Nothing in life
Is ever free
Even hard times
Don't come cheap
Starting over
At Square One
Hoping to get
Something done
It's not always
That much fun
But something that
Needs to be done

We come to the lawyers table
With our list of demands
Both of us being careful
Not to show the other our hand
For years we played the same tune
But now it's a different dance
Wondering if we gave this marriage
Enough of a fighting chance

I start out by saying
You can have the dog and the kids
That gets your brain a-scrambling
As you pull out your own list
Can not help but wonder
How it all came down to this
After all the years of
Our perfect marriage bliss

I do have to say
I find it a bit insane
The way it is that we both felt
Exchanging vows and names
When was the start
Of this now our  wicked game
And why do we feel the need
Too cast on the other blame

Why is the love we had
Ending in divorce
Hitting a solid brick wall
In the middle of life's course
Can't think of anything
That is any worse
Than the love that we once had
Ending in divorce

Do as I say
Not as I do
What's good for me
Ain't necessarily for you

I am the one
Who makes the rules
I'll be the tool
You be the fool

What's good for this goose
No need to gander
Go on and meander
With birds of your feather

Because what I say
And what I do
Ain't quite the same
When it comes to you

So do what I say
And not what I do
Just stay under my thumb
As I make and break rules

I wonder if she thinks of me
Whenever I think of her
I hope and pray that it's not true
I wouldn't wish on anyone this curse

Why is it so hard to let go of
Childhood memories
Is what it is I'm living with
Not enough for me

I'll be taking this heartache
To my weary grave
If you see the girl I'm thinking of
Will you tell her I said hey

And find out if she thinks of me
The same way I think of her
And if she does it daily
Like me, I'm sorry that she's cursed

Where we hit and miss
Is anybody's guess
Trying our very best
In search of happiness

It's a scratch and sniff
In all we hope to get
A turn around in circles
Ending with leg lift

It's a growl and a bark
It's a stake we claim
What we've done to this world
Is a dog gone shame

It's a willful wag
At the tail end
A well soaked training mat
Shared with all our friends

It's a cold wet nose
A best in show
Digging of holes
Burying of bones

It's a toss and catch
A retrieving game
What we've done to this world
Is a dog gone shame

I like to play a game
With family and friends
And pretend that we've never met

Give it a try
It's easy as pie
You'll leave them all scratching their heads

They'll say I know you
As you exclaim that's not true
On that I am willing to bet

I do believe
This is the first you've seen me
A secret that hasn't been kept

They may lose their cool
As they scream I KNOW YOU
Till they're about out of breath

With a look on their face
As they try and relate
With the nonsense that's being said

It's loads of fun
To have them wondering
Just where their mind is at

I'm sure that you'll find
If you try it sometime
That you too will confuse family and friends

We don't like the way we look
How we think the way we should
Curly's wish their hair was straight
While the Straight wish the other way

Our smiles do not shine enough
Thinning lips could be more plush
And let's not even mention weight
Or how we're all so out of shape

We have noses that work fine
But I like yours and you like mine
And when it comes to hair color
No telling when we'll choose another

We support the creme industry
To make our faces wrinkle free
We hide our lives behind these lies
Of whom we think we should look like

With so many changes made
Who we are is hard to say
Always looking for a change
We dare not try and stay the same

We should learn to love ourselves
If not us, then who else
Will love us for who we are
Before we take this all too far

To say I'm new to the scene
Would be an understatement, of extremes  
I've watched men rise; I've seen them fall
Still, I've yet to see it all
From here on out to Kingdom come
I will do it all in love

No matter how hard the daily climb
I'll make sure I am the light
Pointing to a path that's straight
Helping those to see the way
The ties that bind, secure the knot
I will do it all in love

For the cause I won't grow faint
Giving of myself away
The time that's set is ever short
In the coming of the Lord
From here on out Thy will be done
I will do it all in love

If I had to make a guess
I'd have to guess not much time is left
I hope and pray we don't leave a mess
When all is done and all is said

This generation is well worth saving
If there's any saving to be done
I hope and pray we find a way
To do it all out of love

If we spared a minute and gave all worth giving
Then we'd give all that we have
I hope and pray that what we give away
Will reflect on all that's left

We have the answer surely as we stand here
Fits as tight as a winters glove
I hope and pray the day we give it away
We do it all out of love

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

They watch him like a Broad-wing Hawk
In all his comes and goes
He invades their every thought
Bugs them to the bone

He delights in the slip and slide
Like a greased pig in their grasp
Thinking they've got him this time
But they had best not think so fast

They scandalize the scandals
Beat their chests and drums
Walking on a thin line
Hoping to nip him in the bud

He has them on a short leash
They bark at his command
All big dogs is what they think
Tails wagging on the right and left

Every now and then he tosses them
One or two Chicken Little bones
Where they run and scream the sky is falling
It's not like we were not warned

As he sits behind his desk
Plotting his next move
Donald Trump and the Media
....ain't that the truth

.

Don’t ask me about anything
I try and stay out of what’s happening
Do my best to keep to myself
Leave life’s problems on the dusty shelf

No, I don’t know what’s going on
Either here and now or good as gone
I haven’t got a single clue
With the thought of what or not to do

Don’t assume I have sound advice
Ask me once, I’ll tell you twice
I'm fresh out of new ideas
Who you trying to kid, kid

I rarely care for what's out there
With no clue of who or what they're doing here
I try not to get too involved
In the much to-do of what’s going on

If there's anything, don't ask me
There's not a thing on which I lean
I can tell you straight away
I could care less in the mess that's being made

Don't be afraid to write a love poem
And give it to that special one
That flutters your heart wherever you are
The one that makes your tongue come undone

You can say it all in a love poem
Give it time to work your heart and mind
To help in the search for the perfect words
To set your feelings into rhyme

There's nothing better than a love poem
To get your point of love across
To make it clear you're forever here
When you rhyme it down in  love

I have this friend on the other side of the globe
Says the world just met its end, thought I should know
I've got about eight hours to prepare
Before we're outta here
As she made it perfectly clear
It's the end of the world

She texted this fact before her phone went dead
With less than a day left what else can be said
So I call up my family as well as my friends
Say my goodbyes, make my amends
And if there's any money that they could lend
I'll get it back in a day or two if there's anything left

It's good to have a friend in the future on which to rely
One that's not afraid to say your soon going to die
I figure I've now got about six hours left
When all has been done and all has been said
Time enough to pack one or two bags
Put my head between my legs and kiss my **** goodbye

Don't Blame God...
For the troubles you go through
He has a love more than enough
For the likes of me and you

Don't blame God...
For the shedding of your tears
He's here to wipe each sorrowful eye
And quietly calm the fears

Don't blame God...
Every time the wind blows South
You might be the breeze that causes these
Catastrophe's to mount

Don't blame God...
When others do and you still don't
Seem to have their needs met
Remember a need is not a want

Don't blame God...
When it's clearly not his fault
To set the blame simply state your name
More often times than not

Don't blame God...
For the lack of what you have
When you tend grab more than you give
You can only blame yourself

don't do as I do
but do as I say
my daddy
used to tell me
most every day
the older I get
the more that I see
the don't do as I do
daddy in me
when you've got kids
that watch like a hawk
they'll do as you do
like it or not
you do your best
to have them behave
but still
do as you do
and not as you say

You need to learn the lessons
When they bring up the facts
Momma says don’t do this
Dad says please do that

Don’t follow in fools footsteps
Learn from their mistakes
Hold tightly onto wisdom
Don’t give the fool a break

Our hope and prayer is this
That your efforts will succeed
And that the good Lord up above
Will meet your every need

And though he will watch over you
You still must do your part
Meet him in the moment
He’ll meet you where you are

Follow the path of justice
Be blameless in your stance
Make the best of opportunity
And every circumstance

Give account of yourself
Show your heart to be true
Giving more than you’re allowed
In everything you do

Take these words to heart
With the time that you have left
Momma says don’t do this
Dad says please do that

It all starts off simple enough
All it takes is just one puff
Before you careen down the road to extreme
Every single addict knows what I mean

It won't hurt a bit to take a sip
You might even get to liking it
Before you know you're full fledge in the throe
Of the one place you swore you'd never go

It might start off as a prayer request
Have you heard about, you won't believe this
Both gossip and slander can be a heavy load
Don't take the road of what you don't know

There are times we might need to relax
But more often than not it becomes laziness
Expecting others to carry your load
Take responsibility for all that you owe

At all times be on your guard
It's easy to fool a wanting heart
Like a roaring lion Satan wants complete control
Ready to devour your soul

Don't give the Devil a foothold

When the happiness they sold you
Is yellowed out tarnished and torn
And still, the bill comes due
On the smile it loaned

With every grin worth saving
Though you may not feel that way
Don't give up because tomorrow
Will be different from today

When the pain in life is throbbing
Another issue up to bat
There's a knocking on your noggin
In fact, you can hear the crack

Before you give up and hand in
What's left of your hero's cape
Don't give up because tomorrow
Will be different from today

When you want to shrug your shoulders
But your afraid you'll lose your head
Where it seems it's the only thing
These days that's still attached

When all you want to do is give up
And the rest just give away
Don't give up because tomorrow
Will be different from today

How many of us
Believed the promises
That it would all work out
On that you could count
Then life came along
And found they were wrong

Don't give up, don't give in, don't give out

There's an innocence we wish
We could and should have kept
A blind trust
That all was just
Once shooting for the stars
That now seem, oh so far

Don't give up, don't give in, don't give out

When you're at one step
And then two back
Seem to give more away
Than you ever save
When in the line you stand
Begins at the end

Don't give up, don't give in, don't give out

On this road there's many paths
As many rights as there are lefts
With street names like Wandering Day
And Restless Nights along the way
How many times has this vagabond been
On the road of "Don't Go There Again"

There's an empty house on the cul-de-sac
With people in but they're without
Where there never seems to be enough
Welcome to new America
Knock if you like, you're welcome in
Into the house of "Don't Go There Again"

With youth not like back in the day
Innocence packed up tight and shipped away
A crazy attitude to life's demands
How many told they could but find they can't
What's in is out, what's out is in
As we fall in line with "Don't Go There Again"

Your head spins round, completely numb
With your mind being filled with daily junk
You order some sanity on the side
Would you like to up the size
In the drive through line you pull ahead
As they hand you the bag of "Don't Go There Again"

At the moment of conception
In the warmth of Mothers womb
Let this be the beginning of my birthplace
Not the ending with my tomb

My life will serve a purpose
I have so much to give
I am not here by random chance
I am a life that want's to live

If there are choices given
What choice is given me
If you were free to choose to win or lose
What choice do you think that'd be

There are those in life who are childless
There are those who can't conceive
To tell the truth they would be begging you
Please just let me be

So at the moment of conception
In the warmth of mothers womb
Please let this be the beginning of my birthplace
Not the ending with my tomb

Don't just love those that love you
Although it's easy to do
You've got to step out in faith
And also love those who hate
Don't just love those that love you

Don't just take the easy road
When there is one less traveled on
It's a narrow path
Worth everything that you have
Don't just take the easy road

Don't ever take life for granted
Here one minute gone the next
When your concern should be
That of eternity
Don't ever take life for granted

Don't ever say a word untrue
Don't give away that part of you
When a simple lie
Can tear you up inside
Don't ever say a word untrue

Don't always take the easy way
Don't say what you think they want you to say
You've got to stand strong
Who will if you don't
Don't always take the easy way

Don't only love those that love you
Although it's easy to do
You've got to step out in faith
And also love those who hate
Don't only love those that love you

what we have here
is clearly a misunderstanding
when the words were tossed
and where the wrong ones landed
it wasn't my intention
certainly, didn't plan it
the little that we had
took it all for granted

before this movie starts
we're at the intermission
close to crossing hearts
if only we would listen
life is give and take
but few lean on the giving
if i had to guess
there's clearly something missing

ever close to closing in
and already on the outs
shallow in our figuring
what this is all about
no one here will ever win
in this never-ending roundabout
if you're asking me
don't look now, down for the count

Do you realize
That while we're asleep
Bugs crawl in our ears
And whisper strange things
That's why we have
The strangest of dreams
With bugs in control
While we're asleep
As they try and direct
Our thoughts where we lay
To make us think
That all is okay
But not all is okay
If you know what I mean
As bugs crawl in our ears
And whisper strange things

I have heard talk of us
Moving to the planet Mars
To keep this Human race running

When it's clear our saving grace
Is to come face to face
With the idea of brotherly loving

We need to learn to accept
Instead of packing up our bags
And moving to a new Planetary System

As it goes with the heart of man
Chances are we'll do it all again
Bringing our daily problems with us

With a major change of heart
We can stay here where we are
Getting along the way it was intended

Before all this selfishness
Knocked on the door to live with us
And everything we touched needed mending

We don't need another planet to rule
As gigantic galactic space age fools
We just need to straighten this one up

And how we proceed to do that
Is with the heart not just the head
Turning to each one of us in love

So whether here or on the planet Mars
We can change just who we are
Getting rid of the old worn out platitudes

We don't need little green men
To tell us how or where to begin  
What we really need is a whole new change in attitude

Every moment that is taken
Has a consequence inside
You can leave or you can take it
In the furtherance of life

You can hold onto your actions
Or let them take a hold of you
Water or drain your passion
Don't let regret be the path you choose

The time you save you give away
At some other point in time
If you don't use it then you'll lose it
Never again to find

With the time you're spending here
Consider it a loan
Write this on your epitaph
Don't regret the path you're on

Life is made up of choices
You either sit out or you dance
That one song may not come back on
To give you another chance

When life asks for volunteers
What are the words you'll say
Stand your ground and do it now
Don't regret your life away