Certainly didn't see it coming
This feeling so numb
But the soft spot of my heart
Beat out that it's true

Perfect in its timing
The itch of the reminding
Give me just a minute
While I fall in love with you

Never ever planed
The way time sifts its sand
*****-nilly in its wonder
Yet steeped deep in the truth

Nothing is more real
Heading head over heals
Give me a sec to catch my breath
While I fall in love with you

Shoulder rubbing shoulder
Lovers soon uncovered
Coming to this junction
In the way, we move

Here is where I find
The bleeding out of time
Makes it all worthwhile
While I fall in love with you

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where's the good in all the harm
Brothers against brothers in arms
Can we not see what's going on
As this world buys the farm

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

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

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

leaves on trees
wait for a breeze
so they can blow
where'er they please

yet patiently
not always seen
when angry red
replaces envy green

some don't dare
being yellow scared
take the leap
to go somewhere

on the ground
all find out
the short trip down
turns deadly brown

where the time spent
on falls lament
the leafs life
came and went

It was certainly not surprising
There was something going on
You could feel the heat was rising
Faster than we could have known

That something in between us
In the striking of the match
One I thought was made in heaven
But things that burn aren't meant to last

When things got hot you put it out
Quickly extinguishing the heart
When love showed up to investigate
What it found was a false alarm

This wasn't what I had envisioned
When we set off that tiny spark
With sirens off in the distance
Far from where we both now are

Some are numbly overcome
Standing too close to the flame
I tried not to become one of them
Although I feel I am too late

To me all along it was a raging fire
In which I was severely burned
But to you all it ever was my dear
Was another false alarm

This a continuing story
I'm sure that most can relate
The blind search for fame and glory
Can be a grave mistake

With wild twists and turns
That most folks don't know
Fame is just waiting to burn
A soft tender soul

The pasture looks greener
On the other side
Although leaner and meaner
In its need to hide

Like a Flytrap from Venus
Once fame grabs ahold
Will **** you bone dry
Leaving you out in the cold

It'll do your shopping for you
Buy nothing but empty suits
Your fans will adore you
In the outfits that perfectly fit you

So say hello to glory
And move over fame
If you're in the mood to lose
All but your name

Which you'll need to keep
to have something to shame

As a child he played
In the woods and in the fields
Army being the game
**** or be killed
All just pretend
Nothing was real
It's how children play
Not a big deal

With a father there
To encourage the son
Enjoy your youth
While you're still young
For a day will come
When it all comes undone
Where you see life as it is
For most if not some

Life pulls at his youth
Tugs at his heart
Needing something to do
For country and God
The Army calls him
He gives them a nod
Where training is tight
As the day is long

The father prays
The son will stay safe
From the folly of youth
To the world of today
For whatever is thrown
Or shot his way
As his son goes
Into the world to save

Orders for him
Afghanistan
Where he'll go to fight
The Taliban
With guns and bombs
No longer a game
Thankful he has
A father that prays

The father in his prayer room
A war room of sorts
Cries out to God
For a righteous course
One that his son
Can walk upon
For safety's sake
And Kingdom come

The battles they wage
Both hand in hand
The son as a soldier
The father a praying man
Until the son
Is safely back home
In the arms of the father
Where he belongs

At St John's church in the year of 1843
The priest Father O'Day couldn't rise off of his knees
The congregation did attempt to stand the man upright
Yet he'd not be relieved of this his stuck plight

Some in the congregation checked out in the back
Hoping against all hope that it wasn't that
But the sacramental wine was filled up to the brim
Which had them wonder further as to what was wrong with him

Like the sculpture of Mary Magdalene his position was set
Of the rigid state he'd never ever forget
All the alter boys offered prayers for a solution
Being quite disturbed by O'Day's poor kneeling elocution

Was this a trance or was he deep in prayer
Given over to the circumstance did it really matter
They called up Mother Superior to ask of her advice
As it was fish Friday, she said some other time

From out of the fathers prayer book a letter it did drop
The contents in it was not news that he could readily cop
A decrease in his annual stipend had on this day been proposed
On reading about it his knees quickly became indisposed

As he wondered how he would pay for his chalet in France
Or the expensive clothes he liked to wear to the local dance
Along with his butlers and half a dozen maids
In all of his high living never once did he think to save

A litany of poor monetary decisions had brought O'Day to his knees
No divine intervention would undo his futile freeze
Coveting the high-life on a paltry priestly wage
Would awaken him to a lesson of that more like a sage

Instead of falling into all man's sinful desires
He should have first consulted with his Higher Power
We all see it so plainly there's not much you can say
Except another valuable lesson learned from Father O'day

Another year, another Father's day
Too long since mine has passed
Still holding tight the memories
Of the man that I called Dad

He did with me the best he could
Teaching me what he thought was right
Never turn your face my son the evil ways
When it comes to justice stand and fight

Always respect your Mother
Loving her the best you can
And when you see those with little hope
Lift them up with the kind word of friend

Valuable lessons that my Daddy gave
I can't begin to tell
He is with my other Father now
In Heaven where all is well

If I could be half the man my Father was
Remembering all he thought was right
Like being the best Dad for his kids
Then I will have served out well my purpose in life

Another year, another Fathers day
Another year since mine has passed
Still holding tightly to the memories
Of all the good times that we had

He did with me the best he could
Teaching me what he thought right
Never turn your face my son to evil ways
When it comes to justice always stand and fight

Always respect your mother
Loving her the best you can
And when you see those that have no hope
Lift them up with the kind word of friend

Valuable lessons that my father gave
I can't begin to tell
He is with my other Father now
In Heaven where all is well

If I could be just half the man
That gave all of himself
Then my goal in life will be fulfilled
To be the best Dad and nothing else

Another year, another Father's day
Too long since mine has passed
Still holding tight the memories
Of the man that I called Dad

He did with me the best he could
Teaching me what he thought was right
Never turn your face to evil ways
When it comes to justice stand and fight

Always respect your Mother
Loving her the best you can
And when you see those with little hope
Lift them up with the kind word of friend

Valuable lessons that my Daddy gave
I can't begin to tell
He is with my other Father now
In Heaven where all is well

If I could be half the man my Father was
Remembering all he thought was right
Like being the best Dad for his kids
Then I will have served out well my purpose in life

Another year, another Father's day
Too long since mine has passed
Still holding tight the memories
Of the man that I called Dad

He did with me the best he could
Teaching me what he thought was right
Never turn your face your to evil ways
When it comes to justice stand and fight

Always respect your Mother
Loving her the best you can
And when you see those with little hope
Lift them up with the kind word of friend

Valuable lessons that my Daddy gave
I can't begin to tell
He is with my other Father now
In Heaven where all is well

If I could be half the man my Father was
Remembering all he thought was right
Like being the best Dad for his kids
Then I will have served out well my purpose in life

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
These are the three
I need the most
With them at the helm
I am able to cope
A smidgen of faith
A handful of hope
Throughout the day
I am never alone
With the three
I need the most
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

I'm sure everyone alive
Has heard of Father Time
Well, he and I were once the best of friends

Until I reached the ripe old age
He up and gave his soul away
When he saw our friendship near its end

Always had him by my side
Where we both had the best of times
Sometimes I wish we could do it all again

But something that I failed to see
Was Father Time grew old with me
As surly as this old man lives

I'll just have another slice of cake
As I give another year away
Holding tight to the memories of what we did

Thinking back to the time
When he was a good friend of mine
But now a days who am I trying to kid

At first he takes your hand
Leads you gently across the sand
Takes his time in his long stride
As you consider him a friend

In thoughts of younger days
He seems to stand in place
With knowing smile he crimps your style
As you have no need to wait

Then in the blinking of an eye
Time quickly slides you by
Now holding hands in the swirl of quicksand
Too many questions as to why

Coming to the age old turn
Finding you're too far immersed
And the crooked line with father time
Has finally run its course

sitting in the corner there
are some of my deepest darkest fears
with their backs against the wall
so they can keep an eye out for

the ones that slip underneath my bed
as i lay down my weary head
that like to hide out from the light
and love to come out in the night

to slide along the cold chilled floor
to open up the closet door
so more fears can invade my room
and fill my mind with doom and gloom

that leaves me often shivering
until the light of morning brings
some relief from being scared
in my room with my deepest darkest fears

I collect feathers in all kinds of weather
I find lying about on the ground
Not sure if you've seen but I'm building get away wings
Where one day I'll pick up and fly South

Spending time on the beach, far out of reach
From the hustle and bustle of life
That today's society has forced on me
Time after time after time

I'll use Elmers glue to stick feathers to
A frame that I'll strap to my back
Then with a running start on that day I'll depart
Never once looking back

Taking time out for me as I'm flying free
On this, my latest endeavor
Doing my best to keep, this side of sanity
From one end of this life to another

Oh look, there's another feather...

For years now I've been collecting feathers
Cause one day I'm going to up and fly
Pull up my landing gear head straight out of here
The only limit being the sky

I might even shoot for the Moon
As most days that is my mood
I'm not really into space I just need to get away
And not come back anytime too soon

So I'll continue on collecting these feathers
In hopes that one day I'll fly
My way out of here slamming high the gears
With the only limit being that of the sky

You took my feelings
And made them hurt
You took my feelings
And ground them down into the dirt

I hid my feelings
All these years
Till you found them
And added tears

You took my feelings
As if they were on loan
Now my feelings
I no longer own

Except the one
That behind you left
The only feeling
That makes me sad

we fuss over this
we fuss over that
who cares who is right or wrong
when it's feelings over facts

who gets to decide
who tells the biggest lies
a lie you find is still a lie
whether black or white

what if you don't know
a lie is what you're told
does it then make it innocent
if you pass it on

if it were up to me
if it were up to you
wouldn't we both want to be
ambassadors of truth

somewhere along the line
somewhere along the way
we can see we can't believe
a single word we say

i find it rather sad
diving headfirst into the deep
before we even check the facts
all based on our feelings

which has us fussing over this
fussing over that
not caring who is right or wrong
these feelings over facts

some have got
others not
neither happy
with their lot
in life
where few are satisfied

some have more
more or less
wish they had
what others have
in life
where few are satisfied

guaranteed
foolishly
jealously
plants a seed
in life
where few are satisfied

some are born
rich after all
others have
to always crawl
in life
where few are satisfied

i have mine
you have yours
on the hunt
for something more
in life
where few are satisfied

This field we're in is but a test
Where we'll come clean or turn out a mess
So many things we must address
Which way do you lean

Some struggle strong along the way
While others say it's a piece of cake
There's much to gain from our mistakes
Either erase or press repeat

How many here would volunteer
When what's ahead is none to clear
In the wondering of, what are we doing here
The water's getting deep

With life in hand, we take it on the chin
More than once if not then and again
If not a total loss, does that mean we win
In all the things we need

Feel free to add it to the list
One way or another we'll make it through this
Don't change the channel, it is but a test
In the wiping of our slates clean

Good friends don't
Let friends drink and drive
The last thing he said to me
Before he drove right out of life

That very moment
I watched him drive away
Haunts me in my memories
Haunts me to this day

With the attitude
Of it can't happen to me
The opened hand of death
Welcomed my friend in tragically

Now I don't know if I should
Be the one to laugh or cry
Because my good friend had offered me
A ride home that night...

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

i've taken up finger painting
with self portraits my specialty
i have a hard time staying in the lines
with all the pinks, yellows, blues, and greens

never once have i used a mirror
i rely solely on memory
if i made my art any clearer
not sure if it'd look anything like me

i start off each painting with something in mind
so it's hard to tell which look fits me best
as my fingers swirl adding colors and curls
making each portrait different from the rest

Do you at times find yourself going this way and that
Moving rapidly to the right and the left
As you travel roads from the East to the West
Out there placing life's bets

Do you generally take the ups and the downs
As well as the ins and the outs
Looking ahead as you leave it behind
Figuring out what life's all about

Do you tend to take the good with the bad
Righting the everyday wrongs
Willing to take the happy as well as the sad
In the humming of your life's song

Do you hide yourself out in plain sight
Not speaking unless spoken to
Are you right now reading this silently out loud
As it points its finger at you

fingers serve a purpose
in case you didn't know
the one you tend to point with
also picks your nose

the pinky at times digs deeply
removing wax so you can hear
is dainty at tea parties
holding itself aloof up in the air

with its next-door neighbor
who says...put a ring on it
men in this could care less
but women live, breath, and want it

and let's not leave out the middle
who lashes out in anger
when of course you add the voice
the faster the finger gets there

as an added feature
there's the thumb that tags along
helping you to get there
be it somewhere else or back home

so, use your fingers wisely
and they'll reciprocate
keeping them close to you for ready use
to easily display from your pocket safe

...because you never really know these days
when you might perchance need a good wave

I've never been much good with my hands
Which makes me wonder why by my side they linger
The only purpose I see they serve
Is holding onto all of my fingers

And the first one holding on seems to delight
In the pointing out of others wrongs that it finds
While the one playing dumb we call the thumb
Hangs around for the hitching of rides

I never use the middle one
Trying to do my best in love
And there's no use in raising the bar of anger
By flipping somebody off with the *******

Then there's the one that holds the ring
That brings on the smiles of remembering
How very blessed a man I am
To have married such a beautiful queen

And last but not least need I even mention
Not one to miss a meeting
Is the little pinky raising the bar
When afternoon tea I am drinking

Like I said
I've never been much good with my hands
Except to hold onto my fingers
Well, you know the rest...

Have you ever stopped long enough to think about fingers
The five on the left as well as the five on the right
The purpose they serve in serving us as well as serving others
And truly how much they help us out in our daily lives

I use mine in the morning to hide the first of many yawns
They're ready to snap into action at the sound of my command
If you use your fingers properly then you will not go wrong
Now that I think about it, without fingers where would be the hand

I count on my fingers to help with so many things
I also use those same fingers to count the things I have
Of course I don't have enough fingers to count the things I think I need
In fact I think that many fingers might look a Tad to Rad

Without fingers we couldn't point and say things like...Looky There!
Or show our displeasure at other motorist, though I would never dare
And where would we place our wedding ring to show our love we care
How about taking tea with royalty with our pinky's in the air

So you see fingers do serve a purpose now that I've delved deeply into it
And we do have ten in case we lose a few in accidents unforeseen*
But if I ever lost the one with which I pick my nose
*Take your finger, pull the trigger...and put me out of my misery

Oh can you see
Do you believe
In love at first glance
Given the chance

Or do you think
That you might need
A second look
Before you’re hooked

One that would last
Forever at best
Do you need a sign
A reason why

Would you give it a try
Love at first sight
If given the chance
For love at first glance

He still remembers his first love
Often thinks back to the time
Innocent, young, and then some
Continues to run across this old man's mind

Back when High School held them
As they held each other's hands
In their daily druthers, knew it would last forever
Until together they made other plans

One moved North for the Winters
One stayed down South with the sun
Kept in touch till it became too much
Then shared their love with another one

With no regrets from the past
It's something we must all go through
As far as we know no one goes it alone
This part of our growth that sets the mood

To help us remember our first love
As failing minds slide back to the times
Of when innocent, young, and the some
Tends to run across old men's minds

If there's a lie
To be told
I'll tell it by
This old fishing hole

About the size
Of my latest catch
And how it broke
My steel cast net

And how I jumped
In the water deep
To not let it
Get the best of me

Wrestling that fish
Up to the shore
About the size
Of a compact car

And then when
The whole town came out
Where I fed them all
Hand to mouth

They had their fill
And enough to save
Another meal
For another day

I insist
All this went on
The other day
By the fishing hole

Most everyday
It's what I do
To tell the truth
Would I lie to you

how can we hide
all that we have
after we find
the earth is flat
where we clearly see
from side to side
the edge of the abyss
is both left and right
there should be a sign
that says hold on tight
they have kept it from the skeptics
the secrets where they left it
for all that it's worth
in case you haven't heard
here is the dirt
on the flat earth
the main theme that runs deep
that all here should know
the flat earthers have chapters
all around the globe

Floccinaucinihilipilification
Is what I strive to write
Something so rare with finesse and flare
That will open up any minds eye

A poem that celebrates the beginnings
And lets go gracefully of the end
A poem that when it is written
Will lift the weary heart of man

That when you open up life's pages
Here is where you'll find
Floccinaucinihilipilification
In all that it is that I write

I'm in cahoots with my mind
To dream up a pair of wings
Strap them on my back to fly
Off on the next waiting breeze

All I need do is close my eyes
Search real deep until I find
My imagination running double time
And set my mind to flight

There ain't no telling where I will go
Anywhere I choose
But first and foremost will be due North
While whistling an in-flight tune

All I need do is close my eyes
Wave reality a quick bye, bye
Search real deep until I find
My imagination double time

And set my mind to flight...

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

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

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

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

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