Can you for once
Focus on my wants
Not my needs
Or my faults

Put the time
Towards listening
Sit back, relax
Not say a thing

All I really
Need is a friend
Above all else
Just listening

As I hang my feelings
Out to dry
To gently nod
Along in silence

Someone to focus
On my wants
Not all my needs
Or my many faults

If you're looking for answers
To your many questions
Needing direction in what you should do

If you're undecided
On which side is lying
What you are buying is your choice to choose

When one side says my way
The other says no way
And which side is okay you haven't a clue

If one side says turn left
The other says right at
And what you are left with is more than confused

When wild windy deflection
Keeps leaving you guessing
With many more questions than bean lovers toot

You might want to think twice
Before you ask advice
Wouldn't it be nice if all said was true

Instead of listening to others
And their drooling druthers
Your ears you should cover and just listen to you

there's a little black spot
on my soul today
more likely than not
it'll go away

out of sight out mind
it tends to grow
if i don't take the time
to feed my soul

there's a little black spot
on my soul today
out of control
with the mess it makes

staying out of God's word
heart, soul, and mind
all i tend to hear
are the same old lies

there's a little black spot
on my soul today
much bigger than that
of yesterday

the closer i get
to the end
the less that i have
in righteousness

there's a little black spot
on my soul today
like it or not
it won't go way

unless i let go
of full control
i'll never get rid of
this spot on my soul

I think of all the little cowboys
Riding around in toy cars
Learning valuable life lessons
As tiny arrows pierce their hearts

When I think of little cowboys
I think back to yesterdays
When I too was a little cowboy
In all my cowboy ways

And how little cowboys love little cowgirls
That feel at home on the range
How they ride and rope and rustle
All of the live long day

When the little cowboys day is over
They hang their spurs up for the night
Thinking back on the days adventures
As they live out the cowboy life

Soon sleep takes the little cowboys
In their pajamas made of jeans
Riding the range at night by campfire light
As they lasso all their dreams

As we go about our business
In our every day to day
Not a thought of who might listen
To everything we say

Deep into our adulting
Making sure that we are clear
Little eyes are seeing
Little ears can hear

With generations new to the scene
And those next up to bat
There's a certain obligation
The ones before them have

When little ones are like a sponge
Soaking up everything we leave
Little ears are listening
Little eyes can see

And who do you think they look up to
But the ones that they admire
Hoping every move to emulate you
The kindling to their fire

As we make our way through life
It's best we mind our P's and Q's
As the little ones are watching
And listening to me and you

between her breast
a vile she carries
of a blind child's tears
mixed with the dust of fairies

giving off a warmth of comfort
in her time of need
a magical glow
that intercedes

her favorite time to go outside
is when she hears a storm approaching
she loves the feel of rain upon her face
reminding her of nothing

and that's something little missy needs
to sooth her longing soul
she would gladly trade all in life she's saved
if for a moment true love she could hold

You take your little lie
Dress it up in white
Clean it up a bit
Then start believing it

Would you know the truth
If the truth bit you
And would it leave a mark
Upon your hardened heart

If on it you shine a light
Does it prove to not be bright
Try and take itself aside
Bleach sharpened teeth a pearly white

Put on some darkened shades
So as not to give itself away
Hate to break it to you
But we all see that it's not true

We've been living in the future
Since yesterday has passed
What will be tomorrow
Is anybody's guess

Will there be rocket ships to give us lifts
To where we want to go
Or sit on the couch and figure out
It all with mind control

Will we still gravitate to stuffing face
Or take our meals in pills
And will I still avoid the ones
That are clearly marked vegetable

Will the sun still shine on
To illuminate mankind
Or will our pasty complexions
Come from electric candlelight

Will we solve all of our problems
Yet still hang on to a few
Smoke em if you got em
After all what have we got to lose

While living in the future
With yesterday long gone
When it comes to tomorrow
What could possibly go wrong

Finkle Rat and Derby Cat
Opened up a specialty shop
Which was running rather smoothly
Till kids teeth began to rot

For what it was they sold were
Candy apples, Sugar Cubes, and Lemon Drops
With Fizzie Soda to make their quota
On the loaner they had got

You see the latest shipment of Fizzies
Came from the loan shark Marco Mole
To save themselves a buck or two
Our naive friends both sold their souls

And Marco doesn't care about
Any kids or their rotten teeth
Cause he also owns a piece of Charlie Cockroach
The dentist down the street

My daddy loved the Loblolly Pine
Always there to help remind
Him of his innocent childhood days
How in a breeze those tall trees would gently sway

My daddy above everything else
Loved the sweet scent of the Loblolly smell
It was well understood every chance he could
He'd drop what he was doing and head for the woods

My daddy spent the best of times
Living out his life with the Loblolly Pine
That is why we buried him beneath
The high shifting shade of his favorite tree

I'm learning so much these days
Social mediating my way through this life
Like how to get away with things that I say
Which most times aren't very nice

It's really not that big of a secret
Anyone can join in on the fun
Just throw an LOL! on the end my friend
And you can insult most anyone

For example, you're the worst person in the world LOL!
Simple enough...see what I mean?
As you let the truth fly the wise in their own eyes
Have no idea of what they've just seen

So let's all try this together
Everyone line up single file
Wait! You call that a line?! Are you people out of your minds?!?
Do you all have beans for brains? LOL!

I think you all now get what I'm saying
I think I explained it rather well
Unless your all just a bunch of dim witted Neanderthals
Oh I almost forgot.....LOL!

I'm learning so much these days
Social mediating my way through life
Like how to get away with things that I say
Which most times aren't very nice

It's really not that big of a secret
Anyone can join in on the fun
Just throw an LOL! on the end my friend
And you can insult most anyone

For example, you're the worst person in the world LOL!
Simple enough...see what I mean?
As you let the truth fly the wise in their own eyes Have no idea of what they've just seen

So let's all try this together
Everyone line up single file
Wait! You call that a line?! Are you people out of your minds?!?
Do you all have beans for brains? LOL!

I think you all now get what I'm saying
I think I explained it rather well
Unless your all just a bunch of dim witted Neanderthals
Oh I almost forgot.....LOL!

who came up with the word, loneliness
the concept of being alone
if i had to guess, i'd have to say this
it was someone with no one to love

when you're out amongst the crowd
and can't seem to fit the slipstream
there's little doubt all you think about
is what lonely really means

when it's only you with the answers
to all of your questioning
no one to call or draw ideas off
you'll quickly find that you're lonely

stuck in the middle of loneliness
hand in hand with no one
you learn to accept, you're all by yourself
in this world of being alone

there are those forever lonely
but are they ever truly alone
inside a crowd, they never stand out
where few can tell and less even know

spending their life on a burner
to the left, far in the back
not a page-turner, slightly above a murmur
forgotten soon after they're met

living a life out that's lonely
can be a hard sell on the soul
with the question raised, if only one day
lonely would let itself go

Hello, this is Lonely calling...
Remember when we sat in your room and did nothing
We sat there for days with nothing to say
Then you found a friend and gave me away

I'm just calling to say that I want you back
I miss all the nothing in the nothing we had
I find by myself there's more nothing to do
Which makes me more lonely than I was lonely with you

Hello, this is Lonely calling...
I'm pretty sure this is your number I'm dialing
Are you so busy you can't give me the time
The least you could do is pick up the line

After all that you and I have been through
You'd think you could give me a minute or two
I guess if I had I could do with another
Could you dump your new friend and send them right over

Hello, this is Lonely calling...
How could you leave me this way without even knowing
All of the heartache that I would go through
Missing all of the nothing that we used to do

Hello, Lonely still here...
Just thought you should know if you even care
I certainly wouldn't have called so much if I had known
That what you most wanted from me was to be left alone

Hello, this is Lonely calling...
Remember when we sat in your room and did nothing
We sat there for days with nothing to say
Then you found a friend and gave me away

I'm just calling to say that I want you back
I miss all the nothing in the nothing we had
I find by myself there's more nothing to do
Which makes me more lonely than I was lonely with you

Hello, this is Lonely calling...
I'm pretty sure this is your number I'm dialing
Are you so busy you can't give me the time
The least you could do is pick up the line

After all that you and I have been through
You'd think you could give me a minute or two
I guess if I had I could do with another
Could you dump your new friend and send them right over

Hello, this is Lonely calling...
How could you leave me this way without even knowing
All of the heartache that I would go through
Missing all of the nothing that we used to do

Hello, Lonely still here...
Just thought you should know if you even care
I certainly wouldn't have called so much if I had known
That what you most wanted from me was to be left alone

When did we all start walking backwards
When did we stop listening for the truth
Was it before or was it afterwards
Crazy was set on cruise

It wasn't like this in the beginning
Does this mean we're nearing the end
Is this how Satan makes his living
Throwing blinders over the minds of men

Have we been played for a song off key
To the tune of hold on tight
I remember when wrong used to be so lonely
Now lonely has a hold of right

Crazy now comes in different flavors
One for each day of the week
Twice on Saturdays to share with the neighbors
Cartoon crazy at it's peak

Yet to some this all seems normal
Where right is wrong and wrong is right
Which makes me think we're headed for trouble
All loose change without any dimes

Humming along to a song off key
To the tune of hold on tight
I remember when wrong used to be so lonely
Now lonely has a hold of right

Thought that I was strong enough
To not break down and cry
This world is full of long hello's
As well as fast goodbyes

I may know the how
But never know the why
This is meant to haunt
Me throughout this life

When I got the call
We all seem to hate
Where they all tend to stall
As well as hesitate

Wish that I had known
But find that I'm too late
To try and test the steady grip
On the relentless hand of fate

That day they chose for you
A suit of bitter blue
I know that you would rather have had
A very different view

Than the one, death forced on
The moment you were caught
A once vibrant life, stuck inside
A felt lined wooden box

To have your Mom and Dad
Sitting down in front
Both kicked in the head
With the pain of sucker punched

I feel that it's not right
For a parent to lose a child
I pray each day I never have
To ever find that out

With heavy sigh I've found that I
Will never be strong enough
To not break down and cry
And all of it because

I can clearly see the how
But never know the why
This world is full of long hello’s
As well as fast goodbyes

Oh Snap
The jig is up
Caught red handed
With an overdue book

There's nothing to sneeze
As the Library Police
Roughed little me up
And slap the cuffs on me

Said book was due
Back in '92
They don't play that game
Or whistle that tune

Paraded out front
In the Police lineup
As the Librarian screams
That's the crook, lock him up

Now crying I find
Myself doing hard time
As that overdue book
Lingers on in my mind

Slapped with 3 years
Ironing book marked dog ears
Time off with good behavior
If I obey while I’m here

But the hardest part
Like it or not
They stripped me of my dignity
And took my library card

We're all looking for something
To spend our something on
Like a leaf looks for a breeze
A singer looks for a song

Some look for what matters
Some don't care at all
Some are looking for a lift out of this
While others look for a fall

Some flowers like people are looking for Spring
So they can begin again
Some look for the Winter to spill its chill
Putting this all to an end

Some are looking for this and that
Some only looking for this
Sweet 16 by any means
Are out there looking for their first kiss

Some are looking for answers
As problems in life abound
Some are looking for their inner voice
But have yet to hear the sound

Some are looking at a broken heart
In hopes that it will heal
Some have lost the fact of who they are
And only show up for meals

Some are looking to join the crowd
Some to be left alone
Some know where it's at but have yet to grasp the fact
Like when a poet looks for a poem

This poem is out looking for a song
With a desperate need to be sung
To dive in deep with a melody
Taping out in rhyme to a 3/4 beat

This poem can barely keep
Itself from a three part harmony
Knows it would never tire if it made the choir
Letting the bass go low to its alto

Doing what it can to be in the band
If you've never rhymed you wouldn't understand
As far as a mile is long
Is the need for this poem to be sung

Look what I found when I opened my eyes
I found a world much like me
Though we may share different views
We all want to see the same things

Look what I found when I opened my mind
I found we all think much the same
In this world we think that it's time
For all of mankind to make a change

Look what I found when I opened my heart
All the cares of this world
I never knew what those cares were
Until the day I opened my heart

Look what I found when this I realized
We all want happiness and a chance to be free
Look what I found when this I realized
The world's pretty much like me

As I set out
To jot down this poem
I had no earthly idea
Of what would transpose

And who all would be
Joining along
I'm as surprised as you
To these goings on

I don't recollect
Any of this being nearby
All the glimmer and glamor
Catching my eye

With my mind letting loose
In the wondering why
All of these characters
Are invading my rhymes

There are seals riding trikes
Uniformed Taiwanese
Clowns and their like
With smiley faced knees

Lepords in tights
Like we need more of these
A Kardashian or  two
To put our minds at ease

Daryl Hall and John Oates
Singing loud 80's tunes
And what would be a poem
Without a cow jumping over the moon

Or a chimpanzee
Swinging through the stanzas with ease
Using the tails of snakes
Like a flying trapeze

There's even a racoon
By the name of Rocky we know
Using his Boogaloo
To sweep dust from the poem

And look it's Bob Hope
Selling soap on a rope
To keep it all clean
With a rated "G" tone

With so much going on
Inside of this poem
Guess it's best I stop here
As this has gotten rather long...

Me and you
And the rest of the crew
Spinning through space
On a ****** balloon

Filled to the brim
With the hot air of man
Knots and screws coming loose
Out on the fringe

Without a clue
Of who let us loose
Busting a move
On this ****** balloon

As we flip and we fly
Slide side to side
This way and that
All along for the ride

Ashes to ashes
Space dust to dust
How much is enough
Before this thing busts

If not now
I'm pretty sure soon
Putting an end to
This ****** balloon

humming along
to this ****** tune
the only song that we know
this side of the moon

eagerly skipping
tripping over ourselves
as the men in white suits
wonder who let us out

what is the harm
in all that we do
holding ever so tight
to this ****** tune

been kept in the dark
thinking we're free
at least that's what they lead
us to believe

with nothing to prove
it's all that we do
humming along
to this ****** tune

i look at you
and see a loon
absent from the bin

humming to
a crazy tune
somewhere off in wonderland

this speeding elevator
see you later alligator
short of a few floors

as you gargle
your loose marbles
insanely spilled out on the floor

the loose screws
used to tighten you
are all stripped of their thread

while the voices that
you laugh with
are all inside your head

leaving the thoughts that
you often build with
short of a few bricks

which leads me back
to where this started at
you loonie with no bin

This old skin
Is wearing thin
The longer it sits
On this skeleton

And the longer it sits
The wrinklier it gets
Yet there's still some fit
So I must not be done yet

While some spots hold tight
Others hang loose
My epidermis I find
Hasn't a clue what to do

As it does it's bit
The looser it gets
One day I believe
It'll sink past my knees

Then maybe I'll tuck
It into my socks
And buy bigger shoes
For my skin that hangs loose

A tad bit loose
You wear it well
This wrinkled suit
In which you find yourself

Thread bare
To the bone
This suit you've used
For who knows how long

Scuffed and scraped
Patched and sewn
Once priced high
Now bid low

Shimmered, shined
Once colored bright
This now loose suit
Past trimmed and tight

This worn out suit
You now have on
You’ll wear it well
Till you buy the farm

Lord,
Turn my eyes from worthless things
That which do not matter
Like the dust blown on the breeze
Or no rungs on a ladder

That which gives the world pleasure
Keep far from my heart
Where you are is all that matters
Bring me close to where you are

Lord,
Turn my heart from worthless things
Let it beat in your pleasure
May your love flow in and out of it
Blessings beyond measure

Let all that I've been given
Be given back to you
May my heart beat bold till days of old
Always in time with your truth

Lord,
Turn my mind from worthless things
Keeping me ever mindful of you
In knowledge grow as your word is sown
By your Spirit I'm renewed

May I think about you often
As I make it through my days
Contemplating all you are
Keeping me mindful of your ways

Lord,
I guess what I am asking
Is for your Holy Spirit true
In all I am and all I can
May my all be filled with you

Lord,
     *You see me as a saint
     While I see myself a sinner
     You see me on the next page
     As I'm stuck on this one dog eared
     You see me as beyond myself
     I see me where I'm at
     You see me like nobody else
     Please help me to grasp that fact

Lord,
     You see me through your sacrifice
     I fall down on my knees
     You see me through the breath of life
     In you I need to breathe
     You see me in pure love
     A love I'd love to have
     You tell me that you are enough
     Please help me to grasp that fact

Lord,**
     *You see me in eternity
     I see myself finite
     You see me beyond the veil of humanity
     I've yet to turn on that light
     You see me as your greatest creation
     I see all that I lack
     Over me you have elation
     Please help me to grasp that fact

When promises made aren't promises kept
And the rash of the day fills my troubled head
When the freedom I thought I had runs out on me
Putting a taste in my mouth more bitter than sweet

When the truth that is told is more of a lie
With time moving on in the passing by
When there seems no way here that I can pull through
Lord, I lean on you

When the mountains I climb are much to high
And the surrounding darkness threatens to put out the light
When in the belly of the whale is how I mostly feel
Daily served up as a three course meal

When the world looks at me and bears its angry teeth
Finding myself once again in way too deep
When I no longer know what I can do
Lord, I lean on you

When it's been too long and much too late
And far too often that I've felt this way
When the aches in my bones want to give up all hope
And my mind doesn't know which way to go

When the peripheral door is locked with no key
Losing  precious sight of what's in front of me
When there's nothing left and I need all that is true
Lord, I lean on you

In hiding my sin
You show me love
Pouring me out
To fill me up
From guilt's misery
You set me free
Proving again
Lord, it's you that I need

When I'm running out
You take me in
Walking in doubt
Taking hold of my hand
Who better yet
Than the lover of me
Proving again
Lord, it's you that I need

When my heart cries
You dry the tears
Losing my sight
You calm my fears
When I feel like packing it in
You never leave
Proving again
Lord, it's you that I need

Keep me running where I'm going
Keep me looking straight ahead
Keep me always facing forward
Never looking back

Keep me focused with a purpose
Keep me reaching for a goal
Keep me in your loving arms my God
Never let me go

Keep me moving in what I'm doing
Keep me on a solid track
Keep me dreaming of tomorrow
And not dwelling on the past

Keep me forever in your shelter
Where you alone fulfill my needs
Lord all I have is all I ask
That you please keep me

Lord only knows
What I am feeling
Deep down inside
What I'm going through
My head is reeling
With the dealings I'm dealing
In need of spiritual healing
Ain't it the truth

Lord only knows
Which way the wind blows
Why when I'm told
I don't follow through
Still hold to the hope
As my faith grows
With his help I cope
Ain't it the truth

Lord only knows
What's coming next
In him there is rest
He's the living proof
On him I am making
The firmest foundation
There is no time wasted
Ain't it the truth

Never been so scared in my life
At what I'm about to try
But it's been going on far too long
And I feel now is the time

Hours and hours spent on end
In a constant mindless loop
Staring at this thing in front of me
A brainless zombie with no clue

I must muster up the courage
At what I need to do
Can't say that I'm not worried
To tell you the honest truth

Okay breath deep, one, two, three
It all will be okay
It's my only hope, set down the phone
And simply walk away...

Mind if I ask if there's anything left
When it comes to common sense
With Band wagon outside you jump on for the ride
Not caring if it's East or West

Where you carry the tune of a marching buffoon
A Lemming at the edge of the cliff
No one's leading the charge, you just think that they are
...crowd control at its best

As you continue to do what they tell you to
More common but very little sense
Where I used to laugh now I find it sad
As no one seems to check the facts

You can boo hoo and cry, chase butterflies
In this fantasy world you live
Cover your ears along with your eyes
Could you cover your mouth instead

But alas you're in the loop of monkey see monkey do
Here's a little secret that can't be kept
What you thought you once knew no longer rings true
That has a lot to do with the lack of common sense

Mind if I ask if there's anything left
When it comes to common sense
With Band wagon outside you jump on for the ride
Not caring if it's East or West

Where you carry the tune of a marching buffoon
A Lemming at the edge of the cliff
No one's leading the charge, you just think that they are
...crowd control at its best

As you continue to do what they tell you to
More common but very little sense
Where I used to laugh now I find it sad
As no one seems to check the facts

You can boo hoo and cry, chase butterflies
In this fantasy world you live
Cover your ears along with your eyes
Could you cover your mouth instead

But alas you're in the loop of monkey see monkey do
Here's a little secret that can't be kept
What you thought you once knew no longer rings true
That has a lot to do with the lack of common sense

finding no rhyme nor reason
trying not to give in to fear
is this just a passing of season
the reason you're no longer here

only faint memory graces these pages
long gone song filled our hearts and our minds
time slipping away with the ages
lost alice...i'm still hoping to find

              ...lost alice
        once stood on this corner

                                   ...lost alice
                                laid open her scars

   ...lost alice
threw caution to the wind

                          ...lost alice
                  do you know where you are

you stood in your whirlwind of poetry
often letting the demons give you a ride
did they come back to pick you up
are they now in the front by your side

"this is what happens when i step off the path"
the last words you tore from life's page
if i knew what door i'd let you out
or are you lost alice...the rest of your days

finding no rhyme nor reason
trying not to give into fear
is this just a passing of season
the reason you're no longer here

only faint memory graces these pages
long gone song filled our hearts and our minds
time slipping away with the ages
lost alice...i'm still hoping to find

              ...lost alice
        once stood on this corner

                                   ...lost alice
                                laid open her scars

   ...lost alice
threw caution to the wind

                          ...lost alice
                  do you know where you are

you stood in your whirlwind of poetry
often letting the demons give you a ride
did they come back to pick you up
are they now in the front by your side

"this is what happens when i step off the path"
the last words you tore from life's page
if i knew what door i'd let you out
or are you lost alice...the rest of your days

Who are we trying to kid, life to men
Is like a massive refrigerator
Where every time we try, we struggle to find
Enter stage left, the moderator

To show us the way through this giant mind maze
That daily gets out of hand
Where all that we need we can't seem to see
Without the help of a good woman

When the look on our face is a far-off gaze
They know just when to step in
To help a fella out, deep seated in doubt
To exactly where the item is

Where lo and behold wouldn't you know
It appears right in front of us
Within arm's reach and easy to see
Where would we be without a woman to trust

...to find everything for us

The closer I get to my destination
The further away it all seems
The more I reach out for reality
The deeper I fall into my dreams

My dreams are like grains of sand
They blow away on the breeze
My heart is broken in shattered pieces
My happiness all to quickly leaves

But then my dreams run into you
A single dune on my life's beach
Where they pile up in wonder
Love just within reach

I embrace the love freely given
Into the sky I release my pain
My dreams finally come true
Showering blessings with falling rain

a tattered couch for emphasis
yellowed photograph in hand
memories of a time
as a younger man
had himself a family
beautiful wife to hold his hand
but along with it all
came along life's demands

back then he called it providing
the years that he went missing
to himself he was lying
though he kept insisting
absent husband, absent father
would seldom make it home
when he finally did
he found himself alone

the children never knew
the dad who said he loved them
hard to see it any other way
missing father, missing husband
with them no longer here
and he no longer able
to hold back the tears
but now able to say so

to a yellowed-out photograph
sadly in an empty room
if only he had known
what his fortune would lose

How many of us have made the mistake
Of losing friends along the way
Wake up one morning and they're gone
Sitting there wondering what went wrong

As memories of them flood back in
With one question of why another of when
Where the mind takes less than it gives away
The heart is so fickle in the games that it plays

As you look around at the friends you have now
Wondering how long till they're gone themselves
Is it going to go down early or late
And are they sitting there thinking the same

I had a Haiku
Was going to share with you
But it got misplaced