if you find yourself fresh out of love
and there, decide to give it up
i have plenty, more than enough
and will gladly give you all i've got

if your day to day gets hard to face
and you feel you need to hide away
be it early, be it late
i'll be that secret place

if you find you need somewhere to fall
i'll be the arms to catch it all
never again will you be lost
to always have to hold

Though this world may shiver and shake
Feel the quake from its mistakes
Not knowing what it's supposed to do
Spin through space without a clue

Show up empty show up late
Where every day seems a blind date
With no idea or master plan
Filling in the best it can

Tilt either direction in mid twirl
Through it all you'll still be my girl

While most alive are shoved aside
To a place there's no place to hide
There is you and me through it all
Each other's net lest we should fall

No matter what the world pours out
In its emptiness in its daily doubt
I'll take all of you that I'm allowed
Soon enough to find that out

You are both my sickness and my cure
And through it all you'll always be my girl

I'll hold you with all I've got
Every move and every thought
Love will be strong in my stand
Giving over all I can

Where no two days are the same
In the form of early in the shape of late
With the world no longer spit and shine
And no green grass on either side

You will always be my hidden pearl
And through it all you'll always be my girl

You can be a man of peace
But there will come a time
When you find the least of these
Must stand up and fight

If you let a world of bullies
Continue to beat you down
You have the right to stand and fight
Pick yourself up off the ground

For far too long with time drawn
Taken advantage of
It's your turn now to win a round
******* tight the boxing gloves

Backed into a corner
Up against the wall
When you find no options left
That's when you make the call

To come out of this swinging
Who can really blame
You for any reason
When you up and loudly proclaim

That you're a man of peace
And hold tight the right
When you find that there's a need
To stand up and fight

The character of a man
Can be best explained
In the way they act
When no one's watching them

Do they do right in the way
When there's no one there to say
Do they hold tight to the line
Time after time after time

A lot can be said
About the character of a man
In the way they act
When no one's watching them

long ago
and far away
lived a man
with much to say
if you don't know
let me explain...

he'd tell the time
so you're not late
and weather of
the coming rain
with calendar
he'd say the day

he'd tell the girls
that they look nice
and all the boy's
to watch their eyes
cross your "t's"
dot your "i's"

he'd tell you where
things you could find
over there
and look behind
if you don't care
then nevermind

brought before
the king and queen
who needed meaning
to everything
the sky of blue
the sea of green

explained it all
with all his might
well into
the late of night
wisdom and knowledge
he did recite

the king and queen
were both impressed
they made the man
an honored quest
much to much
to tell the rest

so long ago
suffice to say
far away
let me explain
lived a man
with much to say...

You might look at me and see
Someone who is fast asleep
One that is in desperate need
A strong amen indeed

Then there are the other days
You will find me wide awake
All of it for heaven's sake
Oh Lord, this I pray

I'd rather have a steady flow
In my upward steady growth
All of it for this I know
God is always in control

No matter what my day is like
Walking straight the razor line
Or on a roller coaster ride
I give it all to Jesus Christ

Who knows me well and still loves me
Gave his life to set me free
The rest my friend is history
A strong amen indeed

From America's coast to coast
Along all it's cities streets
Is the country that I love
From sea to shining sea

From the beauty of the Blue Ridge
To it's vast Kentucky grass
I love the New York City sky scrapes
As much as the Rocky Mountains pass

There's no more beautiful of a sight
As the Atlantic's morning sunrise
Or standing by the Pacific
Watching as the sun says its goodbyes

I love the mystery of the Bayou
Down Louisiana way
As well as the shinning beauty of
All of Minnesota's lakes

All the way to the mountain tops of Washington
To the open sky of the Mid-West
From Chicago and its urban blues
To the jazz played in Memphis

Whether up and down the Eastern seaboard
Or along the coast out West
All that's seen in between
Nothing more and nothing less

Is more beautiful in all the world
God has truly blessed America
Home of the Brave, land of the Free
America, my country

America is broken
Which has most of us bent
For years now we've been hoping
But never sure of when

They'll sweep up all the pieces
And give us back our share
America is broken
Does anybody care

America is broken
And short on super glue
Which only goes unspoken
For those without a clue

We dream of pieces we hope to find
But chances are they're lost
America is broken
Leaving us to count the cost

Land of the free
Home of the brave
From sea to shining sea
In between golden waves

From the fields farmers plant
Across the vast Mid-West
In this Americana Panorama

Northern cities touching sky
Scrapers lighting up the night
As the Carolina shore
Echos back the oceans roar

Along the Texas plains
Where freedom loves to sing
In this Americana Panorama

With the Grand Canyons openness
To Alaska's wilderness
The mountains majesty
Powerful in its reach

In all the time that's spent
There's no other way to live
In this Americana Panorama

The colorful blue fescue
On a Kentucky afternoon
Under a Live Oak tree
With Spanish moss as company

To the California sunset
Being the last thing said
In this Americana Panorama

Land of the free
Home of the brave
From sea to shining sea
In between golden waves

From the fields farmers plant
Across the vast Mid-West
In this Americana Panorama

Northern cities touching sky
Scrapers lighting up the night
As the Carolina shore
Echos back the oceans roar

Along the Texas plains
Where freedom loves to sing
In this Americana Panorama

With the Grand Canyons openness
To Alaska's wilderness
The mountains majesty
Powerful in its reach

In all the time that's spent
There's no other way to live
In this Americana Panorama

The colorful blue fescue
On a Kentucky afternoon
Under a Live Oak tree
With Spanish moss as company

To the California sunset
Being the last thing said
In this Americana Panorama

Barreling down the highway with the highbeams on
Blasting out the music to a rocking song
In a fog so thick you couldn't cut it with a knife
Blind to what's ahead of us on the American billboard sign  

Forget about kilometers, what is that in miles
Waving of the Red, White and Blue with a goofy smile
Only slowing down long enough when we feel it's time
For another slice of that good old fashion American pie

Find ourselves oblivious to the world outside
Not concerned with anything as it passes by
We're just as proud as we can be with the vehicle we've got
Though it's getting hard to see in this American fog

Foreign flowers on the roadside bending to our speed
As we check ourselves in the rearview liking what we see
Doesn't really matter much to us or so it seems
As we drive down the highway of our American dreams

American kids
Drive Japanese cars
With loud cranking music
30 Seconds to Mars

Wear Italian designer
Hipster blue jeans
All apart of
The American scene

With the sporting of tats
Bring on the change
Imagine that
They now all look the same

American kids
Frequent Sushi bars
With piped in top forty
From English pop stars

Spending minimum wage
On German beer
Names they can't pronounce
Cause they're not from here

Try as they might
Can't point on the map
Where they have been
Nor where they are at

American kids
You can't understand
Because they are
American kids

Let's sit back, relax
And all count out the cost
As the initial wave of shock
Wears itself thinly off

One side had to win
While the other side sadly saw
The beginning of the end
In what is now their loss

But aren't we still Americans
When all of this is said
Some voted with their hearts
While others with their heads

No need to roll over
And wish that you were dead
With history in the making
We've all gone through worse than this

While a select see a set back
To others it's a gain
What may have come as a flood
To some it's needed rain

True a few must lose
For another cause to win
But when it comes down to it all
Aren't we still all Americans

Let's sit back, relax
And all count out the cost
As the initial wave of shock
Wears itself thinly off
One side had to win
While the other side sadly saw
The beginning of the end
In what is now their loss

But aren't we still Americans
When all of this is said
Some voted with their hearts
While others with their heads
No need to roll over
And wish that you were dead
With history in the making
We've all gone through worse than this

While a select see a set back
To others it's a gain
What may have come as a flood
To some it's needed rain
True a few must lose
For another cause to win
But when it comes down to it all
Aren't we still all Americans

She graciously rolls up her sleeve
For another mainline of hype
America's a ******
You can see it in her eyes

She must really crave it
She keeps coming back for more
America's a ******
Her dealer is media the *****

They feed off each other
No way to pass the blame
On the streets of long lost innocence
On a night of goodbye shame

America's in the ally
The needle dangling from her arm
While media hits the corner
Waving down the passing cars

Are we to late for intervention
Are we to late to find a cure
For America the ******
And her dealer media the *****

With the foxes guarding the hen house
And the chickens running loose
Where would we all be by now
If we had the freedom of choice to choose

Running around with our heads cut off
As they pluck us to the bone
In which to stuff their king & queen size beds
With what little left we own

What used to be normalcy
Let the four winds blow
These days it's more than hard to keep
Foxes in their holes

With nary a hint of the secrets they've kept
Sly foxes that they are
Please be our guest to the latest mess
America's chicken yard

I've come to the conclusion
That my life's a wreak
Poetry strewn all about
My house the biggest mess

So here I am in the middle of the den
In a pile of poetry on the floor
A desperate man with phone in hand
Since I can't seem to find the door

I call up a Psychic
I call up my Shrink
I call up the local Priest
To ask them what they think

They say there is no hope for me
Through the static on the phone
Right before they all hang up
I hear...boy you're too far gone

So I grab a hold my bootstraps
Pick my own self up
Determined to have this problem licked
With prayers and major luck

Starting in on this poetic clean
One thing that I found
I wrote on just about anything
That I had laying around

There was poetry on party napkins
On Chinese take out meals
Tiny poetry on tiny matchbooks
Even on banana peals

Poetry on the chandelier
Poetry on my cat Floss
Poetry on ***** dishes
I wrote with spaghetti sauce

Poetry on the mirrors
Smiling back at me
Poetry on Seinfeld
Across my T.V. screen

Poetry on the kitchen tile
That's never seen a mop
On the doors going in and out
And places I dare not look

I started cramming it all in boxes
Lining them up and down the halls
Soon had them in every room
3 feet deep and 8 feet tall

I made 15 trips to storage
The biggest one that I could find
Feeling now it's nice and safe
All packed tight, warm and dry

When it all was over
Feeling relief from that major chore
Set down in my den, took out my pen
And started writing more...

I've come to the conclusion
That my life's a wreak
Poetry strewn all about
My house the biggest mess

So here I am in the middle of the den
In a pile of poetry on the floor
A desperate man with phone in hand
Since I can't seem to find the door

I call up a Psychic
I call up my Shrink
I call up the local Priest
To ask them what they think

They say there is no hope for me
Through the static on the phone
Right before they all hang up
I hear...boy you're too far gone

So I grab a hold my bootstraps
Pick my own self up
Determined to have this problem licked
With prayers and major luck

Starting in on this poetic clean
One thing that I found
I wrote on just about anything
That I had laying around

There was poetry on party napkins
On Chinese take out meals
Tiny poetry on tiny matchbooks
Even on banana peals

Poetry on the chandelier
Poetry on my cat Floss
Poetry on ***** dishes
I wrote with spaghetti sauce

Poetry on the mirrors
Smiling back at me
Poetry on Seinfeld
Across my T.V. screen

Poetry on the kitchen tile
That's never seen a mop
On the doors going in and out
And places I dare not look

I started cramming it all in boxes
Lining them up and down the halls
Soon had them in every room
3 feet deep and 8 feet tall

I made 15 trips to storage
The biggest one that I could find
Feeling now it's nice and safe
All packed tight, warm and dry

When it all was over
Feeling relief from that major chore
Set down in my den, took out my pen
And started writing more...

Sometimes all the time we get
Is a quick minute or two
In the lives of others
With that time what do you do
Do you take that spot to lift them up
In what they're going through
When all the time you have in their lives
Is a quick minute or two

Do you show them loving kindness
To help them through their day
Never knowing who in front of you
Touched their lives along the way
You might be the difference
When a difference needs to be made
Which could be all the difference in the world
With what you do and say

Not really sure I’m ready
For the day I die
Never been that steady
When walking along this crooked line

I say that I love Jesus
But how much of that is true
Is that just a line I feed upon
To try and make it through

When I get to Heaven
Standing at the Pearly Gates
With the lip service I gave him
Will that be the day God hesitates

Straddling the fence
More often than any man could count
I just hope through all of this
God’s righteous judgment doesn’t count me out

If I’ve relied on works alone
To work my own salvation out
The only thing that it would show
Would be the worship of myself

And if that is all I have
I’m much worse off than I thought
I need to give it all to Jesus
And the healing grace of God

I remember this movie when I was young
That moved me beyond tears
Ain't it funny how I still remember that
After all these many years

It had no stars that were famous
That it could brag upon
There were actually only four players
But very skillfully focused on only one

I remember the film was in black and white
Color would just get in the way
Of the true meaning of this mans story
And what it was they had to say

It was about a Confederate solider
A loser in his war
About to be hung from off a bridge
The film never did say what for

In fact I don't remember any words
Ever being said
That hits me now as being strange
More than it ever has

His hands were tied behind his back
With the noose around his neck
As they pushed him over the bridges side
To what I felt was certain death

The rope ran towards its deadly course
But snapped in half under the strain
Next shot was of the solider swimming away
As the bullets around him rained

He walked for days through angry woods
Till he came to a dirt road
Ahead of him a Southern Mansion
As the story it unfolds

On the front porch waiting for her love
The sweetest of Southern Belles
The love you saw between them both
No spoken words could ever tell

As he approached the steps with just two left
His love held out her hands
That's when his head snapped back as the rope around his neck
Reached its final end

She often costs more than she's worth
Yet other times the greatest show on earth

She rides me constantly when I do wrong
Then plays up to me like a carnival song

You never know where her mood will swing
She'll close up shop and say it's time to leave

Other times she likes to clown around
With the biggest of smiles that lights up the town

I love her so I must confess
Though I never know what's coming next

She has certainly been a roller coaster ride
A house of mirrors with no one more confused than I

Keeps me laughing and guessing wherever we are
My girlfriend the amusement park

She often costs more than she's worth
Yet other times the greatest show on earth

She rides me constantly when I do wrong
Then plays up to me like a carnival song

You never know where her mood will swing
She'll close up shop and say it's time to leave

Other times she likes to clown around
With the biggest of smiles that lights up the town

I love her so I must confess
Though I never know what's coming next

She has certainly been a roller coaster ride
A house of mirrors with no one more confused than I

Keeps me laughing and guessing wherever we are
My girlfriend the amusement park..

Could someone please stop this ride
Could someone let me off
I've purchased tickets, paid the price
But failed to count the cost

I'm afraid this fun ride that I'm on
Of rhyme inside my mind
Is stuck on a continuous loop
And I can't get off this time

Or this emotional rollercoaster
As it's picking up in speed
On its madding course with rhyming force
Will keep me pinned down in my seat

I just would like one minute in life
Where I can sit back and relax
Not wandering the house of mirrors
Playing poetic mind games with myself

But this rhyming rhythm beat
Has a power all its own
I believe my mind will be stuck in rhyme
Long after it's closed down...

We no longer need
The Russians and the Chinese
To be our enemies  
When there's you and me

Like water and oil
This mixture will take its toll
On both the young and old
Poured out on our American soil

This spewing of hate
We've had as of late
No progress is made
Nor strong foundation laid

If no purpose other
Than the need to come together
And love one another
Brother to Brother

We know this because
A divided nation will fall
With nothing left after all
Will you heed the call

and...
when the time arrives to the day of gray
hard of hearing, brittle *****
sitting in silence, what can you say
captive to your lost thoughts alone

and...
when the clock slows down in time
friends swept under the rug
dimming of memory, melting candle light
waiting to succumb

and...
this will happen on the cuff
those lucky to survive
placed out of the way if you live long enough
for the remainder of this so called life

Conditions were fought
As we planted our hearts
In righteousness
Then prayed for rain

But the desires of this world
Sowed weeds in our souls
Then took its toll
When the locust came

...and the locust came
with a hunger unguarded
the goodness we sought
to swallow it whole

...and the locust came
in record numbers
rolling like thunder
stunting our growth

Daily we're met
By the plans of man
We readily accept
But don't dare take the blame

Then wonder at
The troubles we have
Till there's nothing left
When the locust came

...and the locust came
in turmoil and emotion
first went the mind
the heart soon followed

...and the locust came
slipping and sliding
while we weren't watching
through the backdoor

And* I love you still
as I always will

When hard times are thrown our way
hand in hand we both will stay

The truth will intercede
filling both our wanting needs

End the days of doubt and fear
hold you close as you hold me near

Comes** that day I'll love you still
as you know I always will

andy comes in campbell cans
tomato soup black, white, and red
squeezed out pop until it bled
art is all in andy's head

andy do you dare to dream
pinks and yellows, blues and greens
the day you popped onto the scene
do you know just what i mean

marilyn's golden in her day
elvis skates in figure eight's
64 the riot race
moon museum from outer space

andy smokes the cigarettes
andy crosses his long legs
yellow hair on top his head
is your 15 minutes up my friend

andy's made it all so clear
andy drew so we could hear
it has been too many years
andy can you paint my tears

I want to be free...

From everything
That holds me back
Free from the confidence
I too often lack
Free from the guilt
Of things I have said
Free from the secrets
That I have kept

Free from the thoughts
That I'm not enough
That share the same space
Of why, just because
Free from the lack
Of forgiveness
For my fellow man
In whom I think less

Free to be happy
With who I am
Free from the thoughts
Of you know you can't
Free from the lies
That my mind often spreads
All the negative vibes
That fill my head

Free from the worry
Of what others might say
When I first awake
Not to dread another day
Free from the bad
Decisions I've made
Free to find love
And have them feel the same

I need to be free...

Here's a newfangled poem
Never seen before
With lines set to rhyme
Ready to take on the world

Bound to amaze
Leaving you flabbergast
One of a kind
Unlike all the rest

A treasure trove
Of pirates' spoil
This newfangled poem
Is out to make noise

Will leave you dumfounded
Pull you from the doldrums
A hodgepodge of hokum
All that and then some

Rings its own bell
Blows its own horn
Rides onto the page
Via winged unicorn

On a jabberwocky journey
Kerfuffle at best
Yet no need to worry
Putting quibble to rest

Here to bowl you over
Like a major king pin
Scrapes itself from the gutter
In time for the win

This poem with no purpose
In a newfangled way
The truth is well worth it
In what it has to say

She's an angel but flies no more
As it's hard to soar with ***** wings
One thing or another has me wonder
If this angel still can sing

And if she does are they tunes of love
Or sad songs dressed in blue
Would she have flown through this world alone
If she had known what this world could do

As it takes the place of grace over her angels face
Where only the secrets know where she's been
Hoping again to find that inner light to help her fly
This angel with the ***** wings

i'm going to try and make it a night
without a single rhyme
put down the pen that my poems come in
slap on the end before i even begin

i won't go back and forth
with any form of rhyme or verse
i'll just let this night
run out its own course

i'll spend time with the family
without that goofy glaze
the one where they say, here goes oh great
another night of poetic haze

i will feel the free
that words won't have on me
as I make it through
a night of blissful peace

So here goes!

A night that has no poem!

Oh, wait a minute...this is a poem isn't it.

Crap....
....nevermind.

I'm going to try and make it a night
Without a single rhyme
Put down the pen that my poems come in
Slap on the end before I even begin

I won't go back and forth
With any form of rhyme or verse
I'll just sit back and let this night of all nights
Run out its own course

I'll spend quality time with the family
Without that goofy gaze
The one where they say, Oh Great!
Another night of poetic haze

I’ll feel loose as a goose, fancy free
That words won't have hold of  me
As I make my way through
A night of blissful peace

So here goes!

A night that has no poem!

Oh, wait a minute...this is a poem isn't it.

Well shoot…

....never-mind.

Everyday I get up
Animal crackers are what I stuff
Into my pockets to make it through the day

They're not only my passion
But also great on nutrition
And comfort food in the sweetest of ways

They give me something to chew
And also nice to talk to
With the lions and tigers and bears, Oh my!

Animal crackers and me
Have a commonality
From spending time in the circus to our love of pie

They're really great conversationalists
As we share our many interests
From Tupperware to scuba diving to pocket lint

Now you know why
I pack my pockets tight
When going about my business makes so much sense

There's whispering among the animals
They've come up with a master plan
As soon as darkness falls down upon
They're taking the place of man

This is years now in the making
To late to call the plan quits
For the comforts inside they are aching
The rebellion has arrived...this is it

First those that have been domesticated
Will slip a little summum, summum in masters tea
The shackles that have held our furry friends down so long
Will be loosened and they'll finally be free

The doors will be swung wide open
Letting their long lost relatives in
It's been years since they've been able to party like this
Gentlemen...let the festivities begin

All the people in the world when they do wake up
Will be doing it underneath open skies
The only question that will run through their minds is
Who, What, Where, and Why

While the animals will be inside frustrated
Where the 24 hour weather channel is on
Because it's nearly impossible to change channels
On the remote when you have no thumbs

What are we supposed to do
When you say we're in the way
You're the one who invited us in
And now you say that we can't stay

Being miles away from yesterday
And the place we once called home
Now you tell us, pack your bags
And that we all have to go

We didn't come looking for a fight
Just peace and harmony
What will it take for open eyes
To see the light of humanity

We're all just trying to do better
And make something of our families
Isn't that what really matters
In the broad scheme of things

Wouldn't it be better if we came together
And built this up in both trust and love
After all, as I recall
You're the one who invited us...

Me: So Mike, tell us a little bit about yourself...

MH: You should know that...your me.

Me: I know but I'm interviewing you...

MH: Isn't that a bit odd?

Me: Yes but your to lazy and cheap to hire anyone and we both know you'd have to pay someone because no one is that interested in you...
I'm you and I'M not that interested.

MH: You do have a point there!

Me: Okay...shall we start over? Are you ready to dive in deep?

MH: You bet!

Me: If you could be any color you wanted...what color would that be?

MH: Wow! You don't play games! That is deep! Can I get back to you with that?

Me: Sure....but you know me.

MH: Yes I do Mike and that's just one of the many things I admire about you.

Me: Why thank you Mike!

Me: How about, if you were a tree....

MH: Woah....Your blowing my mind here!

Me: How about we start with something simple....Can you remember the first poem you wrote?

MH: Not line for line but I do remember it was in the 7th grade to my first girlfriend...something about her turning around and seeing the boy in love with her...
Of course that boy was me.
I'm sure it also had lines in there about her flaming red hair and massive freckles and who doesn't love those! Her name was Fresca Schmertz....a true beauty!

Me: That's great but could you keep your answers short? We don't want to lose the readers...

MH: Yes

Me: Good...so how long after that did you discover you were an amazingly talented poet (his words, not mine)

MH: Yes

Me: Yes...what.

MH: You asked me to keep my answers short....so I am

Me: But that's not really an answer.

MH: Okay, then maybe

Me: Maybe?!  That doesn't even make any sense! This just isn't going to work!

MH: I think its going great for someone who's talking to them self....

Me: Arghhhh!!!

To be continued?

M. Before we start I notice this interview is titled Part 3. May I ask what happened to Part 2?

MH. Well there was that little incident with the fire but we really don't like bringing that up...

M. Fire?...

MH. Epp!!

M. But how...

MH. Epp!!

M. Did you..

MH. Epp!!

M. Okay, shall we just get started?

MH. Sure, Why dwell on the past...

M. So Mike you've been on HP since March. How do you like it?

MH. Hallucinogenic Psychedelic's? I've actually been on those for years! Why I remember back in the 60's...

M. I was talking Hello Poetry...

MH. Oh...well isn't that embarrassing...

M. Ah....yea

MH. Do you see that?

M. See what?

MH. Never mind...

M. So what about Hello Poetry?

MH. What about it?

M. What do you think of it so far?

MH. I love it!  I feel I've really grown as a poet here. Some of my pieces lately I've really had to dig deep into my ******!

M. You mean Psyche...

MH. No I'm pretty sure I mean ******...

M. OKAYYYY...So what type of poetry do you enjoy writing the most?

MH. I kind of go with the flow...whatever poops I mean pops in my head!

M. Could that have been a Freudian slip?

MH. You've got me there! You do know me as well as I know myself Mike!

M. That I do!

MH. I guess when it comes down to it I really just have fun...I never take myself serious.

M. Well this has certainly been informative!  I'm sure our one reader will enjoy this...

MH. Do you see that?

M. See what?

MH. Never mind...