Every day you see him on the streets

His lifes possessions in his cart

You  look at him and turn away

Is that the way you want to start?

He walks around the streets all day

HIs world is only where he walks

But, when he gets too close to you

You find that you're the one who balks

He's never done no harm to you

In fact your lives may be the same

He may just feel the same for you

And you're the one who should feel shame

His life is in that shopping cart

It's full of years of where he's been

He may not have a home like you

He may not have a next of kin

He may live like this willingly

Though you look at him as mad

You see, he's not the issue here

It's you and that's what's sad

He's searching for a better life

Or is he...no one knows

For no one takes the time to see

Just where this poor soul goes

He doesn't want your pity

But a hand up would be kind

A hand out he's not looking for

But they're so hard to find

He lived up in the ivory towers

With a family, working hard

Now he lives among the forgotten folks

With his boots re-soled with cards

You can ask him if he needs a hand

But you wouldn't dare to speak

Because that would put you near him

And that's not ground you seek

Is he harmless, well you just don't know

Is he mad or lost his way

Is he loony, well that's doubtful

He found a cart to push this way

His life is in the boxes

And the bags inside the cart

Next time you see him, don't avoid him

Show him just a little heart

I knew a man, this independent

He showered at a self serve bar

While he cleaned, I'd leave a coffee

And then I'd attend to the next car

He always smiled as he was leaving

A whistle always on his lips

You never knew where he was headed

As he left to go out on his trips

Three times a week, just like clockwork

He would show up just to wash

Three times a week I'd leave him coffee

And each time he'd leave feeling posh

You see him daily in your travels

He's the king of where he's been

So if you see him while you're walking

Give a smile, don't look so mean

For, he's the one who has no problems

Maybe he has got it right

It may not work for you or me though

But it works for him tonight

Each day you see him with his old cart

But you turn away from view

Handicapped...he isn't..but just maybe

The handicapped one here is you..

She wears t-shirts of the Beatles

And she loves the Rolling Stones

She wakes up to David Bowie

And she dreams of the Ramones

She goes out to dance clubs nightly

Till her ear drums both get blown

But, she has a deep dark secret

That her friends will never know



At night when she is by herself

When the room is nice and dark

She slips beneath the covers

With Johann Sebastian Bach

She's a closet classic ******

And her name is Amber Clark

She just loves orchestral music

The rock and roll is just a lark

Her friends think something classical

Is something for your folks

They cannot play an instrument

They cannot read the notes

They think that  chamber music is

What people play on boats

But she has a deep dark secret

She loves the stuff that Chopin wrote

At night when she is by herself

And her friends have gotten ******

She slips beneath the covers

And she listens to some Liszt

She listens to it many times

In case there's things she's missed

She's a closet classic ******

She has "Baroque" upon her wrist

She listens to the music

That her friends like to be cool

If she told them what she listens to

They'd laugh her out of school

So, when they go out  clubbing

She will join them as a rule

But...ah that deep dark secret

This girl is no ones fool

She listens to Beethoven

And she knows each piece by heart

She knows where one bar ends

And another one will start

She can play most every instrument

And she knows most every part

She's a classic closet ******

But she still knows Boyce and Hart

She has cds in her library

And most sit there untouched

When her friends are gone they don't get played

She doesn't like them much

She would rather hear a symphony

By a composter who was Dutch

But there's that deep dark secret

And she won't use it a crutch

At night when she is warm in bed

She listens to Mozart

She needs a little Nacht Musique

To open up her heart

It's a piece that sets her mind a blaze

It hits her like a dart

She's a closet classic ******

And she keeps her worlds apart

By day she sings Bruce Springsteen

At night she listens to

Composers that her friends don't know

They're so old they're new

So she keeps her world a secret

For she knows what they would do

If they found she didn't know

Where were you in sixty two

But at night she is a ******

And she listens to Mozart

She needs that piece of music

To shoot an arrow through her heart

Eine Kleine Nachmusic

She conducts every part

She's our Closet Classic ******

shhh.....the song's about to start...

I was drinking at the Legion

The place wasn't really busy

But there was one man at a table

Who made me really dizzy

He was waving all around the room

He was really in a zone

The funny thing about it

He was sitting all alone

He spoke in quiet whispers

And he heard silent replies

From chairs that sat there empty

He heard their mournful cries

He had a beer before him

But he never left his chair

And no one sat beside him

It's just like he wasn't there

So, I went about my business

Playing darts and shooting pool

Buying tickets for the meat draws

Watching young ones acting cool

The other active members

Who'd spent some time in battle

Always checked to see his beer was full

As he sat there spouting prattle

It's unwritten at the Legion

You never ask about the war

You just revel in their company

That's what the place is for

There's veterans who'll tell stories

Of years gone bye and bye

But, you never ask a question

"Did you see somebody die?"

The Actives know their station

The young ones though do not

It's because of all the Actives

They've got all that they've got

As time went on I wondered

The story of this man

So , I went and asked the barkeep

He said "I'll tell you what I can"

He served two brews and wiped a glass

He stood flashing a smile

"You'd better grab a chair my boy"

"This here might take a while"

I sat and listened as he talked

About this man distressed

He told me "His name's Harold"

"And you can say his mind is messed"

"I've been working here for twenty years

And he's been here twice that

He's never moved from that **** chair

That's where Harold's always sat"

He got up once to fill a glass

And then came back to me

"When I came here, I had just got home

"I'd been fighting overseas"

"From what I heard at first" he said

"Harold's always been that way"

"And as you can see from watching"

"He'll always stay that way"

"He's lost inside his mind you know

To June 6  in forty four"

"We both know that as D-Day

"But he knows it as more"

"It was Juno Beach from what I've told

he landed with his squad

Over 14,000 Canadians

And now most lie with God"

I then got up and went outside

I said "I need a break"

I went out for a cigarette

For this tale had made me shake

I went back in, got two more beers

And sat right down again

"His whole platoon went down that day

They'd lost 3,000 men"

"There was Harold and 300

"others who survived"

"But living life inside their heads"

"I think they'd wished they'd died"

"He lives with Jean, his sister"She's been there all his life

"She put her life on hold for him

"She's never been a wife"

"She pays me for his beer every month

"And says to keep some for me

"But a penny's never crossed my bar

"You see ...Old Harold drinks for free"

"I give her money now and then

"I say he won a draw"

"Just for showing up each day I say

"just that and nothing more"

I went and grabbed a bar rag

And I wiped my teary eyes

I then paid for my drinks and

I left fifty bucks besides

He said your bill's eight fifty

What's all the extra for?

I said that he could keep it

Or just put it in his draw

He nodded and he smiled

And I left the bar for home

And as I left I watched poor Harold

On Juno Beach, his mind, his home

I came back three months later

And I saw no Harold there

There was now an empty table

And now, four empty chairs

"Dear God, it's you"....the barkeep said

"Grab your coat, come with me"

"Harold died on Saturday"

"And his funeral's at three"

He died a war time hero

But still a prisoner all the same

And down at our old Legion

Very few knew Harold's name

When we got out to the gravesite

I expected to see more

But there was just Old Harold's sister

The priest and us two...made it four.

We said a prayer, and sang a Hymn

He was back with his Platoon

He was back on Juno Beach again

Where his life ended that June

It's a shame that no one came out

To see him on his way

But, there'll be me and Bill the barkeep

Every year and on this day.

Phone calls were made, meetings were held and the new group was set to get started

There was lots to be learned and so little time for the lessons to all be imparted

The plan was immense, it was larger this time and the time was going by fast

They would all act as one, getting everything done and their goal was to not finish last

It was done every year, in the schools through the town, it was something the kids all enjoyed

But this year was tough, with all the closings and stuff and the fact there was more unemployed

Each school was set up to blitz through the town and to collect all the food that they can

But with more on the list and those who would surely be missed were the ones who set last years plan

Team leaders were picked in each group at the school, and their job was to get this all done

And to beat last years tote by at least one more pound and to make sure that it was all fun

Pep rally's were held to get the students involved and help motivate those involved

But with more needing help and less firms out to help, they had problems they had to get solved

On December the first, the kids all set out ringing bells in the malls and the stores

From there they would go with buses and trucks and collect food by knocking on doors

The school who did best bringing in the most pounds would be win a cup and awards

But to all those concerned, they had to get out and blanket the town in great hoards

People backed out from tasks all assigned, It was cold and they had too much to do

There was homework as well, and jobs on the side and alot wouldn't see the task through

But they all persevered and the food all came in, cans and boxes and crates and in bags

There was food left at school from donators unknown, just good wishes all written on tags

The goal was to raise an amount more than last and to do it in twenty two days

The total to date was behind just a bit but there was still time to make this year pay

So with one last great push the students went out and they held one last drive at the mall

If they collect one more ton, then all would be done and they could all know they answered the call

On Christmas Eve morn the principals met and they said they had all reached their goals

They shook all their hands and they stuck out their chests for they knew that they'd fulfilled their roles

The students were told at assemblies too, and the food was dropped off through the town

They had beat last years numbers by about fifty pounds even though they all thought they'd be down

So for all those they helped for the one day that month, where they had Christmas dinner and laughter

Was brought  back to earth by one voice in one school, who asked "What would these families eat the day after?"
.

I sat down to watch the radio

There was nothing on TV

I have two hundred channels

But there was sweet F.A for me

I could have watched one channel

And learned to fricasse

A chicken raised on wild grains

By a woman chef named Bea

I started checking channels

But I decided in mid flick

That I was getting tired

And I was also  feeling sick

So I sat and watched the radio

Since there was nothing on TV

I have two hundred channels

But there was sweet F.A for me

I worked on through the listings

English, French and some bad ****

There were movies on one station

That were made 'fore  I was born

Out of all the things I saw on there

The best show I could see

Was something shown in black and white

Made in nineteen sixty three

My TV s high definition

With cables left and right

But to find a show I'd like to watch

Was taking half the night

So I sat and watched the radio

Watching nothing happen fast

But as I sat there watching

I travelled bckwards  to my past

Still flicking through the channels

Trying to find something to see

I thought I'd found a hockey game

But it was all in Punjabi

So, I listened to the music

Watched the radio, passing time

Then I thought, why do I have this?

With what I paid, it was a crime

eleven channels showed the same

times 8 networks made

at least eighty eight tv stations

That didn't make the grade

Twenty two were pay for view

The French networks were ten

Then the networks there in Real HD

And so, it started once again

Pay for **** was fourteen strong

New shows added two

Weather, sports and info shows

Now I was at one eighty  two.

I could have bought alot of stuff

On informercials through the night

I could have bought Pro Active

But instead I watched the light

I turned back to the radio

With the station light in green

It was better than the tv set

And all the crap I'd seen

So, Tonight I watched the radio

There was nothing on TV

But as I sat there bathed in that green light

The music showed me all I need to see.

This Ain't a ******* Country Song

You know I love my Rock and Roll

I wouldn't write a Country Song

'Cause that's not how I roll

This song it ain't bout country things

Like pickup trucks and cars

You'll never find me writing

About getting drunk in bars

There's no mention here of Taylor Swift

or The Charlie Daniels Band

I wouldn't write of how the banks

are taking our farmland

This Ain't a ******* Country Song

You know I love my Rock and Roll

I wouldn't write a Country Song

'Cause that's not how I roll

I don't know **** 'bout Redneck stuff

like hunting dogs and guns

I wouldn't write of Daisy Dukes

showing off some hot babes buns

I won't write 'bout the Opry

I don't know all that stuff

Of Minnie Pearl and Grandpa Jones

And Mr. Roy Acuff

This Ain't a ******* Country Song

You know I love my Rock and Roll

I wouldn't write a Country Song

'Cause that's not how I roll

There's nothing here 'bout Bourbon

or of Racing through the fields

I don't know much about farming

or crop futures or of yields

I listen to The Rolling Stones

Trace Adkins I don't like

Lady A can go away

Kid Rock can ride his bike

You won't hear much about Zac Browns Band

or of food thats Chicken Fried

I might go to a hoedown

If I'd  just  up and died

My music, it fulfills me

It makes me who I am

But I'll stay away from country

songs, Cause I don't give a ****

No Oak Ridge Boys or Hee Haw Here

Hank Williams I won't buy

I'll never buy a Dixie Beer

It's a drink I'll never try

I won't sing about Kentucky

or of a Texas Yellow Rose

you know this aint no country song

Good god I hope it shows

There's no mohter, dogs or applie pie

no  fishin' in the dark

No Everything is Beautiful

No songs by Terry Clark

I'm really open minded

My friends they are the same

We won't buy country music

To us it's just so lame

This Ain't a ******* Country Song

You know I love my Rock and Roll

I wouldn't write a Country Song

'Cause that's not how I roll

I won't mention stuff you'll find

in songs by Nashville bands

There's nothing here about

watching football in the stands

I'll never write a country song

Cause country just ain't fun

Oh crap I just read this thing

And I think I just wrote one

This Ain't a ******* Country Song

You know I love my Rock and Roll

I wouldn't write a Country Song

'Cause that's not how I roll

"Hello baby, how have you been

You know I'm coming back there soon,

I'll get to tell you of things I've seen

As we sit beneath the moon

I miss you so with all my heart

And till we meet again

It's been rough to spend this time apart

So, I will wait until then.

To hold you once more in my arms

And look upon your face

You know I'll keep you safe from harm

You make my heartbeat race

We;ll have our wedding in the churchl that

We were christened in as kids

You know there church where we once sat

And as children we once hid

We'll soon be one when we are wed

Our family has begun

It;ll be like we both said

We;ll be stronger now as one.

You know I miss you every day

But you keep me alive

A safe return to you I pray

It's the goal to which I strive

It's been three years that I've been here

In this hell hole of a war

But I've been strong and shown no fear

With your love at my core

My time is short and I must go

Our squadron has to part

But in two weeks you know I;ll show

The love that's in my heart"

As I look out upon the  field

The green grass specked with white

I really think how beautiful

To see this scene so bright

There are those who've come beofre today

and stood here just like me

Of those who come for JFK

Who died in sixty three

You see I am in Arlington

To lay my love to rest

He died when he was fired on

With five more of our best

He wrote me that love letter

Post marked two weeks ago today

Our lives would be much better

When he got home from the fray.

His squad was taken quickly and

Not one of them survived

They're together now on sacred land

And my letter just arrived.

Hello baby, how have you been

You know I'm coming back there soon,

I'll get to tell you of things I've seen

As we sit beneath the moon

I miss you so with all my heart

And till we meet again

But now we're not so far apart

Now he's in Arlington.

As Santa your hear lots of things

of what children want as gifts

Some can't tell me what they want

But I think I get their drifts

They'll ask for dolls and games and stuff

And they'll ask me really  nice

It's not hard to find their favorite gift

since it's one they'll mention twice.

One year I had a bunch of kids

who came in to the mall

And until I met this one group

I thought I'd seen it all

I've done this job for twenty years

And things might seem the same

The toys out there that are alike

one that has another name

The kids all stay consistent

And many scream and  many cry

Although you know I just don't know

Though I've oftern wondered why

The girls want dolls, the boys want guns

And all of them forget

That the real meaning of Christmas is

the one they've not learned yet

They walk around and stop and stare

Before they get in line

Then they still act slightly nervous

Although they really know it's fine

to sit upon this strangers lap

And tell him your desires

For this man has Christmas Magic

And it's all that he requires.

Well, one year I sat and watched some kids

as they walked about the store

I saw them first at one o'clock

And now it's nearly four,

For three full hours they all watched

As other children cried

Two got in the line one time

But one stood to the side.

More time passed before this group

Came to share their Christmas list

But nary one child spoke a word

I thought, "there's something here I've missed"

I gave them each a candy cane

And I asked about some toys

I talked about some dolls and games

And things that made strange noise

But, they stood and stared quite thoughtfully

And they didn't make a sound

I looked to see if in the back

Their parents were around

When all at once the three stepped forth

and all held out one hand

And in their unfurled fingers

They held a plastic army man

A woman then stepped forward

saying "Santa, they won't speak"

"They've all been silent since last May"

"They've not spoken since that week"

"They just know their father's left them

and they think that it's their fault

that their father isn't here at home

And their crying just won't halt"

I pulled the children closer

And I said I'd do the best I can

To get them what they wanted

A real live soldier man

The little one stepped forward

And she didn't make a fuss

When she said " Santa Claus can you please...

I want  a soldier for Christmas!"

I knew I couldn't help her

But I said that he'd be back

When he'd finished all his service

He return home from Iraq.

It was then you know it hit me

Christmas meant much more than toys

There was one thing more important

To this little girl than toys

Now when children stand there silent

and they stare and look at me

And they stand there like a statue

I just think about these three

Who wanted something special

Something nobody could buy

And I hope they gottheir soldier

And he's safe home, by and by.

I hope our soldiers all get home

And they're safe and are alright

Now, Merry Christmas to all

And to all a good night!

T'was the night before Christmas, And at the back of the bar

Sat a man all alone, Lighting up a cigar

The waitress ran over and waving her hand

You can't do that here, Smoking is banned.

If you must smoke that thing, you can go to the street

And stay away from the building, by at least fifty feet

The man took a puff and with a voice like a croak

He said, "You're kidding, right miss? You're making a joke"

I'm sorry, but sir..I'm afraid that it's true

But the law is the law, and it's not only for you

That we must say **** out, please extinguish your smoke

So our place can be filled with other fine folk

For ninety two years I have walked on this earth,

I have broken no laws and you know what it's worth?

Bupkiss, no nada it's not worth a thing

Would that law still apply if I was a King?

I've been coming in here for 60 odd years

And I think I've consumed a truckload of beers

I've smoked in this corner on many a night

Now you say **** out, I don't think that's right.

I fought for this country at the end of the war

I came home with a war wound, and you know dear...what's more

I came to this bar to have drinks with my friends

Who all weren't so lucky and met terrible ends

They died on the beach, heart as big as a house

Taking on the unknown for their country, their spouse

They battled for honor, the right to be free

And they all weren't as lucky, to come home like me.

I was here in the sixities when Camelot died

I was here with my son, and we both sat and cried

It was that night in November, I remember it well

That my son said he'd joined up and was heading to hell

He had joined the marines and was all set to fight

For freedom and honor and he knew it was right

Because I'd gone before and stood with others like him

And I said just be safe, and come home son...my Jim

In the years he was gone, I came down here to think

Of why he was there and I shared smokes and drinks

With friends, all now gone from this world of distrust

Now they all lie beneath us, decomposed back to dust.

My son made it back and we came right down here

To spend time with our friends, both from far and from near.

The years passed us by and my grandson joined too

And we sat and we prayed in this bar, for we knew

He was fighting for freedom and the rights we hold dear

Like having some fun, over smokes and some beer.

He never came home from his war, don't you see

That's why we're sitting alone here, just you and me

Tonight is the night that his letter arrived

Saying "We regret to inform you...that no one survived"

So, each Christmas Eve I come back to this bar

To savor my memories and to drink from this jar

And I finish each year thinking of what now is gone,

Of my battle scarred boy and his now deceased son

Now, you come and tell me that I must go outside

To continue my smoking and so I'll abide

'cause for 92 years that I've been on this earth

I've broken no laws and you know what that's worth

Then the waitress reached back and she pulled out a match

From a box on the bar with a rusty old catch

She said Sir, I am sorry I didn't mean to offend

For this one night each year, the law I can bend

So please light one for me on this Christmas Eve Night

And Thank you from all who continue the fight.

Merry Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019

The wind was picking up

as she led them from the store

They'd bought all of their groceries,

They had no room for more

Young Willa and her sisters three

Looked over their short list

They had to check and check again

To see just what they'd missed

Willa led them home

Before the hail and rain came down

They would batten down the hatches

Before the storm battered the town

Her father was out working

And would not be home in time

To see that they were all in safe

To most, that was a crime

But, Willa took the girls inside

And kept them safe and warm

She made them all hot chocolate

To distract them from the storm

See, Willa was fourteen years old

A child too you see

But to her sisters, she had another role

That's not yet plain to see

Their mother left five years back

To find a better life

She was a failure as a mother

And was useless as a wife

So Willa stepped on up

And she took care of the young brood

While her father worked in Lansing

Making money for their food

Her friends did things without her

She was always taking care

Of her sisters and the household

For her mother wasn't there

She sacrificed her chldhood

While her friends went out with boys

She stayed home with her stisters

Doing homework,  making toys

There wasn't enough money

To buy toys for them all

But Willa made them something each

Something special, every fall

Her father tried as best he could

To get work close to town

But, there was no work out there

Since the Auto Plant closed down

So, Willa kept on working

As a mother to the girls

She would cook and do the cleaning

She would help with Lisa's curls

Her father knew her sacrifice

Was more than he could ask

But Willa, never shrugged it off

She was equal to the task

She knew that her poor father

Would never find another bride

For who would want a husband

With four children at his side?

So Willa, kept on working

And she put her dreams behind

And to childhoods joys and treasures

She pretended to be blind

Her sisters knew that Willa

was the rock that held them strong

And they did what Willa asked them

Whether right or whether wrong

Willa's friends moved on with out her

Some to college, some to work

But, this role that she had taken on

She'd never ever shirk

On Willa's eighteenth birthday

Her sisters gave her gifts

Some presents she would treasure

They would give her heart a lift

Her youngest sister Lisa

Gave her a brown teddy bear

It was old and slightly tattered

And it didn't have much hair

Willa held that Teddy Bear

For now it was her own

Lisa said "you love it"

"It's yours , now I have grown"

The second gift from sister Lee

Was a barbie with one eye

That didn't really open

And this made poor Willa cry

She gave this doll to lee when

She'd fallen down out back

She had got twenty stitches

And these were draen on the dolls leg

The next gift that she opened

From her her sister Kate

A small red book of poems

That her sister thought were great

The book was bound in leather

And it locked with a small hook

But it never really closed quite right

For the hook just never took

The final gift was from her Dad

In the box, a scarlett bow

And a note that said "I Love You"

"I just wanted you to know"

"I'm proud of the young woman"

"That you've grown into  alone"

"And I'm proud of how you've taken"

"And made this house a home"

Willa cried and took her presents

To her room, put them away

For today was almost over

Tomorrow was another day

She gathered up her sisters

And she ushered them to bed

For tomorrow's still tomorrow

That's what Willa always said

The day had been quite special

Made her forget all her strife

But tomorrow's still tomorrow

And we still must live our life.

I don't know where they are now

Or just where they do reside

But I do know that our Willa

Is one stronger than the tide

I'm sure that they are happy

And are proud from where they've come

Because of how poor Willa

Became their sister and their Mum.
.

Fire and Ice

Leather and Lace

Be one or the other

But do it with grace

Long skirts or minis

Sinner or saint

Just be who you are

Don't be who you ain't

There is no real reason

To put on a mask

Just think who you're hiding

There's no need to ask

They say there's a heaven

And there's also a hell

It's your choice where you're going

But, you never can tell

Are you buyer or seller

Are you leading the way

Are you one who's a worker

Or one who just plays?

Wearing high heels or sneakers

Stocking or socks

Are you dressed up all mousey

Or dressed like a fox

Leather and Lace

Sinner or Saint

Be just who you are

Don't be who you ain't

There's pressure around you

To change who you are

Is it worth all the trouble

For, you've made it this far

Your road's not determined

You choose the fork you should take

No devil or angel

It's your decision to make

But, whichever direction

You should choose to make yours

Don't burn all your bridges

Or close all your doors

The road is a circle

You can change it in time

But it's your choice to change it

Not hers, his or mine

The world is just waiting

It's there waiting for you

It's not just for men

It's a woman's world too

So, devil or angel

Sinner or saint

Just be who you are

Don't be who you ain't !!!!
..

Just off Highway 95

On the east side of the road

Sits a monolithic diner

Where the truckers all reload

The food's great and there's plenty

And the place is really clean

But the real reason they stop here

Is the Truck Stop Beauty Queen

She's a five foot 5 inch dynamo

A former Miss Biloxi Belle

She's a pepperpot of moxie

And a spirit you can't quell

Her hair's piled high upon her head

It's a blonde come from a bottle

Her attitude is bottle brewed

Her skin is slightly mottled

She holds court in the corner

At a little table in the back

She's telling stories to all who'll listen

And she's always talking smack

She talks about the drivers

All the people that she's seen

She's a former Miss Biloxi Belle

She's The Truckstop Beauty Queen

She used to wait the tables

Worked the till a little too

When a talent scout from Georgia

Took her back in fifty two

He sweet talked her like no one

That this girl had ever seen

He promised her the world that day

He'd put her on the silver screen

She left home in the dead of night

She left a note upon the car

You're better off without me here

And I'm better off by far

She was off to find her fortune

With her new man by her side

But by the time she reached Atlanta

She knew she'd been taken for a ride

She found out there was no future

He had no contacts, not a chance

There would be no movie stardom

She would not get to dance

She left but stayed in Georgia

She would build herself a life

She would make herself a winner

She would never be a wife

She took work in a small diner

And at night she hit the books

She was gonna help the others

Who'd be lied to for their looks

By sixty three she reached her goal

They called her to the bar

She was now  a full fledged lawyer

Could it be she'd come this far

She was adopted in Port Huron

Foster homes were all she knew

She made her mind up early

She would be one of the few

Who made it on her own accord

She would find a ticket out

Then one day in walked that stranger

That god ****** talent scout

She retired in the nineties

Though she will not say just when

And the day that she retired

She moved home to Michigan

She had no one there to meet her

When she came back home in June

She would keep her past a secret

She would sing a different tune

For she left to find her fortune

On the big old silver screen

She would come back home a winner

She would come back home a queen

She bought the little diner

On the side of ninety five

And by working there three days a week

She somehow came alive

She created little stories

Of a past she'd never had

She talked of her dear mother

And her tall,distinguished dad

The drivers loved to hear her

Tell her tales when they were by

And not one of then discovered

That her stories were all lies

She wouldn't ever mention

How she lived her life before

She would tell them just a litte

And she wouldn't say much more

She told tales of things of wonder

And of places that she'd been

And at one point she told how

She was a one time beauty queen

Now, we know that never happened

It was something in her mind

It was the reason that she left here

It was the dream she wouldn't find

But the drivers never questioned

And the diners loved the place

They came in all the time

To hear the stories, see her face

The diner was a gigantic

And three days a week t'was full

As they came to hear her stories

That they never knew were bull

The one they loved to hear

And the one she loved to tell

Was how that one day back in Georgia

She was the Miss Biloxi Belle

No one knew that she was lying

She was the best that had never been

But to all those at the diner

She was the Truckstop Beauty Queen

It's a life that never happened

Except for a few bits in between

It's the tale of Dinah Mussberg

The Truckstop Beauty Queen

Have you ever asked the question

How do pictures work?

They're just images of fleeting times

But worth a thousand words

I've got a box of thousands

In this box they're  safe at last

They're memories all stored away

Of my childhood and my past

What happened to those people ?

Who were captured for a second

I guess some died and some grew up

At least, that's what I reckon

Sad images and happy ones

Just echos never heard

But memories come flooding back

Each one....a thousand words

That holiday, the fishing trip

A birthday that was fun

Each just a sliver of your life

A time that is now done

Look back and you are younger

All those people still alive

That picture of you at the lake

Where you first learned how to dive

They all sit here inside the box

Not one can be discarded

For each one is a piece of me

Of how my whole life started

There's some I can't remember

Really, more than you should know

And some, well..there's that hairdo

That's just one I'll never show

You look at them and wonder

What possessed me on that day

To take a picture of that place

And now, I could'nt say

Most names are lost to memory

But the faces I recall

I might know who some are in them

But I do not know them all

I wish that as I see them

I could spend more time with them

It would be just something special

To share a moment once again

For now, the box is hidden

In a cupboard, in the back

A box of little snippents

That have made up my lifes track

You look at some and wish

You could always stay that way

But life is not a fairy tale

It isn't Dorian Gray

Best put the pictures back now

Bring them out in years to come

For their story of a thousand words

Must start with only one

Don't throw away one photo

For each one fills in a hole

They're  a picture of your being

And they all make up your soul

It's amazing how a picture

Wakes your mind, gives it a ****

Have you ever really wondered

Juist how do pictures work?

Now, I lay me down to sleep

In this dark, dreary December

If you awake and I am gone

What would you remember?

The way I laugh at little jokes

or how I drink my tea

The way I do the little things

Would you remember me?

If I had passed on in the night

would you think of how I looked

at ball games and at puppy dogs

and of all the things I cooked

My scent, would things remind you

of how I sometimes smelled

would you think of things I ******* up

and of all the times I yelled

If you awoke one morning

and found I'm not to be

what would you remember?

would you remember me?

If things did happen backwards

and I woke and you weren't there

I'd miss the way you smiled

The perfume of your hair

the ways your eyes did twinkle

when you had a special thought

of doing something naughty

of somewhow being caught

I'd remember things about you

of glances in the night

of how we worked together

of how we fit just right

I know that I'd remember

these things and more, you'd see

but I know, that I'd remember

But would you remember me?

Deep in the woods where the wild things roam

Back in the dark there are things

That happen at night when you'r all safe at home

When young men compete to be kings.

It happens each year when the falls fairs are on

These gatherings out in the dark

Thanksgiving arrives and the boys all move on

From these things that they do for a lark

The gauntlet's thrown down by the challenging swarm

To the winner of last years crusade

His blood doesn't boil, but it sure does get warm

Now that this years challenge is made

It normally starts at the Aylmer Fall Fair

"Josiah, you're not is our class!"

He doesn't fight back he just breathes deep and stares

For to him,  it's a sin for to sass

They show up at night, all dressed up in black

No surprise if you knew how they live

But tonight is the time, for them all to step up

For a Lesson's about to be give

The street was all dark, save a lantern or two

as the riders came out from the trees

These were not the old wagons you saw in the dark

These were ones that would make your heart freeze

Josiah stepped forth from the bustling crowd

Mr. Martin he said...I am here

Now is the time to show just how proud

of the horses you have over there.

I've heard of this race in the darkest of nights

Where the young men come out and are facing

Their fears and their hopes with only two lights

It's the start of Amish Drag Racing

It was something to see these men dressed all the same

Two big clydesdales each made up their team

But to both of these men, this was not just a game

This was the way that they all burned off steam

They didn't dare fight for that was a sin

And team sports didn't get the job done

None of them drank so there was no need for gin

And a barnraising just wasn't fun

Mr. Martin climbed up and he steadied his ride

Young Josiah just stood there and stared

Mr. Martin looked out, he was beaming with pride

Poor Josiah just stood looking scared

The starter came forth and he said to the men

With this hanky I will start the race

I will let it fly loose once I count to ten

And I let it fly free into space.

He counted it down and let go of the rag

And nobody moved from the post

Mr. Martins horse stood as did Josiahs old nag

And they both looked like they'd just  seen a ghost

The hanky was black just like ones they all had

And nobody saw him let go

The race buildup was great but the start was quite bad

In fact some men started to go

So, they tried it again with a different technique

Cause they found nothing there that was white

You can say it was strange but I say unique

To watch Amish men race in the night.

The horses lurched forth like two huge tyco trains

Sweat was poring from off of their backs

You could see from their eys it was really a strain

As their drivers took up the reigns slack

Equally paired, with two horsepower each

They tore up the road like a shot

But a really fast speed they both never would reach

Cause two clydesdales just don't run so hot.

Amish drag racing is really a night

To see if the other would show

For it's really no way to prove who is right

And the attendance is really quite low

So if you get invited and your hear of a race

That takes place where wild things  roam

Say you'd love to attend but you think to save face

You'd prefer not and would rather stay home.
..

.



He sat in back and passed the time

For every day in school

He didn't say he couldn't see

For glasses just weren't cool

Instead he chose a method

That didn't show his flaw

He made himself the new class clown

He would make the class guffaw

His marks were never stellar

His mind was always spinning fast

He used some misdirection

To make the teacher ask him last

He couldn't see the letters

And some were all askew

He just buried himself deeper

What was a boy to do?

Some letters came out backwards

At least those he could see

But he never ever wondered

"Is there help out there for me?"

Dyslexic and bad vision

Didn't make his marks stand out

No one really ever tried to

Find out what he's about

He sat in back in high school

Reputation well in hand

He was not destined for college

That was not what he had planned

Until one day a certain teacher

With long, blonde, golden hair

Made him move up to the front

"You can't see from back there"

She let him use his humour

To divert her from her work

But, this was one tough teacher

And to teach him, she'd not shirk

She knew he had a problem

And that he had alot of pride

She was bound and so determined

To find what he had deep inside

Away from other students

Talking quiet just to him

She told him, she had the same problem

She'd put herself out on a limb

She was proof that help was out there

That he'd not spend life in the back

And that they would work together

They'd develop an attack

Late lessons teaching reading skills

Getting contacts on the sly

He had found a sense of meaning

He could kiss the clown goodbye

He would never be the leader

But, he would be more than he'd shown

And at his graduation

He would show how he had grown

He wasn't keynote speaker

But he stood up all the same

He told the story of his changing

To all of those who came

He showed them how a teacher

Could change a single man

By doing what they're trained for

And doing what they can

There were tears out in the crowd there

Many people sat and cried

As they listened to his story

And came upon his ride

He talked for fifteen minutes

He had captured all these folks

By telling a true story

And not by telling jokes

He finished up his lecture

And he gave the room a thrill

When he said "I'll be a teacher"

And you know...*******...he will.

You know when you are growing up

The stages you go through

Make you the way you are

They help to make you...YOU

The people who you deal with

Whether family or your friends

Are very influential

And they're with you 'till the end

But little things they tell you

Might  get on your last nerve

You know you sometimes hate them

And it's not something they deserve

I miss my Grandad fiercely

Now, more than before

I wish I'd listened closely

And I wish I'd listened more

You know the tales that old folks tell

The one's we love to hate

Like "you've not got it hard boy"

"You've got it ****** great"

We all know about the walk to school

The uphill walk both ways

About how they only had an orange

And it had to last four days

You know they meant the best for you

But, that's not how it came off

You'd love to go and visit

But, you also loved to scoff

Times were always harder then

You never knew what you had

At least that was the feeling

That I got from my Grandad

They all got married younger

They were stronger in their minds

We were lazy, non-commital

To hard work, we were blind

So, every time a visit

Came around, I'd ask to stay

I'd rather be at home alone

Than with Grandad for the day

But, one day changed my feelings

I learned what Grandad was about

When I went there for a visit

And my Grandad took me out

We went out for a road trip

That my parents did allow

And that road trip still stays with me

My eyes were opened....wow!

He knew I would have rather

Stayed at home and not been there

But, I went out for my parents

And he knew I didn't care

First he took me to a building

"I'm just here to quaff a brew

And while I'm sitting with my cronies

There's something you must do."

I didn't know it was a legion

And he handed me a book

He said this was a memoriam

And that I should have a look

Each face I saw stare back at me

Had died before their time

They went to fight for freedom

Not just theirs, but yours and mine

Mere children when you think back now

And how they went to war

They would forever be this young

And would not age forever more

Grandad said, "We're going"

"We have another stop"

And it was at this destination

That the other penny dropped

He took me to a statue

In the park, so resilute

It was stone and bronze and copper

And my Grandad did salute

The cenotaph he called it

I'd not heard that name before

He said it was a monument

To those who'd gone before

The names and the young faces

That I'd seen that afternoon

Were honored by this edifice

That stood like a Roman Ruin

"Each town" he said gave their young men

To make sure  Freedom reigned

"And each Legion has a book like ours

So we don't forget their names"

I stepped back from the statue

that honored our towns dead

He said, "do not salute"

"you can stand and bow your head"

That day, My Grandad reached out

And he made me understand

All those things he'd told me

And what it takes to be a man

Now, years have passed and he is gone

I miss him every day

"We walked up hill both ways to school"

I'd love to hear him say

Forty years have come and gone

Now, I'm a Grandad too

I've two grandkids I'd love to see

And, I hope they'd love to see me too

But, just like me when I was young

They want to live their life

They'd rather spend time with their friends

Than with their Grandad and his wife.

My son dropped by the other day

And the kids came to say hi

I'd love to see them more than this

And that's the reason why

I loaded up the car with them

"I' won't be long my dear"

"We're just off for a short road trip "

"Just to go and have a beer"

She smiled, she knew the reason

And I know that she is glad

For I want them to be proud of me

Like I was, my Old Grandad.

Have you ever walked into a room and felt  you've been there before?

Your body feels electric as you stand inside the door

You know this room and know this space

But, you've not ever seen this place...so

You take one step forward

And then you step back

And you step forward again

You all know you've done it

You're not quite sure why

But your'e doing the Deja Vu Waltz

Have you ever met a person who seemed so **** familiar

You know all of their interests, for you both are so **** similar

But, you know you've never met him

And the lights are going so dim....so,

You take one step forward

And then you step back

And you step forward again

You all know you've done it

You're not quite sure why

But your'e doing the Deja Vu Waltz

Have you ever heard some music that you know you know the words to

But the problem that you have is that the song is something brand new

It just hangs around your brainwaves

But your mind just won't behave...so,

You take one step forward

And then you step back

And you step forward again

You all know you've done it

You're not quite sure why

But your'e doing the Deja Vu Waltz

I know you've watched a movie where you know you know the ending

But the movie has just come out and it starts your mind to bending

You're sure your'e going crazy

But the movie still seems hazy, so...

You take one step forward

And then you step back

And you step forward again

You all know you've done it

You're not quite sure why

But your'e doing the Deja Vu Waltz

History is written by winners

Their story's the one that is told

The loser's are like dust in a zephyr

Blown away by the wind and the cold

A battle is waged on a hillside

The armies are dressed in chain mail

One side is left battered and dying

So...which side will write down the tale?

A submarine sinks in the channel

It's just off the Dover coast shore

No one survives but the story

of sailors we'll here from no more

Villages destroyed by a virus

It spreads through the town really quick

You know that the story gets written

By the survivors who didn't get sick

Pompeii was wiped out, that's a given

A volcano did wipe out the town

The people were burned to a cinder

So who writes, when there's no one around?

In the movies the cowboys and Injuns

All fight for control of the fort

Do the Indians spread tales of their losses

Do they write it all down just for sport?

As years changed the stories came forward

Of the armies and people who died

They were defending their loved ones and country

It's too bad they were on the wrong side.

As time lumbered on to the future

The winners were not just the ones

Who told what had happened that day

They were not just the ones with the guns

Bystanders came and told what they saw

This would change how stories were told

There was now a new player with stories to tell

And the winners did not look so bold

Things now were written that no one did know

Of the other sides battle attempts

They were not heroes or winners but, losers no more

For these writings now made them exempt

They spoke of their battles, their loyalty, grit

To stand strong and fight for their lives

Even though it was futile, they still thought they would win

Thinking only of children and wives

Now history is written as quick as it comes

Television has surely changed that

You can watch things at home on your big screen tv

And you can feel like you're where things are at.

Deception is gone and the truth now is told

In seconds, not years like before

You see things as they happen, and the final result

May shake your soul to your core.

So....now History is written by winners

and by losers as well just the same

And no matter, whatever the story

You now know all players by name.

Regardless of whatever the story

Be it ****** or sports,  games or war

We can now see just how each one has ended

And their honor, and that's what life is for...

While out walking with my girlies

Felt a feeling in my curlies

No need to say just what

Had made that feeling in my ....(nether regions shall be used here....but feel free to rhyme away)

I ran into the nearest store

I knew what I was looking for

No need now to name the brand

You'll all know later where I stand

It's obvious who came to visit

You never really want to miss it

Unless you're trying for a kid

Then everyone knows what you did

No need now to be so coarse

But later riding on a horse

I felt a sudden urge to swim

It came to me just on a whim

So off I went out to the pool

Standing there just like a fool

My Esther Williams gene arrived

And on the count of three....I dived

I was great, I did astound

Thankfully..no sharks around

But as I finished in the water

I thought...well now I think I oughta...

Go out running for a while

In four minutes I'd done a mile

Incredibly, I had a feeling

For a cup of good Darjeeling

So I took a small time out

Before I had a boxing bout

Now, this I thought I'd never done

But then again, it could be fun

I was surprised, for I'm quite meek

I only hoped I didn't leak

Remeber when this whole thing started

It wasn't cause I thought I'd farted

Now, truth be told I cannot lie

I'd never give these things a try

But on tv....I saw an ad

And women do these with their pad

So, Playtex is the brand I like

And now I'm off to ride my bike!!!

So slap one on to be athletic

Then you won't be so pathetic

Buy one box and get two free

Playtex is the brand for me!!!

I've never been to China

I almost went to France,

I missed a flight to Russia once

I only missed by chance

Rome's intoxicating

The air there is sublime

But, I've never been there either

I just didn't have the time

I missed a train to Scotland

Bypassed Wales, and well Why Not?

There's nothing there in Cardiff

Other countries haven't got

I thought about the islands

Bui I do not  like the sun

So I thought about a cruse ship

Still, I've never been on one

Alaska, has the mountains

forests wide and big brown bears

But as you can imagine

I've also not been there

I thought about Hawaii

but I never made that trip

I thought about the hula

And I thought I'd  hurt my hip

I booked a flight to Cairo

Never went as you could guess

Saw a story on the news one day

And Jesus, what a mess

The pyramids had scaffolding

The place was full of sand

So I stayed home and watched telly

And then that trip was canned

I've never been to Ireland

or Cuba or Ceylon

And at the rate I'm going

It won't be long before their gone

I've thought about the Norway fjords

and lovely Swedish parks

but I've heard that all their fjords are filled

With big man eating sjarks!

I've never been most anyplace

I ever set to go

I'm not sure why I stayed here

I really do not know

Next week I have a trip planned

I'm not going to Spain

And then a fortnight after

I'm not going again!

Every day is a brand new canvas

Different textures, different hues

Let's see where the day shall take us

And what colours shall I use?

The sun is out and it is shining

Yellows, golds, we'll use today

A vibrant start to this great morning

Gonna be a super day

Colours fade when you're not with me

Even for a little while

Blacks and greys bring shadows out

When you're not here to show your smile

There's so many vibrant colours

That explode from in my heart

But they're gone when you're not with me

The colour's gone when we're apart

Greens and blues bring life to pictures

New growth, lively, breaths of life

The image shows it's strength internal

As it forms beneath the artist's knife

The painting lives beyond the canvass

Burnt impressions in your mind

This is what the artist lives for

This is what he had designed

Colours fade when you're not with me

Even for a little while

Blacks and greys bring shadows out

When you're not here to show your smile

There's so many vibrant colours

That explode from in my heart

But they're gone when you're not with me

The colour's gone when we're apart

Reds bring out the inner anger

Sending flames across the page

There's no way to hide emotions

When the artist is filled with rage

Just temper down the reds with orange

Browns and golds, and leaves that fall

Now you look at scenes of nature

And once again the artist calls

For just with a splash of colour,

Each day takes shape in different lines

But with you, each day's a rainbow

And each day has new designs

But...

Colours fade when you're not with me

Even for a little while

Blacks and greys bring shadows out

When you're not here to show your smile

There's so many vibrant colours

That explode from in my heart

But they're gone when you're not with me

The colour's gone when we're apart

Now the day has come and gone

The evening dusk invades the view

But, dusky colours from life's palette

Make stars shine, when I'm with you.







Write a comment...
..

I'm going to No Place Special

You can find it if you look

Come and join me at No Place Special

You won't find it in a book

It's a little south of Somewhere

Near The Place I want to be

I'm going to No Place Special

Won't you come along with me?

My day just started awful

It got worse the more I tried

Had to leave all of my troubles

Got to go out for a ride

You can guess where I am heading

Soon as that clock reaches five

Gonna pack up all my troubles

Then I'm gonna go and drive

I'm going to No Place Special

You can find it if you look

Come and join me at No Place Special

You won't find it in a book

It's a little south of Somewhere

Near The Place I want to be

I'm going to No Place Special

Won't you come along with me?

Phone keeps ringing, all the morning

People yelling drives me mad

Got to leave all this frustration

Off to where things aren't so bad

The Boss says "Son, sales are dropping"

That's all that I need to hear

Once the day is done, I'm leaving

Off to where there's always beer

I'm going to No Place Special

You can find it if you look

Come and join me at No Place Special

You won't find it in a book

It's a little south of Somewhere

Near The Place I want to be

I'm going to No Place Special

Won't you come along with me?

Made it home but I'm still angry

Have to calm down and relax

There's only one way that I know of

That's just going out and making tracks

To No Place Special for a while

It's not far, you've got to come

Around the world, or just a mile

You 've got to come and get you some

I'm going to No Place Special

You can find it if you look

Come and join me at No Place Special

You won't find it in a book

It's a little south of Somewhere

Near The Place I want to be

I'm going to No Place Special

Won't you come along with me?

It might be just around the corner

somewhere you can get away

It's somewhere where the folks all know you

It's somewhere you can go and stay

It's not a place with expectations

Leave your baggage at the door

Once you've been I know you'll always

Be coming back again for more

I'm going to No Place Special

You can find it if you look

Come and join me at No Place Special

You won't find it in a book

It's a little south of Somewhere

Near The Place I want to be

I'm going to No Place Special

Won't you come along with me?

She does not own a fighter's body

But you can tell right from the start

That the thing they have in common

Is...she has a fighter's heart

For as long as I have known  her

A scrapper she has been

A lioness well challenged

She is cunning, though not mean

Her battle is internal

Her trophy is her life

Her body's full of cancer

She's tap dancing on a knife

She won't back down from any fight

Not this one...that's for sure

She determined like a fighter

She wants this fight...and one more

It's a battle for survival

She's as tough as old Ali

Her battle cry is awesome

"You will not be taking me"

I write this for my mother

The toughest woman that I know

And regardless of her cancer

Her pain...she'll never show.

The topic for today's selection

Is how to deal with your *******

The price is high to get a thrill

But, it comes in a small blue pill

If your private will not shoot

Or, your soldier won't salute

There's an answer from a lab

That comes to you in a small blue tab

If you have poor self esteem

This pill could just fulfill your dreams

If your pecker seems to wilt

This will give your kilt a tilt.

So, if your manhood is slightly flaccid

Like the waters of Lake Placid

One small pill will make a diff

It won't take long and you'll be stiff

It works deep down on your projection

And points it in the right direction

It helps the package in your trousers

And makes the women all say "wowsers!"

They tried a cream, now that is gone

They couldn't get their work gloves on

They say it works and really fast

And helps to make your love life last

Your girl will love it, that's the goal

For now you've got a brand new pole

Dr. Frankenstein, he brought life

But, no excitement for his wife

She wanted more than he could give

The Doctor's "Monster" didn't live

They say don't drink it with a beer

The side effects are ones I fear

They say that if your BP drops

There's chances that your heart could stop

And should it last for say....4 hours

You should take some cold, cold, showers

Then, if it's still petrified,

I guess...go take it for a ride

Apparently, when it's like this

It makes it really hard to ****

But, if this pill should make it stand

Don't go waste it in your hand

Don't buy generic, at least not yet

For there's no telling what you'll get

It may stand up, it may lay down

It might just turn a dark, dark brown

Remember, it's to give you pride

And make your smile ten feet wide

It's not to ask "what's in my pocket"

"Well, dear it's shaped  like a rocket"

It's something to improve your life

And return enjoyment to your wife

For now that she knows this stuff works

You won't be wasting it on  jerks

You'll  be home where there's no pressure

And having *** at your own leisure

So now, I'll end with some advice

And I don't want to have to  tell you twice

The next time you go to NIagra

Take along a few ******!

Eyes so wide, and smile bright

You have affected me

You are just a baby

Who will not make it to three

Your skin is pale and gentle

The disease is taking you

There is no explanation

For what you have been through

Gentle child in the night

So soon you leave this earth

You now are with the stars above

And your life did have some worth

I stare up at the night sky

And see your smile bright

You're up there in the heavens

Shining down, you are a sight.

Darling little child

Your parents do not know

to take the news they're given

Their sadness not to show

Your life will be a series

of tests and will be short

You must be strong for your folks now

The ball is in your court.

You're down here for a reason

Though your lifetime will not last

You blink and you are happy

Blink twice and you have passed

Gentle child in the night

So soon you leave this earth

You now are with the stars above

And your life did have some worth

I stare up at the night sky

And see your smile bright

You're up there in the heavens

Shining down, you are a sight.

The strongest people living

I know are not of age

They speak of life acceptance

And they are not filled with rage

They know they'll never marry

That their purpose while they're here

Is to make the world a better place

And face it with no fear

They do not have a future

Of weddings and the like

Some may never,ever,

Get to ride a bike

Gentle child in the night

So soon you leave this earth

You now are with the stars above

And your life did have some worth

I stare up at the night sky

And see your smile bright

You're up there in the heavens

Shining down, you are a sight.

In you I find a calmness

I only wish that could be mine

And you have embraced it quickly

For you have so little time

I will not shed a tear now

I promise you I'll be strong

For you are my hidden backbone

Though, I will not know you long

And yes dear gentle Child

As I look up in the stars

I'll wonder, yes I'll wonder

Just which one you are

And as I stare up at the night sky

And see the stars at night

I'll will think of you dear child

And your smile ever bright.

Head and Shoulders, knees and toes

That's the way the story goes

Here is something no one knows

To lepers...it's important

It's the inventory song

You may think that this is wrong

Put me back where I belong

But, lepers need to do this

Count your digits 'fore you leave

It's a fact you must believe

They're not out for to deceive

They need to inventory

If they count and all is there

They face the world without a care

They lose their parts, but not their hair

Their day will be successful

Head and Shoulders, Knees and toes

That's the way the old song goes

I've got four fingers and six toes

I guess I'll put some gloves on

The inventory song is neat

It teaches them, they need two feet

Or they can't walk down the street

It really is important

Gripping things is kind of tough

When digits...you've not enough

You know your fingers' with your stuff

You'll go and find it later

So, if you think that  this is wrong

And you do not like this song

Put me back where I belong

I think this song's a service

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes

I've a friend with half a nose

Now you know what no one knows

Inventory is required.
.

There's no straight lines from A to B

No compass does it show

It shows my life as it has been

It doesn't show me where to go

As time goes by the pages fade

Just memories of past times

At times the present's blurry too

There's just so many criss crossed lines

No pages show my future

Just blank, unfilled, unset

You can not have a road map

To things that have not happened yet

Some roads it shows are darker

Roads you'll want to use once more

And on other pages, blankness

You don't know what they were for

The map is everchanging

It's not always the same

You can blame the old mapmaker

It's your mind that is to blame

You trigger things with songs and sounds

And others you might lose

It's a map that should show where you've been

But it's no good without clues

A compass in the corner

Doesn't point which way to go

It's your life, there is no answers

You get to choose which row you ***.

It's not an easy map to follow

Hills and valleys all around

But, somewhere there's a spot that

Is where your best can be found

A page that now sits empty

Tomorrow, will be mapped and show the way

But, it won't show you where you're off to

It'll show where you were today

So, enjoy the roads you've travelled

And the experience so far

For this is not a map you'll ever

Find inside of any car

As I said, it changes daily

There's only so much room for stuff to stay

So, remember just what's important

And make the bad stuff go away

It's not a map that can be folded

It doesn't show you where to start

But when you go and look back at it

You'll see your life was full of heart.
.

"Hey mister, how you doing?"

"Do you need a friend tonight?'

"I can take away your troubles"

"I can make what's wrong seem right"

A woman's thoughts from a childs voice

Knocked me senseless in the dark

I guess I should know better

Than to walk home through the park

"Baby, you'll forget your troubles"

"If you'll spend some time with me"

"Where's your car? Just let's go do it"

"You'll really like it, wait and see"

I kept my pace and ventured forward

I didn't want to see her face

I didn't want to see her standing

So I began to increase my pace

"C'mon baby, it's worth your while"

"I can make your problems go"

"It won't take long, I know you'll like it"

"Come and play, it's fun...you know!"

I turned around to see the speaker

Just to say that I'd heard enough

I didn't want to hurt her either

I didn't want to come off tough

So when I stopped and turned to face her

From the darkness she stepped out

A tiny child in a woman's outfit

Looking like she'd been knocked about

I said "No thanks", this ain't my style

I just want to get on home

I want to go about my business

And I want to go on home alone.

"But baby, I'm the best thing ever"

"You'll never find a girl like me"

I swear to God, she acted older

But she only looked one score less three

I looked at her and something tingled

"Sure, let's go" I spoke aloud

Then she smiled, ever so slightly

She hooked my arm and I gently bowed

"I have a question, dear...before we"

"Head on out to do the deed"

"When did you last eat dinner"

"When was your last real good feed?

"It's been a while, I can see that"

"Your'e nothing more than skin and bone"

"If your'e my date, we'll first have dinner"

"Then, I'll take you to my home"

'She acted tough, but failed to hide it

"Dinner..fine..but then we go"

I smiled back, and off we ventured

Through the park, our heads bowed low

We found a small, deserted diner

We took a booth where we could talk

Talking was just what I wanted

But talking, that's where she would balk

She ate her meal like a starving beasty

Sparks were flying off the plate

What? I thought had forced this child

To turning tricks to be her fate?

We finished up and left the diner

She said that I would not regret

I took her home like I had promised

For a night  I'd not forget

I hung her coat inside the closet

Climbed the stairs up to my room

She followed close, but was not speaking

The air hung heavy with her gloom

I said "Before we do the dealing"

"You should clean up...the showers there"

I found a robe and watched her smile

I then sait down in my old chair

I heard the water run forever

She came out clean as she could get

She wore the robe and a small hand towel

Wrapped about her hair so wet

I'd make some drinks, some nice hot chocolate

I sat her down and then she spoke

"I'd like to thank you for the dinner"

"do you mind if I have a smoke?"

I told her fine, but had my reasons

I'd keep her busy, without ***

She talked for hours, just like a child

She was rubbing her bruised neck

She said she'd run from down in Georgia

Coming here was not her plan

She had wanted to go to college

But this was where the poor girl ran

It's funny but this child like woman

Never talked of why she'd come

She talked of people she was missing

She'd said she'd like to once more run

She nodded off into a slumber

I picked her up and laid her down

I wrapped her up with a warm blanket

And then I headed off to town

When she awoke, I sat there smiling

And not a word was ever said

For when I left, I bought a ticket

One...to Georgia...lay on the bed.

I said "It's yours...if you should want it"

"You've got three hours, so let's go eat"

This waif like girl then responded

With a smile that just could not be beat

We headed back down to the diner

Breakfast was the meal this time

I paid the bill and from my wallet

Said "Here, take this...it's still my dime"

This girl was lost inside her body

I helped her find her way  again

I watched her leave clutching the ticket

I knew we'd never meet again

I hope she found where she was heading

I hope she made it , I admit

I never went to check the depot

I hoped she used that bus ticket

Another night, another walk home

Another voice came from the dark

"Hey sweetie, you look kind of lonely"

I smiled..and walked back in the park.......
.

They met while still in high school

Most likely to succeed

They had big plans for college

They were on their way indeed

She dropped out while a junior

He continued to the end

She left to have their baby

Their plans, they must ammend

They married down at city hall

Their parents did not know

He wore an old, ill fitting suit

In her dress, she did not show

But here she was, six months along

Their perfect world was done

They were not sure how they would get by

With the addition of their son

He was trained to be an architect

But he started sweeping floor

Interviews were hard to get

Unless you knew the name upon the door

She got a job in retail

Working afternoons each day

It wasn't what they planned on

But they needed her small pay

They had a small apartment

More a garret than a pad

But, in the area they wanted

It was the cheapest that they had

Two years went by and another child

Had increased their home to four

He was working as an architect

And was no longer sweeping floors

Since college though, he'd had a curse

A devil you might think

For to keep himself under control

He was sneaking nightly drinks

As pressure grew and deadlines loomed

His drinking did increase

He was now a junior partner

At the firm of Flint and Meece

He was fighting with his wife alot

The kids were just more stress

But, he bottled up his problems

And he chose not to address

The fact that they were fighting

He was drinking every night

And when she called him on it

They would end up in a fight

He was going in hung over

Some days, he just stayed home

And when they called him from the office

He would not pick up the phone

One day though he went over

the line out there in space

When the wife and he were fighting

He hit her in the face

He didn't know just what to do

He went down for a drink

He needed time to decompress

He needed time to think

She called in sick for her next shift

She stayed home for two weeks

She stayed home till the bruise was gone

And the swelling from her cheeks

His drinking kept evolving

He was hiding it no more

Plans were being made at work

To take his name off of the door

He'd shown up drunk for meeting

His plans were never in on time

They offered him assistance

He refused..there lies the crime

The kids withdrew and feared him

They'd rather eat with friends instead

They'd only come home after dinner

When it was time to go to bed

Another fight ensued at home

When they fired him at last

He beat his wife up so bad this time

She ended up inside a cast

Her arm was badly broken

Charges she refused to lay

But the cops who came to see them

Chose to lay them anyway

This was her chance to make a move on

She packed the kids up late at night

While he was in his jail cell

She booked them all on a late flight

Her family would take them

She would move them to the west

She would start her life without him

It would be for the best

When he got out and found her gone

He sat down, had a few

He didn't have a family,

He had no idea what to do

Instead of phoning to her folks

To see if they'd arrived

He went on a ***** ******

Which most would not survive

He drank from when he broke the day

Most times, well after four

Then he'd drink until he would pass out

And would spend the night there on the floor

He reached the point of no return

When the sherrif came one day

He said "It's time for you to leave this house"

"Unless the taxes, you can pay"

He'd let things slide, and had no funds

His world was on the brink

But, instead of fixing things on up

He went looking for a drink

He spent some time in missions

Trying to find work he could do

But, when he would only get rejected

He turned to devil's brew

His reputation sullied

There was no work in his field

He tried to find work elsewhere

He would see what things would yield

He got jobs working labouring

Warehouses, car washes and such

But, when he kept on missing shifts

And was still drinking as a crutch

He got kicked out of the missions

He refused to toe the line

He would rather be out drinking

******* on some cheap *** wine

He was living by the train tracks

In the cedars, in the woods

He was sleeping in a sleeping bag

He was existing as he could

His drink of choice was anything

That would make his pain just go

He was drinking aqua velva

And in a pinch he drink sterno

The devil had his soul tight

He was on his way to hell

If his life was a big boxing match

This was his final bell

He had the world at his command

A family, and career

But, when alcohol took him over

He lost all that was dear

He'd climbed on up the  mountain

Worked his way up to the peak

But, his body was not strong enough

When the devil chose to speak

His wife and kids, they did ok

Their lives had turned the page

His kids soon did forget him

He was from a different age

They found him in the park one night

When the volunteers came round

They brought food to the homeless

He was dead there on the ground

His body had just given up

His liver had just quit

He died there in the bushes

This kind of end...a perfect fit

He had no wallet with him

All his secrets, they were hid

But they found inside his pocket

A picture of his kids

He died alone and helpless

At the bottom, not the top

He did not have the where withall

Or strength of self to stop

He may have died with nothing

Maybe, he died full of guilt

But, the world in which he left us

Was a world that he had built.
.

"So, you ski da marathon, eh?"
came the voice out of the back
"You anglos call me Frenchie"
"But, my friends all call me Jacques"
"You ever do da marathon?
That is why you're here?
Sit here with old Frenchie
Barkeep...three more beer"
We sat down with this old man
He looked worn out, nearly dead
He said "You know, to win this race"
"It's all up here in my head"
The beers arrived, he drank his down
Our lips were barely wet
When he signalled to the barkeep
Three more for him to get
"You know, I've been here yearly
telling Anglos like you's two
The way to Montebello
The best way to get through"
"I'm eighty fours years old you know
Believe me now it's true"
And with a little finger snap you know
The barkeep brought more brew
We sat and listened as this man
Told tales of races past
He talked of Jack Johannsen
And he drank his beer down fast
We sat with him for hours
And at ten we paid the bill
We'd spent two hundred dollars
This old man drank his fill
The next day we came in to eat
Before we started out
"You ski the marathon eh?"
We heard that husky shout
We looked into the corner
Three more suckers yet to please
So, we smiled and we left quickly
To our room to get our skis
We spent the day out on the course
Thinking that this wise old man
Knew just what he was saying
He knew every inch of land
We skied each part and in our heads
We heard that old voice say
In a husky, bad french accent
You ski the marathon...eh?
We finsihed up and thawed out beards
That had frozen to our bibs
We were off to see our wizard
In fact we fought for dibs
To see who'd buy the first round
To listen to this sage
To be a student of this teacher
Who'd reached this grand old age
"You ski the marathon, eh?'
Came from the back as we walke in
It was the same old husky accent
We knew that it was him
But, there back in the corner
Sitting at our teachers feet
Were another bunch of skiers
Who'd be buying this mans treat
So, we rounded up some barstools
And we bent the barkeeps ear
He told us that Old Frenchie
He showed up every year
He comes to town a week before
The race itself takes place
He's a regular here in this bar
The whole town knows his face
He isn't from around here
Lachute, is where he lives
But for two weeks every winter
It's free advice he gives.
You buy his beet, and hear his tales
It keeps the old man young
In fact, myself I've been here 40 years
And races...he's sikiied...none
He waits there in that corner
For you anglos to show up
And he drinks what he can handle
He's really in his cups
"Barkeep, three beers...if you please"
Came roaring from the back
It seems two brand new anglos
Were new victims of old Jacques
We finsished up, and paid our bill
We knew that we'd been taken
by an old man with an accent
Who smelled like beer and bacon
The last day, when we ventured out
We dropped by to see Jacques
The barkeep said he'd gone on home
But, come next year..he's back
You boys enjoy your race day
And I'll see you here next year
So, we tipped him ten bucks extra
To buy him and Jacques a beer
That summer, I went to Quebec
To run an iron man
I was down around Three Rivers
I went there with my friend Dan
We went out for an evening
To have some drinks before race day
And when we walked into that tavern
"You run the iron man...eh?"
That voice, you couldn't hide it
That was Frenchie in the back
He said hello, you anglos..bon soir my friends
...Now you can  call me Jacques!!!

In seventy three it all started
A friendship, that's all that it was
But, their friends could only see trouble
They couldn't see it...and that was because

There was Blood in The water all ready
They were fighting, which they thought was fine
Dan and Maria were in the tornado
That had started in early Grade nine

They dated for five years before college
They promised to each other alone
But, alone only meant "we're together"
"At least....when the other's not home"

There was Blood in The water...real vivid
They're friends could all see it quite well
These two  were together, but cheating
The Blood in The Water could tell

They split when they both left for college
They said they'd stay friends while away
But, long distance...it broke up their friendship
I think it broke up in a day

There was Blood in The water, you'd see it
When these two got together again
They would fight like the devil incarnate
But their friends knew they'd hook up again

They could all see the blood in the water
They were doomed from the start...easily
They were mad more than madly in love so,
Their friends just stayed back,...just to see

That the Blood in The Water was spreading
They all knew that the next step they'd see
Was Dan and Maria get married
This was trouble with a capital T

Two years passed and Dan, he got fired
He took a new job in the east
They moved down there, though they were still fighting
Their life was just famine or feast

The Blood In the Water was scarlet
It was getting much redder each time
The one who'd be hurt by their fighting
Was their new son and that was a crime

The house that they lived in was smaller
Dan was drinking and that got him through
The days and the nights of their fighting
There was a storm coming.....we knew

But, The Blood in The Water was missing
For these two couldn't see what was there
They were a storm of gigantic proportions
And their fighting was not always fair

Maria, she'd always go shopping
Spending money she knew was all gone
While Dan stayed at home and was drinking
While he took care of their three year old son

Their friends saw the Blood in The Water
These two filling the waters with chum
They could see a divorce in the offing
They knew not when the end would become

It was obvious right from the beginning
These two were as diffenent can be
Their friends knew it right when it started
In the summer of seventy three

Now with all of this Blood in The Water
Choosing sides had to be done by all
Were you Dan's friend or her's really truly
How does one make that call?

They divorced after ten years together
It all happened with nary a fuss
Dan moved home to go live with his mother
No one was shocked...well, not us

There'd been Blood In The Water forever
There were fins following close behind
We all watched as they marriage dismantles
And as friends we feigned shock and were kind

So, Beware of The Blood in The Water
It will make all your water seem warm
You can't see it while you are both fighting
It's not there in the eye of the storm

The Blood in The Water's a warning
As a friend, stay away and get back
For if you tell either one that you see it
I'm not sure, but I think they'll attack

In seventy three it all started
A friendship, that's all that it was.

Thinking back to our beginning

Of things we used to do

Lord, I know my mind's still willing

I wish my body still was too

The years have passed by quickly

I blinked and they were gone

In time we both got sickly

But, our memories linger on.

We used to go out walking

To the park and in the woods

Just spending time together

And we talked and times were good

Now it's just a memory

Now it hurts to climb the stairs

We may no longer go out walking

But the memory lingers there

It's not that we were active

But our world was larger then

Now, we're confined to samll spaces

Our world was larger to us then

Once the snow comes we are housebound

We're together, not alone

We talk of when times were better

And we talk how we have grown

Disabled doesn't live here

We won't say words of that kind

Even though our body's dying

We both still have our minds

Distractions don't come easy

There's nothing for us to see

We still revel in each other

For we have no family

We'll be partners forever

We won't be so long apart

For when one dies the other follows

Soon, from such a broken heart

In sixty years that we've been married

We've had friends, but most are gone

They never knew that our small secret

Was we let our memories lead us on

They say the past is gone forever

The future is the place to be

But for us our futures leaving

And the past is where I'll be

I've more years now behind me

That I have got left to live

But as long as we're together

My love to you I'll always give

Remember when we'd go out walking

Just us two, those times were fine

I'd wish that in our future

We could do it one more time.
..

As I rushed home, I thought about

The last thing that I'd read

"Can we go out to fly my kite?

Before I go to bed."

A text was sent by my young son

To go and fly his kite

I texted back "no problem son,"

"We'll go do that tonight"

Once I got home, I went to change

And he changed his clothes too

The sun was still up shining

And the kite would help the view

The wind was blowing briskly

Just enough to fly it right

And if others were out flying too

It would really be a sight

I told my son, to dress up warm

For the wind did hold a chill

But, flying kites with my young boy

Well, it gave my heart a thrill

He gathered up his kite

And then he raced me to the door

I picked up my hat that had

Been knocked upon the floor

He raced me up the street as we

made our way out to the park

He wanted to be first

to get there before it did get dark

He held his kite so tightly,

I myself thought it would break

It was a black and golden box kite

With a tail just like a snake

We bought it up in Chinatown

At a little antique shop

When the wind hit it just perfect

It would just hover and then stop

Of all the kites he owned

This was his favorite one

I think it was his favorite

Because it danced beneath the sun.

We got there, I let out the string

And I got it in the air

And once it became airborne

I tied it to his chair

My son, can't hold the kite string

Can't control the way it flies

He's confined to his blue wheelchair

Until the day he dies

He controls it with his finger

Races all around the place

And when we get out flying kites

There's such a smile on his face

He backs it up, the kite responds

Flying high up in the sky

"i wish that I could be that free"

"I wish that I could fly"

"One day son, you will be free"

"You'll be as mobile as that kite

You'll be moving like you used to do

"On your feet, you'll be so light"

He was injured in an accident

But, that's not here nor there,

He was hit by a drunk driver

He was too **** drunk to care

But for now, my boy is smiling

We're out flying kites at night

And as long as we're toghether

Then our world is still all right.

Lunch was done, decisons made

the table cleared, the bill was paid

Final words were spoken

And none more truer than..

Have your people call my people

And we'll do this again.

They went back to the office

And they thought, hey he was right

I'll have my people call his people

And we'll hit the bar tonight

Funny how a line like that

Can set one's mindset soaring

Sitting down and making plans

It sure broke up the boring

Afteroon ahead, that each of them could see

But going out again that night

Well, then they would be free

Wives at home, while they were out

Drinking, flirting...what the hey

The ony question left now

Was which of them would pay?

But as one's folk called the others

And the plans were carved in stone

They would finish out their day

And then they would head home

They'd have "my people call your people"

And plan a meeting late

They would do it on the sly

It would be their watergate

But, people being people

Their plans were overheard

By a coniving young new intern

And she wrote down every word

Since she was one of the people

She started making calls

Phoning every number of every wife

This woman sure had *****

She told them how "the people"

planned to go out after work

How their family type duties

Each one had planned to shirk

So these people called their people

And made plans of their own

They would keep it all a secret

Until the men got home

Men forget that wives have people

And that their people kind of rule

When the men all try to hide stuff

By doing stuff that isn't cool

The men, all smug and smiling

Thinking of the fun to ahead

Would walk on in their house

And stay until the kids were all in bed

Then their people would start calling

Making sure the lie was told

About that late night meeting

At a bar where beer was cold

But, that coniving young new intern

Making calls to all the wives

Had laid out every detail

Had ruined all their lives

As each man sat for dinner

Thinking of what the night would bring

At each house, just 5 minutes in

Every phone would ring

It was her people calling people

Telling each wife where to meet

They would have to leave the husbands

And they would not be so discreet

For their people all called people

And the men's plans all were blown

As the women went out drinking

And left the men at home

So next time when your people

Call and plan things on the side

Make sure your intern isn't there

Or else your plans are fried

I'll have my people phone your people

And we'll get together soon

But in order that we pull it off

We'll have to leave at noon.

Sitting on the patio, drinking margaritas

Letting summers glow wash over me

Listening to the radio, taking in the summertime

Sitting, being single being free

Suddenly, "our song" came on

The first time that I'd heard it

Freezing me just exactly where I was

Overcome with feelings, I almost had a fit

We'd been married nearly 15 years

And this song, it defined us

But at that minute on the patio

I'd been thrown I was making quite a fuss

At first I went to change it

Turn the station, find another

Then I took another sip

And sat down with my Mother

She said "I always like that singer, dear"

"I thought you liked him too'

"Didn't you dance to one of his songs"

"When you wed in ninety two?"

I said I did and it was playing

Didn't want to hear it though

She said "Why, it's just some music dear,"

"It'll help the feelings go"

"I know it hurts at first to hear"

"And be taken to the past"

"But, the heart will heal so quickly"

"And you'll forget about the past"

I sat back and I listened,

To the singer and his song

"San Francisco Mabel Joy"

and I knew she wasn't wrong

His voice, the words so pleasing

New memories would I find

I would take this song of sixpence

And I would hide it in my mind

We danced to it in Frisco

Saw Mickey Newbury at a bar

And it etched into my consciousness

And it never ventured far

For every time we heard it

"Our song" as we would say

We'd dance no matter where we were

And we would listen to him play

So here I am twenty years on

From the first time that it got me

Sitting drinking with my mother

Being single, being free

I wasn 't going to lose it

Miss out on this piece of music

Just because my life changed

I was just divorced, not sick

I wondered about Mabel Joy

and listened to his words

And I thought about their heartbreak

As I listened to the birds

I thought "would he be listening"

"Would he feel the same"

"Was it just our song to me?"

"Did he even know it's name?

A few songs later, we went in

And we ordered in some food

I went down to the basement

At the risk of being rude

"I'll be right back" I told my mum

I had to find that song

And I pulled out the old album

That "Mabel Joy" was first played on

I thought of all the good times

Sat, and held the record near

Then I let them empty from my head

There was none that I'd hold dear

Across town at the very time

"Mabel Joy" was on the air

The other half of "our song"

Was just sitting in his chair

He thought, she used to like that song

Although I don't know why

We'd always dance when it came on

And she would always cry

He went to turn it over

but the voice went to his core

So he sat down and he listened

to "....frisco Mabel Joy" some more

He thought, that ain't a bad tune

It's one that tells the facts

So, he popped another beer cap off

And he sat back to relax

Across town in the kitchen

It was then she chose to laugh

Beside the title , "Our song"

written by her other half

So , it once meant something to them both

It's what made them both believe

That music makes you whole

The heart's hard to decieve

Across town, he thought about the tune

And who the singer was

He knew it wasn't chapin

and he though it was "The Boss"

He thought, I might go out and find

The cd, by that guy

Even though it used to be "our song"

it never made me cry

Now, back inside the kitchen

drinking more than being fed

She pulled out the lp, for to play

Before she went to bed

"San Francisco Mabel Joy"

was the third song on side two

She would listen till "our song" was done

And her mind would fill with new

Memories of this great song

Sitting drinking with her Ma

And these memories would stay with her

They never would venture far

So if you have an "our song"

Put it on, go back in time

For when you exorcise your demons

That's when "our song" becomes "Mine"!

I found a box of words today

In a corner of my mind

I think my brain tucked them away

In a place I'd never find

The box was black and dusty

Full of words I rarely use

I think my brain had hid them

While I suffered from the blues

Words like "hate" and "prejudice"

Words that hurt and maim

I didn't know the box was there

Now, I've found it just the same

Now, what to do with this old box

And the words that are inside

These are true words of avoidance

Words I guess I thought had died

I don't know what just made me

Go into this corner of my head

I must have eaten Mexican

Before I went to bed

But, now I have a box of words

I can not use or sell

And some I see are pretty bad

So, I guess it's just as well

I'll put the box away again

And I'll hide it in my brain

And I'll keep these dark words buried

For to use them is insane.

A nice cruise from New York, I thought

From down by Pier two-one

I thought I'd head to England

For a good old spot of fun

An Ocean trip, some nice fresh air

Eleven days at sea

I thought this would perfect to

Help inspire me

I'd never been to Europe

So I did some reading first

The history's insane there

The books did quench my thirst

I couldn't wait to get there

To travel all around

And take all sorts of pictures

To show folks what I'd found

On board, I met a punter

A real hard boiled chap

He told me of  "his England"

Not the funny, tourist crap

He asked where I was going

I said "I've no idea"

He told me that he'd show me things

As long as I bought beer

I asked him what he meant by this

He said "Just wait and see"

"I'll show you things...will curl your hair"

"You watch son, follow me.'

He told me of a werewolf

Running loose in London town

He was killing folks in Soho

And they couldn't bring him down

He said "Two nights from now"

"The moon would be real nice"

"A full moon brings out werewolves son..."

"That's your first bit of advice"

I shuddered then, I wasn't sure

If "this England" would be right

But, I begged off from the table

And I settled for the night

My mind was working overtime

Nightmares and dreams came quick

And with the heaving on the water

I woke up to be sick

I went up on the deck to walk

And grab a little air

But who to my surprise was

by the railing standing there

He said " I thought you'd be here sooner

Isn't it a lovely moon?

Just a few more days to go

The werewolf walks real soon

"Let's go and get a coffee"

"I figured I won't get back to sleep"

"And my nerves are really shaky"

"I know I won't sleep deep"

He said "Don't worry laddie"

"I've lots more tales to speak"

"But their stories for the hearty"

"And you son...seem so weak"

I asked him about Whitechapel

He said ...."Oh, Jack the Ripper"

"He murders girls down that way son"

I then peed in my slippers

He goes around at night you see

And picks up girls in the night gloom

Then he takes them back and guts them

In the comfort of their room"

I thought, I wanted jolly stuff

Like palaces and such

This tour of London ****** sites

Well, it seems a little much

I said "I've heard of Harley Street"

"Can we go there for a ride?'

He said "No problem son..

"We might meet Mr. Hyde"

"Dr. Jekyll drinks this stuff

Thats turns him to a beast

The monster's name is Mr. Hyde

It's in London...to the east."

I thought, this isn't what

I signed on to go see

I didn't want the next victim

To end up being me.

I said "Is there a place that's safe at all?"

He said "I can take you by the palace"

"We can go walk up the mall"

I said "that would be perfect"

"That doesn't sound so hard"

He said "Just watch for Moriarty"

"Sherlock Holmes and Scotland Yard"

At this point I got up and said

"I think I'm off to bed"

"All this talk of horror"

"Caused an aching in my head"

I said " I think, I'll just move on

And travel somewhere like Albania"

He said that I must see His friend

in southern Transylvannia.

He said Mr. Van Helsing

Would take me for a tour

And with what I'd see in Europe

I'd forget the London gore"

I thanked him and I went to bed

And I then asked him his name

"Dracul" he said...but call me "Vlad"

"I'm sure we'll meet again"

I changed my plans, went to my room

And I figured "What the heck"

But I have this one last question"

Why was he staring at my neck?
.

If you saw me sitting in the park

Feeding pigeons for a while

Would you give me not a second thought

Would you look at me and smile?

If while I fed the pigeons

I was talking really loud

With no one there to listen

Not one person, not a crowd

Would you look at me as crazy

Would you think my mind was messed?

Now put me in my uniform

With my medals on my chest

Now, would this make it different

Am I different than before?

For I didn't leave home like this

It's the end result of war

If you stood and saw me stumble

From a bar mid afternoon

Would you look at me and think

"This one's drunk too soon"?

Would you turn or change direction?

Would you stay out of my path?

Or would you slowly walk behind me

And shake your head or maybe laugh?

Would you look at me as crazy?

Would you think my mind was messed?

Now put me in my uniform

With my medals on my chest

Now, would this make it different

Am I different than before?

For I didn't leave home like this

It's the end result of war

If you saw me in a wheelchair

On my crutches hobbling by

Would you look at me as feeble

Or would you turn away and sigh?

Would you wonder just what happened

To make me handicapped a might

Or would you turn and switch direction?

So I wasn't in your sight

Would you think that I was lazy?

Just because I couldn't walk

Would you look at me as feeble?

Would you take the time to talk?

Just because I might be different

Doesn't mean we are not equal

There is two sides to a story

There can always be a sequel

Just because you might dress better

And your suit is cut so fine

I ask you just one question

Would you lay it on the line?

If your country came and asked you

Would you sign up in a sec

Or would you think there's always others

I can just go write a cheque

Now, if you saw me in the park again

Standing solemn, lost in space

Would you wonder what I'm thinking?

Would you even see my face?

Would you see me as a person?

Would you walk on by and laugh?

Would you ever even notice

I was at the cenotaph

Would you look at me as crazy?

Would you think my mind was messed?

Now put me in my uniform

With my medals on my chest

Now, would this make it different

Am I different than before?

For I didn't leave home like this

It's the end result of war

But, if you saw me feeding pigeons

I ask you sir, would you

If you saw me in my uniform

Dare to come and say "Thank You"?
.

You can not cure World Hunger

So, set your goals to small

But you can help out one child

Don't try to feed them all

Little steps or little bites

Can cure a childs pain

From not eating dalily

Or knowing when they'll eat again

Don't take on the whole problem

Just one mouth at a time

Then you'll start a revolution

And you'll start to feeling fine

Just add an extra setting

When you sit down to your meal

Then put a can of food aside

It makes the problem real

Just one a day will do it

Cure a child of his pain

And tomorrow night at dinner

You can do it all again

Just set an extra setting

No chair, no fork or knife

Then put a box or can aside

And help to feed a life

It's easy once you try it

In a short time you'll have filled

A box or two of canned goods

Someones hunger you have killed

Just set an extra setting

When you sit down next to eat

Then put a box or can aside

It'll make you feel so neat

At week's end take your savings

To the food bank filled with pride

You didn't even notice

And your smile's ten feet wide

Just set an extra setting

At the table, just for one

Then before you sit for dinner

Pack the can up....only one

Just think....a revolution

Started by a single meal

It's so easy to get started

And the end results are real

There's children going hungry

Here at home and in our schools

We can feed the world completely

If we only use the tools

Imagine stopping hunger

In your lifetime, it'd be great

And to start it is so easy

Just set that extra plate

One tin, a box or pasta

Nothing hard about this plan

Just set an extra setting

And donate one small can

A child going hungry

There's no reason anymore

There is enough food out there

To feed the world times four

The food bank's overloaded

More requests come in each year

So start a revolution

It's a simple, cheap, idea

Next time you sit for dinner

Just set one extra  plate

Then take a tin or box of food

And simply....please DONATE !!!
.

This piece of land I call my own

One day shall be overgrown

But one thing that is always shown

Is that people here are free

Lavender scent fills the air

People laughing everwhere

Old frenchmen sitting on the stairs

These things just need to be

Wander close and hear the sounds

There are birds and insects all around

But, we are all beneath the ground

And these we will not see

I lie beneath the sunlit sky

For this place is where I did die

For me I ask that you not cry

I died for my country

Birds are flying overhead

Beneath their flight lay we the dead

The ground was once stained deep blood red

From here you smell the sea

When I was here the sky was black

You could not see each new attack

We'd take one hill, they'd take in back

I was only twenty three

My medals are not on my chest

They're home, I hope like all the rest

I died but did fulfill my quest

I made these people free

I will not age forever more

I will not make it twenty four

But where I lay, there's ten score more

Who believed the same as me

I came to France in Wintertime

The battlefield was mud and slime

The beauty gone, it was a crime

There's not much here to see

Our crosses stand and mark our place

No photographs to show our face

We died with honor and with grace

Please say a prayer for me

Just boys we were when we arrived

It's sad that most did not survive

We gave our souls, we gave our lives

So this world could be free

I remember though one Christmas Day

The war was stopped so we could play

I wish it could  remain this way

We had no enemy

So, here I lie beneath the earth

My life is what your freedoms worth

My tale is one but there's a dearth

Of others here like me

But now I just enjoy the view

The birds above and folks like you

Will keep my story, fresh, anew

Just please...remember me.
.

America, the beautiful...

do you see what I see?

A country stuck on life support

A dead economy?

America, America...

.please take a breath for me

Ford, GM and Chrysler

Are no longer the big three

Our plants are closed

Our dollar *****

the Dow Jones is joke

Our people can't afford to live

Our dreams went up in smoke

America, America

You'll come back once again

But now you're flat upon your back

On an eight count out of ten

Your soldiers fight, For what is right

On shores so far away

There's battles that need fighting though

Inside the USA

America, America

Please get up off your knees

Most of what we buy from you

Is made by the chinese

Your country has come back before

We're sure that you'll be fine

Recovery won't happen fast

Your eight count's up to nine

America, America

Before they count you out

Stand up and yell

without a doubt

We'll triumph once again.

We'd love to hear Kate Smith once more

Sing out about how great

America can be agian, Before it is too late

America, America

God Shed his Grace on Thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From Sea to Shining Sea.

He'd just served up a dinger, 450 out...upper deck

His third home run that inning, and  he figured "what the heck"

He knew the hook was coming, first they had to make the call

Then the pitching coach would come out, before he had to give the ball

To the manager, all stoic, spouting rhetoric and then

He'd turn over the game ball, a kind of baseball zen

He'd come to learn this process,

He'd seen more and more this year

The time was getting closer

He'd have to hang 'em up this year

For five straight games he'd got the hook

Never getting to the third

And there was that team suspension

For flashing fans the bird

Frustration, more than anger made him vent and flash the sign

It was captured on the jumbotron, his finger.....8 foot 9

It made all of the sports reels, his finger in the air

But at 46, he thought, well....I really do not care

He was signed.. a bonus baby, out of Henderson N . V

He came up  out of high school in summer sixty three

His fastball, just untouchable...ninety miles per at least

And on opposing batters he would surely have a feast

He knew what he was throwing, was the best in many years

But at eighteen he was still surrounded by lots of big league  fears

In high school he set records, went to State, and led the team

He was the best left handed starter, Henderson had ever seen

He won each game he pitched in, hit for numbers, struck out tons

His team outscored opponents by at least three hundred runs

Scouts were out to watch him, every time he took the mound

And he knew this as he walked out, tossed the rosin on the ground

He chose to bypass college, heading to developmental ball

If he did what he was told, he be in Lakewood  by the fall

He got the call in August, saying "son, you're on your way"

"You'll be on the train this morning and tomorrow you might play"

So, he made his calls, told those he knew he was heading to N.J.

He was gonna set Lakewood  on fire, he was gonna have his day

He sat for weeks when he arrived, erratic was his stuff

"You've got to tame that curve ball kid, it's just not good enough"

His first start in September, he was nervous and concerned

What if I blow this chance and back to Texas, I'm returned

HE started off with two walks, hitting one then fanning three

He was feeling better, just what people came to see

After five innings they pulled him, with ten strike outs to his name

His team was up six nothing, he was gonna win this game

And sure enough the bullpen came on in and shut the door

And before the season ended he was winning three games more

That winter he went home again, and worked on his control

He knew what the coach wanted, he understood his role

Next spring down in  Clearwater he showed he had improved

So when the final cuts came down, up to double A he moved

It didn't take them long to find him burning up the mound

In fifteen starts, a hundred K's,  no one better could be found.

From here he went to Allentown, to AAA he'd go

Next move that he would make from here should put him in the show

He only threw 3 games down here, two big league starters down

He was called on up to the big time, and was starting....out of town

He only pitched an inning,  two thirds to be exact

He got lit up for 6 runs that night, hard to keep it all intact

He finshed out watching more games, than he pitched in but he knew

He'd be in the spring rotation wearing number forty two.

He met with mixed success at times never coming up real big

For as each year passed his fastball slowed and harder he would dig

His bonus money squandered, three wives gone, investmestments too

He bounced around the league a bit, hitting eight teams in succession

It was enough to do a weak man in, at least there's a concession

He was still up there, the show, on top, it didn't matter where he pitched

As long as he stayed healthy, he wasn't getting ditched

But one day he, on three days rest felt a twinge in his left arm

He pulled himself, and iced it, not doing any harm

But his pitching got erratic, speed was gone and no control

It was then he got the phone call...he was going to the hole

They moved him down to rehab some in AA across the state

He knew with no improvement that this would be his fate

Two years down here and then again, a new kid came along

Sorry, but you're going down...that was a lonely song

Two years and then he moved on back out West just to see

He knew he still had some heat...throwing nearly ninety three

But control...no way at that speed, slow it down...they'd hit him hard

Once he dropped it under eighty...all the batters...they went yard

But still he kicked around some, working nights, coaching some

Then he got the call from Joplin, got to see if he was done

He showed up fit, and did his best but still just couldn't toss

He'd get the speed but no control, the plate it wouldn't cross

The team was just a throw back, small market and little park

But inside he had desire, this place lit in him a spark

There never were too many fans, eight hundred at the most

But when he took the mound there, he could feel his younger ghost

On nights he wasn't pitching, he played first and coached third base

On other nights, he sat around and sold programs round the place

He knew that soon the time would come, he knew his bubble'd burst

He didn't throw as fast to  home as these kids did to first

But now, with the suspension, and him getting pulled five straight

He knew he'd overstayed his welcome, he'd been here far too late

"The ball...Jim, Jim, the ball....was all he heard coach say

He was already in the dugout and he wasn't gonna stay

He packed up and he left the park, left his rooming house as well

He had nowhere to go to, and maybe just as well

But the next year he was out there slinging just like Jim could do"

He was selling peanuts and some ******* jack at a ball parkin Purdue

The game is in his soul you see, it's part of who he is

Like Gherig, Ruth, Diamaggio, like Peewee and The Dizz

He owes his life to baseball. even though he stayed too late

"If he'd just controlled his curveball"...the kid...coulda been great.

Ozzie Smith, Yazstremski,

Dave Stieb and Robin Yount

these men were of a special group

It's one I'm proud to count

There's players who achieve a goal

While others just achieve

They set a standard for the rest

In their heart they just believe

The game is full of heroes

Men depended on each game

They all have certain attributes

And we all know them by name

Kaline, Ripken, and Wade Boggs

The Carters, Joe and Gary

They're men who inspire us

They have a reputation tough to carry

To be a man of character

You must be better than the rest

You have to be a leader

If you ***** up, you must confess

Baseball doesn't make you one

For character's within

You just learn how to channel it

Bring it out from where it's been

Now, Cobb, Ruth and McLain

Were characters as well

But, not the kind of characters

That we are here to tell

They had a reputation

One that is not lost upon the game

But, to say that they had character

Then you would not speak their names

Tom Seaver and Clemente

Thurmon Munson, Sparky too

Were men who set examples

Of exactly what to do

To build a reputation

One that shows character and heart

Is something time consuming

It's built of many parts

To do the right thing once

Is not the thing I want to see

But to do it right consistently

That defines character to me

There are so many examples

Of players in this group

But there are ten times as many

Who miss the homer with a bloop

Baseball brings it out in you

It doesn't put it there

You show what you are made of

By definition....to be fair

Williams, Maris, Dimaggio

Robinsons, Jackie and Frank

They played with an integrity

You could take it to the bank

If you want to be a winner

Please do this if you can

Be a man of character

Not a character of a man.
..

She gathered her belongings

Checked her purse for her house keys

She was going outside today

She was gonna see the trees

The colors now were beautiful

The leaves had all now changed

She was going out alone this time

It was going to be strange

She was looking at the painting

Mother nature had laid out

Of reds and golds and browns and such

And so, she chose to venture out

She checked her purse again to see

That her house keys were inside

She was going out by taxi

She was going for a ride

From where she lived she saw no trees

She only saw more walls

In fact she rarely ventured out

She never went out in the halls

For forty years that she'd been here

The neighborhood had switched

From one with houses and nice trees

To one that looked bewitched

She moved here back in sixty two

The new hi-rise on the block

There were parks and it was nicer then

You could go outside and walk

But the years went by and things, they changed

The old houses all came down

New hi-rise buildings all went up

It had become a low-rent town

There were no more parks to go  to

The street lights, most were dark

You couldn't walk alone past five

You no longer heard dogs bark

The gangs moved in, but still she stayed

She wouldn't move, this was her home

Her husband died in ninety four

And now she was alone

She would not leave, this was her place

She was the first one to move in

She wouldn't leave when her Georgie died

And she would not  move for them.

The police checked in on her each week

They begged her not to stay

There were shootings, muggings all that stuff

But each time she told them "Nay"

For eighteen years she'd never left

She'd never been outside

Her groceries were delivered

And every week she'd tried

To leave her little prison, that had become her cell

But every time she tried to leave

She'd look out and she'd see hell

What kind of life did she now live

Where she couldn't see the cars

She'd had two pairs of blackout drapes

And her windows all had bars

It was not what she had started with

But, still it was her home

But she never ventured out of it

She just always stayed alone

At night she'd hear things and she'd cry

to get herself to rest

For once she knew this neighborhood

It was her city's best

But today, she'd made her mind up

She would venture out that door

She would take herself out to the trees

She would go see them once more

once more she checked her handbag

And she found her keys were there

And then she put her purse back down

And she went back to her chair

She'd never go outside again

No trees would she 'ere see

She would stay inside her unit

Behind the bars in five oh three
..

A hundred thousand miles
were written on his face
He'd earned near every wrinkle
Did this cowboy known as "Jace"
He'd ridden cross the country
From Death Valley up to Maine
In weather full of sunshine
To the roughest hurricane
He owned two pair of Levis
One for workin', one for church
To know how long he'd been here
You'd really have to search
"Jace" was born in Kansas
In the spring of fifty one
His parents were both teachers
And he was their only son
Kansas was a "free" state
One where slaves were free men too
Where the soldiers were militia men
Who served in Union Blue
The fighting up in Kansas
started before the civil war
They were fighting over slavery
For many years before
The first call up was in summer
Back in June of sixty one
Jace's father got his papers
And he left his wife and son
The First Kansas Regiment
Were a proud and fearsome lot
They were a tougher foe to battle
Than the South had at first thought
"Jace's" father was a Captain
In fact he had his own brigade
And he was a decorated soldier
For his dues,  this man had paid
In October of sixty four
He was riding his horse "Sleek"
When we was killed by a "grey" ******
At The Battle of Marmiton Creek
The news got home directly
"Jace" and Mother quickly left
They boarded up the house
And then, they headed for the west
With no father to guide him
Jace became the man at home
He didn't like to settle
And he would much rather roam
His mother passed...consumption
Jace was only seventeen
He was not one for mourning
If you know just what I mean
He needed work to get some cash
He left school....and could ride
And he always had his rifle
Just hanging by his side
He could shoot better than older men
And he could ride just like the wind
And even at this early age
He was leathery of skin
Jace joined in a cattle drive
Moving eastward from the west
He didn't take much time to prove
He was equal to the test
Roping, branding, riding herd
Jace was comfortable as hell
But, he rarely ever said a word
Jace would hardly ever yell
He would eat off from the main group
Always watching, keeping post
He would have his own small fire
The men would call him "ghost"
He never settled down at all
Just rode from west to east
Then turning round he'd return home
His palms had now been greased
He didn't spend much money
He kept it in a bank back home
He had a spread in Austin
And he ..yep, lived there all alone
Each time he'd run a herd across
The country he would buy
Some more land in the area
Or at least, most times he'd try
He had a man named Sancho
Worked the ranch and kept it up
and a young lad known as Felize
Followed Sancho like a pup
Jace would come and clean his rig
Never staying past a week
Then he'd be back out on the trail again
On his second horse...still "Sleek"
His jeans were crusted over
Clay and mud from all the drives
There was more age in this mans jeans
Than most cats did have lives
He beat them with a broom at home
Never ever washed them clean
He said by looking at the dirt on here
I know exactly where I've been
A grizzled old range  cowboy
With a skin as tough as hide
He was never home for very long
Always waiting for the ride
In Austin his ranch was just huge
14 thousand acres square
But, what good was a ranch that big
When he was never there
"Land is something stable"
"They can never make more land"
"But as for cold cash money"
"It's not worth a field of sand"
He died while home in Austin
Nineteen hundred twenty nine
The market crashed around him
But he said, "All this is mine"
They took him back to Kansas
To be buried at his start
He was buried near his father
And his mom, god bless her heart
He gave his land to Sanche
and gave some to Felize too
They kept it up for him so long
It was the least that he could do
He was the image of a cowboy
A loner, sagebrush in his soul
But in the end , it was family
For that's what kept him whole.

Sailors we're not, but here our souls roam
Beneath the cold seas, and the waves and the foam
We inherit the depths of the oceans and sea
Never to know of just what we could be
We are the dead, lying down in the dark
Our stories forgotten, our history stark
We're not in one place, we live where we went down
Not a monument stands for most in our towns
We went down in rought seas, in a storm or a battle
We died taking a trip or transporting our cattle
There's as many of us as there are in the earth
We've been taken at sea, since man first did give birth
Our souls walk the floor of the deepest dark places
No one knows who we are, not our names or our faces
We ended our lives on ships , sloops and on ketches
We are the dead, some rich, some poor wretches
We never will age, never again will see light
We're still waiting for more to join us in the night
The seas give us life and they take just as fast
It's a tomb for us all, it's where our breaths were our last
Unsinkable ships...fifteen hundred or more
Lost their lives to the ice just like many before
The water cares not, your soul's there to take
Whether ocean or sea, or on river or lake
We walk in the depths, beneath the lighthouse and rocks
Our home is the cold, down below all the docks
We lie just off the shore, we died within reach
Some of us drowned just a bit from the beach
The sea's a cruel master, it owns all who sail
It cares not one bit, who you are or your tale
Stories mean nothing to those down below
For when it is time, to the locker you'll go
We died fighting pirates, we gave up our lives
We left our young children, our husbands and wives
From the Cape of Good Hope to the cold northern seas
Where we were still alive as our bodies did freeze
In the Indian Ocean and off the Newfoundland coast
Some nights you might see us, in the fog...just a ghost
We're the ones who inhabit the dark of the seas
When you hear the wind howling, you are hearing our pleas
Don't forget who we were, when we lived and we died
Please remember the families who broke down and did cry
There are fish in the ocean, but we live here too
We're the lost souls of people who died on the  blue
Sailors we're not, but the water's our home
Down in the dark waters beneath the waves and the foam.

I looked into the mirror and this is what I saw
Overweight, bloated and extremely out of shape
Put me in a purple shirt
And I'd look just like a grape
The time had come to buckle down
It was time to go get fit
There's not a better time to go
I figured...this is it
So, I went in after work one day
I had a "ONE DAY CENTER" pass
They like to be called centers
It seems to give them class
I waited once I got there
It was time to hide my pride
I waited for someone else to come
And help me get inside
The door, well it was monstrous
The sort of door a "center' needs
I couldn't budge it with my pushing
"The sign says Pull, sir....can't you read?"
A girl, no more than twenty
Helped me in..god bless her heart
You could stick three feathers in her ****
And she would be a dart
She led me in up to the desk
And then she went to change
I was now inside "The Center"
And it really did feel strange
I saw a gym once, in a dream
It was not like this at all
This was wonderous, expansive
The gym was like a hall
A young girl came and asked me
If I would like to take a tour
I told her I would love one
I didn't tell her about the door
She showed me all the new machines
The ropes and steps and *****
The freeweights and the changing room
The tvs and the walls
She told me what they offered
That most other Centers lacked
I was looking for a way to leave
Then she gave me a back pack
"You get this free" she said
for coming on the tour
I told her thanks, but still inside
I would keep quiet about the door
I said I'd think about it
I was not sure if it was me
I was not really a "Center" guy
I would rather watch tv
She said maybe a session
With a trainer would change my mind
I said that I would do it
There was a numbness in my behind
The chairs were most uncomfotable
I was squeezed in rather tight
A purple grape stuck in a press
That's really quite a sight
She went and got a trainer
And as I walked around the floor
She came back wtih the little girl
That I'd met at the front door
She showed me the treadclimber
Said it was easy on the knees
It was easy to get started
Using this would be a breeze
I got on and got started
Four steps made my head begin to spin
I was really getting dizzy
I really hated thin
I got off...got some water
She said we'd go try out the bike
My **** cheeks hid the entire seat
This was not something I liked
Next free weights..now a man's toy
I couldn't lift them from the floor
Then she whispered "oops I'm sorry"
"I forgot all about the door"
She left to take a phone call
I then went to have a ***
I knew I could work the ******
Away from where prying eyes could see
I went back and I joined her
She chose to show me a machine
It did most of the work by it self
It was guaranteed to make me lean
We talked for near an hour
Then I went back to the desk
I thanked her and sat down again
I really just needed rest
I listened to the payment plans
As they were speedily thrown out
I thought about my heart attack
My bursitis and my gout
I signed on as a member
Vowing "no longer would I be mush"
The one thing I'd remember
Is to pull the door not push!