ABE, THE POOR MAN'S POET
These are file versions of my last two books, "MOONTIDES AND OTHER CHANGES" and "THE WORLD, WAR, FREEDOM, AND MORE".
Enjoy!!




TOP HAT

"What's happenin' Abe?" they ask
As they drive down the beach.
Some of them even holler
"How about a speech?"

Some just look and smile
Others turn and look away
Some look with surprise
And don't know what to say.

I've seen them turn around
Drive back for another look
You'd be amazed how many times
My pictures does get took.

They have called me "George"
A few times "Uncle Sam"
Some have a puzzled look
Wondering who I am.

They've even accused me of
Setting the blacks free.
I keep my back to the wall --
Lest some nut shoots me.

Small kids are the most fun
With their wide-eyed innocence
Curious looks on their faces
With no false pretense.

The hat draws some people out
Causes a lot of them to smile
So when in the mood I wear it --
Every once in a while.


A FISH STORY?

It's another world
One that few have seen
At times wild and brutal
At times so serene.

A place where life abounds
Every shape and size
Where miracles seem to happen
Right before your eyes.

A garden paradise
With flowers that can walk
There's even some creatures
That know how to talk.

There are some animals
Not seen by the eye
And there are fish found here
That have learned to fly.

It has its own mountains
And rivers down below
Still hiding some secrets
That we may never know.

For millions of years
It's cared for its own
And would for millions more
If it were left alone.

But man pollutes its waters
He dumps his garbage there
Spills oil on the surface --
He doesn't seem to care.

So he destroys its life
All because of greed
I guess we think the sea's
Something we don't need.

But someday fish stories
Told from shore to shore
Will be nothing more than
Part of our folklore.


AND THEN THE RAINS CAME DOWN

There's rumbling distant sounds
From white mountains in the sky
That're moved and rearranged
By those windblown tides on high.

Sometimes they'll open up
And the cooling rains fall down
To cleanse the air we breathe
And to wet the parched dry ground.

Maybe tears of the gods
Crying for the human race
As we destroy some things
That can never be replaced.


A HARSH MISTRESS

I'd rather be out on the sea
than any place I know.
I long to float on ship or boat
just rocking to and fro.

It's like a balm when it is calm
or when it's rough and stormy.
It helps to ease and can appease
the restlessness in me.

The moon/sunshine out on the brine
is a sight to behold
Of Davey Jones and Captain Bones --
great stories have been told.

It can inspire like brimstone fire
one's imagination
Of clean white sands, of far-off lands,
of treasures lost and won.

Tales of ghost ships on fateful trips
of pirates Kidd and Bligh,
Sailing the main -- Indies to Spain --
as skull and cross-bones fly.

A harsh mistress, some would attest,
those who rest in the deep.
Those taken by winds and waves high
are now in endless sleep.

A friend to man and to the land
if she takes a notion,
Though many drowned, shores changed around
by the raging ocean.

Men build (they think) ships that won't sink,
but she's a fearsome foe.
For if her want, she'll tease and taunt
then send them down below.

Men have been bold since days of old
sailing from shore to shore.
Many were lost, their lives the cost
for thinking they knew more.


ODE TO A HARSH MISTRESS

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight"
A famous seaman's adage
"Red sky in morning, sailor's warning"
A very useful adage

If you don't heed, and you proceed
She may make you believe.
Maybe too late, she'll cast your fate
And those on shore will grieve.

On your tombstone let it be known
"He died out on the main.
He challenged her, and to be sure,
He won't try it again!"


AT PEACE

Lights reflecting on the water
Way out across the bay
As darkness of night is ending
Another sunny day.

They flicker as the gentle breeze
Blows seaward from the land
Just the way Old Mother Nature
Had this whole day all planned.

The gulls are asleep and quiet
The fish will jump all night
As I look across the water
It's such a lovely sight.

Boats gently rocking at the dock
Of every shape and size
They're lighted by a slice of moon
And stars up in the sky.

A solitude and peacefulness
Now settle over me.
It tells me that I've come back home --
I've come back to the sea.


IN ANY LANGUAGE

It makes no difference
where you're at
No matter
what country.

The most important
thing is that
You are a person
who is free.


BELOW THE SURFACE

The sunlight on the surface
Flashes back at me
As I look into the depths
Of the deep blue sea.

I see the fish down below
As they swim around
And the gently lapping waves
Are the only sound.

Sometimes a soaring seagull
Squawks as he flies by
Against a background of clouds
In a still blue sky.

Boats on the far horizon
Sails blown by the breeze
Some are out for just the day
Some bound for new seas.

Heading for new ways of life
Never to return
Hoping to find happy shores
Those which all men yearn.

Some will realize their dreams
Some travel for naught
Find the best they'll ever have
They've already got.

But man will go on dreaming
(No different with me)
As I look into the depths
Of the deep blue sea.


BOATBUILDERS

Born of dreams, hopes and schemes,
Of blood and sweat and tears,
Of all the money earned
Hard work for many years.

Buying her piece by piece,
Then nail, bolt and screw.
See Her grow like a child --
Loved almost as much, too.

She'll freeze you in the winter,
She'll leak and make you wet,
And in the summertime
You sit around and sweat.

Seems an eternity
Before you see Her float.
I guess you know by now
I'm talking 'bout a boat.

You learn all of the terms,
Like forward, stern and aft.
Up/down's below, topside
Its' not beer you call draft.

Your bed will be a berth
That's cramped and much too small.
Walk around hunched over,
If you should be too tall.

There's no floors to walk on
The ceiling is the deck.
The toilet's called the head
What else did you expect?

You cook in the galley
A stove that rocks and rolls.
You read charts not a map
To find out where She goes.

To the left is to port
Starboard is to the right.
Learn to read a compass
To know the stars at night.

Find each nook and cranny
On deck and down below
To store all of the gear
(More gear than room, you know)

Live on her at dockside
Another year or two
You still can't take Her out
There's still a lot to do.

Finally! It is time
For you to hoist the sail
With all your stores aboard
You've driven the last nail.

At last you pull away
From that too well-known dock
You think of all the hours --
Time you've worked 'round the clock.

Of memories and friends
Left there behind in port
Realizing that your stay
Really was quite short.

But now there's a new world
For you to see and know
You can go where you want
As long as the winds blow.


BE FREE

Hear the sound of sails
Flapping in the breeze
Gently turn the rudder
Head her where you please.

As the blue-green water
Slips silently by
With the soft white clouds
In a beautiful sky.

What a peaceful feeling
Sailing on the sea
It's a different world
Where you can be free.


BLOWING IN CIRCLES

A lightning flash across the sky,
The thunder's rumbling sound,
The patter of the gentle rain
As it come falling down.

The wind picks up momentum,
The trees sway to and fro,
Tornado warnings posted
As it begins to blow.

Mother Nature on the rampage,
She's showing us once more
That she can play a lullaby
Or scream a deafening roar.

She will play no favorites
But if you're in the way
You had best listen to
The tune that she does play.


CAP'N JACQUES

He's been around the world
And seen most every shore
He says he's not done
He's going to see some more.

He knows the world's waters
From above and below
Not much about the seas
That this man doesn't know.

He's been trying to teach us --
Those of us who will hear --
That we're going to ruin
The things that he holds dear.

The life in deep waters
And in river and stream --
To stop its pollution
Has been his whole life's dream.

He's learned and understands
That we depend upon
The waters of the world --
And have since the earth's dawn.

He knows they can be saved
But that we cannot wait
Because before too long
It's going to be too late.

So, listen to this man
And what he has to say
'Cause before we know it --
It will be Judgment Day.


CHANGING SHORELINE

They come from everywhere,
Crowd onto the beaches
Strange about the water's pull
And how far it reaches.

It's not just the sun and sand,
There's a subtle, awesome force
That draws us all back to its edge --
It's part of our life's course.

Like the shoreline at its edge,
We're forever changing
Never to be the same again --
Always rearranging.

Like the tide's unending action
With its ebb and flow
We'll all return to the shore
Though why, I do not know.


CLOUDS

Did you ever lay
On a cloudy day
Looking at the sky?

Seeing strange faces
Far away places
In the heavens high?

Maybe you would see
Life differently
If you'd just let go

And let the clouds guide
A fantasy ride
Wherever they may blow.


THEIR MAJESTY

Rising high above the land
Reaching toward the sky
With snow-capped peaks shining
Where even birds don't fly

The winds howl relentlessly
Through the cold, clean air
Some untouched by man
Who has not yet been there.

They tower o'er green valleys
And plains far as you can see
Form headwaters for our rivers
And timberlines of tree.

Some rest in quiet solitude
They're cold and dead inside
While others blow their tops --
Wreak havoc far and wide.

Born millions of years ago
Of the restless heaving earth
In all shapes and sizes
Of different heights and girth

One of Mother Nature's children
Standing tall and proud
An awe-inspiring sight
With their halos of cloud.


ENDANGERED SPECIES

We talk about what we can do
To save what we don't kill
But I think we all know
That we never, ever will.

We discuss all the things
That could and should be done
But it usually ends right there
Before they are begun.

We won't waste our precious time
In our greedy haste
We will wait until it's gone
And cannot be replaced.

Then we'll bitch about it
Let another take the blame
And the worst part about it --
Next time we'll do the same.

Some day we will realize
Though it will be too late
We're the endangered species
And have sealed our own fate.

The world will be better off
Without the human being 'round
Without our intelligence(?)
Maybe sanity will abound.

Maybe peace and tranquility
Will spread around the earth
Once we realize how little
We are really worth.

Let's hope we leave
Enough to start life anew --
That we don't kill it all
'Fore we bid this world adieu.


DON'T PIN ME DOWN

The beautiful butterfly
One of nature's lovely things
Flies from flower to flower
With rainbow-colored wings.

Sucking the sweet nectar
To pollinate once more
The blossoms of Springtime
On the lush valley floor.

It spreads new life around
And does more than its share
It follows nature's plan
That has always been there.

So the next time you see one
Don't pin it to a board
For without the likes of it
New life won't be restored.


FOOL'S ISLAND
(Galveston)

I hear of the hurricane
As it heads toward land
And hope the old hotel
Will hold up and withstand

The storm's merciless fury
Waves crashing o'er the wall
Or that it will die down
To just a minor squall.

I know that she will stay
As she has said she would
Taking care of old folks
Because she is so good.

There nothing I can do
Except to sit and wait
Hoping that she'll get out
Before it is too late.

A place you are committed
Should you decide to stay
You can't change your mind --
No chance to get away.

The roads will all be closed
By the fast rising tide
There is nowhere to run
There is nowhere you can hide.

Someday it will happen --
A big catastrophe --
As people sit and think
"It can't happen to me".

Mother Nature doesn't care
Where or when or who.
She may give fair warning
But some won't think it true.

They'll say, "Let's have a party.
Why should we pack and run?"
It happens every time --
They find it not much fun.

Sometimes they'll be lucky
And some will end up dead
Because they were stubborn
Or didn't use their head.

But maybe one more time
They might get a reprieve
Maybe get scared enough
That next time they will leave.


SECOND CHILDHOOD

Would I do the same
In a second game?
Wonder if I would.

Is there a new day
Or a better way
In second childhood?

Were lessons learned well?
What stories will they tell?
Is there more to say?

Could it have been changed?
Maybe rearranged
Or was it meant to be this way?


MESSAGE FROM ALICIA

She howled across the Island
In the wee hours of the morn
Blowing rain and ocean tides
Twelve feet higher than the norm.

She knew She could destroy it
But it seems of Her own choice
She would give them once more chance
Hope that they would hear Her voice.

She would warn them one more time
And hoped, maybe, they would hear
She'd just kill a few of them --
Make a mess, instill some fear.

She knew they were in Her hands
That they had no place to run
And She knew there'd be those fools
Who said they thought it was fun.

She says next time is the test
And there'll be one simple rule
To see if they passed or failed
Their class at Nature's School.

The test could be twice as tough
And all of them could fail --
But if they listen to her
They'll all pass, when they turn tail.


HAPPY SAILING

I hope your course is true
That your compass heading's right
I hope you have smooth sailing
Whether in the day or night.

I hope the weather's always fair
The water smooth and clear;
I hope no storms enter your life
To cause you doubt and fear.

I hope when you make landfall
In some lovely bay
That the natives will be friendly
And you have a happy stay.

I hope the beach is white and clean
Where you lie in the sand --
I hope the sights that you see
Are beautiful and grand.

But should you hit rough seas
Be in need of safe harbor,
Reset your course for my arms
And I will give you shelter.


SUNRISE

The early morning light
Slowly removes the shroud
Of the dark, lonely night.

The night dreams fade away
With the realities
Of another day.


FLORIDA SUNSHINE

The sun is shining brightly
The water's calm and smooth
The boat is rocking gently
I barely feel it move.

White clouds off in the distance
Slowly turning to gray
I see the line of showers
That are heading my way.

A distant flash of lightning
The thunder's rumbling sound
Pitter-patter on the deck
The rain starts falling down.

The wind churns up the water
The boat begins to rock
And starts tugging at the lines
That hold it to the dock.

The rain becomes a torrent
The wind begins to howl
Mother Nature's friendly smile
Becomes a savage scowl.

She clears her system quickly
The rains go on their way
And the sun comes out again
A typ'cal Florida day.


HEARING FEELINGS

Have you ever heard the silence
The transmutation of a look
Of a touch, or thought, or dream
The words printed in a book?

The fearful cries of someone
That you don't even know
The sounds of lonely hours
That seem to go so slow?

With all the noise around us
We forget about the quiet
We let it slip by unnoticed
And if we hear -- deny it.

At times the walls around us
Have so much to say
But we walk out -- close the door
Feeling safe for one more day.

We let the slightest sound
Still the silent words we hear
How can something that is nothing
Cause us so much fear?

We listen to the silent words
Of others we call fools
Then say, "You can't hear mine --
It's against the rules".

But be assured there's someone
Who can hear past the sound
Who can hear your silent words
For you can't keep them bound.


IN MY BLOOD

Got the trav'lin fever
I want to hit the trail
Don't know why I'm waitin'
Why I don't move my tail.

A lot of world out there
So much to see and share
No plan which direction --
Just travel here and there.

Stop when and where I want
For a day -- maybe more.
But I do know one thing
I must be near a shore.

I'll be near the water
It has a hold on me
A strange and unseen force
Draws me back to the sea.

If you've lived upon it
As I once used to do
It gets into your blood --
Becomes a part of you.

Soon I will hit the road
And head toward the coast
Down to the water's edge --
The place that I love most.


LIGHT KEEPERS

A guiding beam of light
That flashes in the night
It tells men of the sea
If that's where they should be.

Sometimes it says, "Beware,
There's trouble for you there."
At times, if it's the case
It says, "This is the place."

Alone on shore or rock
These men of special stock
Keep the lamp light burning
For sailors returning.

The lighthouse tender's breed
Fulfills a special need
His only family
Is the light and the sea.

So hats off to these few
And the fine job they do
For ships lost and wind blown
Saved by the light they've shone.


MAINSTREET, U.S.A.

I walk through the canyon, listening to the wind howl down the ravines that lead to it. The dust of centuries past swirls around my feet. Life abounds everywhere but sometimes I have to look very carefully to see it. At times it will reveal itself for a brief moment before it scurries away.
Even though I know that it is there, often the chill of emptiness can be felt, and I can sense the cold, cunning eyes that watch me from impenetrable positions on all sides.
I turn quickly, trying to catch a glimpse of them, and hoping that they will be friendly for a change. More often that not, I see nothing in the harsh terrain around me.
On rare occasions, though, eyes will peer back at me curiously, and sometimes I think that I can detect the same need and longings that I have reflected in them. They may even come closer, trying to get a better look. It is as if they are searching for something or someone. They act fearful of what they may find, or as if they don't quite believe or trust what they see.
They always turn away though, scurrying back to the safety of their own world. There, they know what to expect, and they feel secure.
They are wary of strangers or change, and their fear seems to overpower their curiosity and, I think, sometime their intelligence. I suppose that some of them may think that they have seen all that there is to see and become complacent about it all. Maybe they have seen most of it, but I very much doubt it.
Even if I move away from the main chasm where the landscape is different, the inhabitants are still the same. Each may have a completely different and unique place or form of refuge. Even so, the responses and reactions of all of them are usually predictable.
I suppose that I will have to continue to search and hope that from somewhere within the shadowy depths of the crevasses that surround me, someday I will see those eyes that will not look away, and that they will be able to see and to understand.


ENDING BEGINNINGS

Of rain?
A clear sky.
Of night?
A new day.
Of dreams?
Reality.
Habits?
A different way.
Of love?
A new one.
Of pain?
The healing.
Of life?
Rebirth.
Of death?
Unfeeling.


FULL ENOUGH!

It's an unseen force
Changing tides of the mind
Strange feelings I find
Every month, of course.

Some change from inside
Who knows the reason why?
Some laugh and some cry
There's nowhere to hide.

Some believe, some don't
And try to run away
Don't know what to say
Some face it, some won't.

But, the full moon changes
Of this there is no doubt.
It changes lives about
Some minds, it rearranges.


MATCHSTICKS

Matchstick cats and dogs
And people made the same
Shaped the way you want
Making them play your game.

They'll do what you will
You choose the words they say
They'll always be there
For they can't run away.

But they can't touch you
They don't know how you feel
Sometimes it's the same
With those you think real.


MOLLIE'S FOLLY

A boat of sail can tell a tale
Of hopes and thoughts and schemes
Of all the work and the sad quirk
That could end all the dreams.

The trip at last, did come to pass
After all those long, hard years
Of doing without. Now there is doubt
Of its worth, it appears.

Seems before long, that all went wrong --
Including the weather
Three hundred miles, toward the Isles
Could more bad luck occur?

Maybe She knows an ill wind blows
It wasn't meant to be
She has a fear, leaving the pier
Of heading out to sea.

Red skied morning -- sailor's warning --
One that you must heed
Be sure Her shape is all shipshape
If you plan to proceed.

For I worry in your hurry
You'll leave something to chance.
Just one small thing -- that it could bring
Some sort of mischance.

I hope all's well and your trip's swell
And all your dreams come true
And as you ride out on the tide
I wish good luck for you.


MIRACLES DO HAPPEN

Leaves of orange and red and brown
Gently falling down
Heeding Old Man Winter's call.

All the birds have gone their ways
Searching warmer days
For they've sensed the coming Fall.

Pudgy squirrels stock their lairs
Scurry here and there
As they forage through the leaves.

The wise spider doesn't nap
As he waits to trap
Victims in the web he weaves.

The old bear prepares for sleep
In his den, dug deep
To await the next year's Spring.

When gray, stormy skies turn blue
And life begins anew
What a miraculous thing!


WHO DEW DAT?

The dainty, fragile dew drop
Awaits the morning light
To twinkle in the sunshine
Like a star in the night.


MOONIE?

It grows each night brighter
The face is clear.
Nights not so dark -- lighter
The time is near.

The blood inside my veins
Flowing faster
As my body complains
Strange feelings stir.

Unexplainable changes
Not imagined --real
My mind rearranges
How changed I feel.

I'm restless, what to do?
Where do I go?
I'm lonely and I'm blue.
My own worst foe!

I do some crazy things
Without thinking
The time of month that brings
Hopeless dreaming.

Watching the full moon rise
Up into the sky
I hear ancient cries
And I wonder why.


NEW DAY

I lay tossing and turning
In the early light of morn
Tryin' to ignore the new day
That's about to be born.
MOUNT SAINT HELENS

Snow capped peaks and ridges
Almost two miles high
A lovely sight she was
Reaching toward the sky.

A lake held to her breast
Its waters cold and clear
Its name, from Indian lore
That was conceived in fear.

They felt the whole region
Had belonged to the dead
They wouldn't go near it
They believed what was said.

Spirit Lake was a gem
That sparkled in the light
But her brilliance is gone
Now, just a desolate site.

The mountain had been quiet
A hundred years, two score.
And then in May of '80
She came to life once more.

More than five hundred bombs
Of the atomic size --
The energy she spent
As she took to the skies.

Up sixty thousand feet
She threw her ash and dust
And made those who saw it
Cry out --"In God we trust!"

Two hundred miles away
They heard her blow her top
And those that lived near her
Thought that she'd never stop.

Parts of her were carried
By winds, clear 'round the earth
And land for miles around
Has lost all of its worth.
She vented her anger
But don't think that she's done
And those with any sense
Would turn away and run.

For Old Mother Nature
Can be so soft and sweet
But if she wants to fight
You know she can't be beat.

It's just one more warning
One more that we won't heed
So we'll pay the price
And refuse to concede.


MORE, MORE

Do all dreams die --
Or just the men?
Where do they start --
Where do they end?

What is a dream?
What we can't get --
What we can't see
Those not yet met?

When they come true
They cease to be
They'll turn into
Reality.

A way of life
Since days of yore
All a man has --
He'll yearn for more.


MOLLIE'S LAUNDRY ROOM

Rub-a rub-a scrub
In a plastic tub
Washing dirty clothes
Sometimes a pair of hose --
But mostly it seems
Just old cut-off jeans
And a shirt or two
And maybe a skirt, too.
To get you through the day
Till the next day of pay
To wash in a machine
You think it's really keen
'Cause for three quarters there
You can wash more than one pair.


NUTICAL NAUTICAL

Well, here it is --Florida --
You finally made it here.
You sure took your time --
It took you a whole year.

With some stops along the way
You'd rather not have made
Docked at places --not by choice --
That you'd rather not stayed.

The boat, She held together
Took the bad with the good
But you didn't have a doubt --
You always knew She would.

Al least a part of your dream
Has finally come true
And I don't have any doubts
That all the rest will, too.

You have the perseverance
And you have a strong will
To keep going when others wouldn't
'Cause they'd have had their fill.

You're one of a kind, "Lady"
Like the "Cheshire Cat" boat.
And I know you won't give up --
That you'll keep both afloat.

After talking to you some
I know you won't give up
And I also know some day
You'll have your silver cup.

Boating is a way of life
The one that suits you best
You're going to do it your way --
To hell with all the rest!

And when your trip is over
And all is said and done
Those people will look and say
"She was the lucky one."

"She had a dream in her heart
That she would not let fade
And she made it all come true --
Well worth the price she paid."

You did it all, your own way --
You have a stubborn streak.
And the way of life you chose
Is not meant for the weak.

You'd never made it alone
But, neither would have he
And both of you should be proud
You're two souls who are free.


NO DEPOSIT/NO RETURN

"No deposit, no return"
"Do not fold or mutilate"
And everywhere we go
It's "hurry up" and "wait".

A plastic and paper world --
We don't use our hands or mind
There's no such thing anymore
As unique -- one of a kind.

We buy instead of make it --
Use that plastic card like cash
Then we'll waste half what we buy
And put the rest in the trash.

And even love and marriage
Is not what it used to be
Believe nothing that you hear
And just half of what you see.

It's no wonder we're mixed up
And that truth is hard to find
'Cause we let ourselves be led --
By the blind -- leading the blind.

So, let's start to deposit
And hope we get a return
And the places that we go
Let's take our time -- try to learn.

Let's take all those cardboard cards
Those that we can't punch or bend
To those who would control us
And say --"Stick 'em in your end!


OCEAN TIDES

Blue-green water, crystal clear
And sand as white as snow
Children playing in the surf
The pace, easy and slow.

Fish swimming around your feet
As if they're teasing you
Soft white clouds float overhead
In a sky, clear and blue.

A place you can get away
Leave your troubles behind
The salt air and the soft breeze
Can clear you cluttered mind.

Look at the far horizon
And dream of far-off lands
The same waters wash their beach --
They just have different sands.

The people on their beaches
With dreams like you and I
Looking at the same horizon
Beneath the same blue sky.

Their skin, a different color
Their speech, a foreign word
All drawn to the ocean's edge
By the same call we heard.

Its strange and awesome forces
Reach each and every one
And will for eternity
Just as it's always done.

A common bond to us all
A camaraderie
It's too bad that we don't hear --
So sad that we don't see.

The things we could accomplish
If we'd be like the tide --
Dependable and constant
And pulling, side by side.

The world could live together
With peace and happiness
And with Mother Nature's lead
We'd straighten out the mess.

But people are too stubborn
We just don't want to hear
Most of us possessed by greed
Some of us torn by fear.

But the oceans will remain
When life on earth is done
And with their perseverance
New life will be begun.


NEW ROADS

Well, "My Blue Heaven's" gone
I sold Her yesterday
So now I have to learn
To live a different way.

She carried me some miles
Although not near enough
And She held together
When the roads were rough.

Kept me warm in winter
Cool in the summertime
And She gave me a place
To put my thoughts to rhyme.

A place to hide away
Where I could be alone
To learn some things about me
That I'd have never known.

I hate to see Her go
For she's a lot like me
She is one-of-a-kind
And She has to be free.


MOONLIT

Full moon up in the sky
Shining so brightly.
You'll shine on her tonight
As you shine on me.

I beg, shine bright enough
So that she will see
That I'll always love her
For all eternity.


ONE DONE

Counting all those numbers
Until our life is done
If you think about it
They all begin with ONE.

The FIRST day of life
The FIRST time we cried
The FIRST time we laughed
Our FIRST Yuletide.

The FIRST time we crawled
The FIRST step we took
The time the other sex
Was seen with a new look.

The FIRST time we knew
How we really feel
The FIRST time we thought we loved
The FIRST time it was real.

But someday when those FIRSTs
Are all done and past
We'll find the FIRST day of our life
Really is the LAST.


WHO?

They may wonder who I am
And how I came to be
But all that I can do
Is be the one that's me.
While they wonder who they are
And just how they got here
They fill their minds with thoughts
Of questions, doubt and fear.


OF THE EARTH

Up at the crack of dawn
With the crowing of the cock
Go to gather the eggs
As the old hens scold and squawk.

Feed the horses, milk the cows,
By the rising morning sun
It seems you've worked half a day --
But it's only just begun.

Time for breakfast -- not store-bought
Bacon, eggs, and homemade biscuits
Cherry jam, put up last Fall
And some plums canned with the pits.

You fix the leak in the barn
Mend the hole that's in the fence
You clear the weeds from the ditch
That have grown so thick and dense.

Drive twenty miles into town
Just to get needed supplies
Hurry back to mow the fields
Just as soon as the dew dries.

Then it's time for dinner --
The main meal of the day
She's one helluva cook --
Is all that you can say.

You start baling up the hay
Now that it's all cut down
Get a drink of sweet water
From the well below the ground.

Still a few more chores to do
Before the evening sunset.
You have pride in knowing that
You work hard for all you get.

Time for supper -- something light --
The time to relax and talk
To have a cup of coffee --
Maybe take a moon-lit walk.

You hear the frogs in the pond
And the crickets in the grass
Look up at the scattered clouds
Wonder what weather's forecast.

A man of earth -- it's tough --
Few days off and little pay
It's in your blood, and you know
That there is no better way.


THE FARMER'S WIFE

You've heard of "The Three Blind Mice"
And "The Farmer in the Dell"?
As far as fairy tales go
I guess that they are swell.

But in the real world today
So much that we don't know
Just go ask a farmer's wife
And she'll tell you so.

She'll tell you of the long days
In every farmer's life
And what it is really like
To be a farmer's wife.

About getting up at dawn
Each day of the year
Whether the day is stormy
Or beautiful and clear.

And speaking of the weather
It can wipe you out --
It can take your best year
And turn it inside out.

The pests can eat the crops
Acid rain ruins the soil
And there's not too much pay
For all the time you toil.

Kind of a thankless job
People think you're getting rich
Not knowing what it costs
To put water in the ditch.

It's not like the old days
There's so much more to know
To put a seed in the ground
And to make it grow.

Without the farmer and his wife
Wonder where we'd be --
They've done a lot to make us great.
And the land of the free.

So give thanks to them
The next time you sit down
To partake of a meal
They've raised from the ground.


OF FLOWERS

Beautiful, so full of life,
Opening to the sun
And air.

Some brilliant colored
Some more than one
Some fair.

But all alive, blooming
Reaching for the sky
Because they care.

They open up their petals
Turn them to heaven high
And they get their share.

Life most things that surround us
Taken so much for granted
We're not even aware.

But now when I see one
Seems I become enchanted
NOW I see them there.


FOOTPRINTS

I walk the lonely beach
Searching in the warm wet sand
For the pair of footprints
Made when we walked hand in hand.

I look toward the water
As the sun begins to set
And hope with all my heart
That I'll see your silhouette.

I sit on the driftwood
Worn smooth by the raging sea
It looks like the same one
Where you used to sit with me.

At times the crashing waves
Are like a magic potion
I think I hear your voice
But find it's just the ocean.

The wind caresses me --
I pretend that it's your lips
But then I realize
That it's one more of my trips.

To that land of dreams
That will never, ever be
I watch the water rise
And I hope it will take me.

That it will drown the pain
And take away the sorrow --
Take me back to yesterday
And stop the coming 'morrow.


OR A DREAM?

A translucent face
Smiles up at me
Beneath the calm water
It's one I can't place
Neptune, maybe?
Could it be his daughter?
A hand beckons me
I'm comfortable
I reach out and touch it.
It's cold as the sea
But wonderful
Though strange I must admit.
It warms to my touch
Gently pulling,
Urging me to follow
I can feel so much
A gentle calling
From the depths there below.
The face is clear now
It's yours, my love.
Can it really be true?
If so, I will vow
To God above
I always will love you.
Awakened! A change --
The vision gone --
My hand warm and wet.
It was very strange!
Phenomenon?
It's one I won't forget!


THE CHESHIRE GRIN

There she goes a-sailing
On her maiden voyage
You may have been wiser
To have put her up in storage.

The radio goes out
Just when you want to talk
And if there is no wind
You can't get out and walk.

The dammed auto-pilot
Steered itself off course
What's that there in the dark?
Why -- it's land, of course.

You feel the bottom meet
And scrape against the hull
And you can't get afloat
Without a helping pull.

The motor runs just fine
But only in reverse --
Take it easy, friend
It's not yet time to curse.

Sit on the windless waters
For a day or two
The tornadoes that you saw --
The only winds that blew.

You finally get a break
It blew you right on in
Not wondering in the rushing tide
If you WOULD sink -- just WHEN.

A whole month into the trip
Less than ten miles a day
But you should know by now
To own a boat -- you pay.

Sand and paint Her here
Patch Her over there
And each time you do it
It's done with loving care.

You may want to sink Her
Or burn Her to the line
But then you look at Her and think --
"Well, at least She's mine!"


SALVAGE JOB

Dancing patterns on the ceiling
Through the porthole, near my bed
Remind me of those days gone by
And the memories fill my head.

So many thoughts of happy times
And those days aboard the boat
Of tender love, shared by two
That we couldn't keep afloat.

It sank into the cold, dark depths
Settling to life's murky floor
If that treasure could be salvaged
Then I'd never ask for more.

It's worth all the gold and silver
That is hidden in the deep
I hope that it will live once more
Not destined to endless sleep.


SEA ESCAPE

There She sat, huge and proud
Held fast, tied to the dock
A pretty sight She was
(If only She could talk.)

She could tell some stories
And She could tell some tales
Of all the ports She's seen
Along those ocean trails.

She would tell of bad storms
With the sea mean and rough
She made it through them all
'Cause she was proud and tough.

She'd talk of pretty days
The water smooth as glass
Gliding quietly across
A "Lady" -- She had class.

She'd tell of her marriage
To Neptune of the sea
And She'd say there's nowhere
That she would rather be.

She'd tell about Her crew
The captain, stern and wise.
And all the rest of them
Upon whom he relies.

The first mate -- his right hand
The purser -- strings pulled tight
And the poor old doctor
Who's called all through the night.

Those in the engine room
Keeping the props going
And then there's the oiler
Who must keep it flowing.

And the man at the helm
Who keeps Her on course
The hands batten Her down
When She bucks like a horse

She'd tell of passengers
Who have ridden Her back
About the Blue Lady --
And the one dressed in black.

The couple who married
Out on Her sunny decks
She thinks that they'll be back
To pay her their respects.

She's glad to have them all
For they keep her afloat
And if they didn't come
She'd be an old work boat!


SILENT MESSAGE

The beauty of the flowers
As patiently they wait
For the sunshine and the rain
That make or seal their fate.

Standing silent in the dawn
And straining toward the sky
Wondering what the day will bring
If they shall live or die.

The same things that give them life
Can take it all away
For too much rain or sunshine
Can make it their last day.

The hot sun might dry them up
It might rain 'til they drown
They'll fall back to Mother Earth --
Be swallowed by the ground.

But even so, in their death
They'll help others to live
Be part of newborn life
And continue to give.

Beauty to this barren world
Bright colors to the gray
A sweet fragrance to the air
Where children run and play.

They ask nothing in return
They just want their fair share
Of the sunshine and the rain
And the life-giving air.

But it seems the human race
In all its greed and haste
Will not let the flowers live
And it seems such a waste.

We will pull them from the ground
And trample them to death
We pollute the air they breathe
To make it their last breath.

We make it so the sunshine
Can't get through the haze
Make acid fall from the sky
On all those rainy days.

We're blinded by greed's passion
Afraid we'll be outdone
And we'll bring it on ourselves
That day -- the final one.

To bad flowers are wiser
They give more than they take
They realize what's needed --
What's needed, for life's sake.

So listen what the flowers
Say with their silent word --
The most important message
That you have never heard.


SLEEPY

I wish I could
Go into hibernation
To ease the mind strain
Of everyday frustration.

Hidden away in my lair
Protected from the chill
Staying safe and warm
And waiting --until

The flowers start to bloom
To the bluebird's song
And all new-born creatures
Learn where they belong.

When Old Mother Nature
Makes life start anew
I wonder if she'd start
My life over, too.


SEASONS

First there comes the Springtime
When all things are fresh and new
The innocence of newborn life
Believing that all dreams come true.

Then the Summer of our lives
That is spent chasing those dreams
And the realization --
It's not as easy as it seems.

Much too soon Fall is here
As things die and they turn brown
And we watch our dreams tumble
Like leaves to the cold hard ground.

Winter will chill us to the bone
As years quickly slip away
Along with forgotten dreams
We dreamt that Springtime day.

The four seasons of the mind
Beginning, middle, past and end
Rarely work out as we want
Or turn out as we intend.


E.S.P.

Is it from mind to mind
Or is it from the heart?
It's amazing to me
What thoughts can impart


SOLITARY SEAGULL

Just sitting on the back deck
Looking 'cross the bay
Noticing the gulls
Must have lost their way.

I looked around to see
Where they all had gone
And I swear all I could find
Was just a single one.

The sun was blazing white
In the hazy sky
As the bird settled down
And I sat and pondered why.

Why the solitary seagull
It seemed so very strange
From the flocks we're used to --
And not a welcome change!

Could it have been an omen,
A message of some kind?
And if I looked real hard
I wondered if I'd find --

That I'm like that solitary seagull
Looking for an answer to
The question, "What is the answer?"
And wondering what to do.


THE CALM THAT RAGES

Looking across the water
Dreams of a distant shore
I hear the ocean sounds,
And watch the seagulls soar.

Feeling small -- tossed about
Like a speck of foam
Knowing I'm a part of it --
That I've come back home

I feel it in my blood
It fills a special need
It always has been there
Starting with life's seed.

It calms the storm that rages
Deep inside of me --
Brings out unknown feelings
Like waves of a stormy sea.

I see my true reflection
When it is calm and smooth --
The pain deep inside of me
It can ease and soothe.

The water's gentle waves
Wash sand around my feet
Rushing toward the land
Then once more will retreat.

Never resting, never still
With its eternal force
It knows we will return
Once we've run life's course.


SUGAR AND SPICE

They start as little girls
In pretty frilly dresses
With their hair in pigtails
Or in long, curly tresses.

They dress up in Mom's clothes
And try to walk in heels
Put make-up on their faces
To see just how it feels

Then as they grow older
They learn about the boys
They put their dolls away
For their new found toys.

They'll fall in love and marry
As they were taught to do
Some of them are lucky
Some find their love not true.

They do the laundry, cook and clean
Play nurse, lover and friend
And as for a woman's work
There seems to be no end.

She'll take an outside job
To help to pay the bills
Usually do without question
Whatever her mate wills

She never will complain
When she's feeling low
Seems that morning to night
She's always on the go.

She will spend a lifetime
Trying to please her man
Always doing for him
Everything she can.

Taken so much for granted
The women in our lives
Not enough credit given
To our lovers or wives.

So take a minute, fellas,
Tell her that you care
Think what it would be like
If she wasn't there.


THE BEST THINGS

Most people are so foolish
Instead of give, they take
Some spend their lives in misery
For other people's sake.

They don't look inside themselves
To see what they really need
What they real want from life
Their feelings never freed.

The things they think important
So seldom ever are
The money stored in the bank
A big house or fancy car.

They can't bring you happiness
Can't put your mind at ease
Can't take away the heartache
Can't get you off your knees.

I have learned the hard way
The things that count in life
What can make it beautiful
What can ease the strife.

Simple things like flowers
A bird swift on the wing
The ocean as it breaks on shore
Can make my heart sing.

A storm with all it's fury
The gently falling rain
Can take away the sorrow
Can help to ease the pain.

The meaning of one to love
Someone else's life to share
One to spend the hours with
One you know does care.

Cares like you for simple things
Who will walk hand in hand
Along the road or sidewalk
Or barefoot in the sand.

Who'll give you a gentle look
Eyes saying they love you
Knowing they'll be beside you
Part of everything you do.

A tender touch upon your arm
As they pass you by
Share the fun and laughter
Shed tears, too -- if you should cry.

Make your lonely times of life
Something of the past
To feel true and honest friendship
To know that it will last.

Having someone to talk with
Of the hopes and dreams inside
To tell you funny stories --
In whom you can confide.

Someone to take care of you
When you don't feel well.
Who'd pick you up and hold you
If you ever fell.

I hope I got my point across --
The best things in life are free.
If you just look for them
I know that you will see.


STORMY WEATHER

I see off in the distance
Blue skies turning to gray
It looks like we're in for
Another stormy day.

The sunset just a hazy glow
With hues of orange and red
The wind blowing autumn leaves
That have fallen brown -- and dead.

Out toward the far horizon
A bright flash lights the sky
As the darkness quickly comes
And another day goes by.

The thunder just a whisper
As the rain begins to fall
The storm is moving nearer
And I hear Winter's call.

The lightning's like a sword
Slashing at the ground
No matter where I look
It seems it's all around.

The rain becomes a torrent
And it chills the air
The swords of the gods
Become a blinding glare.

The sound of the thunder
Is now a deafening roar
But I love every minute
Of nature's musical score.

Its awesome force reminds me
Who's really in control
And how insignificant
Is the human being's role.

We pollute the air and water
We desecrate the land
And soon Old Mother Nature
Will have more than she can stand.

I feel she's trying to warn us
With her changing clime
That we'd better change our ways
Before we run out of time.

But we turn deaf ears to her
In our greed and haste
It looks like before we're done
We'll turn the earth to waste.

So, as I watch and listen
To the storm outside
I'm sad we don't heed warnings
Of our impending suicide.


THE AFRIKAN QUEEN

She was thirty-nine feet long
Fifteen feet across the beam
And She was the answer to
A persistent, lifelong dream.

We knew that She was the one
When we first laid eyes on Her
She wasn't new or fancy
And She needed work, for sure.

She fit her name to a "T"
She was painted green and white
As She cut through the water
She sure was a lovely sight.

A real Lady in Her day
With a special flair and class
With mahogany brightwork
She was loaded down with brass.

But all was painted over
She was dying of neglect
Those who owned Her before us
Showed that Lady no respect.

I tried hard to restore Her
With help from a loving wife
And we lived for several years
What we thought -- the sailor's life.

But She got the best of me
And I'm so sorry to say
That I seemed to lose interest
Somewhere along the way.

I didn't treat my Ladies
The way that I knew I should
I wish I could turn back time
And I sure would if I could.

I know that I'd do different
That I would keep both afloat
But I didn't. I lost both.
My "Queen of Hearts" -- and the boat.


THE EMPTY CHAIR

I look across the table
And I picture her there
Early in the morning time
She sits there in her chair.

She says "Good morning" to me
And gently takes my hand
Squeezes it tenderly --
It's more than I can stand.

I sit thinking 'bout the dream --
The one I dreamt last night
Of the sweet love that we made --
So perfect and so right.

I pretend to ask, "My love
What should we do today?
Do you want to do something --
Or just stay home and play?"

And I look across the table
To find that she's not there
Early in the morning --
I find an empty chair.


THE HIGHWAYMAN

The highway stretches out ahead
As far as my eyes can see
It's straight, flat and deserted
Fading into infinity.

The white lines down the middle
Pass quickly -- left behind forevermore
The silence broken by the sound
Of nothing but the engine's roar.

The solitude is nice at times
At times boring as can be
The knowledge that I'm all alone --
Like being on an asphalt sea.

The fast speed I'm traveling
Increases with each passing mile
It's completely out of control --
Wish I could slow down for a while.

The wind is blowing at my back
The spinning wheels are a blur
I'm wondering where the road may lead
It is the main, or a detour?

And will the fuel in the tank
Last till I reach the end
What will I find when I get there
Is it worth the force I expend?

I watch the poles beside the road
Change into a solid wall
As I race down this long road
And heed the lonely highway's call.

So, with my foot pressed to the floor
And listening to the engine's scream
And wondering if my road will lead
To life -- or just another dream.


THE THREE R's

Ding, ding, ding on the left
There's whoo, whoo on the right
The sounds of those sentries
Who guide you in the night.

But ding, ding, could be right
Depends which way you're going
You shouldn't pass them by
Without really knowing.

A lot've said, "It's easy.
I know I won't get lost."
But there are many lives
Their ignorance has cost.

The black one asks, "Whoo,whoo?"
The red say, "Twas ding-ding.
Just one more of those fools
Thinks he knows everything.

Davey Jones will show him
He's not so smart at all
And if he is chosen
He'll hear King Neptune's call."


THE RAIN FOREST

It's eerie, dark, damp and cold,
With strange creatures a-lurkin'
You might catch a glimpse of them
But most all will be unseen.

Rustlings in the underbrush
Will remind you that they're there
You look for a place to hide
But you can't find anywhere.

You look up toward the sky
Searching for a guiding light
To lead you from the darkness
And the never-ending night.

You get scared and start to run
Although it's a hopeless race --
Cry out for a helping hand
In this alienated place.

But you know you're all alone
That the sun might never shine
That you might be lost forever
In the forest of your mind.


THE WEEK

Have you every thought
The week is too long?
Especially with that day
That everything went wrong.
Or maybe you feel
The other way around
For things you have to do
The time just can't be found.
But we're stuck with them --
Monday through Sunday
But wouldn't it be great
To have an Extraday or Unday?


SPRING SHOWERS

I hear the pitter-patter overhead
As I toss and turn in my lonely bed
My heart's pumping love with a steady beat
But I can't let it show -- it must retreat.

Sleep's hard to come by in the quiet night
Then there's the dreams giving such delight
But the morning comes and I wake to find
That I have to push them from my mind.

You're so very close, but out of my reach
(Such hard, cruel lessons life can teach)
I had your love for a little while
Memories bring tears -- and sometimes a smile.

Being near to you helps ease the pain
My love falls on you like gentle rain
It goes pitter-patter overhead
As I lay her on my lonely bed.


TIME

When an action or process
Or condition continues
The point when something happens
Like receiving timely news.

Being the proper season
As the time to fall in love,
Or the end of a lifetime
When you go below/above.

You can also make time, too
Or you can waste it away
Where the hands on a clock point
Hours and minutes in a day.

You can be in time or out
Or do time if you do wrong
You can do it to motors --
To put rhythm in a song.

One times one is still alone
And can make times very hard
And you can spend all your life
Punching on a time card.

It can spring forward, fall back
You can march to it and dance
You can change what you have left
If you've the nerve to take the chance.

You can pay a price for it
Or you can get it for free
You can have it on your hands
Too much can drive you crazy.

It's something that is infinite
When it's gone, it's gone forever
You can buy anything on it
A house or refrigerator.

You can have easy ones, too
And you can have lonely ones
Or you can have a good one --
It's seconds or millenniums.

At times, not enough of it
Just enough for a small taste
But it's usually our own fault
It's a shame all that we waste.


TWINKLE, TWINKLE

Twinkling star up in the sky
So high above my head
Are you the one from last night
That heard the prayers I said?

Was that twinkle just for me
Or did I blink my eyes?
Was that a sign you are that one
Of millions in the skies?

Do you think I asked too much?
Am I being unfair?
Can you makes wishes come true --
Produce dreams from thin air?

Twinkle twice if I am wrong
Once if you think I'm right
If you won't answer me now --
How 'bout tomorrow night?


WATERWORLD

If you're tired of this world
And searching for something new
If you want to get away
I know just the place for you.

There's a very special world
That abounds with mystery
It's a place that few men know
Down in the depths of the sea.

Just get a mask and snorkel
And some swim fins for your feet
And look below the surface
Then get ready for a treat.

The beauty will astound you
And the quiet is unreal
And it's so hard to describe
How good it can make you feel.

There's fish and plants and creatures
Of most every shape and size
There are some things so different
That you won't believe your eyes.

A lot can go unnoticed
If you fail to look real close
There are some things that open up
Like a swiftly blooming rose.

At times you think there's nothing
But the bubbles you watch rise
But don't let yourself be fooled
For you're watched by wary eyes.

Don't take the sea for granted
Or the dangers lurking there
Don't worry -- but be cautious
'Cause at times She doesn't care.

You don't know what you're missing
'Til you've gone under and looked
For most -- after the first time
They will find that they are hooked.

You'll find that you'll hate to leave
Return to the world's strife
You'll wish that you could stay there
And just live a fish's life!


UNWOUND

Walking down a winding trail
With trees towering overhead
With lush foliage all around
Nature's sounds filling your head.

The sunshine will filter down
Where it's able to get through
Sometimes it will take all day
To dry the damp morning dew.

It's so peaceful and serene
And you know that it's all real
Something you can depend on
And that you can touch and feel.

There are some things strong and stout
And there's some fragile and frail
If you look, you'll find new life
Walking down a winding trail.


WONDERLUST

I've got itching feet
Want to head on down that road
Want to travel light
Don't need a heavy load.

Travel through green valleys
With mountains all around
See if the rainbow's end
Really can be found.

Want to go from shore to shore
Look out across the ocean
Watch the waves wash the beach
With their relentless motion.

Dream of faraway lands
That I may never see
I don't want to be tied down --
I have to be free.

Free to think as I like
To do what I may
Not worrying 'bout tomorrow
Just living for today.

I'll prob'ly never change
Will never settle down
For I must go on searching
Until my dream's been found.


THE DEEP BLUE

Touching each and every shore
With a soft caress. Gentle
When it wants to be --
The sea.

Or roaring with abandon
Screaming -- venting its anger
At man to implore
Restore

My clear life-giving waters
My unpolluted beaches
It must be begun
And done

A matter of existence
Not only mine -- yours too
If you don't concur
Be sure

Across my width, depth and breadth
All of us will pay, some day
Your only defense?
No sense!

Don't wait 'til it's too late
And all life is near an end
Ask with you last breath --
Why death?


VORTICES

The outer edge moves slowly
As it gently circles 'round
But it will pull you inward
And will start to drag you down.

Down into its swirling depths
Where it's dreary, dark and cold
A place there's no escape from
Where souls can be bought and sold.

Seems that sooner or later
You'll see most all those you know
That someone has met their price
They'll get caught up in the flow.

Spinning wildly, crazily
Into the vortex of greed
To spend their lives in pursuit
Of things that they THINK they need.

There are a few who will learn
And succeed in breaking free
But most are lost forever --
A waste of humanity.


THINGS UNDONE

It's not the things you did
and shouldn't have
It's the things you didn't
that you should have...


WINTRY JEWELS

They look like fine-cut crystal
Each one's beauty all its own
Just more of nature's jewelry
Each one like a precious stone.

They're on a round trip journey
From earth to the sky and back
Sometimes they're few and short-lived
Break like fragile bric-a-brac.

At times in blinding fury
To turn the landscape snow white
They fall in countless numbers
All day long -- throughout the night.

There are few sights that compare
As they flutter to the ground
Or are carried by the wind
And spin wildly 'round and 'round.

But when winter is over
They'll return back to the sea
Then when Old Man Winter calls
They'll be back to amaze me.


HAPPY HOUR

Stopped for happy hour
To have a drink or two
Ended up doing again
What people always do.

Seemed that happy hour
Lasted all night long
Drank whiskey and water
That was mixed too strong.

Woke up this morning
With an aching head
My stomach doing flip-flops
Eyes -- a brilliant red.

Never again, I tell myself
Knowing that's a lie
Because I enjoy it --
The feeling, when I'm high.

So I'll just pay the piper
I knew what was in store
And might as well quit saying
"I won't do that no more!"




THE WORLD, WAR, FREEDOM, AND MORE.



THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ARMED FORCES





DO IT QUICK AND RIGHT
EYE OF THE STORM
INNOCENCE OF HEROES
THE VIET NAM VET
WHO'DA THOUGHT IT?
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
THE WALL
PASS IT ON
BULLETS, BAND-AIDS, BEANS
OLD GLORY
THE GOOD OL' DAYS
MEMORIAL DAY
FREEDOMS' MEMORIAL
PAUSE A MOMENT
INDEPENDENCE DAY
TWO FOR ONE
A CONSTITUTION RESOLUTION
WE, THE PEOPLE
LADY LIBERTY - STILL YOUNG
A THANKS GIVING
DON'T CHALLENG'ER
IN QUEST
UNTITLED
CHIEF JOSEPH
THE NEVER ENDING TRAIL
FALLING TEAR
MANS' DESTINY?
PEOPLE
PROGRESS?
THE MINDS' EYE
ENDANGERED SPECIES?
SILENT MESSAGE
A FISH STORY?
THEN THERE WERE......
ANOTHER YEAR THAT WAS
THINGS UNDONE
END
EPILOGUE





PROLOGUE


The title of this collection entails so much more than what is written upon these pages.
Some of the material may seem outdated but unfortunately will always be current unless we, the people of the world opt for a better way to conduct ourselves and resolve our problems and conflicts.
The days of "us and them" are gone forever and the size of our planet becomes smaller with each passing day.
We are a world community and must learn to respect one and all if we hope to save the Earth from total destruction.
It may be brought on by a war between nations or the lack of one against the decimation of our environment, poverty and hunger.
The reader may find my writings pessimistic and/or contradictory. I do have my moments of optimism but for the most part they are short-lived like most of the events which bring those feelings on.
If humankind is to survive we must commit ourselves to the protection of our environment, the basic needs and rights for all and world peace.
At the time of this writing, February 19, 1991 we are at war with Iraq. The Russians are trying to negotiate an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait and there is talk and hopes for peace.
I don't believe we are going to allow that to happen until we are certain Saddam is no longer in power or dead and his war making capabilities are destroyed.
So be it! There is no place in todays' world for the likes of him but the sad reality is there will always those kinds of sadistic maniacs.

A POET KNOWS NOT DAY FROM NIGHT
AND NOT ALWAYS WRONG FROM RIGHT
BUT THINK OF WHAT WE MIGHTN'T HEARD
WITHOUT THE POETS WRITTEN WORD.



DO IT QUICK AND RIGHT


The drums of war are beating -
Fear and tension fill the air -
Especially in the minds of those
We have sent over there.

Sons and daughters of our people
With their lives laid on the line -
Except for the rich and powerful
Who say, "You can't have mine!".

Once more we have to stand up
For the freedoms we have known -
Though a few stand beside us
We may as well be alone.

Most say, "We are behind you."
But that is where they'll stay -
They'll give us a few dollars
For the supreme price we will pay.

The President told them
With guts and I think, class
They had better get out
Or we would kick their ass.

So, if we're going to do it
Let's do it quick and do it right -
Let's bury Saddam and Iraq
In one decisive fight.



EYE OF THE STORM


The winds of war are blowing
Across the sands of Arab land -
Stirring hate and violence
Against those who'll make a stand.

There's a turbulent mixture
Of people who feel they're right -
Swirling 'round ancient disputes
They think are worth the fight.

One nation's been dispossessed -
It's basic freedoms blown away
By the "mad dog" of Iraq -
But Saddam won't have his way.

Our bombs drop from the sky above
In a downpour like constant rain -
If we don't get them the first time
We'll pour it on them again.

They have no place to run -
And they have nowhere to hide -
And eventually they'll drown
In the ever-rising tide.

From the cold and dreary gloom
Of wars' dark overcast -
There's victory and justice
In a future world forecast.

In the eye of Desert Storm we stand
(Not a pleasant place to be)
To quell this tempest of our world
In the name of Liberty.


INNOCENCE OF HEROES


We see faces of innocence
Upon our nations' youth -
But they've the hearts of heroes
When it comes to Liberty and Truth.

Young men and women of the Service
Standing straight and proud and tall -
Ready to fight for Freedom -
Ready to give their all.

Those faces of innocence
Will return, all, world-wise -
Still looking young in body -
But lifetimes' knowledge in their eyes.

There are some who will come home
To grieving families and friends -
Just a memory to those loved ones
Whose loss never really ends.

Yet those faces of innocence
And those young heroes' hearts
Will come of age once more
With dreams each new life imparts.

Another generation born
To this world of war and strife -
Searching for the elusive answer
To lasting peacetime in their life.

Why must this crazy world
Breed such pain and misery?
When will the human race
Let young innocence be?

'Guess there will always be a madman
Who is filled with hate and greed -
Who will force himself on others
And plant that killing seed.

And there will always be
Those young heroes who will fight -
Who will leave their innocence behind
For what they know is right.


THE VIET NAM VET


It's a very unique club -
I see it everywhere -
I see man embracing man -
A tear that says, "I care!".

There's a special look in eyes
That words cannot explain -
I see joy for this life -
Sometimes the living pain.

There's a camaraderie
That's very rare these days -
They let it show without shame
In so many different ways.

I wasn't there, (thank the Lord.)
So I can't really know -
I can only sense and feel
Those things which I see show.

The patience, understanding -
Which only they can feel -
There is something very special
And something very real.


WHO'DA THOUGHT IT?


A man with one leg -
Another, crippled, bent
Should remind us what it costs -
And just how much was "spent"
Not in dollars and sense(?)
But in lives and misery -
Things those of us safe at home
Didn't want to see -
We watched it on the "tube"
Just like it was some John Wayne show -
And how lucky we were
We will never, ever know -
We sat in our easy chairs
Sipping a cold beer -
Switching channels, war to football
So we could root and cheer
For our favorite teams
(Some games we won't forget)
But easily pushed from our minds
Was the Viet Nam War Vet -
It's a little better now -
Some are starting to care -
Trying to understand
Problems brought home from there -
It was a different war -
Just ask those who fought it -
You might learn about some things
And say, "I'da never thought it."


BETTER LATE THAN NEVER


They went across the ocean
To fight in that Asian war -
On behalf of freedom, justice
For peoples of that foreign shore.

More than fifty-eight thousand men
Faced wars' reality -
Bravely sacrificed their lives
So that others might be free.

Most of them were very young -
And now, it seems such a waste -
That war accomplished nothing
And has left a bitter taste.

Those who did survive came home
To a country which turned away -
We didn't know how to greet them -
We didn't know what to say.

They came home to a nation
That said it didn't care -
Said it didn't want to know about
What went on over there.

The tide is finally turning -
Don't you think it's about time
We gave some praise to all of those
Who laid their life on the line?


THE WALL


There's a wall of marble
Five hundred feet long -
Ten feet high, scribed with names
Of those who died, the strong.

There's more than fifty-eight thousand
Etched upon that stone -
Most of them died so young
This life, they've never known.

It's such a small tribute
To those who fought our war -
Such a small price we pay
To those who gave much more.

Their name carved in a rock
That most of us won't read -
Not near enough praise to give
For their most gracious deed.

Seems there's too many of us
Who don't really seem to care
That we stayed home secure and safe
While they died over there.

Remember when you see that Wall
With all those initials and names
That those men were only pawns
In one more of those deadly games.

Let's hope what they gave had meaning -
And that peace will always reign -
That we won't have to send our young
To fight and die again.


PASS IT ON


Before you pass the torch
Be sure the battle has been won -
Don't give up the fighting
After it has been begun.

Be sure that your goal is just -
And that each assault is fair -
Though you may face an enemy
Don't forget to feel and care.

There are some wars can be won
With a shot that's barely heard -
With a broadside or direct hit
Of a well aimed word.

It so sad the torch of peace
Is not the one that is passed on
Instead of that of war and pain
That's burned since humankinds' dawn.


BULLETS, BAND-AIDS AND BE-ANS


He sent them bullets and band-aids and beans-
Combat boots and lethal machines -
To fight for a cause that would be what was
Without those bullets and band-aids and beans.

He sent them hope for Democracy -
And a land where people are free -
He did it behind those who were so blind -
The immense danger they could not see.

He said as he marched up the "Hill"
"Do with me whatever you will.
But don't turn away from those who will pay
With their life, for their dream to fulfill."

"If we choose to let their dreams die
Someday we'll look and we'll ask why
The Red Tide is washing on our shore
And we're bidding our freedom, goodbye."

"So send them bullets and band-aids and beans -
Combat boots and lethal machines -
To fight for our cause which will be what was
Without those bullets and band-aids and beans."


OLD GLORY


More than two hundred years ago
Betsy Ross sewed strips of rag -
From those bits of colored cloth
Was shaped "Old Glory", our grand flag.

Stripes of red and white
For the thirteen colonies -
White stars against the blue
Began waving in the breeze.

It's gone through minor changes -
With stars added, as we grew -
It's flown proudly o'er our land
And in some other countries, too.

That symbol of our freedom -
Should be protected, at all cost -
But now our reverence for it
Seems, to be getting lost.

There are some things so sacred
To our great American way
That, those who desecrate it
Should, have a price, to pay.

Even though each buys his own
That flag belongs to us all -
It's owned by all the people
And we should never let it fall.


THE GOOD OL' DAYS


They said, "It's alright to burn it."
"You can throw it to the ground."
"You can wear it on your back.
That symbol of the freedom bound.

It's been through catastrophes -
Flown high in wartimes' strife -
Men swore they would protect it
And did so with their life.

What makes them so supreme -
The high court of this land
To tell us when those Stars and Stripes
Should fall; when they should stand.

What right do they think they have
To let our flag be set ablaze -
Once, it was loved and respected -
Back there, in the good ol' days.


MEMORIAL DAY


A time for picnics, time off work -
Vacations and the "Indy" -
A holiday, too often times
We forget what, it should be.

A time to pay respect to those
Who rallied to the battle cry -
Who gave their lives for liberty -
Those freedoms for you and I.


Such a waste of brave young souls -
Some still struggling through their youth
Who faced and fell willingly
Before wartimes' awful truth.

So as we share this holiday
With our friends or family -
Take a moment to give thanks to
Those who died so we'd stay free.

Let us strive for world peace -
For the end of greed and hate -
For next time, after "the war"
It just may be too damned late.


FREEDOMS' MEMORIAL


This day is set aside
to honor those
who took the chance to die.

But they have died in vain
if we ever forget
the reason why.

Freedom can be like time
slipping away
before we even know.

But we all have the choice
more, a duty
to battle freedoms' foe.

Let us give thanks this day
to all those brave
who paid the highest cost.

Not take it for granted
and realize
it easily could be lost.


PAUSE A MOMENT


Friends and family gather
For Independence Day -
We'll celebrate our freedom
And the American way.

They'll be picnics in the park -
And fireworks in the sky
As some salute "Old Glory"
With a teardrop in their eye.

There's some who can't be with us -
They died in some foreign land -
For when Liberty was threatened
They heard the call and made their stand.

So, as we reap the harvest
Of the great American dream -
Let's pause a moment, thank those
Who paid the price, supreme.


INDEPENDENCE DAY


In the year of 1776
That paper was decreed -
They were tired of oppression
And wanted to be freed .

They wrote a Declaration
So the whole world would see -
This was, "the home of the brave
And the land of the free".

They signed that piece of parchment
The leaders of this land -
Knowing, divided they would fall
But, together they could stand.

A new world lay before them
Untamed from shore to shore -
They swore the would protect it
If it meant going to war.

Battles have been fought -
And many lives have been lost -
So sad something so basic
Has such a high, high cost.

'Seems freedom is a luxury
There's some would bind us all -
Like then, together, we can stand
But divided, we will fall.

More than two hundred years
Have past by since that day
That each of us celebrate
In our own different way.

We should be proud and thankful
Pay our share of the cost -
Not take freedom for granted
For it easily could be lost.


TWO FOR ONE


Just a piece of parchment paper
With words formed by a quill ink pen
That begin with, "We, the people."
Includes Amendments One through Ten.

That ink has dried two centuries -
Its' words though still crisp and clear
And we should celebrate their writing
More than each, hundredth year.

They give us each the life we live -
Provide our priceless liberty
That more than any place on Earth
There is a land where one is free.

On July the Fourth we celebrate
Our Freedoms' Declaration -
But the American Constitution's
What really made this nation.


A CONSTITUTION RESOLUTION


More than two hundred years have passed
And it has withstood the test -
A timeless writ of foresight -
Though not perfect, still the best.

Those words upon that parchment
Promise equal rights to all -
Words inspired by mans need
To answer freedoms' call.

A prophecy of future ways
Which still works for us today -
(How did they know what to write
So it would turn out that way?).

Laws are changed and amended
If they people will it so -
But there are so few of them
We ever will outgrow.

It's been discussed and debated -
Interpreted differently -
But the basics remain the same -
Protecting the land of the free.

An unlimited guarantee
With no expiration date -
If those words had not been written
This world might face a different fate.

So let's celebrate and think about
The laws of this great land -
For without them all would be lost -
Wiped 'way by some tyrants' hand.


WE, THE PEOPLE


We, the people of these United States
To form a more perfect union
Do, hereby ordain and reestablish
This American Constitution -
To promote a general Welfare -
Provide a common Defence -
And to establish equal Justice
In a setting from whence
We, the people of this Great Nation
In safe Tranquility
Can secure all the Blessings
Of guaranteed Liberty.

AMENDMENT I

We have the Right to Assemble -
Freedom of Press and Speech -
The Right for all to Petition -
And all Religions to Preach.

AMENDMENT II

We have the Right to a Militia
For State Security -
The Right to keep and bear Arms -
One more Guarantee. >
AMENDMENT III

In times when there is Peace
Then the Right to Commandeer
Possessions by the Soldier
The Law says, "No.", it's clear -
But if it is in Wartime
Then, for those who live its' Hell
The Law says, we must open doors -
Provide them a place to Dwell.

AMENDMENT IV

Illegal Searches are Prohibited -
As for Seizures, it's the same
Unless a Warrant has been issued
That states specific Place and Name.

AMENDMENT V

No person without Due Process
Shall be Tried for any Crime -
And for any one Offense
Shall be Indicted just one time -
No one shall have to Testify
Against themselves, if they do -
Life, Liberty, and Property
To be Protected by Laws too.
AMENDMENT VI

One accused of Crime has Right
To a speedy public Trial -
To a Jury of his Peers -
To Legal Counsel all the while -
To confront his Accusers -
To have Witness for his side -
To be Convicted by the Proof -
Not by things merely implied.

AMENDMENT VII

The Right to Jury Trial
Shall always be preserved -
Except, as is Provided
The Judgement will be Observed.

AMENDMENT VIII

No Excessive Fines will be imposed -
Excessive Bail is not permitted -
No Cruel, Unusual Punishment
Is to be Inflicted.

AMENDMENT IX

Those Rights listed herein
Shall not take away
From those retained by the People
Or the Will, of what they say. >

AMENDMENT X

The Laws other that those stated
Shall be written by each State
By the Will of the People -
To unique problems, they'll relate.

These First through Tenth Amendments
Of our Constitution
Are the most important
For our Freedoms' Resolution -
We must always Protect them
And not let them slip away
For, though they don't work perfectly
This World has not a better way.


LADY LIBERTY -
STILL YOUNG AT HEART


You're a grand and stately "Lady" -
Your head held up so proud and high -
A book of our laws in one hand -
The other lighting freedoms' sky.

You have greeted many millions
To the gates of freedoms' land -
You offered them a way of life
Not found in their Fatherland.

You have welcomed home our troops
From those far-off foreign wars -
Where we fought and died for liberty -
To keep oppression from our shores.

You've observed a lot of changes
And through all, stayed young at heart -
Still honoring those promises
Which were made right at the start.

Now you are a century old
But you do not show your age -
Though in the books of history
You have turned many a page.

So have a Happy Birthday, Lady
And may your light forever shine -
We thank you for your tireless vigil
At the worlds' freedom lifeline.


A THANKS GIVING


It's a day to give thanks
For all we have at hand -
To realize we're lucky
To live in freedoms' land.

A day to share a feast
With family and/or friends -
To bow our heads and pray
That this good life never ends.

A day to remind us all
That our blessings are not free -
That this country we live in
Truly is, 'tis of thee.


DON'T CHALLENG'ER


Well, the giant silver bird
Has passed another test -
And this time She came back home
She returned to Her nest.

Four hundred miles per hour -
More than three miles high -
She sure was a pretty sight
As She streaked across the sky.

In the early morning light
She made a "booming" sound -
Her head held high, bold and proud
As She dropped to the ground.

She'd been in another world
For one week and a day -
High above the Earth and clouds
Where people look to pray.

Taken so much for granted
In this here day and age -
But in the books of history
She wrote another page.


IN QUEST


Challenging the earths' heavens
These seven pioneers
Embarked to gain new knowledge -
To conquer new frontiers -
A new world lay before them -
The light of a new dawn -
A place of unknown dangers -
Where man has always gone
To see beyond horizons -
To peer over the next hill -
Always a goal of mankind -
One, he must try to fulfill -
Some have come through unscathed
And some were bound to die -
But none of them have failed
For they had the will to try -
These gained immortality -
Though, on a tragic page
In the book of history
Of this newborn space age -
They offered and gave their all -
They paid the price supreme -
As mankind has always done
In his quest of a dream.


UNTITLED


Challenger, I watched you
As you first invaded space -
And you flew over me one morn
To return to your home base.

You went back out again -
Different people in control -
Though you were just a machine
You'd helped man reach his goal.

We will probably never know
Why you said you were done -
But why did you have to take
The lives of those brave seven?

You made yourself immortal
With those you held inside -
To those who knew your "soul" -
To those below who cried.

You did yourself so proud
With your triumph over space -
But with your last attempt
You caused so many a sad face.

"Don't Challenge 'Er.", I said
The first time around -
But for these final words
There's no title to be found.


CHIEF JOSEPH


The land of Winding Waters
In the place known as Oregon -
Sacred land deeded to them
At the first rising of the sun -
These Nez Perce, people of Joseph
Were the heart of their homeland -
Where the great eagle soared the sky
Above treetops of forests, grand -
Where ponies grazed the green glade
And naked boys, mounted bareback
Laughing and shouting happily
Raced to some certain place and back -
Young bodies glistening with droplets
Of crystal, cool water that cools -
Bronze skin drying in bright sunlight
On sandbars of eddying pools -
A land of peace and contentment
Where man could walk, proud and free -
Where his roots grew deep into the Earth -
Where heart and soul would always be -
They would fish for the great Salmon
On their homeward river run
Bound, with great determination
To where their life had first begun -
Something in their blood akin to mans'
When he has long been on the roam -
Some compelling force within
That leads him back to his home -
They seemed insurmountable -
Those obstacles to be leapt -
But only death would stop his trek
To where heart and soul were kept.
The Salmon jumped high from the water -
Buried 'neath the Earth the Camas roots -
Herds of Buffalo across the mountains
Known as the Bitterroots
It truly was a land of plenty -
Blessed by the Great Chief in the sky
And loved by the Nez Perce people
Born there to live until they'd die -
It was home, their heritage -
Where their forefathers' wisdom
Echoed from the Burial Grounds
Which was listened to and done -
Around campfires Chiefs told stories
Of the paleface searching for the sea -
How, Chief Twisted Hair drew a map
To show them where it might be -
They returned with tales of conquests
Which still live until this day -
Of how this Indian Nation helped
Lewis and Clark find their way.
A peaceful tribe like most
Who tried to share with the white man -
Until the forked-tongued ones
Tried to force them from their land -
Under the flag of truce -
Fired on by those in blue -
Chief Joseph gave the war cry
Of the battle that ensued -
Nearly three months of fighting
As the Nez Perce tried to flee
To the safety of Canada
Where they hoped they could be free -
But the bluecoats kept on coming -
And despite their valiant fight
Joseph bowed in surrender
On one cold September night.
He said, "Most of our Chiefs are killed
And too many Braves lay dead."
As he cast down his rifle
He raised his blanket o'er his head -
He said, "My heart is sick and sad.
Our children freeze in the weather.
From where the sun now stands,
I will fight no more, forever."
Placed on far-off reservations
And finally back to the Northwest -
Never to return to Wallowa
The land they loved, the best -
One hundred-fifty of them left
Sent to the Colville Reservation -
Sentenced to a life of poverty
Was another Great Indian Nation.
In the year of nineteen hundred-four
Chief Josephs' Spirit did depart -
And a doctor who examined him
Said, "He died of a broken heart."
In this story lies a moral
And a shameful legacy
That to this day defiles the words,
"The Land Of The Free!".


THE NEVER ENDING TRAIL

We whites honor the "Hermitage"
And the man who once lived there -
But, that leader of our Nation
Was cruel, unjust, unfair -
He ordered the removal
Of the Cherokee from their land
And forced them on a trek
That the Devil must have planned -
One thousand miles of misery -
Of pain and suffering -
Because greed of the white man
Could not even wait till spring -
We should bow our heads in shame
Even unto this day
About "The Trail Of Tears"
And those who died along the way.
It was October, eighteen thirty-eight
When seven thousand troops in blue
Began the story of the "Trail"
Which, so sadly, is so true -
Jackson ordered General Scott
To rout the Indian from their home -
The "Center Of The World" they loved -
The only one they'd known -
The Braves working in the fields
Arrested, placed in a stockade -
Women and children dragged from home
In the bluecoats shameful raid -
Some were prodded with bayonets
When, they were deemed to move too slow
To where the Sky was their blanket
And the cold Earth, their pillow -
In one home a Babe had died
Sometime in the night before -
And women mourning, planning burial
Were cruelly herded out the door -
In another, a frail Mother -
Papoose on back and two in tow
Was told she must leave her home
Was told that she must go -
She uttered a quiet prayer -
Told the old family dog good-bye -
Then, her broken heart gave out
And she sank slowly down to die -
Chief Junaluska witnessed this -
Tears streaming down his face -
Said if he could have known this
It would have never taken place -
For, at the battle of Horse Shoe
With five hundred Warriors, his best -
Helped Andrew Jackson win that battle
And lay thirty-three Braves to rest -
And the Chief drove his tomahawk
Through a Creek Warrior's head
Who was about to kill Jackson -
But whose life was saved, instead -
Chief John Ross knew this story
And once sent Junaluska to plead -
Thinking Jackson would listen to
This Chief who did that deed -
But, Jackson was cold, indifferent
To the one he owed his life to
Said, "The Cherokee's fate is sealed -
There's nothing, I can do."


Washington, D.C. had decreed
They must be moved Westward -
And all their pleas and protests
To this day still go unheard.
On November, the seventeenth
Old Man Winter reared his head -
And freezing cold, sleet and snow
Littered that trail with the dead
On one night, at least twenty-two
Were released from their torment
To join that Great Spirit in the Sky
Where all good souls are sent -
Many humane, heroic stories
Were written 'long the way -
A monument, for one of them -
Still stands until this day -
It seems one noble woman
It was Chief Ross' wife -
Gave her blanket to a sick child
And in so doing, gave her life -
She is buried in an unmarked grave -
Dug shallow near the "Trail" -
Just one more tragic ending
In this tragic, shameful tale -
Mother Nature showed no mercy
Till they reached the end of the line
When that fateful journey ended
On March twenty-sixth, eighteen thirty-nine.
Each mile of this infamous "Trail"
Marks the graves of four who died -
Four thousand poor souls in all
Marks the shame we try to hide -

You still can hear them crying
Along "The Trail Of Tears"
If you listen with your heart
And not with just your ears.

The preceding was partly inspired by a story told to children by John Burnett on the occasion of his eightieth birthday in 1890. It was printed in a book titled
"Cherokee Legends And The Trail Of Tears", adapted by Thomas Bryan Underwood.
My main inspiration, though is the shame and disgust I feel as I learn more about the atrocities perpetrated by our forefathers and the injustices which still occur to the true Native Americans.
John Burnett was a Private in an infantry company which took part in the Cherokee Removal of 1838-1839.
Near the end of his story he says, in part, "Future generations will read and condemn the act .....". Do we?
In closing he says, "However, murder is murder whether committed by the villain skulking in the dark or by uniformed men stepping to the strains of martial music.
Murder is murder and somebody must answer, somebody must explain the streams of blood that flowed in the Indian country in the summer of 1838.
Somebody must explain the four thousand silent graves that mark the trail of the Cherokees to their exile. I wish I could forget it all, but the picture of six hundred and forty-five wagons lumbering over the frozen ground with their Cargo of suffering humanity still lingers in my memory.
Let the historian of a future day tell the sad story with its' sighs, its' tears and dying groans. Let the great Judge of all the earth weigh our ac-tions and reward us according to our work."
If only it worked that way!


FALLING TEAR


She is adorned in buckskin -
Beads and turquoise sewn around -
Her hair, long, black, and shiny -
Her soft skin a golden brown.

The Princess of a Nation
From those days of used to be -
When proud Indians could roam
From mountains to sea to sea.

The old customs of her people
She holds dearest to her heart -
And watching as those old ways die
Is tearing her heart apart.

Once, there were unwritten laws
Which most everyone would heed -
But the ways of the white man
Has planted a bitter seed.

He has raped the fertile land -
And plundered Gods' Creations -
He's stolen from and cheated
All of the Indian Nations.

The Government has written
Many treaties of false word -
And the red mans' cry for rights
To this day still go, unheard.

Falling Tear is an American -
A true native of this land
Whose tears fall for the injustice
As she waits for Truth to make a stand.


MANS' DESTINY?


It seems that the human race
Was born to fight and kill -
It seems that we always have
And that we always will.

We're the only life on Earth
That takes life for the joy -
It seems we're not happy
Unless we hurt and destroy.

We'll fight in the name of God
To plant religious seed -
If that's what faith is all about
Then it's something we don't need.

We'll try to force ideals -
To make others believe -
Though usually bitter memories
Are all we ever leave.

We'll battle for the power
To keep the upper hand -
Take limb, body and life
So we can have the land.

We'll kill one another
For silver and for gold -
Mankinds' greed is one thing
Which never will grow old.

We stockpile awesome weapons
We say, "To keep the peace."
That's kind of contradictory
To say the very least.

Could it be that's all that man
Was ever destined for -
To end all life on this Earth
With one last, final, war?


PEOPLE


If they tried to do things
That they know are right -
If they looked close at others -
Did it with insight.

If they saw the good things -
Forgot about the bad -
If they made reality
Come from the dreams they had.

If they lived life honestly
With open mind and heart -
If they followed through
With the things they start.

If they had compassion
And love for fellow man _
If they knew just where
They fit into lifes' plan.

If they could live in peace
Without the hate and greed -
If they who are prisoners
Could be forever freed.

If they would do these things
What a nice world it would be -
But I guess that is one day
People will never see.


PROGRESS?


The birth of our technology -
And the wisdom(?) of modern man -
Has begun a fateful process
Which has altered Natures' Plan.

The order of the life on Earth
Has been left in disarray -
As mankind rearranges things
Into his unnatural way.

His dreams for the worlds' future
Will be changed to a nightmare
If he doesn't heed the warnings
Which surround him everywhere.

The soil below's polluted
By his dumps of toxic waste -
The groundwater filled with poisons
That could kill with just one taste.

Streams and rivers turned to sewers
Flowing out into the sea
To slowly kill that very thing
That bears lifes' eternity.

There's smoke and gases by the ton
Sent into the atmosphere
To fall back down as acid rain -
To alter climates of the year.

Then there's the ever present "Bomb"
To determine all lifes' fate -
And once that button has been pushed
Then it will be, too damned late.


THE MINDS' EYE


How does the mind work?
Will we ever, ever know?
Will we ever know from where
Thoughts and ideas flow?
Will the feelings that we feel
Remain a mystery?
Will their place of origin
Someday be something we can see?
And what about the soul?
Does it really live on?
Have the powers that we have
Been here since the worlds dawn?
What's this thing called love
We say comes from the heart?
At times why does it hurt so much
That it breaks our heart apart?
What of the greed and hate
There is so much of?
Are these things put here
By man or God above?
Why must we fight and kill
And cause misery and pain?
Say, "That time I learned my lesson!"
Then turn around, do it again?
We rape the Earth, pollute it
In the name of "progress" -
We think Mother Nature
Is easy to outguess -
They say, "For everything
There is a reason, why."
But I swear I can't see it -
No, not here in my minds' eye.


ENDANGERED SPECIES?


We talk about what we can do
To save what we don't kill -
But sadly it looks as if
We never, ever will.

We discuss all the things
That could and should be done -
But it usually ends right there
Before they ever are begun.

We waste our precious time
In our greedy haste -
We wait until it's gone
And cannot be replaced.

Then we'll bitch about it -
Let another take the blame -
And the worst part about it
Next time we'll do the same..

Someday we will realize
(Though it will be too late)
We're the endangered species
And have sealed our own fate.

Would the world be better off
Without the human being around?
Without our intelligence(?)
Maybe sanity would abound.

Maybe peace and tranquility
Will spread around the Earth -
Once we realize how little
We are really worth.

Let us hope we leave enough
To start life anew -
That we don't kill it all
Before we bid this world, adieu.


SILENT MESSAGE


The beauty of the flowers
As patiently they wait -
For the sunshine and the rain
To make or seal their fate -
Standing silent in the dawn -
Petals straining toward the sky -
Wondering what the day will bring -
If they will live or die -
The same things which give them life
Can take it all away -
Too much rain or sunshine
Could make it their last day -
The hot sun may dry them up -
The falling rain might beat them down -
They'll fall back to Mother Earth
And be swallowed by the ground -
But even so, in their death
They'll help others to live -
Be a part of newborn life -
And continue to give
Beauty to this barren world -
Bright colors to the gray -
A sweet fragrance in the air
Where children run and play -
They ask nothing in return -
They just want their fair share
Of the sunshine and the rain -
And the life-giving air -
But we pull them from the ground
And trample them to death -
Pollute the air they breathe
To make it their last breath -
We make it so the sunshine
Can't get through the haze -
Make acid rain fall from the sky
On those rainy days -
It's too bad flowers are wiser -
They give more than they take -
They realize what's needed
What's needed for lifes' sake -
So listen to what the flowers
Say with their silent word -
It's the most important message
That you have never heard.


A FISH STORY?


It's another world -
One that few have seen -
At times wild and stormy -
At times so serene.

A place where life abounds
Of every shape and size -
Where miracles seem to happen
Right before your eyes.

A garden paradise
With flowers that can walk -
There's even some creatures
Who know how to talk.

There are some animals
Not seen by the eye -
And there are fish found here
Who have learned to fly.

It has its' own mountains -
And rivers down below -
Still hiding some secrets
Which we may never know.

For millions of years
It's cared for its' own -
And would for millions more
If it were left alone.

But man pollutes its' waters -
He dumps his garbage there -
Spills oil on its' surface -
He just doesn't seem to care.

So, someday those fish stories
Told from shore to shore
Will be nothing more than
Part of our folklore.


THEN THERE WERE......


There were eighties songs and the eighties cars -
Movies of the decade and new-born superstars -
There were people fighting for freedom and liberty -
Some massacred and losing, some made it reality -
There were the pc's and space shots past the stars -
Miracles in medicine, compact discs and vcr's -
There were people starving, a drugged society -
The myths of public servants and old-age securi-ty -
There were waves in every kitchen, gadgetry galore-
Self-service service stations and the quickstop store -
There was poisoning of those things which give us life-
Destruction of the family, of the terms husband and wife-
There were all the experts who thought they knew more -
A how-to everything on the shelves of the book-store -
There were street people and the poor farm-ers' strife -
Bombings by those people who claim to be pro-l-ife -
There were computer games, the amazing micro--chip -
Watches with a tv and the low-cal chocolate chip -
There were mass murderers, the warfare in our streets -
Terrorists and hostages, the guy who rapes and beats -
There were fads and fashions, battles of the scale tip -
Malls built everywhere, to buy it all in just one trip -
There was the aids epidemic, a cure red tape defeats -
We seem to want to waste it so our treasury de-pletes -
There were lots of changes but which were for our good?
But did we try to change the important ones, we should?
There were a lot of chances but they are gone forever -
Let's hope in the year to come we'll do it right, together.


ANOTHER YEAR THAT WAS


There were those times, happy and good -
Lots of things done, that we should -
Goals and commitments we stuck by -
Some answers found, to questions, "Why?"
But, that was the year that was!

On the other hand, sadness and pain -
Those things, too late to try again -
Failure, promises we didn't keep -
Some questions/answers made us weep -
But, that was the year that was!

A brand-new year ahead to change -
For better lives, to rearrange -
Each day gone, when it has past -
Too late to say, after the last -
But, that was the year was!"


THINGS UNDONE


It's not the things you did
And shouldn't have -
It's the things you didn't
And should have.

MAYBE
THE END
IS
THE BEGINNING.


EPILOGUE


It is Sunday, February 24, 1991 and I am preparing this for printing.
Yesterday coalition forces launched the ground battle to liberate Kuwait.
Personally, I would have rather seen them continue the bombing of Iraq and Iraqi positions in Kuwait. I don't see how they could have held out too much longer.
I suppose the powers that be know which course of action is the correct one much more than the average citizen. That's what we pay them for so I suppose we should trust their judgement and actions.
The first pictures from the battle field were shown on CNN shortly after General Schwartzkopf initial briefing on the ground war.
I must admit I had mixed emotions as I watched the Iraqi prisoners.
One reaction was wanting to see the Saudi soldiers guarding them blow them away and the other was one of sympathy and compassion.
The Generals' briefing sounded very positive and upbeat in these early stages and I only hope it continues on that way and we are able accomplish the mission with a minimal loss of life.
War is hell.