Popular Posts

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Good Enough


I jumped the hedges, but not high enough

I ran the miles, but never fast enough

My muscles grew but not large enough

I played the piano but never well enough

I won the scholarship but not important enough

I spun the tale but not grand enough

I got off the tread mill but not long enough

So I studied but not hard enough

I acted and performed but no one cared

And the masses trudged on 

I sang with the orchestra no one listened

I became a man of letters, it mattered not

I struck up a deal but it was concealed

I fought with evil and God prevailed

I bled away but the world looked on 

I gave my best, but it was not good enough

Never, never, was it good enough

But before there was nothing left


I found love and that was good enough.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Wish It Were So - with audio

When I was a boy so little and so young
Mama taught me many songs that I still hum
Lots of funny tunes that we had sung
Telling tales of many journeys begun

About Rip van Winkle and  ESOPs fables
Three cornered hats and schnitzel tables
Mother Goose fairies’ gold would spin
And stories from Brothers Grimm

Well I’d let out a sneeze and the birds in the trees
Would fly and float down on the breeze
Then they’d sit right here upon my knees
And we’d whistle out sweet melodies

About flying in the heavens over deep blue seas
Then they’d tell me ‘bout the beautiful things that they see
The secrets of  the flowers and the buzzing of the bees
And the mysterious whispering breeze

Don’t you know I wish it were so
Don’t you know I wish it were so
All the colorful pictures
The princesses and witches
Don’t you know I wish it were so

We would sail the oceans blue and true
We would climb the mountains me and you
Love would fill our young hearts with the sun
And we would have nothing but fun

Well the dwarves would scare the little snitches
Who got too big for their bright red britches
Then we'd go outside and make angels in the snow
Don’t you know I wish it were so

There'd be Houses made of cake and candy
Lots of Boys and girls dressed so dandy
Warm cookies in the kitchen
And Huck Fin is gone a fishin
Don’t you know I wish it were so

Dancing in the pouring rain
Floatin paper boats down the storm drain
Our days were played in song and dream 
Don’t you know I wish it were so!


Don’t you know I wish it were so
Don’t you know I wish it were so
All the colorful pictures
The princesses and witches
Don’t you know I wish it were so

We would sail the oceans blue and true
We would climb the mountains me and you
Love would fill our young hearts with the sun
And we would have nothing but fun

Friday, December 08, 2017

The Fires Came


The fires came in hours and days consuming all within their way
Bougainvilleas of burning flowers spread terror across the hilly tapestry
As moist eyes and beating hearts packed a knapsack getaway

The firemen flew high above and dropped the chemicals down
An orange wall of smoke descended and crept over the land with its dirty gown
Soot in snowflakes clothing mingled with the air as it floated to the ground

The wildlife and the once green life cried to the heavens for help
Flashing police vehicles called for safety and warned of danger’s stealth
Electronic voices called out alarm and alerts concerning air quality and health

In every direction conflagration, dark clouds, blackened earth, glowing preen
Communities and families connected in love, keeping an eye on the unseen
The stream blustered and blistered, ebbed and flowed, destroying the dream

Suddenly quietly the wind tired and calmed down and fled away to sleep a spell
All souls searched the expanse of the deep, a geyser of emotions rose and fell
What would be the outcome, would there be a way home, none could tell

Then news came that one fire was out, even as others scattered about and enraged the several distant horizons
5%, 10% contained the voice spoke, as on the mountains smoke loomed in ominous plumes teetering toward town and citizens
Like dinosaurs from a Japanese movie or escapees from magic lamps in the forms of rising genies and jins

Darkness came and came again the winds accusing of sins, the peoples whispered breathless prayers from their beds
O God if you will let the wind be still, the fires put out, but in the distance called out dancing wavy golds and reds
Light broke again upon the scene, some rose to joy, others to glean what could be salvaged from the ravaged homesteads

Tears fell and the old ones shook their heads, they said: I don’t know what I’m going to do
Hearts melted away with lives and memories, sympathy and destiny to pursue
The earth ached longing to be free of the hot angry passion that scourged it's back black and blue

The mind was driven away back to it's recesses, accessing places, foraging in the past
Away from school and work regressed, abscessed into various stages of the looking glass
Playing and escaping the charging glowering gas, turning away in fear, exhaustion and collapse

As the week progressed one did not watch or assess the news knowing of the sadness it would bring down
Those who died and of those who lived, of lands burned, raped and pillaged with only more to come
It was as crazy as a week could be, as scary as it could feel,  people were happy to be alive and at home
Grateful to all who save and rescue, Thank you, God bless you, while grieving all those who are gone.

Santa Ana, Santa Ana you wear a red bandana
Santa Ana, Santa Ana put away your sword and cannon
Give the land a rest from the violence of your caress

Santa Ana, Santa Ana you wear a red bandana
Santa Ana, Santa Ana with a burning horde behind you
Give the peoples respite from the pain that you inflict

Promise now to leave us
Take away your curse

Without death's violent cost
Without without his ruddy kiss

Promise now to leave us


Take away your curse

Santa Ana, Santa Ana your hair is full of ire
Santa Ana, Santa Ana calm your anger, let it tire
May God bring winter rains upon us, the land to cleanse and bless.

Friday, December 01, 2017

Turn Again Toward Friday

I turn again toward Friday in lesson-ing turns
Turn again toward Friday of diminishing returns
To plow hard in the morning and then in-joy staying up late
And doing things again because again I forget
Then slumbering deeply with no, or little regrets

Yes I lean in toward Friday as the night draws near
Look into the blackness of the future almost here
Nursing and praying over hopes, plans and fears
Will Friday come again with laughter and tears

And my soul ’tis drawn along irresistibly thus
Along the pathway of banquets or dry stones and such
It is then I think on the mighty men of old
Who’s hearts dried up and like the rocks grew cold
But me fair mother n burly loving dad gave me aught to hold

That which gives flesh life and eyes a kind of blindness
To see past the world and all of its unkindness
Toward the glory of that which is yet to come
As I roll the road to Friday in the crowd of mother’s sons

Here comes Friday with love and successes
Long loving kisses and gentle caresses
But gone she goes again with the wind in her tresses
And where the sun shown the moments are gone
Weekend days of rest, family, chores, do best
Monday’s test to peck like birds and build the nest

Sailors in the seas, churning at the mirage of Friday’s behest 

Friday's Early Blather

Twas
Sometime
Early

The soul
Was
Yet surly

She said
more?

And he said
sure

Then
More words
Came out

A pause
Next a  t h o u g h t - f u l
Pout

In the
conference room

Sitting in
Leafy verbiage

Like
So many loons

And then
They talked about
Nothing

Like a
Walkabout
Clothing

Ideas flashing
Empty bottles
Clashing

With all
The
Blather

Worked them
Up into
A lather

Time flew by
Like a
Stagnant pond

And still
They prattled
On and on

How it was
Peculiar

About nothing
In particular.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

The Heavens Looked Down and Remembered - with audio

audio link


THE HEAVENS LOOKED DOWN AND REMEMBERED
The heavens looked down remembered when the creature was once young and beautiful, free and fresh like the early spring. Unique in all creation and the last of
It’s kind.

They remembered how something deep within the creature had reached out its hand to grasp the universe with a hunger that warped the senses.

That primitive thing that had flooded the beast with laughter, and then had cast it off again in a tempest of emotion, or by contrast, when the creature was hurt, how he had shrieked in pain. The birds wondered: “What was the cause of the beast’s moodiness?” “ Was it perhaps a lack of wings?” “Or was it trouble finding enough  to eat?”  And again they chirped, maybe he lacks a song to sing?

Nor could the poor beast comprehend why, but fun rompings, anger and roarings were becoming his protectors and the woodland spirits his guide. Alternately joy and sunshine were his friends, with wonderment and confusion his constant companions.

Dreamlike, he ran over the mountaintops, and rolled down hillsides, then once exhausted the beast often laid himself down in the wild meadows only to rise again and then go further down crashing into the mountain’s valley streams of raging icy torrents.

These became the creature’s power, ecstasy, and pleasure. However, in time, as he began to grow older and great of stature, he came to realize, under his hairy hide, that they had also become his pain and a prison of loneliness.

All alone in the wilderness, peace seemed as far off to the creature as the horizon at the end of day and stars above at night.

Troubled by nights of fear and stupor by day, the creature had grown to become a brutish fearful thing.

For one night by the dark of an unforgiving moonless sky, there in the middle of the forest, he had seen something, a horrific thing, and it had become etched upon his psyche.  There in the center of a small clearing the beast had come upon a buck,  that had been hamstrung, trapped, and butchered by a hunter standing nearby.  Enraged, and tearful the thing let out a terrible roar.

The hunter ran away screaming leaving what was left of the buck behind. But, there was nothing to be done for the poor, crushed, once beautiful forest runner.

Now, the beast had seen the end of things. For the first time in his relatively brief life, his great strength and terrifying appearance could not help the situation. He was powerless, his idyllic vision of life and the world he had once known, lay bloodied and broken before him. 

Something inside the great terrible creature shuddered and died that day and there was no one in all the wilderness to comfort or to help the beast comprehend what he had encountered.

Not knowing what to do, the creature fled and hid away climbing ever higher until he reached the mountain range’s highest peak. There he remained for a time, numb and frozen in the misery of despair and grief. 

One night upon venturing back into the forest and valley, the monstrous beast , in his terror and rage cried out against all creation with these words: 
“ If anything or anyone can hear me, I spit in your eye for all the injustice, the pain and the suffering.”

And once again he roared out: “ If you are there listening somewhere, show yourself, if you are not a coward – tell me why it should be so and perhaps I will not rip you to shreds!”

Then great beast went around throughout the wilderness terrorizing all the creatures with his midnight ranting, roaring, railing and shrill screaming against the moon and the universe.

He went on this way night after night destroying all that was in his path until one night in particular. That night the beast had begun his usual frightening activities but, as he did so there was a rumbling deep within the earth. 

The creature stopped dead in his tracks listening in the ensuing silence.

His cries had been heard rising up above the mountain range and the heavens looked down and remembered….

The beast thought he heard a quiet voice call out to him: “ beast why are you so troubled?” and the beast trembled. Again the voice spoke: “ have I not fed you and cared for you all these years?”

The beast was so frightened that he started running headlong downhill toward the river as he had done so many times before. Only this time the river was swollen and flooding from the spring snow melt and rain storms.

Once again he crashed into the torrent, but this time he was carried far down stream, swirling in the currents until he lost consciousness. In his sleep he heard the voice say, I who have kept you since you were a cub will never leave you.

When he awoke the creature found himself on the shore in a part of the mountain range that he was unfamiliar with, he wondered out loud to himself: “Did I drown in the river?”

Suddenly, his thoughts were broken as the quiet voice spoke again: Peace. You live. I have heard your cries in the night, saw you in your distress, and have lifted you out of the many troubled waters.

The sound of the voice and words echoed and vibrated within the creature’s soul creating a feeling of deep inner warmth and comfort. For the first time in a very long while, the once terrible beast was quiet and his demeanor gentle.

The woodland birds noticed and alighted nearby for a better look. Can this be the same horrible roaring thing that has terrorized the forest? They chirped.

The beast’s eyes had now been opened in such a way so that he no longer saw only the red of pain and the darkness of night. But, now the beast began seeing and noticing the sunlight of day in a new way, afresh, as when he had first roamed and played upon the mountains and in the woodland valleys.

A feeling of great peacefulness had come upon the creature and his coat shown beautifully in the sun. He had been cared for, loved, and rescued. He now knew that he was not alone in the world but that there was a Great Spirit who watched over all.

In his new wanderings upon the snowy mountaintops and darkened valleys the old feelings and questions sometimes returned, but the beast had somehow found the hand of the Great Spirit and was now changed and at ease.

The great beast dwelled and remained in the care of the Great Spirit all of his days until one day while standing at the edge of a great precipice, the ground gave way beneath his tremendous weight.

But, as he began to fall instead of terror, a calm came over the creature. Suddenly, great massive wings erupted forth, growing out of the beast’s broad shoulders until they completely covered his hairy back. To his happy surprise and before he had a moment to think, the mighty beast began to fly. He flew over all the mountains that he had known. He swooped down into the valleys and up over the treetops. On he went higher and higher, and further and further toward the sun and horizon, until he was at last out of sight.

It was rumored by the birds that he had gotten lost and had settled elsewhere. But this was not the case. 

In reality, the great, once terrible creature, his transformation having been made complete, had flown until he reached all the way to the kingdom of the Great Spirit! 

And there he stayed forever and a day.

Epilogue:
It is no morbid consideration that the sky is torn. Moreover, It is the beginning of wisdom to discover that one’s journey begins here as a stranger, but ends in another better place. It is the dawning of hope and peace.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

A Flowering Bouquet - with audio


audio link - old version, audio needs updating

The world is turning, 
Tropical stream and arctic breath, 
Skies cajoling



Thoughts colliding, 
Melodies, vespers buffeting, 
Strings tangled, reminding



Of life's foibles, 
Frailties, fractures, failures, 
Lumps, lows, longings, limits



Straining, struggling, 
Sinking, seeking 
For fearfully forgiven moments



But a voice 
Awakening, reverberating, 
Calling from within



Speaks tenderly 
Quiet words, why so sad, 
For healing has come



Once more in love, 
Be calm, be still, rest, 
A pillar in the temple of praise



Made right, set aside to serve, 
Be satisfied with this, 
Lay down and rise



Radiate, illuminate, 
Cast a beacon 
In the cold and stony night



To the silent passing vessels 
Finding safe harbor 
By the saving light



Avoiding the rocky path 
In the crash 
Of uncertain blinding seas



Onward flow, churning riptides, 
Beneath the striking hand 
Of cape winds chilling cries



At once red flames appear 
Surrounding, springing up 
From the wet rocks and sandy ground



Climbing ever higher in the round, 
Cooling and refreshing, 
Light without sound



All cares fading, burning 
In the many tongued array, 
Regrets, sorrows, dark clouds give way


Burdens in the fiery ring rising, 
Calm descending, Peace 
Arriving here in this new day



Free, free once more to join 
The Pegasus flight, on a river 
Of heavens' cascading blues and whites



Together with Myriad Choruses 
Of creation's voices shining,dancing 
Warmed in the sun's pleasant heights



Speeding across the fabric 
Of pulsing, glowing mystery, 
Called by eternity, majesty and family



A flowering bouquet, 
Whispering fragrant blessings, 
Dropping thankful petals lovingly



With each falling star 
Brightly vanishing



And every spark 
Never ending.

Tuesday, August 01, 2017

Behold The Jewel of Love - with audio

audio link


As the beating yellow flower descends
A wandering heart is questioning
Boldly asking of the wind 
Will it ever come again

Lost in the brightness of your gaze
Beneath the curling ringlet tresses
Fleeting eyes cannot amend or rescind
The glowing embers sown deep within

Bound in cords of truth and desire
Locked in the breast's red chamber
As nights advance of darkness comes 
Will the fates be undone

A limited soul of clay and blood 
Can never really be quite sure
Of fire hidden by the violet night
Save the cheek blanketed in silky warmth

Lips pressed earnestly in softly burning zeal
Spirits soaring along the rainbow's seal
Against lighting dashing and thunderous peal
Stardust radiating in unseen auroras expanding

Lost together dreaming embracing
Curse of the lonely, away now drifting
Arms reach out caressing, holding and enfolding
A passing eternity of jasmine kisses blossoming
 
Ringed by the burnishing flames
Are two made golden, molten
Smelted, tested ore of the furnace
In the white heat made pure, becoming one

The humming worlds resound
Comets laugh and planets sigh
Oceans bringing up the tides
Greeting the moonbeams' shine

Fading stars twinkling, blinking
Morning calls out to turtledove
Gone aloft in the depths of Feeling, 
Are lovers flying wide in thought

The pulsating affection of the sun
Rises to rule the heavens once again 
Glorious is his raging chariot throne
While we mere mortals have become

Somewhere high, high above  
The treasure now revealed
Hands clasped tightly together
Behold the Jewel of love.

Behold the Jewel of Love - Video

https://youtu.be/kFGuLDqaxro

audio link


As the beating yellow flower descends

A wandering heart is questioning

Boldly asking of the wind 

Will it ever come again



Lost in the brightness of your gaze

Beneath the curling ringlet tresses

Fleeting eyes cannot amend or rescind

The glowing embers sown deep within



Bound in cords of truth and desire

Locked in the breast's red chamber

As nights advance of darkness comes 

Will the fates be undone



A limited soul of clay and blood 

Can never really be quite sure

Of fire hidden by the violet night

Save the cheek blanketed in silky warmth



Lips pressed earnestly in softly burning zeal

Spirits soaring along the rainbow's seal

Against lighting dashing and thunderous peal

Stardust radiating in unseen auroras expanding



Lost together dreaming embracing

Curse of the lonely, away now drifting

Arms reach out caressing, holding and enfolding

A passing eternity of jasmine kisses blossoming


Ringed by the burnishing flames

Are two made golden, molten

Smelted, tested ore of the furnace

In the white heat made pure, becoming one



The humming worlds resound
Comets laugh and planets sigh

Oceans bringing up the tides

Greeting the moonbeams' shine



Fading stars twinkling, blinking

Morning calls out to turtledove

Gone aloft in the depths of Feeling, 

Are lovers flying wide in thought



The pulsating affection of the sun

Rises to rule the heavens once again 

Glorious is his raging chariot throne

While we mere mortals have become



Somewhere high, high above  

The treasure now revealed

Hands clasped tightly together

Behold the Jewel of love.

Monday, July 17, 2017

In The Sky I see Your Face - with audio



IN THE SKY I SEE YOUR FACE
The good old sun keeps a burning burning burning
The dancing world keeps on turning turning turning
Little feet run and fly returning, returning
Home after a day of youthful play

And in the sky I see your face
Eyes so true, your quiet loving voice
Lives intertwine, love’s sweetest wine
Mountains grey, oceans blue, lead to you, so fine

The birds they sing whistling, chirping calling
Above the orange blossoms budding, blooming falling
Insects and creatures creeping, restless, crawling
Colorful, black and grey, in the green and brown

And in my heart I call out to you
Your embrace in the grace of morning dew
The touch of your hand so soft and kind
Resting on the horizon, soaring in my soul and mind

-->
And if the Sun and sky flee away

The stormy clouds come take away the day
I’ll search the moon and stars in the night
Till I find away to make it right

On highest waves and in oceans deep
From darkest forest to highest mountains keep
Until the winds kiss this life with your name
And you rest here in these arms once again


Oh what ever in the world can I do
But to keep on forever loving you
All of the goodness this old world can bring
Is wrapped up in your love so I sing

The good old sun keeps a burning burning burning
The dancing world keeps on turning turning turning
Little feet run and fly not returning, not returning
Gone away from home after a wedding day of play

But high above the warm sun is brightly, finely, shining
The spinning world keeps on grinning, beaming, smiling
Rose petal blushes crimson, beckoning, and beguiling
In the days, stars and moon, love is music, bride and groom

And in the sky I see your face
Deep in love, a gentle secret place
Hearts intertwine, sweetest heavenly design
Oceans swell, Mountains climb, I am yours as you are mine

The good old sun keeps a burning burning burning
This dancing world keeps on turning turning turning
Little feet run and fly returning, returning
Home after a day of youthful play

And in the sky I see your face
Eyes so true, your quiet loving voice
Lives intertwine, love’s sweetest wine,
Earth and sky, Rainbow’s hue, can it be true, that you are mine