A collection of Poetry
by
Emmett O. Saunders III

© 2007

Table of Contents

I Did Not Know You
For Love’s Own Son
All I Owe Is Paid
A Valor Well Spent
Years To Learn Life
Virginia, The State We Call Home
A World of Hope
Hands of the Shepherd
Limbs of Hope
To Live Again
Heart of the Wind
Snowflakes
Passages of the Heart
Hope
The Son’s Way Home
Love’s Greatest Meaning
A Night’s Passion
Friends Can Be Forever
How Does the Wind Blow
Cold Death and Taxes
A Heart Needs Space
The Silence of a Heart
It’s A Little Miracle
Could I Ever
I Want You There
I Love You All The Time
A Grandmother’s Gift
Together Always
Autumn’s Storm
Length of Days
War In Mind
Laughter
Piled Upon Success
Moving In
A Cautious Prayer
A Night’s Solace
I Have No Dreams Left
Where’s Tomorrow?
Can You See Me?
Finding You In The Music
As Worlds Collide
Sounds of Nature
Could Cats Be Any Stranger?
The Thing I Miss Most
Pillows
A Curious Round
Leaving It Up To Jesus
In My Heart Forever
He Waits
Life Winds
For Love To Shine Once More
A Sound That Rings So True
A Path for Better Days
I Will Die Today
Heaven’s Gift
When Tears Don’t Cry
A Next Door Kind of Girl
Better Dreams
Rainbows
Acts of Random Kindness
Going Nowhere Fast
I Can’t Tell You Everything I Know
Forever’s Bright Son
Does Your Car Make Expensive Noises
Beyond The Stars
Home In Time For Christmas
Love At First Sight
Christmas Hearts
Thanksgiving
Christmas Lights
Holding Gold

I Did Not Know You
(for Debra and Dusty Seufert)

I did not know you before we met,
And all that time I do regret,
Of summers gone and winters flown,
Most every day, I could have shown

How much you mean, when words it seems
Cannot convey the feelings teemed
Beneath the surface of some great sea
I did not know, you meant more to me

Than life itself when you are gone
A floating lily upon some pond
For beauteous as a song when sung,
Or a sad bell tolled in churchyard rung

Far happier times were those we spent
In paying dues for monthly rent
For in the struggle both shared to survive
No place between us did we hide

Lost forever now in grey cold dawn
I must continue alone along
The many roads which lie ahead
And nights that fill my heart with dread

Yet in the knowledge of light to come
There is a day to still be won
When once again we join to greet
Our Risen Saviour at His heavenly seat.

For Love’s Own Son

Can you hear the dawn mist calling?
Its plaintive cry seeks out the lost
Souls held bound in hopeless depths
Mountains rise in steady steps

Don`t you see life`s greatest power?
Lies not in slumber`s deepest hour
More so in splitting night from day
No man stands in Heaven`s way

For Love`s own Son is born each day
In youngest heart or oldest sway
Shine forth, my soul
You know it best
To win eternity
And leave the rest

Plant a smile and watch it grow
Beyond the bounds of simple show
When last and least
Are first and most
Love`s own Son becomes our Host

All I Owe Is Paid

All I owe is paid in Jesus
His death has given all I own
Through brightest day
Or darkest storm
His love`s more credit
Than e`ers been shown

All I want in life is Jesus
We`re the reason He was born
Not just a day`s work here to please us
But a key for a world reborn

A Valor Well Spent
(in memoriam for the victims of 9/11)

In the wee small hours of a September morn,
Through a World Trade Center`s view
Shot a day`s glint of light and lives in flight
Borne on to death`s dark hue

Some family and friends of victims were sent
One last call while Heaven awaited
The numbing sight of evil`s last flight
No hope from the ground could abate it

In the space of time where terror abided
Fear gripped passengers deep from within
But courageous souls joined, emboldened as one
Fought death in clouds, already penned

Who knows what hides in the hearts of men
Complete in hate-filled horror
Could one just soul or even a dozen
Stop even an instant of sorrow?

Though centuries pass before our gaze
A single man had that power
He lived, He died, He rose again
We meet Him at death`s hour

Then looking back at life`s short span
We cannot help but wonder
How by attaining eternity`s gain
Earthly ties are ripped asunder

We cannot live another`s life
Or imagine it to be
Any greater or less than what love gives
A cherished place in their own family.

Yet, leaving the earth became a new birth
For not one lived more than life`s span
Hearts, minds and deeds demanded
more than just need
To show valor well spent in God`s plan.

Years To Learn Life
(In memoriam to the Virginia Tech massacre)

I heard the news today, you`re gone
In throes of madness, time was wronged
Lifetimes of peace, and love, and hope
Vanished from families to learn and cope

Through pain of passage from relatives and friends,
We gain scant solace for hearts that must mend
Tears of regret pouring forth at the parting
Keep hope out of reach from fingers still darting
Through volumes of woe
Each heart`s journey must flow

Yet, before the memories of those we hold dear
Can find any closure in the drop of a tear
Look back with wonder in the life of those days
When time spent shared kept terror at bay

In the growth of years in which we learn life
It doesn`t seem best to ignore all the strife
For where do we see life`s greatest reward,
Perhaps in a touch, a smile or a word

The sharing of hours comes not without pain
Just look at the childhood lessons we gain
A world of precious time can be held
In the balm of forgiveness
that prayer helps meld

I can`t bring you back, nor can anyone try
To stem the sorrow in each person`s eye
But live on in glory with each passing hour
My friends, you`ve a place in God`s holy power

He infuses the night and days yet to be,
With all of His love, for your families to see
The immensity of loss will never withhold
Heaven-sent compassion, truer than gold

Clouds of despair must diminish in flight
When tomorrow`s promise emerges in sight
Be strong, hold in faith loved ones` spirit of life
And someday, all families will rightly unite

Virginia, The State
We All Call Home

Sunbeams in the forest,
Winding streams throughout the hills
Each day’s promise whispers changes
In winter’s coldest chill.

Virginia, we hear your call to freedom
Be it present, built on past, or yet to come
Virginia, where the Blue Ridge stands
to greet us
And an ocean of love rolls on
from shore to shore

Brightest hope lives on here in Virginia
With open hearts and arms, we welcome you
For whatever miles you roam,
The state we all call home
Is still the best, under red, white and blue

Virginia, we hear your call to freedom
Be it present, built on past, or yet to come
Virginia, where the Blue Ridge stands
to greet us
And an ocean of love rolls on
from shore to shore,

And an ocean of peace rolls on
from shore to shore,
And an ocean of faith rolls on
from shore to shore,
And an ocean of hope rolls on
from shore to shore,
And an ocean of joy rolls on
from shore to shore.

A World of Hope

Waiting on a world of hope
Sitting in a world of fear
You can`t get through either one
If you don`t start trying here

I`m not looking for the sunshine
When a grey day brings me down
I just listen to a Shepherd`s voice
Who keeps the whole world spinning round

It`s a fool who keeps on trying
To withstand the daily grind
Without His Help, you can`t stand tall
Cause He died to save us all

Look at all the warming sunshine
Hear all the pouring rain
When daylight comes, through every storm
We find an end to every strain

Can you see a friend in every man?
A sister or a brother?
Don`t you wish, it could be like that
When we head back to the Father?

Hands of the Shepherd

When night falls thus to cool the day
And the earth continues on its way
Somewhere within my soul does listen
As faint pure thoughts begin to glisten

I strain quite proud to hear the sound
Of fate being rudely thrust around
As footsteps steady are heard inside
In the last strong bastion, belief abides

And then a ray of hope resounds
Beating its way past ships aground
Strewing them all from harm`s way bound
To myriad routes in circles round

Look out, the voice inside cries forth
Of highest birth, no man finds worth
For all below heaven carries mortal birth
In truth, alone, His word is gird

In the midst of time and space, no matter
He waits for us when all stands shattered
A caring soul greets bruised and battered
In the hands of the Shepherd,
we all are gathered

Limbs of Hope

Seasons that I`ve known you
Now seem far apart
From any thought of happiness
In body, mind or heart

Yet somewhere in the soul and spirit
Lie far greater storms
Of change in attitude at pain increased
As disease inside rages on

If decay erodes trust in all that lives
Can hope be far behind?
In brightest day, or darkest night
Or even beyond time?

Faith is not the shortest word,
For anyone to write
Nor quite the longest thought
To hold in one`s own mind

Smaller still a mustard seed
Its final fate unknown
In growth, finding new trails through the sky
Limbering hope to carry on.

To Live Again

A loss so rare it defies admission
Departing on journeys past description
Onward, Brother, my heart still holds
Forever memories of times untold

Growing up together, now torn apart
We won`t meet again, till Heaven`s start
Among our dreams, sometimes at best
Strength waits for patience, to gain its rest

Eternity`s child you`ve now become
A nearer walk with God`s own Son
Remaining here doesn`t seem quite fair
Given all the days we`ve had to share

Walk on, my Brother, to brighter days
Heaven`s bowers await your gaze
I`ll see you there with one more Friend
Who died for us to live again.

Heart of the Wind
(In memoriam for Matthew Shephard)

A cry for help forever stilled
Memories of change left unfulfilled
Night skies melting into dawn
Reveal the hideous unrighted wrong

A son, a brother, a lifelong friend
No living soul was there to mend
His mind despairing of final thought
Disbelieving what evil’s strength had wrought

Struggling useless against opinion
Never mattered more in guise of minion
Yet once bowed down in servitude
His spirit rose o’er earth so rude

Beyond the chains of prejudice
Lie measures of sweet recompense
For Death deals not the final blow
On spiritual journeys cut mid-flow

My friend, you do not rest at all
Beneath some massive earthen wall
Your parents’ hope still lives in you
And lessons learned by heart hold true

Who grasps the gift of honor fought
In some deserted, barren spot?
Is it the man who still survived?
Or more likely one who just now died.

Hatred strikes at our darkest hours
Weakening faith in all its power
But the strongest souls have learned to tred
Gaining strength from Heaven’s daily bred.

Never truly alone, though it seemed at the last
His soul shines forever, dimmed not by the past
Borne aloft to be recalled
by the power of change
In the heart of the wind,
Matthew Shepard remains.

Snowflakes

A first snow`s dust brings memories back
Of paths begun on far reached tracks
Beyond the woods, hills and plains
Through skies ablaze or hills aflame

With many times we`ve spent together
A trek alone was hard to weather
As snowflakes drift to hilly banks
They gather harder when giving thanks

For all the universe, space and time
Most daily matters become a grind
Yet looking up to see them fall
Snowflakes land on one and all

It may be just the time of year
Or Christmas past that we hold dear
But feeling snowflakes touch our heart
We know on earth we each take part

In one grand scheme of hope and dream
Perchance to find life`s own great theme
Wintering past time`s erosive quest
Eternal designs of love shine best.

Passages of the Heart
(for Zella and Rick Hickock)

Begun in God`s creation, you flowered
Filling days of my life with joy by the hour
Rending the edge of adversity powerless
Against sting alone, stands more than stress

Sleep, sweet soul, but don`t ever rest
For friends and family wish only the best
Seasons past you`ve travelled well
Your story here is now mine to tell

Touching life in all its glory
You, dear mother, add to its story
Attuned to higher realms you`ve risen
To our Savior`s kingdom, given

(Lament)
Sunlight sparkles, caught in the leaves
Of trees new-budded, branches just freed
With the easy blossoming
of Spring`s first breath,
It`s hard to believe I`m here and you`ve left

Days and nights passed quickly
in your gentle care
Keeping memories alive,
doesn`t quite seem too fair
Aflame in the heart of eternity`s emotion
I feel lost in the depths of
some vast great grey ocean

Where have you gone, gentle mother,
to rest without end?
If I asked for such peace,
would it be yours to send?
Never would that destiny contain you a moment
And God`s only Son didn`t die to atone for it

In the deepest channels of my heart you live
You breathe, you sing, you whisper, you give
Far from the souls and uplifted eyes
On the wings of the wind,
I hear your breath sigh

(Response)
If I spent one more hour with you my son,
What bond of love could we improve upon?
The sights and sounds of life aren`t held
In a newborn`s feeble grasp too well
To hear the world`s wisdom,
seek the dawn`s promise
Memory`s gentle touch polishes
each year with pumice
Taste the bitter along with the sweet
Feel me surround you in sunshine`s warm heat

As children we come to fear the night
Beyond senses given, we soon learn to fight
Trust built in the world, connects hearts alone
Earthly bonds extended
reflect brighter than chrome

Growth without struggle can never be strength
Forged faith can move mountains
of tears held at length
In the hope of clasped fingers lies woven belief
No soul`s claimed by death,
in God alone find relief

Mother and child in the glory that awaits
Will be reunited, free from restraints
Then emerges a golden dream more real
From the almighty hand of God to feel

Then in that distant day and place
Each tear shall be wiped away by grace
Together in the love we`ll share
Alive forever in the eternal there

Our journeys continue on separate planes
Linked by love, locked away from pain
Woven with memories and paths to be seen
Passages of the heart, forever green

Eternal life gives hope that time never ends
For the safe at heart, days once bound,
now do bend
God`s mercy speaks a name
seventy times seven
May the light of His love
guide us all into Heaven

(Resolution)
When morning breaks
and hearts join once again
Together, we`ll share in the joy that He sends
Then will the wings of faith rise in fashion
Carrying each of us
into the warmth of compassion

The chains of earth will no longer bind
Each soul brought forward in beauty will shine
Giving thanks to the One who made us to see
From time, immortality has set us free

Hope

I`ve seen every sunrise
that ever brightened earth
In every time-filled day of man,
I`ve seen tremendous worth
All the joys and sorrows
that a billion souls have spent
When you think about tomorrow,
do you wonder where they went?

There`s really no mistaking,
the wind, the sky or trees
In everything that`s seen or felt,
I live, I move and breathe
In all recorded history,
a few have heard my voice
The scale of life oft ripped by chance,
remains one of free choice

Star-sparkling waves gave way to land,
a million years ago
Each growth of life preceding death,
to start a life blood flow
Black or white through shades of grey,
touch peace`s vast array
To reach out grasping Heaven`s promise, requires far brighter ways

From mountaintop to darkest valley,
progress flees its bonds
Burning bridges past their prime,
and new ones from their spawns
Yet in the heart and mind and spirit,
I`m given quite free rein
When finding me in all life`s challenge,
you`ll never stay the same

Hope can, and did, and e`er will shine
as every dream unfolds
Apart from me each life stands still,
with nothing left to hold
So never look back wondering
what could have stayed the same
Hope springs eternal in all life`s glory,
and carries on love`s flame.

The Son’s Way Home

In studying one so valiantly
Disposed to life, freedom and liberty
It seems wide traveled virtuosity
Can ne`er be compared to generosity

Of spirit borne in flesh so weak
His namesake came, our souls to seek
Granting peace to those whose touch was not
Long-cherished in scrolls
where wisdom was sought

Flail on, poor world, in war-torn lands today
Where faith rests on hope in other ways
Picture a time when hours are golden
Spent often in sharing hearts emboldened

For greater love hath no man found
Than that heard righteous in sight and sound
A man, yet God, in flesh and bone
Died years ago to take us home

Love’s Greatest Meaning

If I looked at you twice and didn`t find love
Could I have ignored grace sent from above?
Your kind heart stored every minute to share
From life`s many hours of infinite care.

When the mountains were moved,
did you hear my tongue sing?
Of the rapturous sound,
through my soul did it ring
Capturing feelings of grace
to hold back for the day
When torturous death
on a wooden beam swayed

Each year I hear of miraculous rebirth
And life beyond care far away from this earth
Yet none of it would be if you hadn`t agreed
To turn Death`s sting into foiled melee

Thank you, my Lord, for thinking of me
Eons before I was meant to be
No greater love was created for being
Than that which gives true life to its meaning

A Night’s Passion

Hear the sound of the pouring rain
Hitting the window, blocking the pane
Of no one beside, above or beyond
In love`s own station,
trains of thought are long gone

Feelings, emotions, like the drop of a hat
Can never be bought or pressed into matte
Glossy and shiny, pennies turned into dimes
A loving space creates far happier times

When all the storms that spring from derision
Are replaced with those of logic decision
Then will the sound of hearts collide
In nightly passion, their hopes abide

Fleshly heat burns brightest
when most are consumed
By youth-filled endeavors
finding partners attuned
To caring and placing
another still higher
Than one nightly passion
on love`s-fueled pyre

Friends Can Be Forever

Friends are like the wind
moving around and through your life
Sharing joy and hardship,
to help love grow through strife

Before we forget our friends,
at morning, noon or night
Keep them ever in our hearts,
with their memories burning bright

Friends often come in sizes
too numerous to remember
Just like sand upon the shore,
with passions calm and tender
Often there by some great luck,
or Higher Power sender

Hold closely now to those rare people,
friends come in either gender
Friends touch our lives
in no small measure,
despite the hour of day
They can heal our hurt, or guide us on,
whichever path`s our way

Forever seems too short a time,
for all friends have to say
Each new one that we meet and love`s
worth more than gold could weigh

How Does
The Wind Blow

How does the wind blow
And where does it go?
To a bird, it gives flight
Moves the dark into light

Has anyone thought
Ever about that
It can tear down tall buildings
At the drop of a hat

When seasons do change
Giving vent to full range
OF emotional vision
It takes one quite strange

To follow its path
And examine its wrath
Who knows in the future
What holes might be tracked?

Who knows where the wind blows
And where it could go
Sitting still for such ponder
Never decreases its wonder

Cold Death and Taxes

Paying taxes right now
Is like a cold death
People are starving
With needs to be met

Old age and pensions
Drive too many lives
Into a world
Of confusion outside

Bemoaning the fact
Takes a curious tact
Separating the two
Onto wild diverse track

One is inevitable
The other is not
And once both are paid
Income, outgo are shot

Of cold death and taxes
We may never be free
But in the end
Neither are missed
Once the soul fulfills creed

A Heart Needs Space

When a heart needs space
And there`s nowhere to place
The feelings that spring
Quickly to mind

If you thought of me once
As a fox in the hunt
You`ve had missed
So much more truth that matters

For it`s not in the running
Of some poor beast be dunning
Or the fleetest of feet
Dangling on in the wind

It`s only a thought
Beating wildly apart
That can bring home
A heart to a house

And the fear then that flies
In a face so despised
By mortals shown thickest
Thin and then

A thousand farewells
Can`t stop one who still dwells
On the past painted
Long on forlorn

Yet, given the chance
Twice spent to supplant
A bright star shines
On in the sand

Chills brought to mind
Don`t leave time far behind
Or accompanying guests left
At the grind

In time all has meaning
Even ships sail on steaming
On a race where
Still, a heart beats waiting

The Silence of a Heart
(for my mother, Nancy Jane Pearson Saunders)

In the silence of a heart
There is no strength
No hope
No courage

In the breath of change
There is life
A new beginning
A direction for the future

When all is said and done
Will you remember me?
For a single second
Or in never-ending moments

That fly on the wind
Beat a steady rhythm
Till we finally meet again
On the edge

Of eternity`s seasonal path
To a glory, not seen, but felt

In the silence of a heart

It’s A Little Miracle

It`s a little miracle to me
Every time I see you smile
When your heart beats next to mine
Or we walk a country mile

Each time we kiss goodnight
You find a better way
To bring me right down on my knees
And thank the Lord each day

Cause it`s a little miracle to me
You can bet your last thin dime
I`d swim a thousand rivers
Or walk a million miles

To find you waiting for me
Is really all that`s given
In this whole world,
I found the pearl
A little miracle from Heaven

It`s a little miracle to me
When I hold you tightly in my arms
You whisper that you love me
I get blinded by your charms

A man gets lucky only once
The rest, chance passes by
I loved you even before we met
Now, I know just why

Cause it`s a little miracle to me
You can bet your last thin dime
I`d swim a thousand rivers
Or walk a million miles

To find you waiting for me,
Is really all that`s given
In this whole world,
I found the pearl
A little miracle from Heaven

Could I Ever?

Could I ever dream a day without you?
Find sunshine darker than night?
When the clouds chase tomorrow
Right out of sight
That`s when I`ll dream a day without you

Could I ever hope for time without end?
A place for happiness shared without friends
In the silence of pleasure
Of presence real without measure
That`s when I`ll hope for time without end

And tomorrow takes forever
To get here when we need
Freedom from the sorrow
To outrun this day`s greed

Keep forever in your pocket
And time to take it home
Cause there you`ll always find it
True love can`t stand alone

Could I ever feel your love, dear?
Closer than life itself
Wake to see the sun rise
In all its promised wealth?

That day, you know, is now here
In every second that we share
And each moment spent apart feels
Too great a load to bear

And tomorrow takes forever
To get here when we need
Freedom from the sorrow
To outrun this day`s greed

Keep forever in your pocket
And time to take it home
Cause there you`ll always find it
True love can`t stand alone

I Want You There
(for Bill Nicholas)

If I ever had to go to work
And spend eight hours time
Wondering if it all meant something
Beyond reasons to make you mine

From starting off each new day
Swallowing my pride
Cause higher education isn`t needed
To keep you on my mind

It`s being stuck with all the bills to pay
Each month when they come due
Don`t know how much longer I can try
When it comes to loving you

But I want you there where I can always see you
Living close to me at hand
I want you where I really need you
Loving more to understand

It isn`t in the daily grinds to go on
Pushing farther all the time
It`s not even loving something, somewhere
In the corners of my mind

Sometimes in all its glory
Life hits us all around
Maybe more than we can ever handle
Never finding common ground

So, I`ll fight on for every dollar
Without you, eight hours a day
But when it comes to loving you
I can`t find a better way

Than showing every passing hour
Where I keep you hidden well
Deep in my heart and mind and soul
My life`s spent with only this to tell

I want you there where I can always see you
Living close to me at hand
I want you where I really need you
Loving more to understand

It isn`t in the daily grinds to go on
Pushing farther all the time
It`s not even loving something, somewhere
In the corners of my mind

Sometimes in all its glory
Life hits us, all around
Maybe more than we could ever handle
Then we find, in us, a common ground

I Love You All The Time

Haven`t had the time to call
But I missed you just the same
Even when we didn`t see eye to eye
Least you found the time to stop by

Yet living life with just regrets
And loads of time to forget
I see now what we had is gone
But growing up just can`t be wrong

And I love you more than life can say
Even though I couldn`t stay
Tomorrow all the ties that bind
Will all be blown away

Remember once we held the sunshine
Grabbed every flower we could find
Today we keep the memories
And I love you all the time

It isn`t easy moving forward
Without you by my side
But I`ll never give you over
To some aging photo in my mind

Now we`ll always be together
In any walk down memory lane
Fresh as any feeling we love
Springing back to life again

And I love you more than life can say
Even though I couldn`t stay
Tomorrow all the ties that bind
Will all be blown away

Remember once we held the sunshine
Grabbed every flower we could find
Today we keep the memories
And I love you all the time

A Grandmother’s Gift
(for Brad Scott)

A journey to Heaven
Seems all too short
To store a lifetime
Of memories within

The loving care
That a Grandmother shares
Lives on in our hearts
Left to mend

We remember days
When as children we stayed
In her watchful care and guidance

Proud to have her
As one of our own
A leading spirit
Sharing life’s true vibrance

Live on, Grand Mother
In heavenly paths
To walk with our Savior and Lord

He keeps you now
As no one else can
In new memories
Yet to be stored

For someday we’ll meet
And then when we greet
Each other in days yet to come

We’ll remember the hour
When God’s own great power
Took you home
To love Him with our Lord

Together Always

I called last night
I wasn’t there

Heard your message
I didn’t care

Until you said
What you hadn’t before

I can’t breathe when we’re this close
I know you love your freedom most

Never thought it’d be this way
If you see a comet’s star-crossed trail
Or reach for love and never fail

It’s not a dream, if you believe
Our lives are meant for bigger seas

And I want to spend my life with you
Hold you close and say, I do

Dressed in white
Or just in life
It’s a mystery
That you read late at night

And a thriller
When you come back into sight
I don’t ever want to know
How the story’s going to end

Cause I love you
With every moment that we spend

Together Always

Autumn’s Storm

Hearing the approach of autumn’s storm
Offered by degrees in days still born
A summer’s promise drawn to end
In colorful hues of hours that blend

Over the memories brought to mind
By hours clinging tight which never unwind
Old songs send us back
To find courage we lacked
Feeling loss, for unsaid thoughts
Like iron torn apart, in wait to be wrought

Unevenly spaced with minds that once raced
I listen for harmony that’s never erased
Gone are the doors that once opened wide
To show all the people hiding inside

Give back what you know
and hope it won’t show
For arm in arm love can grow
Hope banishing woe
The storm of autumn stilled
By winter’s approach to chill

Length of Days

In the length of days that we have allotted
Time means little to events bespotted
Of pain or anger, who could tell
A span of woe from one small knell

In listening hard, can one ever hear
The pain embedded in a single tear?
Or see the vision of life, beyond one’s years?

I think in resolving a problem or two
You can’t give back to life what’s due
But standing firm when all around
Gives way to free based thought
On firmer ground

Can time be measured in strength of will
Resistance fled
At the base of thrill?

In the length of days
We find a way
Often to avoid consternation
And more often than not
Time
For contemplation

War In Mind

In the veinous caverns of war-torn minds
The presence of love’s sight never stands blind
Behind closed doors of family loss
Hides reason to forgive
death’s veneer and gloss

Hate’s dark shadow runs scared in the light
To reason away fear-grasping flight

Never again hearing a son’s brave laugh
Sipping courage in waves
of beating balm from chaff
Or daughters long-gone, in days newly made
Less substance than real,
on the wings of a shade

How many times can the same
picture be snapped?
Or a family’s dead children
cross thresholds enwrapped
In glory’s bright colors, the seasons do change
But for those now missing,
emotions don’t range

From sadness to joy
And there’s no rising above
The deadly grind
When you keep war in mind

Laughter

What’s more fun
Than the tale end of pun?
Could it be the sound of laughter?

Exploding

Into billions of years hence
With twists for suspense

And keeping all the pent-up weight
In paws that hesitate
To keep firmly folded
A single word left unbolded

For in a moment
All jokes aside

The smile has nowhere to hide
Shining forth a light beyond site
For burdened souls only a second to right

There’s nothing more frivolous than whim
To bring joy of life on us again and again

Thank God for punch lines that matter
In guiding spirits

To days filled with laughter

Piled Upon Success

The brightness of life shines forth from within
Despite all the trappings
Fame rests on a whim

A word

A gesture

Smile every which way
When things go right, success has its day

Yet, filling the dark night that rests not
From such scurry
Or rushing around
In all about hurry

To stop, but a moment
Means missing the way

Of ruling an image, never meant for a stay

Looking up to the stars, it seems way too far
To ever draw near in such fame-filled gear

Would negate the effect in building select
For rising forth in righteous acclaim
In most, the ego outlasts its reign

Piled upon success

We cannot escape

The brevity of life
So colorfully draped

Moving In

Late at night or at break of day
People hurry along their way
Some to start
New paths through life
Others protesting daily strife
Hold out for better days ahead
But some, in quiet, serve instead
A different moment in their head

Thinking outward, some recall
The whole, in parts, doesn’t seem aat all
Adding nothing by pace of days
Yet each in some very small way
Divides itself to reach still more
And in our minds begin to bore

A glimmer of faith to join us all
Before mankind’s imminent fall
Weren’t we bound to Eden’s charm
But never expecting earthly harm
In centuries now long gone before
We lost all hope for pleasant shores

Still one last chance we found to share
In Heaven’s Son who showed He cared
When opening eyes of those born blind
He gave them sight to find inside
Space and time for moving in
Banishing sin to live with Him

A Cautious Prayer

Keep us safe, O Lord, we pray
For each and every passing day
And help us all in darkest hours
When no sun lights on any flower
Or hope begins to slip away
And clouds appear in shades of gray

Recall in us your Father’s trust
In creatures raised from simple dust
We have no other way to wend
Without your help, we soon outspend
Every treasure stored within
Hearts too proud to stoop and bend

You called us friends, no more servant’s mien
Your time on earth too short it seemed
Yet, fulfilling Your place in God’s grand scheme
Restored our hope to build new dreams

A Night’s Solace

’Twas the deep of December
and a night so forlorn
That scarcely a one,
thought they’d see the next morn
Down by the woods a cold figure sat astride
A steed so mighty, sparks shone from its side
The shadowy form barked once to his ride
Then took reins to flee over dark countryside

He glanced neither left nor right down the lane
But flew through the night,
till the crossing he’d gained
Scant words echoed eerily
around through his brain
Till he thought himself mad
or quite even insane

Where had he come and to what led him on
Childhood fears from years past,
were now truly long gone
Inside his dark cloak, a heart still lay beating
As thoughts of despair
settled in to rest, creeping

Why had he left in such blaze of a hurry
Was it only to clear his mind from such worry?
The horse neighed slightly
at such curious thought
Bridging depths unseen,
from the rider’s pained heart

Ride on, now seemed the best path to take
With such uncountable strides
for distance’s sake
Still quickly the form of beauty rose hard
Against pale moonlight in a single thin shard

Whose face beamed down at the lone dark rider
A guilt-lessening smile
to mark his way brighter?
’Tis only the man, not the woman he sees
Terror gripped then, right down to his knees

Ride on, the wind whispers,
give not in to emotion
Nor trust such fidelity sprung from such potion
For the wiles of men lie steeped in commotion
Once stopped and discovered,
they vanish in devotion

He shivered then once, recalling his wife
Firmly held in knight’s arms, free of all strife
His right arm waned completely,
in the light of betrayal
At next dawn’s trial,
she’d be condemned by a “say all”

Where was his Merlin,
when times far ahead
Refused to run forward, of late,
backward instead?
How utterly forlorn would the castle now stand
A ruined fortress of fate,
now shamed through the land

Yet, running from all
that lay stunned from inside
Could no more be courageous
than riding to hide
Every flicker of candlelight,
’cross her beautiful face
Sweet Guenevere’s queenship
now ends in disgrace

Did not the clever magician once solemnly warn
Against placing fresh life
into vessels time-worn?
Outcomes out go such curious paths
Lending might to justice in more seemly crafts

Rise up, Arthur, the old man had bidden
When Excalibur’s blade
from the stone had been shriven
Become the king that the nation now needs
A wise man, bearing truth,
every high mind shall heed

Begone, the steed stirs,
prancing smartly ahead
Yet, turning back now
seems more in good stead
Return to right wrong
in the queen’s costliest hour
Restoring a portion of Camelot’s power

Truly, a night’s solace
lies not in the rust
Of protective armor thrown down
pining in dust
But rather, riding forth
to forge ever new stratas
Achieving a soul’s legendary status

I Have No Dreams Left

I have no dreams left beyond today
No thoughts except dark shades of grey
Tomorrow no longer holds out hope
For any new ways left to cope
By hanging on to such short rope

The past, present or future now don’t matter
Like paint discarded from an artist’s platter
Bedecked on canvas drawn from rote
And words fall silent from lips remote

No sooner guilt tries entering in
On stranger paths pointing right to sin
Stemming bleakest pride to start again
While shadows creep from fat to thin

What can I say, what could anyone do
To soar from green of earthly hue
Miles above the sound of blue
Echoing out in wraith-like true

A cross to bear for all despair
His own life given for all to share
Look onward, Christian soldier, now
Christ stands beside you in darkest hour

His loving arms embrace us still
Guiding us upward toward God’s will
A loving heart could share no more
Than rendering life for Heaven’s door

With no dreams left there stands one more
For every soul born on earthly shore
View darkest gloom as just one room
Needing hard sweeps with spiritual broom

Many days shall pass in fields of clover
Yet hardship’s task seems never over
Imbuing its face on years of grace
Seemingly beyond both time and space

Lacking will to travel onward
Seems bitter taste in some great pawn war
But placing trust in God’s own Son
Still’s the only way this race is won

Where’s Tomorrow?

Where’s tomorrow,
When you can’t see today?
In the softness of a breeze,
Or strength in words to say
That I love you
In all the hours we spend apart
You may not know it
In seconds torn from my heart

In the middle of a shopping spree
At the bending of an aching knee
I’m glad to think whatever’s the key
You might just stop to think of me

I can’t be here forever
No life goes on that long
And you’ll never find our love, my dear
In words of any song

Yet, days go on
Some fast, some slow
In minutes of life, we grow
Beyond ourselves
Lies greater power
Shining forth in every hour

Can You See Me?

Did you hear the wind outside last night?
It’s mournful howl in greeting
I thought perhaps a soul had left
Its mark on hearts still beating

I couldn’t think who’d left the earth
With such shallow cry of triumph
Like hearing crickets chirp for substance
By life’s gainable goal once stumped

Trying hard to look away
You never really feel
Locked into any responsive touch
Harder to buy than steel

If I told you we were fated
To such a plain existence
Would you ever stop to ponder
What side of life can be fenced?

Wherever thoughts can gather
In days still yet to spend
I’d like to think a friendship
Can always stand to mend

For in the details lies the story
Clearly meant to be
When every fantasy lifts you free
Then can you see me?

Finding You
In The Music

There is a song I heard last night
Wasn’t wrong, but not quite right
To think of you in pale moonlight
Like a big buffet with no food in sight

I couldn’t sit, or eat, or stand
No one around with a helping hand
To stem the tide I felt inside
When the song again began to glide

Over whole notes, proper and prim
I heard, transfixed, my love within
Keeping time unmoved by emotion’s bliss
I knew then, our love would be sealed in a kiss

Yet looking ‘round I saw no other
Save a single note above me hovered
It had your name and picture covered
Proving once for all, I’d be your lover

But when it finally fell to earth
I saw love’s goal by its true worth
It won’t be found in some sound strain
Nor in a night of pouring rain

Finding you in the music took all I had
But now, thinking back, I’m really glad
That discovering love in some small way
I grab the most from every day

As Worlds Collide

As worlds collide, who stands astride
The meaning of tomorrow?
Can anyone show, how love outgrows
Its place in hearts forever?

You hear the news, and it sounds all true
In peace, not war, we find
That no one’s heart is barely smart
In anger’s trading blind

A market’s share of funds to bear
Can never save another
When stepping stones are forced to roam
And caring thoughts are smothered

I’ve often wondered who thought this through
Life’s greatest game on table
When backs are broken, and spirits shorn
Of all that they are able

If no one finds a heart years hence
In business world or common
There may not be anyone left to see
Any toils of life making sense

Sounds of Nature

If you listen
Hard
Do you hear the robin
Pecking at the window?
Its little beak
Tries hard to speak
Telling volumes of life
In its show

I don’t understand
The sound of its trill
In describing the places it’s been
But I bet it knows first
The value of thirst
In exploring its nature among men

It doesn’t run or hide
In glorious outside
The boundaries of life that determine
How far and above
The world we all love
Like a package wrapped up for the giving

Flying out and beyond
It sees life run along
Over days unfocused by treasure
Yet, in just such as this
We usually find bliss
In pursuits driven only by pleasure

Can we find what is strong
In the words of a song
Pealing forth from the beak of a bird?
Or can we ignore
When true wisdom is poured
Through sounds of nature
In spirits that soar

Could Cats Be
Any Stranger?
(for Mavis, Lucky and Babe)

I’ve had five dogs but just two cats
And another, if you count one outside
Dozens of fish with only one wish
To be fed on-time by the sly

Cause contrary to what most people might think
Pets never do seem to just wink
They sit wide-eyed and staring
As if they were sharing
A secret that won’t let them blink

At the sound of a call, most dogs in line fall
To the whims of a master at hall
But cats never give a flying fig, like a sieve
Our commands bother them not at all

When they feel rather playful
Cats might look like they’re grateful
For attention we’re willing to give
But deep down inside, they cannot abide
Any semblance of mastery we bid

With balls of yarn batting,
my white one lies napping
While visions of treats fill her head
But once wide awake, her distance she takes
Independence she values instead

Could cats be any stranger
To us when some danger
Threatens life, limb or home in a moment
They warn us with cries
to beware such surprise
And keep everything safe for the present

I keep kitties around for the sake of their sound
When all’s right between me and them
A purring fluff ball I know
Is the best way to go
For a chair-sitting girl in my den

The Thing I Miss Most

I turned off the TV tonight
Sat down and watched the window
Life passed by in such a whirl
So much I cannot remember

Your name or number never came to mind
But I used to call you all the time
Now your face has just become a memory
Flipping speed dial closed the blind

And the remote’s not working
To bring you near
I get bad reception now
In both my ears
You can’t blame it all on days of wine
When I miss you all the time

The kitchen’s empty and the screen door’s shut
I cleaned all the dishes and put most of them up
Waiting for you is a task never-ending
And the mixer just never stops blending

Pretty soon, I hope, the phone will ring
Maybe the birds again will sing
Or perhaps it might be worth the call
To keep my mind home once and for all

Pillows

Pillows are such a curious lot
To find a place and just the spot
Gently kneading my head to sleep
Add one or two, right at my feet

Some are colorfully bright
Livening a room without a light
Battling those of lesser hue
It gives them something more to do

I truly like the comfy kind
That give me rest for hours of time
And those which block the break of day
A pleasant start, I’d have to say

In times of sadness, hug them tight
A comfort to feel, as they don’t bite
Keep more than plenty on every bed
We need them round (or square) to get a head

A Curious Round

When English literature’s alive all around
With the sound of alliteration by air and ground
Rhyming with words by leaps and bounds
It’s a wonder that students
don’t tire of the sound

How clever, they say,
structuring words in a way
Bringing rhythm to life, in a “to and fro” sway
Exploring Shakespeare, of course,
in the clear light of day
For most of his works, good listeners did pay

Finding meaning within,
Ogden Nash quite excelled
In curious verse, his thoughts came,
sat and gelled
Within a vast humorous ocean,
his words once did tell
By writing’s mode, lively rhyme rang a bell

Where have they gone, with proficiency’s pen?
Will we ever see the like of such writing again?
In video’s vast wasteland,
pure sight cannot send
The audio portion of life only writers can tend

So the next time you hear
a well-structured love sonnet
Or some secret of life,
you can bet your words on it
That sometime, somewhere, in a curious round
By poetic observation, alliteration abounds

Leaving It Up To Jesus
(a gospel song)

Verse 1
When I’m down to my last dollar
And there’s no road left to follow
If you need a friend to lean on in hard times

I can’t always make it better
When a rainy day gets wetter
But we all can use the Man behind the signs

Refrain
In the hour that we need Jesus
Only takes His hand to free us
From the hard times that daily grind us down

In a moment, we’ll be with Him
Years of strife will fall away then
And we’ll all be on that ladder, Heaven-bound

Verse 2
So, step right up to greet Him
He’s the only way to free men
From every single evil on this side

If you place your trust in Jesus
He’ll come half-way to meet us
Gonna leave this tired existence far behind

Refrain
In the hour that we need Jesus
Only takes His hand to free us
From the hard times that daily grind us down

In a moment, we’ll be with Him
Years of strife will fall away then
And we’ll all be on that ladder, Heaven-bound

Verse 3
If you really want to see Him,
Don’t hide that light before men
There’s so little time to meet them, by and by

And don’t worry ‘bout tomorrow,
Yesterdays lose all their sorrow
When He takes us home
to live with Him on high

Refrain
In the hour that we need Jesus
Only takes His hand to free us
From the hard times that daily grind us down

In a moment, we’ll be with Him
Years of strife will fall away then
And we’ll all be on that ladder, Heaven-bound

Leaving it up to Jesus
Only takes His hand to free us
From the hard times that daily grind us down

In a moment, we’ll be with Him
Years of strife will fall away then
And we’ll all be on that ladder, Heaven-bound

In My Heart Forever

You can feel forever
in a mountain’s mighty shade
And even warm the coldest heart
in heat of sunlight’s blade
But knowing that for certain,
each one of us must die
What drives us on to glory,
past deepest winter sky?

Could it be a sad remembrance
for a fallen autumn leaf?
Or the brightest day we spent on earth,
often hoping to repeat?
Perhaps a family member passing,
through mighty clouds of joy
And maybe it’s not anything certain,
posing such a clever ploy

I’m scared to meet my Maker,
leaving mortal stance behind
Will He be angry over things I’ve done,
or simply just be kind?
Knowing that His own Son,
challenged life from day to day
Forging new paths for our belief
in all He had to say

As time grows short and nears the end
Can anyone but wonder
How magnificently simple life can be
Through all the pomp and splendor

The tick of every second draws near
Focusing eyes on the Almighty
In life we strive to just go on
Through earth-bound thoughts deemed flighty

For it’s not in any deep dark cavern
By rappelling rope soon severed
I find instead in Heaven-sent bread
God lives in my heart forever

He Waits

He waits in silent splendor
For those who can remember
The majesty
Of earth, wind, fire and sky

He once set up a garden
For hearts
That hadn’t hardened
And all He asked was pure love in return

Through many years forsaking
His advice
We just weren’t taking
Till one day His rain reigned o’er all the earth

After that there dawned a morning
With a bow
Set forth in warning
That never again would such a flood run high

His word He’s kept to this day
Praise Him
For every new way
He’s saved us from the fires
that always burn

He waits again to hear us
With breath
He formed from pure dust
Give Him your heart,
praying always for rebirth

Life Winds

Sun’s coming up
On birds flying tree to tree
Another day in the neighborhood
Just for me
Everything’s perfect
No change needed where I sit
I hear the songs of nature
Headed right to my catcher’s mitt

And the sky’s so blue
I can never see it all
The spring of summer’s gone
And we’re just starting in to fall
While color-splashed leaves mix
In patterns on the wall
I pause to think
And my mind begins to stall

Life winds on
No matter how you go
Sometimes fast
And others pretty slow
In daring to take a chance
Some can even find romance
And in the living
Life plays on, to its own dance

Sunlight fades, then darkens
And begins again
When we find, along the way
Each new friend
They can add so many dreams
Fill your life with love, it seems
Helping us find a better path
In life’s grand scheme

It’s time for me to go
As new words begin to show
Another trail to follow
Up among the pines

For everything
That’s on this planet
Has no race to show I ran it
I follow life winds
In my quest
For rhyme through time

Life winds on
No matter how you go
Sometimes fast
And others pretty slow
In daring to take a chance
Some can even find romance
And in the living
Life winds on, to its own dance

For Love To Shine Once More

If love’s only in the morning
Can it last throughout the day?
Did you see hope disappear
When I couldn’t afford to pay?

I fell in love with you the first time
I heard you call my name
In all the days between us
I tried hard to hide the pain

Cause fate brought us together
For all the good times and the bad
You showed one face in the mirror
Reflecting happy, never sad

You’re still with me all the time now
And in the end, you’ll never know
In my heart still lives a wedding vow
We took so long ago

I pledged to love you all my days
Me for you in every way
But now you’re safe at home with him
Our time’s a long past day

You can’t keep a night’s love flowing
In the stream of things to come
When there’s no more way of showing
How the total’s more than some

So goodbye, my love, forever
I don’t look for stormy winds
When the sun comes up tomorrow
It marks the day our love will end

For in the knock that sounds anew
On every heart-felt door
There’s bound to be another chance
For love to shine once more

A Sound That
Rings So True

In a passing moment
There’s a sound that rings so true
A quiet little tone
That leaves no residue

You can hear it in the harshest hour
From brassiest golden chords
Or in a room, no bigger than
The space a spirit soars

It seems tomorrow never shows up
When preparation time is done
Yet suddenly a day is made
By minutes on the run

Where goes the sound of peace-filled life
When time marks near a soul?
Can a whole life flash before our eyes
Before the story’s told?

Hang on to daily living
In the mundane chores we do
And never stop the giving
When it seems an hour’s through

I can’t tell you how to live life
Or even what it means
When a heart begins to shine forth
With the sound of Heaven’s dream

A Path for Better Days

In the tallest trees that grow
Though the strongest breezes blow
There’s a splendor and a majesty
That still remains on show

It lives in every creature
From sea to shining sea
In every hope, or wish, or dream
That’s ever meant to be

We see it in the faces
Or feel it in our hearts
Whenever we hear the sweet sound strains
Of Americans taking part

In the glory of our country
Its history, proud and free
To battle abject tyranny
We will rise from bended knee

To show the world a treasure
Worth more its weight than gold
Let every tongue tell its own story
Of freedom’s price, be told

We save little now for future
The call for peace is strong
But every decision that’s made today
Paves paths through right or wrong

There stands no value in hindsight
When the doing is done now
Yet looking back through history
Shows some of why, not how

Can the nature of any eagle
Send it soaring into the sea?
Could the fury of stormy tempest
Stop a rainbow meant to be?

Over two hundred years have come and gone
Since independence was proclaimed
Declaration breaking oppression’s song
Giving freedom a new name

Have we forgotten all that’s been before
Do we live now for give and take
Think back, and present, and far ahead
To a vote we all must make

You cannot live a life that’s over
Before it’s even done
Or walk a mile in someone’s shoes
Through darkness without sun

Wake up, Americans, before the sound
Of freedom fades to ear
Remember well, what history tells
And the lessons we hold dear

Amazing things can still be done
With responsibility holding rein
Politics was never meant for fun
Though today it seems a game

Insisting on a lifetime’s vow
Politicians stand, and preach, and bow
But long-term baring of their goals
Principalities oft lose their souls

When did freedom lose its right
To protest such bold acclaim
Has it always been so hard a task
To make things right again?

But there we come to that broad path
We mentioned once before
Does liberty stand waiting, still awake
On the side of freedom’s door?

It may take years to straighten out
A rash of bad decision
Yet as history writes, we stand and fight
Sometimes in great derision

I hope we never have to take
What’s handed us as given
And hold a path for better days
In hearts, the Good Lord’s given

I Will Die Today

I will die today
To selfishness within
A bit more than yesterday
Perhaps less than tomorrow
Banish all the sorrow
That takes away me
From sharing with others
A new attitude
Toward all who abide
With the Lord on their side

I can’t imagine today
Without me in it
Trying hard to find a way
To share time so imminent
We can’t escape the seconds
That form around our lives
Yet, we just can’t hide inside
Let others take the ride
Meant only for me
Or you, if we try

I will live tomorrow
Not only in my dreams
It seems
So strange to think of not being here
Still near
But never clear
As the reason
For going on alone
In the midst of things
No longer set in stone

Can you hear the wind
Outside tonight?
It moves to stay alive
Keeping strength aside
To stir emotions
When daylight bends
In visions
Altered by its sight

In living life we seek
The change
That hides around the bend
Before we send
A prayer to keep it all the same
Varied rhythm promises
More in sending
Impressionable crosses
Notions of peace in a race to grieve
For all the children yet to be

Today, I will try
One more time to just die
In thinking the universe
Belongs to me
I did not create it
Expanding glory can’t be abated
Though days and minutes
Passing through
Remain so sated

It’s not our lot to choose it
A dying self can never prove fit
In collecting all things
Bright and new
To suit it
But in weaving big and small
From single bricks within the wall
Can selfishness really die
Within at all?

Heaven’s Gift

Do raisins dry out in the sun,
As daily hours by them run?
They sit and grow, but not for show
In bunches, often shriveling one by one

Can love be thought of quite this way?
All the same and different each day
Is it a place or songbird’s trill
Finding space beyond a hill?

Maybe love can start us back
Along a well less-traveled track
To grab a hold of every minute
And see the face of God within it

Could we hear what His response might be
Perhaps, “Only I can make a tree,”
A long-lost rhyme does come to mind
When we stop our lives, to give Him time

His voice is heard not in the wind
And hate doesn’t draw Him to attend
Our daily woes push love to brinks
Of distant streams from where we think

When dark meets quiet on both sides now
I can almost sense a furrowed brow
Of wisdom held check beyond the ages
As mankind writes on eternal pages

Who claims the story as His own
Did grasp the meaning as it’s shown
Beyond such ancient scriptured text
Love’s depth increased, each second to next

From simple ripening in the sun
A raisin’s grace is strength hard won
On the same green vine, we oft mature
And following love’s path,
Heaven’s gift ensured

When Tears Don’t Cry
(for the victims of California’s Santa Ana winds fire)

Fire consumes most everything
And when ashes finally settle
What’s left is neither black or white
Just chards of twisted mettle

Some say courage, brave and strong
Place firemen in the fray
Against winds of flame
Too high to name
They work from night to day

When cherished memories char and turn
Evacuation becomes the key
To safety, for all who live and learn
Of flame’s strength wrapt in mystery

To pray for those in far-flung states
Seems never mentioned on air
Placing blame square-shouldered on Mother Nature
For the fiery ills now shared

Yet the One whose name replies in hope
Stands waiting for the call
Close out the heat of unsafe sky
With eyes too hard to fall

It must be fate that stands to grate
On nerves of steel now gone
The pain and loss of everything
Marks new starts to all at square one

The numbing carcass of cities on fire
Can spark no less than desire
To see a rain repel the drain
Of hope hanging on such thin wire

Like so many days and hearts undone
With no escape routes left to run
A prayer from lips not so dry to decide
Might lift spirits when tears don’t cry

A Next Door
Kind of Girl

Working late at night I used to hate
All the time I was on my own
Without you near,
I couldn’t steer clear
Of the last pitch before I got home

‘Cause she’s all that and a bag of chips
The lips, the look, the curves
When she smiles her smile
All the men go wild
She’s a next door kind of girl

I always drive up at a quarter to three
But she keeps on waiting for me
And before I make it to our own front door
She whispers, c’mon now, let’s get free
I see the light beside our bed
Click on and off ‘bout four
But believe me, honey
She stays on the money
And I ain’t coming home, dirt poor

‘Cause she’s all that and a bag of chips
The lips, the look, the curves
When she smiles her smile
All the men go wild
She’s a next door kind of girl

You know I try to take your side
On everything that matters
But she’s just too cute
In her birthday suit
And that tongue of hers sure can flatter
So I’ll keep on keeping on late night hours
Working myself to death
And maybe I’ll figure a way to tell ya
Before I draw last breath

‘Cause she’s all that and a bag of chips
The lips, the look, the curves
When she smiles her smile
All the men go wild
She’s a next door kind of girl

Better Dreams

I saw you out with him last night,
It didn’t seem too strange
To think of waking up some day
Without my sunshine in the rain

Cause there’s just no getting over
Echoes of an empty house
Trying to find some meaning
Like the stillness in a mouse

And life’s about growing older
You taught me once, how that was true
Finding colors of the rainbow
When you can’t get over blue

It’s the little things that matter
When you’re near someone you love
A smile, a whisper, or just a kiss
And see the sky’s still up above

I love you forever with all my heart
And I know I always will
Till the end of time runs out, my love
With one last dream to fill

I’d wish to have you always
Back with me, hand in hand
But I know that dream can’t happen
When you’re with another man

So, I’ll dream on till tomorrow
When another day comes due
And I head on up that path of life
To find better dreams coming true

Rainbows

Rainbows reach forever,
Bowing high up in the sky
Stretch on till tomorrow
Past all the rains gone by

We see in them all colors
The way our lives should be
Can we find our own potential
Without seeing you and me?

It isn’t when it rains
That we find our biggest flaws
More often, it’s a travesty
To rely on human law

For just as high above us
Space flies on into time
It’s just a sad misfortune
To call earthly life, divine

We move through it
Try to hold a spot
In nothing that can’t change
And when it’s truly over
In our minds, it’s rearranged

So watch for every rainbow
In the past, it’s all the same
But you might see someone looking back
Who, today, holds greater reign

Acts of Random Kindness

Did you see me on the street today?
I waved real hard when you turned away
Guess you didn’t see a chance to help
Or make a difference that’s truly felt

I only wanted to say hello
Just a quick pause in your stop and go
Maybe we’ll meet again by chance
In this world’s whirling life-long dance

So I chose someone else, you see
To reach beyond the one called me
A frail old woman trying hard
To bum a ride from an old bus card

She didn’t have a dime to spare
And really no one who even cared
So to help her home, I paid the fare
Spending a moment of time to share

Her face grew puzzled and somewhat grim
Realizing the plight she found herself in
Unable to offer any return for the gift
But seeing her smile, created a shift

I felt a warm fuzzy feeling inside
For helping her out when she needed a ride
Wishing me well, she blew thanks with a kiss
And I felt glad, filling her day with such bliss

As the bus pulled away,
I heard a voice inside say
Thank you, young man, for making my day
In what might quite seem an insignificant way
But, for me and my husband,
his health you just saved

Today we were down to our last dollar or two,
And had no idea just what we could do
To get his prescription and find a way home
One had to journey back and forth all alone

We argued a bit as we usually do
About who went or stayed
over a cup of strong brew
With money so tight, I won luck of the draw
Then caught the first bus on the schedule I saw

Getting the prescription, I found to my shock
Its price risen sharply, much quicker than stock
But my husband’s existence,
hanging low on life’s scale
Banished all else in mind to the palest of pale

Hurrying back to the bus stop,
it soon became clear
There was no money left to even sit here
Then you came along,
when it all had gone wrong
Proving miracles do happen
for less than the strong

So the next time you feel
overlooked in life’s race
Stopping to help someone else keep the pace
Might prove quite a blessing
in a stranger’s sad eyes
For acts of random kindness
come in all shapes and size

Going Nowhere Fast
(for NASCAR and Jeff Dunham)

Five hundred miles in a freakin’ circle
Getting hot on a car in orange and purple
And I can’t drive straight beyond the hurdle
Passing cars in my own crepe myrtle

Yeah, I got power and I got flash
And some say I’m just poor white trash
But it’s something ‘bout that checkered flag
That keeps me, match and pass

’Cause I’m going nowhere fast
Thinking all that’s gotta last
Is my foot on the floor
And a number on the door
To get some big time cash

Now I passed the last car flying
Ate my dust when I went by him
Doin’ 95, ain’t no man alive
Gonna keep up to me without sirens

’Cause I’m going nowhere fast
Thinking all that’s gotta last
Is my foot on the floor
And a number on the door
To get some big time cash

Well, the flag’s down up ahead
And the engine just went dead
So when all’s been done and said
Can’t drive far on “may pop” tread

’Cause I’m going nowhere fast
Thinking all that’s gotta last
Is my foot on the floor
And a number on the door
To get some big time cash

I Can’t Tell You
Everything I Know

I can’t tell you everything I know
What makes things stop or sometimes go
If I did, you’d barely scarce believe me
Why things cost so much just to be free

Can you see mountains when clouds go by?
Hiding them with bits of sky
Their majesty quite boldly hidden
Beyond the vistas we’ve been given

For in the grand scheme and the parts we play
We help each other get through the day
In the smallest moments it takes to share
We can feel our Creator waiting there

To a cry for help, if we turn our ear
Two hearts connect in dispelling fear
A formidable venture lends chance for change
Opening hope to reach a whole new range

I can’t tell you everything I know
What makes things stop or sometimes go
But listen often to the soul’s sweet quiet
For wisdom lies where you can never buy it

Forever’s Bright Son

Did you tell the love of your life you cared?
Today

Could you learn how
to love someone differently?
Today

Have you thought how much
love you can share?
Tomorrow

Can you imagine love’s role in your life?
Tomorrow

Is love left behind when you leave this world?
Forever

What one thing deepens in life as it grows?
Forever

Today, tomorrow and forever may seem
Simple components of a strange new dream

Mingling apart in separate lives
Yet always together in plans quite divine

For weaving today and tomorrow as one
The past stretches forward
To forever’s bright Son

Providing a glimpse of what might
Could soon be

On the edge of eternity’s
Love holding me

Does Your Car Make Expensive Noises

Does your car make expensive noises
At night, real late, like mine does?
It’s not a grinding, creaky sound
Like any nearby parked around

It’s not a ping for every ding
That’s shown up rusty brown
Or a fizzy spray that goes all ways
When the radiator busts on down

It gets hard to describe the feeling inside
When repair bills start to climb
Calculating hours and dollars to spend on end
As your bank account takes a dive

You’d think a solution would be forthcoming
From big brains behind the scenes
Blueprints deciding, what everyone’s buying
These days with limited means

I’d like to hope everybody can cope
With their own automotive distress
Yet, when a car makes noises
It narrows the choices
Of how to resolve the big mess

So, if you hear anything extraordinary
Coming out of your car, late at night
Lock your door, pull the blinds
And try to unwind
With expensive noises, it’s best
To sleep tight

Beyond the Stars

Deep within the darkest space
Where no light shines defining race
Sits One who rules on highest throne
By Heav’n adored
Calling each of us home

He always hears the slightest whisper
From parents, brother and even sister
The joys of life, the pain of death
Carefully watching each path set

His wisdom lies beyond the stars
Through endless time, He travels far
In majesty, His crown sets high
Creation’s constant in His eye

When is the King of Glory near?
Any time we set forth a tear
For the joy in living His passionate gift
A life, unloved, could cause a rift

Moving mountains by man-made means in woe
Could never eclipse a sunset’s glow
Or shed a glimpse on eternity’s bliss
When two lips meet for one brief kiss

Adorative aspirations rise
Increasing wonder to greater size
When giving God our lives to bless
And letting Him maintain the rest

Home In Time
For Christmas

As snowflakes fall
And Winter calls
We travel home again
Greet long lost friends
At every bend of memory
That never ends

Each Christmas holds that special
Feeling deep inside
To share with everyone around
A warm December tide

In the rain, on a train
You can even fly by plane
Just get home in time
For Christmas

Silver bells, ring all is well
There are secrets you can’t tell
When you’re home in time
For Christmas

With so many gifts to see
Wrapped up tight beneath the tree
I still need one present more for me

Having you right by my side
And the mistletoe up high
Would be the best Christmas Eve to see

Now the winter wind is calling
As the snow outside keeps falling
While I wait, so alone, for you
But I know, the good Lord willing,
When the icy wind quits chilling
We’ll keep this Christmas bright and new

Each Christmas holds that special
Feeling deep inside
To share with everyone around
A warm December tide

In the rain, on a train
You can even fly by plane
Just get home in time
For Christmas

Silver bells, ring all is well
There are secrets you can’t tell
When you’re home in time
For Christmas

Love At First Sight

I don’t have time to read email
Or catch the latest sale
So when we met
There was no regret
To feel defenses fail

My legs weren’t much to lean upon
When my freedom turned to run
And I felt my passion drive me on
More lethal than any gun

Love at first sight
Lasts all day and all night
When you find the one
Just for you

You can’t really explain
The sun in the rain
It only happens
When love is true

I heard rainbows hold
A big pot of gold
At the end where
Sunshine beams through

But if the truth be told
My future can’t hold
Another minute
Without loving you

Love at first sight
Lasts all day and all night
When you find the one
Just for you

You can’t really explain
The sun in the rain
It always happens
When I’m with you

Christmas Hearts

Christmas hearts are special
They hold an inner glow
Where childhood flights of fancy
Seldom fear to go

They soar above the rooftops
And head off to the sky
Past the snowy rivers
And treetops flying by

A sense of wonder follows
Each heart upon its course
You can almost hear the sleigh bells
Jingling from each horse

Houses brightly lit
Bid welcome from inside
For there the table’s laden
Offering food of every kind

It could be quite old fashioned
For carolers to sing
From door to door
They spread their cheer
To last throughout the year

A sudden stillness startles
Both man and every beast
As faint upon the wind
Reindeer hooves begin to beat

Away up in the heavens
A jolly elf sits on his sleigh
Carrying stacks of home-wrapped goods
For children on Christmas Day

Everyone hurries off to bed
To avoid the air borne team
For Christmas hearts
Begin new starts
On the wings of season’s dreams

Thanksgiving

In giving thanks for all we have
And sharing that which we’ve been given
We learn about the life we’re living
At any place and time

There’s so many poorer than we know
And some think richer without the show
Others have farther yet to go
Before their last thin dime

If we just stop and think a moment
Between the glamour and poorest garment
A witness to all stands oddly silent
Who once changed water to wine

His blessing extends from a life well lived
When He walked among us trying to give
Peace to those whom poverty hid
In the wealthy surroundings of grime

So when we celebrate the lives we lead
Keep in mind the lesson it’s wise to heed
Do unto others in word and deed
And you’ll keep His friendship in kind

Thanksgiving’s a day the Lord has made
Let’s be grateful to Him in sun and shade
For that which cannot be sold in trade
Is God’s richest gift in mind

Christmas Lights

Christmas lights
Shine so bright
From our hearts
At Christmas time

Hear the angels
Tell the story
Of God’s own Son
Now born to glory

Save us all
Dear Baby Jesus
And in our hearts
Please always greet us

With your love
Extend your peace
O’er all the earth
And never leave us

For you’re God’s Son
The one redeeming
Sent to earth
By starlight gleaming

There is no other
Here to save
Except the child
In manger laid

O Holy Jesus
In Christmas lights
We greet Thy birth
From sacred height

Holding Gold

If I had winning numbers
For the lottery every night
Would I have to play a single one
To keep our love all right?

Babe, you’re everything I wanted
And all I ever need
The things about you I love most
I never had to read

Cause spending time with you
Seconds really can’t grow old
And even losing years apart
I’d still be holding gold

It never was a game with you
You knew it from the start
It just took me a little while
To feel it in my heart

Babe, you’re everything I wanted
And all I ever need
The things about you I love most
I never had to read

Cause spending time with you
Seconds really can’t grow old
And even losing years apart
I’d still be holding gold

We’ll always be together
No matter what the cost
Cause the way life changes every day
Without you, I’d be lost

Babe, you’re everything I wanted
And all I ever need
The things about you I love most
I never had to read

Cause spending time with you
Seconds really can’t grow old
And even losing years apart
I’d still be holding gold