Off The Beaten Path

I’ve been out to a sacred place

Down off the beaten path

I’m wearing a happier face

It’s a lovely aftermath

 

I was just a visitor

It’s my honor to describe

The place where I have been

Is of the Seminole Tribe

 

The city stress just left me

Right where the pavement ends

We traveled down a trail

That winds and curves and bends

 

We came upon a place

Beautiful and serene

A place that is the prettiest

Best place I’ve ever seen

 

Planted by the hand of God

Were waves of golden flowers

Taking it to heart

I was awestruck there for hours

 

We stayed there at the Deer Camp

By the home of many deer

In the woods so deep and thick

Some were always near

 

The air was warm and soft

And the sky was crystal blue

Like puffs of pure white cotton

The clouds enhanced the view

 

In a hut they call a chickee’

I was kissed by a gentle breeze

It called out to my spirit

It put my soul at ease

 

Food was cooked on an open fire

And water was drawn by hand

An extraordinary aura

Was there upon Seminole land

 

It’s like a place I dreamed

Where the children freely roam

A secluded, sacred place

A special kind of home

 

They spoke of old traditions

With respect for the old ways

It was like I had been granted

A tiny glimpse of bygone days

 

The time just floated by

And too soon we had to go

Time said we must return

To the life that we all know

 

But there remains an aftermath

Wearing a happier face

For I’ve been off the beaten path

Out to a sacred place…

Advertisements

EAT CROW

If you ever had a broken heart

You’d know just what I mean

If you’d walked a mile in my shoes

Or seen the things I’ve seen

You’d never doubt the truth

Or waiver just a bit

You’d know it had to happen

And you wouldn’t give a shit

You’d keep your chin up

Tuck your gut

Say, “Kiss my ass!”

And then, “So what?”

‘Cause how’d I get here –

After all

I had some fun

I had a ball

I ate some crow

So now you know

I say okay

It’s time to go!

You Say You Love Someone

HER:

I don’t believe he loves me

I just don’t think he does

If you had only been there

And seen the way it was

The harsh words that were spoken

The tears upon my bed

You say you love someone

And then you kick ‘em in the head?

 

HIM:

Oh no, she never loved me

I just don’t think she does

If you had only been there

And seen the way it was

The cold words that were spoken

The chill upon my bed

You say you love someone

And then you kick ‘em in the head?

When I’m Not Feeling Too Smart

I sing songs of love

Every day in my heart

When my mind will let me

When I’m not feeling too smart

It’s the songs of love

That keep me alive

The banner of love

Under which I survive

If only – and when

I can choose it so

The songs of love

Will let me go

They set me free

So my spirit flies

They keep me safe

From so many lies

I sing songs of love

For you, my dear

Right here where I am

Even though you’re not here

But I sing them also

To hold myself up

To make myself happy

To drink from this cup

A cup that is filled

With joy and peace

Allows an incredible

Sense of release

You only must choose it

In everyway

In all situations

Everyday

Love is my God

And this I know

Whether anyone else

Thinks it is so

Love is so good

I will sing it again

Each day must begin

So each day will end

And you’ll rarely see me

Without a smile

Though tears can be good –

Sometimes for a while

But not for long

My loving friend

Because Love is forever

It has no end

Each new day

Is a new beginning

Life goes on

And I just keep grinning

Because I know a secret

And this much is true

Same for me

As it is for you

It’s not really a secret

Just a little trick

Works like a charm

Works real quick

You only must choose it

That’s all it is

It’s just that simple

Golly gee whiz!

It doesn’t cost you

A dime or a dollar

Not a lot of

Fuss and holler

Just stop thinking so much

And then open your heart

It’s really that easy

You don’t have to be smart

You don’t have to be handsome

Or pretty, or rich

You don’t have to fight

Or complain and bitch

You just turn around

Like flipping a switch

It’s up to you

And no one else

You can’t blame anyone

When you ignore it yourself

Which we all have done –

Fallen short of the glory

We all have our reasons

We all have a story

The condition of man

Is in the pit

Because we forget –

Simply to choose it

Choose to be happy

Chose to have hope

Like climbing a ladder

Or climbing a rope

You lift up your spirit

By an inner light

You’re no longer subject

To dread and fright

Your spirit will soar

Your spirit must fly

And when it comes

Your time to die

Your dust becomes

A part of the earth

Then death becomes

A new kind of birth

Not really a secret

But some folks don’t know it

Or if they do

They’re afraid to show it

But why should they be?

Why should anyone care?

The nerve to be happy!

Why, how could you dare?

But you could also –

If you only wanted

Forget the places

Your memory’s haunted

Choose the moment

Choose the now

And you too can be happy

You’ll see it somehow

Just sing songs of love

Everyday in your heart

When your mind will let you

When you’re not feeling too smart

It gives me courage

To live every new day

No matter what others do or say

So I tell it to you

With my trusty pen

And so I won’t forget it

Ever again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrub Top Service

So you don’t feel lonely when I am there

You can sit all day in your big easy chair

Tell me your tales and the victories you’ve won

Tell ‘em over and over; it’ll be fun

 

I know you’re good – yes, you’re a dear

I know all your family, all about your career

The stories, the faces and your routine at night

I know all of this to your delight

 

I pay attention to details, your face and your tone

That’s why when I’m here, you’re not so alone

Memories peppered with lack of recall

Your whims and your fancies, I know them all

 

But you really know very little of me

Nothing really, but what you see

Little more than just my name

And my appearance, which is always the same

 

The persona who sits here and shows you such care

Is partly created by what I wear

In my scrub top, I listen, and say, “As you wish”

And go to prepare your favorite dish

 

About myself I say hardly a word

Very little of me is ever heard

Just a servant here to take care of you

But I could be anybody, any old who

 

Just put on this top and do what I do –

Think not of yourself while in this role

Tender yourself to another soul

Witness the world taking its toll

 

I am nothing; I’m no one – just here to serve

Another’s life to enhance and preserve

It’s exhausting! I tell you at the end of my shift

My tired heart needs a lift

 

My tired body wants to lie down

And sleep like a rock till morning comes ‘round

Another day and I’ll go do it some more

The agency sent me; I’m at your front door.

 

The Good of Us

I’m glad for when we talk

And remember what was good

I guess we would have stayed

If we both thought that we could

 

You must have felt it too

A longing to be free

To unloose the wretched shackles

That kept you tied to me

 

Dear Love, for your forgiveness

For the road that we both took

I’ve written many songs

Enough to fill a book

 

But I wouldn’t trade a minute

Of that life that was so full

And deep within my heart

You’ve always had that pull

 

Some say our love was tainted

With a few unsavory deeds

And neither one is sainted

Each one with their own needs

 

But no one else will ever be

The greatest love you were to me

In that place within my heart

Where you and I shall never part

 

That’s a treasure that can not rust

I store my treasures where I must

And no decay or rot shall get

The good of us…I won’t forget…

 

 

Tomorrow May Be Different

There are times when I simply must

Stay home all day and cry

When sadness washes over me

And my eyes will not be dry

 

When the world is such a weary place

Though nothing’s really wrong

I haven’t any way to go

I hear a heavy song

 

Most days I can move past it

Or set it aside for a while

But there are times when I can not

Muster up a smile

 

Not only for the past

But for the future too

I cry out all my tears

For myself and yes, for you

 

For all the silly people

For the condition of mankind

For all the busy people

No solution they will find

 

There seems to be no answer

To the problems of this life

It’s such a troubled world

A struggle full of strife

 

On a day when such a sadness

Has somehow claimed her rule

I simply can’t go anywhere

I feel like a stupid fool

 

My mental state in question

I must cry to find relief

By the end of so much sobbing

I’ve cried out all my grief

 

At the end, I’m quite exhausted

And it hasn’t helped a thing

Except drained out the heavy song

That my heart will sometimes sing

 

And then if I am lucky

I’ll hear a happier tune

And if I listen carefully

I’ll be singing that way soon

 

It’s such a wicked world

All full of pain and sorrow

But there’s a rainbow somewhere

And there’s still hope for tomorrow

 

Today I will not worry

I’m okay for a while

Tomorrow may be different

But today I have a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Diffuse

Should I do all those things

That I should have done then

Or sit here and think about

If-and-or-when

 

Should I get up and around

And be moving about

Should I sit here quietly

Or get up and shout

 

Should I keep to myself

The dark tales of the past

Or tell it all

Tell it all at last

 

Should I listen to reason

Or throw caution aside

Should I keep my secrets

Or have nothing to hide

 

Why would anyone

Ever want to tell

The way they lived

In a self-made hell

 

No rather to tell

A tale to uplift

Than give the truth

As a rotten gift

 

So I write in poems

Then no one knows

How the true story

Actually goes

 

Sometimes I feel like

I’m about to explode

I have to put down

My heavy load

 

So I tell a tale

Of all colors and hues

If only for myself

To amuse –

A ticking bomb

Thereby to diffuse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fountain Of Gall

Gather ‘round, come one, come all

Step up to the fountain of bitter gall

We haven’t room for the pragmatic realist

Step aside for the romantic idealist

There’s plenty to drink for all of those fools

Step around the tears, puddled up there in pools

Make room for those souls to drink their fill

As they cough and choke on that bitter pill

As they think of those words their dear one said

And they lie alone at night in their bed

While their loved one lies in another’s arms

And another partakes of those desirable charms

If you believed in those songs that rang so true

Step up to the fountain; this drink is for you

If your hopes and dreams have been verily crushed

If your words of love must now be hushed

If your fire’s grown dim; you’re the walking dead

But you still hear the promises swirl in your head

Jump in with both feet – linger, abide

The fountain is big; it’s deep and wide

Drink it up, let no sip be small

Step into the fountain of bitter gall.

That Old She

I am that Old She

That I feared I’d become

That same Old She

Who can’t say where she’s from

 

I am that Old She

Cast aside like a toy

That same Old She

Who still somehow found joy

 

I am that Old She

Who was so hard to tame

That same Old She

Although with a new name

 

I am that Old She

She’s no longer a youth

That same Old She

Now embracing the truth

 

I am that Old She

For whom love songs were sung

That same Old She

Who does not wish to be young

 

I am that Old She

She whose heart has been split

That same Old She

Who is still mending it

 

I am that Old She

Who has struggled and fought

That same Old She

Who is now what she thought

 

I am that Old She

Who has tempted the fates

That same Old She

For her destiny waits

 

I am that Old She

With her excellent goals

That same Old She

She for whom the bell tolls