No Justification Needed

They spewed words

meant to offend

Their beliefs were not mine

They tried to change me

to make me see through their eyes

They were insecure in their beliefs

and what they needed from me

Was my approval, a justification

The reaction they sought

never materialized

Their anger grew

into a childish tantrum

To be secure means

never having to argue

your beliefs

An Honorable Movement

Who really wins

when you argue their folly

when it's your reaction

that gives them their jolly

It's your peace that is broken

personal harmony dies

shouting them down

is so seldom is wise

They seek to birth anger

with a message so sick

but living peaceful or angry

is your choice then to pick

But anger brings bitterness

and bitterness hate

that direction needs ending

before it's too late

A harmonious spirit

a peaceful heart

is an honorable movement

one we must start

To Judge or To Love

The time that it takes

in order to judge

is time really wasted

when you could have shown love

As it is love that is needed

just someone to care

to lift up another

from their life of despair

A new man will emerge

yes from out of the blue

no, not the down trodden

that new man will be you

Your heart can be healed

simply by ending your judging

and channeling that time

to the practice of loving

Couldn't and Wouldn't

Is it couldn't or wouldn't

you know they're two different things

Do you not have the time

or simply won't take it

you've called me your friend

why do I feel that you fake it

each time that I need you

you just never do make it

Couldn't, no wouldn't

that's an action that stings

You said that you'd be there

but never did go that mile

should I accept this abuse

the way it's been done with a smile

you know I hate being lied to

but it really seems that's your style

Giving is Living

When ones heart is giving

their life is worth living

the smiles they receive

are quite enough

As their faces say thank you

and eyes well with dew

their need filled

today won't be as tough

This day they'll survive

once again feel alive

your heart being thrilled

your life being filled

your giving

to the living

has done the right stuff

An Angel

Before him an angel

as if sent from heaven

to raise this mans spirit

as bread is from leaven

The man thought his needs

would never be met

yet right here before him

a new table was set

He ate of the bread

once again he felt whole

it was that angel who came

and returned him his soul

Hope, Where Art Thou

The dawn breaks

the sun aches

those left behind at setting time

cannot be found

only a cloud of despair

The cloud blocks the earth

from receiving his life giving warmth

the brilliant rays are stopped

this day sadly lacking now in any illumination

the people languish in their depression

Hope falters

when the sun

no longer shines

upon the earth

and its people

One Day at a Time

Feeling trapped

yet I must muddle through

the day dragging on

never sure what to do

but I make it each day

and I think I know why

at the end of each day

I just wave good-bye

Aging

Though the days ramble on

and the years move ahead

a mind that grows old

is the one thing that I dread

A mind should stay young

the negative severed

keeping a fresh attitude

that we can cherish forever

Growing old

and growing older

to me they're two different things

the one is as winter

while the other

still spring

Youth

Our youth

the pressures they face

children fighting

for acceptance

fitting in with their peers

they strive for

it's a shame

so many have died for

where have we gone wrong

did we sing the wrong song

the lessons we taught

seem to have gone for naught

are we actually failures as parents

is it really our fault

have we pushed them away

what can we do

to help them today

turn this tide

so they've no need to hide

the feelings they harbor

so deep down inside

the hurt that drives them

beyond our hearts reach

unto the point

where their spirit's been breached

how can we help them

bring them back home

help them to feel

they're not so totally alone

get them to realize

that they're loved beyond measure

and here in our hearts

they are the greatest .of all treasure

I ask you

are there answers to this

if not we must find them

yes, that is truly my wish

Living Longer does not Mean Growing Old

Though I grow older

and closer to death

there's no reason at all

till I take my last breath

that I must act my age

or act as I'm old

I'll pause here a moment

you must find my statement quite bold

Yes I'm living longer

but I refuse to grow old

it's true, older I'll be

but the world I will see

through the mind and the eyes of a child

living my life free and wild

you see, youth

never goes out of style

One More Lost Veteran Brother

He went away to save the world

at least that is what he thought

his government claimed that it was needed

a great lie that he had bought

But he went and served

then injured came home

where his government bailed

leaving him on his own

His body was broken

his mind had failed

no longer protecting him

he and his madness were jailed

Could no longer find work

losing his family and home

living now on the streets

he'd sit sadly alone

The days would pass by

one after another

till the day that he died

one more lost veteran brother

A Renewal

The sound of the wooden flute

it's as if I'm listening to the song of the warbler

those that visit at sunset

bringing rest and relaxation to the weary

Their song resting on a bed

of an ever present drone

of the didjeridoo

comforts and quiets me

There, the stick

beating on a block of wood

I feel as if there are

droplets of dew

falling from leaves from a tree above me

into a pool of water at my feet

It's as if the water of life

my life

is returning home

As the shamisens strings come alive

I see a field of wildflowers

they wave gently in the breeze

that is brought forth from its music

Peace is mine

Happiness abounds

My spirit is renewed

The Bird in the Cage

The bird

in the cage

each day

woke with rage

squawking till loosed

the man

loved his bird

and his thoughts

often heard

of his wonderment

about its behavior

blind

to what love was

the bird died

became only fuzz

what he couldn't see

was the birds need

to be free

The Evil of Intolerance

The world it is mine

if it is here you wish to stay

one thing to remember

you'll live in it my way

for there is no variance

and no we do not play

You've now heard the rules

what is it that you say

accept or decline

there is only today

it is time to decide

or your body to go on display

To Love

To love

is not small

in fact

it's giving your all

Dying to self

when another has need

that's how it is seen

through that very deed

Oh yes, it can hurt

at times mortal pain

and sometimes frustration

can drive you insane

Yet you continue to give

and you'd have it no other way

not just for the moment

but until your dying day

Yes, this is true love

it's not infatuation

yet it's so seldom found

outside of imagination

If you've got it you're lucky

one of the few

and the blessings you have

are as droplets of dew

The dew is so fresh

these droplets so many, so fine

are a picture of love

brought forth from a mine

A mine that's been emptied

producing a treasure to give

to one truly special

for as long as they live

Closed Minds Begin to Stink

Is there a man more blind

than he who has closed his mind

to refuse to consider that which is new

his growth is halted

his path in life

becomes one of stagnation

overgrown with an algae

that chokes away any freshness

that his spirit requires

to remain useful

even to himself

everything about him

begins to develop the smell

of rotting vegetation

The purveyors of the End of a People

They came from the other side of the great water

they brought with them their customs

their religion

their guns

the only right way to live

was their way

and they had no tolerance for what they found

for here

at the end of their crossing

was a new people

people of a sort that they had never experienced

In the first days

it was these new found people

that helped them to survive

showing them the ways of this new land

but as these who had made this pilgrimage

learned to survive

they no longer found a use

for those who worshiped the earth

rather that their god

Did I mention

that they also brought with them

diseases

Today those diseases that they brought with them

are still rampant in our country

bigotry and hate are everywhere

Entering Chapter Two

I find myself alone

even the cats have slept in

there is a strange quiet that comforts the soul

Within my mind

there plays the soft music

the sounds of tranquility

dew dripping into the silent pool

doves gently cooing in the branches

I close my eyes

the moments pass

the music of remembrance continues

I have no need to seek peace

for it has found me

Though my shell

is of no further use in this world

my spirit soars

Chapter two

brings new life

I Long for the Days of Old

Where have they gone

those days of old

when men had hearts

and weren't so cold

Family and friends

not thrown away

once you entered a heart

you were there to stay

Honesty, loyalty

the mark of real men

that was their measure

in those days way back then

These men dealt with honor

their word was their bond

it's these days of old

of which I am fond

I would they return

even if for only a day

that all men might learn

they've gone too far astray

Time, A Blessing

Sitting, waiting

writing once more

it was a blessing of time

that had opened a door

Behind it were words

that begged to be heard

but needed assembling

so I brandished my sword

Putting pen unto paper

arranging them with great care

those words became poetry

a breath of fresh air

If it Doesn't Kill Ya

They say what doesn't kill ya

is what makes ya stronger

and when it comes

to man's fighting spirit

that's a fact

But when that spirit is gone

men become weak

as a fawn

and to stand on your own

is no easy act

There's a defeatist attitude

which fosters

their failing interlude

beating them down

as if they've been severely whacked

So please don't criticize

when you see someone broken

help them to stand

and don't be a token

show them you care

with more than words

merely spoken

become the strength

that they've lacked

Tears for the Children

Tears spilt for children

the hungry

the dead

the dying

We can feed the world

but we don't

We can stop the killing

but we won't

How many more innocents

must die

before these tears

need no longer be shed

Their Power has Poisoned the People

Lives lost

a terrible cost

for the stupidity

of men seeking power

Many children do starve

with no turkey to carve

for the stupidity

of men seeking power

Many more are now homeless

as the people grow hopeless

for the stupidity

of men seeking power

It's this power they seek

that paints a picture so bleak

for their stupidity

of caring only for power

From Trying to Dying

The failure to thrive

the longer man is alive

is the result

of when he quits trying

He feels he's played his last card

to move on much to hard

there's no hope

is what he's implying

Then his spirit it dies

as his mind tells him lies

and deep within

his heart is left crying

But now it's too late

once backed off from the plate

striking out

with little left but the dying

Happy to be Here

Blind in the one

I see ok out the other

but the ears

they be ringin' all day

the knees ache when I rise

it's a pain I despise

an the back

needs support in some way

now the nose sometimes works

but can't identify much

the taste buds confused

whether food's sweet or sour

it seems I'm declining

with each passing hour

but it don't matter much

as you should be believin'

all that really matters is

that I'm still here breathin'

Bigots - haiku

Their words came as fire

scorching the spirits of men

Earth's peace now in flames

There is but One

They rode to war

outnumbered yet unconcerned

right was on their side

so they believed

no enemy could stand before them

their creator would ensure victory

should they die

he would welcome them home

the combatants met

the battlefield was as a sponge

soaking up the blood

of both armies

the soldiers spirits left their bodies

rose to the heavenly home they were promised

and enemies met once again

only to find they fought in the name of the same creator  

More Than Evil

These wars my friends

have gone on way too long

the deaths of the innocents

are so totally wrong

they call it collateral damage

there's no winner in war

and accepting those deaths

not just evil, much more

A Horse With No Name

We've entered the desert

the horse has a name

we rode it to war

the day terrorists came

killing so many innocents

and today it's the same

because of that day 9/11

The lives lost

the mounting cost

how many did fall

who answered the call

to fight in a war

that can't even a score

delivered that day 9/11

For in the desert

our children still dying

families at home

left behind crying

so many because

of government lying

concerning that day 9/11

And the war still goes on

the region out of control

how many more

will we need to console

have we even considered

what will be the toll

of the horse we call 9/11

Flames of Failure don't last Forever

So few days

but in many ways

the journey too long

the things that went wrong

there seemed no return

from the terrible burn

the flames of failure deliver

The dream too soon over

I'd counted on clover

but luck wasn't with me

it just wasn't to be

now everything lost

I had not realized the cost

then I began to shiver

Then my life turned around

I emerged from the ground

it didn't take long

to find that new song

which extinguished the fire

lifting me out of the pyre

the world then began to shimmer

There is a Way

Where is the road

the path they claim

leads to happiness

A hedge of despair

blocks it from view

as if trapped in a maze

with walls too tall

how am I to know

left, right or continue

I have come too far to return

to the safety of my old

and miserable ways

Oh how I want that to change

to leave depression behind

It has been my understanding

moving left or right

is lateral and gains no ground

I cannot simply move on

imprisoned by who I was

I must somehow move forward

The hedge still stands in my way

Is it really an epiphany

when the answer

is so plain to so many others

The only answer it to remove

that which stands in my way

and learn to laugh

Whispers

Whispers

shadowed words

said behind backs

when said aloud

they are often

hurtful

So much carelessness

These words unheard

leave behind insecurity

they breaks bonds

often forever

ruined lives

are left in their wake

Kindness has no need to be hidden

it is pain that resides in the shadows

My Own Little Private World

Sitting

waiting

music playing

the peace within is extraordinary

alone in a crowded waiting room

isolated as I enter my own little private world

people are in too much of a rush today

way too much

slowing down brings so much joy

lets my mind wander

I sit

relax

and travel

to places that have to be recorded in some way

but how do I paint all that I see

I haven't the words to describe

the places that have been shrouded

by a veil created through

today's rat race

there has always been a mist

blocking me from seeing reality

or was I just hoping that reality

was something else altogether

if I'm not given the words

how can I share these wonders

my inner most self has been attacked

by my own lack of belief in myself

my peace has become threatened

I feel the crowd

it seems as they are closing in around me

they demand that which I cannot deliver

how is it that I must continue to sit and wait

even the music has abandoned me

why must I be required to return

from my own little private world

Ogden Nash a limerick

What we know as a limerick were truly his swan

And over the poet we often did fawn

They were wrote in a flash

By the great Ogden Nash

But it seemed when he died they were gone

The Days of Limericks

The days of limericks

gone with the tide

thought as old fashioned

were they too hard to rhyme

or maybe thought childish

no longer taught in the schools

i hope we're not raising

a generation of fools

even old timers

seem to leave them alone

setting rhyme up with meter

is a skill that they hone

if we'd just write a few

and sharpen our mind

I think a lot of great poetry

is what we would find

Up From the Embers

The flames do wane

yet the embers remain

there is still life within

a heart filled

with memories

a spirit and soul

warmed by them

my time upon this great blue marble

far from over

there is much yet to see

and hear

they bring new adventures

for the mind

it is as if new wood

has been found

placed upon the embers

creating a new life

from a revived flame

Don't Stop

To sing

laugh

and dance

is life

when we stop

our spirit dies

Paradise is in the Heart

Life in itself

can imitate paradise

when one has love in his heart for all

and lives respectful with everyone

Being satisfied with the little things

he will find joy in his heart

and beauty in all that he sees

there is no man more fortunate