The Lady In My Life

The lady in my life
Is someone I can never have
She is affectionate and loving
Warm and kind and gentle
And she belongs to someone else
Despite my efforts to be near her
To touch her and to be a part of
Something and someone so loving
And so kind
I know she can never be and
Will never be mine

Next Time

The next time
Will be better
Than this time
Or last time

Because we all
Know what happened
The last time
And we said

That was the
Last time that
Something like that
Will ever happen

Overthrow The System

no use wasting time
fighting the system
the system must die
cut off the head
and place it on a spike
take an ax and
hack off the legs
throw what is left
into the river
and celebrate your victory over
your oppressors
and their attempt
to control how you live
and who you love
any system not designed by you
is not for you
and should be destroyed
a bullet to the brain
of the thing that causes pain
is the only solution to
the new revolution

Overnight Sensation

Spent your whole life waiting for your big break
The only thing that mattered were chances you did not take
No one cared about how you spent your time
They were only worried if the damn thing rhymed

Never mind that you doing this has taken several years
All of your mind and heart and your tears
And then you finally come to the realization
You spent your life trying to be an overnight sensation

11,000 Pizzas

starting a
new relationship
is like getting
11,000 pizzas
the reality is
almost everyone
likes pizza
but what do
you do when
you get so
much of
something you
like all at once
do you take
it slow so
that it will
last forever
do you rush
in and get your
fill until you
get so sick
that you never
want to see
another pizza
again
or do you savor
the moment
and realize
that every pizza
is different
all 11,000 of
them because
each time you
enjoy a pizza
you are not the
same person
you were
when you had
your last one

Miles Away

reaching for
the things
we desire
most only
seems to
cause them
to always
escape us

amazing how
troubles are
always close
no matter
what and
good things
are always
miles away

Sitting On The Window Sill Waiting To Fly Away

Each day I watch
The window sill
As a mother bird
Sits on her nest
Waiting until
Her baby bird
Will one day
Fly away

Suspended Automation

that point where you realize
you are in way over your head
and nothing you can do will fix it
is suspended automation

The Last Time I Saw Happy

The last time I saw happy
She did not see me
Her back was turned
As she hopped into a taxi
Heading for the airport
To catch a flight
To the perfect life
Or perfect vacation
Or perfect something
Most of us will never know
She used to know me
A long time ago
When everything was new
And wrinkles were
Changes in what
Happened next
Not folds in your skin
She still looks great
The way she did when
We turned sixteen
And learned to drive
And eighteen when
We left home
Now she is off with someone else
Doing the things we used to to

Face To Face With Death

Strange how when you finally decide to live
You come face to face with death

After making the decision to not
Let life pass you by you find yourself

Moments from dying

The irony of seeing your life
Flash before your eyes moments

After you decide to no longer play it safe
Is the type of cruel joke

That only God and the devil could appreciate

Life Is Like A Balloon

Ever notice how life is a lot like a balloon
It starts out small
Gets bigger when you put more effort into it
And no matter how big it gets
We still try to make it bigger
Sometimes things explode and fall apart
But usually left alone the air slowly fizzles out
Leaving a shriveled mess at the end

The Reality Of Fantasy

The lines are gone where they were once drawn
Hidden by the mask that you wear
To watch you destroy yourself slowly
Brings everyone down with you
Hoping this nightmare that has now become
Every minute of every life that you have ruined
Will soon die but we all know that this is just
The reality of the fantasy you created
For yourself that we are forced to live through

Thieves

There is nothing on this planet
Worse than a thief
A person who steals from another
Is the lowest form of life
To ever crawl the face of the earth
Whether it is money or an idea
A person who would stoop so low
As to steal from someone else
Should never be allowed to profit
From their cowardly way of life

Church

the true
definition
of church
should
be people
not buildings
or doctrine
or religion
because
who or what
you
pray to
means nothing
if there is
no one
to do it

Hair

To a woman it is her crowning glory
To a man it is his sense of pride
Why do so many people use hair
As a place they can go and hide

Some see it as a thing of status
Others as something to tame
Most see living without it
As some kind of scandal or shame

There are many who cannot manage
To grow hair that is long or is big
So they pretend others do not know this
By adding on hair or a wig

Some can only imagine
And think this obsession is weird
Hair on your head is a distraction
But I wish I could grow a beard

working class blues

this job is the worst
and the boss is an ass
things would be better
if they did it my way

that was my idea first
my co-worker has gas
a reprimand letter
I deserve more pay

Graduation

no ceremony
or cap
and gown will
officially announce
when you are
over someone
or something
or worse yet
both

the time to
move on is
apparent to some
and abhorrent to
others but
we all must
graduate
someday

overcoming a
fear or a
challenge is
the same as
conquering a
curriculum
but we seldom

celebrate
the things
that bring
about the
biggest changes
in our
lives

When The Apple Realized It Was Not Forbidden

Have you ever wondered what it was like
When the apple realized it was not forbidden
It was probably a lot like the time
When you gave up your childhood dream of
Being a cowboy or a princess or whatever
Your dream was before reality smacked you
So hard that you were happy to settle for a job
You hated just so you could shrivel up and die
Like a bad apple infected with worms
Rotting at the bottom of the barrel infecting
Everything it touches

any road

flying high
above it all
free from
the restrictions
of the ground
there was
no pressure
to follow
any road
or any trail
or any path
because the complete
blue canvas leaves
no marks
or footprints
and no evidence
that anyone was
ever there

Love Is Not

Love is not for the weak of mind
Or the faint of heart or those
Who live in fear

Love is not for the broken spirit
Or the hopeless lot or those
Without cheer

Love is not for the tortured souls
Or the hapless losers or those
Afraid to take a chance

Love is not
For many or any of those
Who fear romance

Variation On A Poem Noir

I was very happy in my Blackness
Both as a Black man and
As a man without a direction
Until she came along
She was everything I was warned about
And told never to bring home
She was then and still is now Satan's sister
The walking description of a
Blond-haired blue-eyed devil
With a passion for everything
That she was always forbidden to have
And this time it was me
I had the chance to walk away and
As I turned in another direction
To return to my roots and my family
Out came her claws and her hooks
And the temptation for something forbidden
Was more than any man could withstand
But just as it is the nature of the scorpion to sting
And for the snake to bite
When you have been blinded
It is impossible to see either
Until it is too late and your fate has been sealed
A gun or a knife would have made more sense
And the first time she struck should have been the clue
But seduction and betrayal are the perfect combination
Of pleasure and pain and she used them both
First to infiltrate my family and replace it with
A family of her own pulled from deep within me
And then to turn that family against me
To make all that is mine despise all that is me
And having accomplished her goal of the
Seduction and elimination of one Black man
She like the heartless predator that she is
Moved on to the next leaving me in my Blackness
Both as a Black man and
As a man without a direction

Last Night While You Were Dreaming

Close your eyes for a minute and try to find
That world of your dreams that you left behind

Last night while sleeping you became someone new
Who could do all the things you always wanted to

You had meetings with world leaders and talking trees
And collected magic pollen while flying with bees

While visiting a land where people never grow old
You danced with the devil for a pot of gold

There were mansions and music and amusement parks
Along with lots of things you could only do in the dark

Of course you were there with the love of your life
Reunited in your dreams with your beautiful wife

Sadly your dream will soon come to an end
As you wait for nightfall and to dream again

Old Friends

Old friends have the best of systems
One will talk while the other one listens
It does not matter what time of day
As long as the other has something to say

Sometimes the need is really strong
And because these two really get along
Neither feels that it is a burden
To make time for the other when they are hurting

While listening to the refrain from a friend
It seems the troubles will find an end
Just as they did the other day
When the two old friends had something to say

Outside In

All that is bottled up inside
Desperate to get out
Will find a way to exit today
Just select a route

A knife is quick and cuts real deep
Into skin steel does slide
A gun can do real damage too
With a bullet in my hide

The flow of blood will cleanse my brain
And bring my pain to an end
No longer going slowly mad
I let my outside in

and suddenly she turned....,

and suddenly she turned and realized
standing behind her was what she feared most
her past had returned to haunt her
in a way that she could never imagine
every effort to change from who she used to be
now had crept up behind her and would soon
overtake her forcing her to face a reality
she put out of her mind years ago

she thought to herself how unfair it was
that all the fear and shame she used to feel
had finally turned from a full roar to
a low moan and here she was once again
starting over having to relive a pain too intense
for words to ever describe

now she realized what she had to do
no longer was she going to be controlled
by a past that refused to let her have a future
she was no longer in a position to run from
what she used to be and from now on
she was going to run towards who she had become

she turned to face the crowd as she grabbed
the microphone and asked
do you want fries with that?

hey
life is art!

With Pen In Hand

With pen in hand
I stab at your heart
With words that bite
And soothe your soul

I challenge who you are
Fight who you will be
Support who you once were
While I reject your indecision

I kidnap your thoughts
Making them my own
So that you will always know
A pen in hand strikes twice as hard

A Prayer For Parents

Each night before you fall asleep
And pray to God your soul to keep
Do not forget to take a while
And say a prayer for your child

Pray that they grow strong and tall
Though your heart wants to keep them small
Pray that you know what things to say
That will help to guide them on their way

Pray that they will find true love
The kind that comes from up above
And pray that when they rest at night
They spent their day doing what was right

Pray that they will have a life
That is blessed with a husband or wife
Who will make their life so worthwhile
As they pray for you and your grandchild

Dreams A Father Has For His Son

From the first breath that your Son takes
Until your dying day
The dreams a Father has for his Son
Will never go away

The hopes and dreams you have for him
Are different from your own
If you were King you wear a crown
But leave your Son the throne

Wanting more for him than for yourself
Is proven every day
The empire you build will go to him
Even if he goes his own way

The legend says to a warrior is born
A Son who is a coward and lazy
But as a Father gazes upon his Son
He knows the legend is crazy

This is a smaller version of himself
Full of his fire and zeal
How could anyone doubt that he
Could be anything other than real

The Well

The well of talent is not eternal
Like hopes and dreams the well runs dry

Leaving us thirsty for one last drink
A chance at fame before we die

To be unforgettable in a world
That barely remembers we were here

Leaving something that is not forgotten
To not be remembered is our greatest fear

the child in the mirror

not only
are children
a mirror
to our
past

they are
a glimpse
to a
future

that is
not only
theirs
but ours
as well

a child
at play

is the
adult
at work

dreaming

of how
it used
to be

and how
it will
be again

someday

Brush With Greatness

Bold and strong
Or thin and frail
Will each stroke
Tell a true tale

Greatness for all
Or a few
Can paint recall
The real you

Some use ink
Others choose words
Stop and think
Make yourself heard