The Beginning Of The End

The race is finally over
And you realize why you ran
Towards your goals and not from them

Slowly surrounded by the night
Which slowly eats your soul
You finally think about resting

But you know you never will
Because thoughts and poems are eternal
You line up to run because

The End Of The Road

every story has to end
or at least in theory
it should

so to does this journey
into my mind
which for me is good

each day for a year
I have tried
to create something new

some were good and some were bad
but it was something
I had to do

now here I am
deep in thought
as I try to comprehend

the many changes
in the road
that has finally come to an end

Last Call

the night wears on
your judgement fails
you panic and then you act

you approach someone
you hope to never see
other than lying on their back

as liquor flowed
your senses slowed
you became someone you are not

then the act is done
and you are the one
who deserves just what you got

a disease you dread
and how it spread
is now the life you own

you had to play
instead of walking away
and sleeping safe at home

Time And Death

unavoidable and eternal
and both out of our control

time and death sit waiting
for the other to unfold

one is never enough
while the other comes too fast

tempting you with minutes
and no time to make things last

Along The Way

I met myself along the way
doing what I always wanted to do
with no regards to what anyone thought
happiness had a home in everything I did
but a funny thing happened when
I found myself
I did not recognize who I was
because I had convinced myself
that I would never be able to do the things
I wanted to do and I would have to
settle for whatever crumbs fell from
the table of life
and then it occurred to me as I walked
up and looked myself in the eye
that the person I did not recognize
was actually doing what I always wanted to do
and as I walked away I thought
what a wonderful life the me
I met along the way must have
he is doing what I always wanted to do
and then it finally sank in
that was not a stranger on the street
I had come face to face with myself
a daytime doppelganger encounter
and when I finally figured out
that it was not some stranger that
just happened to be my height and weight
with my exact build and smile
it was me and the worst part of it all
was by the time I realized what was
going on and went back to
embrace me finally finding myself
I was gone
as if I never existed
what a shame to find yourself
only to lose yourself
at the same time
along the way

Father And Sons

The father looks at the son with pride
The son seldom does the same
The love the father has is oceans wide
From the son love comes with restraint

Despite it all one fact remains
His kingdom will go to his son
Often hearing the all to familiar refrain
From the son who says he wants none

Both determined to make it own their own
Neither ever willing to give in
Unable to admit their love has grown
If only they could be friends

Christmas

the real meaning of this day
for some is joy and love
others choose to worship and pray
with thoughts on heaven above

many only want the gifts
which is normal for a child
and the meaning of the day is missed
and is wasted on flash and style

The Eve

the eve before the big day
families gather and share
good times from days long gone
with hopes of keeping
memories alive
over food and fun
and traditions destined to die
as each year takes us
further and farther away fom the time
when the memories were
fresh and new

Inspiration

the thought that started out as a seed
nourished and raised to fill a need
only to languish in some situations
only can come from inspiration

In Progress

each of us
is a life
in progress
with no real start
or stop to it
other than being
born and
when we die
yet everyone
tries to measure
where they are
in relation to
where they
think they
should be
a straight line
to happiness
and though
that works
for some
it can lead
to ruin for
others
if sitting under
a tree in a park
and writing the
greatest poem
takes you
a lifetime
the important thing
is not the beginning
the middle
or the end
it is not
always about
the journey
or the destination
sometimes it
is just about
a life that is
in progress

Chain Reaction

your first bad choice
made worse by another
followed by a third
then you start to wonder

are you just unlucky
or maybe even worse
are the things that happened
some sort of curse

your bad luck continues
you would stop it if you could
but each and every action
seems to lead to no good

Love Every Note Ever Written

from my very first minute
music has always been with me
my first few seconds I sang
others may have thought
it was a cry
but since that time
I have been in love
with every note ever written
as well in love with
every note still to come
music does not happen by chance
it is a living and breathing thing
that we all are a part of
and just like a happy little sister
dance is not far behind
so many say they can do neither
that to sing and to dance is
out of their reach
the problem is they are looking
in the wrong direction
they do not look inside themselves
where music and dance both live
just waiting for a chance
to come out

Things I Never Knew

of all the things
I ever learned
one thing is really true

the things that hurt me
most in life
were things I never knew

I never knew
how to play the game
in fact I never tried

and when I finally
learned the rules
something inside me died

that the only way
to get it ahead
was to keep someone down

that material things
and the problems they bring
will always make you drown

Anticipation

each day brings you closer
I await your warm embrace
and feel your jagged fingers
rip deep into my face

my blood now free and running
you slide down to my throat
surrounded by the flooding
you steal away my hope

yes you found me waiting
finally we get to dance
each second finds me fading
this is my final chance

I reach my hand out to you
and offer you up my life
and feel your cold reception
as I fall upon the knife

Bleeding Hearts

ruined lives
unending pain
bleeding hearts
win again

broken vows
bitter tears
shattered dreams
wasted years

vicious lies
angry soul
poisoned words
growing old

nothing good
can survive
bleeding hearts
especially pride

What Might Have Been

so many things
that might have been
but reality is
another

the things you did
you should not have done
will always make you
wonder

the chances that
you did not take
will never let you
rest

maybe life is
just a game
you cannot win at
best

Things

not all things
are what they seem
some can mean
almost everything
like your love
for your child
and then one day
all too soon
your child
goes away
and you are
left just with things
that haunt
your dreams
because not
all things
are what they seem

Places

exotic and mystic
wrapped in a sound
unfamiliar

beckoning with a
hand holding motives
ulterior

helpless we drift
deep into the
unknown

People

the biggest disappointment
will come from the people
you trust the most
as if carrying all your hope
and faith was not enough
these people had to break
your heart as well
despite it all we continue
to give these people more
chances to hurt us as if
one day they will magically
get it right
maybe the problem is not
with people
maybe the problem is
with the person

Under The Knife

the room went dark
as the drugs seeped in
taking you someplace else

soon the knife was
under your skin
changing forever your self

you think that it will
somehow be
better than before

despite the change
you are still the same
with pieces on the floor

Years

a little boy struggles to breathe minutes after he is born
for now his life is measured in seconds not years
it will be a miracle if he is around to see his first birthday
everyone is worried except the little boy
who takes one labored breath after another
until the seconds become minutes and the minutes
become hours which are followed by days and then years

as he grows he learns to laugh and love
how to lose and live and to love all over again
and he learns the importance of moments not minutes
and how to count his successes and failures
in terms of people and not pennies and good deeds not dollars
and from that small beginning when he struggled to survive
he learned a lifetime and a minute can both last forever

In Sickness And In Health

at least you have your health
or so we used to think
but every day something new
pushes us closer to the brink

with bacteria and viruses
eating away at us each day
and every form of cancer seems
like it will never go away

pills and potions and elixirs
all claiming to do the  trick
only serves to make us wonder
is it worth it to get sick?

there was a time we all could plan
on reaching our golden years
but now it seems we spend more time
catering to all of our fears

What To Say

It is hard to know
What to say
When someone suffers
A great loss

My deepest sympathies
Or I am so sorry
Are some of the words
That are tossed

A heartfelt hug
Or a warm embrace
Even on occasion
Will miss the mark

What matters most
Is what you do
That will bring comfort
To a broken heart

All Too Soon

all too soon the things we love are gone
family and friends do not last forever
the love we have for them does
despite all that we feel inside the reality remains
the time we have together is limited
the song does not last through all eternity and the dance
will one day come to an end
the merry-go-round that is life will eventually stop
and like it or not we all will have to get off
the problem is the no matter how beautiful the song
or how much fun the dance or how thrilling the ride
for most of us it will end all too soon

The Truth

the truth is our lives are better when we learn how to love
the truth is our lives are worse when we are taught how to hate

the truth is there is good in almost everything we see
the truth is the world is sometimes an evil and ugly place

the truth is it can always get better
the truth is things sometims take a turn for the worse

the truth is most of our lives are filled with joy
the truth is we spend way too much time worrying

the truth is each act of kindness changes us all
the truth is bad thoughts lead to bad actions

the truth is we owe it to ourselves to do the right thing
the truth is we sometimes want what is bad for us

the truth is good usually triumphs over evil
the truth is sometimes the bad guys win

The Break Up

the break up was the easy part
especially since our love died
you never said what was on your mind
so the reality is you lied

I gave up everything for you
all the things that were important to me
what you did I still cannot believe
I was just too blind to see

you were more concerned with being right
while I wanted to do the right thing
in the end rather than stay and fight
I will be ready for whatever life brings

Bad At Being Good

the deepest corners
of our contaminated minds
controls our bleeding hearts
making our emotions blind

we all would do better
if we only could
but what does it matter
we are bad at being good

not always for money
we have egos to feed
that good deed we did
is based on some need

always help others
but know why you do
that selfless act you did
had something in it for you

Creation

God looked down from heaven
The writer looked down on the page
Each envisioned something beautiful
And marvelled at what the other made

Mountains and meadows and perfect skies
Were created by both of their hands
The work of one seen through the window
The work of the other seen through man

Each knowing without the other
They would have no reason to be
Yet many fail to discover
What it is God wants them to be

Panic

your heart beats faster
you are out of control
you are in full panic
your life starts to unfold

your thoughts are not rational
your actions insane
your behavior is manic
you have yourself to blame

you try to think clearly
your mind is still spinning
you are unable to focus
you are no longer winning

you now become angry
you  fight and you swear
you are looking for answers
you no longer care

Stripped

Empowering if we do it ourselves
Embarrassing if someone does it to us
At some point all of us
Will either strip or be stripped

Whether it is of rank or power
Class or position
On stage or off
Everyone eventually will be exposed

Either we willingly disrobe
Or we are forced somehow to go bare
The act lessens us
Even if it is by our own choice

At the hands of others
It is the ultimate form of violation
And humiliation as well
Yet when it happens no one ever looks away

The Old And The Young

the old man sat and rested
with thoughts heavy on his mind
with so little time and so much to do
he finds life truly unkind

the young man rushed by quickly
with no destination or plan
and with no regard for others
ran fast into the old man

their bodies became entangled
their thoughts became entwined
the irony of their situation
went from awkward to sublime

the old man thanked his good fortune
for now he had a chance
to pass his knowledge to this vessel
who just knocked him on his pants

the young man sat there empty
and for the first time finally thought
if I continue without a direction
my life will be for naught