The Complicated World

The Complicated World

The world has become so complicated

People never talk to people

Electronics do the talking for us

Our phones take away private time

We are never truly alone

Cars tell us where to go

And what we should see on the way

Newspapers aren’t made of paper

Delivered through the air to our screens

The same with books

Turning the page just isn’t cool anymore

200+ channels to make everyone a star

Even if you do not have talent you will be an idol

Concerts and sports are televised

So you don’t have to leave the house

God forbid you gather together with other people

The kids are called to dinner by email

Bullying doesn’t take place on the schoolyard

Even surgeries are done by doctors a thousand miles away

Everything is done without seeing the other person

When will the day come when things will get worse

People will completely forget how to talk to each other

It will be hard to remember what another human being looks like

Babies will be conceived through a website

And even a child’s rattle with be computerized

Whatever happened to the good old days

When people got to meet other people

Eat together or share a beer together

Even fight together

Without something telling them what to do

Or talking for them

This world is confusing

I pray for a return to the good old days

When a calculator was the only computer I owned

And I looked people in the eyes and said hello

Remember The Rain

Remember The Rain

Think back

Remember when you were a child

When rain was a toy

To be played with

To be run in

Dance in

And laugh in

The days we were drenched

Warm water dripping in our hair

All over our faces

And the taste of nature’s purest water

Rolling down our tongues

We were so innocent

So amazed over the smallest things

When did that change

When did we stop playing with our toys

When did rain become something to avoid

Next time the clouds let loose

When rains fall to the ground

Return to that child you used to be

Go outside

Keep your clothes on

And just play

I Need Quiet

I Need Quiet

I need a bomb

Not a big one

Nuclear would be nice

Not even a mega ounce

I need to kill them

They scream all night long

Screaming and whining

I cannot sleep

I cannot think

I just need to get rid of them

I think God made them

Placed them just to bug me

I plan

Think of ways to kill them

But they are always here

Maybe they are like cockroaches

Radiation won’t harm them

I think old school may be the way

A rock in a sling

Lobbed more than one hundred feet in the air

Aimed right

Aimed right on target

I want them dead

More than anything I have ever wanted

I should just stone those damn crows

And finally live my life in quiet

My Last Fairy

My Last Fairy

Mom and dad

Why did you tell me the truth

I was so young

Just a little child

Full of hope and faith

I believed in Santa Clause

The Easter Bunny and fairies

They were alive for me

You didn’t have to tell me

I didn’t want to know

Santa Clause is just a man in a suit

The Easter Bunny isn’t real

Fairies were just the stuff of stories

You didn’t watch as my youth died that day

You didn’t see me cry when I went to bed

You never told me

That would be the night my last fairy friend died

If only I would not have listened

If I would have followed my heart

That fairy would have been flying around my room

And maybe I would still believe in miracles

My Deepest Hatred

My Deepest Hatred

I hate you

Honestly, I cannot stand looking at you

You have become a pain in my ass

You don’t listen to me

You do whatever you want to do

Whenever you want to do it

You destroy my life

My work and my soul

I am so sorry we ever met

True, we have been close for so long

You have been my best friend

Ever since the moment you came into my life

Now, I would love to get rid of you

Throw you in the trash where you belong

Get you out of my life

I want to once again play games with you

Share my poetry and stories with you

To spend so many hours looking at funny cat videos

But, that time is over

Your keyboard doesn’t work the way it should

You mousepad is totally brain damaged

And even your grammar check doesn’t work

I am tired of you and Best Buy is having a sale

So you are gone

Left out on the stairs so someone else can have you

Maybe you’ll behave for them

All the while I play with my new best friend

A two terabyte angel

With a nineteen inch screen

And a wireless keyboard

I could say that I will miss you, but I won’t

So all I will say is goodbye

And you will be gone

Your battery will be dead

But you will not be mine

So, I couldn’t care less.

The Unknown Soldier

The Unknown Soldier

So many thousands have died

So many needless wars

Every land in the world has one

A man who died

Fighting for his country

No one will ever know his name

How he died

Where he took his last breath

Still, he is honored

Never forgotten

He lies in a cold crypt

Alone with no family coming to mourn him

He rests

His soul looking down from Heaven

He knows that someone, somewhere loves him

Even though they don’t know where he is

They mourn for him

Even though they do not know that he was a hero

He is The Unknown Soldier

And, after all these years

He is a national hero

Someone to be respected and honored

Even if no one knows his name

The Distant Storm

The Distant Storm

Let the wind blow

Let the rain fall

Let the lightning strike

We have taken paradise

The paradise God had given us

Raped the land

Killed His creatures for sport

Poisoned the life-giving water

Made the air yellow with our wastes

Turned His paradise into our Hell

He is angry at what we have done

He has waited so long to say “that’s enough”

Let him rage

Let His anger be seen by all

Take the warnings from the sky

Let the wind blow

Let the rain fall

Let the lightning strike

Just remember what it means

He is angry

He is tired of the man He created

And it is His way of telling us to stop

Before He does it for us

The Steel Door

The Steel Door

The back of a bar

Garbage cans

Empty kegs

Passed out drunks

And an alley that goes nowhere

A closed steel door leads to the stage

I can hear the music as a band plays

The beautiful sound of Jamaican Reggae

If I had just a couple dollars

Maybe I could buy a beer inside

But my pockets are empty

Not a penny to my name

So I listen through the door

My mind imagines the band

The bar patrons dancing

Glasses of golden paradise being served

Yet, here I sit

A wooden pallet as my barstool

A few drops of gin from a bottle

Dropped by a homeless man who passed by

That will be my Friday night

And many more Friday nights to come

At least until I can get a couple dollars

And I can make it to the other side of that steel door.

Let Me Read To You

Let Me Read To You

Let me read to you

Tell you the stories my mother told me

Hear the words I read

Let your mind wander

Seeing the world of fairies and angels

Princesses and heroes

Learn that love really exists

The hope is in everything

Let me read to you as you fall asleep

So you may dream of happiness

And the nightmares will be kept away

Let me read to you

Because I love you and I want you to be happy

So that you may write your own fairy tales

And you will read them to your children

So, let me read to you

Hope

Hope

The world is crumbling around you

Everything you knew is gone

Your mummy and daddy

In graves a city away

Taken from you for no reason

Other than the anger of others

Hang on little one

There are lights in your future

You can see them in your eyes

In the eyes of the puppy you hold

Someday the anger will end

Your world will again be happy

But for now love your puppy

Hold it tight to your chest

Treasure it as you would your life

It will always be there for you

Filled with the love you lost

My dream is that you name it Hope

Because that is what you need right now

You need to hold onto Hope

As long as you can

Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear

It is so sad to see a teddy bear

Left all alone

Where is the child you loved

The one you comforted during the storms

The one who told you all their secrets

The one who promised they would always be your friend

The one you protected from the monsters under the bed

You know they didn’t mean to leave you

Drop you in a place where you may never be found

You know that they loved you too much for that

They have more secrets to share

There will be a million more storms

There will always be a monster under the bed

In that child’s mind

When they are frightened they will think of you

Remember that you were there for them

Remember that you kept them safe

And if you are lucky another child will find you

Take you home and share their secrets with you

Hide under the blankets with you in a storm

And show you the monsters who hide under their bed

Then maybe they will make you their bestest friend

Perfect You

Perfect You

Little girl

Beautiful little girl

Why do you let others decide for you

How you should look

What body you should have

They do not know you

They have never seen you

The ones you look at

They are not real

They are airbrushed

They are made of plastic

You are the real girl

True to nature

Your hair may not be right

There may be a couple extra pounds

Don’t listen to magazines, TV or movies

Just remember

You are the way you should be

You are the perfect you

Blood Moon

Blood Moon

Look up at the sky

Watch Diana as she flies over

Her light casts dark red

The color of all she had defeated

It is a special night

When she shows her true self

For the world below to see

Pray to her on that night

Let her know that you see her

For in a few short hours

The true Diana will hide once again

Covered but the silver glow of the Moon

Blessed are the few moments we live for

The time when the blood moon rises

And the world is once again in a red light

That moment Diana will keep her promise

She will show us the heavens and the Earth

Show us life and death

She will show us the future and the past

So we stand and wait

Watching the horizon for the Moon to rise

And we will pray to Diana and all she offers

Then we will be blessed

Mother Nature's Blood

Mother Nature’s Blood

Watch Mother Naure bleed

Kill one of her children

Shoot that mother deer

Leave the fawn to fend for itself

You won’t take the meat

You won’t use the pelt

The deer died for your amusement

You didn’t care that she didn’t die right away

She laid on a pile of leaves

Watching her baby hidden in the bushes

You just walked away

Looking for another target as she took her last breath

The little fawn cried as her mother’s eyes closed

She snuggled to wake her mom up to play

But her mother was gone

The hunters left hours later

The more deer lay dead across the woods

More babies were left orphaned

Mother Nature bleeds with every death

She can feel an animal’s soul go to Heaven

Her blood covers the forest

Only to be washed away in the rain

The roses though

The beautiful white roses

They hold on to the blood

They hold on to the memories of the fallen

And they will show Mother Nature’s blood on their petals

There it will remain until the moment when the killing stops

And Mother Nature bleeds no more.

A Painting By Hitler

A Painting By Hitler

How did you make such beauty

Such perfect colors

Light and shadows set in just the right places

What were you thinking

Did you see the beauty of Austria

Did you imagine the people who lived in your art

Were they the blue-eyed blonde people you loved

Was your mind set away from the world you made

Or did you see every dead soldier in the colors

Was each brush-stroke marking someone else sent to the ovens

Why didn’t you paint the suffering you caused

The children and babies being killed at your whim

The old people who lived too long

The Jews, gays and gypsies who you hated for no reason

Why didn’t you paint them.

You will be remembered for all time

Not as an artist

You were never that good

You will be remembered as a murderer

You will be remembered as  lunatic

We will remember the millions you killed

The tortures you inflicted

We will mourn the people you killed

But no one will mourn you…ever

The Segregated

The Segregated

Sitting in the backyard garden

Waiting for the sun to rise

It comes too early to let me sleep

Too late to stop my mind from wandering

Thinking about the people who are segregated

Not allowed to live the life they should

For the majority they don’t exist

Primitives to be caged like animals

Not allowed to speak for themselves

Their lives are ruled by others

Others who live their lives a thousand miles away

They do not know those people

They have never met a single one of them

Yet they have to live as the others decide

Maybe if the sun rises on others

If it gives them time to think

The segregated will be seen as humans

And they will have a voice that someone will hear

Once again they will be human

Little One

Little One

Where is the little girl I knew?

The one who played hopscotch

With pigtails hanging down on her shoulders

I remember the freckles that covered your nose

You played baseball and you played with lizards

And you thought boys were yucky

That was so many years ago

You grew up until you were an adult

The freckles disappeared a lifetime go

The pigtails left long before that

You became a woman

Strong and beautiful

And boys are no longer yucky

I do have to tell you my Little One

When I see a picture of you now

I do not see the sexual woman the camera sees

I still see that little girl

Wearing pigtails and playing hopscotch

Playing baseball with the yucky boys

That is the girl I see and I always will

And that Little One will never change

I Died Today

I Died Today

I died today

I know that you will not shed a tear

You know my life was yours

I was sad when you left

I was so happy when you came hope

Still, I was scared at the same time

I didn’t behave the way you wanted me to

I did do bad things

I ate your shoes

I peed on the floor

You never taught me what you wanted

All I wanted to do was please you

My life was made whenever we went for a walk

You never had the time

So I sat by the door while you watched the TV

All I wanted was to be your friend

But you didn’t care

I know you loved me once

You played we me

We walked for miles

And I got all the petting you could give me

But, that doesn’t matter

I died today

Killed by a stranger in a white room

I do know that you will not cry

You will not even remember that I died today

Flea Market

Flea Market

What they say is true

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure

Aged, rusted power tools

Sold next to beautiful lace gowns

An eclectic collection of items

A teenage girl sells her precious Barbie collection

An old man searches for a fender for a ’56 Chevy

Someone has something someone wants

Someone wants something someone has

All for sale for pennies on the dollar

The sounds of dickering fill the air

Mating with the scents of homemade cakes

It is the world of every market around the world

No matter where it is located

It is a very public world that is its own culture

Its own language

Its own idiosyncrasies

And that is why I love it

Uninvited

Uninvited

I don’t know where they came from

I never invited them

One came first

Maybe to scout the area

To find a decent starting point

Then five more

And then ten

The more I killed the more came

Toxic chemicals hid them from view

Still they came in ever-increasing numbers

I may fight on

I will fight until the day I die

Or the day I decide to shave my head

Even though the battle makes me want to pull my hair out

One by one or by the handful

No matter what

I will not allow the grey hairs win

I am just too young to surrender

Besides that I like my brown way too much for that.

Third Row Angel

Third Row Angel

Watching my television

The first baseball game I have been home for

Eight innings

Five strikeouts

Seventeen hits

A score of four to two

Yet, I never saw any of it

I watched the home plate shots

Shots made from centerfield

I could see you in the third row

Long blonde hair

Legs all the way up to your ass

You were perfection in a Tampa Bay Rays jersey

My heart broke when you went to get a beer

Your empty seat started at me

My heart stopped

My breathing went shallow until I saw you return

A pair of short pants and a Red Solo Cup

My team lost the day

Beaten to a bloody pulp

But I didn’t care

My only thoughts were simple

Are you a season-ticket holder

Will you once again be my third row angel

I will see tomorrow at seven o’clock

When ESPN is once again on my TV

And the umpire yells “Play Ball!”

Once again, if you are there the game will not matter

Too bad it will be a good game

I Don't Trust My Computer

I Don’t Trust My Computer

I don’t trust my computer

I won’t let it sleep

I know it dreams

That’s what bothers me

Is it wondering how to ruin my life

Then again is it truly asleep

It knows I have erectile dysfunction

It knows I dream about that redhead down the hall

It knows when I can sleep and when I can’t

I know sometimes it works for me as I sleep

Poems and stories on its screen I don’t remember writing

I also know it tortures me mentally

Showing pornographic pop-ups when my wife walks in

Ordering a lawn tractor for my fifth floor walk up

Saved emails sent at all hours of the night

I always trusted my pen and paper

The photo album I kept in my dresser

Still, I never trusted my computer

At least not since the lawn tractor was delivered today

So I will go and I will think

While I ride the tractor and cut my carpet

Maybe I can still trust my cell phone

At least until it butt dials one to many times

That will be the end

I will never trust a microchip again

Turkey Love

Turkey Love

Such a noble species

The royalty of American birds

It struts proudly

Flying wild or farm bred

It creates awe wherever it is seen

The turkey has history in its line

Loved and worshipped by the people

The turkey was as American as the eagle

It was almost the national bird

Almost the pride of America

It survives by the millions

Besides all of that one thing in our minds

They make one hell of a great sandwich

And that is all we need to know

Let The Light Shine

Let The Light Shine

Let the light shine

Cutting through our lives

Showing that there is hope

Despite what you see

What you hear

Or what you know

Somewhere the light is shining

Showing people how to live

How to change to end the darkness

What need to be done to survive

The light will become brighter

More intense as people learn

As people accept differences

Thinking they don’t understand

Losing hatred raised from ignorance

Let them all know the truth

The light will shine

Knowledge will grow

And life will be better

If we let the light shine

Decision

Decision

Standing on the corner

Afraid to make a choice

Eyes dart back and forth

Trying to find the way to go

Any way to turn

No sense going back

I’ve seen what is there

The other ways are unknowns

Are they better than what I left behind?

Could they be any worse?

I just don’t know

I don’t want to know

There has to be a way to live

Without making such a decision

For now I will just stand here

Looking and watching all around

Thinking about my life

Where I want it to go

Then I will go back to where I started

And leave the unknown until tomorrow

Gremlin In The Computer

Gremlin In The Computer

Working all day

Struggling all night

It has ti be done

It has to be perfect

Not one misspelled word

Every period has to be in place

Illustrations have to tell the story

So many times I watched the sun go down

Just to see in come up again

Gallons of Pepsi

Dozens of bologna sandwiches

My eyes droop as I look at the screen

Typing and importing pictures

I have come to hate every word

Dreading open my computer is frightful

I know what is there waiting for me

It is finished on a cold winter’s night

Everything is just the way I want it

Beautiful and articulate

It is a masterpiece

If only the gremlin wasn’t there

Watching as I hit the button to print

Looking at the computer starts to make it real

It watches as the pdf starts to print

All the words come one by one

While the picture come

It steals them one by one

Leaving only blank pages

Again and again I try

Again and again the pictures disappear

The frustration grows

The curse words flow

But the gremlin just laughs

God I need a drink

A handful of pills

And three days of sleep

But that won’t come

Not yet

Not until that pdf is finished

Not until the gremlin is chased from my sight

Only then I will alow myself to relax

To drink

And lastly to sleep

Until my next project

When the little demon returns

And it starts all over again