The Man In The Chair

The Man In The Chair

He wasn’t an old man

He wasn’t a young man

He had a good life

Fame and fortune

Until his body turned on him

His legs went limp

His arms hung at his side

He was resigned to an old wheelchair

Still he lived as well as he could

He loved with the heart which still beat

Then the day came

He was in his chair watching the people

So many walked by him

But he paid them no attention

Then a woman walked across the hall

Aged one hundred years if she was a day

She struggled as her legs shuffled

Moving not much faster than the floor she walked upon

She never gave up

She never missed a step

However, she did manage a smile as she suffered

His heart was full of envy

Envy at what that old woman could do

What he couldn’t ever again

But, he smiled and nodded back at her

The man knew that even as hard as it was for her

She was still happy

And that gave him hope and made him happy too

The Importance Of Quotes

The Importance Of Quotes

Someone

Somewhere

Said something

And someone

Somewhere close by

Heard and remembered

Then they told someone

Somewhere

And it was retold

Countless times

Until it ended up here

Stuffed on a newsfeed

Surrounded by people’s food pics

Playing cats

And half naked girls

Still, it has not lost its wisdom

Its vision

Douglas Adams said it best

When he said

“Don’t panic and never forget your towel”

And you finally have a quote to be cherished

All from a dumb assed poem

The Leader

The Leader

You are their leader

We know you have a job to do

The hardest job in the world

You have to run a country

Usually where people don't like you

Or anything you do

Or anything you say

But, you were chosen

Somehow, you were chosen

So, being Russian, American,

English, North Korean, Swedish

Or even Swiss

You have to lead

You have to set an example

So, every one of you

Stop the whining

Stop the arguing

And start talking

Or next time

You may not be chosen again

Medieval Fields

Medieval Fields

Walk through medieval fields

Where kings and queens lived

Loved and raised families

Their knights fought

Saved countless damsels in distress

And told stories of vicious dragons

But that was so long ago

Now the kings, queens, and knights are gone

The dragons have become myths

And sheep graze on the fields of battle

Still the castle remains

Just a shell of what it used to be

But it still inspires writers, lovers, and poets

And its beauty will be everlasting

Innocent Demon

Innocent Demon

I am my daddy’s little girl

Sweet and innocent

Lace dresses and ribbons in my hair

A bedroom filled with dolls

I never cause him any trouble

Still, I have another side

Hidden deep inside

A girl who loves jeans and tees

Trucks, rocks and mud

I enjoy falling from trees

And jumping into creeks

I am the child my father never wanted

I am a demon hiding in a lovable skin

But he still loves me

So, for now, I’ll behave

For now that is!

Are We Normal

Are We Normal

Are we normal

What is normal

We can see things in our minds

Colors flowing in the whitest clouds

Grasses dancing in a summer breeze

The story hidden between the words

Hear things no one else can

Music written by birds on a telephone line

The true meanings of “I love you”

The magic in the roar of distant thunder

We can write our dreams

Share our emotions in a few lines

Create worlds beyond our universe

We can anger and excite

We can calm and instigate

Are we normal

No, we could never claim to be normal

We are just us

And that is all we can ever hope to be

Destiny

Destiny

Sometime long ago

My destiny was decided

The Fates decided what I was to do

So, I learned. how to write

How to be a storyteller

I learned how to make people laugh

How to force them to think

And how to make them cry

It is what I am supposed to be

I have no choice about it

But, I am grateful for my talent

And the effects it can have

To change my little piece of the world

By R.e. Taylor

© Shadowlight Publishing 2017

The Voice Of Reason

The Voice Of Reason

There are voices all around

Speaking of love and peace

To a world which is falling apart

Riots and wars are not worth the pain

They only cause destruction

Cities burn and bodies pile up

Innocence is killed

And evil takes hold

The voice which echoes through the world

Gets softer as time goes by

Not because it has given up

It would never do that

In time it will die and become quiet

Only because there is no one left to hear it

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day

I don’t need an expensive gift

I don’t need a special dinner

I don’t need flowers

I don’t need chocolate

And I sure don’t need a cardboard heart

All of that just makes people money

All I need is for you to say “I love you”

And Valentine’s Day will be perfect

Goodbye Jack

Goodbye Jack

I never wanted to know you

But you were just so strong

Drawing me in

Luring me into a life I didn’t want

I have had my ass kicked so many times

Woke up with someone I didn’t know

And got more diseases than I can count

All because of you

You can go back to Tennessee

You can just go fuck up someone else’s life

I am tired of you

Tired of the hangovers every morning

And all the gallons of puke

I never want to see your cursed bottle again

So, goodbye Jack

Written by R.e. Taylor

© Shadowlight Publishing 2017

The Last Poem

The Last Poem

After so many years

The day came

The poet sat down to write

With his pen in hand, he tried

Struggling with his feelings

Trying to remember the girl he loved

The games he played as a kid

The dreams he had for his life

And the song he heard the night before

Still, nothing inspired him

After a thousand poems

A hundred stories and books

He did not know what to say

He was just an empty vessel

Surrounded by skin without a soul

At that moment he set down the pen

And the poet never wrote again

Hiding Child

Hiding Child

When did it become a crime to be a child

Being afraid to go to bed

Even more afraid to wake up

Watching people die right in front of you

Never knowing what you will eat

Or even if you will eat

You never know where your parents are

Or if they are still alive and healthy

How to hide is the only education you have

A lesson you learned too quickly

You do not know how to play

And you have never seen a playground

Someday the soldiers will leave and go home

The terrorists will stop their fighting

And you will come out into the open

You will once again eat

Fed by your parents

And you will play on a swing

If only you can live that long

A Flower’s Mother

A Flower’s Mother

Someone loved you

Took care of you

Made sure you were happy

From the very first day of your life

She watched you grow

Fed you

And made sure that no one hurt you

You were her baby

And she gave you all she had

She was your mother

And that is truly the best love

That a flower could ever have

© Shadowlight Publishing 2017

The Night

The Night

I remember the last time I saw you

It was several lifetimes ago

It was the night the stars went dark

The moon fell from the sky

And the sun forgot to rise

It was the night I learned what love was

The night it walked out the door

And you were gone

Backyard Bar

Backyard Bar

I know a place

Down at the end of Johnson Court

It is a place where anyone can go

Lawyer or miner

It doesn’t matter

Everyone’s welcome

Coor’s starts the night

When the sun goes down

Under the open, cloudless sky

Watching the girls in their cutoffs

Especially the ones who drink shots

It is a place for everyone to have fun

Listening to Johnny, Charlie, and Waylon

And maybe one or two by good ol’ Willie

Dancing and singing to your favorite songs

You can become someone they cannot really be

And just drink until the sun comes up again

Then it’s the last shot of Jack Daniels

And a long crawl home

Time to forget whatever you did that night

And make plans to come back tomorrow

Back to your favorite backyard bar