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