a deep lost grief

i implore you here and now
please consider these words
with the kindness and patience
you would allow a suffering babe
i am consumed by a deep lost grief
that til now could not dare to know the light
please accept this innocent intimate gesture
with hopes of touching the child in you
it's true at times the powers that be do offer comfort
but neath the hidden depths of my mortal soul
i cry out for you and you and you to know the truth
i need you here and now to help me bear this ancient silent sorrow
i need to know now who you are that
might help to right this troubled ship
the waters seem too fathomless for any sense of ease
please accept this innocent intimate gesture
i need you and you and you
i cannot go on alone from here
i need you, i need you now

the two-legged ones

the crux of life these days for our road weary pilgrim
is learning to trust the two-legged ones again

most of them seem to speak with forked tongues
and choose to hide behind myriad shifting veils

he's told by those who've been back from hell a while
that trust will come, but it's going to take some time

he now wonders if he bears some mark upon his brow
that tells of where he's been, and by grace released

his humble silence seems to shout far too loud and clear
that which so many two-legged ones just cannot dare to hear


......work in progress

impostor

,the old man was trembling
as he violently exclaimed
you are far too honest
for the good of anyone at all !

you're an impostor,
just who do you think you are ?
you don't belong with us,
why won't you heed these words ?

you come here with your simple truth
but only complicate our lives
begone, you charlatan,
there's no such thing as an honest man

your flame, it burns too bright f
or us to ever rest at ease
as our homes and houses are
but made of tinder sticks and lies

the reaper

i sense you there in the hollow shadows

not with my eyes, which always tell me lies

nor with my heart, which often leads me astray

but the knowing of my soul could not mistake you ever

that coal-black hooded cloak could ne'er disguise your grim intent

the sybilant scythe you wield subtly whispers of reaping yet to come

i know the seeds which i have sown and embrace them every one

though misguided, misdirected and driven by a thousand errant forces

they were scattered each of them with true and noble youthful vigor

i understand now who and what you are and why you hide those empty eyes

i have died too many deaths and been reborn, to fear one such as you pretend to be

you are less than nothing, just another tattered coat hung upon some midnight hook

i rest now with a calm and sweet resolve, as holy mother of all holds me to her tender bosom

knowing deep within my being that you are less than nothing

less than nothing at all

i am nothing

i am nothing
down to bare bones now
no more song and dance
no more yes sir, no sir, thank you very much, sir !
only the comforting allure of sweet nothing
blessed nothing
holy nothing
only just to let go
and slip into the inky blue-black whirling pool of nothing
mother of all
take me now
i am no longer something or someone
i have no name or face
i embrace you
holy mother of all
i am now that which you are
i am nothing
i am nothing at all

hey you

hey, you....
yes, you....
yes, i mean you !
just who do you think you are, anyway ?
don't you know who i think i am ?
i already know who you think you are
i haven't been buying it for a long time now
why do you still think i care who you think you are ?
i don't care who you think you are
why should i ?
i don't care who you think i am
why should i ?
i don't care who i think i am
why should i ?
i have come to understand something
what you think or what i think means nothing
what you and i think and what is truly so....well, not the same
never has been
never will be
this only matters
what lives in our hearts and souls
here and now
unites us as one

gargoyle....notes

denizens of the night do not appreciate the guiding light of truth
and will go to any lengths to extinguish this illuminating flame

i've often wondered why the guardians of the gates of hell
are positioned at strategic points around the house of god

the gargoyle's heart is carved of stone
his eyes are cold and sharp and clear as ice
he awaits there in his timeless granite spell
until that perfect spark from hell again ignites



.....work in progress

toxic possibilities

time sure is taking it's time tonight
space seems scattered all over the place
the freezer in my fridge is a-banging and a-clanging
to some ancient tribal oogah-boogah voodoo beat
the fruit-flies hover over something lying rotten and forgotten
at the bottom of that forbidden place i dare not go....the kitchen sink
what began as a sincere and earnest scientific experiment in bachelor efficiency
has now become what looks to be a fertile breeding ground for endless toxic possibilities


.....work in progress

civilized veneer

just beneath the civilized veneer of what you so prefer to think is life
there are cruel and ruthless forces looming in the gloom and shadows

to deny this ancient truth only serves to feed the timeless lustful hunger
growling deep within the famished bellies of these ever lingering beasts

in the harsh but just existence of the mighty regal lion with all his pride
he'd be remiss to ignore the cackling pack of slavering hyenas nearby


.....work in progress

agree to disagree

i may not always agree with what you choose for me
in fact the truth is this, i quite often disagree with thee
if there's a place where we agree to meet and disagree
might we at least agree on where that place might be ?

for any meeting of the minds to come from this, you see
we must agree, it seems to me, to agree we must agree
if we disagree, how can we hope to agree then to agree ?
well, it seems to me, that first we must agree to disagree

once we agree to disagree, we may agree then to agree
though a meeting of the minds may not ever come to be
we agree then to agree to meet where we may then agree
where we then agree to meet is where our hearts shall be

you see ?

to the victors

it's so easy to forget that
every living being we meet
almost hasn't made it
countless times til now

for each survivor we encounter
out along the winding highway
there are so many who have perished
so that we may walk this earth today

we are the victors
though we may not deem it so
i honor then the life within us all
that has survived til now

hail to the victors
hail to the survivors
hail to each and every living soul
hail to thee and me

are you there ?

are you there ?

i really need you now
are you there for me ?
you have said you'll always be there
so many many times before
i need you more than ever
are you there now when i need you most ?

are you there ?

you're the one who told me
i could trust you for all time
all i ever had to do was ask
you'd be always there for me
yes, it is now more than ever
i must turn to you and plead

are you there ?

i am sinking into ever dimming dusk
and feel unable to hang on
i want to think it's me that can't hear you
as i await your voice in answer
or perhaps it's you that is unable to heed my call
if you're there, it's now i need you
as it seems the end is here
this desperate cry from deep within
can no longer reach my lips

are you there ?

there is no reason to continue with this plea
for if you had been there for me
you would have known my pain
these worn out words now echo silent as i'm swallowed
by the cold black liquid darkness of this night

are you there ?

it's not you that i must turn to now
as last light fades away
for wherever i choose to place my faith
it can no longer be with thee
through the boundless void i pray
to the powers that truly be

are you there ?

are you there for me ?

are you there now when i need you most ?

are you there ?

phoenix

those who came to mark my recent passing seemed at one
with their hopes perhaps this time i might stay dead and gone
i've died too many deaths for any one of them to comprehend
only to arise and reappear upon their doorsteps once again

work in progress....

from the ashes

"it is only by dying that one may be reborn !"
i picked this pearl of wisdom up somewhere
out there along the winding highway

just when it seemed folks had come to terms with my latest death
darned if i didn't just rise again
from the smoldering dust and ashes

i would have given anything to have stayed
forever in those endless empty shadows
but there has long been nothing left to give to anyone at all

it seems the powers that truly be have further plans for me
as i'm still bound to walk this earthly realm
for reasons that i cannot ken quite yet


to ken......                 to comprehend

to die another death

today i died another lingering death
from this god-forsaken ravaged lonely heart

friends and family have all gathered
for the bargain-basement funeral pyre
each one casting cut-out cardboard memories
of imagined broken vows into the dwindling flames

their tears seem somehow manufactured
as though procured in bulk containers at some special wholesale rate
for use on exactly such occasions as today

everyone concurs in just the proper subdued fashion
all decked out in their appropriate attire
"how truly sad that he is gone !" and "may he finally rest in peace !"
these and other hollow phrases echo thin and tinny midst the acrid smoky haze

those who have attended now recede from the crematory site
as the quickly fading embers shift and settle into empty ash and dust

for thee and me

i know that i have damaged you beyond redemption
i stole myself away from thee....and me
again and again and again
i have murdered your love
and raped your innocent childlike soul
to feed something that has never lived
yet seemed as though it could not ever die
this is not remorse i profess
but broken bloodied battered grief
my love calls out from deep within this ancient rusted cell
not for forgiveness
nor for kindness or compassion
but that you may rest at peace
with all that i have said and done
and what was left undone
my love is true and i have died for thee....and me
again and again and again
one question now
will i choose to live for thee....and me
again and again and again ?

is my love true ?

no more stories
no more sad sorry saga
no more clever rhymes
no more finger pointing
no more free advice
no more if only
no more shoulda coulda woulda
no more look at what i can do mommy
no more slick tricks
no more smoke and mirrors
two questions....
is my love true ?
will i die for you ?

the desert sky

there'll be no more prophetic words written on this page
the day and hour has come for our road worn weary bard
to fold his tent and saddle up, to embrace the desert sky
he leaves behind this bejeweled world with all she boasts
the wind and sand, sweet moon and stars do now beckon
these, the only true and lasting friends he has ever known
if some of what you've read has touched your lover's heart
father sky and mother night shall welcome him home again
pray for him if you might, our traveler needs your blessings
pray for him as he must depart, to embrace the desert sky

mud and dust

why is it we must strive to rise above our mundane earthly callings ?
any fool can see this world will just render us down to mud and dust
could it be what stirs this pot is much darker than we care to know ?

there's a timeless hungry beast out there crouched awaiting for us all
neither evil demon of our myths nor monstrous specter of our dreams
but such a creature who was born to serve an ancient primal function

our holiest of scriptures declare that mighty caesar must have his due
he who's chosen to reap these levied taxes is of quite a special breed
for if the tariff taken is neither goods nor gold, it will likely be in blood

keeper of the keys

it wasn't so very long gone by
a desperate haunted creature
huddled hunched and waiting
there outside our village gate
with his keen and utter focus
being the keeper of the keys
one could not help but see the
sudden stirring of the wretch
at the comings and the goings
of he who bore this trust

our gollum, he was so patient
while looming in the shadows
always thinking, never blinking
with a lustful fever burning bright
behind his gaunt emaciated eyes
which flashed a molten crimson
at the jingle-jangle of the keys
as the keeper came and went
above all else he knew he must
possess those precious keys

the gift

i came to you for comfort
but saw you were in pain
i held your trembling hand
and stood by you a while

it wasn't long i could see
your brow began to clear
that smile i know so well
had returned to your lips

when it came time to leave
i made my way from thee
and what i'd come for was
completely gone from me