Prose

Who’s Gonna Save The Children

I hear gun shots

I hear screaming

Innocence children killed

For no reason

Nowhere’s safe

In your school or churches

When Active shooters

Are out to hurts us

Prayers and Condolences

Go out to you

But prayers and condolences

Won’t protect you

She tried to run

She tried to hide

As she prayed these final words

Before she died

God take care of my family

Let them know how much I care

I’ll see you some day in heaven

Please look for me there

Got to stand up

And stop the madness

Can’t count on politicians

With their fake tears of sadness

Who’s gonna save our children

Please don’t let them die

AR15’s designed for killing

NRA turns a blind eye

No one told her

This would be her last day

To swing and laugh

With her friends and play

She tried to run

She tried to hide

As she prayed these final words

Before she died

God take care of my family

Let them know how much I care

I’ll see you some day in heaven

Please look for me there

Chet Baker’s Trumpet

Outside it’s late afternoon and the tree’s are swaying against the blue September skies. There’s a chill in the air clinging to the days last perennial bloom. Autumn brings reflection and contemplation. It’s the season of solitude and the smell of burning leaves. In the distance there’s the sound of howling dogs, even they know the pain of yesterdays last second chance.

I wonder what became of you. What is it that made you disappear and leave us all behind. I wanted to know so bad that it made me ache deep down inside. I remember the sound of your voice, your words were filled with sadness and passion, like the quivering melody of My Funny Valentine being played by Chet Baker. From the ether came his soft meandering melodies like specters floating in the air.

You wanted life to be safer——love to be warmer——didn’t you? But as we all find out, life is neither safe nor fair. I was always expecting things to be different, or, should I say, better than the way things are? Was I asking for too much. All I wanted was a place where I could empty my boots of sand and let go of all my foreclosed dreams.

But life is big—-to big, it made me feel small and insignificant. All I had were the secrets we shared and the promises we broke. 

Sometimes we’re born and given the wrong name, from the wrong family, lost and scared, having faith in the nothingness of it all, holding out for a missed opportunity, expecting a complacent life, betting on lost causes, praying for a reprieve. As we walk down vacant streets as if they lead to somewhere-anywhere.

Heaven Help Us All

Walking on a rainbow, calling to the thunder

With the eyes of a child, wide open with wonder

There’s magic all around us, like a vision from a dream

We’ve fallen from the sky; we’re angels who’ve lost our wings 

Verse

Love is an echo, love is a stone

Love’s a mirage, that we’ve all been shown

This life is a dream, life’s a fantasy

Life’s a dying star, over you and me

Bridge

The more things change the more they stay the same

Each generation passing on the blame

You’d think we’d learn, you’d think we’d evolve

Take a look at the news; it ain’t the case at all

Rap

Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Jew

A thousand roads leading back to you

Listen to your words tell me what they say

Is it for yourself, or others you pray

Cities are on fire, the children are lost

Blind faith nailed, to a plastic cross

Holy wars, freedom, democracy

Deep fried grease and hypocrisy

Show a little love, drop the hate

Forgiveness is the key to heaven’s gate

Chorus

Heaven, heaven help us all

Heaven, won’t you catch me if I fall

Verse II

Hates in the mirror, hates everywhere

It’s in your bible, if you’re looking for it there

Truth is an ocean; it’s burning in the sun

It’s there in your Shadow, that you can’t out run

Bridge

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Each generation passing off the shame

You’d think we’d grow, you’d think we’d evolve

Learn to love one another, that ain’t the case at all

Rap

Chorus

Isn’t Love A Beautiful Thing Toast

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

To have someone who’ll laugh at all your old jokes (even the corny ones)

Isn’t love a beautiful thing, 

When the world is conspiring against you, but you have someone at home who’ll always have your back

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When this world is just about to make you crazy, and then suddenly you both realize laughter is the only remedy 

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When you have someones hand to hold

while taking walks on summer evenings 

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When you have someone to build a home with

Someone to make a family with

To share your dreams with

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When you have someone to remind you to throw out the garbage, to not leave dirty dishes in the sink, to put the cap on the toothpaste and to put your dirty socks in the hamper, and you respond by saying “Yes Dear” That’s love!

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When you have someone who multiplies your joy and diminishes all your woes and worries

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When on February fourteenth, you have someone to call your Valentine

Isn’t love a Beautiful thing

When the time in front of you is shorter

than the time behind you, and your shared memories are the glue that holds you together

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When at the end of the day you have someone to lay down next to you, someone to say goodnight to———someone to say,  I love you too

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When you have someone to help you solve those repetitive life changing questions—-such as, What do you wanna do for dinner tonight? What? What did you say? I said, what do you want for dinner?  What? I can’t hear you. I said, what do you want for dinner, I still can’t hear you, you know I can’t hear you when the waters running, and so it goes

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

When being right is less important 

as being kind

Isn’t love a beautiful thing

To have someone to encourage you 

when you’ve had a bad day. And you come home exhausted and there’s someone there to tell you everything is gonna be okay

On this journey we call life, 

I wish you both——- love

Nothing less, nothing more

Yes, love is a beautiful thing

Love, nothing more, nothing less

Tell me daddy, what makes the sun burn so bright

Who turns on the moon, when it gets dark at night

Oh Daddy, what makes the wind blow

Who turns on the rain, who freezes the snow

Tell me Daddy, why’s the ocean so blue

Who decorates the flowers, with morning dew

Someday my son, you’ll be a man

You’ll see, it’s all part of a plan

What you take, and what you give

Gonna come back to you, in this life you live

Love is all, we came here for

Nothing less, nothing more

One day son, you’ll leave home

You’ll find love, and have children of your own

You’ll teach them all, all ya know

You’ll wish them well, then ya gotta let-em go

You can choose your friends, but not your family

So I guess I’m stuck with you, I guess you’re stuck with me

Someday my son, you’ll be a man

You’ll see it’s all part of a plan

What you take, and what you give

Comes back to you, in this life you live

Love is all we came here for

Nothing less, nothing more

Hard Learned Lessons

Those were the days, and we didn’t even know it

 Living in a hurry, I was racing to get through it

Thought I’d have time, to do the things I didn’t do

Now that I finally got it down, here’s what I want to say to you 

Thanks, for those hard learned lessons

To make a life and not just a living

To be kind to all, and stand up for the weak

Give smiles and handshake to all I meet

Everyday’s a blessing, and a gift

Don’t worry about tomorrow, or today you’ll miss

Thanks, for those hard learned lessons

To make a life and not just a living

Remember to give thanks, to the one above

Thank you mom, for all the love 

The way I remembered It

I don’t know how to put this, so I’ll just come right out and say it, You only get one precious life—-that’s it.  There’s no replays or second chances. That’s the way this thing life is designed. The days drift by as do the weeks, months and years. We treat time as if it were limitless. Sorry, but time is a clock that can never be rewound

The most precious commodity we are gifted with is time. Why do we waste it by allowing petty annoyances to consume us. We treat people as if they are replaceable, treat our bodies as if they are refundable, surrender our souls as if they’ll always be redeemable. 

I guess we weren’t so special after all

Sitting Indian style in the park

Face to face

On a warm summer night

And the crickets sang

Dogs chased one another in circles

We talked and laughed about everything

About nothing

You talked to me, as if you secretly read my journal

Like you knew me forever

Is this how forever feels

Buried bones, memories of love

Is the way I remember it, the way it was