Shifting Gears

Shifting Gears 8/30/2012

We live by the rules
And do what we are told
Even though we see
And even though we know.

That rules do not apply
To everyone, everywhere
But only for us
And only for show.

There are no special protections
And there is no special status
Not for me
And not for you.

Not for the good
And not for the responsible
Nothing but more of the same
Working just to work
Against the odds
And against the grain.

Clawing uphill
And trying to find a foothold
Just to keep
Our heads above water.

Days become weeks
And weeks become years
As we slowly plod along
And meekly grow old.

Some victories maybe silent
But they are still sweet
That we live at all
And that we understand.

We still have the sun
And we still have each other
Still treading water
And still just as strong

Even though we have failed
We still try again
And even though we fall apart
We still know
Deep inside.

The seasons change
And even the leaves
Turn color and fall
But life goes on
And endures.

Time and distance
Have destroyed many
And many hearts
Are calloused with indifference.

But those who love
Will understand
And those who seek
Shall always find.

If we really ask
With all our heart
Then we will know
What to choose
And how to pray.

We will find the peace
That we were promised
Even in heartbreak
And even in despair.

We will reach down within
And find the strength
To carry on
One foot in front of the other
And one hour at a time.

We will hold our heads high
Even in loss
And even in shame
For those who have lost
Have gained the victory
That no man can take
Or control.

Every time we smile
And every time we try
Learning by loss
And growing through dying.

No matter where I am
And no matter what I have done
I have never left
And I am still at home.

God has found me
And I know that I am loved
Now more than ever
Even when it hurts.

He wants more for us
Than what comfort can bring
So he stretches us out
To feel his glory.

No matter what happens
And no matter my mistakes
I am becoming
A new man.

There are far greater riches
Than what this world can give
And this peace
Is the greatest treasure.

Cherish it
Now and forever
Because nothing is lost
And all things are new.

The Death Panel

The interview 8/29/2012

No matter how long you live
Life still happens
We grow up
And then grow old

We can always ask
And we can always beg
Squirming in our seat
And sweating through our collar.

We get lost in the day to day
And seldom remember
Who we are
And what really matters.

Everybody has to do something
And God only knows
How many opportunities
Slide by unseen
And unnoticed.

But in the end
Either we do
Or we don’t
As we spin our wheels
Running in place.

It is easy to get discouraged
And it is easy to feel depressed
Pulling up a warm black blanket
And covering our heads.

No one is perfect
And no one knows it all
But you have to keep on trying
No matter how much
It hurts.

I have asked before
And I have been rejected
Ashamed, wounded
Humiliated and attacked.

How many times have I asked?
And how many times
Have I been forgotten?
Passed over for the ignorant,
The evil, and the dumb.

But it is in those very moments
That we must always remember
That anything is possible
When you are loved.

There are those friends
Who are here for the moment
Here for the fun
And gone in the instant
The cold rains come.

And there are the lovers
Who grow tired
With the tedium of life
Gone when you need them the most
When obligations mount
And life gets heavy.

But the good remain
And dig in their heels
Loyal until the end
No matter what the cost.

Standing with you
Even when it hurts
Taking the risks side by side
And enduring the hardships
One after another.

For those who have stood
They shine like the sun
Burnished, polished,
And glowing.

They shall have eternity
And they shall inherit the treasure
Gaining back all that was lost
Plus so much more.

You can ask me
And I will answer
But it’s not the answer
It’s the idea
That sets us free.

We are loved
Even when we suffer
Embraced by ghosts
No man can see.

We will always be children
And we will always be a gift
Treasured and adored
As much as we can accept.

Go with a smile
No matter what shall occur
And take it all squarely
Head held high
And full of joy.

Take the glory as well as the blows
And let it pass through you
More than enough
Until it overflows.

Dead Drop

Dead Drop 8/28/2012

I took my life
Out over the ocean
And dropped it deep
Into the abyss.

Sinking into the great deep black
Sinking forever
Deeper and deeper
Darker and darker.

Only in the deep
Can a man ever learn
And only by sacrifice
Can we ever gain.

Losing yourself
And losing your pride
Giving it all
With nothing to spare.

Sometimes we make the choices
And sometimes others make the call
Leaving us to flounder
And leaving us to drown.

But no one knows
Until he has tried
And no one is free
Until he has died.

I am of no importance
And I am of no reputation
Nothing but a man
In an average life.

This world has nothing
That I really want
And no earthly treasure
Is worth my soul.

To possess life
We must lose it
And no one can conquer
Without suffering
And loss.

I am learning
And that is ok
Because it is the journey
And not the destination
That keeps me growing
And dreaming.

I can go
Or I can stay
But it’s the sprit that matters
Greater than flesh
And superficial ambition.

Whisper

Whisper 8/27/2012

All men have dreams
But all of mine were murdered
Taken away in the night
And sold into slavery.

A slave for others
To steal what they want
With my hands tired around my back
Mocked, tortured and forgotten.

Left to think about the past
And reminded every day
About all that I was
And all that might have been.

My labors and my treasure
All siphoned away
Every two weeks
All for nothing
And all for free.

Leaving me empty
And bleeding me dry
With never enough
And never a chance.

No opportunity missed
To humiliate and wound
Without any mercy
Or hesitation.

I have become nothingness
And barely cause a ripple
Whispering the truth
And bleeding from the mouth.

Less than zero
And less than nothing
A dark place
In the space
In between spaces.

But I am not the first
Nor am I the last
One of many
Cut off at the knees.

The enemy hates the good
And never misses a chance
To worm his way in
And eat away our resolve.

Planting doubt and resentment
And feeding off our weakness
Breeding and hatching
Resentment and hatred.

Pitting man against man
And splitting the good apart
Before we can harvest the fruit
That only God could plant.

The enemy is fierce
And God knows he is persistent
Now more than ever
He corrupts and destroys.

Poisoning our emotions
And exacerbating our differences
Stoking our suspicions
And exploiting our fears.

I am a ghost
And a shadow
Nothing more than a memory
Shelved and forgotten.

A formless vapor
Disembodied and voiceless
An unwelcome reminder
In a house of horror.

Manifested by the smallest of margins
Of collective memory
Clinging to the rafters
Where no one can see.

If you have heard me
Then maybe you could know
That there is more than what you see
With the best yet to come.

When all our eyes are opened
And we can see at last
The world made over again
Better than before.

I stand at the threshold
And wait at the door
Always knocking and asking
For everything I want.

String my bones back together
And attached the sinews
At the joints
Call up the blood
And summon the spirit.

Because I am coming back
And I am coming home
More determined than ever
Everything from nothing
Forever.

Acid Test

Acid Test 8/24/2012


The world pretends indifference
But it all depends
On what you think
And who you are.

Cold, cruel and different
It offers band aids to the wounded
And platitudes to the lost
But never enough effort
To change a fucking thing.

Demanding everything
But giving nothing
As it adds on the weight
To the honorable
And over burdened.

But it will never be enough
And it won’t change a thing
So they will keep asking for more
And keep blaming the good.

The land is tired
And I can feel it shudder
Under my feet
Barely moving
Dead and cold.

So much has happened
And so much has been said
But it’s all based on falsehood
Just like it always was.

It has long since been time
To all of this to end
But nothing ever happens
Until the work is done.

My mouth bleeds out the words
And I hold my hands
At my side
Head raised high
But no longer smiling
And no longer proud.

I am tired
And the road is awfully hard
Enduring one thing after another
Without hope
And without a friend.

I lost everything
And I will never be the same
Hounded every day
And sleepless at night.

Nothing was too small to take
And no insult was spared
As I look across the emptiness
Where I once used to live.

So begins the hard work
Of rising again and again
Inch by inch
And step by step.

Others have been lifted
And others had their help
But for me and mine
It will be unassisted
And hard.

This is for everything
Or for nothing
Because all of this
Shall turn to dust.

But there is more to be gained
Than anything we leave behind
And God has more to offer
Than anything man can plan.

But either we learn or we don’t
And either we push on through
Or give up along the way
Driving ourselves even after
Everything is lost.

And it is a good feeling
To know that it’s okay
Even if I lose
And even if I suffer.

Eternity is a whole lot longer
Than this little puff of smoke
Just another day dream
Inside of someone else’s skin.

But I want it all
Everything back
Plus a whole lot more
From here to forever
All of it
And so much more.

Monster

See no evil

Monster 8/22/2012

If a criminal cannot be innocent
Then how can the good be guilty?
And if silence is complicity
Then the truth whistles in the wind.

A monster is loose
And cares not who he kills
Growing more desperate
As his hours are short.

A subtle change has come
As the days grow shorter
Almost imperceptible
But silent and sure.

The truth is waking up
From the longest sleep
But not without a struggle
And not without a fight.

At just the right moment
And in just the nick of time
The truth enters the mind
And we open our eyes.

Connect the dots
Long hidden and scattered
Obscured by a lie
Told over and over again.

Dealing the same dog eared card
Over and over and over
Reflexively dealt
From the bottom of the deck.

Beware the staged destruction
And beware the false flag
Perfectly timed and executed
To set the stage,
And stack the odds.

Everything is not as it seems
And you cannot believe
Everything you hear
Because when everything counts
Anything goes.

The steps creak as the monster climbs
But not everyone can hear
Drowned out by all the noise
Spewing out on cue.

You could bolt the doors
But it’s already too late
Because the cat is out of the bag
And the devil is in the hall.

Who can be trust?
And who can you call?
When the ones sworn to protect
Hate you to the core.

They have called others the devil
But they don’t know a thing
Because he’s inside their heads
And taking over control.

You can be a servant
Or you can be a tool
A man or an animal
And the wise or a fool.

But you had better stay awake
And search for the truth
The truth between the lies
And the chance to make it right.

Beware the monster
Is not always what you think
Sometimes he is silent
And sometimes he smiles.

He can be your helper
And he can be your friend
But you can always see the hatred
That wants to kill you in the end.

Lead Sled

Rocket Racer 8/20/2012

It is raining in my head
A cold heavy gray drizzle
Hitting the ground
Like bullets of ice.

You can smell the burning wood
And you can feel the warm carpet
On the floor in my parents’ house
Long ago and far away.

My boots are melting
In front of the heater
And my clothes are churning in the washer
As we sit at the dinner table
Eating potato soup.

My father stored my sled
In the rafters
And it was there
The day I left.

Slowly rusting
And rotting away
No doubt thrown away
Just like everything else.

My father built me a racer
And painted it with flames
Building my life
Day by day
And step by step.

Nothing remains the same
And nothing survives without loss
Even the strongest
Weaken and die.

But memory is perfect
And grows more and more beautiful
As perfect as snow in the morning
And her lips red with wine.

The patina of time
Adds value to the wood
And even the scars
Fade on m skin.

I am richer for the hardship
And stronger by the pain
Wise enough to appreciate
What is behind
And still enjoy
What lies ahead.

Faces of Horror

Faces of Horror 8/17/2012

A nightmare is a dream
That begins with sleep
And ends in terror
And life is a sleep walk
That ends
When we awake.

Many have bled
And many have been slaughtered
Enough for an army
Of ghosts from the sky.

Come with me
And see the faces of horror
Shrieking in the street
Hopeless and wailing.

Standing over the slain
All dismembered and bleeding
Blown to pieces
And all washed away.

The good wring their hands
And weep at the sight
As the sirens echo
Up and down the streets.

Staggered by the loss
That comes without explanation
A murderous reality
They should have seen coming.

But even the best laid plans
Always fall apart
If they come from the darkness
Of soulless men.

Though outnumbered and outgunned
The good shall prevail
But only after bleeding
And only after learning.

In just one moment
Everything can change
As unseen circumstances converge
In one specific point of time.

The tipping point is here
And it has been a long time coming
When the low hanging fruit is cut off
And rots on the ground.

What seemed inevitable
Shall be erased in an hour
And what seemed impossible
Shall carry the day.

The evil scourge shall wither and fall
Over ripe and over sold
Always singing the same old song
Dumb, tired, and wasted.

Welcome to the end
And welcome to the beginning
The sparks of creation
From the ashes of death.

For the innocent
Terror is fleeting
But for the guilty
It shall have no end.

Midnight

Midnight 8/16/2012

I have never left
And I have not run
Still standing right here
Ready to do
What must be done.

Nothing can stop
What is unstoppable
And no man can become
Greater than God.

Let them plan
And let them regulate
But they will never understand
Or appreciate.

I have waited
And I am content
With eyes in the back of my head
And blood in my mouth.

I have heard the words
And I have seen the crimes
Always at night
And always from behind.

Some men do the work
The hard stuff of creation
Making things work
And making them better.

But other men search
And always find nothing
So they always blame others
And hate every day.

Everything is given
And everything is taken
But the larger man learns
And the larger man builds.

I have not moved
And I have not surrendered
Even though I have suffered
And even though I am penalized.

Held to a higher standard
And rewarded with less
But still I survive
And do better anyway.

Let others spew their hatred
Because it never serves a purpose
Nothing but wasted venom
Wasted on the ground.

They pick their targets
So there can’t be a fight
But soon the end is coming
When all the masks fall
And the truth hits the fan.

I am still here
And I don’t need to rise
Because I stand like I always have
Ready, and willing.

Come and get me
And try your hand at the door
Because you will not survive
That much for sure.

I can live
And I can think
Because the greater the man
The wiser his choice.

Beware the surprises
That come out of nowhere
Because there is nothing new
Under this dead sun.

Big news shall come
But it’s all a lie
And it’s all a ruse
Just enough to distract
The foolish and the dull.

Desperate men
Do desperate things
And none is more desperate than evil
When he knows
The clock is ticking
And God is watching.

Don’t be discouraged
And don’t be fooled
Because the hour draws near
And the writing is on the wall.

It is time to wake up
To unspoken truths
The kind all over the street
In your head
And in your heart.

A million lies will never change the truth
And barbarians never wait
When they are armed
Just waiting for the day
When the good are defenseless
And outnumbered.

Look up and look out
Look behind and look around
The truth more clear than ever
And growling at the door.

Death and Desperation

Death and Desperation 8/15/2012

I have prayed for the words
And I have asked for inspiration
And now I feel it welling up
As my fingers stab
At the keyboard.

I am not afraid
And I am not amused
Because there is nothing left to take
And nothing left to lose.

What I thought I had
I never really owned
But only now do I understand
That I was better off alone.

It made me have to think
And it made me change
Giving up all the luxuries
That made me who I was.

No longer safe
And no longer protected
But barely treading water
Mocked and abused
Day after day.

Making me more than a man
With a bad reputation
And more than a man without
Any possessions.

But rather it grew me
From the inside out
Into who I am
A man who cannot be bought
And cannot be bullied.

Accusations are meaningless
And name calling a joke
Because anybodies opinion
Is nothing but a momentary puff of smoke.

I can still love with nothing
And I can still sleep at night
Because I have spoken the truth
Without reservation or fear.

I have stated it plainly
And I shall state it again
That I shall make no apologies
And no excuses
Not for who I was
Or who I am.

It is a long journey
Up from guilt and shame
But still worth the effort
In spite of the pain.

Now I live
And now I know
Rising higher on wings of iron
Picking and choosing
How and when to live.

Look out now
Because the bottoms about to fall
When we lose our footing
And slide out of control.

When all seems lost
And everything’s a mess
That is when you know
That the time for evil
Is almost over.

In the end
A bigger change is coming
The one for which we long
Then and only then
The real truth.

One More Time

One more time 8/14/2012

They are many more miles to run
And many more wounds to suffer
But many are those who fell and died
When they could have survived
If only they tried.

I am not a fast runner
And I have no help or water
Blazing through a trail less traveled
And heading toward
Places unknown.

What would we know
If no one took the risk
And laid down in calm pastures
Safe and sound.

For every man that sees the end
There are many more who don’t
Dying as they lived
And buried along the way.

But better it is to die
Than it is to remember
That you have lived in false safety
Without the courage to try.

My dreams are not important
And my desires have come and gone
Flashing before my eyes
In a brief shining moment.

If could have given up
And I could have lashed out in anger
Giving up the world
For just a moment of satisfaction.

You don’t have to see the end
To know that it’s there
And you don’t have to understand
If you keep doing what is right.

Just one more Monday
And just one more sacrifice
Forcing out one more step
And one more breath.

It has never been easy
And nothing has changed
With just enough strength
For the next blind step
Into the unknown.

I didn’t get an answer
The first time I asked
And neither did I learn my lessons
The first time I heard.

But sometimes you have to keep going
Even if it seems pointless
And has no reward
Because man learns by doing
And habits come with time.

The new man
Does not come easy
And breaking old habits
Is the hardest thing I learned
Because no one can learn in a day
What for a lifetime we ignored.

None of us
Will ever be perfect
And that’s important to know
Because with every day comes a challenge
Ready or not.

I thought I knew what love was
And I thought I knew what losing felt like
But I never knew a thing
Until I lived it through.

Anyone can love the lovely
And anyone can be careless
When times are good
But it’s what we do
With heartache
That makes the difference
Between man and beast.

Because only the good
Can smile through the pain
Giving up and giving in
Hour after hour
And day after day.

To still believe
When everything is gone
And to still hold up their head
When they are wounded
And filled with shame.

To show up
And try it again
Stretching out their neck
Taking the risks
Again and again.

To do what is right
When it’s the last thing you want
And having faith enough to give
When there is nothing left for you.

Today, I am tired
But I am here
Once again
Against all the odds
Still struggling through.

I am believing
For just one more day
Giving it what I have
Without regret or expectation.

Give today another chance
And give this challenge another go
With the world to gain
And nothing to lose.

Happy

Happy 8/10/2012

My dreams
Are not what they used to be
And my prayers
Will never be the same.

Burned by the sun
And dried out on the sand
I have returned
Wounded and empty handed.

Others live and others die
But they seem unchanged
Appearing on cue
And walking away.

But I am forever changed
And traveling in another direction
For reasons I have learned
But can never explain.

Some memories are heavy
So we must drag them along
Too heavy to lift
And too painful to acknowledge.

Always there
But kept out of sight
Loss, loneliness
Death and regret.

But it is better to know
Then it is to pretend
And it is better to suffer
Than it is to forget.

Beware of those
Without a spirit
And without a soul
Always calculating
And scheming.

Men who live
Only for themselves
Always scanning the area
For something to take
Or someone to use.

Just let them be
And let them go
Letting them live and take
Until they wither and die.

For their world is dying
And ours is yet to come
Their reward already given
And their punishment
Adding up fast.

It is more than enough
To be good
And be happy
Even if you don’t change the world
Or make the news.

Let others have their glory
And brag about themselves
Because that is all that they will get
And ours is yet to come.

I am just a man
Nothing more
And nothing less
With nothing to prove
And nothing to gain.

And it is an honor
To live and to love
Without false praise
Or hollow victory.

I have my family
And I have my friends
More than enough
And overflowing.

So do not worry
And do not despair
But smile and know
That God is everywhere
Even when we suffer
And even when we cry.

American Anvil

American Anvil


Dead Weight 8/9/2012

The weight of normalcy
Carries us along
Pulling us backwards
And downwards.

Like gravity
It is invisible
But powerful
Hard to understand
And hard to escape.

It drags us down
The long road to death
Slowly but surely
Tightening its grip
Like a snake around our chest.

It takes a tremendous effort
To fight against the grain
Breaking through this atmosphere
Of lethargy and inertia.

The march of time
And the inevitable decay
Is only punctuated
By loss, degradation, and murder.

As we slowly become accustomed
To less freedom
More restrictions
And thought control.

Desensitized to the carnage
And more compliant than rebellious
We can easily be manipulated
And put to sleep.

So welcome to the end
The one we have made
Getting what we asked for
Before the music starts to fade.

Wake up
And hear the noise
Because it’s better to die
With your eyes open
Then with asleep at the wheel.

Here’s to those
Who have been there before
And here’s to those
Who lived long enough to speak.

There is no time like the present
To do what you have dreamed
Living out loud
And telling it like it is.

Show me a picture
And I’ll show you the truth
Rattling off the words
One, two, three, and four.

The more you think
The more you can see
That it always takes the worst
To get us going
And it always costs us dearly
To get back, what we had.

Leviathan

Leviathan 8/8/2012

Somebody knows
Where all the bodies are buried
And somebody knows
Where all the bloody rags
Were burned.

Deep down beneath the surface
Somebody keeps a secret
The damning tapes
And recorded conversations.

Underneath the blinding sun
There are many dark places
Where prying eyes cannot see
And the public does not know.

But the truth is worse
Than any kind of fiction
And the motives are worse
Than greed or lust.

Man seeks to control
And he seeks to create
Taking everything
And giving nothing.

Taking life in his hands
And shaping it to his will
Playing God
And killing every day.

Yes there are other things
Than what we see and hear
But if you can imagine a nightmare
Then you can imagine the truth.

We are lab rats
And we are numbers
Sorted, numbered, and used
Spent, wasted, and abused.

Underneath an iron mountain
Is where the secrets remain
Locked away in the dark
For the right time
To release.

We get bored
And we buy amusements
But never do we question
Or try and escape.

Welcome to the present
Where nothing is sacred
And everything is negotiable
Everything relative
And everything for sale.

And we have grown up in a cave
And been filtered through the system
Taught the same old lies
Over and over and over.

But for me the earth cracked open
And I finally saw the light of day
Waking me up
And driving me on.

Easy Come and Easy Go

Easy Come and Easy Go,

A Shallow Grave 8/7/2012

If you want to find me
Then look for the loose dirt
Hastily buried in the woods
Where I last saw myself.

It is here that I dug the hole
And it is here that I wait
Hiding in the world of the dead
And waiting to wake up.

Dead eyes do not cry
But remain frozen in horror
Staring forever
Sinking and rotting.

And the sun has no memory
Burning my skin
Without mercy
Or regret.

That I live at all
Is a miracle and a fluke
An accidental man
Accidentally born.

And I have spent my life
Looking the wrong direction
While everything disappeared
Stolen from the other direction.

If vampires suck blood on mars
Then all ghosts live on the moon
Wandering on the dark side
Where none of us can see.

One half burning hot
And the other
Colder than ice
Dead barren and forgotten
And frozen in time.

Don’t tell me
That it is easy
Because now I know the truth
Losing more than I ever gained
And sliding backwards
Over time.

But I don’t really know
What is worse
The good or the bad
Because even horror helps you learn
And treasure can rob you blind.

Go and tell someone else
How important love is
Because it only lasts a little while
And then it disappears.

Weakened by boredom
And dulled by obligation
Eventually succumbing
To resentment
And indifference.

A cold remote distance
Is all that we keep
Far away from risk
And far away from blame.

People make sacrifices
I know that one for sure
Because I have made the highest one
And remain
Silent and dead.

I gave it
What I had
But it was never enough
But only because I cared
And did the right thing.

Some people do not live
And all they do is take
Giving only to get
And loving only to steal.

Let them have this earth
And let them be buried in it
Gone forever
Dead and cold.

Cloud of Dust

In a Cloud of Dust 8/6/2012

The dead horses are coming
And with them comes the horror
As we blindly stare desensitized,
To blood, murder, and death.

Behold come the riders
Kicking up, a cloud of dust
Riding hard and riding fast
To close the distance
Between tomorrow
And the past.

But if you didn't look
Then you wouldn't know
And if you didn't know
You would never understand.

That what is real
And what is fake
Is open for buiness
And open for sale.

The truth to be spun
And all the reasons tailored
Just to blame the truthful
For the crimes of the past.

You cannot see it
And you cannot touch it
Flowing all around us
Invisible and free.

Words, ideas, and memories
Spread around the world
Slipping through the cracks
That no man can stop.

Our questions search like spiders
And crawl all over the earth
Seeking out answers
In an uncertain world.

Looking for something
Something true and something real
Something to hold on to
When everything falls apart.

There is always good and bad
And there will always be
Those who twist the facts
But the wise should learn
The truth from a lie.

The freedom to know
Is the greatest privilege
And the heaviest weight
A dizzying height
And a devastating low.

Not for the foolish
And not for the vain
But food for the thoughtful
And dreams for the great.

Woe unto the man
Who would seek to control it
Taking for himself
The title of God.

Seeking the enslavement of men
Through ignorance of truth
Censoring history
And hiding the facts.

The good need no agenda
And have no reason
To seek control
Making men into mice
To evaluate and control.

Taking away liberty
And taking away the truth
Controlling every moment
From the cradle to the grave.

Yes there is always evil
And there is always poverty
No matter what we do
And no matter what we spend.

Insanity runs through the brains
Of the tormented and the damned
Pushing them over the edge
In a world gone insane.

But you can’t always trust
What it is that you hear
And you can’t always believe
Half of what you see.

Beware of blanket solutions
And manufactured crises
Because although truth does not cause murder
Tyranny is worse than death.

Listen to your conscience
And consult with your soul
With unshakeable faith
And a willing spirit.

No one can kill
What never dies
Though the streets fill with terror
And the rivers run with blood.

Obey your instincts
With your ear to the ground
Because the earth has started to shudder
And wobble off center.

Hold your own
And mark your time
Because evil will spend his rage
And fall upon the sword.

Do not be fooled
And do not be distracted
But keep your heart centered
And remain steadfast
To the truth of good and evil
The same as it always was.

Bought and Sold

Bought and Sold 8/3/2012

I drove by the old house
Because my wife asked me to
I didn’t want to see it
But she made me anyway.

Someone finally bought it
And a dumpster was in the driveway
Because they ripping it apart
All that work
Gone in a day.

They cut down the trees
I planted in the front
And yanked out all the shrubs
That I trimmed so many times.

I could see through the windows
As I drove by
And I noticed that the bookcases
Were also gone as well.

I thought about the many hours
I had spent building that castle
And how in the blink of an eye
All of it was gone.

It doesn’t matter what I think about it
And it doesn’t matter how it looks
Because what is gone is gone
And what is over
Is just another memory.

Someday I’ll have another
And I will hang pictures
And paint the walls
But I will never be the same
Now that I’ve lived
And now that I know.

Not everything is at it seems
And nothing lasts forever
It lives just for a moment
And never comes back again.

There were many things I loved
And there were many happy times
But there was also sadness
And heartache.

We waste our time
And we waste our love
Betting it all on nothing
Here today
And gone tomorrow.

Climbing all over each other
And clamoring for promotion
More interested in titles
Than personal growth.

Without a conscience
And without a soul
Willing to do anything
To get what they want.

But all of this is a waste
Nothing but a treasure chest
Full of smoke
Without substance
Or form.

Even kings rot
And their glory forgotten
Nothing but a footnote
And unknown by most.

Remembered In text books
By the time of the reign
Their kingdoms replaced
And their legacies
Supplanted and erased.

All that we have
Is nothing but dust
And all that we throw away
Is irreplaceable.

No one thinks about
What is best for all
But only what is best for them
In the here and now.

As forgetful as they are vain
We conspire and plan
Rolling the dice against eternity
And losing every time.

You can never make
A better life
For one
By tearing down another.

And nothing gained from robbery
Shall ever be a blessing
Spreading nothing but cancer
From the inside out.

As I drive I away
It is then that I know
That my treasure is who I love
And what I did.

More a measure of character
Than it is of my success
And infinitely more valuable
Than my name.

I shall appreciate every moment
And remember every smile
Striving for humility
And integrity.

And with nothing to hide
And nothing to regret
I shall have it all
From now until forever.

The Cutting Floor

The Cutting Floor 8/1/2012


When the truth becomes unspeakable
Then you know the end has come
Because no man can ever solve a problem
If he can’t even say
What it is
Or where its from.

And how can you stop the bleeding
If you cannot see the wound
As useless as a dead stump
Rotting in the ground.

There is no hope for the fearful
Who hide their heads in the sand
Because they also know
But refuse to take a stand.

At the crossroads of history
And what do we do?
But cower under our desks
Instead of speaking the truth.

Others have spent our future
And others have thrown it away
Putting off the payments
Until all of it is gone.

But all debts have a price
And this one is huge
The debt to the fallen
Who have come, fought,
And gone.

If money hasn’t solved the problem
Then maybe it’s not the cause
And its long past the time
We should have tried something else.

But no one wants to hear the truth
And no wants to take the blame
Throwing promises into the wind
Long after the cause is lost.

We love to blame others
For what we have never tried
Because we value our self image
More than we do
The truth.

But a wise man knows
That in the end
He knows precious little
And that all vanity
Is just a whistle in the dark.

There is still more unseen
Than seen
And there is still more unknown
Than explored.

We are still blind
And still fumbling
Still trying to understand
Who we are
And why we are here.

But as for me
I have seen enough to know
That there is no truth to fear
And no lie worth hiding.

Not if you aspire
For greater things
The kind of things
No one can see
But last forever.