Future Hope

peek-a-boo echoes across a yard
laughter is heard everywhere
children in their private world
life without a care
5^th grade and 6^th grade
so young, so innocent
a part of the next generation
on which our future depends
today a dark cloud is forming over their heads
it seems life is no longer safe
there are killers roaming our neighborhoods
knocking on random doors
they don’t care about age or sex
they don’t seem to notice color
they just kill for the thrill of it
leaving behind grieving mother’s
parents always taught each child
never trust a stranger
stay away from unknown cars
protect yourself from danger
today that advice seems to have failed
the killers are no longer dirty old men
they are the children living right next door
who have yet to learn about sin
their parents working all day
they lock the kids in darkened rooms
soon their minds slip away
planting seeds of future doom
some kill for attention
some kill to show their tough
some kill for the thrill
some because they can’t get enough

how can we protect our future
the future of our children
if we cannot save them
earth will fade into oblivion

Sanity Lost

Empty room
Echoed silence
Momentary peace
Open defiance
Passing seconds
Slip away
Broken alliance
Forgot to pray
Worlds created
Faith untrue
Skies of gray
People blue
Another planet
Ignore the signs
Another dimension
Lost in time
Stop the conductor
Empty symphonies
Music misplaced
Somewhere in Tiffanies
A silver spoon
No bone china
In the backwoods
Of Carolina
But one remnant
A blue ring finger
Twitching slowly
Pain that lingers
One minor souvenir
Found beneath your bed
Of a journey once taken
Deep within your head

microcosm

so much to see
in a square foot of earth
take a seat, observe for a while
and a mysterious world appears

watch the grass
catch a breeze
some blades dance
others are wallflowers
like a snowflake
no blade
is Xeroxed
different colors
different shapes
blend into a lawn

spot the earthworms
peeking
from their tunnels
two ended prairie dogs
testing the wind
avoiding birds
twisting and turning
burrowing in again
networking
beneath the lawn

there, a platoon of ants
scouts ahead
foragers searching
food for the colony
a carcass
of a beetle
bisected
several workers
to each section
presenting dinner to the queen

above, a solitary bee
buzzes about
the grass
and the dandelions
sampling nectar
from flower to flower
collecting
the pollen
needed by the hive
for the honey factory

so much to see
in a square foot of earth
so often missed
by the human animal

One Minute

One minute
Newspaper in hand
Starbuck’s fogging his lenses
Lost in thought
Bitter words
Arguing with his wife
Reaches for the cell
Never makes the call

One minute
Applying mascara and eyeliner
Always running late
On the move
Dark Circles
Beneath her eyes
Need more sleep tonight
Only, tonight never comes

One minute
Back pack in hand
He doses
Algebraic equations
Dominate his dreams
One more test
To pass the class
He never takes the test

One minute
The track was clear
Than in the distance
An SUV
Brakes applied
Explosive crash
Screams and cries
His world went black

One minute
Girlfriend gone
Lost in drugs
Nothing to do but die
Parked on the track
Watches the train
Filled with fear
Not quite insane

One minute
To change his mind
Move off the track
Prevent the sorrow
Lacking courage to live
He was to scared to die
Too late for I’m sorry
His one-minute
Ruined uncountable lives

Red

A winter evening not long ago
Air crisp, ground covered in snow
A mob gathered in the square
Murmured anger filled the air
Many watched with hate filled eyes
Building mountains from their lies
Within the circle an innocent man
Trapped, condemned by the damned
He never fled, just stood his ground
Grabbed, jostled and thrown down
Leather boots broke fragile bones
A lucky kick fractured nose
Until, in great pain, he let out a cry
An anguished man, not ready to die
I forgive you brothers for what you’ve done
I have prayed for to the Son
Not amused, the crowd laughed and jeered
This will teach you stranger to come here
His face now was torn, bruised and bloody
He was cold, wet and muddy
They bruised a kidney tore out his hair
He laid still, hands clasped in their final prayer
Anger spent the mob went home
His body left cold and alone
No guilt was felt, only relief
His one sin was his own beliefs
He came to town to spread the word
No one cared for what they heard
So he died for their sins
A missed chance to begin again

And the snow turned red

Time Wave

Strategically inclined to love her
Impossible to forget her
Wanting always to hold her
Dreaming always
Of her, about her
Until a wave
Of time and distance
Washes her memory away

Believe in Love

I was lost in some dream world
Where I met an old man
In an old wrinkled suit with silver hair
And gnarled trembling hands
He looked at me and with a weakened voice
Wove a tale about a love that grew
I stare at him with cynical eyes
That’s a myth it can’t be true
The world knows love is blind
A shallow empty promise
A broken shattered dream
Cupid’s arrow destined to miss
I shook my finger in his face
Don’t you know loves for fools
A mirage for the gullible
A maze of broken rules
Only those without a heart
Know how to play this game
While the naïve on an endless quest
Find only a life filled with pain

I looked up and was taken aback
Before my eyes he seemed to age
He looked at me with bitterness
His hands clenched in fists of rage
With weakened voice he spoke again
How did you become such a sorry fool
Wasting your life on self pity
Worrying about some silly rules
Trust me, love is not what you have said
Some empty foolish game
Love is not about winners and losers
The outcome is never the same
I could see he was filled with sorrow
As he began to shake and cry
He fell to his bony knees
Shouting why, why, oh why
Is it so hard for you to understand
I have walked the path your on
And now I’m just another crazy old man
I once walked this world
Standing tall, young and proud
I took the gift of love
And wrapped it in a funeral shroud
I found humor in watching those
Who found joy in playing the game
I believed myself to be happy
Walking alone just the same
I called myself superior
As I stood above the rest
I was sure that love was foolish
That my way was the best
But as I watched the years flow by
My pride began to grow thin
So many nights spent alone
The fear was creeping in
I began to question my beliefs
Could it be I was wrong
That love was more than silliness
Empty words in some country song
Knowledge though is a tricky thing
A learned to late
Now my destiny was loneliness
Cold dinners on paper plates
Please, please believe
Believe in what I say
Find yourself the perfect girl
Do what you can to make love stay
Then, slowly before my eyes
His image began to fade
Thought it was but a whisper
One more time I heard him say
Believe in love
It is the only answer
Believe in love
Follow the path forever

I woke with the sun in my eyes
Still groggy from the dream
I gave some thought to what I heard
Reviewed the images I had seen
I had never really planned
To find old age alone
I was more sure than ever
I did not want to die alone
Time was short in middle age
To set the course and find a heart
One filled with honesty
Willing to give me a new part
Today will be the beginning
Of a life filled with hope
Whatever tomorrow brings
With love I can cope