When The Heart A Way

Just Think Twice

Take heart with the art of being nice,

It begs of us to just think twice.

In self wrought swirls of sour grapes,

The thought of kindness oft’ escapes.

Think back to a time when we were young,

When words we used rolled off our tongue,

Like cardboard swords that were so real,

In backyard battles with nerves of steel.

We played hard and had our fun,

And when all was said and done,

We knew, for heaven’s sake,

The games we played were all just fake.

Today, we live a different story,

We no longer fight for love and glory.

We fight with the sword of a poisoned heart,

Polluted by noise and not the art.

At a time when we could all know better,

We fight with media in the form of a letter,

This is our right as a nation we are,

But look at the content as one from afar.

Is it hiding the heart that made us so great,

Or mocking a trust because we can’t wait,

To follow a crowd we seek to find,

That will not reflect the peace in our mind.

Now is the time to stand as a nation,

And love from within without reservation,

It’s time to take heart and not be afraid,

To face our enemies as friends to be made.

For it is in the art of being nice,

Where one day we’ll see the price,

Is ever so high to win a war,

As that we might pay for ever more.

That’s Life

Sometimes we’d like,

To make a difference,

And think we have,

The kind of reverence,

For something in life,

That we hold dear,

And hold within,

But never fear.

At times our lives,

Can go so fast,

We fail to grasp,

Things that last.

With all we know,

That’s in our mind,

We do know love,

Of the greatest kind.

The need will always,

Come to past,

To see the lives,

Of those outcast.

Whatever it is,

We can do,

We need a love,

Always true.

With all we are,

The day has come,

Where we can all,

Stand as one.

With all of life,

We feel inside,

We need to feel it,

Far and wide.

For those we trust,

And love so dear,

Or those we don’t,

We must be clear,

It’s when we try

To do our best,

Life can show,

How we are blessed.

How do we learn,

To go from here,

And overcome,

Our greatest fear?

When lives are lost,

At such a cost,

It’s life we know,

That can’t be lost.

It’s life that tells us,

All we know,

It’s life that tells us,

Where we must go.

The heart is there,

To set us free,

To swim as the river,

Goes out to sea.

Think of it all,

It’s not too late,

We’re only small,

And yet so great.

Follow the heart,

And do your best,

To swim in the sea,

And be so blessed.

The Concert

What are things,

We start to see,

If we try to imagine,

All there could be.

What are things,

We start to see,

When we feel the world,

In harmony.

The music of many,

When they all take part,

Is played in concert,

But heard in the heart.

If we sit and watch,

People that play,

We could see this world,

In a whole new way.

The people that play,

Are playing a part,

In a world of music,

As part of an art.

Each of them,

Brings to the stage,

A lifetime of learning,

From an early age.

Each of them,

Shares who they are,

With all that hear,

Near and far.

The music they make,

And the part they play,

Is a way to imagine,

A whole new day.

Hopes and Dreams

I write a poem,

In an effort to,

Convey some dreams,

That might come true.

Dreams and thoughts

Are not the same,

There’s more in a dream,

We might proclaim.

Our thoughts can be,

A dream come true,

If we grasp the hope,

Of what it can do.

I write some thoughts,

In an effort to,

Share what I hope,

Might come true.

I hope and dream,

And I hope to see,

A dream we hope,

This hope could be.

For each and every,

One of us,

Our hopes and dreams,

Are the best of us.

I hope and dream,

For each of us,

We see what it is,

Inside of us,

That cuts through layers,

That keep us apart,

And learn to think,

Straight from the heart.

The Dream

In ways of livin’,

We care about,

There are some ways,

We could do without.

We’ve seen the world,

The way it was,

What it is,

And what it does.

We see the world,

And every one,

All there is,

That has been done.

With all the memories,

Of sadder days,

We lived a life,

Of lesser ways.

We feel the pain,

Of broken hearts,

And a hopeful need,

To just move on.

As we sit on the side,

Of lives we live,

And try to find,

A way to give.

We need to pause,

Just for a minute,

To see this world,

And every one in it.

We can be good,

If we need to be,

We can dream,

And try to see.

We need to see,

In every case,

Good-hearted people,

And a friendly face.

We need to hold,

A dream inside,

A dream of hope,

That hasn’t died.

For it is this dream,

In all of us,

That shapes our lives,

To do as we must.

The feeling we feel,

As we’ve known from the start,

Is the dream we have,

Lives in the heart.

A Nod To The Times

A nod to the times,

When the country was strong,

When life was simple,

And the days were long,

When the strength of a person,

Was the strength of a nation,

And the jobs we had,

Reflected our station.

We knew one another,

We smiled and waved,

And worked by the hour,

For the money we saved.

Work back then,

Was hard and true,

In the towns at the time,

Was a great hope that grew.

Well the time has come,

To know as a nation,

That times have changed,

For this generation.

As a sign of the times,

The challenge again,

Requires us all,

To draw from within.

Where the strength of the old,

Is strength from the past,

As we look to the future,

We know it must last.

So the hope that we have,

To build once again,

Is the hope that we had,

Renewed now and then.

To Be Clear

If we could be clear,

With all we hear,

What’s true,

Or hard to believe,

We’d never lack,

For a twisted fact,

Or that,

Designed to deceive.

How do we learn,

From all we discern,

Of truth,

Or what to believe,

When the facts there are,

In the stories we tell,

Are a web,

We’re apt to weave?

Whatever we do,

Isn’t it true,

We have no cause,

To doubt?

A feeling within,

That gives us a clue,

Of truth,

We should seek out.

Never no more,

Should we explore,

The things,

We needn’t trust,

There is no doubt,

What we’re talkin’ about,

Is truth,

If we live as we must?

So how do we know,

Deep inside,

When truth is challenged,

By those that lied?

How do we know,

How to be fair,

With all we do,

Or when we should care?

Try as you can,

For the highest road,

It’s often,

a better way,

Trust your judgment,

When it comes from within,

Be fair,

In every way.

Let’s be clear,

With all we hear,

When it seems too hard,

To believe,

Seek to find,

The peace of mind,

In the soul,

That’s hard to retrieve.

A Little More Nice

Take some time,

To look around,

And try to find,

Some common ground,

Find some ways,

To just think twice,

And be aware,

Of more that’s nice.

Try to think,

Of a better way,

To change the world,

Every day,

In troubled times,

We have a thought,

Things aren’t right,

Or the way they ought.

It’s times like this,

We often say,

Things should be,

A certain way,

They ought to be,

As we might claim,

And if they’re not,

It’s not the same.

If it’s not the same,

Or it’s them and us,

Here’s a thought,

We might discuss.

Like a law of the land,

We’d do just fine,

If we could see,

The bottom line.

This bottom line,

Can bring us low,

As we don’t think,

We’re born to follow,

The ways of people,

Not like us,

The ways of those,

We just don’t trust.

While all that’s true,

We need to say,

There will be problems,

Either way.

We need to think,

Of how to act,

So all we have,

Will stay in tact.

We’re doomed to fail,

If we fail to see,

The price we pay,

To be so free.

Anger and wars,

Have a mighty cost,

Where the good we gain,

Is often lost.

So as we find,

Some common ground,

Take some time,

To look around,

Take some time,

To just think twice,

And be aware,

Of more that’s nice.

Be Here Now

Ask a person,

Who’s down and out,

What he thinks,

The world’s about,

He’ll pause a minute,

And then respond,

A thought for now,

And a bit beyond.

His thought for now,

This sacred minute,

Is just to see,

Everything in it.

For every minute,

Life renews,

The ways we think,

And shapes our views.

In a bit beyond.

And what could be

He’ll kope for love,

That sets us free.

Embrace the times,

In each new day,

And sacred moments,

Along the way.

Dream the dreams,

Of a better way,

Where others can have,

A better day.

That better day,

Is always at hand,

When care for others,

Takes command.

Each Of Us

There is a hope,

In each of us,

Where we'll decide,

And do as we must.

We face each day.

With hope that’s new,

We face each day,

With a careful review.

In this review,

There’s all that’s new,

But all that’s old,

Is still there too.

This hope we bring,

With each new day,

We bring to others,

Along the way.

There is a call,

In each of us,

That helps us know,

To do as we must.

No one knows,

What we can do,

But, everyone sees,

When we are through.

Our best is better,

With each new day,

Than anyone ever,

Could ever say.

Always take care,

With each new day.

And bring the hope,

Of a better way.

More Than You Know

She said, I Love You,

More than you know,

As she always said,

When I had to go.

These precious moments,

Hand in hand,

A certain look,

Was all it took.

She helped us through,

What we had to do,

And knew somehow,

We’d all pull through.

She understood,

To rise above,

And be the better,

Of all we love.

She knew these things,

Perfectly clear,

And rose above,

Without the fear.

She knew these things,

Throughout her life,

As she knew people,

And knew their strife.

She always used,

Common sense,

Often used,

At her expense.

Now that she’s gone,

May we always know,

To carry her way,

Wherever we go.

One Good Friend

One good friend,

Like a lucky charm,

Is always there,

Free of harm.

They could be new,

Or take a while,

Either way,

You love their smile.

They’re part of you,

They feel your thought,

And stay with you,

When others might not.

They’re part of you,

And time won’t change,

Any part,

Or make things strange.

All you have,

With one good friend,

Is all you need,

To the bitter end.

All you have,

With one good friend,

Is the other you,

That you’ll defend.

They’re always there,

Hi or low,

And why that is,

We’ll never know.

Another Way

What I know I know,

Is I don’t know,

About some things,

I just don’t know.

I tell you this,

I fear to say,

I just don’t know,

A better way.

The problem is,

As it often is,

I still keep sayin’,

What I’m always sayin’.

I can’t break out,

Of the space I’m in,

I try to learn,

And then begin.

I throw out words,

As though I knew,

That I was the one,

With a better view.

What I fail to see,

And I fail to say,

There just might be,

Another way.

Heaven forbid,

I should engage,

And possibly read,

Every page.

I hope in the end,

That I will know,

More about things,

I just don’t know.

I Don’t Care

I thought I cared,

In a decent way,

Of rights and wrongs,

And what I would say.

I thought I cared,

And thought about,

Unseen people,

Down and out.

I had in mind,

A rosy dream,

That offered more,

Than it might seem.

I come from an age,

Where peace and love,

Is all it took,

To rise above,

A world divided,

Where we deceive,

Instead of the world,

That we might leave.

In many years,

I think I see,

Other ways,

The world could be.

If I could care,

And thought about,

Unseen people,

Down and out,

I’d care about things,

Try to be true,

Where decent ways,

Might come through.

Bound

When the world comes together,

To answer a call,

We make an effort,

For one and all.

We feel a place,

Where we begin,

To see the hope,

From deep within.

We need to keep,

This hope alive,

To kick the can,

And just survive.

There’s more at stake,

In the effort we make,

Or all we pay,

For all we take.

When the world's together,

We hear a sound,

That lets us know,

We all are bound.

There’s nothing greater,

Than the beautiful sound,

Of a body of people,

Beautifully bound,

By a common effort,

Or the hope we see,

From the love there is,

Or could possibly be.

We are the world,

We’ve heard the song,

The time is now,

To sing along.

There’s nothing greater,

Than the beautiful sound,

Of a body of people,

Beautifully bound.

Looking For More

When a quiet person ,

Tries for more,

No one knows,

What they’re trying for.

If what they believe,

Has any merit,

I’d like to consider,

If we can share it.

When others strive,

To do some good,

We might not get it,

As soon as we should.

If what they believe,

Comes from the heart,

And we could see,

We might take part.

When something’s good,

In a basic way,

It sets the stage,

For a whole new day,

It changes things,

Where we can grow,

And tells us something,

We might not know.

We need to listen,

Try to take part,

When we hear the sounds,

That come from the heart.

When you listen close,

And hear in the heart,

A whole new way,

That we can start.

A Piece At A Time

We must endure,

In a greater way,

Fears we have,

That we must weigh.

We must endure,

The fear we feel,

When a few bad actors,

Become so real.

As we try to learn,

The root of it all,

We can’t give in,

To the fear we’ll fall.

We have to know,

In a greater way,

Who we are,

Or what we’ll say.

In a greater way,

We must know,

That bad behavior,

Will come and go.

Bad behavior,

And all it brings.

Can be dismantled,

Like so many things.

As we take it apart,

A piece at a time,

We keep on seeking,

An end to crime.

A few bad actors.

Can’t have power,

If we’re not afraid,

In our finest hour.

A Wonderful World

It’s a wonderful world,

Like hearing a song,

I’m privileged to know,

‘Cause I’ve lived so long.

I love the days,

And the people next door,

And all they feel,

All the more.

This wonderful world,

That all should know,

Can live in the heart,

Wherever you go.

The song we sing,

In a similar way,

Is the way we live,

The very next day.

We can know,

If the song in our heart,

Is what we hear,

As we play our part.

Each of us,

Can hear the song,

As we live our lives,

And try to belong.

Rise above,

Problems there are,

And see our lives,

As one from afar.

We rise above,

And know from the start,

The song we sing,

Comes from the heart.

Everyday Ways

What do we know,

When we think we see,

Everyday people,

And how they might be.

So many people,

We see everyday,

Share time and treasure,

As that’s their way.

There is a world,

As we go our way,

Where life goes on,

In a quiet way.

The time and treasure,

Of those that give,

Provide a way,

For all to live.

It’s just who they are,

They’re quiet and kind,

They are the beacons,

Of a world refined.

These folks have a way,

And they’re true to the core,

To what they do,

And a whole lot more.

If we could share,

Our time and treasure,

In similar ways,

We might not measure,

We’d see the ways,

Of those that give,

Or a better way,

We all might live.

Christmas Time

The kids came down,

To grandma’s house,

To visit and laugh,

And spread the joy.

Little they knew,

They hadn’t a clue,

They brought with them,

Something new.

They brought with them,

A whole new reason,

To cherish this time,

While it tis the season.

The joy on their face,

Was just God’s way,

Of sending angels,

As if to say,

You’ve lived, you’ve loved,

You’ve seen alot,

You know what’s true,

And you know what’s not.

There is a world,

A beautiful place;

With kids and smiles,

And joy on their face.

This is the magic,

I give to you,

There’s nothing more,

It’s all I can do.

The joy of a child,

Is all I can do,

Merry Christmas,

From me to you.

When Peace Doesn’t Matter

When peace doesn’t matter,

Why do we dare,

Live in the village,

And not be aware?

Everyone knows,

What’s going on,

When a fool has spoken,

And the peace is gone.

Everyone knows,

Right from wrong.

How do we live,

So blind, so long?

We can’t turn away,

And pretend to pray,

When a fool has spoken,

And we heard what they say.

Peaceful people,

Have the power,

To speak for the village,

In its finest hour.

They seldom speak,

When a fool has spoken,

They’re trying to see,

Why peace gets broken.

They seldom speak,

It’s not their way,

Their faith is the pillar,

Of a better day.

When a fool has spoken,

They seldom see,

That better people,

Is all we should be.

Common Ground

Take time to pause,

And think for a minute,

Of the world we share,

And where we stand in it.

The common thread,

That we all share,

Is the need for life.

It’s everywhere.

There’s only so much,

Of this sacred ground,

That gives us life,

To go around.

This sacred ground,

A thing called Earth,

We continue to rob,

For all it’s worth.

When do we see,

In a greater way,

Life on Earth,

Could go away.

I hope we’re seeing,

We have the power,

To honor the Earth,

In our finest hour.

The need to care,

And try to be fair,

In our finest hour,

Is everywhere.

The common ground,

We seek to find,

Lives in the heart,

And a common mind.

Peace And Power

How do you find,

Power in Peace,

When ill ideas,

Fail to cease?

How do you find,

Peace of mind,

A way to be kind,

In a world gone blind?

Think for minute,

Of the words you heard,

As everyday people,

Followed the herd.

They follow the leader,

And every word,

With little knowledge,

Of what they heard.

There’s little thought,

Of peace and power,

Or who we’ll be,

In our finest hour.

If what we seek,

Is a better way,

The leaders we have,

Should guide our way.

If leaders we have,

Pretend to lead,

To opt instead,

For hideous greed,

Peace and power,

Will go their way,

We’ll trust in hope,

For a better day.

Who Decides

Who decides,

To go to war,

When life is lost,

There’s nothing more.

When a life is lost,

What’s the cost,

We’ll have to pay,

For another day?

Is there a cost,

That we’ll afford,

So we might live,

As one accord?

If life is lost,

When we go to war,

People we knew,

Will be no more.

Who decides,

Who shall live,

When leaders fail,

Or fail to give.

The common person,

We see each day,

Is owed a duty,

Of another day.

Is it ever enough,

To win a war,

As the price we pay,

Forevermore?

Will justice ever,

Pay the cost,

Or heal the pain,

For lives we lost?

There is no answer,

To the need for peace,

If we’re not willing,

For war to cease.

The life we seek,

Can still be found,

If we reach our limits,

On common ground.

We’ll reach our limits,

If we’re willing to try,

To manage a peace,

And not know why.

All Our Days

In all my days,

I’ll never know,

How learning so little,

Could be so slow.

I’ll never remember,

All that I’ve learned,

I can’t account,

For all that I’ve earned.

I’ve wasted days,

When I should have known,

A better way,

We could have grown.

Did I feel inside,

That in the end,

We just might know,

A way to mend?

We’re the ones,

That know the past,

And how to build,

A peace to last.

So what do we do,

As we spend our days,

Can we learn our lessons,

In better ways?

What do we do,

When we should know,

A better way,

That we might grow?

Try as we must,

We still keep trying,

To change the ways,

Of those that are lying.

There’s a way of knowing,

In a sensible way,

How we could live,

And the price we pay.

There’s a way of knowing,

From all that we’ve learned,

The price we pay,

And all we’ve earned.

Take a minute,

Think of the cost,

Of a better way,

We might have lost.

Inner Beauty

So much beauty,

In all that’s true,

Too much pain,

That we’ve been through.

Just look back,

At all we love,

Then look forward,

And rise above,

The lesser things,

Hold us back,

From what we do,

Or what we lack.

Do we lack the courage,

To try again,

To find a way,

That might have been?

Or do we think,

That in this day,

We could find,

A better way?

We can’t forget,

All that’s true,

Where all that’s not,

Shouldn’t do.

There’s too much beauty,

In all that’s true,

In the history of souls,

And their point of view.

This nation of people,

Here as we stand,

Think they’re living,

In the promised land.

We’re nothing more,

And nothing less,

Than people trying,

To do their best.

There’s so much beauty,

From way back when,

That we should try,

To try again.

The inner beauty,

That lies within,

Is all we need,

To try again…

Invisible Barriers

When much is done,

What can we say,

When there might have been,

Another way.

Courts can rule,

In a pious way,

Where people at risk,

Have a weakened say.

“The Hall Of Justice”,

Isn’t fair,

When the truth of justice,

Is barely there.

The truth of justice,

Is hard to find,

When invisible barriers,

Disrupt the mind.

Invisible barriers,

Will always be,

When a muddled mind,

Fails to see,

There’s better ways,

Life could be,

For a single life,

That could be free.

The truth of justice,

Should always know,

Legal failures,

And how they grow.

When it comes to law,

It’s all we have,

But, our hearts should have,

The final say.

Keep In Mind

Few would care,

And one might dare,

To look for love,

That isn’t there.

We can hope,

In the best we do,

To know the truth,

Of love that’s true.

We only see,

A love so true,

When love is there,

In all we do.

We look for love,

And start to see,

Lessons in living,

That set us free.

It’s hard to know,

And hard to find,

One good reason,

For an evil mind.

The pain they spawn,

For those affected,

Is not so much,

For those protected.

If we lose sight,

And love is blind,

We learn of pain,

Of a hideous kind.

We should dare,

To look for love,

Feel the pain,

And rise above.

Rise above,

And keep in mind,

A life of love,

For all mankind.

A Life Within

How does it work,

In a person’s life,

When they feel,

The life in another?

The feeling can dim,

For some as it does,

‘Cept those you know,

Like a brother.

As we deal with life

To the day we die,

We do what we do,

And not know why.

Take a minute,

Just to reflect,

And notice the lives,

We often neglect.

Those that sit quiet,

And live with their fate,

Can often show,

What makes life so great.

We’ll never know,

What lies in store,

If we don’t reach out,

And open the door.

There’s folks out there,

With lives that were lost,

That sit in the shadows,

Counting the cost,

Of what it takes,

To be so great,

And what it was,

That sealed their fate.

The beauty is,

They’ll try to be true.

To all the things,

They ever knew,

Of what it was,

To be so good,

In the hope that others,

Might do what they could.

When that hope dies,

And life’s not fair,

It’s up to the people,

That just might care,

To take a step,

They never would,

To open a door,

And do some good.

The good they do,

May not be perfect,

But, the good they do,

Will show respect,

For the lives of those,

We see out there,

If we take the time,

To be aware.

For it is the life,

Within a life,

That makes us all,

The same.

To see the love,

Within a life,

Is all,

That we should claim.

The Art Of Loyalty

How would it be, if we could see,

How loyal, that people can be?

Or when we could heed the need of another,

As friends…. like you and me.

We argue the latter, but, that doesn’t matter,

Because, we know in the end,

Nothing could break, a trust that we make,

As I know, we know, we’ll bend.

If it were true, the things we could do,

With friends, that just wouldn’t be,

Wouldn’t be true with others,

When we know, they just wouldn’t see.

Well, there may be a way, if we could say,

To another, “I’m loyal to you”.

Then, it would follow, they would be friends,

Friends…. like me and you!

We would be smart if we knew of an art,

We learn in life and could use,

With others we savor, or owe them a favor,

A favor they cannot refuse…

Well, loyal behavior is just like a favor,

Even with strangers it’s true.

They may not know you or owe you,

But, they’ll see the good that you do.

Living with other’s misgivings,

Is an art we may like to learn.

It’s a due we owe as we’re living,

And pay, as we may discern.

If it’s ever so true, of the good that you do,

Being loyal will help you to know,

It’s an art that’s living within you,

And it serves wherever you go.

Family and Friends

Sometimes, I sit and gaze,

And look back at all the days,

When I think about the times we had,

Gettin’ old ain’t so bad.

From good times with family

To good times with friends,

They’ve all been a blessing,

That just never ends.

Yes, there were problems,

When I just couldn’t see,

Things that would happen,

That didn’t have to be.

There were fears at times,

When I just lost sight,

Of what it takes,

To make things right.

When these fears set in,

It’s always been true,

That family and friends,

Helped me through.

They helped me get through,

With a feeling I knew,

Would never change,

Whatever I do.

There is one thing,

I know, I know,

That we should make friends,

Wherever we go.

Whenever you do,

It will likely be true,

That when you need them,

They’ll be there for you.

Like puppies, they’re loyal

And they don’t care,

Whatever you do,

As long as you’re there.

So just be there,

And just be a friend,

To family and others,

As you know in the end,

The love you share,

In simple ways,

Will always be there,

‘Til the end of your days.

Pieces

At times things happen,

We hadn’t planned,

And we don’t quite know,

Where we stand.

All we can do,

When lines are drawn,

Is pick up the pieces,

And carry on.

With human endeavors,

We make mistakes,

When we don’t quite know,

If we have what it takes,

To live our lives,

After we fail,

And hope that God,

Will post our bail.

It’s a test of our metal,

When the challenge is great,

When sometimes we fail,

Or we’re just too late.

The hope of hope,

Is always here,

If we learn what it is,

We’ll never have fear.

Hope is a test,

Of all mankind,

Where it can enlighten,

An impoverished mind.

The hope of hope,

Gives us a way,

For the heart to discover,

A better way.

Love Is Enough – The poem

Love is enough,

To keep us right,

When love we love,

Is gone from sight.

Little things,

We say or do,

Soft and kind,

Are always true.

They make a difference,

More and more,

They open our minds,

Forever more.

I dare to say,

That to this day,

We’d love to find,

A better way.

A better way,

For all mankind,

That seems to hide,

And keep us blind.

There always is,

A better day,

Where life is lived,

In a peaceful way.

It’s always here,

It’s at our hand,

To feel the good,

We might command.

Live with love,

Play your part,

Do what you do,

Think with your heart.

Have A Heart

What does it take,

To have a heart,

With all we know,

From the very start,

To feel the things,

Like an inner art,

In all we do,

And every part.

We see these things,

In our mind,

But can they speak,

To all mankind,

In a way that when,

We seek to find,

Will be the thought,

We had in mind?

The heart is there,

And calls for more,

Of all we are,

Or have in store.

The mind is challenged,

As we try our best,

To feel what’s wrong,

Or be so blessed.

The heart is there,

And will always be,

A guiding light,

That helps us see,

It’s good to try,

And be so true,

‘Til we have the time,

To think things through,

To be the one,

That in the end,

Can solve a problem,

Or make a friend.

When the mind has done,

What it can do,

The heart is there,

To help us through,

Sometimes we fail,

And disregard,

Things that matter,

Or just too hard.

The heart is there,

And in the end,

It’s all we need,

To comprehend.

The greatest trials,

We might face,

As well as those,

In second place.

So when you’re at,

Your darkest hour,

Look within,

To find the power,

Of all you feel,

That lies within,

The heart makes sounds,

Heard within.

The Character of a Nation

From greats in the nation and loyal hearts,

America has grown,

To a nation of people that here as we stand,

We still believe in our own.

From the jaws of hell to the mountain tops,

We fought for what was right,

And so we thought, it had to be,

To feel our country’s might.

With our backs to the wall,

We had to be sure, so as not to over-react,

For when we were through, all that we knew,

We knew we couldn’t take back

We are a nation born of the words,

Of founders way back then.

What would they see in the land of the free,

‘Were they here to try again?

Would they cry on the graves,

Of lives that were lost, And think it was all in vain?

Or would they see, In the land of the free,

The eagle would fly again?

We took a vow at the birth of the nation,

To provide for all that came,

The question is now for the next generation,

Are we here to say the same?

We have at our core a character true,

That’s true of us all and not of the few,

That no man alive should take for granted,

Or question the least, of what we can do.

For it is that we seek, in each one of us,

All that is good and all that is just.

It is at the core where freedoms are sought,

The world will judge the battles we fought.

And it may be someday, the world will see,

That a world without war could possibly be.

And it may be someday, the world will see

Why freedom is dear in the land of the free.

The Best Of Us

If there was a way,

That we could know,

Or a way,

That we could show,

Who we are,

While we can,

Or try,

And try again.

We know the heart,

Won’t take part,

In what,

We don’t believe,

Or when we act,

Without the heart,

In a web,

That we might weave.

As we try to think,

Of what to do,

We’ll think of all,

We ever knew,

But as we think,

We may not find,

The hope we feel,

For all mankind.

We’ll find that too,

When the heart takes part,

It’s then you’ll know,

It’s true,

What’s really good,

Is in the heart,

It’s true,

We know that too.

It’s good to wait,

With things we hate,

To wait,

And then decide,

Before we act,

When it is too late,

To let the hate,

Subside.

It stays with us,

And won’t ring true,

When we look for love,

But haven’t a clue.

When the mind agrees,

It’s all in vain,

It gives the heart,

Its due.

There’s more inside,

The hearts we love,

That help us see,

And rise above.

When we allow,

The hate to pass,

The ball and chain,

Is gone at last.

We might as well,

Let others know,

A way that we,

Could show,

The best of us,

While we can,

Or try,

And try again.

Take Time For Friends

Take time for friends,

Or family,

Take the time,

And try to see.

Don’t miss a minute,

Of what you can do,

To help a friend,

Follow through.

When you help a friend,

Follow through,

It will bring out,

The best of you.

For the heart to feel,

And rise above,

Is all you need,

For all you love.

The love you have,

Is all you need,

To right a wrong,

Or intercede.

If you’re short on hope,

And don’t understand,

Lean on friends,

For a helping hand.

They’re the ones,

Who have your back,

And won’t seek more,

For what you lack.

They’re the ones,

Always nice,

As they themselves,

Have paid a price.

Try your best,

As they will too,

They know what it is,

And they know you.

Be there for them,

And follow through.

It just brings out,

The best of you.

Good Heart

When a good heart shines,

The world will see,

Something about it,

Will always be.

When a good heart shines,

People can feel,

The good in life,

That makes them real.

When a good heart shines,

It’s paid a price,

And it knows what it means,

When people are nice.

The strength it has,

Is second to none,

When all it has,

Is focused on one.

It brings to the world,

The common sense,

We might consider,

Before we commence,

In our next attempt,

To set the world right,

It has to be,

A heartfelt fight.

We’ll always know,

The best we can do,

If the road we take,

Is high and true.

We’ll always know,

As we live our lives,

When a good heart shines,

And the world survives.

Looking Back

I’d like to thank,

Mom and dad,

For who they were,

And the lives we had.

As I look back,

Through all the years,

I see their dreams,

I feel their fears.

The things they faced,

I didn’t know then,

I can only imagine,

Of way back when.

I do see now,

They were in love,

They treated each other,

Like a gift from above.

They brought us up,

In a way that we,

Would never know,

The world would see.

We’re common people,

In a changing world,

That live our lives,

From a past unfurled.

Our clan is not,

The only one,

We’re all the same,

We’re everyone.

I’m thankful now,

To mom and dad,

For what’s inside,

And the lives we’ve had.

Love’s Day

Today we say, we’ve heard it said,

That love will make its way,

From heart to heart, it will be true,

Around the world, some day.

You can’t stop it, neither can I,

As love will make its way,

For love once written will reply,

In spite of what we say.

There are no means by which to measure,

A world of love at play,

But, in this world, the greatest treasure,

Is love we give today.

To know what’s lost at such a cost,

When love is held at bay,

It’s often thought, we just forgot,

That love will make its way.

However dark a day may seem,

There’s always light inside,

A faithful heart that hides a dream,

In that we must confide.

As we forgive, we will forget,

And rise above the fray,

And as we learn, we may discern,

How love can make its way.

For deep beneath, the dreams you own,

No one can take away,

A gift that’s there for you alone,

This love will find a way.

So on this day, let’s all be glad,

That love has found a way,

To bring us all together,

And love another day!

So Much More

What more can I do,

But write a poem,

When people out there,

Have lost their home?

I feel the need,

But fail to heed,

As I fail to fight,

A hideous greed.

I want to blame,

The rich for the poor,

But when I dig deeper,

There’s so much more.

People are people,

Rich or poor,

And I think I see,

There’s so much more.

There’s so much more,

When people wiho love,

Begin to act,

And rise above.

With all they have,

Or could take part,

They rise above,

With an open heart.

Each of us,

In our own small way,

Can do the same,

Every day.

There’s so much more,

And the care within,

Is the strength we have,

To just begin.

Getting By

What would you say,

If I told that,

I still think,

The earth is flat.

You might say,

No it’s not,

But it is the way,

I’ve been taught.

From where I stand,

I can see,

All I need,

Just to be.

You believe,

What you believe,

Of any thought,

You might conceive.

From where I stand,

I know enough,

To get me through,

When times are tough.

We have our ways,

And reasons why,

It’s all I need,

To just get by.

How do we see,

All that we share,

When we the people,

Want to play fair.

The answer happens,

When we see new growth,

We can see,

We can be both.

For want to be fair,

And stand our ground,

The people we are,

Will come around,

To show what it takes,

And settle in,

With greater thoughts,

That lie within.

Good

Every person,

One and all,

Can be here now,

To answer a call.

We, can do it,

If we just hold hands,

And face the world,

And new demands.

I see a desire,

In the younger set,

That could change the world,

Or better yet,

Provide a hope,

That we could feel,

The closest thing,

To something real.

If we all knew,

What kids can do,

It’s not just them,

It’s me and you.

Think about them,

Or them and us,

And we can rise,

Above the fuss.

We live in a world,

That’s me and you,

We bridge the gaps,

So dreams come true.

Be here now,

One and all,

For all the good,

To answer the call.

Not Knowing

What do you do,

When you’ve been too long,

Stuck in a place,

You don’t belong?

How do you know,

You’ve had enough,

Can you still try harder,

When things get tough?

Take a minute,

And then decide,

Let your heart,

Be your guide.

Your heart can sanction,

Words we say,

For the choices we make,

Or the price we’ll pay.

The price we pay,

When we follow a dream,

Is not so clear,

As it might seem.

All we do,

Should come from within,

From a better place,

Before we begin,

We need to lose,

The chains that bind,

To build the dreams,

We have in mind,

We must be clear,

Before we start,

The best we can do,

Comes from the heart.

Reflections

Look in the pond,

What do you see?

Do you see the person,

You’d like to be?

As we look in a pool,

Are we the fool,

That can’t believe,

We could be so cruel?

When I look inside,

Who do I see?

Do I see another,

Or do I see me?

If we look at ourselves,

With an open heart,

We will see,

We’re just a part,

Of those that could live,

With a way in mind,

Where thoughts of giving,

Are more inclined.

As we look at the world,

And the shape we’re in,

We just might see,

Where to begin,

To work for a future,

That we might love,

So we can say,

We rose above,

A world of people,

That don’t get along,

When we certainly could,

And still be strong.

Traces

For those that come,

From a quiet place,

And live their lives,

With just a trace,

Of efforts made,

They can’t relive,

As they spend some time,

In a helpful space.

We just move on,

As we must do,

And hope that we,

Can be there too,

In different ways,

That still ring true,

As we help others,

Start anew.

Can we find,

A quiet place,

And live our lives,

With social grace?

Try to live,

In a quiet place,

And try to see,

Just a trace,

Of something big,

That’s going on,

In someone’s life,

If they seem withdrawn.

If we could see,

What they’re going through,

We just might help,

To start anew.

Open Heart

When do we,

Begin to grow,

From all that we,

Could possibly know?

With all the things,

That cross our path,

Take a minute,

And do the math.

The common sense,

We can bring,

Can ever shine,

In everything.

The sense of it all,

We should know,

With all there is,

Wherever we go.

Everyone,

Can think to believe,

There’s a better way,

We might conceive,

For those in the world,

With an open heart,

There’s always a place,

To play a part.

The challenge comes,

With an open heart,

When things we try,

Fall apart.

Don’t give up,

We’ll rise above,

Our wildest dreams,

Because of love.

It’s Up To Us

You know and I know,

With all that we hear,

That so many people,

Are not too clear.

We take it all in,

Or hear what we heard,

And then begin,

To weigh every word.

The words we hear,

Convey a thought.

They might not reflect,

The ways we’re taught.

The ways we’re taught,

To love one another,

Often happens,

As love of our mother.

There’s other ways,

If we’re so blessed,

To learn what’s right,

Or do our best.

If what we hear,

Comes from the heart,

Then it might set well,

With all we’re taught.

It’s up to us,

To weigh what we hear,

And not be lost,

Or live in fear.

It’s up to us,

To know from the start,

If what we hear,

Is felt in the heart.

Those Among Us

With the strength we have,

Have we ever known,

If we’ve been challenged,

Or we have grown?

Manny among us,

That need a hand,

Have had things happen,

That weren’t planned.

We need to consider,

Things to do,

To help some others,

Make it through.

Now is a time,

Challenge is such,

Where all we can do,

Means so much.

Now is a time,

To try our best,

If not for us,

For all the rest.

We need to feel,

And keep in touch,

With needs of others,

That need so much.

We need to consider,

And keep in mind,

The strength we have,

To just be kind.

This strength we have,

Is a beautiful thing,

Where love within,

Is all we bring.

You Know

How many can see,

When you’re the one,

That knows what you know,

Or what you’ve done.

How many can see,

The good in you,

That may not get noticed,

But still holds true.

We need to be grateful,

For all that we are,

And see ourselves,

As one from afar.

We need to be grateful,

And know the fact,

That who we are,

Is not an act.

The good in you,

That you need to see,

Is really the person,

You’d like to be.

Take a breath,

And try to connect,

Your heart to the issues,

You’d like to protect.

If things have happened,

That weren’t so nice,

Where the pain was great,

And you paid the price,

Think about all,

That’s good in you,

And how your heart,

Saw you through.

Better Ways

I can’t help but think,

There are better ways,

To govern ourselves,

To the end of days.

We can do it,

Indeed we must,

Build a future,

And build our trust.

We live our lives,

As we must do,

And do what we can,

To just get through.

If we look and see,

The needs there are,

We’ll see our lives,

As one from afar.

If we look and see,

Our needs from within,

We’ll balance the place,

Where we begin.

For a brighter future,

We need a vision,

Where we can make,

A careful decision.

We need to decide,

And curb our pride,

To live in a nation,

We feel inside.

We need to let go,

Of dimmer ways,

And lead with heart,

To brighter days.

What Does It Take

What does it take,

To reach for the sky,

And do what’s right,

In the blink of an eye?

Where do we stand,

If we take a chance,

When the one we love,

Is at the dance?

We think for a minute,

Weigh the odds,

Trust a feeling,

And look to the Gods.

The world might say,

That we can do it,

Stay in the minute,

That’s all there is to it.

If the feeling is there,

We should know it,

In spite of the way,

We might not show it.

We might not show,

All that we know,

In the moment we had,

We didn’t grow.

We might not show,

All that we feel,

In moments we have,

To find what’s real.

Trust what you do,

And know from the start,

The bonds you seek,

Live in the heart.

Valentine

This feeling I have,

Whenever I go,

Is when I know,

I love you so.

You’ve shared my life,

Like a beautiful guide,

You’re all I know,

Or feel inside.

You help me know,

That all I know,

You’re the one,

That made this show.

You’re the one,

That’s always there,

A gift to me,

That is so rare.

You’re the one,

The world should know,

More like you,

Wherever they go.

A love like this,

Should always be,

A gift to others,

That might not see,

A love like this,

Could pave the way,

For others to know,

A better day.

For one and all,

The world should know,

A love like this,

Wherever they go.

In God We Trust

In Bob, we saw,

The light of a nation,

In a town, in a parish,

Where he knew his station,

So quick he touched,

The lives of the people,

That came to know him,

Outside the steeple.

To us, we see,

The life of a deacon,

In the world, we see,

The life of THIS deacon,

From his mentor, we see,

What he saw in Bob,

Through smiles and commitment,

They just did their job.

From one day forward,

A new life began,

Where dreams came true,

In the life of a man,

That had the vision,

To give what he saw,

A wonderful deacon,

That left us in awe.

Father to father,

Without reservation,

A soldier to us,

Without hesitation,

Where the way of the law,

And the way of the parish,

Will always be known,

In a way we will cherish.

Their words were spoken,

Each one in kind,

Not one was broken,

But we wouldn’t mind.

For season to season,

They gave us the Mass,

And paved a way,

Where now we must pass,

To renew once again,

The way of a life,

In the Church, in the town,

At home with his wife.

He gave us in life,

From years that were short,

A gift from above,

Where now he’ll report,

The words on a penny,

To know as we must,

Are the words he spoke,

“In God We Trust”.

One Thing

It often seems,

There’s just one thing,

That is a thought,

That should be thunk.

We might think,

Throughout our lives,

We’re the one,

That just survives.

And yet we know,

After a fashion,

All we have,

Is hope and passion.

As much as we know,

What it is to suffer,

It’s all there is,

That makes us tougher.

Some who know,

The horror of war,

Look to heal,

And so much more.

They are survivors,

That happen to be,

Still here now,

And able to see.

Survivors are hungry,

And so are we all,

We all know trauma,

And pain when we fall.

As we survive,

And seek to thrive,

The love we share,

Will keep us alive.

Old Stories

How do we know,

If we ever could,

All we need,

Or all that’s good.

We start out young,

And might grow old,

With stories we tell,

As we unfold.

With stories we’re told.

Though often true,

We’ve had some time,

To think things through.

As we often do,

We think things through,

And the stories we tell,

May not be true.

Even so,

When a story’s told,

A lesson learned,

May unfold.

Even so,

We may discern,

From stories told,

The lesson learned.

Who are we,

That we might see,

A thread of truth,

That just might be?

Who are we,

That we might hear,

A thread of truth,

That we might fear?

Lessons in life,

Will always be,

The part of knowing,

That isn’t free.

There’s never an end,

Of the need to find,

A thread of truth,

Or peace of mind.

There’s never an end,

To the stories we’re told,

Or the need for peace,

As we grow old.

The Class of 1969

From a time in class,

To a class in time,

We were the class,

From ’69.

In light of the legacy,

At St. Helena High,

We tried our best,

To satisfy,

A town in the Valley,

Where everyone knows,

All about everyone,

I do suppose.

Somehow or another,

Right from the start,

We knew we had something,

That set us apart.

From little guys,

To leaders,

Before the Valley was known,

We had a good life all on our own.

We have at our core,

A character true,

That’s true of us all,

And not of the few.

One thing is certain,

That everyone knew,

The teachers and staff,

All had it too.

They were the best,

And now we can say,

That fifty years later,

It’s still true today.

We’ve had the reunions,

As others do,

And told all the stories,

That nobody knew.

We’ve seen our lives,

Since way back when,

But when we’re together,

It happens again.

That thing comes back,

We’ve had all along.

‘Something within us,

That’s always been strong.

As we stand here now,

And look back then,

Things have changed,

But, then again,

We didn’t know,

As we moved on,

A day would come,

Before we’re gone,

We’d see the thing,

That from the start,

That thing we had..…

We had heart.

Words

With all we say,

Keep in mind,

The words we say,

Go on display.

We have our ways,

Yet after all,

We all can feel,

What’s good for all.

Many times,

We fail to see,

Just how wrong,

Our thoughts can be,

Better words,

At the end of the day,

Make better lives,

And a better way.

Better ways,

That get us by,

With no harm done,

If we try.

We can’t erase,

The words we say,

When the fears we have,

Are on display.

Words of war,

Are sometimes spoken,

At a time of peace,

That isn’t broken.

As we use words,

We should know,

The path ahead,

Begins to show.

The words we use,

Are only a start,

To save our days,

From coming apart.

The words we use,

Are only a start,

To share a peace,

That lives in the heart.

Friend

You're feelin’ low,

With a touch of fear,

Don’t forget,

I’m still here.

Here at the end,

Of a beautiful run,

We’ve got the memories,

Of all you’ve done.

The value is gone,

In all the stuff,

All we were,

Was always enough.

The stuff that matters,

Will always be,

I’ll always know,

You were there for me.

The fun and struggles

Went hand in hand,

All the days,

Were never planned.

We sit here now,

And ponder the day,

Sayin’ things,

We’d never say.

We’re seein’ things,

We’ve always known,

In all the days,

Never alone.

Nothing happened,

To make or break,

The feeling within,

That was never at stake.

I often wondered,

But never more,

We always had,

An open door.

To be here now,

Just me and you,

Is all the more,

I care to do.

Come on in,

It’s warm inside.

Take a seat,

And then decide.

Whatever it is,

I’ll help you through it,

Friends are friends,

That’s all there is to it.

After all,

Is said and done,

After the end,

Of a beautiful run,

The way you smile,

Says it all,

It’s all I need,

And nothing small.

What Is It

We try at times,

Just to be,

Or see some things,

We never see.

We see some things,

We often feel,

Some things we feel,

But, don’t reveal.

We all have thoughts,

Deep inside,

Each of us,

We haven’t tried.

Things we like,

That we can do,

To make life good,

For me and you.

We seldom listen,

To our own advice,

And fail to learn,

From sacrifice.

We all have thoughts,

That make life good,

Seldom said,

But understood.

Understood,

Gone within,

Felt inside,

As we begin,

To show each other,

More we know,

That won’t be felt,

If we don’t let go.

How deep in the soul,

Is it fair to say,

That we might go,

To pave the way,

To what it is,

We can do,

To make life good,

For me and you.

We’re often called,

To just be there,

If we could only,

Be aware,

Of things we know,

Deep inside,

That show a way,

We might confide.

The thing we learn,

Is just to give,

Without conditions,

And just to live,

To share a beauty,

Felt inside,

Of a life that’s full,

And filled with pride.

The good we have,

In you and me,

Is the kind of good,

That all can see,

The good we know,

In you and me,

Is all the good,

There could possibly be.

These Times

So much of life,

Passes by,

Where we go forth,

And not know why.

So much of life,

Would be so great,

If we could just,

Appreciate,

The times in life,

Where we might see,

All that life,

Could ever be.

These are times,

In every day,

When we might see,

A different way.

Simple things,

Are often missed,

If we fail to feel,

And just exist.

As we see the good,

In every day,

We’ll look at life,

In a different way.

Take a minute,

Take account,

Of little things,

we might discount.

Take a minute,

And try to see,

All that life,

Could ever be.

For it is in the minute,

Where we will see,

That a random act,

Can set us free.

An act of kindness,

That we might do,

So another life,

Can make it through.

It’s in our reach,

As we live each day,

And try to live,

A better way.

To see our lives,

In a way that’s good,

Is just the best,

Of all we could.

It’s in our reach,

When life gets tough,

To take a minute,

And see enough,

Of what it takes,

To make life good,

And feel the most,

We ever would.

These times are times,

In every day,

When we might feel,

The better way,

Take care to see,

What life might be,

As we live our minutes,

For all to see.

The Bottom Line

We’ll sell our souls in a minute,

When once we just forgot,

That kids and pets are perfect,

And the rest of us are not.

In the lives we lead, we may concede,

That duty calls us all.

It’s not so clear, it’s just our fear,

Allowing us to fall.

Where do we stand, throughout the land,

In business when we say,

That we live and die by the bottom line,

And not a better way?

Is it just our fear of failing,

That drives our need to act?

Or, could we say, there’s a better way

For the company in fact?

A value lost at such a cost,

When fear gets in the way,

May not be seen when in between,

Value slips away.

Let’s be clear, it’s not our fear

Of truth, that gives us grief,

We hesitate to fight the greed,

And not our disbelief.

From little guys to leaders,

We’re all made just the same,

The truth we see in the bottom line,

Will keep us in the game.

For that indeed is what we need,

When once we just forgot,

That kids and pets are perfect

And the rest of us are not.

Don’t Do Nothin’

There’s a way of bein’,

Deep inside,

That helps us live,

Side by side.

Try as we may,

We’ll never begin,

If we’re convinced,

We’ll never win.

Our trials are many,

Nothing new,

We all have struggles,

That we go through.

There’s a way of bein’,

We shouldn’t forget,

We shouldn’t do something,

We might regret.

And need I say,

We never forget,

The lies we live,

We live to regret.

We know they happen,

Errors in deed,

We seek the truth,

And see the need.

Faults in our lives,

Try as we may,

Will happen again,

In a whole new way.

There’s a way of bein’

It’s the best thing yet,

We shouldn’t do things,

We might regret.

Help

When the world needs help,

I hope to say,

I hope we’ll help,

Along the way,

When the world needs help,

I hope we’ll say,

There’s got to be,

A better way.

Take care to say,

What you might think,

When a way we know,

Is on the brink.

We can’t just think,

The ways we know,

Are all we have,

Or how we’ll grow.

With all we try,

We shouldn’t fear,

If the good within,

Is perfectly clear.

The best we do,

Each new day,

Is try to live,

A better way,

By helping others,

Make it through,

And trying our best,

In all we do.

What Can I Do

We blend, we mend,

We scurry around,

We live our lives,

Without a sound.

Who could tell,

Who we are,

From other places,

Near and far.

Do we look for the good,

In all we do,

Or look at the trappings,

Reserved for the few.

Do we cry out loud,

When life’s not fair,

Or get on board,

With those that care.

“If I can dream,

Of a better land”,

I will see people,

Hand in hand.

Then I will see,

And I hope I see,

What I can do,

And all I can be.

Then I will hear,

A simple word,

instead of the noise,

To follow the heard.

All I can do,

Is hope from the start,

All that we hope for,

Comes from the heart.

All We Have

We as people,

Should like to be people,

That act in a fashion,

That shows compassion.

We try to be good,

For all that we could,

And do what we can,

For every man.

We the people,

Are all the people,

That work together,

To make life better.

There isn’t a few,

As a privileged set,

That think of themselves,

As the best thing yet.

We have to see,

In a whole new way,

We all will know,

A better day.

There’s a need to know,

As we fail to conceive,

That so many people,

Are so naive.

We need to blend,

And agree as we might,

To something good,

That makes things right.

In a fractured world,

We need to see,

All the love,

There could possibly be.

So Many Ways

There’s a world out there,

That would like to care,

For so many things,

But they just don’t dare.

So they do it in ways,

Dear to them,

Where others might see,

But won’t condemn.

Strength to them,

Is not a word,

They don’t understand,

Or never heard.

They believe,

In common sense,

And the good that we do,

In the present tense.

To them, to work,

Is just a way,

Where people should try,

Every day.

They help us see,

Who we are,

Or who we know,

We know we can be.

They give us a strength,

We never new,

To do some things,

We try to do.

They have a heart,

That we all share,

With all the people,

That try to care.

Genuine Desire

What’s it take,

For us to make,

Our greatest dreams,

Come true?

A genuine desire,

Before we retire,

Possibly,

Would do.

We all have things,

That we believe,

And great ideas,

We might conceive.

What’s the magic,

We need to feel,

To dream a dream,

And make it real?

Each of us,

Every one,

Has the power,

To get it done.

This power of one,

Comes from within,

And let’s us know,

Where to begin.

The power of one,

Comes from the heart,

And is the place,

We all can start.

There’s nothing more,

Than genuine desire,

To always reach,

A little higher.

Finest Hour

How can we,

In a heartfelt hour.

Appeal to people,

That have the power?

How do people,

That don’t have power,

Appeal to those,

In their ivory tower?

The powers that be,

Will never be free,

If they fail to care,

Or fail to see.

The needs we have,

Are never diminished,

If we think we’re done,

Without being finished.

The power we have,

Is a precious thing,

If we could see,

The good it can bring.

The greatest power,

Comes from within,

And gives us all,

A place to begin.

The hope we have,

For those with power,

Is yet to be seen,

In their finest hour.

The way it can happen,

We’ve known from the start,

Is the way it can happen,

When it comes from the heart.

When It’s Time To Lead

Love in our heart,

Is all we need,

To take the reins,

Or intercede.

Love in our heart,

Can help us lead,

To feel the good,

Without the greed.

It gives a strength,

That leaders know,

Is the greatest way,

That we might grow.

We build on a way,

We know from the start,

Are born of the ways,

We hold in our heart.

When it’s time to lead,

We’re bound to lead,

And always provide,

For those in need.

When it’s time to lead,

We take up the mantle,

That carries the weight,

Of all we can handle.

When it’s time to lead,

It’s a chance to grow,

And bless the world,

With all that we know.

When it’s time to lead,

We do our part,

To carry the mantle,

We hold in our heart.

With All We’ve Learned

We might agree,

We all can see,

A greater way,

We all can be.

I think we know,

With all we’ve learned,

Some of the ways,

To be concerned.

We can think,

In a better world,

Where we might live,

With hearts unfurled.

We can feel,

The beauty and grace,

That comes with knowing,

A better place.

Some won’t seek,

This better place,

And might not show,

Signs of grace.

Through it all,

Until we’re finished,

Look for the love,

That lives within us.

If we stay calm,

When we don’t agree,

We’ll learn some ways,

We all can be.

If we are calm,

And know from the start,

The only answers,

Come from the heart.

One

Try to see,

In time to come,

The strength of one,

Before you’re done?

As we’ve begun,

To feel the effect,

Of a world in need,

We might neglect.

In a world un-done,

There is just one,

That feels a power,

In their finest hour.

There is just one,

That plays a part,

In the hope we hope,

That comes from the heart.

Power is known,

It’s often weak,

Where a peace can grow,

As we speak.

We seek to find,

A thought in mind,

To ask the world ,

To be so kind.

A thought in mind,

We hope to find,

Is a feeling for others,

Each one in kind.

We seek to find,

A common world,

Where traces of peace,

Are slowly unfurled.

Peace has a purpose,

We’ve seen in the past,

It’s just a way,

We hope to last.

The strength of one,

Could possibly be,

Common sense,

We all might see,

We are the one,

We play a part,

In the hope we hope,

We all have heart.

Common Ground

The thought isn’t new,
Or reserved for a few,
That all we have,
Is all we can do.

There’s time to pause,
Or take a minute,
To think of the world,
And where we stand in it.

The common thread,
That we all share,
Is the need for life,
Where we are aware,

The only source,
To go around,
Is all we share,
This sacred ground.

This sacred ground,
Is a thing called Earth,
We continue to rob,
For all it’s worth.

I think we’re seeing,
This can’t go on,
As numbers keep growing,
We could soon be gone.

I think we’re seeing,
In a bigger way,
This sacred ground,
Could go away.

I think we’re seeing,
We have the power,
To honor the Earth,
In our finest hour.

With all we know,
We all can do,
Look around,
And follow through,

The answer is,
We learn to share,
All we have,
All we can bare.

It’s common ground,
We seek to find,
That comes from the heart,
And a common mind.

A Class In Time

From a class in time,

We’re all just friends,

We share a feeling,

That never ends.

The stories we tell,

And tell again,

Are personal memories,

From way back when.

There’s something we have,

We like to feel,

Of what it is,

That made us real.

What we feel,

In one another,

Is all we feel,

And like no other.

What we feel,

In all we share,

Is a reason for living,

And why we care.

If this could be shared,

To the world out there,

Others could pause,

And try to be fair.

If this could be shared,

To family and friends,

They might get this feeling,

That never ends.

As we gathered again,

We’ve seen from the start,

This feeling we share,

Comes from the heart.

A Story

Tell me a story,

I’d like to hear,

That helps me live,

And not have fear.

Help me to know,

There’s hope out there,

We’re a nation of people,

That really do care.

A story of love,

And all that it brings,

Is a chance to view,

And a chance to renew.

Tell me a story,

Where all that I feel,

Is felt inside,

In a way that’s real.

With tragic endings,

And new beginnings,

Stories can balance,

The nature of things.

The lives we live,

Will tell a story,

In a world of hope,

For love and glory.

The lives we live,

And all we expect,

Can be the stories,

Of all we respect.

Try to find,

The ways we are blind,

To the noise we hear,

And all that we fear.

Try to find,

The ways we are blind,

To a vision of peace,

For all mankind.

Carter’s Way

Jimmy Carter,

Was just a man,

From down in Georgia,

Without a plan.

So he took a step,

On the path he made,

To a principled life,

With dues he paid.

He showed us a way,

Everyday,

There really can be,

A better way.

He knew for a fact,

We’ll never be free,

If we don’t find peace,

And fail to see,

That human rights,

Are the very soul,

Of the souls we are,

And our common goal.

Too many people,

In all of creation,

Fail to feel,

Our hope as a nation.

He deeply believed,

There must be peace,

In a world of hate,

That fails to cease.

He knew the dark,

And saw the light,

In an honest effort,

To make things right.

Give Me A Minute

There’s time in a minute,

Before we begin it,

The heart will see,

Everything in it.

Feelings we get,

Deep inside,

Feelings we have,

We often hide.

Some we feel,

Sad but true,

We feel because,

We always knew,

We might feel,

We feel so much,

The time is right,

To act as such.

To act as such,

Or seek to find,

Is a beautiful way,

To be so kind.

We seek to find,

Keep in mind,

This very feeling,

In all mankind.

Feelings and love,

Are closely aligned,

These are the feelings,

I have in mind.

These are the feelings,

We never regret,

In a minute we have,

And never forget.

The Eyes Of Christmas

Every year,

This time of year,

Is a time for joy,

A time for cheer.

It’s not the same,

For everyone,

But still a joy,

For anyone

For anyone,

Of a mind to know,

Joy is joy,

Wherever we go.

Ole St. Nick,

Is a jolly guy,

With the magic of Christmas

And a look in his eye.

Joy can happen,

For no good reason,

In our daily lives,

Or any season.

Ole St. Nick,

Would never leave,

A lump of coal,

On Christmas eve.

A jolly guy,

With a great big heart,

Mends the pains,

That keep us apart.

How could it be

That a jolly guy,

In the eyes of a child,

Could help us see?

How could it be,

That children see,

A feeling inside,

That sets us free.

A Simple Word

At times I think,

We think as a herd,

When all we need,

Is a simple word.

A simple word,

Or a friendly face,

To put a stamp,

On a time and place.

We often think,

With each new day,

To live our lives,

A better way.

Think about,

Things we say,

How a simple word,

Can make our day.

We look for strength,

In a bigger way,

Often not there,

It’s sad to say.

Big ideas,

Well intended,

Often don’t help,

A world upended.

A simple word,

Can break the ice,

So a bad situation,

Can turn out nice.

A simple word,

It’s often true,

Will simply bring out,

The best of you.

The Gift

All of life,

Shares a drive,

To reproduce,

And just survive.

Life itself,

It should be clear,

Should be a thing,

That we hold dear.

From kings to beetles,

We’re all still living,

And the gift it is,

Keeps on giving.

If we could pause,

And try to connect,

With all the lives,

We should respect,

We’d see a gift,

We feel inside,

For us and others,

Far and wide.

The path in life,

We’re looking for,

Is nothing less,

And nothing more,

Than just to care,

And try to show,

Respect for others,

Wherever we go.

The more we try,

To keep on giving,

The more we know,

The gift of living.

Someone Who Cared

If ever there were,

People who cared,

They were the ones,

The ones that dared,

To help the people,

Along the way,

To a better life,

Or a better day.

If ever there was,

Someone that knew,

How to endure,

With all they’ve been through,

The search would begin,

With all our mothers.

As they do for us,

And do for others.

These women are those,

On whom we relied,

To grow up strong,

And always abide.

They showed us a love,

That we all know,

That’s known by others,

Wherever we go.

They taught things,

That we should hear,

And taught us things,

We shouldn’t fear.

These are women,

At the very core,

Of all there is,

When there’s nothing more.

They have hope,

Second to none,

They’ll always be there,

To the end of the run.

They’re faith is true.

And there is no doubt

The world behaves,

When they’re about.

All I can do,

Is pray for as much,

For others that need,

A lady’s touch.

The Need To Rise

There’s a need to rise,

Above the fray,

And deal with life,

In a whole new way.

Think of all,

People can do,

To help another,

Make it through.

That other is me,

Or it could be you.

Or it could be us,

All that’s true.

They could be good,

Or maybe not,

The cards we’re dealt,

Are all we’ve got.

As you meet a challenge,

You must decide,

Who you are,

Deep inside.

It’s in that minute,

That you will go,

Who you are,

Or why you know.

Black or white,

Brown or blue,

It could be me,

Or it could be you.

In the time we have,

Or maybe not.

These feelings inside,

Are all we’ve got.

Things Could Change

Things could change,

And we might see,

Some things we thought,

Could never be.

If a dream we have,

Is what we feel,

We’ll think of ways,

To make it real.

We’ll think of things,

Not so strange,

That we can do,

To make a change.

When Dr. King,

Said, “I have a dream”,

He opened doors,

To a whole new theme.

A theme of peace,

He felt within,

And we’re still searching,

Where to begin.

It’s not so strange,

As it might seem,

That all of us,

Can dream that dream.

If we follow that dream,

And feel the peace,

Some needless behaviors,

Might decrease.

If we follow that dream,

And feel it within,

We’ll know quite well,

Where to begin.

If I Was A Kid

If you were a kid,

I’d wish I knew,

What I could do,

To be like you.

Kids learn fast,

And learn a lot,

And still have fun,

With what they’ve got.

I sometimes wonder,

If I could be,

A kid again,

And be so free.

Think of a child,

And you will see,

How kids in the world,

Help us be.

We are the ones,

That need to see,

To be so good,

And be so free.

If we could see,

Through innocent lives,

The only way,

The world survives,

We would find,

People that see,

The world they want,

Or could possibly be.

We would find,

A world that would share,

All we know,

Or how to play fair.

I hope to share,

All that I know,

From days gone by,

With hope we grow.

They are the reasons,

We need to know,

The reason we try,

Or need to grow.

They are the ones,

The innocent lives,

They are the reason,

The world survives.

If I was a kid,

And knew what I know,

I’d just be a kid,

So the world would know.

That I am a kid,

And they should know,

How to be happy,

Wherever they go.

There Are Times

There are times,

I still can’t see,

How we can live,

With poverty.

With so mny ways,

Close at hand,

To see the needs,

And understand.

Understand,

We have the power,

To ease this pain,

In our finest hour.

We have the power,

To change the way,

We’ve tried before,

That never pays.

It seems to me,

History has shown,

A better way,

Is already known.

Why do those,

With poor ideas,

Fail to see,

And do as they please?

People know,

In our finest hour,

Kinder ways,

Are greater than power.

People know,

But fail to see,

Impoverished minds,

And poverty.

In Your Days

As I look back,

You were the one,

Aways there,

When things got done.

In all your days,

It was always you,

Helping others,

Just get through.

As life went on,

You were there,

You always helped,

Because you care.

It’s easy to see,

You’re the one,

That’s always there,

When things get done.

You know, you know,

It’s just your way,

You always strive,

For a better day.

If others could know,

What’s in your heart,

They’d be inspitred,

And play a part.

When people need help,

I know from the start,

You’re always there,

To play a part.

It isn’t right,

When something’s wrong,

We fail to feel,

And go along.

A Greater Way

I don’t need,

To think like you,

You’re my friend,

And that’s still true.

As family and friends,

We rise above,

All our fears,

With all we love.

We may be left,

We may be right,

Family and friends,

Share a light.

As part of our life,

They’re always there,

When it cuts like a knife.

It’s hard to bare.

Family and friends,

Challenge us all,

To never give up,

Or hit a wall.

The best we can do,

Is try to be true,

We are who we are,

It’s all we can do.

In spite of a difference,

With those we love,

We still have a choice,

To rise above.

Think from the heart,

Of all we can do,

To always have friends,

And that’s still true.

If Life Was Easy

If life was easy,

We’d all do well,

No one would know,

And no one could tell,

Things we suffer,

As we go through hell,

Or hide a story,

We never would tell.

Struggles are struggles,

And the best we can do,

Is help each other,

To make it through.

If we could do this,

We’d come to know,

So many ways,

That we might grow.

To learn this skill,

We have to be real,

And feel some things,

We fail to feel.

To learn this skill,

We have to know,

How to give,

And how to grow.

We have to know,

There’s a good way out,

From a life with struggles,

To a life without.

We have to think,

Of how to give,

All that we can,

So people can live.

Still Not Sure

How often is it,

A person can tell,

As they lived their life,

They lived it well.

As through the years,

And along the way,

With all they learned,

That to this day,

They’re still not sure,

What God would say….

They lived their lives,

Through their stages,

As great ones have,

Throughout the ages…

They’ve been tough,

Throughout the years,

And managed a smile,

And wiped their tears.

Yet it remains,

To this day,

They’re still not sure,

What God would say.

They’ve made mistakes,

There’s no mistakin’,

They felt the sorrow,

When others were taken,

They couldn’t see how,

As they would care,

That powerful people,

Wouldn’t play fair.

What were they missing?

Try as they may,

They still weren’t sure,

What God would say.

I’m not quite sure,

If I had to guess,

God was watchin’,

When they did their best.

When sometimes they made it,

And sometimes not quite,

I’ll bet He was watchin’,

When they set it right.

And that to be sure,

Is where we start,

What God would say,

Is deep in our heart.

Just One Thing

There will be problems,

Big and small,

Our main concern,

Concerns us all.

The smallest thing,

In the life of one,

Is just one thing,

That can be done.

In every life,

There is a need,

To grow in love,

In thought and deed.

As we try to help,

We need to know,

That what we do,

Might not show.

As we try to help,

We’ll make mistakes,

We just keep trying,

And do what it takes.

As we try to help,

Don’t forget,

We’re seldom challenged,

By more than we get.

As we do what’s right,

We see it all,

And how a challenge,

Can be so small.

As we do what’s right,

We’ll always know,

And always have,

Some good to show.

As we do what’s right,

There will be one,

That sees how good,

Can be done.

With just one thing,

We’ll know in part,

The power of love,

That lives in the heart.

True And Happy

I hope to feel,

The lives of others,

When oft’ I wander,

And drift to druthers.

I drift to my druthers,

I look to feel,

What it is to be happy,

And still be real.

It’s times like this,

I think I see,

The basic issue,

Is not about me.

To solve the problems,

I see every day,

I need to keep fishing,

For a better way.

My thoughts still drift,

To the lives others,

Where I see more,

Instead of my druthers.

If I could be happy,

With something true,

I think I’d be happy,

With something new.

Something new,

Is not so strange,

If we think about,

Lives we could change.

My thoughts still drift,

To the lives of others,

I’m very happy,

To drift from my druthers.

A Minute

What is this,

I can’t see,

That makes me happy,

And sets me free?

This is a feeling,

I love to feel,

That comes with having,

A time that’s real.

It’s minutes like this,

Now and then,

I try to remember,

From way back when.

It’s minutes like this,

I’ve come to see,

That make me happy,

And set me free.

Through all the years,

With all the fears,

I’ve learned to trust,

The good I know.

Through all the years,

With all the fears,

I need this minute,

And everything in it.

When life’s not fair,

I try to dare,

The love inside,

That’s barely there.

It’s in a minute,

Now and then,

Thoughts I’ve had,

From way back when,

Come to mind,

A formidable force,

To let me know,

I have a choice.

They let me know,

My heart is there,

To help me try,

For all that’s fair.

I love a minute,

When love is real,

And everything in it,

I long to feel.

The Wonder Of You

If there is something,

I could do,

I would like,

To say to you.

You are the one,

In the life of me,

That helps me know,

And helps me see.

You’re the one,

I’ve always known,

From way back when,

And now you’re grown.

The joy it is,

To feel this way,

The wonder of you,

I feel each day.

All these feelings.

I have each day,

Are bottled up words,

I’d like to say.

I’d love to find,

Words I could say,

That capture this feeling,

In a beautiful way.

The problem is,

With being so happy,

The words I say,

Just sound sappy.

It’s not so hard,

To think things through,

But it’s never as much,

As the wonder of you.

Words don’t come easy,

I’ll give it a try,

And say enough,

To just get by.

I want you to know,

Before I go,

This feeling I have,

Is all I know.

I hope you know,

This love I know,

Is a love I hope,

The world could know…

Soroptimists

It takes a village

And all it holds

To help us breathe

As life unfolds

So many people,

Dear to many,

Each in their way,

As nice as any…

With all the love,

There is in town,

We try to help it,

Go around.

We help this love,

And all it holds,

Work together,

As life unfolds.

It’s a way that we,

Can say in part,

Is always a way,

We feel in the heart.

We work each day,

To do what we do,

We work as members,

To follow through.

Not one is alone,

To try as we do,

We’ve always had something,

That everyone knew.

We’ve had this thing,

We’ve known from the start,

A feeling in town,

We hold in the heart.

We make an effort,

To make lives better,

One at a time,

Letter by letter.

We’re just some women,

That get together,

To answer a need,

And make life better,

For people we love,

In the village we’re in,

To help them breathe,

And renew once again.

Some Times

Some times are times,

Our heart will speak,

These are times,

We can’t be weak.

The heart will judge,

Who we are,

If we are judged,

As one from afar…

We need to consider,

And show we care,

As great ones do,

When they are aware.

As we try to pitch in,

And do what we do,

To live with hope,

And follow through,

The hope is there,

From all we are,

So we can see,

As one from afar…

Sometimes our hopes,

Are thoughts from the start,

Where a dream we have,

Began in the heart,

Try to be true,

To what you feel,

Deep inside,

That makes you real.

Don’t let go,

Always give,

And trust your heart,

With the life you live.

Kamala

She could be anyone,

She could be no one,

She’s just the one,

That got it done.

She tried like many,

From a very young age,

To do her best,

And read every page.

She read those pages,

And just kept trying,

She felt the pain,

Of people crying.

She looked to the law,

As a way to care,

She stood for “The People”,

And a way to be fair.

She stood for the people,

And all that we are,

She’s paving a way,

Beyond the bar.

She’s paving a way,

While all the while,

She’s reaching people,

Across the aisle.

She’s paving a way,

Beyond the ceiling,

In a way way that cares,

That many are feeling.

She could be anyone,

She could be no one,

She’s just the one,

That’s getting it done.

She’s paving a way,

With every decision,

A way for the people,

With care and vision.

Some will challenge,

All that she does,

We cannot change,

All that was,

She’s just a girl,

That tried her best,

In all she does,

For all the rest.

Thank you Kamala,

You’re the best.

They Could Be Anyone

Friends we’ve known,

Throughout the the years,

Have always been friends,

And calmed our fears.

We don’t know why,

We love them so well,

There’s always a feeling,

We long to tell.

They could be family,

They could be friends,

They could be anyone,

It never ends.

The funny thing is,

They could be those,

Red or blue,

We wouldn’t have chose.

The funny thing is,

They’re still our friends,

No matter what,

It never ends.

Questions try,

How we feel,

The heart reminds us,

All that’s real..

The feelings we have,

For one good friend,

Can stay the same,

And never end.

The feelings we have,

Broaden our scope,

In a brave new world,

That broadens hope.

This brave new world,

Will always be,

And the hope we have,

Will help us see.

The friends we have,

Will help us see,

Ways with others,

That could possibly be.

And they will see,

In the lives we live,

How friends and love,

Will keep us free.

Some May Say

Pardon me,

I didn’t see,

All the ways,

I didn’t see.

I didn’t see,

All along,

That what I saw,

Could be so wrong.

Some may say,

It’s this or that,

Until they take,

Their turn at bat.

Some may say,

It’s a troubled world,

We’ll learn together,

From words unfurled.

We all must act,

In a greater way,

So the weak will know,

A better day.

We’ll all be watched,

By a new generation,

If we did our part.

For the good of the nation.

Some may say,

It’s this or that,

The heart must guide,

Our turn at bat.

We all should feel,

All the ways,

Where being right,

Won’t be wrong.

Slanted

I sit in the pews,

With slanted views,

Of all that I hear,

In headline news.

Can I be so right,

Or be so wrong,

To see what’s right,

Or be so strong?

Can I feel in my heart,

All that I’m hearing,

Will help some people,

From what I’m fearing?

Is there a case,

We’re able to make,

For those in need,

And innocent greed?

The friends we are,

Should help us see,

The strength within,

To be so free.

This strength we have,

We never lose,

As long as we’re able,

Or able to chosoe.

This strength we have,

Should help us see,

It’s the good inside,

that keeps us free..

I love to feel,

From whence we came,

We’re still together,

We’re still the same,

The Way We Knew

Back in time,

In younger days,

We were told,

Of proper ways.

The world we see,

Upon us now,

Is a world upended,

We don’t know how.

There’s time to consider,

Before We’re through,

What wasn’t considered,

Before we knew.

Are we the fools,

Who follow along,

Do we believe,

We’ll still be strong?

Are we the fools,

Feeling inside,

The trials of people,

That have always tried?

There’s never a fool,

That tries to feel,

The golden rule,

They know is real.

There’s never a fool,

That tries to care,

For the lives of others,

And a way to be fair.

Be the one,

That still respects,

A way we knew,

That we expect.

From a world we know,

It’s wrong to ignore,

.The needs of others,

As some take more.

Joy Is Joy

Joy is joy,

Let’s be clear,

At Christmas time,

Or the rest of the year.

The holidays,

Are a chance to take part,

In the joy of the world,

With an open heart.

We may not know,

All that’s true,

We feel the joy,

In all we do..

We feel the joy,

As part of the season,

As a way to reach out,

For every reason,

I’d love to reach out,

In such a way,

Where every person,

Could smile and say,

Peace be with you,

Whoever you are,

Joy is joy,

Here and afar.

It doesn’t matter,

Who we are,

Joy is joy,

And never far

As we take part,

In this Holy season,

I hope we take part,

For every reason.

.There’s no such thing,

As joy for some,

If we all can’t see,

The world as one.

Rhyme And Reason

A feeling inside,

Yet far and wide,

Is always there,

To be our guide.

This feeling inside,

Is common sense,

That speaks to us all,

In present tense.

How can it be,

These thoughts prevail,

As fools seek power,

To no avail?

Where is the hope,

We’re looking for,

Instead of a greed,

Asking for more?

This feeling inside,

We’re shy to share,

Will only whisper,

When life’s not fair.

This feeling inside,

Is a voice not fear,

As it paints an image,

That we hold dear.

Always remember,

As fools seek power,

This feeling inside,

In our finest hour.

Always remember,

This feeling is love,

And the only way,

To rise above.

Christmas Magic

Ole St. Nick,

Has to be quick,

Cause what he does,

Is quite a trick.

It’s not all magic,

But nobody knows,

How he does that thing,

When he touches his nose.

The whole world knows,

And stands in wonder,

From way up north,

To way down under,

How he keeps it straight,

As we sleep and wait,

How his timing is perfect,

And never late.

The whole world knows,

He’s a magical guy,

They try to believe,

When they don’t know why.

They don’t know why,

And still believe,

The magic still happens,

On Christmas Eve.

When they don’t know why,

And try to believe,

They’re longing for feelings,

They’d like to retrieve.

It’s not all magic,

With Ole St. Nick,

And what he does,

Is not a trick.

The magic he has,

Is the spirit of Christmas,

Naughty or nice,

We all can trust.

When People Ask

What do we have,

In the great beyond,

When all we have,

Has come and gone.

What do we say,

When people say,

God says something,

Cause that’s their way.

How do we know,

Wherever we go,

That what we say,

Is even so.

When someone asks,

If something is real,

I ask them back,

What do you feel?

Is it fair to say,

That what we feel,

Can be a way,

To make it real?

Can there be a way,

That we react,

To find a way,

Or learn a fact?

We base our beliefs,

In the rule of law,

But sooner or later,

We find a flaw.

We look to science,

To prove us wrong,

But can’t understand,

How we belong.

We look to faith,

For what we believe,

But only in ways,

That we conceive.

Is there a path,

That we might follow,

To share with the world,

All we know?

Look in the heart,

I’m sure you’ll find,

A fairly good path,

And peace of mind.

We As Others

Do we as others,

Have the right,

To speak for others,

Out of sight?

Who among us,

Is judge and jury,

When the life of a man,

Is a cause for worry?

Who among us,

Can be so sure,

To think the court,

Can be so pure?

There’s always a time,

We have to choose,

Right from wtrong,

For lives we lose.

There will be a time,

We thought we knew,

What we knew,

Before we’re through.

From the beginning,

The middle or end,

We search for the good,

We hope to defend.

We hope for not,

With all we forgot,

To speak the truth,

For those that cannot.

We as others,

Can speak for others,

If the good in our heart,

Is good from the start.

Priceless Reasons

When you believe,

There is no price,

You’ll feel the beginning,

Of something nice,

You’ll feel the good,

Of all you’ve done,

In humble ways,

You’ve just begun.

You’ll live by reason,

Of what is right,

With common sense,

You feel at night.

You’ll live by reason,

Of who you are,

In balanced ways,

The way they are.

We all have reasons,

For what we do,

Rich or poor,

We follow through.

We follow through,

For the way we love,

For the hope we have,

To rise above.

There is no reason,

For what we do,

We don’t need reasons,

If reasons are true.

When hope and reason,

Come from within,

Greater missions,

Soon begin.

When you believe,

There is no price,

Then simple reasons,

Are more than nice.

In the lives we lead,

Each one of us,

Has no reason,

To pay a price.

In the lives we lead,

Each of us,

Has every reason,

To just be nice.

A Proper Rhyme

In all my days,

In all my time,

I haven’t heard,

A proper rhyme.

I don’t know,

What you’ve been through,

I know I care,

‘Bout me and you.

I know I care,

As time goes by,

For reasons we care,

And the reasons why.

I’d love to see,

A way there could be,

For friends there are,

Like you and me.

I’d love to see,

In a better rhyme,

When our lives will blend,

In a better time.

How can I,

Ever forget,

Times in our lives,

That I regret.

How can I,

With all I know,

Reach inside,

And fail to show,

All the love,

I’ve felt in time,

And failed to say,

In a proper rhyme.

If Ever

If ever I longed for something good,

I longed for people to act as they could,

In a time of need and people to feed,

In a world of hate and hideous greed.

If ever I hoped for the heart of the land,

To feel what happened at Custer’s last stand,

I’d hope to summon from deep within,

What love is to us before I begin.

I think of people that mean no harm,

Like working stiffs at animal farm,

I think of those in the land of the free,

And all the people that will cease to be.

I think of the pain and what we might gain,

If we kneel to power in our finest hour,

I think of reason and what it will gain,

When our finest feelings will keep us sane.

Think of a time when we were young,

With cardboard swords and chivalrous fun,

We had our battles but when it was done,

The battles in life had just begun.

If ever there was a strength from the past,

To bring the peace our shadow would cast,

Now is the time to stand as a nation,

And love from within without reservation,

Now is a time where fools can take part,

And bend a knee to the human heart,

It’s times like these if ever a doubt,

We’ll learn to love when we’re down and out.

The founding fathers learned to love,

To find the words to rise above.

Illusion

In a simple way after the fact,

I’m part of a deed where I failed to act,

I’m part of a deed ceded in time,

That’s since become a hideous crime.

The role I played was not my choosing,

I know what this is and we’ll end up losing,

A way we had, we knew was right,

Where power and money would block the light.

This deed is a deal, where the art of the deal,

Was made with fools that know it’s not real.

They made this deal, it wasn’t their own,

For hidden reasons they couldn’t have known.

It’s easy to scheme and fail to find,

Greater ways from a barren mind.

Impoverished minds are simple prey,

For hideous people to have their way.

Power and money, money and power,

Will never matter in our finest hour,

They always fail as they seeks to find,

Power or money in a world gone blind.

Now is the time after the fact,

To reach the fools that failed to act

Now is the time to stop the confusion,

Where a world of fools create an illusion.

To balance our ways and peace of mind,

The least of us should be inclined,

To right the wrongs ceded in time,

Where money and power fell prey to crime.

All that matters in our final hour,

Has nothing to do with money and power.

Pawns

In a world gone blind to the needs of a pawn,

Our values get weighed before they’re gone.

The noble knights, kings and queens,

Are all protected by any means.

Pawns by number have a common bond,

Each has a move and nothing beyond.

They seldom survive with all in tact,

Their critical role is a matter of fact.

When decisions get made by people in power,

In a weak direction at a critical hour,

The common bond will always be there,

In a simple way that seeks to be fair.

As lives are lost on the battlefield,

And powers that be fail to yield,

The pawns are the people that pay the price,

In a world gone blind of anything nice.

Pawns are people, you and I,

Human fodder for those that lie.

We are people, one and all,

Beautiful people in spite of a wall..

Little they know the common bond,

Is the strength they have and well beyond.

When powerful players expose a pawn,

The power they have will soon be gone.

Everyday people, kings and queens,

All have a bond we know what it means,

When reasonable people weigh the cost,

Of wealth and power for lives that are lost.

For everyday people, the common bond,

Is the heart we have and well beyond.

The Ways We Knew

Back in time,

In younger days,

We were told,

Of proper ways.

The world we see,

Upon us now,

Is a world upended,

We don’t know how.

It’s time to consider,

What we once knew,

May not be considered,

Before We’re through.

Are we the fools,

Who follow along,

Or do we believe,

We’ll still be strong?

Are we the fools,

Feeling inside,

The trials of people,

That have always tried?

There’s never a fool,

That tries to feel,

The golden rule,

They know is real.

There’s never a fool,

That tries to care,

For the lives of others,

And a way to be fair.

We’re the ones,

That still respect,

The ways we knew,

And ways we expect.

From a world we knew,

It’s wrong to ignore,

.The needs of others,

As some take more.

We As Others

Do we as others,

Have the right,

To speak for others,

Out of sight?

Who among us,

Is judge and jury,

When the life of a man,

Is a cause for worry?

Who among us,

Can be so sure,

To think a court,

Can be so pure?

There’s always a time,

We have to choose,

Right from wtrong,

For lives we lose.

There will be a time,

We thought we knew,

We knew what we knew,

Before we’re through.

From the beginning,

The middle or end,

We search for the good,

We hope to defend.

We hope or not,

With all we forgot,

To speak the truth,

For those that cannot.

We as others,

Can speak for others,

If the good in our heart,

Is good from the start.

We’ve Always Been

We’ve always been,

One of heart,

As veiled perceptions,

Play their part.

We’ve seen the way,

That masses move,

They move in ways,

That fail to prove,

A feeling inside,

They’d love to feel,

A feeling inside,

They know is real.

Men of words,

You and I,

Exclude themselves,

And yet they cry.

They cry for the soul,

And the time it took,

To see what there is,

In a suited book.

Words in a book,

Throughout the ages,

Share a message,

In a million pages.

These wondrous words,

Are a rising sun,

When the challenge we face,

Has just begun.

These wondrous words,

And the ways we’ve been,

Remind us all, time and again.

Love Is Enough

I believe love is enough! It is our understanding and recognition of love that are at times, not enough.

Every sense of who we are as a community or an individual comes from within. To make a judgment on the smallest issues to the greatest trials of our lives requires the same conviction to truth that binds us together as members of a community and of the human race.

I agree that a uniform model of belonging is almost impossible to fathom but as well thinking people, we cannot let go of an understanding that we are responsible for each other. Success in our endeavors to make the world a better place for ourselves and others is often limited by rationalizing what crosses our paths individually to an effort to formulate a model for a collective population. In this country, the truths and principles on which it was founded are still a challenge for us to fulfill. We do it not because they were perfect documents, but because of our ability to see the good in them and try our best to manifest that good in every effort we pursue.

In much the same way, respect for other governments, tribes and cultures asks us to look for the bonds that will bind us. This again, comes from within. Those cultures can teach us.

We can build on the premise that all of life moves in one direction and it is the respect for life that is broadly recognized. When we are confronted with an ill-conceived challenge, it is often an ill-fated challenge that does not respect the dignity of life or other cultures. To quantify an effective model that might be accepted by a given population, that population must be able to own the premise on which the model is built before they can reciprocate in a way that would recognize what it is that they might have in common with the interests of others. They must feel it in a territorial way as their own.

A choice initiated by commitment to an unconditional situation can become an effort where we create something new out of necessity; something that was possible all along rather than terminating or sacrificing an idea or relationship. When we recognize an existing custom or relationship, it is a sign of respect. The consideration is a positive endorsement that can bring out exceptional qualities from an opposing interest.

One individual can often get mired in the minutia of another to the point of extreme suspicion and criticism while at the same time wanting to be personally fulfilled by the effort made by both to achieve a greater good. Hence, the clash of cultures.

The power of one organization to recognize a common bond and design a model tailored to a specific situation or a larger arena, can be a function of the talents and collective skill of the individuals in the organization. Quite often there is a collective sense of relief and accomplishment when the effort and the virtue of one person as a leader is accepted or adopted by the group so as to empower it to reach out with confidence to fulfill its mission. The activist has to be good or he will likely fall on his own sword. Here again, the good comes from within.