The Pledge of a Common Man

I am a common man

I love, laugh, work and breathe, all in common ways

I have no political power, no mandate 

I have a common voice, but it shall be strong

I will use that tool in support of common people everywhere 

I will not be silent in the face of injustice

I will not ignore the cries of my brothers and sisters

I will speak on behalf of those with no voice

I am a common man 

I will stand and be counted

To my brothers and sisters world wide, living in what seems like never ending conflict; I recognize that we are oft caught in the gears of the machine.  Guard yourselves, persevere the storm.  For the kings and powers of this world will pass away, and only the common man will remain.

All Too Much

Sometimes its all too much
Feeling oppressed at work
I want to scream out, cry foul, quit
The vice tightens on my brain
I will not succumb to all of this shit

Sometimes its all too much
Said and did so many stupid things
I hurt her and I don't know why
Thought I was better than this
In the end I still made her cry

Sometimes its all too much
Disproportionate, disappointment, dissolving, diluting
My purpose, sending me to despair
Done. Done Damn it! I wept silently
Mirror reflection there's nobody there

Sometimes its all too much
I long for her, yearn for her
She owns every bit of me
I am nothing she needs nor desires
But I'm better dead than free

Sometimes its all too much
I have to regroup, recoup, revive
Remind myself of the rhythm and the rhyme
Rise.  Rise up man! You can't just give up
This same fucking battle fought many times

Sometimes its all too much
Still they come to my rescue
My angels, my family, my friends
Reminders, encouragement, a slap to the head
I see my good fortune, and the crisis finds an end



We all get overwhelmed.  Stress has many names, causes and symptoms.  We all fall short of the mark from time to time.  I am blessed to have these crazy people I love as friends.

Were I to sing of my love

Were I to sing of my love

The tune could not sound as deep

The melody nowhere as sweet

As the sound of her breath as she sleeps

If I were to speak of her beauty

Resulting words could only fail

Though my honor and my duty

Descriptions devised would seem lifeless and pale

If I were to write her a poem

To express my devotion; though rebuked

I would chance to make my feelings known

The very length of it would span the ocean

Were I to sing of my love

The angles would cry, the flood tides arise

A new world be born, if she’d but let me inside

Then I too could be beautiful

She is all.  That which she loves, I love.  That which she hates, is anathema to me.  Though she may never be my woman, I will always be her man. 

Cry Freedom!

It is said that we were created in God's own image

Sometimes, it seems so hard to believe

Other times a warrior leads us in the scrimmage

Challenging all to overcome and achieve

WE have a dream undying and undaunted

Our hearts and minds must remain resolute

There is still a call to which must be responded

A mission still left that none can refute

My brothers and sister still live full of terror

Their children still hunger and cry in the street

The hero you seek stares back in the mirror

This is not the time to shrink back nor sound a retreat

Lift up your head, your heart and your voice

Shout it loud until Kingdom Come

Now's the time, raise the standard, there's no other choice

Cry Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! FREEDOM!

Dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) and to men and women everywhere who still struggle to live free.

Past Present Future

Memories always look the way we want them to

Good and evil cut and dry with little middle ground

In our minds the fruit is sweeter, the cuts much deeper

The passion hotter and love much truer than any ever known

The present is opportunity, challenge, danger at every turn

Today is the proving ground where iron is forged to steel

Here is where your love swells and your children laugh

Now is the gift of God, the breath of life, more, more than this

Tomorrow is an illusion, a promise with no guarantee

Future is futile, ephemeral, always just out of reach,

Prophesy is a guessing game, a gamble and a dream

Inifinty is a long way off you can only guess what it brings

Remember all of the past because wisdom is it's legacy

Hope and plan for the future though it may never be

But, live today, in every breath and pumping of your heart

It's in this time your memories end and the future gets it's start

 

 

 

 

To say there is no time like the present is an understatment of epic proportions.  There is likely no other time at all...  Use it wisely.

Riding In The Storm

I could never know

The joy of sunlight on my face

Unless winter's grip

Had left its trace

Any wisdom 

I claim to hold

Came as result of

Lessons hard and cold

If expect 

To walk in calm

I must endure

The tempest's song

When at last 

The Spring returns
And passion's fire

Can flare and burn

How wonderful

That flame will warm

I rise again after

Riding in the storm

Raindrops in the Snow

The world can be a harsh place

With cold and thorny walls

At times it seems there is no trace

Of humanity at all

But then one day a stranger calls

To brighten up your day

Then all of your defenses fall

All sadness washed away

Ephemeral as spider webs

A sweet song no one knows

Until it sings inside your head

Your chasing raindrops in the snow

My friend, thank you for your kindness.

I Am No Man

I am no man

There is no hatred in my heart

No more blood spilled by my hand

In wars of men I’ll have no part

I am no man

Judgment’s curse I shall forsake

Now finally I understand

To offer more than what I take

I am no man

Wisdom has yet eluded me

My days like falling hourglass sands

A thousand tears that fill the sea

I am no man

The parts you see may well confound

Some token of the master plan

Soon dust returned to sacred ground

I am no man.

Welcome Samhain (Sauin, Samain)

We celebrate the lengthening of the night that balances the day. 
We welcome our departed family and friends
And chase malign spirits away. 


So don you now scariest garb, and light the pumpkin wards
Dance and sing; revel in the moonlight
To keep dark, foul spirits from knocking at your door


And if some ghoulish figure 
Comes a haunting at your hearth, 
Offer something sweet 
Or you just might get something worse...










HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Joyous

Choosing joy seems obvious.
Pose the question; is it better to be
Happy or sad?  One should easily see.
Not unrealisticly so, not blinded by it,
Rarely that and then...


Joyous, because you can be.
Exhuberant, to far flung extremes
Beyond the norm of the contented
To where angels love to dream.


A gift the day it happens
This rare exhaulted place
Slowly savor, live the moments
Bathe in the magik and blessed be


Breathe in God's life giving breath
Dance in the light of life and be set free



It's like coming out of a dark tunnel or the rainbow and crisp air after a storm.  When it hits nothing else matters.  Joyous because life has returned to me again.