The Saturday before July

Overcast sunset watching the ground below
Glancing at all the porch dwellers, revelling
Dusk yet in the distance, patiently waitng
Idle conversation flows from green lawns
Birds are well heard, but remain unseen
The heat has recessed its girth, at least
Small children play games newly learned
Harvesting memories they will later forget
As summer turns into many passing falls
Street lights are silent now, like the wind
The mosquito chatter has yet to emerge
By then, porch stories will convene inside
By the lights of picture sets and such
Old men will watch their ballgames then
Remembering how they too once played
Wives offer pie and coffee, but not too much
Warming the stomachs and hearts of the world
The darkened, starless sky watches tiny roofs
As lights glow out from the infinite, tiny dwellings
All is well on cool summer evenings, mostly

Answers Found in Coffee Cups

From nothing to normal

Such a slow, short trip

Boundless questions

Answered by a drip

Captivated for now

Later will surely wither

Holding on to revelation

No time to stop and dither 

Write more words with pen

Answer riddles beyond thought

Leaking conclusions almost gone

Understanding more than one ought

Ending moment before the storm

One more line, or two perhaps

Got... to.. finish.. Pushing....on

Morning is over..The next great collapse

Echos on an Empty Porch

The Front Porch is quiet,
Unfamiliar and bare
I look upon it lost,
unbelieving and stare
Out in the graying grass,
As I close both eyes
And I remember some place,
One where nothing dies
Growing older seems elusive,
In the summers of twenty one
A pup and a man-child,
With many miles yet to run
Chasing youth, balls, and bones,
Me and my black shadow
Barking at birds, bugs, and bees,
Songs that now only I know
Drifting back to the porch,
Releasing yesterday's spell
Squinting in the quiet light,
Looking for a wagging tail

Grasping

Sunlit Corridors promise me warmth
Their capture of time, hides the lies
Written underneath bridges of the past
The voices chase even after all so many miles
Their unrest is as endless as me, I fear
That their poison will not neglect find
Wormholes and ample veins, waiting
For a break in the evening waves
To call their sordid songs to feast
On the unwilling, restless souls
Lying in witness of many wonders
Forgetters of their paths, save no face
Remembered in the dying of a waning fire
Memories rust when kept not sharp
The sun fades and perceptions dull
Falling to sleep, yet trying hold on
To so much as any glimpse,
Any embrace of new thoughts
That may promise to deliver glimmers
Of something yet unseen just now
In the expansive, moving horizon
Morning comes, and we forget again
Moving all over with a yearning angst
Like children do before their hour comes
To stay up past the rising of yellow moons
This familiar struggle puzzles even dreamers
And all those who will surely forget again
In that moment before they wake

Not Done Yet(Somewhere in the Middle)

Think of a moment, or better two
What time have you  left
For all you're called to do
How many spins of earth
Are enough to cull your hunger
How many seconds from birth
Exist in your walk upon the path
Asking questions of myself
To ensure I don't forget to laugh
All of your inside secrets
Project  to this unclean earth
Boxes, Trinkets, Medals
Symbols of a broken man's girth
In what time I have left here
There is so much left to do
But running will not slow the clock
For it moves just as fast as you
Yet August comes quick for us
When Spring has just begun
Tarry not on yesterday's bus
Today's ticket is collecting dust
Eventually we all arrive
Yet some come with much less rust
My pen writes of journeys
And promises  yet unseen
Whether it inspires you relies,
On your own slate coming clean
I have no answers for your riddles
I only poke away at abandoned fires
And find, I've only reached the middle

Riding the Bad Man's Train

Long ago I rode,
Down on the evil man's train
Oh, what lies I told,
And spread filth with my bane
I kept pace with fools,
Seldom curbed my unclean eye
Tragedies became tools,
How I longed that I should die
No man knows the grave,
Like tasting the poison man's drink
My youth, which I gave,
For years trying to fill my sink
A Book rested in dust,
Of which I had  given no thought
A tin man of solid rust,
Had I become, for the illusions I sought
Now, no heart heard me,
I had become mute to all the world
Left alone in my futility,
Except the Liar's laughter as i hurled
Forgetting my Father's face,
Surely no moments left in this shell
Save Unending Grace,
I would have rode that train to Hell

Only Fools Walk Alone

No one knows
The random accusations
My mind wields
As I rise from the seas
No one hears
How oft the tide beckons me
Tells me lies
No reassurance
For what troubles me inside
Uncertainty sure
Closes the door against me
And what have I
But my thinking man's troubles
Yet calmer now
For even in my obscurity
My God listens
Even in my bouts with Hell
He reminds me
Even in spite of everything
He knows

Porch Story

The man drove down my street at day's end
 I watched as his convertible float on through
His grey beard was quite contentedly combed
The aging gent had earned the right to breathe
I wondered  for a brief moment or maybe two
What was it that I was chasing at the end of it all
If I too would drive a blue sports car some day
Would some youth see my grey beard in time
Surely my own September would be as grand
My hands etched dry and my back discontent
Yet the ever flowing wind stilled my restlessness
Oh, my mind still pondered many youthful things
He was long gone away, and still I saw him there
How much emptiness had this man's dream cost
Did he have to trade away all that really mattered
I thought these riddles and more as the hour slipped
While the brilliant edge of summer stained my face
Time would not steal away  my smile this evening
I was much wiser than to chase a stranger's dreams
My own were worth more than some day's seemed
And so I laughed heartily out into the fading sunset
For surely, I knew God was not done with me yet

Hearts That Weave

Blowing secrets into your heart
That may grow into a  bloom
And all of the things I knew
I  forgot  the day  I  met  you
Our first Summer, fast approaches
New mysteries  lay  at  foot
My tenderness kisses your skin
To  leave   melody  within
I'd  surely  know  forever
If it were splashed upon my face
Yet you burst into my presence
And now I taste your essence
Sweet girl, how I long to hold you
As the morning sun comes up
And long after midnight is through
We'll go dancing upon the dew
Stay in this moment here with me
I'll  give  all  I  am  to  you
We have just begun to breathe
And endless is our dream's weave

Yes, It's True (For AJ)

I'll chase you
Through waterfalls
Down fishing piers
Up mountains
Above clouds
Yes, it's true

I'll hold you
Through storm clouds
Down bumpy roads
Up on rainy days
Under starry skies
Yes, it's true

I'll sing to you
Through the years
Down on the beach
Up in crowded places
Above all other sounds
Yes, it's true

I'll write for you
Through the phone
Down on notes 
Up on sidewalks
Under hidden spots
Yes it's true

I'll be true to you
Through every turn
Down every mile
Up every river
Above all else
Yes, it's true

Exercises in Futility

I came upon a red light
Of which I blew right through
Slowing my course, yeah right
I had many things yet to do
No real grasp on any thought
But ask me if I knew everything
And I'd convince you that I ought
For to me, no humility would cling
To my outsides nor my innards
Pride became a mask that I wore
While I toiled away in vineyards
My boat was miles away from shore
By the time that I lost all hope
No one amongst the sea to save me
Yet a man named Jesus had a rope
He reined me in and then set me free
For His Glory, I recount His works
I'd be foolish to forget the past
For in it, all of my evil lurks
But no longer do its shadows cast
The darkest clouds of yesteryear
Like when I ran through life alone
That angry man who lived in fear
Has been cast away to parts unknown

The Woman Next To You

How it feels is how its supposed to
Forgetting all that came way before
The moment when she looks at you
Surely blows perception to and fro
You take her hand and whisper
That you have no other place to be
For this moment you've waited long
And long is how your heart feels
When she's laying on  your chest
You never got what you wanted
And your glad it didn't fall your way
Because she is more than the past
And your future is in her smile
She may not see your butterflies yet
But hers are already dancing too
Her laugh crumbles away your heart
For which you gladly let it fall
You tell her you'll do anything at all
And she believes your every word
Because she sees the way you look
When she's not looking at you at all
And the world blends into brilliance
The past just fades away to dust
For each new moment has a place
That never existed before now
And you know you'll do whatever
To chase dreams with her tomorrow
When woman next to you is everything
You never knew she would be

You become Your Things

What becomes of rust
Save Dust,
And many broken things
Bare Springs
Are all the things you held
Once they gelled
But time forsakes them now
Lost their wow
So what did they matter see
Now let them be
Look into portrait glass
Once a face of class
Traded for your wretched greed
The Devil’s reed
Rides upon the back of liars’
Unseen fires
Engulfs even the mighty King
Ashes fling
Quiet the lost childe now
Frail but how
He traded his future among lies
No one cries

No Run

Some days the earth spins fast
But  yet  I  hold  no  fears
There's  still time  for things
I hear  the  turning  gears
No  need  to  ponder  on
A  sun  that  has  no  birth
The  morning  yet  fends
From the sun's looming girth
Doors  stay  open  longer
When  on  a  lulling  stroll
No  hurry  beckons  me
Fast  ships  do wreck  the  soul
Ask   me   where   I   go   to
For   that   I   have  no  start
Life's   full   of   mystery
Of  which  I  play  no  part
Warmth and reflections pass
In  tales  like  some  may  do
Even   if   the   world   blurs
Nowhere  must  we  run  to

Sunlight

Sunlight, light me a brighter path
For the one I've come to walk
It no longer shines me on home
The woman who held the candle
She went on to greater whens
To places far lovelier than these
And never have I met a stronger soul
Than to have watched  her fire burn
Praying that I can be half as strong
When my sand does run its course
She was richer than all money could by
Her endless heart was paved in gold
Sunlight, I miss my friend today
For could you tell me where she goes
That I cannot follow, but send her home
Her family, may you comfort them
They need your loving light to see
On a path they must walk anew
The winds of life, they carry us far
Yet always blow us back again
We all must walk our own path
But we don't know how long the road
Will be, Or when it changes sides
Sunlight, Laugh with me tonight
For I want to hear her laugh
My pen strikes hard and fast
As I write through the falling tears
Though I'm sure you know by now
That these words will never do
She meant more to those she left
Than many mean unto themselves
Her heart of lions yet roars in the night
And we hear her voice inside our hearts
Again we're reminded of her strength
We all have places we must be going to
Though we know we'll meet again some day
Until then, we have her shield to arm us
From the long waiting, blistering wind
And her love, It lives on in her children
Sunlight, they need your light the most
Make them sturdy, and bless their hearts
For they will become her lasting legacy
And already they resemble her angelic soul
I know I must go from here this hour
But I don't stumble around in the dark
'Cause somewhere in the dewy dusk
There is a light that breaks the clouds
That lets me know that Heaven
Gained one amazing angel tonight

When I was young, We lived on Beaches

So life moves on from here

And we, the lucky ones

Do ebb with the tide

We sway into the setting sun

Beaches hold our memories

But never hold our hearts

For they belong to another place

One we are still going to

Pick up your feet child

The day is quite young

And your basket is yet empty

 Of things to be found here

The sand makes your feet itch

Long after the games are done

Let the moonlight light your way home

And when you return from here

The breeze of another summer’s end

It will be right before your eyes

Tomorrow

No way to touch
That which has yet to exist
No way to know
If the roads even lead there
Indefinite seconds
Separate you from maybe
Too many variables
For imagination to be real
Between that moment
Your eyes meet the keeper
And the first tick
Of yet another ageless infinity
A lifetime resides
In slow moving, obscure bubbles
The first realization
Into an ever indefinite answer
Is no doubt troubling
Too many obstacles before you
Probably, it were better
That you render peace upon now
Than to hedge bets
On some other uncertainty
Real resides only
In what you can presently touch
By which time
Tangibility has long passed by
And you move on
To yet another unending race
Once more sure
That you will find that something
That in a sense
Never came around at all
Even if it were true
They had called it something else

Faceplant (Pillows)

Pillow
Rests Firmly
On the Bed
Her voice the same
No matter how oft he
Wakes, She waits for his return
His sleep hampered by her distant grasp
He wakes up fighting mad, Perhaps more lost
The dreams they trouble him, Yet he yearns them
Knowing underneath his pillow's the only place she'll ever be

Staring Through the Morning Coffee

Just on the cusp of some new thought
A small brink of imagination opened wide
The other side isn't as far as it may seem
There are truths that beg to be disturbed
Flowing past the glades of idle beanery
Goes a mind searching for the day's wind
Sails set out by the rich roar of roasts
A few sips strike a paradise almost reached
The day is young in the land of dreamers
In just a few more seconds, the sun will rise
With it, the hopes of more solid thoughts
Past the eddies created by such dark bliss
Capturing its unbridled developments now
The world sways and blurs, on its spin
Yet remains in reach of a captivated hand
The resonance remains clearly in focus
Today's worries are still ghosts on the plain
Stepping out from behind golden allure
Sprinting forth to meet the rushing race

Landings

Knowing not where to
Land
Not the same as being
Lost
I thought you were waiting for
Me
But grew tired of my blackening
Ways
We all grow older, And still our clock
Moves
Youth, a plane from which we are forever
Banned
But the lines of our age, they speak our
Songs
The truths of our pasts may linger
But
The lies, they die in the sand
Now
Is a good time to look
Forth
Where we can safely
Fall