Crystal water
Floating weightless
Suspended
Beneath the bluest sky
And golden sunlight
There’s nowhere to go
Nothing has to be done
Just breathe
And enjoy life
Freedom
The limitless possibilities
Of hours unbound
Not a dark cloud in sight
Except for the specter of knowing
When vacation is over
Time will again
No longer be mine
So I float away
Forget the future
Because today I work
For myself
And the sun pays my wages
In gold
**This is another song lyric written in August 1996…In case you’re wondering why I’ve been posting all this old stuff, it’s because I’ve been spending most of my writing time lately working on a new novel rather than writing poetry. But never fear. There will be more new poetry!**
Boredom runs us over like a slow train
Sucking all the energy from my brain
Nothing elevates our lives anymore
Something is the nothing we’re looking for
Take me under and hide me in you
End this endless nothing to do
Take me with you and set me free
Name this nameless picture of me
Boredom pulls us down like a slow disease
The blood inside my veins is starting to freeze
Thaw me with your blurry warming lips
There’s something I might find in your fingertips
Take me down and hide me in you
Face this faceless nothing to do
There’s no progress, my blood is slowing
Change this changeless tired wind blowing
Give me something more
Show me what’s in store
This is such a bore
This is such a bore
Burn me to the core
My heart has been tore
This is such a bore
This is such a bore
In a field of green
Smell of grass stains and sweat
Under Saturday sunshine
Legs pound forward
Keen eyes see the run
And the wide open space before him
Like a new land to be conquered
The cross comes in
With a soft touch of boot to ball
He has control
Speed is of the essence
No
He IS the essence of speed
Dodging one opponent
Shrugging off another
The defender closes in on him
A fake to the left
Another
Nutmeg
And he goes right
The keeper is ready
Spikes bouncing eager in the muddy grass
He’s going near post, the keeper thinks
He knows it
But he doesn’t
Power flows through sinewy legs
Taking his shot on the run
The sound of ball on netting is drowned
In the volcanic cry of the faithful
As their hero wheels toward the corner
An unstoppable smile on his face
And thousands of scarves are lifted high
To kiss the Saturday sunshine
**I already miss the Barclay’s Premier League season. Can’t you tell, lol? At least there’s the Euro 2012 to watch for a while 😉 **
**This is a song lyric I wrote in April 1996 and then pretty much forgot about. I just recently re-read it and found I liked it much more now than I did then.**
What ever happened to you
When you were on your own?
Did you fall off the blank side of life?
How’d you get back
To join with the hordes?
Did you color in the blank side of life?
What did you make of it?
Did you make it good?
What did you make of it
When no one else would?
No one ever will but you
It’s always up to you
No one’s gonna make the way for you
No one ever will but you
Where did you go
When you were lonely and cold?
Were you lost on the dark side of life?
How’d you find your way
Without losing yourself?
Did you set fire to the dark side of life?
What did you make of it?
Did you make it good?
What did you make of it
When no one else would?
No one ever will but you
It’s all left up to you
No one’s gonna make your life for you
No one ever will but you
**Song lyric written October 1994**
The sun could shine
But not today
The sun can’t shine
While your away
Beams may poke
Through the clouds for a while
But what’s the use
Just remembering your smile
The sun may shine
But it won’t feel the same
The sky hasn’t changed
But it’s a different game
There’s nothing left
That feels like it did then
It’s been too long
To ever be that way again
Maybe the sun should never shine
The sky should be dark all the time
Maybe the sun should never shine
We’re not the sunshine kind
Maybe the sun should never shine
Why shouldn’t the sky be blind?
Maybe the sun should never shine
We’re not the sunshine kind
Are we?
**Song lyric written September 1995**
I know you don’t exist
You died long ago
But your ghost like so many others
Can still haunt me though
Spirits wander ’round this town
Met one the other day
But you still terrify me most
When you pass my way
But you know
You know
I’d like to get to know your ghost
And find out why you died
Did you fade away or were you changed
By something that you tried
I’d like to get to know your ghost
And find out where you went to
I’d like to get to know your ghost
And find out where I lost you
Sometimes I’ll see you floating by
With somebody else
Sometimes I’ll just catch a glimpse
When I’m all by myself
I knew you in another life
Not so long ago
I may have died too in that time
But I’ve resurrected though
And you know
You know
I’d like to get to know your ghost
And find out who you are
Did you see Heaven or find Hell?
Or didn’t you go that far?
I’d like to get to know your ghost
And talk about where we’ve been
I’d like to get to know your ghost
And come to life again
**This is a punk rock song I wrote in February 1996 about taking control of your life and getting rid of the proverbial “monkey on your back”, whatever it may be.**
My anorexic flower
Do you know who you are?
Waiting every hour
In someone else’s car
It’s not hard to explain yourself
Even though it should be
It’s not hard to destroy yourself
Even though it should be
Something’s got you, pulling down
Something’s got you, dragging down
Something’s got you by the wrist
Turn the other into a fist
Reach out and touch someone
Something’s got you giving in
Something’s got you caving in
Something’s got you doing again
Take the gloves off and fight to win
Reach out and stop someone
Something’s got you doing this
Something’s got you feeling pissed
Something’s got you on the ground
Whip the bastard’s head around
Reach out and stop yourself
Kill your monkey
Kill your monkey
Kill your monkey
Before he kills you
**A rather sarcastic song lyric I wrote February 1996. I never did write any music for it, but I always imagined it with a Nine Inch Nails sort of sound.**
So you want to be a poet, boy?
Suffer
So you want to be an artist, boy?
Suffer
So you want to know true love, boy?
Suffer
A little masochist inside yourself
Is the burning ember on the shelf
You may die in cynicism
Thinking self destruction is the path to wisdom
Never forget your pleasures or pains
But don’t allow yourself the meagerest gains
Contemplate and over-analyze everything
Enlightenment comes of suffering
So you want to be good, boy?
Suffer
So you want to taste brilliance, boy?
Suffer
You say you want to know the answers, boy?
Suffer
**I’ve been thinking about posting some old song lyrics I wrote back in the 90’s when my friends and I had a band. I really like some of them a lot, and it’s kind of a shame to leave them buried in a drawer in an old notebook. This one was written in October 1996**
I’m feeling
Just a little deluded
Emotionally excluded
Socially precluded
And it’s all
Stuff that I’ve felt before
I’m seeing
Myself falling for the tricks
Hit by a ton of bricks
My heart maybe turning sick
And it’s all
Stuff that I’ve seen before
The more life has progressed
The more I have regressed
Turning around again
Falling on the ground again
Doing what I’ve done before
Doing what I’ve done
‘Cause nothing changes
I’m feeling
Just a little out of touch
Leaning on you as a crutch
In love with you (as such)
And it’s all
Stuff that I’ve felt before
I’m learning
Lessons I know by heart
But I’m still not so smart
Returning to the start
And it’s all
Stuff that I’ve learned before
The more life has progressed
The more I have regressed
Turning around again
Falling on the ground again
Doing what I’ve done before
Doing what I’ve done
‘Cause nothing changes
**Not so much a real “poem”, more just thinking about the way music has defined different periods of my life over the years and helped make me who I am 🙂 **
The soundtrack of my life
Begins
With Blondie
My first favorite band
At 8 years old
Then comes “Thriller”
Before Michael Jackson
Went all weird on us
Men At Work followed
With The Thompson Twins
But I grew bored
Pop candy didn’t satisfy
I turned to classical
Symphonic sounds
Filled my teenage bedroom.
But change was coming
Discovery!
And (best of the best)
My life was changed
My life was saved
I dove into the underground
The revolution was televised!
And one night
Alone in my room with Kennedy
My life changed once more
I got drunk on punk
The Clash and The Damned
The Velvet Underground and The Ramones
Classics enhanced by new blood
My tastes expanded
Taking in Bob Marley
The Doors and The Beatles
Became my new friends.
Years passed
I found myself in black and white
With The White Stripes
And Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
In 2003
Glen Miller, Les Brown and Tommy Dorsey
Kept me in touch
With the grandmother I’d just lost.
Then Sean Paul
Was the sound of summer
When I was first free again.
I rediscovered classical
And the magic of Scarlatti and Vivaldi
Until I found
Pulsing aural experimentation
Which led
To Daft Punk
And Deadmau5.
As I look back and see
How all these sounds have combined within me
Uniquely me
I realize…
It’s a wonder my mp3
Has not blown up yet! 😉
The Noise of Silence 