Poetry 2003-2004

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Dreamwalker

Walking the night On cloud formed feet Seeing the dark With stars in eyes Holding the air In a hallowed moon Dancing in dreams And Living the night

Swimming a sea With midnight fins Flying with wings Made of city lights Weaving a tapestry With a needle of stars Walking in dreams And being the night

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Sun Cat

Warm and idyllic Simple and joyful Making other envious Wanting what they have

Time ever lasting Been there forever Envisioning jealousy Other's left green with envy

Not the couple in the park Nor the one's holding hands Just a cat and a sunbeam How simple love is

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Fire in the Sky

Fire in the sky

Ash in the air

Panic in the streets

People in tears

Heroes in a moment

But heroes to the end

Mourners in the night

Still mourners to this day

Finger's in pointing

Trying to place blame

Children are the hope

Making for a better way

A day in history

And history in hours

With anger in the sky

And hope in the world

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Simple

Simpler times

Simpler ways

Simple dreams

Simple days

Simple slipping

Simple changing

Simple no longer

Hard times

Hard ways

Hard days

But still

Simply dreaming

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Senseless

Shots ring out on a city street

Another senseless crime

A baby loses a father Another teenage mother cries

Smoke hangs in a crowded room Thick dense and high Dragging a mind into senseless dreams Till the smoke claims their lives

Two rival groups in an alley way Street lights flash off knives A name called out, blood on the streets And hate is now a crime

Senseless, heartless and normal Made part of everyday routine Day to day tragedies So no one sees the pain it brings

The world gives us a cold impression But only cry with one eye The other must be looking Searching for the light

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Passion

Born in fire
Doused by tears
Living in hearts
Dieing in words
Sung in touch
Mourned in empty space
Loved by night
Lost by day
Lived in hearts
Killed by minds
Passion

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Music

Play me the music Of a broken heart I want to hear The violins mourn

Play me the music Of a rage gone jealous I want to hear The drums simmer

Play me the music Of a recovery coming I want to hear The flutes sing

Play me the music Of a joy in one self I want to hear The guitars dance

Play me the music Of a life being lived I want to hear It all

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Dark Angel

Dark Angel, lady of the night Your voice I hear its call Singing with a siren's touch My will you must not fall

Her wings of twilight velvet Draw me to her arms But cold and cruel unwelcome Is all I'll find in her heart

Eyes like pearls of oceans depth Twisting heart and soul In them I look for comfort But it's to a rocky end I go

Dark Angel loose me from your hold And leave me to my peace This is time you come to early And my surrender you will not find sweet

Go find another mortal soul To tempt to your world so bleak Leave me to my realm of light It's here I find my peace

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Voice

(To be read with listeners' eyes closed)

When you close your eyes you see nothing Till my voice fills the air And you begin to picture My race, my height, my hair

But what can you tell By my gentle inflections Can you tell me my weight, my eyes My complexion

Can you tell by my tone What clothes I would wear Can you tell me the style Of one lock of my hair

Describe to me my weight My height, my stance Or will you give me a minute Give my words just a chance

Some of you might be right Some of you might be wrong But I'd side with the ones Who see nothing at all

Dose a voice need a face For a person to be heard Or can we look pass that To base things on looks is absurd

For the tiniest voice Can make mountains fall But all a face does Is rebuild those fallen walls

So use not your eyes To gain an impression Listen to my voice To make your decision

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Frost and Glass

Like frost on the window in the dawn of winter your heart haunts me. A bitter sweet wine of rich misery that leaves a cold after taste. Nothing I want more than to let this misery go, but like the frost that needs the sun to turn it free, I can't seem to find warmth enough to loose your hold. Like the steel and glass memorials to the business man I reach for the sky. It's a desperate case since buildings never truly touch the sky and I too will never truly fly. Forgive me for mourning, but these tears are shed for both our souls. I cry for you because you will only know winter and the ice there. I cry for me because I have lost myself to your eternal winter. So you and I, frost and glass, heart and tears, we will try to find comfort in our ragged edges. Desperately seeking warmth within and between us. We will wait for freedom that will be found without gentle lies and deceitful touch. We will be as frost and glass. Touching in the cold morning, while seeking no solace, only freedom.

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Burning

Do I know what I am doing? As we slowly strike the flame Am I happy with my choices? When I know this could all end in pain? Will I feel aching sorrow? When this night turns to day I can not give you answer For I know not what to say

The only thing I ask you As this fire slowly lights Is leave me to my burning And let this end as it might Let this fire me of glory Something lovers rarely see Let this burning be of rebirth The reawakening of WE

We will not dwell on morning And what the sun might bring For now we have each other Let that be all that rings Let the fire burn like fever And the coal glow like heart May we take this path together And end as ashes in the hearth

And someday in the distance That our eyes can not see We will rise as the phoenix To burn again as WE

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Alas Babylon

In the times of old When the nature of mine Was to worship natures There was little of Babylon

Then the rising of a new sun Ushered in the era of man made Gods Slowly Nature bowed to Science Welcome to the rise of Babylon

Yet the old gods would not surrender Awaken the old gods, Nature rise again Thus begins the slow destruction of humanity Alas the fall of Babylon Alas Babylon

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Calling

Something is calling me In the shadows of the night A voice that has no body That haunts the empty room

A chill passes through me As it draws ever near Floating as a phantom As silent as the mist

This vision of the darkness Bares no shape or form I only seem to sense it By the tempting horrid call

Slowly my feet are moving And the phantom halts its song It sees that I am giving To the pull that he has wrought

We reach for each other As time begins to slow Out hands touch palm to palm I understand the secrets of the dead

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Unasked

Time and time again With eyes cast towards the sky We hope to seek out answers Woven in the star laced void

Lost within those heavens Other eyes do lament Cry for the answers To the questions that go unasked

But for all the answers craved Who has the heart to ask the questions? And out there in the heavens Who has the heart to answer back?

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White Picket Fence

Behind the white picket fence and the cobble stone path that leads to the
white washed door lives what no one would expect.
Regret

The dawn shows the angelic façade of a perfectly pressed business suit and
a lovingly content peck on the cheek
Weak

She stays at home pretending to be what everyone wants her to be when it's
a glass of sherry that keeps her sane
Pain

She's a fly in his thoughts as he works through his day, forgetting the
morning's debate
Hate

In the evening dinner's on the table and nothing is said about the morning
to him it's hushed
Crushed

When the lights go down he reaches for her thinking three little words will
fix it all
Appalled

While he sleeps, she sneaks away reaching for courage she takes her final
act of defiance
Silence

This morning the white picket fence is stripped with yellow and behind the
white washed door to hearts lie dead
End

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Street Child

Street Child What drove you here? With skirts that leave nothing to the imagination You stand under the pulse of neon Making a living off the men you once looked down on

Gutter Baby How do you survive the pain? Brought by your high heeled shoes that encase dainty feet Do the fishnets and spandex provide the comfort you can't find while on your back?

Lamppost Infant What about that light makes you beautiful? Within that flickering florescence you are burning for action A woman who worships the wrong side of midnight Wanting another night like the last and the next

Street Corner Kid Am I the only one who sees you for what you are Terrified by my red and blue flashing lights you become another worn and beaten newspaper clipping Fearful of my badge you cower under the only shelter you know

Alleyway Rugrat Where will you go from here? Will my kindness turn you back to the home you abandoned? Or will you stay under the shadows of a neon sign? Trapped between a street child and a forgotten woman

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Traditional

Traditional poetry is as follows: The cat Who is fat Sits on my welcome mat

But I say traditional poetry is: The tamed king of the jungle Turned as soft and as plump as my pillow Surveys the new jungle from his welcoming throne

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Hospital Bed

I sit at the edge of your bed Looking down as you gently breathe It's just like you're sleeping they tell me But not even my gentle pleading has stirred you

Wake up, I'm forgetting your smile That one that stopped the world And made my blood run hot Come back to me, please, just open your eyes I need to know if they are the same sparkling glass green

And your hair, that use to fall into my eyes when you kissed me Lies still, strewn across your pillow, as night drapes the horizon Hands that once held me tight, hands that guided Are lying still with palms down as if you're just bored

I reach for those still hands, finding the warmth of life, but never the movement Come back, I whisper in frustration, For while you lye still my heart does too

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Folies-Bergere

She's pale A ghost in the masses Of loud nighttime joy Her hand rest On the smooth polished granite As well made and aged as The bottle of spirits before her The flower pinned to her petticoat Tries in vain to light her eyes But she's having no part in its efforts With a painful tired sigh She reaches for a glass "What will be your fancy tonight, sir?" With practiced detachment she missed the drink Adding the orange and handing it over She returns her hands to the granite A ghost in the masses

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Sanctuary

Rolling sand
Dotted with scrub brush and cacti
Cliffs rise over dawn to keep her at bay
Valley is shadowed

Chill of air
Safe as long as cliffs
Offer shelter from scorching heat

Few birds have not sought shelter
Sun will soon bake Earth

Remnants of the night
Stars a gentle burning on my tongue
Dawn sweet sour trying to take away night's flavor

Heaven on Earth
Little piece, paradise one I am allowed to enter.

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Coats

She was born in the midst of the black frock coats Kept in the gentle safety of the woven wool She was born in the arch of old brown leather Taken to the cold of the worn lining One night under the glory of a lamp post Black frock fell away and joined the brown leather in the gutters Steam rose from their evening broth.

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Symphony

Tonight as the music plays I seek a matching melody. I need a song's rhythm
to soothe the tremors of my spirit.

Beat in time to the drums my tender heart and sail away as the violins
play.

Dream with each drifting note of the piano, my soul, and touch the stars
with the lulling of the flutes

Feel, my bones, the rumbling tremble of the cello and simmer in the fire of
the bassoon.

Take all of my as the music blends and the melodies flow. Take me away from
the shards of my spirit. Take me away on the wings of a sweet symphony.

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Evening

Save me from this evening. Where the night is cold enough to turn my tears to ice. Tears like crystals that hang upon my cheek as stars hand upon the
sky. As if silver wire waits to wrap it in a ring that will adorn the
finger of some Goddess one day for all eternity.

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Fung Haung

Wings of fire cascade golden gems through the dawn. Smoke rises from the maw of an eternal beast whose death means life. Graceful in its glory, that
even put the chaos of the heavens to shame. Sweet monster of the ever burning flame will you rise to the challenge of doubting minds and reclaim
your tarnished honor? What does it matter? You will live beyond their
belief.

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Pool Hall

You remind me of a pool hall in a city where day ends early and night stays
up late.

I hear the sounds of "Rack 'um up!" and scratchy juke box honky-tonk as I
step inside your doors.

And there you stand in the corner watching the game before you with that forbidding smile on your lips. The one you wear as comfortable as an old
pair of jeans.

Through the lingering haze of cigarette smoke I can see you leather boots are scared like the biker's at the bar and the cowboy's who leans against
the wall.

I watch your eyes follow the progress of the game and wonder how you got
them to be the same glowing amber as the beer from the tap.

You tempt your opponent to make that impossible shot because just you presence, like a ghost from the shadows, is enough to rattle the core of a
God and terrify that of a mere man.

You rise from the wall as sure of yourself as an ally cat. Just as the fight breaks out at the bar your voice, as musical as the whispered clack
that comes from the tables, drawls, "Eight ball, corner pocket."

The sucker you conned into playing, puts down his money, curses you and stomps out. But like the pool hall you don't care, you'll just wait for the
next sucker who will walk through those swinging doors.

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Lust

My story is simple And if you'll lend an ear I'll tell you the whole thing As we lye here

My heart's non-existent And the romance is gone I'm living in a love That fades before dawn

I use to care for the other I use to give them my all But when my walls crumbled My heart would always fall

So the pain has be crippled And I'm walking in a haze Ignoring all relationships List in a one-night maze

I use to hold out for a love Throwing caution to the wind But now I've gone away My heart is locked within

My eyes are left blinded From hundreds of unshed tears I was never scared of anything But live is now my fear

My ears are left deafened From lover's bitter sweet lies All those promises whispered That always ended in good-bye

It's a hard and hard exsistence When you're left deaf and blind But some times I fell it A hope deep inside

Look, I'm still a fool For believing in my heart I should know better now That's how this all starts

Now you know why I'm looking for one night I'm sick of the pain So I've given up the fight

So now the sun's rising And it's back to day to day I hope you enjoyed it But I must be on my way

Love

I hope you will wait I've got something to say It's more of an idea Come with me, this way

So, don't be scared I mean you no harm Have a seat, it's all right There's no need for alarm

Your story is sad One old and all too true But something about it Makes me want to help you

Everyone's been hurt Heck, even me But there's a way to get through All you do is believe

Now, don't look like that Yes, it's an old cliché But it really does work It saved me, I say

So here's my deal And I hope you'll except Join me for dinner I'll pick up the check No I'm not joking I mean what I say I'll pick you up at seven There's a great resturant by the bay

Please join me tonight And try once again Because love is tricky But hearts do mend

I hope you will let me Sweep you off your feet Yes it is lucky For us to meet

See sometimes love Fades before the dawn But sooner or later Your white knight comes along

But that's how love is It's simple and profound And in this one night That's what you have found

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Even Angels Fall from Heaven

Even angels fall from Heaven Can you forgive me if I'm one? I may have lost my footing But I will rise above All I have to do Is wait for my wings to mend And back to Heaven I will rise again An angel once again

So can you just wait for me For you seem to understand And as a fallen angel I desperately need a friend Falling from the Heavens Has triggered the memories of my mind There's something about you Something familiar, something kind.

Somewhere in my past There's an angel I remember Who was once a great shinning star Whose memory is now an ember But that memory's sparked a fire And I slowly see the truth I'm beginning to believe That fallen angel is you

Do you have memories of a time When there was always peace? Then something suddenly changed Which left you stranded, out of reach And when you hit the ground Did your wings disappear? A painful silent falling With no one to dry your tears?

I too have fallen from the Heavens And know the impact's pain Only I have found someone To ease the guilt and the blame My wings may be a little tattered But I will carry on I'll take you back to Heaven's sky When both our pain are gone

When the way to Heaven opens up Take the offered hand It was suppose to be for me My return to Heaven's land It doesn't seem fair That you were the one to fall Take my offered salvation And return to Heaven's halls

So you, my fallen angel Your soul will carry on I'm giving you your wings back You'll be an angel again by dawn I'll join you there in Heaven Some day along the road For the way to Heaven has opened up And it's time for you to go

Even angels fall from Heaven You and I might be one We may have lost our footing But we will rise above All we have to do Is wait for our wings to mend And back to Heaven We will rise All angels once again

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Remembrance of Love: A poem in two parts

Part one: Memories

I look out the window Watching the snow fall down Trapped in the stillness of the house In this silence, I'll drown

It's one of those moments Where my heart takes control When my memories take flight And my will kneels to my soul

When the tears begin to fall And I feel so out of place When my lips begin to tremble And my own image I can't face

These are memories of a time That passion dose ignite A picture show of moments Trapped in eternal midnight

When the lights were turned down And the candles were burning When the sheets were pulled back And our hearts were yearning

Each craving the other A passion undefined A feeling so powerful We were helpless to deny

I remember the shivers That held in our touch I remember the passion That was almost too much

I remember the sandstorms That dance in our eyes I remember the fire Carried in our cries

I remember the tremors That followed in our words I remember the instant In which love was heard

But these are just memories Of a past long dead Moments of surrender With words left unsaid

The shivers have gone And the fire is cold The passion has left And the tremors have dulled

While I may still be here I'm here on my own He's no longer with me For years we've been done

He was my first love A simple college romance But since those days Nothing seems to last

Only in these moments When the silence takes its hold I remember him clearly Though that memory is old

So I fight down the pain And call the memories back home For that's the way things are now Without him, I'll forever be alone

Part Two: Searching

It's snowing again As I walk down this street No noises reach my ears But the rhythm of my feet

Christmas lights are up And there is joy in every heart I seem a winter shadow Like an old, abandoned hearth

I'm left this empty shell By a haunting memory The shadow of a woman Who will always be with me

Her face I won't forget Along with those days All those nights of fire That hang like a haze

We shared something deep In the shadows of the night Where hearts become one And everything was right

Souls intertwined in those moments And we worshiped only each other Time had no meaning for us Those memories still make me shudder

I remember the kisses That came down like rain I remember the whimpers Of longing, not pain

I remember the feeling That flowed like red wine I remember the craving That made it all so divine

I remember the whirlwinds That danced on our skin I remember the moment When love did begin

But that's all a vision A mist of the past It keeps me going Though my heart is fading fast

The kisses have stopped And the wine has run dry The cravings have lessened And the whimpers have died

Without her I'm losing To a slow and painful death Since she's not with me There's no cure I could get

My only hope is to find her But will she remember what we shared Will she ever get to know Just how much I really care

Now as I'm walking My thoughts keeping pace Do I truly see The gentle lines of her face

But my thoughts can't be so For they'll just bring me down And if I'm not feeling right How will I know it's her I've found?

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Love Is

Love is somewhere between complicated and confusing Love is crashing, burning, and getting back up to do it all over again Love is listening to your heart and realizing it doesn't always tell the truth Love is Fate's way of biting you in the ass Love is getting up in the morning and wondering who you're lying next to and what their names is Love is tripping and falling and enjoying the fall Love is anything that's fun in the beginning that sucks in the end Love is yelling, crying, screaming that for some reason always ends in smiling Love will bring you so close to unsure that is' almost to the point of uncaring Love is walking around blind after your heart is broken walking around seeing the truth Love will drive you insane until you finally win or finally lose Love is promising forever knowing that this moment might be all you'll ever find Love is smiling when you get flowers, even though you're allergic Love is knowing that while in their arms, you're free Love is giving up, in, out, over, down, left, right, forwards and backwards Love is head over heels, then realizing your head has always been over your heels Love is knowing that they're the one, even though they don't know it or you yet Love always follows friendship Love is a hard road to travel, make it easier on yourself travel with someone you like

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Hands

Everyday I see her Standing at the opening of an alleyway Like a fallen angel about to be swallowed by the gaping maw of Hell She is the images of poverty and the desolation of hope Her white jacket hands off of her like tattered wings And her face is sharp and carved with wrinkles There is almost nothing about her that isn't tainted by the streets The only thing that has escaped is what she cups in her hands Everyday she offers those hands up and everyday the passers by turn them away I have never seen what she offers but I always hear what's said between the passers by and this bag lady Today the first to be approached is a business man He looks as if he just stepped off the screen of a film noir, all black and white except for the brilliant red tie he wears "Come," says the bag lady, "Look into my hands and find what you have lost." "That is nothing but a rose," snaps the business man, "Wilted and old." And off he strides, walking as if the world is on his shoulders. It is the afternoon before the bag lady tries again This time it's a couple, holding hands, but they look as if there were miles between them. "Come," says the bag lady, "Look into my hands and find what you have lost." "This is nothing but a locket," scoffs the husband, "Made of tine and rusted." Even as the wife reaches for it the husband pulls her sharply away Only when night fell and the city blazed with artificial lights did the bag lady try again She offers her hands to a waitress who looks as if she carried one to many orders. "Come," says the bag lady, "Look into my hands and find what you have lost." "That is nothing but a doll," sighs the waitress, "Broken and dirty." She stares at the bag lady's hands before hurrying off, her tears shinning like diamonds as they fell On the other days I would just wait for the end of my shift and go home But today I cross the street, a sandwich in hand and offer it to the bag lady "Thank you, child," she says, "But I need no pity." "I mean no harm," I reply, "I just want to know why does no one see the same thing as the person before them?" "How do you mean?" Ask the bag lady, gazing up at me with ageless eyes. "Well, why did the business man see a rose or the couple a locket? Why the waitress a doll?" "Each sees what they lost and wish to find." "The rose is a woman the business man loved. The locket the closeness the couple use to share, The doll is the daughter the waitress was too young to keep." "But why are these things so old and worn? Shouldn't they be hopeful and shine?" "Time has touched them and tarnished their dreams." "What would I see?" I wondered aloud, "If I looked into your hands?" "Come," says the bag lady, "Look into my hands and find what you have lost." My breath holds, lodging in my throat as anticipation hovers around my heart She opens her hands and in them lays a torn wing from a butterfly With reverent nervousness I reach out a slightly trembling finger And as I tentatively touch this broken wing something in me trembles, breaking free Pure, exalted hope dawns in me and all the wounds society had inflicted on me heal "Take your dreams, little butterfly," the bag lady tells me, "And fly." I hear my name called, it's time to get back to work But work doesn't seem that appealing anymore I want to fly So I turn, taking the quickest way in the opposite direction And as the past fades with every step of my feet I hear the bag lady say "Come, look into my hands and find what you have lost."

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