This blog was created for others who will hopefully glean something from the words I have written.Not much to say except I ran off from an orphanage when I was 13 years old.Hopped on a freight train and joined the circus.Have been wandering ever since.I am grateful to be alive and my only desire is to leave something here for others to gain from.If I can accomplish that then I have successfully reached my intended goal.All we have left in the end is our legacy.
I asked for no pity or acknowledgement Rather it came to me inquiring so Rejection and misunderstanding Has been a familiar occurence for me My tears are connected to my heart My heart is connected to my mind It is inseperable from my body Yet within my broken spirit is a secret place Where no rejection survives It is true that Apollonius of Rhodes looked upon me This is the name his mother gave him But she did not teach him about compassion He is a bloody sort who holds the head of Medusa Not thinking about anybody but himself Therefore because I am aloof and forlorn I am known as Andromeda Like a band of stars that remains separated From all planetary bodies Within its folds is the secret place Appollonius slew the dragon and took me Yet within his passion remained an objective I revealed my true heart to Athena after my death It was I who chained myself to the rock Poseidon summoned Ceto for the work to be done I am the queen of men even above and beyond The oracle of Ammon My feet upon the rock was my message Take heed to the lapping waters In likeness to the people who task me I am whitened like marble from vexation My heart pumps sorrow through my veins Chained to this rock I pray that it will end My father the king does not know my heart Though I am the queen to all men There is no man that knows what I desire Rather it is foolish folly for them to think That it is passion which I seek My secret floats upon the gentle breeze Yet it falls upon deaf ears I am undiscovered and remote My tears are not noticed except in the heavens In a place where I cannot be touched or heard Only gazed upon in wonder Tender kisses and sweet breath only existed in my dreams
Silent freeways outside my window In am in lavendar fields No longer traveling the endless miles That deduct emotion from my heart I still sleep by the window and dream Of the distances that are beyond my reach Memories of the sun as I walked on the beach As felt its rays upon my face As I steadily quickened my pace Fair weather friends On fair weather days Thoughts of home as my mind plays The final trip home on the bus Where soild rock exsists Still there is the call of the road As my mind silently resists
One more year of riding this bus One more year of working I'll be finished with my schooling soon No more town people smirking When the time comes I'll catch the train Forget this place and all my pain My little sis and me will head on out To find a life No more having to do without The sun shines brighter somewhere else In the cleansing of the coming rain I just want to have a life In my own place-simple and plain To sit by my window Look down the street Watch the children play I have been molded Upon the potters wheel Wrought from the finest of clay
The kitchen is my favorite place Where all things come to be known When I was a child I talked to my mother The years passed by until I was grown Now I come home and sit in the kitchen I talk with my wife and we dance I remember the days when my mother Gave me knowledge to enhance Words that would follow me throughout life Into the great expanse Of the visions that enter into my mind
In the year Twenty Two Thirty One A person will read these words I've spun Age old verses still alive Lessons and lore that still survive They will taste of days gone by Sit there to ponder and wonder why How we lived and spent out days Had our children and taught our ways Eight generations will have expired Who read the words and had admired Then passed the prose on to who would come So they could feel the total sum Of a different beat that was in the world Of those who played the tune Refusal to allow the words to die To end up in the ruin I dedicate all my prose To those who will be born Though you will know of me-I never will you Lest ye celebrate me rather than mourn
This child which clings to my hand Is life reborn in me His tiny fingers reach out innocently As though a silent decree To hold me to my promises As all the years go by The many days to teach the ways And all it may imply Once upon a generation Chances may appear To make a difference in the world Upon this hemisphere A single tiny life comes forth That brings a call to bear The seedling grows to be a tree In all my gentle care
Checkerboard tiles By a tattered brick wall Out by the old steel door Smoking Camel cigarettes I stole from my mothers drawer The very walls are about to cave in The floor and ceiling are about to drop Too scared to look around In hopes that it all will stop Down on my knees when no one is looking I make my hurried plea Not knowing who I should direct it to In an unfamiliar idiosyncrasy Its not a serious consideration But what have I got to lose Jump off the rooftop onto the street After paying my dues I want to smoke another cigarette While I stare at the pyramid on the pack The one humped Camel refusing to look I sit in silence to remember the slack The street is unforgiving In the alleyways are survivor rats I will slither along with them Avoiding the stalking cats To live and breathe another day In my struggle to barely thrive Bread awaits fresh for the stealing The bread that allows me to survive
Homeless is a way of life I never would have chose My own children deserted me But that's the way it goes Each day I walk the many streets People give me food Sleeping in alleys-sometimes rooftops I wake in gratitude Life is precious,it has meaning Birds still bring me joy The sun feels good upon my face And I can still enjoy Precious moments at the park As I watch children play Hearing them laugh-watching them run Listening to the things they say They call me the woman with tears in my eyes But the tears are not ones of sorrow My life's path is what it is Then there's always tommorow
In somber flight a single bird Flounders over cobblestone streets Clattering cars that go by occasionally Missing the faintest of heartbeats Failing to notice the beating of wings Its life upon the fleeting air Soft clouds above observe The aviary who will dare Take notice of what is in the wind Rising motions give gentle heed Food for thought in hidden meanings Which the heart must now concede
Turning cogs of the mechanical machine In the midst of the condominiums Sparks fly to the artificial brain That surges forth with uncanny wisdom None of which is proven to be accurate Vanity no longer exsists on a realistic plane Stanzas of data are fed into its brain Without regard to human emotion Or as to what the soul needs Voices are no longer needed Opinions are turned into syntax Upon a blue screen that evokes slumber Folded hands are about thee As the chambers are closed indefinetly While the gears turn in constant turmoil In the metropolis that never sleeps At the gates of entry which are barred That serve as extis to those who may inquire Individuality is a dream of the past Unless the giant brain allows it to be so Energy is diverted into greater means As each day ticks by in the clicking of the gears That determine the outcome of each day Under a dying sun that no longer gives warmth without permission In the crimson sky that revolves around Machines who cannot feel emotion Or know the meaning of colors or music Because humankind has made it so
From this window life has gone by In the generations of time I have watched babies become men Who have gone to war never to return From the days of horses and carriages Until there were no more The banging of carts in the market place The sweet smell of fruit that wafted up To my window sills where I smelled The many odors of the street And saw lives lived below upon the concrete Crying children-laughing women Men who sat on porches Tapped into hydrants on hot summer days The occasional sound of the sirens Policemen who walk their beat on the street All those who wave to me from below I am Rapunzel who refuses To let down her golden hair Rather I am the lady of fair Who has grown old with age But I am still young in my heart And I dont miss a beat Of what happens in the street Sitting here day by day Until comes a time when I shall wake no more
The monsoon rain did not come as expected All the cattle died without water Crops in the fields did not grow There was nothing left to slaughter No flour left to make daily bread No strength in our arms to bury the dead Our cries went up and were not heard We laid in the baking sun while our vision blurred The few who were left crawled to villages Where nothing was found to eat We continued to crawl as we scratched the earth Blood ran from our cracked swollen feet My will to live is great for one reason To allow myself to be seen So that the children might be saved To close the gap between Those whose eyes do not believe The words upon a wall Might my image make its appeal Before I answer the call For when the day is over and done Might I not rise with the next sun If any eyes gaze upon what is left To envision that I am bereft By no fault of my own or others Take heed to the many mothers To save the children by solemn grace So that they may continue to run the race Better days surely are ahead Remember my plea although I am dead
The many thoughts in my connection Sometimes my head is in pain Words that are written upon paper Many words though I must refrain To ponder deeply in my own mind Is rather something that I will find But to reveal much would be to touch Something that may hurt those who read Lest they should become wounded And mentally bleed At my expense is the very reason I remain close to each season And reveal only small parts To keep in mind others hearts I have no desire to make hard connection Or to cause any sort of ressurection Of thoughts that float upon inspiring oceans I am sure to reveal many emotions That might invoke others to feel What it is like to feel a lightning strike That finds its mark like pulling reins upon a heart With visions of wisdom that will impart To have an effect on the human brain In likeness to the ball and chain I am chained to the earth and homeward bound To a place that is yet to be found Fleeing from the invasion of the many thoughts Evading the intimacy of the pervading images Skirting the boundaries of where I must go Barely ahead of the invoking scrimmages The impelling of the crowds who are compelling Breaking rules with mental duels So that the unlocking of secrets within the mind Are easier for them to find At the expense however intense To the pain in my mind that I hope to find Answers to prayer for those unaware As I bask in the quiet of the silence Before the storm that will commence
Look in the crawl spaces And under the porch This is where I can be found I mean no harm or to cause alarm To this earth I am somehow bound There is still a work to do That has yet to be shown to me I wander til then in this world Unable to set myself free No idea how long its been I tire not from lack of sleep Nor do I feel the pangs of hunger Or the need to keep A place in a heart that no longer exsists But somehow my presence is needed When the time comes for me to go My reason for being will have succeded Still I am a little girl Who remembers my mother well Anxiously I await my reason for being So I can move on from this shell
Dimly lit asbestos tiled corridors No record of the many who passed The many lives of those in disguise The possibilities of an iconoclast Uncontent to allow others to pass Or to hold fast to cherished traditions Until the halls are silent and bare Without the danger of juxtapositions In the containment of light Which cannot be possessed Attempts to create environ Will be met with protest Lids on crab buckets are unnecessary If any try to make their way clear The others grab on and drag it back down Escape is the least of the fear So is the way of the sniggle in foraging Reaching deep down into the hiding places of the soul Silence in the halls that accumulate dust Beyond the devices of control
Entangled in the wilted grass Bearing witness to that which was The favorite toy of a little boy Who spent each night by his side Laid there close to his head When he would rise to each Morning sun that came in through The window and met his eyes He is now sentinel at his gravesite Alongside the cold granite headstone No longer able to give comfort Except to those who remain Though all is now silent He is still able to deaden the pain When eyes shall glance upon him Even with thickness of morning dew The child within shall be though of sweetly This much shall always be true His stone may be bare but hearts are full He exemplifies what was held to be dear The lone teddy bear is his disciple Who shall always remain near
Spending time with my children As each day passes us by Never taking their presence for granted I will always identify Allowing them closeness Time to be spent Together we may be able to touch Eachothers hearts in all ways imaginable For it is a privelage as such To be able to have their precious lives Touch mine in so many ways They are my bright stars in the sky Who continue to amaze Their questions are never a bothersome thing I always want them to know They can come to me with anything And I will listen so For they are my children-they are my heart Nothing can replace their smile My love is endless for them And will never become erstwhile
Sometimes I talk to him When we are alone He listens and never complains The question is whether he understands And how much of it he retains One thing I know is my secrets are safe I tell him about all that I think He is my friend through it all As I give him my silent wink Sometimes we sit on the hillside Or we might take long naps together Under a tree or where else it might be Laying in fields of heather We might decide to take a ride In my old pickup truck Whatever we do is just fine with him My dog is my charm of good luck
Flames engulf the landscape All that is in harms way Trees that lived a hundred years No longer will they sway Those who make it to the creek Can only stare in wonder They feel fear and tremble greatly Watching the flames in plunder The crackling branches Of falling timbers Glowing embers roll to the waters edge Narrowing the paths that lead to safety Slowly creating a wedge Billowing smoke blots out the sun It is as though midnight at high noon Merciless flames without regard To the daffodils that continue to swoon Intensified heat shall wilt the petals Until they be no more An era ends-a way of life Of which many came to adore
Last week I found out from my sister That they had a torrid affair If not for her telling me so I would have been unaware I kept my cool all week long Until our weekly drive In the country where we always go Until we had arrived When I confronted him about it all He sat there and spun a tale Now he gets a knuckle sandwich And all that will entail The walk to town will do him good When he gets home I'll be gone Let him live with my little sister Back in Saskatchewan As for me I'm off to Europe To find a better existence I'll walk in the rain without my shoes And learn to keep my distance From floundering fools who live on lies Who thrive on breaking hearts I'll find a friend who I can trust Whose love will not depart
My child is gone He no longer cries I place him into the ground From lack of water My breastmilk was no more No clean water or food could be found Each day I prayed for a miracle A miracle that never came ~ There have been those who came to my village Who told of places where abounds much food Where water flows clean and cold And a person came be renewed This is my third child I have lost I find it hard to believe That there are places like I have been told It's more than I can conceive If there is a place like this It must be a place like heaven itself Where every home has its place And food upon their shelf
Down by the pier under darkened skies Coming to terms I must realize Broken hearts over time will mend Although it may not at the time seem so My swollen eyes sore from tears I rock myself to and fro In somber silence I try to console That for which I feel this loss Noticably there is a shaft of light In the ceiling of the sky just across The bay where dreams are still afloat When I am ready to sail the sea Whispering winds will guide my way Unvulnerable will I be to the repartee In loss comes strength and wisdom Acceptance of things that come to pass I will cherish what life has to offer As I rest in the softness of the grass My mind is free as I sweetly sleep All things in life will keep Like chapters in a book of travels I know not what my life unravels Beams of light in the distance will be my guide
In the smoke filled room Where the music lives Notes that float With a beat that gives This is the place where my life Comes out to play in the crowd People who sit there and listen Wandering in the presence is disallowed Each note makes up a word Not many connect the dots Electricity is in the air Volatage is not measured in killowatts Reach out and grab ahold if you dare Nobody else will care It's there for the taking for the few who are bold Striking it richer than the finest gold Take it and put it close to your breast When you try to sleep you cannot rest There will be words that come from the notes As you begin to ascend to the clouds Where the mind freely floats
I am a black man who remembers the ways When things were different in darker days Our minds were impounded in the ruins Bitterness and salt poured into our wounds There seemed no light at the end of the tunnel Our souls poured into a giant funnel That led to a place where our voice was not heard Our cries ignored our vision blurred Step by step progess came slowly At great expense to those who ran the race We walked in the same streets Kept up the same pace Behind closed doors our fates were decided For no other reason than the color or our skin Giants walked through those doors With words that struck the heart within A call to arms fought with phrases That were met with very few praises Lives were laid down for the good of the people From the man who spoke from the church with no steeple The balance became even as days passed by There was no one who questioned as to why Now I am a man who is content Life is worth living as it was meant What is said behind closed doors will always occur But no longer does it cause visions to blur I am a man who has known bittersweetness in my heart
Motionless shadows that caress my window Whispering winds that seem to call out to me If all is calm the words will be heard In the silence of my room in darkness Free from the inclines of others Interfering well intentioned mothers Who cleave to notions and affairs Treading in places where no one dares Vain attempts to alter fate Those inner voices who patiently await For silence to fall once again Before they speak to me
I walk in the solitude of the landscape Moments of decision might I decide Knowing full well I cannot forever hide Or evade the rejections of my own mind Although I maintain a step ahead in my pace Routes of escape are continually planned Vain attempts are made to disguise my disgrace My inner most prayer is to bind myself When it comes knocking at my door Opportunity is met with the door remaining closed As I anxiously pace the floor Fear can be found walking in the way Although I have much to say My own mind prevents me from taking The steps necessary for my awakening Attachment is not an option It's not my own idea of how it should be I prefer to remain sulking in my corner Readily awaiting for my chance to flee From the very thing that is connected to me For I to be-For I to be; But alone and cursed for all time High in my tower that reaches towards the sky Counting the ways under my own breath Never bothering to get past why Even though I know I will not fall I refuse to answer my call Rejection is one of my greatest fears I prefer to drown in my own tears It's the safest way to be-even though I know it's not Too bad the bullshit don't work on myself I am a square block that fits into a round slot Because and only because I say so
Stairs in the vortex Of the unspoken delerium Those who trudge the rails Always shuffling familiar paths Ignoring the child who wails Echoes fall upon closed walls Lurking behind shut doors Ceilings reveal clacking motions From the upper floors In the distance the radio plays Broken tunes to mend broken minds Half bottles of vodka riddled with spider webs Empty thoughts that nobody ever finds Dreams within dreams that never reveal Behind walls that are enclosed in steel Unfamiliar sounds in the tinking of a tap Laying awake in the airless trap Outside the doors are sets of stairs Upon which you can place all your cares Others will walk and grind the dreams Into the floors and into the seams Of the dilapidated tapestries That cover the floors
High on the plateaus of my own mountain I sit in solitude This is the space where I must be In order to completely see The visions that are within my mind If I am ever in hopes to find The paths that I must walk in journeys end Meeting up with foe and friend The dream paths are not always clear Some are filled with turmoil and fear Ghosts of the past must be faced Medicine Men have told me things must be placed In proper alignment to the juxtaposition If I am in hopes of completing my mission As quickly as steam rises so time passes by It is a silent cry That I must listen for and hope to recognize Before it quietly and silently dies Time is of the utter essence Lest I give it up in the acquiescence Within the place of rendevous That will occur within my own mind
We are the happy pelican trio Who like to sing on the beach We croon our tune on the little sand dune Sometimes our song goes out of reach Today the seagulls are our audience The usual crowd on most days Once in awhile a sandpiper stops by Or a pigeon will give us a gaze Every day is a wonderful day We are the divebombers of the sea We fish,we sing,we laugh with our friends And to this we can all agree Everything's great as we listen to the waves Soon we will take a short snooze When we wake up we will sing a song Then out in the ocean we will cruise
Harry the chimp sits with his friend They have had an argument But things are on the mend It was over smoking cigarettes With his big wet lips Then giving them to Carl the bird That fussy white cockatail Called Harry the chimp a nerd He wanted his own smoke Without the wet end Harry didn't seem to care He sits there quietly drinking his wine Not caring whether he is fair His big lips tried to play that horn Ne'r a note could he play All he does is smoke cigarettes And drinks his wine all day Harry is the wild man of Borneo Carl just might peck him on his ear Then he'll fly out the window and get away Making Harry scream with fear A day or two will quickly pass All will be forgotten and forgiven Everything will return to normal And both of them will go on livin'
My father has sold me I'm enslaved in a brothel My only escape is death I bury my head in the pillow and cry Barely catching my breath No matter how much I try to wash I still feel like I am unclean Prayers keep me alive in my heart Hoping that God will intervene Dreams are no longer Nightmares have replaced them A strangers touch gives me a chill Groping fingers on my body Until they have had their fill Like discarded rubbish they leave me I am left in lonliness and disgust Gagging over the taste of their odor Hating their animalistic thrusts Their faces are as blanks They have smashed my heart I can no longer feel anything There is nothing left of me anymore All that is left is the swiftness of their sting
In contemplation as days go by Time is the one thing that limits our existence There is only so much given to us Then there is also the reality of distance We are separated from spaces in time Minds may travel there in theoretical terms To be in the flow for all we can know Traveling thoughts deny what confirms Evasive energies that derive from thought A work in progress for which is wrought Awareness comes at a great price It is purchased by our forfeit of time
What is my purpose for being here How did everything come to be That cloud in the sky looks like a poodle Another one looks like a tree Will I become somebody who is great Who goes down in history That cloud in the sky is changing It no longer resembles a tree Now it looks like a whale a bit Or is it a fish with a snout That one which looked like a poodle Now looks like a clown with a pout When I grow up will I be a mother Will my relationship be good with my brother How many children will I end up with This myriad of questions that come up this day Maybe I'll walk down to the schoolyard My-how those clouds can betray They never stay in one place very long Their images constantly change I wonder where I'll live when I grow up Will it be on the open range Or in a metropolis where skyscrapers abound That reach for those clouds in the skies For now I suppose I will have to be content With what I can see through my eyes
From the energy flow We come and go So as it was-so as it is So as it will be In eternity From the primordial ooze It is not how we choose But rather by the fates From the power that abdicates From a source that is beyond The control of this dimension It is a watery grave from which We make our ascention In its retention we remain for awhile Until the calling to reconcile With the place from whence All energies commence Returning to the womb of creation Through a tomb where the migration Of all energies are born unto life once again
I sail upon the ship named Piquad The skill of my mighty harpoon Bringing back oil and blubber for ransom Bitter salt of the sea from which I am immune The brine and foam sting my face I am from a peculiar race From barren lands my broken hands Grasp the shaft which brings death To the mighty whales of the seas That breathe and blow from their spouts Before I am upon them like a mighty disease When anchors drop like mad weights We row in our own madness my hearty mates Ah to be as one upon the sea with sun upon my brow I tremble within my bones and veins As though in tow of my escape I am Queequeg the savage man I bring death to the leviathans of the sea
Waiting for daddy to come home So he can read to me I think about him everyday And mommy will agree He makes us laugh And when we play Sometimes he tickles me so I draw pictures for him at school With my crayons that make things glow Sometimes I draw him by our house He is standing there with me and my rabbit Mommy is there with a smile on her face All of these things I dearly embrace
I am Fred the hairless cat Today is not a good day As soon as the sun came up I knew there was not much to say It rained all night and thundered too I didn't get much rest Then there was this mouse in the house Who has caused me to become distressed The food I have to eat is not tasty The place is kind of cold and damp The other cat stole my place in the chair Over by the ugly lamp Which I do not like by the way I liked the old one better Oh and the Irish Setter He is kind of smelly and mean But he eats stuff from the litter box I dont think he is too clean They never buy me any toys Or give me tasty snacks It's always noisy in this place Everybody and every thing invades My private space Hey-I'm a hairless cat What do you expect I like to complain about my neglect Guess this place is as good as any Wish they would give me spaghetti Once in a while
As I watch her from my window She walks away from me in the rain The dead silence in her presence In rememberance of the inner pain I want to speak but cannot My destruction of what was a gift Better to let it go in peace Lest I cause another rift Through no fault of hers but my own I shall reap what I have sown The fading image as she dissapears I remember her tears Thereby my unasked for chance To retain the unique romance In utter rejection my reactions The motion within my hearts contractions It is from the bitterness deep within my soul That condemns me to this hole Which I have dug for myself in rage I am returned once again to my cage In the midst of this rain I know so well Be well my love-farewell!
Towers like fingers that reach for the heavens In the reflection from the impending storms People who gather in the streets Eager to witness how it all transforms Ants who hustle their crumbs to the ground Oblivious to the rains that shall come The queen demands it from all her subjects Like gaping holes that are closed with alum Without their assistance the royalty dies Beneath the open skies Radios play the news of the day Except in the elevators of the reaching fingers Soothing music that deadens the senses Reminding those who live in towers That there are many fences Like egg cartons with their own spaces Segregation still exists behind the faces Mask wearing citizens who know the game well Hiding in the egg cartons amongst the eggshell Twenty one days is all it takes Until a beak pierces their prison into the air Clouds compile in the magic mile To shadow the thoughts of the unaware Hidden agendas know their place They remain frozen in their own disgrace Until they are called like mad dogs for the slaughter Hydrophobic imbeciles who cannot come near water Remain on the elevators until their thirst Allows them to foam at the mouth until their brains burst The music continues to play in the background In a city where nobody can be discovered or found
Out on the back porch We go over the plays There are many things to discuss We walk the field and smell the grass Oblivious to the roar of the enthusiasts Crowds that cheer while others jeer Under the roaring sun Then there is the matter of the model ship Meager pieces of balsa wood on a table Into wee hours of the night assembling Talking of the great fable On other nights we listen The crystal radio plays Laying there awake at night Thinking of soccer days Upon our roof we lay on top Watching the stars brightly glisten In the quiet we hear the sounds If you take the time to listen Brief smiles appear from time to time While there are no prying eyes Out in the fields where we may walk There is no taunting of the flies Only the ways of the many days As we move forward in our own time
Dawn to dusk the land was worked Now I rest in total decay The mechanical mule who kissed the furrows Who came to know it day by day Long ago my wheels rotted Children sat upon my empty seat Out in the distance are my beloved fields Of golden shocks of wheat My good friend the weather vane Lays in ruin as do I Together we become part of the landscape Subject to all that shall unify In a world that no longer has needs For the likes of what we provided We were the kings of all such things In days when such things coincided The fields of wheat give birth to dust Sunflowers give way to nature We rust and die in silence No longer a part of the nomenclature
This is my house where I happily live I work in the fields all day We finally have a well in the village And a place for my children to play By candle light late into the night I read and watch my children sleep Bread has been prepared for the next day The rest of my chores will keep Next year my smallest child will attend a school Her sister will keep her from harm My work in the field will continue each day Perhaps I will get more work on the farm There is much to be greatful for God has heard my pleas I have tears of joy in my heart There is no longer an unease Firewood is a plenty There is wheat for my flour Perhaps a small part of sugar for my tea A dam that soon shall be built That will provide us power
Momma works in the field all day I have a place I can go to play Other children are sometimes there In the big doorway That leads to the fountain where I can drink We kick the ball and laugh Once we got to hear some music On a phonograph My older sister goes to school Next year will be my turn To go with her and begin to learn To read and write I want to be a nurse someday I will give my mother my pay So she can rest by the house Her work in the fields will be done Our days will be good and we will laugh Under the warmth of the sun
In my slumber I dream of days When I was just a boy Before the call to war Came knocking on my door Comrades fell on both sides My wonder to why I was spared In the cold damp foxhole shivering My heart greatly despaired The grimace of pain in my bones In underlying tones No real thoughts of going home Rather just to have it end so I could roam Two decades have passed since then On good nights I wont scream Ghostly images of my comrades Walk by in a stream They beckon to me to follow Down a dismal road I numb my brain with vodka To help me ease my load From time to time I find some work It never lasts too long Soon come the voices giving me choices The loudness is like a gong That goes off in my head until I can find A resting place for my tortured mind
Empty heart of my soul It cries out for thee I cleave unto you Like a leaf upon a tree Return to me oh husband From this conflict of men I will wait for you fathfully Until I see your loving face To hold your hand in mine Nothing can replace The brightest star will shine It is in rememberance of you I hold this dear to me You are my first though each day And my last thought at night In highest light of apogee
My child's body has been washed He is prepared for burial today He whispered softy to me at dawn And asked me not to pray The biggest fear he had was that He would awake in hunger Only to find his brother there Who was only one year younger My tears are not tears of sadness They are made for joy To know that he will suffer no longer My darling little boy Through no fault of his own Things turned out for worse He will live in my heart For my little boy was and is my universe I kiss him on his forehead I kiss him on his hands Wishing him well in his journey To dream paths in new lands
In silence I wait for my only son He works after school at the grocery store Early each morning I send him off I adore him more than life itself The smell of coffee wafts through the kitchen Dinner is on simmer-It's just chicken Soon he will come walking in the door We will talk and maybe find something To laugh about together His girlfriend will show up after dinner Maybe we'll play a game of scrabble I sure could use a cigarette about now I'm trying to quit Working late at the diner is alright The tips are lousy but the work is steady Life is good for me
From China my family came to this country They worked on the railroad tracks On mountains and praries Leaning into each rail with their backs Sweat and blood poured from them The dogs were treated better Years might go by before they sent a letter Across the arrid plains For the sake of the dreams of trains They saw wonder in hoofs of thunder Amazed at the plight of the buffalo Witness to their endless slaughter Dynamite blasted into solid rock Trestlework fashioned over running water With little pay for their labour Pennies were saved becoming dollars Soon others came to work So that someday we might become scholars I still walk the railroad tracks Giving thanks to them from days of yore Their sacrifices making all things possible So that I might someday soar
My hands are very big you know I am strong as well My good friend gave me this hat I have lots of friends who live in my hotel Everyday I watch cartoons Then I go to work Down by the newstand helping my friend I am a newspaper clerk My friend who I work for gave me a turtle I named her Myrtle She eats lettuce and sleeps all day She doesn't move much and won't play I put her in bed with me at night So she will be safe and warm I like to watch her sometimes She likes to hear the rain in a storm My mom comes to see me once a month She brings sandwiches and we go to the park She brings me coloring books sometimes And brings my brother Mark They talk to my friends when they come To find out if I have been good I like my mom and my brother too I just wish they would Come to see me more sometimes I miss them once in awhile The best thing I like about my mom Is her pretty smile
