The Struggle

You can bet your bottom dollar

You can try until your death

You can talk until your face turns blue

But you'll only waste your breath

Cause some folks only see the things

That we can both see through

And all the explanations

Cannot change their points of view

Some folks live with hatred

While some folks live with fear

Scared to open up their minds

Afraid of what they'll hear

Me, I sit here on this porch

And watch the world go by

Knowing what we could have been

Will haunt me 'til I die

Mama said that everyone

Does the best that they can do

And while I admired her wisdom

I'm not so sure that's true

Some folks live for only greed

The truth is plain to see

But our hope is in each other

And the love in you and me

cn04282020

Philip's Song

You brought a love I never knew before

Brother, son, and somehow so much more

Remembering you inside that tent

Precious one who’d been abandoned

Your existence wasn’t random

Your life to me seemed heaven sent

Guess I really didn't know

All the pain that didn’t show

With no one here that could hide you

From the hurt born deep inside you

How I miss you here today

There was so much left to say

There will never be another

To replace my lovely brother

You had friends and you had lovers

I knew some, but there were others

You brought us light with just your smile

Wish I’d cherished every minute

Of my life when you were in it

The brightest stars just burn awhile

Guess we really didn't know

All the pain you couldn't show

None of us knew how to hide you

From the hurt born deep inside you

We all miss you here today

Hope you hear me when I say

There will never be another

To replace my lovely brother

cn03292020

Virus

There's something in the air that's quite contagious 

Sweeping across this land from coast to coast

A fever spreading town to town like wildfire

It flares up when we face what we fear most

It's fueled by greed and lack of true compassion

When people only care about themselves

Not thinking of the needs of those in peril

Their hearts as barren as the empty shelves

Some people shine their brightest in these hours

While others turn their backs on those in need

Too blind to see the struggles all around them

Too busy satisfying their own greed

So many times the ones who have the least 

Seem to be the ones quickest to share

Funny how the ones who've known great hardship

Find it so much easier to care

So, vaccinate yourself from this condition

Prepare to do the right thing from the start

Love's the only chance for our survival

And nothing's stronger than an open heart

cn03152020

Enough

Take some time to make a list 

Of all you’re grateful for

When life gets the best of you

The wolf is at your door

Every year brings painful loss

You bend beneath the strain

But life is still a grand parade

With so much left to gain

For all the loved ones I have lost

And all the pain I've known

Brought me where I stand today 

With every step I've grown

So, when it gets the best of you

And you can't find a light

Remember, that this too will pass

So, don't give up the fight

Don't fear the destination

Though the road is sometimes rough

And in the end, you just may find

The journey is enough

cn02032020

The Fifth Commandment

The wrong way is the easy choice

For those who just don't care

To speak for those who have no voice

Pretend you're unaware

Of how their world is changing

Their minds just slip away

You just aren't rearranging

Any hours in your day

You care too much about yourself

To face the painful truth

And so you place them on a shelf

Like you can't see the proof

That one who sacrificed for you

Now needs your helping hand

Ignoring what you know is true

Too weak to make a stand

So, they will fade, then disappear

You'll try hard to forget

How you abandoned one so dear

You'll live with that regret 

cn02172020

My Valentine

I could buy a million roses

And write poems every day

I could talk until I lose my voice

And still have more to say

No card could ever quite describe

This joy I’ve found with you

The love I see in your brown eyes

The dreams you’ve made come true

My comfort, my companion

My lover, my best friend

I will always be beside you

From this day until the end

For all the love you’ve given me

The tears you’ve wiped away

For all the laughter we have shared

For every wondrous day

You see, I owe my life to you

I don’t know where to start

To pay for all you’ve given me

I simply give my heart

So, slip your hand inside of mine

And let me see that smile

And walk with me in love’s sweet light

Each day and every mile

cn02132020

Words (For Norma Lynn)

I'm rarely at a loss for words

But it seems so hard to say

The way you changed my lonely life

In almost every way

I always feared the future

And was haunted by my past

Until that elusive Angel

Filled this heart with love at last

For love was just a fantasy

A glimpse in sleepless dreams

In quiet corners of my mind

Where nothing's as it seems

Until you walked into my life

And took my tired heart

And cradled it with your sweet love

Right from the very start

The depth of love you give to me

So few could comprehend

Sweet comforting companion

My lover and best friend

But still I struggle trying to put

These feelings down in rhyme

Know you're my one and only love

Until the end of time

cn12072019