Conscience, 1975

And the judge said guilty
 in the first degree, and
  my attorney asked for mercy,
   and the D.A. clamored for death.

And they cited my wrongs
 and he threw the book at
  me and sent me to
   solitary forever and ever.

And I said that I would
 do anything but that, and
  he said that it was too late,
   that I should have done it before.

And the jury cried "Guilty"!
And the crowd cried "Guilty"!
And the judge cried "Guilty"!
And I cried.

Conflicts, 1972

I find myself in different worlds,
One of good and one of bad,
I see myself in conflicts,
Insurmountable in today's society.

I have written poetry for ten years now,
As therapy for my different worlds,
But only time will tell if it has worked,
Because my conflicts still exist.

Within your self,
There is a different self,
You can't be truthful to everybody,
So there lies your conflict.

The poetry, I write, is mostly about me,
And some of it is about other people,
But if you read it,
You will see that I have a long way to go.
                          OH
I have a long way to go...

A Confession brought to you by and for the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, 1973

 Whenever I try to say something, I can't, so I fantasize instead.  Whenever I go into a fantasy state, I am happy, but reality makes me sad.  That is why the word--depression--is in my vocabulary.  Everything I do, except speech related fields, fails.  Why is this?  The problem lies with the person.  It's a sad thing when I have to cut myself down, but that's about the size of it.  Some people say that I'm worth something, but it's hard for me to believe that.  I feel love, but it's like a little child wanting some candy that is too high up for him to reach.  I feel like I want to belong, but people are cruel sometimes.  I feel a sense of friendship, but most of the people I know are not friends.  When will it stop?  It won't stop until someone realizes that inside this hard wall that is called my body, there is a shy, sensitive person screaming, "Hey, I'm here.  Look at me.  I'm a person.  I create things.  I love nature.  I love people.  Won't you love me?"  If someone hears me, I won't be depressed any longer.

Conceded, 1973

To say hello,
 but never see you.
To say I'm sorry,
 but never did anything.
To say I love you,
 but never giving.
To say you
 but always saying I.

Complicated

You come and go back
 and forth, up and
  down, right and
   left creating
    a problem
     of immense
      size.

But for why?
Why was it
made to be
a unfamiliar
bit of reality?

Could it be
that I'm
a Southern
gentleman
or
just
a
born
loser?

Either
way,
I
wish
it
weren't
so.

A Companion Poem to Something Else

There has not been a poem
 called "Something Else",
  by the time that I'm
   writing this.

So why use the title?

Because I could have
 said something else
  but too many people
   wouldn't understand.

To get back to the poem.

If I were to say that
 peace was coming today,
  I would be called a
   lunatic and weird.

But peace has come
 because anyone that has
  love has found
   their peace.

Commercials, 1974

He's honest
He's truthful
He's loving
He's a friend
He's natural
He's American
He's got bad breath
He's got body odor
He's got T. V.
He's got you.

Commentary on Getting a Job

It's not what you know;
It's WHO you know.
That's a sad commentary on our
 society.

You could be qualified
 but have long hair, and the
  answer is always no.

You have to be strikingly
 beautiful,
Or know the company president.

You can't be ugly or they'll
 say nope.

Why can't you get a job,
 because you're willing and able,
and not because your boss-to-be
 is also your family's closest friend.

You can't achieve, like me,
Unless you passed the test
Of beauty and power.

I have a long way to go.

A Comment on Me, 1973

 People say, "Hey, that's good".  What are they talking about?  My poetry.  Much can be said about my poetry, both good and bad, but all I can say is that I write for the common man instead of the intellectual.  Even though some of my poems are highly symbolic, they are written with the commoner in mind.  So, don't try to analyze it, just enjoy it.

Comment, 1970

 For some people, poetry means something related to old love poems, but poetry is an expression of feelings that one has during a particular time.  Anyone can write poetry.  If anyone has experienced any type of emotion, then that feeling is poetic.  So, why is poetry related to love?  Because love is the most emotional reaction there is.

Coming Back, 1974

And there she was--
 Brown eyes and all,
  Staring me in the face
   While I was trying to work.

She said with her eyes--
 "I know you", but I
  Seemed cold, and I was
   Too shocked to speak.

She is wondering,
 I am wishing,
  I wish that she
   Would wonder about being back.

Come On Down (part 2), 1977

Keep          It's silly to say again, because
                    life goes on without the past, but
                     I'm seeing my life repeat itself
                      from the past to now to the past.

Making      Come on down to my level of life,
                     Come on down with me,
                       Come on down and see where I am,
                         Where am I, do you know?

Simple        I tried one time to be cool,
                     and then I tried to be love,
                      and then I tried to be cooler,
                       and then it was as a lover.

Moves         Then, I repeated myself one more
                      time and was shot down one more
                       time, so come on down where I
                        might be, have you found it, yet?

Initials mean nothing, so
I guess experience is what matters.

Come On Down, 1972

Come on down
                         down
                                  down to my level of life,
                    Help me
                         Help me
          I am very sick.

My mind is splitting
                        with nowhere to go,
       I am all indecision
                          and I can't be stopped.

PARANOIA, SCHIZOID, WHAT ELSE IS LEFT?
                   MY MIND IS GONE SO
                                     COME
                                                ON
                                                      DOWN
                                                                  WITH
                                                                            ME.

Come Home, 1970

I thought I would never see you again,
The thought of losing you brought pain,
I thought you would be in an accident,
I said, "I've got to be intelligent".

I had a feeling after I saw you for the last time,
My feelings were not worth a dime,
I felt so sick after I saw you last,
I had to hurry home, fast.

"Keep the faith", one of them told me,
My heart was not filled with glee,
I'm glad that you're back,
I feel so slack.

A Cocktail Party, 1974

It's so hard to know
what there is to know
and not be able to know
what it is that I have to know,
you know?

Now, I don't know.
I'm yes.

Oh, glad to meet you, yes.
I am no.
Yes, I know.
You know?
No, I'm yes!

Confused, perhaps
bewildered, I go,
without knowing who
that strange person
was.  Do you know yes?

Clouds, 1973

Look at me,
 Flying in the sky,
  Wishing life were
   as beautiful as clouds.

Look at she,
 Laughing at the sky,
  And I wish she
   weren't as beautiful
    as the clouds.

Peace!

The City, 1968

Trucks and cars,
Taverns and bars,
Stores and streets,
Beggars standing on their feet.

Everyday is a hectic day,
Some people are sad--some are gay,
Sirens are loud,
You see a crowd,
There has been a wreck,
Oh what the heck.

The city is a nasty place,
Cars moving at a fast pace,
Why weren't towns as fast
As the cars, who were invented by a man,
Who knows of the last, he says,
"Why not an electric fan?"

Circling Around, 1972

The sun rises every day
 Somewhere on this planet,
While war goes on.

The birds sing
 Somewhere in a tree,
While pollution goes on.

The children play
 Somewhere in a street,
While this planet dies.

While, While, after While,
And the world keeps spinning around,
And around, and around,
 And Around.

Where will it end,
 My friend?

Christmas Song

I want a bicycle for Christmas,
A red one and built for speed,
I want a bicycle for Christmas,
And that's all I want for me.

I want a car for Christmas,
A red one with four on the floor,
I want a car for Christmas,
And I can't think of anything more.

I want a kitten for Christmas,
A little one who'll love me,
I want a kitten for Christmas,
If not, how about a puppy?

I want world peace for Christmas,
I don't want anyone to fight,
I want world peace for Christmas,
It's not too far from sight.

I want a train set for Christmas,
One that blows smoke and lots of track,
I want a train set for Christmas,
It it's not good, take it back.

And, Mommy and Daddy,
If you can't get that stuff,
Then all I want is you,
And that's enough.

I want a bicycle for Christmas,
A red one and built for speed,
(fade)

Chapter 1, 1974

 A small man, with a deformed left hand, entered Harvey's Restaurant on 42nd Street in New York.  He was clearly Jewish.  His eyes were fixed on another man, sitting in the corner of the restaurant.  Whether the customer knew the dwarf was merely speculation, but he became very self-conscious that this little man was staring at him.
 The maître 'd asked the man, "Do you care to be seated?"
 The man just looked ahead at the man in the corner, as if he hadn't heard.
 "If you don't want to be seated, then I'll have to ask you to leave.", the maître 'd said.
 The small man started walking toward the man in the corner, his eyes fixed on his target.  Slowly, he reached into his pocket and continued his stare.  His face remained emotionless.  He reached the man's table.
 The man, dressed rather well, looked up from his plate of veal, and asked, "Did you want something?"
 With one swift motion, the man pulled a knife out of his pocket and slit the throat of the man.  A couple sitting at the table next to the victim watched in horror.  A woman screamed.  A waiter dropped his tray.  The man put the knife to his own throat, and with one move, ended all hope of finding out why.  Two men dead in a restaurant, and no one eating lunch.
 Three thousand miles away and three hours earlier, the first call for Flight 402 bound for Hawaii was given by a nice-sounding girl over the public address system.  Every day, hundreds of senior citizens and newlyweds crowded into planes, heading for Hawaii.  Dreams of sunshine, hula girls, and volcanoes were in the minds of those getting on board.  Fantasies were coming true.  People had saved money for years, just for one , and Los Angeles was the last glimmer of the hurried life that they were getting away from.
 As these happy people stood in line to be assigned seats for Flight 402, a man in a dirty raincoat and sunglasses got in line.  He was tall and thin and emotionless.  The man in front of him in line was a retired Navy chief.  He and his wife were on their second honeymoon.  The man in the raincoat took a knife out of his pocket and stuck in in the side of the ex-Navy man.  The man screamed with pain and reached for his wife.
 "Oh my God", said his wife in disbelief.
 "Quick, grab him!", said another woman.
 "I've got him", cried a husky, young man.
 The man in the raincoat took the knife and stuck it in his own ribs, as if to commit Hari-Kiri.  All watched in horror and boarded the plane.  The airport security wondered how he got past them with a knife.  Two dead in an L.A. airport and others went into dreamland.

(start of another unfinished novel)

Change, 1973

Listen to the voices
Of reason, of knowledge,
Of truth, but the
World still exists,
No matter what we do.

Isn't it sad that
We can't do anything
That will change the world,
Because the world is illogical.

War is illogical.
Prejudice is illogical,
Hate is illogical,
Everything is illogical,
When we have a world of individuals.

So, our voices are not
to be heard, when we
have peace with honor
and people that support it.

Stop the people,
Rearrange the world,
Listen to the air,
Collapse into oblivion.

The Cemetery, 1968

Have you ever walked through a graveyard at night,
Without a candle nor lantern of light,
Stumbling over rocks and roots,
And getting mud on your nice, clean boots?

Looking up at a tree,
Shadows you do see,
Thinking they are ghosts, you do,
Hearing the wind as if to say, BOO!

You turn and run,
You do not have fun,
In a graveyard at night,
Without a candle or a lantern at night.

Cease-fire, 1974

Bombs aren't dropped
 anymore in Vietnam.
Bullets don't pierce
 civilian bodies.
But death still reigns
 king in the world.

War is NOT stopped
 thanks to a piece of paper.
A cease-fire is just a step
 to world conflagration.

Then, to look at all of
 these statements--does it
  mean that Vietnam is dead
   no matter what Dr. Kissinger said?

Or to paraphrase something else:
 North Vietnam sat on a wall,
 North Vietnam had a great fall,
 All of Nixon's programs and all of Nixon's plans--
 Couldn't put Vietnam back together again.

The End

Carson Falls, 1971

 In all of history, nothing can be compared to that day of January 14, 1987.  The event that took place that day was so horrible that words cannot describe it.  Let's go back through time to see what took place.
 The day was Wednesday.  The time was 4:57 in the afternoon.  In the remote wilderness of North Dakota, a radar was picking up strange signals from the sky.  Numbers appeared in coded messages:  457, 349, 600, 139.  The numbers were repeated over and over again.  They were decoded as:  4:57 p.m., left at 3:49 p.m., arrival at 6:00, but the 139 did not make sense.  The radar showed the object was heading toward the United States.
 George Robson, who was head of the Strategic Air Command, identified the object as a missile with a multiple-warhead.  General Robson was unable to tell where the missile came from, but he wasn't going to just stand around.  He called the President of the United States, Floyd Barker.
 Pres. Barker was winding up his work day.  He had signed all of the papers and was walking out the door, when the frightening sound of the red phone ringing was heard.  The phone was never used except in dire emergencies.  Only once had the red phone ever been used, when an airplane carrying the joint chiefs-of-staff crashed.  The crash was an accident.  There were no survivors.  Now the phone was ringing, and it wasn't a laughing matter.
 With caution, Pres. Barker approached the phone.  He picked up the arm and said with reserve, "Yes, this is the president."
 "Mr. President, this is George Robson of SAC.  We have an unidentified warhead heading toward the U. S.  The estimated time of arrival is 6:00 this afternoon."
 "You don't know where it came from?", asked the president.
 "No sir, we don't", said General Robson.  "Nowadays, it could have come from anywhere.  We keep getting a coded message:  457, 349, 600, 139.  The only number we have not deciphered is 139."
 "All right", said the president, "Retaliate, destroy the missile!"
 "Yes sir, consider it done", said Robson.
 Floyd Barker felt sick.  Since the 1950's, each president had been faced with the threat of a nuclear war, but not until now had anything like this happened.  After Pres. Barker had gotten over the shock of the missile, he called the Pentagon.  He ordered the Air Force to take appropriate action and the Army to stand by.
 General Robson fired an anti-missile missile at the unidentified rocket.  Within seconds, the intruding rocket was destroyed.  He called the president, who at this time was in the White House war room, and said that the rocket was destroyed.  The president was glad.
 Suddenly and without warning, another missile appeared on the radar screen.  This time, the rocket was traveling very fast, so fast that the radar could hardly keep track of the rocket.  Gen. Robson didn't have time to call the president, so he took the responsibility on himself.  He fired another anti-missile missile, but it missed.  He fired another rocket, but it missed, too.  The enemy rocket plowed into Chicago, Illinois.
 Two million people died instantly, and 13 million others were doomed to oblivion.  The president was immediately alerted.  He ordered full-scale war but against whom?
 Israel had been a military threat ever since the Chinese takeover of that country in 1979.  Israel had become Chinese in ever respect including customs.  The Chinese gave the Israeli scientists the hydrogen bomb.  Although Israel was completely separated from the government of China, it kept the teachings of the late Mao, who died in the summer of 1976.  China had become a pacifist state compared to Israel.  The Israelis were barbaric with no regard for human life.  At the height of the takeover, 3 million Jews were killed by their own kind.  Now, they were shooting rockets all over the world by using a roulette wheel.
 President Barker couldn't stand it anymore.  He ordered his B-52's to take off and find out where the rockets were coming from.  The planes were armed with a new weapon, hydrogen torpedoes.  This weapon was like the hydrogen bomb, except these could be used on either land or water at anytime and were twice as effective than the regular hydrogen bombs.  The planes were also equipped with old-fashioned air to air missiles.
 One of the planes spotted a missile heading for India.  India was one of the worst places for a bomb to explode, because it had so many people living there.  An estimated two billion people lived in India.  The B-52 launched an air to air missile at the foreign rocket.  It was a direct hit.  There were no official markings on the rocket, except one number, which was D680537.  The pilot of the B-52 decided that the number was the serial number of the rocket.  He radioed his base.  "Donrat, this is B459, Donrat, this is B459, we intercepted a bullet over India.  No visible markings, except an apparent serial number.  The number is D680537, repeat, D680537.  Do not know where it came from.  Do you read me, Donrat?"
 "Roger B459, we read you loud and clear.  We'll check out the number.  Thanks.  Over and out."
 Suddenly, a flash in the sky removes any trace of the B-52.  A jet aircraft with the Israeli flag painted on the side turns back toward its home country.
 The president's intercontinental phone rang several times.  Barker picked up the receiver, and the voice on the other end said, "Mr. President, my name is Lang Hu.  I am the leader of Israel."
 "I know who you are.  What do you want?", said the president.
 "We want all the gold in the world or we will destroy it.  You have two samplings of our power, Chicago and the B-52."
 "What B-52?"
 "We just blew one out of the sky!"
 "You're not getting anything from us", said the president of the U. S.
 "If that's the way you want it, you won't live though the night!", said Lang Hu.
 The line went dead.  President Barker ordered his missiles to fix their positions on Israel.  He gave the go-ahead to fire.  The B-52's were told to attack Israel from the sea, using their hydrogen torpedoes to bomb their shores.  The missiles were to take Israel by land.
 The Israelis fired all of their missiles at points in the world.  Paris was eliminated in twenty seconds.  The rolling hills of Scotland were nothing more than black ash.  The icy waters of Russia turned into a boiling ocean of fallout.  The lush rain forests of South America were singed beyond recognition.  The Earth was a mass of ash, rubble, and charred remains of the entire human race.  Animals, birds, fish, and even insects were wiped out.  There were no buzzards to feast off the dead material.  Everything was black.
 Life in Carson Falls, West Virginia went on just as ever.  It was 7:00 in the morning of January 15, 1987.  Men were going out to get the morning paper.  Dogs were barking.  The smell of eggs and bacon came from the houses.  The birds sang the song of a beautiful morning.
 The news in the paper was the same as usual.  The biggest news in the Carson Chronicle was that Sara Craddock had a baby.  That made two for her.
 Mayor Robinson had a meeting with his city council at 10:00 a.m.  Mrs. Robinson fixed her husband the same breakfast that he has had for 15 years.  The breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a cup of coffee.  He ate his breakfast, kissed his wife goodbye, and headed for work.  Robinson knew that this day was going to be very boring.  Thursdays were always boring, because it was the day right before Friday, which is the last day of work for the week.
 Carson Falls had a population of about 500.  That included the animals, too.  There were about ten or twelve stores and businesses in Carson Falls.  Included in the town were two restaurants, a movie theater, an insurance firm, two law firms, a doctor, three clothing stores, and other assorted businesses.  Carson Falls was a typical town.  It was nestled in the hills of West Virginia.  The valley acted like a giant fan, and it blew all the air pollution from the nearby factories away from the valley.  Carson Falls was a middle-class Shangri-La.
 No one cared about today.  It was a typical day.  Mayor Robinson reached the city hall at 8:30.  He was driving a '53 Ford, which hadn't broken down once.  The city council met with him at 10:00 that morning.  The meeting was called to talk about the new gas station that was proposed for the town.  Many residents had complained of the traffic around their houses.  The city council voted on it, and they voted against the station.  That meeting was a prime example of the type government that Carson Falls had.  They didn't want change unless it was absolutely necessary.  This time it wasn't absolutely necessary.
 Judd Waters, the town idiot, was taking his usual morning walk.  It was 11:00.  He usually walked up to the top of one of the mountain ridges and breathed in the fresh air.  When he got to the top of the ridge, he saw absolutely nothing.  There were no lush forests, no animals, nothing but black ash.  He wondered if there had been a forest fire, but he didn't smell smoke.  He remembered that there was a town directly over the ridge. There wasn't any trace of the town.
 The idiot went back into Carson Falls and tried to tell the people about what he had seen.  Everyone thought that he was an idiot even though he was telling the truth.  No one believed him.


(my unfinished novel)

Captain Soul Goes to the Moon, 1971

 Samson was sick.  He had chicken pox.  Captain Soul was chasing the W.R.O.N.G. agent, Farley Marrow.  They were on foot in Burma.  They had gone through Thailand and Cambodia and were starting to get tired.  Farley Marrow's mission was to plant the W.R.O.N.G. flag on the moon.  Captain Soul was trying to head him off by going around the world by the other way.  Farley Marrow arrived at the Cape Cleveland launching site.  He had three minutes to get into the rocket.  Captain Soul chased him into the rocket.  Captain Soul couldn't get off in time.  The rocket took off.  The gravitational pull was so great that Farley Marrow and Captain Soul were pulled together.  It took two days to reach the moon.  The question was, "What was going to happen when they reached the moon?"  The rocket made a soft landing on the moon, but it hit a rock and turned over on its side.  Farley Marrow ran outside wearing an oxygen helmet and carrying the W.R.O.N.G. flag to plant on the moon.  Captain Soul ran after him.  Captain Soul didn't have an oxygen helmet, but everyone knows that blacks don't need oxygen to survive.  He had just gotten out of the rocket, when he was attacked by the moon people, which numbered 43.  They were armed with moonbeams, moon rocks, and moonshine.  Farley Marrow had been captured by the moon people, who called themselves the Spiroes.  They lived in an underground land known as "Chicken Soup and Barley Corn" of the moon.  Most of the Spiroes were nice people, but they attacked almost everything.
 Meanwhile, back at home, Z was informed by Cape Cleveland and the Walla Walla Space Center that the rocket could not return to Earth.  Z wasn't too surprised, because deep down inside, he didn't like Captain Soul.  Samson the Chicken was told this, and he went into hysterics.  (If you are ever around a chicken that goes into hysterics, especially a 7'3" chicken, then you better watch out.)  Samson started to prepare funeral arrangements for Captain Soul.  He wrote the inscription for the tombstone:
 Captain Soul
(alias Joe Brown)
b. 1936    d. 1971
He is not here--
He is on the moon--
Everyone sheds many tears--
Girls swoon.
 Farley Marrow was trying to explain to the Spiroes that he was with W.R.O.N.G.  Fortunately, the Spiroes could speak English, like all the space freaks can on T.V.  They understood, but they realized that Captain Soul was good, and Farley Marrow was evil.  They imprisoned Farley Marrow and let Captain Soul go.  Unfortunately, Captain Soul didn't have a way back to Earth.
 Samson the Chicken had an idea to get Captain Soul back.  He inhaled all the air that he possibly could.  The moon was pulled toward the Earth until it was 28,000 feet from the surface of the Earth.  The Air Force sent a plane up to the moon and got Captain Soul.  Then Samson blew the moon back into its orbit.  Everything was alright, except for Farley Marrow.  His sentence was to listen to the Spiroes' rhetoric for ever.

Captain Soul helps Samson Escape, 1971

 It was a bright and sunny day.  Samson the Chicken was going home from work.  It had been an average work day.  Captain Soul and Samson saved 300 Bolivian sailors from a typhoon, 60 French bakers from a hunger strike, and 750 Chilean Marxists from a capitalist society.  The streetcar pulled up to the corner and let him out, ten miles from his house.  Samson decided to flap his giant, one foot wings with great vigor.  He tried to fly, but he found that his wings were tied down by wire.  Samson was helpless.  He decided to hop to his house.  While he was hopping, Samson fell into a hole that was 18 feet deep and five feet wide.  It was impossible for him to get back out.
 Meanwhile, Z was on vacation, and another man had been substituted as temporary head of S.O.U.L.  This man was B.  B was paranoid.  Captain Soul, after three days, reported that Samson was missing.  B was sure that the evil organization, W.R.O.N.G., was behind it all. (W.R.O.N.G. stands for Western Rogues of No Good).  So, B mobilized the entire available S.O.U.L. agents, which totaled--two.  Those two were Captain Soul and Barber the Butcher.  Barber was a reliable helper in case of emergencies.  B sent the two men to Samson's house to see if they could find a clue.  While Captain Soul searched the house, Barber butchered all the known W.R.O.N.G. agents in the neighborhood.  Samson lived in an apartment building, twenty stories high.  There were no clues.  Then B sent them to the W.R.O.N.G. headquarters.  They were to pose as telephone repairmen.  Unfortunately, all of the phones were in working order.  The W.R.O.N.G. agents knew they weren't repairmen, not because of the condition of the phones, but because they saw one of the repairmen wearing pink tights, and the other wearing a butcher's apron.  During the fight between the S.O.U.L. agents and the W.R.O.N.G. agents, Barber the Butcher murdered 14 telephones, thereby needing telephone repairmen.  The two S.O.U.L. agents pointed this fact out, so the W.R.O.N.G. agents let them go ahead with their work.
 While this was going on, Samson was fluttering in the hole.  The evil maniac, Dr. Barney Jacobsen, was holding Samson prisoner.  Captain Soul knew that they weren't going to find Samson in W.R.O.N.G. headquarters, because all that they were talking about was hog jowls and fat back.  Captain Soul searched his mind for a clue to the recovery of Samson.  What evil mind had the dynamic duo put in jail that was out to do them in?  He racked his brain and remembered one man, Barney Jacobsen.  Could he be the one?  Captain Soul knew that Dr. Jacobsen liked digging holes, so he left Barber the Butcher to fix the phones.  Since Captain Soul couldn't fly, he took the same streetcar that Samson took to get home.  He arrived at the corner that Samson got off from the streetcar.  He traced Samson's path.  Since Samson weighed so much, it was pretty easy to follow the footprints in the sidewalk.  He found the hole where Samson was being held.  Dr. Jacobsen threw some chicken wire at Captain Soul, but it missed.  Captain Soul gave Dr. Jacobsen one blast of his new weapon, the Tom the Bomb gun.  It blew up in his face.  Fortunately, Captain Soul was black, so the burns didn't show.  Dr. Jacobsen was so shocked that he fell into the hole and was mauled by Samson.  Captain Soul arrested Dr. Jacobsen.  Samson got out of the hole.  Everyone lived happily ever after except for Dr. Jacobsen, who got 50 years for chicken-napping.

Captain Soul or Captain Sole, 1971

 The sun was shining over the rolling hills of the Ozarks.  A feud was occurring between the Davises and the Palmers.  Bully Davis was shooting it out with Artie Palmer.  It was a fair match except for Bully Davis being a real bull.  Artie Palmer shot twice, but the bull kept coming toward him.  Suddenly, a puff of smoke was covering the bull.  With a popping sound, the bull changed into a dumb-looking boy.  Artie Palmer fainted, followed by a heart attack.  He died.  The feud was over.  Bully Davis laughed.  It always worked, because the Davises never lost a feud.
 This was the work of the evil hillbilly scientist, Jed Hickman.  He had perfected the method to change the chemistry of the body into an entirely new thing.  Bully Davis came into the old laboratory of Dr. Hickman and said, "Golly, surprise, surprise, Surprise!  I just finished off our last neighbor."  Dr. Hickman said, "I've got a new job for you, Bully.  I want you to become Captain Sole and take over the world."  "But Dr. Hickman", said Bully, "Captain Soul is black!"  Dr. Hickman said, "So what?  Just fake it."
 At that same time, Captain Soul was taking a bath.  He was getting all clean for the Superheroes Dance.  He was going with Martha Hairi, a retired spy.  While he was dressing in his pink tights, a looming figure appeared on the scene.  It was Bully Davis, otherwise known as Captain Sole.  Bully gave Captain Soul a fist in the stomach.  Unfortunately, Captain Soul was not wearing his fist-proof stomach, so evidently it hurt.  He crumpled under the pain.  Bully Davis saw the invitation to the dance, and with his "quick" mind, he figured out that Captain Soul would be going to the dance.  He put on the pink tights, the fist-proof stomach, and the karate-proof neck.  Then he went to the dance, which was being held in the mailroom of S.O.U.L. headquarters.  He didn't know to pick  Martha Hairi up, so she was very mad when she finally got to the dance.  When she saw Captain Sole, she said, "Why, you're not Captain Soul!  Captain Soul is black."  "Maybe not", said Bully, "But I try to fake it."
 Samson was supposed to be picked up by Captain Soul so he could go to the dance, too.  When Captain Soul didn't come, Samson got worried.  He flew over to Captain Soul's house, in the superhero district of town.  When Samson arrived at the house, he could tell that there was a struggle, because the door was off its hinges.  He picked Captain Soul up from the bedroom floor.  Captain Soul said that he had been hit from behind by an oversized, dumb-looking figure.  His suit was missing, so he figured out that the impostor was at the dance.
 Martha Hairi didn't know what to do.  When she and Bully Davis tried to dance, he would step on her feet.  He was very clumsy.  Fortunately, Captain Soul had another pink suit.  Captain Soul burst into the mailroom and seized Bully Davis.  Everyone gasped when they realized that there were two superheroes in pink tights.  No one, except for Martha Hairi, realized that one was black, Captain Soul, and one was white, Captain Sole.  With all his super strength, Captain Soul hit Bull Davis and asked him who was behind all this.  Bully Davis said, "It's Ted Hickman."
 So, Captain Soul and Samson the Chicken took off for the Ozarks to get Jed Hickman.  They seized Jed Hickman and took him to jail.  At Z's office, Captain Soul filed his report.  Z said, "Well, we won't have to worry about Jed Hickman anymore."  "No", said Captain Soul, "And Captain Sole was such a heel."

Captain Soul Captured?, 1971

 Captain Soul had stopped off in Washington, D.C. for a convention of superheroes.  The convention was going to have superheroes from all over the world.  Captain Soul was going to be the main speaker.  The unfortunate thing was that no one knew where the meeting was going to be, because it was a secret meeting.  When the superheroes came to Washington, most of them flew in but not on planes.  Being a superhero has one advantage, you don't have to pay for a round-trip ticket.
 In the building that was being used for the convention, the third floor men's washroom was the site of the secret meeting.  Captain Soul brought his new weapon, the mashed potato gun.  Z asked Captain Soul to stand outside the building, which was the Capitol, and watch for his superhero friends.  While he was standing out there, an army cadet saw him.  When the cadet noticed his pink tights and the letters "C/S" on his chest, he thought that this black guy was crazy.  The cadet's name was Scott Michaelson.  He said, "Hey boy!  You are in a heap of trouble!"  Before Captain Soul knew it, the cadet had given Captain Soul a karate chop, and he was knocked out.  Since Michaelson thought that Captain Soul was crazy, he brought him to the Pentagon Sanitarium for treatment.  The head of the hospital was General Westy Williamson, a retired army major.  After a week, Z realized that Captain Soul was missing.  He went outside the washroom, and when he didn't see Captain Soul, he called Samson the Chicken.
 Meanwhile, in the sanitarium, General Williamson told Cadet Michaelson, "The R.O.T.C. will be proud of you."  Captain Soul was pondering how to escape from the clutches of the evil General Williamson.  He got an idea.  The mashed potato gun!  It was very small, but it contained concentrated mash potatoes.  He took it out of his pocket and pointed it at Cadet Michaelson.  With one squeeze of the trigger, mashed potatoes shot into the cadet's mouth.  While he was coughing, Captain Soul tried to escape, but General Williamson caught up with him.  Everything seemed hopeless, when out of nowhere there appeared Samson the Chicken!  He had lost his balance while flying, and he fell through the roof of the Pentagon Sanitarium.  He fell on General Williamson.  Captain Soul escaped.  When Captain Soul asked Z how he knew where he was, Z replied, "A little old lady from Pasadena informed us of your capture."  "I'll buy a car from her someday", said Captain Soul.  Samson chirped.  That wouldn't be feasible, since Captain Soul already had transportation--Samson.

Captain Soul Strikes Back, 1971

 The lights were flashing.  A loud, whining noise was making the man irritable.  The man was fat, short, and wore thin-rimmed glasses.  His machine was about as big as a barn.  It was a tunnel with a movie screen at the end of the tunnel.  On the movie screen was a picture of Genghis Khan with his Mongol Horde.  The man was making final preparations to be transported through time to the time of his choice.  The machine was a time machine.  The man was Thomas Geddisberg, the evil scientist.  Dr. Geddisberg's previous inventions have included:  a wind tunnel, an airplane, a tornado, an electric can opener, and a baby bib.  He had a hideaway in the tiny island of Manhattan.  No one knew where his hideout was, except for the entire Italian population of New York (they would never tell).
 Z's office was being renovated as a result of urban renewal.  They had moved from their elevator to the broom closet.  S.O.U.L. was on a limited budget.  Z was worried, because they might have to stay in the broom closet instead of going back to the elevator.  Z asked his secretary, Miss Tenderness, to bring in the file on the expenditures of S.O.U.L.  Z saw that Captain Soul had spent more money than any other superhero.  He called in Captain Soul to his office.  Z said, "Well Captain Soul, I see that you are a very expensive agent."  Captain Soul said, "It's not me, it's Samson.  He is buying too mank turtleneck sweaters."  "I've got a case for you", said Z.  "I hope it's tasty", retorted Captain Soul.  Z said, "I've decided that you need an assistant, besides Samson, for your adventures.  I'm giving you the most famous detective of all time."  "But Z, I'm already working for myself", said Captain Soul.  "It's not you, it's Charlie Chanese", said Z.  Z told Captain Soul about Dr. Geddisberg's invention.  Captain Soul was amazed by the fact that Dr. Geddisberg invented the baby bib.  Samson waddled into the broom closet and made it very crowded.  Z told Captain Soul, "Not only is Dr. Geddisberg a fat slob, but he is also a born loser."
 So, Captain Soul, Samson the Chicken, and Charlie Chanese set out to find that evil fiend, Dr. Geddisberg.  They searched high and low, and they were about to give up when they heard a noise.  It was a loud, whining noise.  They found out that the sound was coming from an abandoned barn in downtown Manhattan.  Captain Soul told Sanson and Charlie to wait outside.  He went into the barn and had to put on his super earplugs, because the noise was too great.  When Dr. Geddisberg saw Captain Soul, he became afraid and ran toward the time tunnel.  Captain Soul followed him into the tunnel.  They jumped through together and landed in the Civil War.  The Union army saw this black guy with pink tights and they started laughing uncontrollably.  The Confederate army was going to capture the Union army, but they were too busy laughing, too.  Dr. Geddisberg started laughing, too.  Captain Soul took Dr. Geddisberg into custody, and they stepped back into the time tunnel.  Charlie Chanese said, "Ah, so.  This is peachy keen."  Samson chirped.  Captain Soul to Dr. Geddisberg off to jail.  Everything was great after this, except for a slight defect.  Charlie Chanese was Italian.  (But the Italians would never tell.)

Captain Soul and "The Grease Machine", 1970

 It was a cold, dark day.  The world was blanketed by chicken grease.  Captain Soul was flying on the back of Samson the Chicken.  Samson got stuck in the grease, and he froze.  Captain Soul said, "Who is responsible for this?"  Little did he know that the man responsible for this was Derek Stevenson.  He had made a machine to spread grease all over the world.  He said, "No one will know that I am doing this."
 Meanwhile, word had gotten to Z that Samson was incapacitated.  Captain Soul walked into S.O.U.L. headquarters and said, "Golly gosh Z, Samson is greasy!"  Z said, "So what else is new?"  Samson had been captured by the Kentucky Major to use in this next batch of "Lip-lickin' Chickin".  An informer for S.O.U.L. and a worker at Kentucky Major called S.O.U.L. headquarters.  He said, "Samson's been captured by the Kentucky Major."  "So what", said Captain Soul, "You can't cook a 7'3" chicken."
 Since Samson was incapacitated, Captain Soul set out to find who put grease on the world.  He searched high and low.  He was just about to give up, when he saw the Kentucky Major hauling Samson in his truck.  Captain Soul said, "Wait, you've got Samson!"  "So what else is new?" said the Kentucky Major.  Captain Soul said, "Samson is my friend."  The Major said, "With a friend like him, who needs enemies?"  The Major was so touched about the feelings of Captain Soul, that he let Samson go.  Captain Soul said, "Thank you Major, do you know who put grease over the world?"  The Major said, "Maybe I do, and maybe I don't.  How much is it worth to you?"  Captain Soul said, "Okay, I'll patronize your chicken places."  The Major said, "Okay, the man that is covering the world with grease is, the greasy man himself, Derek Stevenson."  "Thanks, thanks a lot", said Captain Soul.
 Captain Soul called Z, and he said, "Z, we found out who is spreading grease over the world."  Z said, "I knew you would."  Derek Stevenson was, at that moment, plugging in his new invention.  It was a dirt machine.  It spread dirt and dust all over everything.  Unfortunately, Samson suffered from hay fever.  When the dust hit his nose, he started to sneeze.  Z asked Captain Soul, "What is wrong?"  Captain Soul said, "It must be Derek Stevenson."  The closer that Samson got to Stevenson's hideout; the more he would sneeze.  They reached the hideout, which happened to be the Kentucky Major's house.  Was Derek Stevenson the Kentucky Major?  Was the Kentucky Major Derek Stevenson?  The answer was sure to come out.
 Captain Soul snuck into the house, but Samson weighed so much, that he caused an earthquake while trying to sneak in.  The Kentucky Major felt this catastrophe, and he thought the world was coming to an end.  Captain Soul burst into the house.  He saw the Kentucky Major and asked for Derek Stevenson.  The Kentucky Major said, "Oh, you must mean my butler."  "Your butler?", asked Captain Soul.  "Yes, Derek", said the Kentucky Major.  Derek Stevenson came into the room and saw Samson the Chicken.  Samson got mad and jumped up and down.  A chandelier fell on Derek Stevenson and knocked him out.  Captain Soul took Derek Stevenson off to jail.  The Kentucky Major gave Samson a life-time membership to his chicken places.  When Z saw Captain Soul after his adventure, he told him, "You did a good job!"  Captain Soul replied, "So what else is new?"

Captain Soul and The One-Ton Lazy Baby, 1970

 It was a hot, humid day.  A man came out of a building.  The sign on the building said, "Da-Da, Ma-Ma Laboratory".  He was a short, fat man with glasses.  Another man, tall and thin, met the short, fat man.  The tall man said, "Oh, hello Dr. Tot."  The short, fat man said, "Hello Professor Fraud.  I've just completed a new invention."  "What is it, Dr. Tot", said Fraud.  "You'll see", said Tot.
 At that same moment, a looming figure was appearing on the horizon in Des Moines, Iowa.  A man saw it and said, "It's, it's a baby!"  The baby tripped over a car and fell across the street from the man.  The baby was 50 ft. high and weighed one-ton.  As it fell, it gripped the side of a department store, and the store crumbled under the weight.  Fortunately, the man that saw it worked for S.O.U.L. (Superheroes of Universal Love).  He ran to a nearby phone booth, and he called S.O.U.L.  The phone rang twice at S.O.U.L. headquarters, and the secretary, Miss Tenderness, answered the phone.  He told her, "I have to talk to Z right away!"  She said, "Okay, I'll ring him."  The man said, "Z?  There's a one-ton baby outside this phone booth."  Z said, "Now, calm down, we'll send someone right away.  By the way, did you say one-ton?"  The man said, "Yes."  Z said, "Are you sure that he isn't big for his age?"  "I'm sure!", said the man.
 Z asked Miss Tenderness, "Who is available for a job?"  She said, "Well, let's see.  There's Charlie Chanese, James Bonded, Matt Helmet, Derek Flintlock, Captain Nice, Super Turkey, and Captain Soul."  "There's no doubt about it", said Z.  "Who is it this time?", said the secretary.  "It will have to be--CAPTAIN SOUL!", said Z.
 Captain Soul, whose real name is Joe Brown, was born in Colton County, Georgia on July 26, 1936.  He was black.  His height was 6'4", and he weighed 176 lbs.  He had a sidekick named Samson the Chicken.  Samson was born on a chicken farm in North Alabama on November 19, 1903.  His height was 7'3", and he weighed 300 lbs.  They reported to Z as soon as they got word that they were needed.
 Z welcomed them in his office by saying, "Good Morning boys, er..., er..., boy and chicken.  Sit down please."  Z pressed a button and a movie screen appeared from the roof.  Z said, "This movie is about your assignment."  He started the projector and said, "These pictures are of Dr. Tot, the most infamous man in all the world.  He has perfected a machine, that produces one-ton babies.  His friend and trusted cohort is Professor Fraud.  The professor creates the brain, while the doctor produces the body.  Your job, if you accept, will be to find the laboratory and destroy it.  By the way, if you don't accept it, then you will be looking for another job."  "Okay, we'll do it", said Captain Soul.  "And remember" said Z, "You'll be doing it in the name of Love."  "Right on", said Captain Soul.  Captain Soul and Samson said their goodbyes, and they went to the roof of S.O.U.L. headquarters to take off.  Unfortunately, Captain Soul couldn't fly, so he got on the top of Samson, and they were off.  They were flying over the laboratory of Dr. Tot, when Captain Soul said, "Hey Samson, baby, there's Tot's lab".  Samson took Captain Soul down so they could land on the roof.  Unfortunately, the enormous weight of Samson caved in the roof.  They fell through and landed on top of one of Dr. Tot's babies.  Dr. Tot said, "We were expecting you."  Captain Soul said, "Dr. Tot, you are under arrest."  Tot said, "First, you must stop my babies!"  Captain Soul said, "Okay Samson, do your stuff."  Samson took in a deep breath and then blew it out, blowing away all of the one-ton babies.  Captain Soul then took Dr. Tot into custody.  At this time, Professor Fraud came in and he said, "What's happening?"  Dr. Tot said, "Captain Soul has just arrested me."  Captain Soul said, "Who are you?"  Prof. Fraud said, "I'm just a friend."  Captain Soul said, "Well, friends are arrested, too".  So, Samson, Captain Soul, Dr. Tot, and Prof. Fraud returned to the headquarters of S.O.U.L.  Captain Soul turned Dr. Tot and Prof. Fraud over to Z.  Z put them in prison.  So now, if you hear things go bump in the night, you'll know that it isn't a one-ton baby, but it could very well be Samson falling through your roof.

IMPORTANT!!
 It is basic to realize that the aurora of Captain Soul comes from everything and everybody.  No one is being laughed at, no race is being snickered at, and no one is saying anything bad about chickens.  The preceding comment must be realized before action could be taken against the author.  Thank you.

Capital Punishment, 1969

 In 1966, the total number of executions in the U. S. was one for murder.  When a man is sentenced to life imprisonment, he can be paroled after eight years.  The types of capital punishment are electrocution, lethal gas, hanging, and shooting.  You can spend two years on "Death Row" waiting for your execution.  There are so many things wrong with capital punishment that it should be abolished.

Can I

Can I see your face
 Through the shadows
  Of our lives.
Were you there last night
 When no one was around
  In time.

Campus Politics and Styles of Dress, 1970

 After World War I, students in college started to realize what the world was doing.  In the pre-World War II days, the students made effigies of Adolf Hitler and burned them.  They dressed like the G.I.'s and proclaimed their patriotism to America.  The pre-German wore Nazi-armbands and brown shirts.
 The 1950's gave the students a time for leisure.  They were not concerned with the problems of the world.  All they cared about was dancing in bobby socks.  They wore loose dresses and baggy pants, so that they would have more freedom for dancing.
 The 1960's was the decade for awareness.  The Bay of Pigs incident made all the boys shave their beards, because they didn't want to look like Castro.  Then the Vietnam War became a reality.  Student protests became commonplace.  People started to put peace signs over everything.  Non-conformity became the fad, so hair became longer, dress became "sloppier", and the whole fashion was liberal.
 There is no telling what the 1970's will bring.

Calling You, 2008

You
You are in my heart
You
You are miles a part
 from me.

We
We could be together
We
We could make it better
 every day.

I
I don't want to lose you
I
I don't think you do
 love me.

My
My tears run down my face
My
My tears are not in this place
 called your love.

You can't see me
We aren't as one
I want to tell you
My soul wants to be free.

Our
Our love is out there
Our
Our love is so rare
 without you.

Call Me-Tell Me, 1991

Call me and tell me
 you don't love me
Call me and tell me
 you don't care
Call me and tell me
 you won't see me
Call me--Take the dare.

Look me in the eye
 and tell me you're leaving
Look me in the eye
 and say I'm no good
Look me in the eye
 and say that tale you're weaving
Look at me--If you think you could.

I don't want to lose you
I can't make you feel guilty
But if you can tell me,
I'll leave you alone.

Call me and tell me
 you won't see me
But you don't even know my name.

Cafe Royale, 1976

Sunlight, sun dark, sun
 life, sun death, all is
sunshine none is night.
 And all is happy for the
  sun and not for me.

But What are Friends For?, 1976

From the time I was sixteen
and she was merely a tyke,
there were just a few people
that I liked.

Kilbourne Park brought together
many diverse souls,
and as far as my mentality went,
they plugged up all the holes.

But times have changed from
long ago and we've gone our separate ways,
and now we're coming back again,
after many lonely days.

A group of folks brought
me together out of despair,
and I've seen three of them,
three of those that cared.

Six years have passed since
those happy days of yore,
but the emptiness remains so I ask,
what is on the other side of that door?

Warmth of heart, and cold of mind
are two different degrees,
but what I want most
out of life is little, old me.

Diamonds are hard, and so
are floors, and many times you fall,
but gems are a sign of happiness,
and floors lead down long halls.

Riddles are spoken by those
who are never quite sure,
and if I looked at all my
life, I would say I'm not poor.

Just lonely and empty and like
an empty shell,
And sometimes I wish I could
scream because it's hell.

Busing, 1969

 In Charlotte, N. C. rural children were bused to the city schools, and the urban children were bused to the rural schools.  (The only reason was to achieve racial balance.)  The children and their families voiced concern over this action, and the children did not get along in their new school.  Freedom of choice is the only acceptable method that we have now.  Each state is an independent body.  It has a separate legislature and state government.  If the states were to have busing, it would be done by the states, and not by the government.  This is a "land of the free", and not a nation of force.

Born in FBC, 1984

I came to this church when I was five,
I looked inside and knew I'd arrived,
The first thing I did was see the light,
And the preacher spoke on what's wrong and right.

Born in FBC, I was born in FBC, I was born in FBC,
I'm a real strange guy in FBC.

I went to church for Sunday School,
The teachers I had were really cool,
I sang in the choir 'cause the girls were cute,
Though some of the guys wished I was mute.

Born in FBC, I was born in FBC, I was born in FBC,
I'm a real strange guy in FBC.

I've grown up--they say I have changed,
All I know is that I'm still strange,
The time has come for me to close,
But I love this church from my head to my toes.

'Cause I was born in FBC, Born in FBC, Born in FBC,
I'm a real strange guy in FBC.

Blurted Silence, 1973

He wanted to say,
But it wasn't possible
That day.

He wanted to yell out,
But no one would hear
What he was talking about.

He laughed and cried,
But no one saw,
So, he just lied--
His head off.

The truth is never known,
Because silence is only seen,
And no one knows how a mind shone--
In their world.  Amen.

The Blue "B"

 We all know the story of the first Thanksgiving between the Puritans and the Indians.  Most of us know the story of the Scarlett Letter, which we should have read in high school.  But, did you know that there was another letter that the Puritans used besides the letter "A"?  It was The Blue "B".  Nobody knew what the "B" stood for, but they had it.
 One day, the Indians came to visit from their new home in Cleveland.  Chief Waccamaw saw hundreds of people wearing blue B's on their clothes.  He asked Captain White what these letters meant.  He said that nobody had asked him that question before.  He went to their spiritual leader, Father Macy, to see if he knew the background of this letter.  Father Macy told J. B. to ask Private Tapp, because he knew about such things.  Private Tapp said that his next door neighbor, Louis Rich, made B's for people and probably knew.  So, the Chief and the Captain went over to Rich's house and there were blue B's all over the place.  Upon investigation, they found out that the blue B's were contracted by a man for people all over the Southeast.
 The mystery of the blue B continued for years.  People for hundreds of miles had these letters.  Every Thanksgiving, the Puritans would sit down with the Indians and talk about nothing but football and blue B's.  Finally, a stranger came to camp.  Women swooned when they saw him.  Men were envious of him.  He wore a solid blue outfit, and introduced himself as--you guessed it--General Belk.  The rest is history.

A Blind Seer, 1980

Matching colors
                  smiling
                  face
Always a good
                        word
For those he can't see.

What if...
         he could see?

Would he still
            be happy?

A kind and precise
                          man
There is no other.

He is a breed
                     apart.

Blind, 1973

Sometimes we see, but
 do not feel, because
  the fortunes of time
   do not require it.

I always wish that
 my time was such
  that I could feel
   but all I do is see.

To see is to observe
 life as it is or how
  you want it to be, but
   to feel is to love.

I love to see, to touch,
 to love, but for me,
  I only
   see.

Whether I see, because
 I want to see, or whether
  I see, because there is
   no other, I don't know.

All I know is what
 I see, and how I
  wish that seeing
   was all there was to life.

May we only see and not feel,
Because feeling is only to be wished
and not felt.  Amen.

Blam, 1971

 Blam!  Bam!  I crammed for the test.  I was studying about Hoover Dam, Virginia Ham, and a traffic jam.  My teacher was a lamb, but she was on the lam.  Her name was Pam.  Her husband was a ram.  His name was Sam.  Her favorite group was the Tams.  They all ate yams.

 It's been a long time, since I fell in the cotton bin.  It was in a lion's den.  The lions had eaten a fish fin, again.  A hen was in her roost drinking gin.  They notified her next of kin.  They were all men.  They brought a pin into the pig pen.  That was a sin.  The pin was made out of tin.  There were ten pigs.  They couldn't win.  They sold the pigs for yen to Zen Buddhists.

 I baked a bun.  It was done in fun.  He had a gun.  He was Attila the Hun, As far as his men were concerned, there were none.  All I had was a pun.  I tried to run, but the sun blinded me.  My son weighed a ton.  He sat on Attila.  We won.

 The bing-bong and the ding-dong came from the gong rung by King Kong.  While the long Ping-Pong match was going on, King Kong sang a song with Anna Mae Wong.  It was all wrong.

 The air was bare with the bear.  It took great care to dare the bear to give the fare to the fair hare, whose hair was caught by the lair.  The mare, which was mayor used Nair on the pair of his rare legs.  It would tear and wear his wares.

Blah!

It's a cold, wintry
 spring day, and death
  awaits to catch
   anyone who attacks it.

It shakes you until
 you want to give
  up the ghost, but
   you can't run.

But death reaches
 out and grabs you
  until you can't fight
   it anymore, and that's
    a sad case.  Blah!

Blah!  Blah!  Blah!
 Oh, I wish it weren't
  so Blah!

A Bird, 1971

On a bridge one day--
A shot was heard,
It killed a bird--
One day.

The blood ran cold.  It flew away, I think.

Bigot, 1974

Listen my children,
and don't make a fuss,
of my afternoon tale,
on a Greyhound bus.

A woman of eighty was
spouting off about the
Commies in society and
started calling them out.

Oil Producers, Rockefeller,
President Ford, Democrats,
G. Gordon Liddy, John Dean,
Inflation, Dr. King, Divorce,
Catholics, Kennedy, Howard Hughes,
Presidents assassinated, Egypt,
and many more, too.

But, she said that she
had a fine nephew who was
in electronics, and a niece
who committed suicide.

With an aunt like that,
who can wonder why?

Beauty

To see the sunlight
 through windows of life
  is to see beauty
   as it exists.

But beauty isn't real
 because there is no
  defined idea on
   what beauty is.

To me--beauty is
 a natural beauty
  that isn't fake
   or phoney.

What I'm trying
 to say is this:
  beauty is not
   beautiful always.

Don't condemn people
 whose idea of beauty
  is different than
   yours, because you are only you.

Beauty, 1973

 In a forest, there was a leaf, lying on the ground.  All the trees in the forest said, "Hey leaf, I'm going to make you fly."  So, the trees made a great wind and blew the leaf away.  One day, a little boy came along and found the leaf.  He picked it up and took it with him.  The big trees laughed at the boy with the leaf, but he didn't care, because his leaf was beautiful.  The moral to this story is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and big people talk, but they don't really see.

Beautiful World, 1974

Together or getting together
or getting it all together or
being together or being where
it's at, or whatever the
phrase is, there seems to be
the lack of any one word to
describe what we are trying
to say.  Because to see today is
to see beauty, since beauty begins
with a B.  Together begins with
a T.  Put them together, they
spell BuT, which is what this
world's about.  Everything is beautiful,
but.

Bethlehem/Peace

(Both are sitting)

2.  Okay, I'm waiting.

1.  Good

2.  You told me to wait for Him.

1.  Yes.

2.  And Christ is coming here?

1.  Yes, that's what the Bible says.

2.  Are you making this up, because I could be doing other things.

1.  No, He's coming.  The prophets wouldn't lie about that.

2.  (looking at watch--fidgets)

1.  Can you please be still?

2.  I'm sorry.  It's just that it's cold, and we're outside, and it's dark, and I'm scared.

1.  It's okay.  (pause)

2.  Why is it so quiet?  Shouldn't there be music and stuff?

1.  Lie still.  Everything will be fine.

Bargain Basement Love

I called up a girl
 and asked her for a date,
She told me to pick
 her up at half past eight,
I asked her where
 she wanted to go,
She told me she
 wanted to see a show.

We got to the show
 about a quarter to nine,
I thought this girl
 looked really fine,
But when it came time
 to go through the door,
I found that I was
 really poor.

I looked at her and
 asked if she could pay,
She looked at me and
 said--No Way,
She said--What do you
 think I'm made of,
I found out that she
 was Bargain Basement Love.

I've got Bargain Basement Love
 in the morning,
Bargain Basement Love
 at night,
Bargain Basement Love
 in the evening,
Bargain Basement Love
 is all right.

She turned around and
 looked for a cab,
She said--I wish you
 could have gotten the tab,
But if you got no money
 then you don't got me,
'Cause I'm not Bargain Basement Love.

Bargain Basement Love is worth it,
Bargain Basement Love is free,
Bargain Basement Love is careful,
'Cause Bargain Basement Love is me.

Away, 1973

She's so far
 away, like
  too far for
   me to see.

But not so far
 as to write and
  not so far as
   to talk.

If only the distance
 was non-existent
  and she was
   with me.

But the time
 will one day
  catch up with us
   and that day will be beautiful.

So now the distance
 is great and too
  far for me
   to see.

The Awful Experience, 1970

I saw something today that I'll never forget,
The incident that I'll always regret,
It was one of the worst things I've ever seen,
The accident was rough and mean.

The thing that happened was a wreck,
I hope the woman doesn't have a whiplashed neck,
A big car rammed into a little car,
And it knocked the car door ajar.

The window in the car crumbled and broke,
This wreck was no joke,
The woman in the car was hurt very bad,
This made the other driver very sad.

I hope and pray,
That the woman is okay,
She has glass in her face,
From that fateful place.

They towed the car away,
The other driver will have to pay
For the damages that were done,
But the damages to the other were none.

What happened here was a running of a light,
It may take away the woman's sight,
Why can't people, just take care?
Instead of taking that dare.

Awareness

Ride, ride ride along
With nowhere to go
It doesn't matter where
You go unless you quit.

Pull, push, upsetting ideas,
And where will it end
My friend?

A Song

In the light of morning sun
we see the birth of strangeness fly
and we can see a bird.

Flying high over the trees
He soars among the clouds
and sky of blue.

We can see people singing,
laughing at the light of day
and we are friends of all.

After we see the little stream
and green bushes all around,
We will know that we live
and peace is abounding.

Now we come to the mountains
laughing, running, and singing a tune,
While we see the cameras pop, we
see the wonderful valley green
and we're home again.

Now and then we'll live on the sun of life,
People will see that we live,
At our paradise.

Anti-War, 1971

All is a question,
Why are we here?
If we could find out,
Then toast it with beer.

If the beer is gone,
And you can't find a drink,
Then get to your cars,
And follow the stars.

All can be answered,
Without anyone to guide,
If you find yourself without love,
Then go kill yourself a dove.

Another Look at my Poetry at the Present Time, 1974

 In the last report on my poetry, I talked about loneliness and a feeling of thinking about death.  One thing that I thought that I should talk about is another aspect of poetry that I have developed--SAS.
 SAS stands for Serious Anti-Symbolism.  This idea means that the words, that I use in my poetry, usually do not have any great, symbolic meaning.  Many times, people try to read into someone's poetry, just to satisfy their own desires.  My poetry is usually straight-forward with no underlying meanings.  Recently, the titles of my poems have been greatly symbolic, so keep that in mind.  But, if I say something about Death, then I mean Death and not some far-out philosophy.
 I talk in riddles, many times, so much of what I write may seem symbolic, but it's not.  Perhaps, the reader needs to know something about me to understand my poems.  You'll have to decide.

Angels/Love

1.  Look at Him.

2.  Everybody's so quiet.

1.  I heard a shepherd say that the voice in the light was an angel.

2.  An angel from God?

1.  Yes, and the angel said not to be afraid.

2.  I'm not afraid...much.

1.  And this baby was God's son...And He was going to be our savior.  (pause)

2.  Look at Him.  (Feels the love)  And is that is mother?

1.  Yes, that's Mary with her husband Joseph.

2.  You can see the love in their eyes.

1.  Yes, Love is everywhere.

2.  Christ Has Come!

1.  And now you know that God loves us.

Untitled, 1974

I

And the reason is unclear why I
would switch fingers through the
years or maybe it's just my nature.
At first, two fingers meant peace,
and then, one finger meant Love,
and then, no fingers--clinched in a fist
meant power, but now there is one
finger placed in the middle that
means contempt.  And you said,
"You want to love but your heart
is filled with hate".

II

And the reason is unclear why I
would be lonely but I am.  I fantasize
loves and life to where I don't
know what is real and what is not.
There is no love in my life because no
one will love me, but my love continues
to exist.  Once it reached out and
caught someone but she flew away.
And two years of loneliness has resulted.

III

And Homecoming, 1974 was a
prime example of unhappiness.
People with People; Persons
with Persons; and me with
me.  A concert and people
together.  People getting drunk.
A big barbecue and people eating
together.  People getting drunk. A
football game and people getting
excited together.  People getting drunk.
A dance that night and people being
together.  People getting drunk.  And
I watched T. V.

IV

And maybe it's a lack of courage.
And maybe it's a mass of inferiority.
Whatever it is, I die each day
without Love or my Love, whoever it
is.  Maybe it's me.  Don't take
pity.  Let me be, but PLEASE someone
ask me what is wrong, because I
must tell someone, or I'll revert back to 1969.

Alone and Afraid, 1971

 There is a lot of talk about being lonely and scared.  Is it just talk?  Do people say, "It will never happen to me"?  It seems that people say they are strong, when they're not.  It can't be expounded on except to say, everyone wears a mask.  Some people were masks all the time; some just wear them around some people, but it is all the same.  People are alone and afraid.  They care about themselves.  Everyone is self-centered.
 Being alone comes in all sizes and shapes.  One can be alone mentally, spiritually, or physically or a combination of all three or any two.  It just isn't right to assume that nobody is ever alone.
 Being afraid is the only thing we can't overcome.  One can be alone and remedy that, but one can't stop being afraid.  Why?  Because everything around us, that we do not know--scares us.  This is called a phobia--being afraid of something.
 Some are alone and afraid.
 This is chronic.

Albert Frankenstein, 1971

Poor old Albert Frankenstein,
Why are you so sad?
Your mother says you're ugly,
Your father says you're bad,
But this is no reason to be sad,
Poor old Albert Frankenstein,
We love you.

Little Albert Frankenstein,
Why are you so blue?
You don't have any friends,
All your family don't know you,
Won't you give us a clue?
Don't you see we love you?

Poor old Albert Frankenstein,
Put that gun away,
Don't take your life we beg of you,
Don't put your name on a police file,
You don't have to do this,
What can we say?

We love you Albert Frankenstein,
Just because you're not the best in the world,
Just because your face is not grand,
Doesn't mean you must end it.

You say that you have nothing to live for,
But look at those people without anything,
No radios, T.V.'s, or movie screens,
No food, no clothes, no house to call their own,
But do you think they're mad at the world?
Do you think they're sad with themselves?
No---they're happy--yes they're happy,
Because they have a life to live,
They have LOVE to give,
So put the gun away poor old Albert Frankenstein,
And live that life that you have for good,
We love you Albert Frankenstein.

Air, 1974

If there is hope
Or if there's despair
At least you'll know
If there's magic in the air.

What is air?

Afraid, 1971

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Look Problems Paranoia Schizoid
CROWDS SCARE ME
Cruel Harsh Bad Worse Sick
Stare Laugh Chuckle Look

Cruel          Schizophrenia        Much
Righteous   Chuckle                 Energetic
Opium        Animals
Wrong        Raunchy
Dead           Eureka
Sick

If people are so afraid,
Why do people care,
         and why are they killers?

Acrostic

If the
Love
Of all the
Very
Entertaining people pleases
You, then
Only you will
Understand.

My Writings (Introduction)

I am starting a new series here of my writings.  It is not all of my writings.  I had to go through and edit out some stuff that I felt couldn't be published now.  However, this bunch will last quite a while.  I started writing in 1958 with a commercial for OK Cereal.  Yogi Bear was the spokesman for the cereal, and I wrote a commercial for him.  I was five years old.  My parents sent the commercial to the advertiser who responded saying that it was good, and to come back to them, when I turned 18.  Of course by then, there was no OK Cereal, and no advertiser, but my parents recognized my creativity.  I wrote my first poem in 1964.  It was called "People", and as it turned out, Herman's Hermits came out with a song a few months later called "Listen People", which was very close to my poem, but I was a kid and didn't know I could sue.  I started writing more seriously around 1969 and continued on and off throughout the rest of my life so far.  I have also written plays, short stories, articles, speeches, and even started a few novels.  I say "started", because they were never finished.  So, here we go.  I have to say, before we start, that you can read into things as you wish.  You may be insulted or perplexed as to what you read.  All I have to say is that you should consider these pieces as snapshots into my life.  I may have been serious, when I wrote something, and I may not believe now what I wrote then.  I dated a girl years ago who didn't like her picture taken.  She said it froze the moment, and she wanted to be more fluid.  I don't necessarily agree with that, but her logic was valid.  Taken out of context, some of these writings could be construed as bad or damaging.  However, I hope you will take them for what they are.  My mind at work.  However strange it is.
  Walter Durst, 2013

Home

 40 years ago today, I woke up in Barcelona, Spain.  Everyone got up early in anticipation of going home.  We had been on the road for three weeks.  We had been with each other for the three weeks.  It would be nice to get home to my own bed and not have to live out of a suitcase for a while. 
  One of the unwritten rules I had to live by for the three weeks was not to take any pictures of the girls without makeup.  I broke that rule that morning, as I had to take pictures of Sandra and Talula without makeup.  They weren't thrilled, but my main reason for doing it was I had to use up the film in my camera, so that I could guard it from being exposed by any x-ray machine. 
  We got to the airport and onto the Pan Am plane to take us home.  We didn't know that there was going to be one more stop before the trans-Atlantic flight.  The plane stopped in Lisbon, Portugal.  We wanted to get off of the plane and go into the airport to say we had visited Portugal, but the flight attendants wouldn't let us.  They did let us go out on the tarmac briefly.  So, in the three weeks, we had visited England, Italy, Israel, West Germany, East Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and Portugal.  9 countries in 21 days.  We were exhausted.
  The flight home was long and boring.  We tried our best to entertain ourselves.  I watched the Sid Caesar film "Ten from Your Show of Shows".  It was very funny.  From where I was sitting in the plane, I could also watch the film "1776" which was being shown in another cabin.  I also wrote music to a poem that I had written in Israel called "Save the World for the Children".  Many years later, it was blessed by Pope John Paul II.  The Pan Am plane landed at JFK in New York. 
  When we got to customs, the guy searching the bags found my rose that had been given to me in Switzerland.  He got upset and started asking me a bunch of questions as to where it came from.  They called a guy with the Department of Agriculture to look at my rose with a magnifier to see if there were any bugs on the rose.  They didn't want anything strange to be brought into this country.  The scanner saw nothing, but to be on the safe side, he broke off the flower, and handed the stem back to me.  I was not pleased.  I still have the stem to this day.
  It was not long before our next plane took us back to Greenville.   Most of us got a little sleep.  Talula's head rested on Sandra's shoulder, and Sandra's head rested on my shoulder.  I had a pillow. 
  One of the things we found, when we got home, were a lot of yellow ribbons.  The song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" was very popular at that time.  In fact, we had re-written the song while on the trip changing the line "It's been three long years" to "It's been three long weeks".  Our families didn't know about that, but they got yellow ribbons to welcome us home. 
  Upon getting home, there was still some unfinished business.  We all said goodbye to our fellow travelers.  I made arrangements with Sandra to stop by her house in a few weeks and pick up some pictures she had taken and wanted to get some that I had taken.  And then, there was the History course.  I had to write a term paper on what I had seen.  So, I wrote about the people and the experiences.  The professor gave my paper back to me ungraded, and said I needed to write about the historical things I had seen.  So, I went to the library and looked at a bunch of books and figured out what I had seen.  It had been a blur.  I got an A, but I couldn't swear in court that what was in the paper was what we actually saw. 
  It was a memorable experience.  They say travel broadens one.  I guess that is true.  Although, I would like to go back and actually see the sights without fear of death.  Talula, Sandra and I remain friends to this day.  Many of the tour members are dead now.  I sort of lost touch with them.  40 years is a long time.  I pray they are okay.  As for Sam, Omar and Sam?  Well, you would have to ask them.
 

Barcelona

  I have heard that Barcelona is a happening place now, but when we were there in 1973, we gave it the nickname of "Boring Barcelona".  There just wasn't much to see there.  We did see a stone carving by Picasso; the city hall; a cathedral; and the Court of Orange where Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus.  At the cathedral, Sandra pulled out a pair of glasses to look at a chandelier.  I had never seen her wear glasses before, and I had known her for almost two years.  She said she only used them to look at things she wanted to see.  So, had she not seen much else on the tour?  We also saw a statue of Columbus pointing toward the New World.  That was where we were heading tomorrow.  Back home.
  Everybody was pretty tired.  It had been a grueling 3 weeks of sights.  An overload of the senses.  Not to mention--the nerves.  We went to a craft area, where they made glass and brass items.  One of the ladies bought a brass sword letter opener, which was confiscated the next day by airport security.  She never got it back.
  We had the afternoon off.  The girls and I wanted to go to the beach, which we had seen flying into the city the day before.  We found out that the only way to get there was by train, and it was thirty miles away, so that idea was scrapped.  We all took naps, and then it was out into the city again.  I went back to the nine-story department store, and then the girls and I went shopping in dress stores.  Sandra wanted to call home to say when she was coming back.  The hotel still said we could not use their phones because of that strange fire in the country, but they did tell us of a post office that had phones nearby.  Now, why would the post office's phones work, but not the hotel's?  A question that was never answered.
  We headed over to the post office, and after a lot of charades and gestures, we explained what we wanted to do.  Sandra finally got through to the operator what she wanted, and then she was able to talk with the folks back home.  Her spirits were lifted. 
  We had seen the prettiest and the ugliest that Europe and Israel had to offer.  We were going home tomorrow.  At least, we hoped so.

Alto

  We were leaving Paris for our last stop of our tour, which was Barcelona.  I went by the perfume shop near our hotel in Paris to pick up the Paco Rabanne for me, since the girls said it smelled good on me.  Anything for them.  The morning was cold and rainy as we headed for the airport. 
  The Air France jet flew out of Paris for Barcelona.  It was an uneventful flight, although the group was getting a little tired of all the places.  It had been almost three weeks of airplanes, trains, buses, cars, and a lot of walking.  As the plane began its descent into Barcelona, we saw a beach nearby and thought that would be a great place to go to on our free afternoon tomorrow.  The beachgoers waved at our plane as we were landing.
  We got our luggage, and I went toward the door of the airport.  In all previous arrivals, we had just been zipped through and hadn't had to stop for customs.  Behind me, I heard a man's voice yell "Alto!!  Alto!!".  I didn't think anything about it, and I thought to myself that I was more of a baritone or bass, and I kept walking.  Right before I got to the front door of the airport, a soldier stuck a machine gun in my face and yelled "Alto!!".  I figured that meant "stop".  He motioned me over to the customs table.  When I tried to explain that I was an American and not Spanish, he nudged me with his gun, and I complied.  I could see the news report of "American shot by Soldier at airport".  That wouldn't look too good. 
  Spain was still run by the dictator Franco, and it showed.  The soldiers were on the street, and obviously in the airport.  There were pictures of Franco everywhere, and streets were named after him.  The city was very dark.
  We got to our hotel, and found the rooms to be very sparse.  Just a bed and table with a bathroom.  There was a speaker on the wall that we could tune in music with, but there was just one station.  In Paris, the view from our hotel window was the Opera House.  The view from our window in Barcelona was a grey stone wall. 
  The girls and I walked around the downtown area that afternoon and found a nine-story department store.  They had everything.  One of my regrets is that I didn't buy the Spanish Beatle records they had for sale, but I was not into collecting then.  We looked at clothes and housewares, too.  There was also an open-air food market near there.  They mostly had vegetables, fruits, and fish. 
  One of our tour members was a woman who taught Spanish in high school back home.  She was looking forward to using her second language in Barcelona.  That night, we ate at the hotel, and she couldn't read the menu.  She found out that the Spanish she taught, and the Spanish they spoke in Barcelona, was totally different.  It was the same experience I had in Paris.  It turned out that she taught Mexican Spanish, and I learned Riviera French.  Why couldn't everybody speak the same?  So, we had to depend on the waiter to bring us something edible. 
  Since this was our last stop before going home, some of the people wanted to call home to tell them when we expected to arrive.  The desk clerk told us that there had been a fire in the countryside, and all phone lines had burned, so there was no way for us to call out.  His story didn't hold water, but we had to go with it.  I felt very alone in Barcelona.

Paris

  40 years ago today, it was Sunday, and we were in Paris.  The tour began early with a visit to the Louvre.  They told us no pictures with flash bulbs allowed.  I took some pictures without a flash.  You can kind of make them out, but the lighting was just not very good in the museum.  But, we got to see the Mona Lisa and some other works, so it was worth it.
  We left the Louvre, and the bus drove around Paris.  We ended up at Notre Dame, and attended a service.  Most of it was in Latin, and I didn't understand what they were saying, but I really liked the liturgy and music.  I decided that if I wasn't Baptist, I would be Catholic.  It was hypnotic.  The stained glass window inside the cathedral was breathtaking. 
  After lunch, we went to the Museum of Modern Art.  There was a man outside on roller skates, and he was dancing.  He was very good.  Inside were works by Picasso and others.  I don't know why, but at every museum we would go to, the others would ask me what the artist meant in his work.  Most of the time, I would just make up something, and the others would say they saw it.  Kind of strange.
  We then went to the overlook toward the Eiffel Tower.  One of the disappointments of the trip was that we didn't get to go to the tower, but rather look at it from afar.  It was the same overlook that Hitler used to survey the city.  That was kind of spooky. 
  We left there and drove some more around the city.  We went by Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge, the National Academy of Music, the Ministry of Justice, the Ritz Hotel, and the Presidential Palace.  We were told that the guard at the palace wouldn't smile, so the girls took it as a challenge.  They got off of the bus and tried to flirt with the guard, but no luck.  They really worked it, and finally his lips moved ever so slightly.  Success.
  We then went to the Arch de Triumphe.  I wanted to get a picture up close.  We got out of the bus, and I was almost run over by cars flying in all directions.  There were no traffic signals, and even if there were, nobody would have obeyed them.  But, I got my picture.
  The bus tour ended, and we headed back to the hotel.  The girls and I went shopping at a couple of stores, including a perfume shop.  They tried several fragrances, as did I.  They really liked Paco Rabanne pour Homme for me.  I went back to the store the next day to get a bottle.  We had a light supper, since Sandra couldn't eat much with her broken tooth, and then it was back to the hotel. 
  The night was cool and misty.  The girls didn't want to go out in that weather, but I did.  I walked over to the Seine, which was not far from our hotel and walked along the bank.  There was no one around, and I felt pretty safe.  I then headed up to a park nearby, and sat in a chair near a fountain.  Even though it was misty raining, I still felt safe, as no one was around, or so I thought.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man coming toward me.  I got up and began to walk away.  I saw he was following me.  I felt he wanted to rob me, so my pace got quicker.  So did his.  By the time I got to the edge of the park, I was jogging.  So was he.  I dodged a few cars to try and lose him.  He kept up with me for a couple of blocks down side streets, but I lost him.  A scary end to a nice day in Paris.  When I got back to the room, Mr. Vivian asked me where I had been.  I told him for a walk.  He was surprised, as the weather was a little gloomy.  I couldn't tell him the truth about almost being mugged.  I think if Mr. Vivian knew half of what had gone on with us on our trip, we would have put him in the hospital.  Thankfully, he didn't.

The Train

 We left Lucerne 40 years ago today by train.  Our train and individual compartments within the train, and the four girls and I chose one.  There was a glass door and windows facing the aisle, so all could see in.  Mr. Vivian asked us not to close the blinds.  I guess he didn't want any hanky panky.
  The train went through the mountains and into France.  We were heading toward Paris, which would be the next stop in our journey.  Somewhere along the way, the train picked up a bunch of Portuguese soldiers.  Having had the experience the night before with Swiss soldiers, I wasn't too thrilled about this new group of soldiers.  They were supposed to be in third class, but they came onto our car and peered inside our compartment.  They saw the girls and wanted to come in.  I shook my head no, and they were nodding yes.  It got a little dicey, when the conductor saw them and chased them away.  We settled down to take naps.  Sandra and I couldn't sleep, which was very unusual for her.  She slept a lot on our tour buses.  In fact, we all used to laugh about her sleeping, as she was missing the sights, but the train was a time for us to just laugh a lot. 
  When we did "Blithe Spirit" in college, I had to buy a cheap gold wedding band as a prop.  I wore it on the tour, while protecting the girls, to look like I was older than I was.  It helped, until we were on the train.  The soldiers came back to our compartment and were rattling the door.  I had it locked, but they were trying to break the lock.  I pointed at my ring finger and pointed at Sandra.  One of the soldiers pointed at his finger with no ring and pointed at Sandra.  Once again, it was getting scary until Mr. Vivian came along and told the conductor to get rid of them.  He did.  The girls and I then went to the dining car for lunch.  At some point during lunch, Sandra broke a tooth while eating.  She didn't tell me until we got to Paris. 
  The train pulled into the station in Paris, and we were taken to our hotel.  This one was the nicest on our tour at the Place de l'Opera.  My window looked down the street at the Opera House.  I was going to enjoy Paris, as I felt I was fluent in French.  After we checked in, I walked outside to get my bearings.  A large man came up to me on the street, and talked a mile a minute.  I did not understand a word he said, even though he was speaking French.  My ego deflated, and all I could tell him in French was that I was an American, and I didn't know what he was asking.  He patted me on the back and excused himself.  I think he was asking for directions, but I wasn't quite sure.  And, after that guy in London asked me for directions earlier in the trip, I certainly didn't want to give the wrong directions again. 
  When I got back to the hotel, I went up to Sandra's room to see if she wanted to go out to eat, and she informed me that she had broken a tooth on the train, and the sharp edge was hurting her mouth.  She said she wanted to find a dentist.  It was Saturday night, so I asked the concierge about getting some help, and he suggested we call the American Hospital.  I did, and told them in French that I needed a dentist, and that is was an emergency.  They put me through to a dentist, and I explained the problem.  He told me that it was not an emergency.  I told him that Sandra was in pain.  He said it wasn't an emergency.  I really think he didn't want to come out on a Saturday night.  He told me to tell her to put some candle wax around the broken tooth and get it fixed, when she got back to the States.  That wasn't acceptable but it was all we could do.
  The other girls wanted to get something to eat, and there was a little restaurant a block from our hotel.  Sandra came along, and we ate there.  When the waitress found out we were Americans, she was pretty rude.  That old adage about the French not liking the Americans were true in her case, but I must say that most were nice.  We ordered ice cream, since that was about all Sandra felt like eating.  It was good.
  Our hotel, even though is was very nice, sat over the subway, so when the trains would come by, the building shook.  It had been a very eventful day, and despite everything, had been very nice.  Sleep came very easy.  We had a long day tomorrow.