Footprints, 1999

You walked into my life,
 One sunny day,
And for a brief moment,
 You looked my way,
You are my soul.

I couldn't talk to you.
 At least at first,
But you put me at ease,
 Before my heart burst,
You are my soul.

You made footprints
 On my soul,
You gave me love,
 And made me whole,
You made me warm,
 When all was cold,
You made footprints
 On my soul.

Now we're together,
 For all to see,
I love you so much,
 And you love me,
You are my soul.

So let's be together,
 For all our life,
I'm your husband,
 And you're my wife,
You are my soul.

A Folk Tale of South Carolina retold

 The story I am telling began in Germany about 1840, which was before the time of the Civil War in the United States.  There was a boy named Rudy who lived in a small town in Germany with his very poor parents.  Rudy's mother died when he was about nine years old.  His father was told he could go with some settlers to America.  He took Rudy with him because the trip was free.  After they got over to America, they settled in the mountains near Caesar's Head in South Carolina.  It was a nice place for Rudy to play because, you see, Rudy was nearly six feet tall when he came to the U. S. at age 15.
 The Civil War was raging near the place where they lived.  Everybody knew that there was going to be a big battle at the foot of the mountain where Rudy lived.  A Confederate gun emplacement was on the mountain opposite the one where Rudy lived.  When the Union Army came into that valley, Rudy decided he was for the Union.  As big as Rudy was at that time, he went over to the Confederate gun emplacement, on the cliff, and killed all the men there.  While he was there, an avalanche came, and it buried all the Confederates who were left.
 Everything was fine until after the Civil War was over.  At this time the boy was almost eight feet tall, and still growing.  One night a man who was one of the settlers heard a terrible noise.  He ran out with his shotgun from his house to see what it was.  He saw it and fired twice, hitting it both times.  When he went over to see what it was, it was gone.  The question was raised, how could something with two shotgun shells inside it crawl away?
 The next night the man's family found him dead with vampire marks on his neck.  They found that it was Rudy who killed him.  The people did the only thing they knew to do, they drove a gold spike through Rudy's heart and cut off his head.
 When they woke up the next morning, they found that Rudy was gone.  There was no sign of his being dragged off.  He just walked off.  The army was called in to track him down.  They found him at a cave resting without a head.  The cannons moved in and fired into the cave.  Then a fire was set and smoke drove Rudy out of the cave.  The army did not know how to stop him.  They had one more chance to get him.  Rudy was cornered!  On one side was a cliff with a 100 foot drop and on the other side was the army.  Rudy decided to jump.  He has never been heard of since, except at night when the moon is full, he will go looking for his head.

Floods are in Your Mind, 1979

Can you tell me that you know,
Can you show me things you know,
Can you help me where you can,
Can you work with me and see?

If you saw me where I was,
You would cry and say how?
If you lived during long ago,
You would say how could it be?

Will you listen to my thoughts,
Or at least lend an ear,
And, will you see what I have done,
Or just what I've said?

A Fleeting Wisp, 1975

 Once upon a time, as many stories go, there lived a knight, who lived in a far-off land, filled with danger and despair.  Through the clouds, one day, he heard the faint cry of a maiden.  This knight wasn't very strong or brave, but he knew that he had to respond to the call.  A month later, he reached the castle of the fair and beautiful damsel.  He saw her.  She saw him.  Their eyes were pools of wet violets, in the midst of fire.  The knight didn't want to carry the maiden off to his castle, because it was so dark and dirty, so he built a castle of his own, half-way between his and the maiden's castle.  Things were built in a utopian setting, which they called Camelot.
 A few months later, the knight left his castle to fight a battle.  While he was gone, the evil Black Prince invaded Camelot and swept the maiden off her feet.  The knight tried to contact the maiden, one evening, and found that she was not at the castle.  He figured that she was visiting relatives, but she wasn't.  The knight returned home, finding the maiden gone.  He searched for his love and found her, but her heart was still with the Black Prince.  The knight decided to take her to his dark homeland and way from the Prince.  For about three weeks, the knight had the maiden, free from the Black Prince.  He fought off many dragons, defending her.  The knight decided that he should marry the maiden, but the maiden didn't want to marry the knight.  He respected her feelings, and let her go to the Prince.  She made the knight promise that he would not reveal any secrets to the Black Prince, that he knew about her.
 The engagement between the maiden and the Black Prince was announced.  The knight decided to write the maiden and tell her exactly how he felt, which he never had been able to do with the Black Prince around.  There was no reply to his letters.  She did send greetings, through a messenger, at Christmas, but there was no personal contact.  About a year later, the largest wedding in the area took place between the Black Prince and the beautiful maiden.  Everyone was invited, except the knight, who had rescued the maiden from certain death.  The knight returned to Camelot, and lived there alone, with the memories of a maiden, many years before.  The End.

Five Going On Six, 1975

The yawning
       morning hours
brought me to
              see you.

How trite?  How quaint?

It was an event to remember,
Something not to forget.

Redundant?  Repetitive?

Last week, I spoke to
someone close to you.
This week, I saw someone
that is close to you.

The Carpenters sang
another tune, and
1970 was back again.

Do you love me?
Maybe you wouldn't understand.
Why do you keep coming back?
Because you saved me.

Do you love me?
I suppose so.
Why do you always write?
Because I don't have to speak.

Do you love me?
Three times you ask me.
Why are you upset?
Because I've never talked to you.

Music is my life.
Your music is my life.
Well then you love me.
I love your music.

Do you like speaking in riddles?

The yawning
       morning hours
brought me to
             see you.

A First Impression, 1977

I saw her in class one night, and
To think she could have seen me was
Hard to believe, if not impossible, because
Of the fact that she was of a different state.

Unfortunately, as things happen, I
Got to where I was obsessed with
Her in a way which was scornful and
Terribly depressing at that time.

She didn't know who I was, and I wouldn't
Help her in knowing who I was, because
Eventually, I couldn't care less
Whether she knew or not.

And then the time came when
She needed my name for a play,
And I gave it to her with some
Recognition on her face.

Is that any way to start a relationship?
Could it be love?  Well, I don't know, but
Her face lit up after she saw me act,
Better than anyone else, I guess.

I had the wrong impression about her, and
To think she could have seen me was
Coming into reality and she
Hugged me yesterday on an impulse.

Final Decree of the Indian, 1974

People create war
People fight for peace,
People create poverty
People clean up slums,
People create people
People kill people,
People create death
People work for medicine,
People create time
People run out of time,
People create people
People die soon.

A Park Song

Perhaps it's myself or maybe
 it's not, but I wonder
  why I'm afraid of
   her.

She's only a couple
 of blocks away, but
  I can't go up and
   speak to her.

I've already told her
 that I love her,
  and since then I've
   felt a cold shoulder.

She probably doesn't
 mean it to be this
  way, but it does,
   and life goes on.

Maybe I'll have a
 change of mood while
  in this restful park,
   but it would take a miracle
    for something to take a start.

No Purpose

It used to be that
 life was peaceful
with love abounding
 throughout the world.

Now, we dodge cars,
 and life is chaotic
with a chance
 that you'll die.

This is a crummy
 piece of verse
that I write, so
 why say it?

What

Superman or Clark Kent,
Wonderman or meek and mild little child,
If you could be one or both,
Then it would be okay,
But everyone is far out and schizoid,
So who am I?
Maybe Clark Kent--or maybe not,
Who knows?

Life is Like

Life is like
 corned beef and cabbage,
You can take it
 or leave it.

Life is like
 Communism,
Some people hate it,
 Many people like it,
But it still exists.

Life is like
 moss.
It grows on hard things
 and soft things,
but it still grows.

Life is like
 a roman candle,
It shoots up,
 explodes,
and fades out.

Hate

Hate, hate, I've
got hate,
so let's
beautify America.

I've got to calm
down, and stop myself
before I explode!

Beautiful, lovely, everything
beautiful, kind, generous,
thoughtful, wonderful,
Love, love, Beautiful love,
and now let's stop,
Before I hate some more.

Which is Worse

Yesterday my best friend died--
Of an overdose of Heroin,
He died not knowing what to do,
And he was going to die anyway.

I went up there to murder him,
But I arrived too late,
I saw the hearse,
So which is worse:  murder or being strung out on smack?

We'll go to his funeral today,
Many people will be there--crying,
But are they crying because he's dead,
Or are they crying because he had been dead for years?

I told someone why I came here to murder my friend,
He congratulated me on my efforts,
But I asked my favorite question as I saw the hearse,
Which is worse:  murder or being strung out on smack--it's a killer!

Trampling

You see the sunlight on wet lilies which stand tall on the hill,
But who are you to say that you are like the lily or the sun?
You are like the hill where things grow upon you.

Sometimes I

Sometimes I see the light of sadness,
Sometimes I feel the pain of beauty,
Sometimes I can't see myself in happiness,
And you know what I mean.

It's a pleasure to be involved,
It's a pleasure for me to dissolve,
It's a pleasure for me to live a life,
'Cause it's a pleasure for me to be with you.

Sunny, sunny, sunny days,
Where will it end, my friend?

Lonely, 1973

On the beach one day,
I saw a figure standing
 and staring over the water.
I approached the figure,
But it disappeared.

I searched all over the beach for it,
It was nowhere to be found.
I sat on the sand and
 felt the cool water at my feet,
The figure had gone,
But not my love.

A Little Story, 1973

Along the grass with bright
 Yellow flowers stood
A young girl with wind
 Catching her long, brown hair.

She was laughing and
 Running through the grass,
While it brushed against
 Her legs.

Suddenly, she came upon a
 Boy, crippled since birth,
And he was crawling along the
 Grass, trying to catch a butterfly.

She felt compassion on the
 Boy, while he smiled up at
Her face, so she caught the
 Butterfly for the little boy.

He thanked her and thanked
 Her and thanked her again,
And she laughed and ran
 Through the grass and flowers/

A Message in Verse

Sometimes my life is
Always wrong because
Nice things never happen, and it
Does create a problem.

Righteous people
Affect me in one way, and
My pet peeves
Are people that are better.

Nobody gets anywhere if
Everyone complains, but
You must decide for yourself,
If you can.

2 People

Once upon a time (cliché),
 There were two people,
  A boy and a girl,
   Lying on a grassy hill.

They were watching
 The clouds and the
  Sun peek through
   The blue sky.

The boy asked about
 The sun that peeked
  Through the sky and
   Wondered about it.

The girl asked if
 The boy liked her
  Long, brown hair,
   Flowing off her shoulders.

So, does this mean
 That communication is
  Failing between two people,
   Or is the sun like love?

A Sequel to Somebody

For times in life
 Are only for those
Who laugh and play
 And watch the moon.

You sit and wonder
 Whether you were
Meant to be or were
 You just popped here?

Then someone comes
 Along and brings a
Sparkle to your life, but
 Only for a moment.

For times in life
 Are fleeting with
No real, concrete,
 Grasping talents.

If then you can
 Understand this perplexing
Thought, the battle is
 Half over for you, anyway.

I Love You

Hey little girl,
I want to see you,
But I can't,
Because I'm blind.

Blind with love,
Blind with hate,
And blind with you.

I want to say I love you,
But I can't,
Because I'm mute.

Mute with love,
Mute with hate,
And mute with you.

I love you.
How can I show that I love you?
If I can't see or say a thing.

Hey Girl

Hey girl, you're on my mind,
You don't know what you're doing to me.

Pretty girl,
Always here,
In my mind.

Wishing you were here,
Missing you,
Day by day.

Some

Sometimes I can't find the words,
But I want to be heard.

Some things I always wanted to say,
But I didn't think they would be okay.

Somewhere I can have a life,
But someone always has a knife.

Sometimes, some things are somewhere,
But those things are too high in the air--
To reach,
So I teach--
Someone else to catch them,
But instead they pray to Him.

Sometimes I CAN find the words,
But people don't listen for what is heard.

Some things I HAVE been able to say,
But some people didn't think they were okay.

Somewhere I have FOUND life,
But he still has that knife.

Sometimes, some things are somewhere,
But those things are too high in the air.

Yesterday Morning

Yesterday morning
I saw a beautiful day
It was a happy and
Wonderful moment in time.

Yesterday morning
The birds flew about
And were singing their tunes
And blue sky abounded over the land.

Yesterday morning
Kites flew high
Children were laughing
Everywhere people were having fun.

Now it's today
Wars and poverty abound
Pollution is killing our people
Oh where is yesterday morning?

Fight

You fight for peace but your heart is filled with hate.
You want to love but you fight against it.
You live in kindness but you'd push a wheelchair down a hill.
Why do you do this?

Mountains

I see waterfalls and changing leaves,
I hear the songs of birds,
I feel the crispness of the air,
While people die of hunger, sickness, and war.

Love Is...

...Candlelight,
...Catching your sight,
...Carrying you through trouble,
Then I love you double.

...Parties,
...Making you happy when you're sad,
...Liking you when you're mad,
...Providing and caring
Without tiring.

...Life,
...You,
...True,
...Matchless,
Love is catchless.

Once

One time, I wrote a
 Poem for somebody,
But I didn't copy
 It, so it's lost.

One time, I gave some
 Money to the Salvation
Army during Christmas
 Time, so it's lost.

It is lost, if you
 Don't see it work,
And that is a bad
 Thing to say.

Once I told a voice
 That I loved it,
But it didn't work,
 So it was lost.

Why wasn't I
 Made normal?

A Question

Bring forth,
Achieve,
Make money.

Is this all there
 is to life?

Don't Think

People see people who don't know people
 which seems strange.
Don't think otherwise.

People see only what they want to see
 which isn't strange.
Don't think otherwise.

People see only to kill and nothing else
 which could be strange.
Don't think otherwise.

People see only to lie and cheat and steal
 which couldn't be strange.
You can think otherwise.