Prophecy/Hope, 2006

1.  Did you hear?
2.  What?
1.  He's coming!
2.  Who?
1.  You know who.
2.  No.
1.  Christ is coming!
2.  How do you know?
1.  The Bible says so.
2.  It does?
1.  Yes, it says He will come to give us hope in our bad times.
2.  When?  (looks at watch)
1.  Soon
2.  How soon?
1.  Soon
2.  How will I recognize Him?
1.  You'll know (start to leave)
2.  Where are you going?
1.  To wait for Him.
2.  Hey, wait for me.

Pride, 1986

A five-letter word.
          A word that means a lot of
          things--yeah sure.
                  Pride--why pride?
                       How about more pay?
                       How about move vacation?
                       How about more commission?
                       How about more respect?


                  Pride--It's in your soul.
                             It's in your heart.
                             It's in your work.
                             It's in your love.


                        Yeah but what about...


                  Pride.  There's no excuse NOT to
                                         have it.

A Point of Our Time, 1974

 I believe in equal rights for all.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe that war is wrong, and peace is the answer.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe that corruption in government should be destroyed.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in freedom for all who want to be free.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in sharing the wealth to poor people as well as rich.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in feeding the hungry before going to the moon.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in the freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in activism.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in privacy, without being subject to impartial investigation by Governmental sources.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe that a person has the right to protect his property and family from being taken away by governmental controls.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in separation of powers in a democratic government.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in the right to vote.  Does that make me a Communist?  I believe in true Communism.  Does that make me a Communist?
 If all of the above makes me a Communist, then I want to be the best damn Communist that anyone can ever imagine.

Poet, 1973

A flood of words
 flows through my
  mind and flies
   through my hand.


I write what I feel
 symbolically or
  reality--it
   doesn't matter.


So, my life is
 limited and
  I've got so much to say.


Peace unto you and
 Right on!

A Plea for Survival, 1970

Why do we have wars?
What are we fighting for?
Let all wars cease,
And let us have peace.


Why can't we have love?
What ever happened to the dove?
This plea may be late,
But why do we have hate?


We have wars all over this Earth,
None of them have any worth,
I wish people would stop and think,
If not, our ashes will be black as ink.


Why do people kill?
Every Tom, Dick, and Bill,
Don't use a gun or a knife,
But let people have life.


This is my plea,
Open your eyes and see,
We've got places to go,
Say yes to peace and not no!


Let's do away with our armed forces,
Scrap our cars and let's ride horses,
Let's not have enemies or rivals,
Because we have to have survival.


"Come on people now,
Smile on your brother,
Everybody get together,
Try to love one another right now."

Plastic Nature, 1979

Call from the skies
                the birds
                the clouds
                the winds.


Andifyoucall,
yougetayear's
supplyofDuz
withenoughglasses
andmatchedtowels
tolastalifetime.


Tell the sun to
shine as bright
as a million flashlights
and be warm like a
bouquet of love.


Andifyouact
rightnow,you'll
getnotone,
nottwo,
butthree
bonusrecordsof
allofElvis'
solidgoldhits.


Turn down the TV
for just a little while
or at least until the
sun comes up.

A Philosophy of Peace

If times like these are
 built on friends, then I
  want to be the friendliest
   person around.


But times like these are
 filled with hate, frustration,
  despair, and sadism, so
   friends are always gone.


If there were never wars.
 we would find something
  else to do to spend money,
   so let's have peace now and
    be poor.

Philadelphia, 1981

To Marva, Robin, Peter, Richard,
To Abraham, Justin, Melissa, Carol,
To all the children of the world,
We say hi and thanks.


To Marcia, Gina, Ben, Henry,
To Dave, John, Abby, Cathy,
And all the "mature" people everywhere,
We say bye and thanks.


To everybody, Phily meant a lot
of different things, but it
mostly meant a time of love,
and we were sorry to see it go.


What can we learn from all of this?
Every life tells a story, and
if you can be a sentence or
even a chapter in somebody's story...

Perplexing Situation, 1975

The doctor wanted to
 do word associations,
  so like a fool I said
   all right, Doc, go ahead.


Boy                    Girl
Man                   Woman
Black                 White
       and so it went
        until he got to
Love
        and I couldn't think
         of what to say.  Maybe
          if I said Hate, then
           he could move on, but no.


Love
        maybe it should be my
         love that I met every
          day at a quarter past
           two in the park, but no.


Love
        I didn't know what to
         say, since there had been
          no love in the world since
           1953 or thereabouts, but no.


Love                        No

People that Laugh

Sometimes there are people who
 go where they want
  to go, but I don't go
   with them.


Sometimes there are children
 who laugh at the sun
  but I don't laugh
   with them.


Sometimes I feel like I
 could kill the first
  person that goes
   to laugh.


And sometimes they
 just want to kill
  me and then
   just laugh.


When will it end?

A Pedestal Proposal, 1979

Guess you haven't heard
or maybe you don't remember
but the time is ready--


Do you believe?


Oh brother, come right
now and accept the name
renew or join but say--


Do you believe?


And church isn't what this
is about--it's things--


Do you believe?


The Easter Bunny, Santa
Claus, the Tooth Fairy,
and me.


Now is the time--
the Great Decision--
Believe!

Patty and Me, 1975

Armed robbery  Bank
hold-up  Attempted murder
Kidnapping  Possession of
illegal weapons
Charges brought against a
21-year old girl for which
I feel compassion but
am glad she was finally
arrested and without
struggle since she was
kidnapped herself many
months ago when life was
grand  A hero  By no
means  She joined
the revolution the
conceded little rich
girl who made it big
with the press and
became militant but is
now in jail  So she is
caught and I am
glad because she was
dangerous and militant
but then so was I
at one time...

The Past Is Gone, 1970

I thought I could never survive,
But now I know I'm alive,
I know my feeling is real,
Because it is what I feel.


It seemed to be so strange,
I felt that I was out of range
Of all the help that I could get,
I thought that I was all wet.


Now I know what I am now,
They all clap and I do bow,
I thought that I didn't amount too much,
I thought there wasn't anything that I could touch.


I know now that this isn't true,
I think that I'll never again be blue,
The days of sadness have all gone,
I never again will go wrong.


"I thought my life was dead",
This is what I said,
I hope my life will be long,
I'm glad the past has gone.

Part 2 of a Never-Ending Dream, 1979

And the world was light
or at least we never saw
the dark because the sun
was in the way.


And we laughed and cried
or whatever--who remembers?
But times changed and so
did we so who cares?


So now we're not where we
are and we're not where we
want to be, and are held by
strings like marionettes and
toys.


And the kids took us into
their house and tucked us
away in their toy box never
to be heard of again.


Dreams are for dreamers.
Toys are for players.
People are for people.
Two is for three.

Paranoia Descending, 1977

What are you looking at?
Freak or Wondrous wonder?
Maybe you're jealous or never
have seen such a creature before.


With all the billions of people
in this wide and wonderful world
you'd think that two could look
the same, but they say they don't.


Freaks are a dime a dozen
And wonders are a quarter
But jealousy is a dollar
For 40 million stares from creatures.

Pain, 1968

I am in pain,
I feel like a weather vane,
When I get up in the morning,
I feel like Paul Hornung.


I go to the hospital too many times,
I spend my nickels and dimes,
I go nowhere fast,
With my leg in a cast.


I am in pain,
I am also insane,
There is nobody in this world that can help me,
Not even the ticket of Humphrey and Muskie.

Page

 My life started in New Orleans, LA in 1953.  My father taught Religious Education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.  I have a brother named John.  He is 7 1/2 years older than me.  My mother stayed at home to raise us, while my father was away preaching or teaching.
 When I was five, we moved to Columbia, SC, because my father became the Director of Sunday School work for the South Carolina Baptist Convention.  By the time I was five, I had already been to California and visited Disneyland.  My hero was Roy Rogers, and I had his autograph and a wristwatch.  A lot of kids were envious of all the places I had been.  I knew no better.
 My parents sent me to public school, which was probably a good thing.  I've always believed in the public educational system, because I think it makes a person more well-rounded.
 So, what about Page?  Well, she was my first girlfriend, although she didn't know it.  I think you'll be seeing a trend develop soon.  Page was the most popular girl in our first-grade class.  I was the smartest.  In fact, my teacher told my parents that I had the second-highest IQ ever to attend that school.  Being smart had its drawbacks, though.  I didn't get asked to go to parties.  Even as an elementary school kid, I was happier playing by myself or with my two neighbors--Bruce and Philip.  I didn't play much sports, because I was always picked last for things.  Maybe it was the glasses, or because I was small, or because my father was a minister.  I wanted to play sports, but there was a stigma about me.  "Don't pick Walter, because we will lose."  After you hear that for a while, you think you are a loser.
 Page grew up and moved away.  She went to England.  I don't know what happened to her after that, but my life was changing rapidly, and I was just in the seventh grade.

On Turning Thirty, 1983

The Woodstock Kid has come
 to the respectable age where
  we all wonder if we can trust
   him or at least respect him?


Rock and Roll is here to stay
 and so is Watergate forever,
  so this day would be lost
   if not for a mere act of life.


So, the kid regains in him
 teens although his body says
  he's old, and others ask
   to see his ID as they don't believe/


The gray hairs come and the
 back goes, but the humor stays,
  so if you see this person around
   just be amazed and then quiet.

The Sun Doesn't Smile When Clouds are in Your Way, 1975

Sitting on the beach,
 staring at the sun and
  wishing that the clouds
   would not drive it away.


Standing in a room,
 staring at the crowds,
  and wishing that they
   would go away for good.


Waiting for another day,
 and all that it brings,
  with dreams of reality
   breaking forth into fantasy.


Why does the sun have to
 leave, when people thrive
  on its rays as if they were
   laughs to soothe the depressed souls.


"Sunshine on my shoulders makes
 me happy" and the clouds
  come and it begins to
   rain forever and ever.  Goodbye.

The Children's Song, 1973

Save the world for the children,
They've got to live here, too.
See them starve in the ghetto of life,
And no place to go.


Save the world for the children,
Stop the war and the bombs,
Hey everybody, look around you,
And see their little faces staring at you.


You see the happiness on their faces,
When food is dropped their way,
You see their families helped,
When money is theirs to stay.


Save the world for the children,
Black, Yellow, Brown, and White,
Please look around you and see their faces,
Because their world won't be here to see,
You'll die, and where would they be?

2 People, 1972

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?

Vacation, 1977

A boy and a girl
barefoot with jeans
knee-high enjoying the
inner city waterfall cascading
over the man-made rocks toward a
pool of recycling water.


A boy, maybe AWOL, or
maybe just on leave, reading
a book that's probably not the
Army manual, and soaking up the
sun.


An old man taking pictures
looking for a good shot, but
taking most anything he sees.


A kid with his Mom,
exploring the levels
of trees and stone.


A guy writing what he
sees in a water garden
one day in Ft. Worth.


A paradise in the midst
of the city.  It's a vacation.
(And, it's a trip.)

2 Children, 1973

2 little children--naïve as could be,
Playing on a green hill--laughing at the sun,
2 little children--one a boy and one a girl,
Wishing life were as happy as that moment in time.


2 little children--growing up to adulthood,
Seeing the world around them,
2 little children--trying to survive,
Calling back on memories and crying all the time.


Looking at war and pollution,
Looking at crime in the streets,
Looking straight ahead--nothing to live for,
Nothing but love for you and me.


2 little children--loving each other,
2 little children--letting the world go by,
But seeing the sunset of life all around them,
And asking where has their love gone?


It's been gone too long.

One More Time, 1978

Are we touching just a little,
Can I see you in my mind,
Are you saying that you're sorry,
Or just following behind?


Is there just an open season
On the love we once both shared,
Or has time quickly passed us
And left us where we cared?


Can I see you in my mind,
Just a little longer than before,
Can we touch one more time,
Can our hearts beat like one again?


Will you see me--take my hand,
Can you love me with what you know,
Is it true that you are leaving,
Please tell me it's not so.


Won't you give us another chance,
It will be better I promise that,
We would dream and soar to eternity,
Won't you love me just a little bit,
One more time.

One Day, 1969

The day everybody comes home,
The day the buffalo roam,
The day in May,
One day.


The day a man snores,
The day we knock on doors,
The day we all do pay,
One day.


The day a man could die,
The day a boy did lie,
The day we all are so gay,
One day.


The day we told the truth,
The day we needed a sleuth,
To find a horse who said nay,
One day.

The One

 If ever there was a time when two people were in love, it was my time.  Movies are made from dreams, and love is something you dream about, so what made this love so special?  Was it love?  Only time can answer that question, but I know that it happened and that is good enough for me.
 It all started about 22 years ago, or maybe before that, but I have only existed that long.  My parents wanted a child to fulfill their marriage.  They didn't care what they had, but a boy was fine with them.  When I appeared that morning to the doctor delivering me, I was already crying, which I guess was my way of telling everybody that I was here.  I was cuddled and loved and fed and nursed, which I guess was what my world was all about during my first few months on this earth.  I had no cares in the world.  It was my world and no one was going to interfere with it.  Even when my parents left to go somewhere, I always had the sense that they would be coming back to be with me.  After all, where would they go without me?  Everything revolved around me, and I knew it.  If I wanted something, I would just cry and I would get it.  I had it made in the shade.
 At least, I had it made until I was three.  When I was three or that was what my Mother said I was, my Father ran away from home, and I thought that that sort of thing was reserved for kids like me.  I didn't know that grown-ups could run away, too, but I guess so, because my Father took off with a friend of his from high school days.  My Mother never got over him leaving.  I guess he waited around long enough for me to walk and then he left.
 It was rough for awhile, but we managed, with Mother working at the grocery store as a check-out lady,  When I got old enough to go to school, I did.  I told all my friends that my Father died.  It was better than saying he ran away, because I don't think they would understand.  Anyway, I was okay in school.  My first-grade teacher and I got along just fine, but I still failed most of my tests.  I just didn't care.  That feeling of mine would carry with me all through my school days.  I passed first grade, but I couldn't ever tell you what we did there.

On a Hillside, 1970

About a month ago, we were standing in a field,
When we heard a noise like a bell that pealed,
Some ran away, because they were afraid,
But most of us stayed.


There was a voice that spoke,
Some thought that it was all a joke,
The voice said that Bethlehem would be filled with joy,
Because in that city would be born a little boy.


The voice said that the baby would be in a manger,
But this baby would be no stranger,
The voice said that there would be peace,
And all your problems would cease.


The light faded out,
We walked about
To Bethlehem,
And we saw him.

Ode to a Juror at 17, 1982

Sitting in a room--freezing from
                                         the cold,
                              and cold from
                 the boredom that stretches
                                   hour
                                     by
                                   hour
And then the voice of a woman
        begins calling out names
                                        as
              a dull roar becomes hushed.


And now you sit as other people
                                take your place,
          happy that they are serving while
  you think about lunch or next week
            or a novel that's not very good.


A few minutes later that seems
                                           like
                                                hours...
      with you in a groggy nod,
                 a name that sounds like your4s
           and you jump to go for a jury
                  where you find it was all
                                                    a mistake.


So you go back
                         down
                                  to a cold room
      to wait for another call that never
                      comes.


Sitting in a room...

Observation #2, 1977

 Emily is almost two.  She has blond hair and blue eyes.  She has started walking but would rather ride in the stroller.  Emily's main  concern is that everything in the world should revolve around her.  If any attention is withdrawn from her, she will cry.  Emily cries a lot.  And adult tried to quiet Emily one night, and the attempt to do so took most of an hour.  This sequence took place at a department store between 7:00 and 8:00 that night.  Perhaps Emily was sleepy or hungry, but the main problem with her was that she was crying.  Emily responds to light and movement rather well, and this has a soothing effect on her, so the adult went to the toy department with Emily to see what they could find.
 First, she found a helicopter that whirred, which was followed by a bunny that hopped.  Then, there was a water toy with a lobster inside, and a blinking light of some sort.  The helicopter and blinking light quieted her down somewhat, but she continued to cry after short intervals.  The adult became exasperated and left.  Emily's parents came and took her home.  She stopped crying when she saw her parents.  It was therefore a strange environment and strange people that caused Emily to be upset.  Dependence, independence, and attraction to certain kinds of toys typlified

Observation, 1977

 Public speaking does not have to be thought of in a large situation.  Anyone speaking to another provides a degree of public speech.  The situation I observed was an employee meeting at Sanger Harris.  The speaker was a supervisor, in charge of some seven departments.  The supervisor asked one person from each department to come to her office for a short meeting, but without telling us as to what the subject was to be discussed, so there was a bit of anxiety in the people going to the meeting.
 The supervisor had just come from a meeting with the personnel manager, where she had been chided for letting some employees work overtime.  Consequently, the supervisor was uptight when she shared with the employees about the overtime.  The anxiety of both groups (supervisor and employees) came to a head when someone asked a question about overtime and customer attention.  Immediately, the supervisor changed from an offensive leader to a defensive person.  She became very disturbed that a question would be asked.  The mood of the meeting became so tense that it had to be adjourned.  Once the group had dispersed, the supervisor once again became an offensive leader.