Say his name: George Floyd

Too many black lives snuffed out too soon

By people the same color as me 

But who think nothing like I do.

Not that anyone is perfect. Lord knows not I.

But I see people the way they want to be seen.
I respect people for who they are as people.

Not some ill-informed preconceived notion of how 

Everyone with a certain skin tone is supposed to act.

And I see clearly the systematic wheels that turn to keep

Black folks down. 

I know there is no justification for the level they are 

Pulled over, arrested, killed, prosecuted or convicted.

Our entire system of justice in this country is set up to punish black people.

What we need now is a revolution of our entire system of justice. 

From top to bottom. 

Tear the whole motherfucker down

And start clean.

Make it fair for everyone by listening to the concerns of those disproportionately affected.

Unless we do this now, we will repeat the ugly history of this country.

The Road to God

All my old haunts are haunted. Like houses filled with ghosts. The memories remain, they say, like Soldiers at their posts. Everywhere in town, there is a

Place I used to be. Everywhere I go I find a Little piece of me. We danced for years out in these streets We paved the road to God. For any following to see The road is straight and broad. And if you take those footsteps They will take you to a Hill You might see echoes of us seated Blanketed and still. We’re there to watch the sunset and we’re Hopelessly in love Back when things were simpler Back when we were young.

Music City

They call it Music City

It used to be a country town.

They’d write a little ditty

Then their suitcase would come ‘round.

“You gotta go to Nashville.”

They were told with eyes of stars.

Guitar, full tank of gas

For their beat-up compact cars.

On the road and heading

Toward those Music City lights.

Hopes of fame and stardom

Hopes to reach the greatest heights.

It’s not as easy as you think

To break big in this town

But if you like to drink

There is a tortured soul to drown.

And inside every Honky Tonk

A singer with guitar

Some talent and a jaunty walk

Will take you pretty far.

You may not become famous but you can

Work and have a life.

Any ignoramus knows that’s

The way to get a wife.

Or husband if you do prefer

Whichever way you lean.

No one judges people

In this city with a sheen.

But Nashville’s more than this these days

There’s stars of every kind.

And rock n’ roll is made here now

There’s no bias assigned.

Jack White makes his home here now

And Justin Timberlake.

Ben Folds makes his albums here

There’s lots more hearts to break.

And if you’ve thought of moving here

You wouldn’t be alone.

People come from all around

And they arrive in droves.

Our city sure is special

When the sun sets o’er the skyline

If you come and think of staying 

Well, my friends, that’s by design.

COVID

The days are growing longer.
Spring is melting away.
Soon it will get warmer.
But home is here to stay.
I barely leave my bedroom.
Just to cook and clean.
I need to make some headroom
For my book and for caffeine.
If things were getting better.
You'd think they all would leave.
But some call masks their fetters.
They won’t wear the ones we weave.
People still are dying.
By the thousands every day.
They want us all to labor.
For pittance as our pay.

Across the Room

Our lips meet and suddenly I’ve forgotten how to breathe.
Who knew that anything on this Earth could be so soft,
So supple?
My heart is fighting to get out of my chest.
It beats with a thunder I’ve never before felt.
When I saw you across the room, I knew instantly.
When your eyes met mine, I knew you felt the same.
What manner of creature are you, my dear?
What cloud in the heavens have you fallen from,
And are you missed there?
Because even though I don’t yet have your name,
I know I want this feeling to last forever.

Your Eyes are a Million Miles

Your eyes are like a million miles of sea

And I am sailing blissfully away.

But right with you is where I want to be.

I’ll keep those gales and swells safely at bay.

When you look in mine what do you see?

An aching and a sentimental smile?

A longing for the touch and feel of thee?

A glimpse of mischief, competence and guile?

Your lips are like a velvet evening robe.

I’ve slipped into after my evening bath.

And I could search the whole entire globe,

Yet not find lips as soft or hips as fast.

When you see mine do you see roses red?

While dancing thoughts of passion fill your head?

Summer Storm

It was a hot summer day
That was cooling very suddenly
I was in my expansive backyard
A teen
Old enough to contemplate
My place in the world
The darkened clouds were approaching rapidly
I stood and watched
Eventually, they arrived and it didn't take long
I stood there, soaking it in.

Hadlee

She is the light of my world.

She can cheer me up on any day

Just by showing up.

I treasure the time we spend together.
I enjoy watching her grow up.
I held her in the hospital when she was born.

I cared for her as an infant when her mother had to work.

She’s as dear to my heart as if she were my own.

Hadlee.

My Speakers go Boom

My speakers go boom
Inside my bedroom
Big bass in my ears
So loud there are tears
My favorite band
As loud as I can
And when it all ends
I do it again

The Lights are Always on Downtown

The lights are always on downtown I’d say.
Some days we’d leave the town and head down there.
The Owl’s Nest first for coffee was the play.
We’d sit for hours writing with no cares.
And right next door to Moscoe’s for some drinks.
Some Nitros were the course to take back then.
We sprayed each other more than what we drank.
Those things, when shaken, worked up such a fizz.
If hungry Obie’s just across the street.
My name is carved in tables there and walls.
We played Pac-Man right before we ate.
So many times we haunted those bare halls.
Exit-Inn was just right there, you know.
So many famous artists played that place.
The lines would wrap around before the show.
Glad we parked back when there was a space.
From then we’d go to Dragon Park at dusk.
Remember when we climbed the dragon there?
We watched the fireworks — the wind would gust
And we’d hold tightly to our dragon chairs.
I spent so much of growing up back then
Downtown in Nashville — now so much has changed.
I haven’t been there since I don’t know when.
I need to check to see it rearranged.

That Summer

That summer you were everything.

That summer you were mine.

We held hands as lovers do

Without the strings and twine.

That summer we went everywhere

Across town, up and down.

I’ll always cherish memories

And cherish those around.

We shared a special thing that year

They cannot take that back.

To me, you guys were everything

When everything was black.

Your feet outside my window

It’s burned into my brain

ODing on caffeine pills

Getting busted in the rain.

We had our youth and health back then

We took it all for granted.

Our views of life were so naive

So centric yet so slanted.

If only I could go back to

The way things used to be

I’d do it in a second and

My soul would then be free.

Yet Another Sonnet About Love

My heart was left with you to break in two.

And break it is exactly what you did.

I swore to give my everything to you.

And you swore too but that’s just how it is.

I’d love to just forget you and move on.

But when I love, I love with so much zeal.

Now my hopes, my dreams are all but gone.

You broke me into pieces, babe forreal.

And it will just take time to make anew

This psyche, mine, so sensitive and drab.

So take time is just what I shall do.

To try and heal this sore and tender scab.

I'll ne'er forget the way you made me feel

When you stepped upon my heart and made it real.

Long-distance Love

They never see each other
Call it a long-distance relationship

Luna and Sol
Sitting in the sky
A-L-O-O-F-L-Y

But they had love
For one another.
Luna fell hard
For without Sol
She wouldn't shine...

Times Limerick

Times may seem so bleak,
If you care to, take a peek
At the times ahead.
If you are not dead,
It’ll have been a helluva week!

Mother's Day Limerick

If ever a woman deserved 

Her memory ever preserved

It would be my Ma

She didn’t kill Pa.

I swear on my Iife — I observed!

Love from Hell

If love weren’t life I’d leave it where it stood

And only care about myself and mine.

Alas, but without love you’d be no good.

And only have yourself with which to dine.

Instead, I love, often with no gladness

And long for yet another one to give

My heart to knowing only pain, sadness

Will follow as it’s rent right through a sieve.

Once I loved more deeply than the ocean.

I gave my vow and with it all my heart.

But vows were broken and lives sent in motion.

My heart quakes every moment we’re apart.

But this is life, and thus then this is love.

From Hell below, it’s sent, not from above.

May Storms

I adore storms.
The sheer power and intensity.
The disruption from the norm
Of everyday life.
They come roaring in
Announcing their presence
At full volume.
And subsist until you’re enthralled.
The ferocity of its power can never be questioned.
Sitting in the dark with a single candle lit is evidence thereof.
May is definitely a month of storms.
So it’s fitting on May’s 3rd day
One would come our way.

May!

May! May!
It's the first of May.
What a day
To start off May!
I came to say
It's May today!

I love the rain
That falls in May.
It feeds my herbs
So they can stay
Healthy and green
And oh so gay.
That's why I'm keen
To callout May!