friendly ghosts of mind

watching the clock move across your face
i see time as it dances in the lines left behind,
topping my sunday with a last remembered trace
i find in the couch cushions of my mind,
where i move to is based on where i've been
tracing my steps from sainted to the sin,
the memories of friends lend me visions of myself
as i move through the mirages life places on my shelf

so many so few

there's only so many breaths we get to breath,
only so many sights we get to see,
only so many nights we get to sleep,
only so many crops we get to reap,
only so many hugs we got to give,
only so many days we got to live,
only so many, and same time so few,
look at what you got and figure out what to do

it's good to be alive

standing up tall while surveying a life
full of fat blessings, love shared sights,
caring expressions littered all about,
it's good to be alive, that is true no doubt,
i got family backing and dope friends support,
i see deeds & hear words displaying their warmth,
i bring beauty to life as i feed on that love
and i strive for that ideal, to keep high above
my understanding and respect for those whom i care,
never worrying when life's darkness does flare,
when you got a network of true fam extended
nothing can break you, life can't be upended

sweating like an oldy

heart beating heavily,
breath intake steadily
bringing on heavenly bliss
that only exercise submits
for inspection,
i review my life as i move through
right, left, right, left,
breath in a rhythm, form in check,
making sweat pour down my neck,
aint nothing like a good workout

finger painting

silently i slip through slits in mental silk screens,
painting images with words shaken and stirred,
it’s impulsive for me to bring things to view,
it’s really all i know how to do

searching for answers

sometimes life has us searching for solutions,
we hunt through past experience,
sift through old pollution,
looking for something that is often undefined,
a clue to provide ourselves with peace of mind

body language

watching expressions, picking up lessons,
confessions of movements are telling
and refute what mouths are selling,
quite compelling are the blatant signs
but you’re rebelling, won’t listen to your own eyes,
and so the lies to yourself begin,
you have the truth and hold it, but won’t take it in,
honesty to self is the place to go to win
a shot of reality stronger than a double gin,
but can you take it?
are you prepared to look you in the eye
completely naked without your self deciet to hide behind?
you can’t fake it,
doubt will bring to light what you denied,
so step to it, look at it,
don’t be scared to confide
a love in yourself by granting you permission
to grab positions of supositions you been wishin to own,
and truly make your mind zone your own peaceful home

we are writers

it's time to invite the spirits
to incite the lyrics appearance,
so that when people hear it
spoken they are instantly open
and vibing with what your writing's quotin',
emotion riding on music as composition's fluid,
then you feel it, and yeah you knew it was fresh,
our poems are the breath of the gods,
expressed as moments of tests versus odds,
we're knowing all along we don't own these songs,
they're just passing strangers playing along,
and so we write to feel alive, to show you what we see,
and so we write because we need it like seas need the breeze,
we right because we have to, always remembering this
not writing is hell,
but writing is bliss

get it together yo

why you looking at me all square and cross?
thinking you can steal up like you the big boss,
best to back down dog before you get tossed
down a well of understanding, lined with moss
of humility, for reals aint no need to act crazy,
i'm not trying to double cross, not trying to baby
step my way through this discussion with you,
cuz you're straight up out of line and need to check your views

marshmellows and jujubees

squish, squish, that's what i wish,
to feel the sugary burst held in the grips
of marshmallows and jujubes,
they make my mouth dance, they burst to please
my taste buds, they hug my sugary needs,
forcing my body to pulse into deeds
unpredicted before i put them to my lips,
now i'm unhitched,
and there's no turning back until my next fix
marshmallows and jujubes basically own me
so it seems, i'll do their bidding, chop the wood,
till my next addiction grips me for good

loved lost

there was an explosion of emotion,
an immediate depth of connection,
in this new direction you both shook in awe
of the way you could feel your melting hearts thaw,
you both jumped on the chance and let yourselves prance
through the minefields of love, sure it would last,
but your summer of love turned to a winter of pains,
and then you stood cold in your own tearful rains
remembering the embraces, the soft touch of a hand,
the way that eyes gently traced and scanned
their way across your body, piercing your soul,
now drowning in sorrow, and you dug this hole
by not reading signs, not being alert
to the baby steps taken down the path of true hurt

a day without a thing to do

i woke up and started my daily routine,
on autopilot made food, got myself clean,
it was early in the morning with the rising sun view,
it was then i recalled i had nothing to do,
no work, no appointments, not a thing today,
no traffic annoyance, no task list for my day,
so i stripped off my tie and began to ponder
what i could fill my time with, i wandered
to a place in my mind i'd forgotten it seems,
it had been so long since i'd even day dreamed,
i turned on the the tv, bumped my radio loud,
danced in my kitchen in my boxers quite proud
of the fact that i could, if nothing else
it was time to rock out and party by myself,
so that's what i did, i danced and i sang,
and i refused to answer the phone when it rang,
chilled and watched movies, even took a nap,
for good measure i topped it off with a night cap

stress

stress affects everyone,
it's the same no matter where you come from,
it steps on your chest, steals away your breath,
and makes your mind pace back and forth
with no rest, searching for answers to this test

carpe diem

this day will never happen again,
grab it by the hand and walk with it my friend,
look into it's eyes and see what you can find,
take your time to appreciate this moment in time,
there are things happening right now
that will never ever come back around,
so capture the sights, savor the sounds
so you may replay in your brain the way you got down

insomnia

sleep just hasn't been my friend lately,
doesn't seem to want to hang out with me,
when i close my eyes and hope for a visit
all i get is tossed and turned passing minutes,
hoping maybe tonight i'll get a good night of it
cuz if this keeps up i'm gonna feel like shit

push

keep pushing on up, that's all i can say,
pushing through pain, pushing through waves
of the bullshit that hits the shoreline of your mind,
push through the confusion, push through to find
a newly defined you staring in the mirror,
it's our struggles in life that make things clearer
to see, to be, to breath and to bleed,
it's our failures in life that teach us to succeed

little lady on the bus

i can sense your emotion,
it's scent is in the breeze,
i can see your intention,
you wear it like baby tees,
but where do you go to my lovely
when your search yields you no fruit?
and where will you search for deep solace
when you see that in life there's no truth?
after eons of no inspiration
you stand on the doorstep of faith
hoping that it's instigation
will bring you to that lovely place
you hoped for as loneliness held you,
now your eyes only hold up that view,
and yet when you look all around you
all you can do is feel blue,
yes it's true,
there you see him in the distance,
you hope he can bring you a smile,
you wish for a simple existence
where you and he travel the miles
of a life,
but your stop is up next as he sits
and you walk out of his sight
having never shared just one moment
but you know that it's now alright

morning questions

what to do, what to do,
what to listen to and view,
what to pursue, what to chase away,
what in the world should i look for today?
and does it really matter anyway?
i mean life is gonna provide me with tons
of information, boredom and fun
whether i add to or take away from the sum,
it’s just another rotation around the sun

reunion

slipping into something old
and finding new truth,
time with friends is healing,
the laughter shared
will live forever

prince or pauper

would you rather be a pauper in heaven
or a prince in hell?
and what if hell were the only place you'd dwelled
for the entirety of your existence?
wouldn't the distance from home make you lonely
enough to roam back to the place from whence you'd grown?

one day

one day you're gonna look back
remembering how you used to play,
one day you're gonna be old and gray
looking on the glass case display
of what you did with your life,
one day you're gonna be sitting around
longing for familiar sights, and simple touch
like the rush from the sound of a loved ones laughter,
one day you're gonna be tired, and nothing will matter,
worn out by it all, feeling uninspired,
maybe just waiting to die,
one day, one day, old age and youth collide,
only one’s left standing, the others left on the road side,
one day comes for each and every one,
set yours up to reach out of shadow into sun,
show the love now as tomorrow may not come
since as you can see all we got is one,
one day, one day

working it

the pressure is mounting and piles are growing
of documents to complete, gotta get going
with productive minutes stacked into hours
so corporate chieftains in ivory towers
have a good bottom line,
and so i can get mine

smile

smile yo, the world is a beautiful place,
and see that, there goes another beautiful face,
happiness is never more than a thought away,
like landfall in the distance is just another sway
of the ocean's waves to swing you to shore,
so take a quick second to be sure to not ignore
all you have to be grateful for

past sight

starring in the rear view mirror
so hard i forgot that i'm living right here,
pictures from the past seem to wrap around my mind
with emotions that trickle in deeply so as to find
my current state of mind in a nation of the same,
living in the past in short can make lame
able bodied persons with any aspirations,
diverting you back in your mind to occasions
that can't bring anything positive to now,
but the road of thought leads me back somehow,
i know it's as simple as changing my mind,
but sometimes i find i can't unwind
that ball of stringy memories

killing just cause

it's a tale as old as the use of a clock,
peeps from another camp are seen as lesser stock,
flocks from other borders, holding other beliefs,
praying to other gods, following other chiefs,
they mean much less than the fool next door,
so it's easy to kill them off as we explore
just how far we can go as a nation,
even if it means another mans extermination
in the name of security, for the sake of our tribe,
they must have been a threat since our leaders don't lie,
do they?

questions of the heart

how long does a heart ache last?
tell me my friend,
and who's to say when it should end?
where does one go to heal and surpass,
to build up the heart to a love that lasts
longer than a handful of memories?

i saw a sad friend smile yesterday,
the glow in her face couldn't keep away
the traces of sadness that hid in the lines
built up like sediments stacking the sides
of streams of thought, rivers of emotion,
running towards her heart, a dark endless ocean,
maybe a healing will happen one day,
maybe a soft hand will show her the way
to a depth of happiness, a wellspring of joy
akin to a kid playing with a new toy,
or maybe none of that will happen,
maybe she'll always be subtly saddened,
i really can't call it, and might never know
because the heart is a muscle who's mystery grows
with every beat,
so tell me

how long does a heart ache last?
tell me my friend,
and who's to say when it should end?
where does one go to heal and surpass,
to build up the heart to a love that lasts
longer than a handful of memories?

season changes

i can see the season changing, i can feel it changing me,
rearranging me, framing me with the skin i need to survive
as the temperature drops and gray colors the sky,
i’ve come to terms with this changing through the years,
learning to cope with it and basically not to fear
the changes that come and parts of me that go,
because i’m no different than the trees grown,
simply a subject to the seasons,
they change my mind,
they change my reasons

giving you words

i'll just keep moving on with a song in my heart,
keep pushing through throngs with a full bong sparked,
gotta keep keeping on and stop sleeping on the art
that departs from my fingers when applied to the dark
letters on my keyboard, like ships leaving sea ports
the words dressed in khaki shorts depart east & north
clearly in search of cohorts,
i extort words to force payment in pictures,
colorful scenes, so many that they litter
the corners of my mind like a mob trying to find
justice, but all they find is just us,
me writing, you reading, you are my impetus

eye's of a stranger

while searching for identity in experience
i stumble upon myself stumped over in the distance,
as i was looking for answers in the eyes of another
i witnessed myself mirrored in actions unanticipated,
life as i know it exists mostly in the confines of my mind,
and so do you

lyric

soundbyte’s flow through portholes of souls,
they pay rhythmic tolls to drizzle in and roll
out panoramic scenes

tiempo

from seed to stalk the frocks we adorn
ourselves with are torn, and shorn,
by countless rain drops worn,
and to many heavy forces to form
much more than a brief understanding of life,
like light filtering itself through branches at night
we only catch refractions, ego filtered invites
to true knowledge, wisdom, hard washed over time,
we’re carved like faces of mountains,
defined by time, traced out in lines,
we find in our minds our time defines us,
others seem to find our time is worn by us,
in our faces, and in the traces we leave behind,
oral histories of deeds, stories of the divine
efforts we created, tails of the failures we find,
and the answers to better live as time winds
us up and around like a vine to a post,
it’s stretches us out, makes us thinned out like rope,
looking back can have us tying our stomachs knots,
but we need to kick back, all is not lost,
we got time

perspectiva

the mist in these hills spills
free of frills from the wellspring
of history, as you can see the skies weeping,
they’re quietly keeping shrouded mysteries,
they hide the script that reads
out the death of ministries,
as you can plainly see
the minstrels of kings once danced in this land,
now all left of their glory slips through times hand,
barren will soon be the day holding thought
of the laughter, the cheer, and love they had wrought,
but every now and then if it’s quiet you can hear
the soft whispers of the past flitter into your ears.

learning zen

as a youngster i looked for answers at the bottom of a drink,
searched for salvation while standing on the brink
with a bottle in one hand and a joint in my fist,
pushing ideas back and forth, sifting through risks
while keeping sobriety brisk, mostly short lived,
not realizing it limited what i could give
myself as far as options were concerned,
since then i’ve learned
a man without a clear mind is a man often burned
by lack of focus, and dark feelings of hopelessness,
but now my opus is colored by droning tones
of knowing my own zone for coping with life’s blown
opportunities is best come to with a chemical free view,
so that’s just what i do
when the stress makes me feel pressed,
and distress has me wanting to up and regress,
i take a deep breath, and then i take another,
i take a deep breath, and then i take another,
i take a deep breath, and then i take another,
just to destress and step out from the smothered
feeling that life's pressure offers in heavy measure
sometimes, keeping eyes sized onto the prize
helps us surmise what we need to do to uprise
and snatch the sunrise,
i'm telling you that all in life is in our grasp,
so don't look surprised when you get that which you asked,
or see your life unfold, as you had hoped for, at last

endless day

waiting on a moment to arrive
can madden the sane,
as can hoping time will fly by
while the planets align properly

biting off too much?

stepping out, just past my comfort zone,
wondering if it’s gonna hurt,
and if i should run home

mini sirloin burgers

you are calling to me,
your full aroma enters my nostrils,
filling my body with overwhelming hunger,
i will devour you
because i have to,
do not disappoint me

face of a pretty girl

soft lines melt into sensous curves,
they are laid out in an exquisite pattern,
showing me
her face

albondigas

my mouth waters in between bites,
as i reacquaint myself with sight,
and tastes, that bring a smile to my face,
damn it i love good food

pain pill paradise

warm numbing haze drifting all through my mind,
drug induced waves lapping at the shore side,
seeing the end of this ocean i find
a day free of pain ahead

i note

dripping into my ears
while pulsing through my body,
music can not be contained
or defined