Thus I Wrote

I see ghosts of late
From scenes I’ve played
The haunting of familiar faces
In familiar places

I see ghosts of late
In the well of my emotional state
The pricking of past emotion
The lessons of past devotion

I see ghosts of late
From loving relationships I’ve made
From mother and father
From sons and daughters
From wives and lovers
From sisters and brothers
From the friends who stayed
Among the ghosts I see of late

I see ghosts of late
Whispering of changes to date
The waves that rise and fall
The victories big and small
The turning of the earth
The renewal of life and death
All that shapes my fate
In the ghosts I see of late

I see ghosts of late
Part of the man I’ve made
They don’t go they wait
With me till that silent gate….

I see ghosts of late
Judging my fate
The haunting of familiar faces
In familiar places
The pricking of past emotion
The memories of past devotion

I see ghosts of late
(As I contemplate)
Of son and daughters
Of mother and father
Of sister and brothers
Of wives and lovers

I see ghosts of late
(In my emotional state)
Of wishes and regret
Of victories others forget
Of the turning of the earth
Of life and of death

Unassailable in his tower
Of financial and political power
He will still die
Just like you and I
Slowly or quickly
He will become sickly
He has not the pace
To win this race

He rages and works
Against the future that lurks
Against the decay
Coming closer every day
He wants some meaning
Why is death intervening?
But he’s a small pawn
To a life that goes on
He held a baton a while
While he ran his mile

We are born and we die
Against our will, so we try
To exert some control
To create a role
In the end there’s no doubt
There’s no easy way out
Before we leave we check in
Every last thing
We fall into the unknown
As we were born….alone

The truth of beauty
Is in the underlying duty
Form is the birth of function
Removing faults at every junction

Do we need God as referee
When we now have CCTV?
Do we not need religion because
We now have so many laws?

We are so pragmatic
But we’ve lost some magic
Old people die alone
Such a hidden misery grown

We have yet to count the cost
Of the love we have lost

Let’s hold hands
As we walk on the soft sand
Where the palm tree grows
Where the summer breeze blows
Where the salty sea flows
Where the cool moon glows
There my heart skips a beat
And hope rises in the heat

My hope is a start
I know trusting is tough
I’m playing a part
And taking chances is enough
I know I’ve got the heart
For another big love

Lets walk & share a joke
We won’t fix what ain’t broke
We’ve got less to come
And we’ve got much more already done
Is it really an illusion
A mad wonderful confusion
We’ve been here before
But we’re back for more

My hope is a start
And there’s no time to bluff
I’m playing a part
And my trust is enough
I’ve got the heart
For another big love

There’s a truth in your beauty
The form of your life’s duty
I see your patience and care
How you give and take your share
I see your love and grace
Shine in time and space

My hope is a start
I know trusting is tough
I’m playing a part
And taking chances is enough
I know I’ve got the heart
For another big love

I told a joke
And it was misunderstood
I did not play social games
Like many others could
In talking from the heart
I was always second best
I live in my head
Focussed on my quest

I pushed the world
And the world it punched back
It cycled and it swirled
It changed from white to black
I surfed the waves of change
Til I landed on this beach
Now it feels so strange
The future’s slipping out of reach

How did we find
Ourselves on different sides?
What started as a line
Is now a chasm wide
I wish that I could hold you
Like when our love was new
But our demands they were too many
And our gifts they were too few

I asked why
But alone no answer came
Together the picture is empty
But at least we have a frame
Will our role be revealed?
Will we wait too long to live?
The lilies of the field
They just live and give

I drew an eight
When I wanted a Jack
But I’ll play the hand I’m dealt
Because there’s no use looking back
If hard work’s the platform
Then I’m ready for my luck to gain
Life may be full of storms
So I dance in the rain

I raised my voice, when I should have not
I looked at you, while thinking wrong thoughts
I drank too much, and disguised by mirth
Said careless words, and you, got hurt

After we argue, I often shut you out
I waited to calm down, I wouldn’t trust my mouth
I made a silence & I wouldn’t let it go
I made you lonely, and I wish, it wasn’t so.

I spend too much time, living in my head
It makes me negative, and aloof, you said
I need more heart, and I need more fun
I feed the elephant, when I, should make it run

My emotions are dark, too dark for me to read
They swirl, they rise up, when it’s calmness I need
They lash out when things don’t go my way
My wise counsel, is drowned, inside my head.

I’ve seen a love, that’s as warm as the sun
It touched the heart and the soul of everyone
A graceful self that was clear to its shine
An inspiration, but I’m so, far behind

I know I’m blind so I can’t see
That I’m a prisoner so I’m not free
That a change now must surely come
That if I conquer myself, I will be done

Picture by Piotr Antonow

One day we’ll be too old
We’ll be too old to give
So..Let’s give to each other
And help us better the life we live

One day we’ll be too old
We’ll be too old to listen and talk
So..Let’s cherish one another
And help each other grow through the knocks

One day we’ll be too old
We’ll be too old to forgive
So..Let’s forgive now
So we can be released to fully live

One day we’ll be too old
We’ll be too old to laugh and have fun
So..Let’s wring the fun out of our days
And laugh until we have none

One day we’ll be too old
We’ll be too old to hold hands
So..Let’s enjoy our gentle touch
And enjoy our simple pleasures while we can

One day we’ll be too old
We’ll be too old to kiss
So..Let’s enjoy our affection
So our best days have not been missed

I don’t need no desert
To know I’m in the wilderness
I don’t need no burning bush
Telling me to pray or confess
I don’t need no lamb of God
Talking of redemption and sin
I’ve been knocking on that door
I just need someone to let me in

I don’t need no politician
To take me by the hand
Or to part the economy
With some magical command
I don’t need no rich man advising me
From the wave he’s floating in
I’ve been knocking on that door
I just need someone to let me in

I don’t need no market
To tell me what I’m worth
Or to hear about competition
And how if I work hard I’ll come first
I know now, I need help and the right wave
Before I can finally win
So I’ll keep knocking on that door
I just need someone to let me in

I’ve heard enough about the failures
That put me on my knees
I’ve examined every one of them
And I’m improving by degrees
It’s been a lesson in humility
But I’ll take it on the chin
I’ll keep knocking on that door
I just need someone to let me in

My glass is half full
As I learn the lessons they teach
I see lights of opportunites
But they remain out of reach
They say that in every fall
There’s a seed of a rise therein
So I’ll keep knocking on that door
Till someone lets me in.

She radiates light
Her smile lifts my heart
If she has problems
She keeps them apart
She has a lust for life
That inspires me to presume
She is beautiful
She lights up the room

Her hair it shines
Her eyes are bright
Her skin is clear
She dresses just right
Her calm poise
With a hint of perfume
She is beautiful
She lights up the room

Her spirit radiates
A love not artificial
It gives her a beauty
Beyond the superficial
She has a grace
And a vitality that blooms
She is beautiful
She lights up the room

For 5 minutes
She is amazing
She touched my life
Like a fire blazing
It was pure
And then gone too soon
She is beautiful
She lights up the room

I now pray for grace
To fill my soul
So that I could radiate
And touch people more
To open up my heart
And sing a better tune
She is beautiful
She lights up the room