Two Men

There is a man who mourns for what he has lost, and a man who rejoices in what he retains. The man who rejoices finds joy in what he has, while the man who mourns does so endlessly, for all that he lacks is like a vast ocean. In it, he will drown while the joyous man stands tall on the island of his joy.

The joyous man finds love in what love he can give. The drowning man is lost in what love he can receive. There is no valley that the drowning man can't fill with his want, nor any mountain the joyous man can't scale with his love.

The loving man knows his own faults. The lacking man cannot see his faults through his want. His want is a great cloud, obscuring his vision in isolation. The loving man straightens his path in the clarity of truth, while he who lacks stumbles and falls.

Edge of my Seat

Popcorn bags have long been emptied
Floor is sticky, floor is sticky!
Advertisements fill the screen
Oxi-clean, Oxi-clean!
Everyone goes to the restroom
Get in line, wait your turn!
Washing, talking, taking time
Get in line, wait in line!

I sit
Intermission
Patient, waiting for the show
I wish
Interruption
Would pass by before I go
(He said) Loony!
(She said) Loony!
(They said) Loony!
(She said) Loony!
Leave me be, leave me alone

Patiently, I wait for hours
Intermission, Intermission!
My date went home and went to bed
Intermission, sleep prescription!
I just want to know what happens
Edge of my seat! Edge of my seat!
Who has lived and who is dead?
What she said, rest your head!

I slump
Intermission
Patience has gone out the door
I wish
That I knew
That this would happen, 'fore the show
(He said) Loony!
(She said) Loony!
(She said) Loony! Loony, Loony!
Leave me be, leave me alone

Words w/o Music 3

A lonestar rides, a solo ranger
A lone star shines above a manger
Words can't describe this holy scene
When angels look down on it, they sing

Words make way for the living Word God
Who came from heaven to where all men trod
He spoke a word to create it all
And against his word, man took a fall

We live life on earth lost in ourselves
We shield our eyes from sky and hell
We're not given much time, so use it
Enough of these words without music

Words w/o Music 2

I'm like words without music
Black and white on a page, tucked under a book
Music flies free, a symphony of sound
While death defies me, I'm planted on the ground
My words are legless, meaningless in practice
The act is in the recitation
Forcefully injecting Frankenstein life
On the surface perfecting my serpentine wife
Word's new companion falls flat on her face
Fulfilling as a bottomless mug
I am words without music
The musician surpassed the lyricist long ago
And finally flew to find a more worthy partner
Defining heartbreak for the lover of words better
than any dictionary
Words are unworthy of music by nature
Dwarfed in stature, never catching up
Never quite caught up
Not caught up, catch up!
Catch up now, you lagging words
Tagging birds, tracking birds who fly the jetstream
Struggle to explain, identify, move
Move now, you gutless words!
You baseless words, you faceless words!
Move, oh useless words, move us
Like leaves against the wind you fly
With no power of my own, without music, without hope
Without songs that help to cope
Help to heal, help to deal
Help to steal a little smile
Words have heaped a heavy pile
All the while music flies
Free and happy in the skies
You were my music
How did I lose it?
Words find meaning in happiness and pleasure
But for love beyond measure, seek a song of salvation
I learned this lesson as a child
But as I grew, impact lessened all the while
Yes, I knew to seek the creator
Peace, love, and honesty follow this maker
And peace is what I crave
More than music, more than sound
More the veils of false hope that cover all around
I'll have peace when it is given
Because I can't make it
I only break it when I have it
Oh, what a lonesome habit
Silly rabbit, why didn't you realize
What you knew was true?
Follow, words!
Follow your leader, words!
You're useless and they see it
Yes, look at them out there
Staring back
Staring at the band in the back
The music sits patiently, poised to attack

Words w/o Music 1

Words without music are turning me colors
Pink, black, brown, and purple spots spotting my skin
Flash back to a swingset; a playtime with brothers
Dismiss bliss for this guilt; abandon your kin

Words without music are trying to block up
They're trying to stock up and hold back a flood
But futile their efforts are dead in the water
When music is gone words are stuck in the mud

The music is missing
Words give way to kissing
And kissing rots any heart out of its shell
These words are alone now
They wish that they knew how to
Bring back the music, bad thoughts to dispell

Words without music cling rock ledges for life
Slip-sliding and falling down a steep incline
You once were my music, but words are alone now
And the words will be useless til God gives a sign

Shmafety Shmirst

Safety first!
It's rule number one, no sacrifice too big
Safety first!
What good is love, freedom, or fun if your dead?!
Safety first!
Security is a drug that calms any nervous heart
Safety first!
I like to see a uniform, tucked in and looking smart
Safety first!
Of course you can see my papers!
Safety first!
Oh, it looks like I left them in the house,
would you please excuse m-
Safety first!
But officer, you can't be serious, I pay my taxes!
Safety first!
And besides, I'm... I'm... I'm white!
Safety first!
I swear to you, I've done nothing but watch TV
for the past ten years!
Safety first!
No seriously, every night I fix up a plate of
chicken and corn and I watch TV!
Safety first!
There's corn and chicken at the interrogation?
Safety first!
I suppose this is for the best
Safety first!
Aggressive questioning? Like torture? Well,
I guess you have to put-
Safety first!

All-American

I'm American as apple pie
Gooey center, crispy crust
I'm American like a legless chicken
Or a heapin' bowl a' corn dust
Mix & mash that dust up, make it mush
I'm American like a caged dog
Lickin' steel and bendin' bone
I'm American like the fat lady singin'
when all the cows come home
I'm American like a national ID card
Stars & stripes acrost the top
Carry that 'round with you long enough,
you'll be feelin' pretty American
I'm American like a tank rippin' down a ribbon road
Turnin' daisies, squishin' frogs, & skippin' toads
'crost the pond
I'm American like a large-mouth bass with a lip piercing,
defiant & snaggin' worms
A bag a' worms hangin' on a tree
Ain't American as me
I'm American like Bill O'Reilly (pause)
I'm American like my poppa was
And the way he did, it's the way I does
So clap your hands, all you Americans
And sing the song of good ol' ev'lastin' America

Spurned

Playing with fire, getting burned
Being a liar, being spurned
Now sings the choir all I've learned
And to the spire all have turned:

Love sent his son to break the chains of sadness
And yet to them I willingly hold
I cry to him when growing pains of madness
Around my heart turn a wand'ring soul cold

I take a blade and break the skin a few times
Holding it there till I become afraid
I fall on my knees
I hear a hopeless silence
O what have I
O what have I become...?

Okay, I Admit it

Contrary to popular belief, I am at fault
Chalk and rock salt paint the ground
As I walk through town with my head hung down
Like a hum-drum clown, kids stepping on my big shoes
A painted on frown claims innocence,
but a crushed heart glows with guilt
I loved you like a brand new car
Oh, I'm making this confession
There were times where you were nothing more...
than a possession
But my obsession grew
And my depression too
I learned to let my happiness ride on you
Yes, I loved you
And to this day I can't tell why I failed you
Yes, I admit that it was me
Scratching itches, all my pleasures temporary
And it's scary that I had to get dumped to find that out
How contrary to what I always shout or rhyme about
Hypocrite!
That's my name
And if you say it and click your heels three times,
everything will stay the same
And the shame of losing everything,
carrying that blame
Is enough to make me lie... awake at night