Divided

My priorities and everyone else,
My intentions and actions,
My daydreams and realism,
My desires and responsibilities,
My heart and my heart
and my heart and my heart
and my heart..

You Owe It To Someone

Many people I've loved are gone, 

Most left this planet wanting to live

Life is not round trip,

A gift, a flash in time,

It will come to a finite end for all of us

Bad stuff will happen, 

It's vital to take note of the good,

It's crucial to do what you love,

It's critical that you relish the happy moments,

There is no greed in your own happiness

Make your smile a tribute to those who died wanting to live,

Let people into your heart, 

Do what brings you joy as often as possible

There are no scores at the end of the game,
We have nothing to lose

Cheers to the Instigators

Say a prayer for the Activists,
Loud Mouths,
Whistle blowers,
Agitators,
Finger pointers,
Spotlight shiners,
Authority Questioners,
Forward thinkers,
Exposer's of hypocrisy

Often inconvenient,
Sometimes overblown, annoying and completely wrong

They save us from ourselves,
Force us to form opinions,
Speak up on the side of common sense,
Speak out for the common good

This is where the future is formed,
The proof is in the history books

Blue Bird

My fear of loneliness,
Alone-ness,
Often leads me to depression,
Distraction,
I live on auto pilot,
Avoid interaction,
Hide out,
Alone

Summer Love

Chewed by chiggers,

Gnawed by gnats,

Mauled by mosquitoes,

Tasted by tics,

Fleeced by fleas,

Harangued by horseflies,

I've been Polka dotted and swollen,

Itchy and bitchy,

Summer is a pain

Still I'd rather be a meal for bugs,

Than feel icy winds on my face,
I need to feel the sun,

Even if it burns my skin

So turn up the heat,

To hell with the bugs, 

Take me to the sunlight,

I'll fry on the beach,

Watch sunsets in the rain,

When I can't take it anymore,
A bath, a bed, air conditioning,
A meal ending with chocolate and wine,
Mozart or dirty sweet T Rex in my ears,
All I need to feel pampered and at peace,
The romance lives on

Giddy Fiddy

I'm turning 50 in a few days...
How did this happen to me?
Shouldn't I be wiser? More secure? demure?

Just like when I was 10,
I'm still dreaming, exploring,
Learning, relearning,  making mistakes
And thanking my lucky planets,
That I am loved by many patient people.

Sweet

Sweet, caring, kind,
People often use those words to describe me,
I wish I could live up to that image

I do my best to sugar coat my world,
Others strengths and acts of kindness scream out to me,
I point them out as often as I can

Flaws are easily seen by everyone,
I desperately look for good in the midst of confusion,
I seek beauty in tragedy and trash,
I search for silver linings,
I reach for hope in the chirp of a bird

I try to do this every day,
It's not because I'm sweet, kind or naive,
All of us have seen ugliness, selfishness, hopelessness, chaos and despair,
All of us are victims and offenders

My rose colored glasses are the only reason I've survived this long,
They are my bullet proof vest,
Sunbeams and rainbows are my safe room,
Smiles and kind words are my oxygen,
Love, given and received, my blood

Escape

In my mind I'm swinging from chandeliers,
Dancing on tables and knocking over chairs,
Running on a beach and  splashing in the waves,
Playing with dolphins, kites and crabs,
Planting roses in my yard, lying in the grass listening to the birds,
Taking photos on the street of passers by and clouds,
Playing guitar in the sunshine and singing my heart out,
Shopping, cooking, reading, writing, creating...

In reality I'm sitting drowsily in my cozy safe office,
Bored and uninspired I watch the clock,
When I leave I'll go home and do monotonous chores,
Eat out of a can or whatever is simple and makes the least mess,
Stare at all the flaws, the roof that leaks, the walls that need paint,
The yard that is becoming an unkempt jungle,
The unpaid bills, same overwhelming bitter pills

There is little satisfaction in practicality,
Little hope in the mundane and material world

Dreams are often the best part of living

Art, Music, Poetry, Film, Tall Tales, True Stories, Dancing and Kindness

A few of the human achievements that help offset the harshness of living.