Disgustingly Cheerful Blues

It’s clock out time from that daily grind, 

Walk away from your work, it’s time to be you.
Take off those practical shoes,

Don’t give in to the same old trivial blues.

Let your hair relax, feel your shoulders loosen, 

Breath in that freedom, breakaway from the news

Sing that song, bang a gong,

Dance your dance, fuck it, go on and prance

Write that poem or a song, paint a tree,

Do whatever you choose, you’re free 

Savor the moment with your loves if you can,

Take in the warmth, join the band 

If you’ve got no one at home, you’re still not alone 

You’re part of the earth, like diamonds and dirt,

You’re one of the birds, the trees know their own worth,

You’re a drop of water and a grain of sand

Stardust and moonbeams and flowers and coal,

No one or nothing has a larger soul

Every breath has a butterfly effect,

Fill as many as you can with wonder and awe,

The world will benefit from the energy you reflect 

Tomorrow you might change the world,

Or maybe just one heart,

Everyone has a tedious routine to endure,

Let that be a place to start

Don’t beat yourself down, ignore those that try

Our days here are numbered, and man don’t they fly

Each laugh is contagious, every hug a seed,

Being kind and forgiving is what we all need

Be free, be free, be you, I'll be me

Let yourself be, let yourself be free

Dreams, Schemes and Dragonfly Wings

I'm an eagle with the talons to prove it,
Only when I rise above the chaos can I see the whole story,
Survival is my only goal

In my heart lies a raven and a dove
I prefer peace, love and happiness
Yet I still thrive in blight

I'm as fragile as a dragonfly,
I've been swatted down for spite,
I've learned who not to trust

I'm as loyal as an elephant,
Hurt one of those I carry in my heart,
You'll find me as cruel as a trophy hunter

I'm as monogamous as a penguin,
Icy on the outside to keep out the schemers,
An endless appetite for love from those who gain my trust

Like a bulldog with it's jaws locked on the tire of an airplane,
My dreams are large and unlikely,
My hopes can't be dashed by realists or opportunists,

These are the secrets of my soul,
These are the nightmares of my foes

Ode to Distraction

That song, that joke, that poignant phrase,

That puppy, that sloth, that baby, that seahorse,

That memory, that photo, that person, those shoes,

That painting, that story, that poem, that statue,

That tree, that bird, that graffiti, that character,

That movie, that interview, that award, no, the other one...

Daisy chains and laughs

First love, first promise of together forever,

First bond to keep me awake at night,

Longing for his presence, dreaming of togetherness,
Knowing we were too young to make it last

Heavy kisses, heavy breathing, touches, no finales, 

So many hormones, so little practicality

A wonder filled era, a dream apart from others,

Short lived, divided unwillingly, 

As tragic as the best romances in history

Memories I wouldn't trade for the moon

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.

Emotion Junky

Hello my name is Karen,
I'm an emotion-aholic.

God grant me the brains
to focus on real stuff,

Give me thicker skin
and better self esteem,

Or superpowers
to make everything better

(I'm open to suggestions)

The Crusher

If you've got happy
Count on me for heavy,

If you've got the money,
I'll supply the guilt

If you've got good news,
I'll bring the bad

If you've got the sweet,
I'll add the bitter

If you bring the genius,
I'll beat you down with my dumb

I can kill the joy in sunshine, rainbows,
Music, flowers and puppies too

I can find the down in everything,
But only if you listen

Ode to The Corner Bar

At least once a week I am drawn into the same smoke filled crowded cave,

No need to bring anything but your money

Twenty-something’s to seventy-something’s huddle in this space,

Camaraderie is thicker than found in most families; Attorneys, Dishwashers, Accountants, Artists, Carpenters, Techie's, Teachers, Custodians, Managers, Business Owners, Servers, Musicians, Politicians, Machinists, Mechanics, Landscapers and Nurses, all find a way to tolerate each other.

People come to commiserate, celebrate, gossip, blow off steam,

Watch sports, play games, some dance and/or sing along to the music.

Others just sit quietly, reading or glued to a phone.

Drinks and cigarettes ease the pain of the mundane

Hugs and "I love you’s" flow as most nights progress,

Meaningful or not I take comfort in every one.

My drinking pals; loyal, loving, forgiving

And usually lots of fun.

Crown Vic Royalty

I love my nondescript big american ride,
My Crown Victoria, my love, my pride,

Old lady car shell, hot rod underneath, steers like a dream,
Kick back, relax and glide, it's peaches and cream

Hybrid drivers who give me holier than thou looks, they have my sympathy,
Comfort is what stole my heart, I smile and cruise on blissfully.

Building Heart Muscle

Love has many costs,
The payoff is proving you are human,
Capable of placing another's welfare equal to your own,
With or without receiving the same

Emotion Without Purpose

Paths cross in shifting sands,
Crazy coincidences, common ground,
Like thoughts on music, philosophy, religion, politics
Mutual neediness,
Bonds sometimes form without intention

Infatuation can be a welcome distraction,

Heart racing moments make you forget your cares,

Enjoy it while you can but keep your head,
It's shallow and fleeting,
The world will beat the door down eventually

The bond either fades or evolves into something closer to permanent
Reality always wins

Be still my heart

Music is a part of my earliest memories, I sang all the time when I was happy, at 5,  I was usually happy, drove my siblings crazy.

We lived in Detroit in 1969, I remember singing "feeling groovy" to my Dad and his full out laughter, "groovy? what does that mean?"  I replied "Daaaad,  it means happy!"  "oh, okay, sing it again!" he laughed just as loudly every time I got to the chorus.

We moved to a suburb of Washington DC, Franconia, VA in '70, I was 6, our neighbors were awesome. the people next door had 8 kids and most played a musical instrument,  the youngest was my best friend Pam, a year older than me.

Our favorite thing to do was play 45's, dance and sing along. sometimes we pretended we were a band and acted like we were playing instruments.  "Honky Tonk Woman" was one of my favorite jams. One day Pam asked if I wanted to listen to her oldest brother Mike (he was around 19) and his band practice in their basement. they were surprisingly nice, said they needed an audience.

I was in awe, had never seen a real drum set, amps, microphones, except on TV.  All was good until the drummer started playing, as soon as he tapped the cowbell I recognized "Honky Tonk Woman", When her brother hit the first few notes on his guitar I ran out of the room. My heart was racing, face was red, it was too much, I couldn't look at them directly.

In my 6 year old mind, they were the Rolling Stones.