Happiness
Happiness.
A child’s laugh
Human eye contact
A woman’s smile, just for you
The snap of a pickle
movie theater popcorn
The smell of cookies in the oven
Golden turkey
Pink steak
Hot potatoes and gravy
Sunshine on a cold day
Stars at night
Dew at first light
The slight wave of the flag
An old man at attention
A ghost trumpet called
A worship song that hits the heart
A preacher’s psalm just for you
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Holding hands in the dark
The smell of perfume that lingers
The soft touch of cold fingers
A strong handshake from a friend
Relationships that are real
Battle checks, never forget your pals
A hug from mom
A “that a boy” from dad
Home sweet home
A brother’s love
A sister’s support
And a family creed
Happiness is different for everyone
but it’s just what we need.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer With Santa Claus!
Enjoy with your family!! Would love to know if any kids do what Santa says in the video!!
The Void
Swiping through numerous photos
sending messages in mass quantity.
Searching for the one that will fill the Void.
Chivalry is not dead,
romance is not for the weak,
a gentleman is a “real” man.
He convinces himself as the Void creeps in.
Mentality over physicality,
we all wish.
Ideals over babble,
we all thought.
Trying to decide the course in order to fill the Void.
Truth...the key.
Honesty...should be.
Tough...as nails.
Gentle...as a lamb.
What’s the currency…
how does one fill the Void?
Searching...waiting...praying,
but the Void never sleeps,
it eats and eats and eats.
Soon there will be nothing but Void.
Till then we keep searching,
till then we keep waiting,
till then we keep praying,
till then...it’s us against the Void.
NOISE.
Noise.
I feel safe in the noise.
I feel comfortable in the noise.
I hide amongst the noise.
The idle chit chat, glasses clinking,
the jukebox playing, the band jamming.
The noise that I hear when a woman looks my way,
scared and unsure...we will never break the ice.
Cork screws grinding, champagne popping,
bottle tops crisp release.
The smell of stale beer, too much lacker on the stick,
cigarette smoke from just outside the door,
and the faintest smell of old urine.
I feel alive, not alone, a king.
The bartender yells, “last call!”
As the bell rings, my life shatters and reality sets in.
Reluctantly I pay my bill,
preparing for my walk home, in the night air,
one more breathe at my door,
fumble with my keys…
“No one is coming with you, the party is over.”
I exhale.
I enter the darkness that is my apartment,
kick off my boots that have seen too much,
Let loose my belt from its loops.
I crawl into bed, my head still full of the noise…
It starts to fade, my mind becomes silent,
that’s a bad place to be.
The noise...I need the noise.
Dad By Another Name!
Dad By Another Name.
Son, brother, husband,
friend, father, veteran.
Built a house with only his hands,
locked up evil so to defend.
Builder, plumber, chef.
All while wearing a corrections officer’s crest.
Hunter, logger, outdoorsman.
Repenting old sins, with a childhood grin,
pour him a vodka, forget the gin.
A head full of knowledge,
somewhere near Alsace-Lorraine,
in Army green he went to college.
Give you his shirt,
when you fall in the dirt.
Cradle you when your pain is not your fault,
even though your his,
grown adult.
Caught the flag before it was a tumbleweed,
gave it a home again to uphold America's creed.
We never talked sports,
but he came to our games.
Then retired on behalf of an ungrateful nation,
and golf became topic of conversation.
Once tried to fly and fell from a tree,
broke every bone,
except for his knees.
He did what was needed to heal up right,
because his family needed him,
to be alright.
Many thing a man can accomplish,
the list not finished,
thank god for that.
Many names my dad has had,
but at the top...
Hero
Arby’s
Arby’s
I stood there for a moment,
feeling cool.
A young age of fourteen or fifteen.
I was looking out over the tables where my classmates sat.
We were in an Arby’s somewhere in Massachusetts.
We were on our way to our first big class trip.
A whale watch.
I was holding a tray of food.
Burger, curly fries, chicken tenders, cheese sauce,
and a large drink.
I stood looking for where I would sit,
the hot girl table?
No, they would never wave me over.
The jocks, the nerds, the theatre kids…
people looking at me.
Then she waved,
motioned for me to come to her.
It was my lucky day.
I took one step towards her,
the rug was cattywampus.
I tripped.
The tray left my hand as I tried to catch it,
he dodged out of the way,
on his way,
she had waved to him.
Everyone laughed,
Jocks, nerds, theatre kids, the cashier, the hot girl table,
and her.
You see?
It doesn’t matter what table you sit at.
Dear Neighbor.
Dear Neighbor.
I couldn’t sleep last night.
The noise was seemingly coming from your apartment.
I hope you had a good holiday,
but please try to remember that others live here.
Thank you.
Your Neighbor.
Dear Neighbor,
I hope you find what you are looking for,
I truly do.
For disruptive sleep is often annoying.
Unfortunately,
the noise you speak of could not have been this apartment.
We go to sleep by nine-thirty,
to awaken by four.
Unless of course you are referring to my snoring,
then I will try cotton balls.
It seems, although, that you are still on the hunt.
Happy hunting,
Your Neighbor!
Oh Brother, Big Brother.
Oh Brother, Big Brother.
Always watching.
Always listening.
Ever present.
Force feeding us propaganda.
Over serving us lies…
and truths?
Oh brother, big brother,
I will not fail you.
I will be loyal.
I will fall in line.
I will follow…
not.
Oh brother, big brother,
I am not,
your puppet,
your voodoo doll,
your clay for molding.
I am me.
I will always be me.
Oh brother, big brother,
We all know about you,
you’ve been exposed.
You are losing your power,
your grip on reality.
We are we…
and…
I am me!
The Cliff.
The Cliff.
On the edge of a cliff,
looking down.
I can smell the salt in the air.
Waves crash below.
The only light is coming from the fog covered moon.
I slip.
Falling…
falling…
falling through the misty air.
Gaining speed.
I see all of their faces,
He.
She.
Them.
Ground getting closer now,
I can feel it in my stomach.
It churns.
Can’t fall forever.
Heart pounding in my ears.
I can feel myself starting to throw up.
I see the ground,
I close my eyes…
WHAM!
I wake up,
take a deep breath.
Piss.
Lay down.
I start to fall asleep.
Hoping, wishing, that I’m atop the cliff again.
Maybe this time I’ll...
Two Fish.
Two Fish.
There once were two fish,
they met in a school.
Slowing down to meet each other,
they formed a shoal.
While together they fell in love,
and in love they stayed for two long years.
He loved everything about her.
The way the sun reflected off her scales,
how in the moonlight she would glow.
He loved her smile and of course the curve of her fins.
There was nothing in the world that was more beautiful to him.
She loved him as well.
She loved his strength,
and she loved how well he treated her,
and he wasn’t a bad looking fish either.
One day, a passing school got mixed in,
the shoal was now bigger by number.
While he was away grabbing some grub,
she started to swim with a new fish.
When he returned,
she explained,
and off she swam with a different fish.
He tried to float for hours,
but finally sadness overcame and his fins gave out.
He floated to the top.
After laying there for a time,
a pelican came and scooped him up.
The ocean has lost another good fish.
Dating Pool.
Dating pool.
5’6”
185lbs
hazel eyes
brown hair
strong
romantic
loving
caring
kind
passionate
compassionate
respectful
loyal
trustworthy
honest
but fuck it
none of you care,
why should I?
Nights.
Nights.
Darkness falls upon the day.
A chill rolls in from whichever way.
The moon decides how much to show.
Stars rise for the occasion and glow.
Fear creeps up your neck and into your head.
Pull the covers up and sink into bed.
Russian roulette…
dream or nightmare,
we don’t know yet.
The lucky ones dream of love and wealth.
The rest of us,
a nightmare slides off the shelf.
Eye lids fall for only a short while,
wake in a sweat, like you ran a mile.
Reach for the light...click.
Your alone.
Head to the stick,
pour yourself a glass of Kentucky thick.
Chills are gone,
warm inside.
A few more sips and asleep at last.
Nights.
The hardest part of the day.
Romance.
Romance.
The age of enlightenment is over.
Chivalry lay dormant.
Art is a jumbled mess.
Athletics is just a platform for…
whatever.
Government is a farce.
The great men and women of the past…
are dead.
We are stuck with undereducated idealists.
There is nothing to believe in anymore.
Except…maybe…
romance?
As a noun...or even the verb; to romanticize.
Beautiful love and passion of something…
anything.
Truth to the individual.
Trust in the heart,
instead of the mind.
Truth, trust, heart, beauty…
there is romance in that!
Dog Shit.
Dog Shit.
It’s funny how “dog people” leave behind poop.
Sure we have all got caught without a bag.
Sure sometimes my dog shits soft serve.
What other excuse is there?
“Oh me? I’m a dog person.”
“I love my dog.”
What about my fucking dog!
Walking your dog in Los Angeles is like playing minesweeper.
You do understand that your dog’s shit could kill my dog right?
If you let your dog bomb the streets,
and you neglect to clean up after them,
you might as well be Hitler or Goebbels.
You could kill an entire street of dogs.
We are not perfect,
we can afford a mistake here and there.
But just remember,
leaving a log,
could kill a dog.
Mask Required.
Mask Required.
Can’t breathe.
Can’t see.
Glasses all foggy.
Annoyed.
Be polite.
The government says to wear.
The government says never mind.
Truth is,
this is all for you.
Ears strained.
Lips chapped.
Communication has reached a gap.
Wear it for life.
Wear it as proof.
Either way we are all uncomfortable.
Face mask required.
Traffic.
Traffic.
Every one hates it.
I don’t mind it.
Time to think,
time to reflect.
What I’ve learned?
People are selfish.
If we all drove thinking about the others on the road,
there would be less accidents.
Less death.
By cutting me off,
not using your signal,
driving fast,
using your phone,
not being 100% engaged in the act of driving,
you are creating chaos.
What do you get…
two extra minutes...maybe.
If you had just edded and flowed,
slowed down when needed,
sped up when needed,
someone else may get to keep their life.
Doesn’t that sound like a good trade?
Two minutes extra at your destination for a life?
Asshole!
Flag.
Flag.
Up the pole goes the flag,
as the sun crests the horizon.
The day begins, and the sun cycles.
A bit of wind blows through her colors and she waves.
She waves to remind us,
remind us that no matter the reason,
young men and young women died in their uniform.
That some where,
some mom, dad, brother, sister, wife, husband, child…
lay awake with a hole in their heart.
It waves to remind us that freedom isn’t free.
Covered in her warmth they lay at rest,
as the sun sets.
The wind settles and she falls,
now she will descend from the pole.
With honor and respect she will be folded,
and laid with them.
Until the next day when she enters the fight again,
to remind us.
Wave back and remember.
Thank you.
This is dedicated to the fallen.
May you never be forgotten.
Stress.
Stress.
Here it comes again.
Creeping, crawling, sneaking in.
It enters from the top of your head,
and it flows down through the rest of you.
It stays and weighs heavy.
Makes me slow, sad, and sour.
Trying to shake it, trying to smile.
Amplifying every bump in life’s road.
Could only be a pebble or a deep hole,
just keeps adding up.
Weight…
My personal stress, I carry.
Their stress, I carry.
I smile for others,
even when others don’t smile for me.
Weight…
Energy out was energy earned and now it’s gone.
Starting over,
good things ahead…
I hope.
Not Normal.
What do you do when you’ve seen things that no one else can imagine?
What do you do when imagine isn’t enough?
How do you relate to people that can’t relate?
How do you live?
Pretending doesn’t cut it,
faking it makes it worse.
Your word is your bond,
but no one gives a shit.
They live in the cream,
while some of us prefer the black.
Can’t comprehend?
Be there in the end.
I am not normal…anymore.