The Top

THE TOP or JUST LUNACY

The problems are laid bare

To be seen everywhere

The ones on top are blind

Only talk to their kind

For us there is no care

CHORUS
Why can’t they see

What’s so plain to me

No logic- just lunacy

Over and over again

Results with a blood stain

More layers are added

Someone’s pockets are padded

Adding to our great chain

CHORUS

If complaints they can hear

People they add more near

Less and less getting done

Soon we won’t see the sun

Try to last though the year

CHORUS

Steps taken to seal our fate

The time is growing late

Worse when the try to fix

Hear scratching of their Bics

Storms coming through the gate

CHORUS

Solutions are problems

With the top we’re no chums

Problems come from the top

When will the madness stop

We hear the Hangman’s drums

CHORUS (2x)

Twist Cone Karma

TWIST CONE or KARMA or TWO DELIGHTS

I loved the twist cone with my whole heart

Its absence would soon tear me apart

I partook all throughout childhood

Against karma’s great power I stood

Two flavors delicious when alone

United will cause karma to groan

Too much of a good thing the man said

Will end with you wishing to be dead

The man’s warning I blew off right then

It was now just a question of when

The twisted delight called me by name

My growing longing I could not tame

CHORUS

Monday I was warned, Tuesday brought storms

Appearing in many quite strange forms

Monday changed the path my life would take

Those two delights all should now forsake

CHORUS

After the cone I ate, things went wrong

The man’s words came true in not that long

After eating I was running late

I tripped and fell, it must have been fate

CHORUS

Life started to break into pieces

Due to a short moment’s poor choices

Life would never be the same again

Was the only thought in my mind then

CHORUS (2x)

Greatest Truth

GREATEST TRUTH or AGE-OLD ADAGE or THE PEN AND THE SWORD

The sword gleams in the night

A symbol of great might

Leads by bringing in fear

Threatens lives of those dear

An age-old adage

Used since times beginning

The pen is mightier than the sword

Earth’s greatest truth

The pen lies in the hand

Embodies the free land

Words strike the chords within

Silently a large din

CHORUS

Swords ripping things apart

Pens writing on the heart

The sword sheds bright red blood

The pen slings gross dark mud

CHORUS

The sword swings through the air

The pen strikes from its lair

The sword kills the writer

The pen’s words wound the fighter

CHORUS

The sword’s acts die with it

The pen’s work lives past it

The sword rends things in twain

The pen unites again

CHORUS

The sword is used for brawn 

The pen acts as its Don

Both items will be lost

One’s legacy embossed

CHORUS (2x)

Grey Mist

GREY MIST or PLUNGING or FORGE AHEAD

A grey mist lies before

‘We must forge ahead!’

Cries the leader once more,

Plunging past the remains of the dead

The path is unclear

Yet, the time is near

Put aside the fear

Step into the darkness

The future need not be aimless

But can make us breathless

A grey mist lies before

‘We must forge ahead!’

Cries the leader once more,

Plunging past the remains of the dead

Beauty is the unknown

Beyond what is shown

The crown on the throne

In our grasp, but so far-

Pushing to clear the bar

Yet somehow stuck in tar

A grey mist lies before

‘We must forge ahead!’

Cries the leader once more,

Plunging past the remains of the dead

The mist is breached

Progress is like a whale that’s beached

But, the goal was reached

The soldiers stop

They can’t handle being on top

Something, someone’s gotta drop

A grey mist lay before

‘We must forge ahead!’

Cried the leader once more,

Plunging past the remains of the dead

A grey mist lay before

‘We must forge ahead!’

Cried the leader once more,

Plunging into the remains of the dead

Breach in Sector 33

BREACH IN SECTOR 33

BRRR, BRRRR (Alarm noise)

Breach in Sector 33!

It was the middle of the night

The alarm started, a bad sign

All of us were in quite a fright

We knew someone had crossed the line

We ran towards the great Red Base

Unknowing of what we would find

On the ground was a black briefcase

Then a voice within my own mind

Breach in Sector 33!

Who knows what it’s done to me?

The Breach may cost us our lives

Breach in Sector 33

The voice sent shivers down my spine

I knew it’s words to be pure truth

Shadows became men, there were nine

I hoped the Breach was just a goof

CHORUS

We faced the shadows in the dark

In between us the briefcase stood

With no doubt, this would leave a mark

We tried that, which no one else would

Breach in Sector 33

We know what it did to you

We will honor your lost lives

Breach in Sector 33

The Loophole

THE LOOPHOLE or HAND HOLDING

The boy and girl were best friends

Always together it seemed

Hands were held when none could see

They were a great mystery

Her eyes saw steady dating

His eyes saw no ties fun time

He quit while she wished to kiss

He lost her perfect love bliss

Snuck out using the Loophole

Hand holding doesn’t equal dating

To him she was a good friend

To her he was another player

The story spread like wildfire

Reactions came a plenty

What insensitivity

Girls exclaimed Let’s break his knee

CHORUS

Guys sided with him always

She took it wrong they all said

They would be haunted too soon

Guys reps girls would lampoon

CHORUS

The boy was outcast by girls

No one would think to date him

Change was no where to be found

Anger did the Boy surround

CHORUS

All was done for The Boy’s love

She wanted him back too much

He went on to win more hearts

At his picture she threw darts

CHORUS (2x)

The Lab

THE LAB or BOREDOM IN A BOTTLE

I ride the bus in the morn

Read or sleep, just waste time

I walk into a new world, just born

The sun gleams on the roof like a chime

Deceivingly fun it appears at first

I soon realize that impressions are wrong

All my hopes were quickly burst

Stabbed, like a balloon, with a prong

The Lab is boredom in a bottle

Ridiculousness is it’s forte

Just remember the need to chortle

Don’t forget to drink a large latte

I get to my cubicle- shock

I have no chair or computer

It’s bare except for a smear of chalk

No where to sit, life was my tutor

CHORUS

Wait and wait, nothing to do except

Wait and train, I trained for days

Hoping for change, a man came, my soul lept

Down we went to the cube, a maze

CHORUS

He bore gifts- a computer

Soon it was set up and ready

I try to sit and fall over

No chair is there, Betty

CHORUS

I want to punch a baby

Or put a high heel through my temple

This is worse than school, maybe

It should be an Inconciev-A-Poll

CHORUS (2x)

Ruby Red

RUBY RED or LET ME SEE or CRIES OF

A few kids goofing off

One who clearly led

Breaks in with a cough

Follow, as he said

Let me see your arm and hammer

Ruby Red, Ruby Red

Let me see your arm and hammer

Ruby Red, Ruby Red

A new band was formed

United by red

City Hall they stormed

Victors the band said

CHORUS

The fever soon spread

With the tolling bell

Thousands would be dead

For hearing that yell

CHORUS

Started as a joke

Overcome by their lie

They began to choke

No stopping the cry

CHORUS

The peak was now in sight

Seeing no way out

Giving in to might

Streets rang with the shout

CHORUS

Failing must begin

Just take a small shove

City could not win

Lost to the cries of

CHORUS (2x)

The Leash Children

THE LEASH CHILDREN or THE LEASH or SLAVES

You see them in parks and on the street

Tied to The Hand, striving to be free

The civil rights issue we must beat

This blunt wrong-doing, why can’t they see

Free the Poor Leash Children

Kids aren’t some dogs to own

The Leash is their burden

We must end the great groan

Child abuse the public accepted

You don’t lock kids in kennels or barns

Made common a practice once hated

Child slavery perfect for new yarns

CHORUS

All men are still created equal

Including children we all love

Are they strapped to a sled and told to pull

Why wait for the coming of the dove

CHORUS

Next will come some kiddie shock collars

Its just sick and wrong and can’t go on

Dogs wear clothes, leashes are on toddlers

Jiminy Cricket must be long gone

CHORUS

Laws must be passed, rallies must be held

The horror must end before it spreads

The Leash supporters must be repelled

End results lie on top of our heads

CHORUS

No time to waste, action must happen

The Poor Leash Children wait to be saved

Wishing they too could be a human

Freedom the one thing their crushed souls crave

CHORUS (2x)

The Beast

THE BEAST or HOSTILE TAKEOVER

It was a hostile takeover

What was once a separate piece 

Has been consumed by The Beast

Work was done with harm for none

Without reason it came down

It worried not for death

Its word was written and done

Forced to do as was written

The Resistance quickly grew

CHORUS

The culture The Beast destroyed

All was to be done its way

For the past it had no love

Those in power it replaced

Its minions soon ran the place

Hate for the Beast expanded

CHORUS

One thought ruled The Beast’s actions

I will be liable for none

Blame went as low as it could go

Puppets were placed to defend

Nothing was done to help out

The Beast’s charade was see through

CHORUS

Lies were spawned at insane rates

The Beast’s pockets were padded

But it was done to help you

Services once free soon cost lots

Your good health its first concern

Its rationale is long gone

CHORUS

The Beast increases terror

People continue to weary

Soon will come a mutiny

CHORUS (2x)

Strange Duet

FACEBOOK PROM DATE or STRANGE DUET

We met the summer before

Band camp to be Drum Major

Parting led to tear shedding

There would be reuniting

We kept in touch on Facebook

Lots of time it surely took

One day I was using chat

Got a dance date just like that

She was my Facebook Prom date

I showed up quite late

My friend was getting a haircut

Ticked because he missed the putt

She came from quite far away

Was only here for that day

We played minigolf for fun

She was excellent and won

CHORUS

Her voice sounds oh so breathy

She is willlessly funny

Eyes sparkling with happiness

Her my heart would sorely miss

CHORUS

On to the Dance we did go

Mad dancing skills we did show

Converse and a long pink dress

She looked great no need to guess

CHORUS

I was up on that cloud nine

That night was truly divine

It I will never forget

The end of our strange duet

CHORUS (2x)

Anticipation/Completion

ALMOST GLIDING or ANTICIPATION/COMPLETION or FLOWING

Warm water rushing down

Flowing over and out

View of life brightens

Almost gliding over the ground

A change, not the best

It’s done and that’s better

Anticipation kills 

Yet completion buries

Should one act for the chance?

Is it worth the risk?

Is better better than conflict?

Can you resolve the worst and the best?

Warm water rushing down

Flowing over and out

View of life brightens

Almost gliding over the ground

Without it, uncertainty abounds

Is there worth in greyness?

Or do we need the black and white-

At least knowing what is what?

Anticipation and Completion

Inherently impossible to coexist

Both kill and bury

What’s the difference?

Warm water rushing down

Flowing over and out

View of life brightens

Almost gliding over the ground

Alpha and Omega

ALPHA AND OMEGA or CONCLUSIVE PERFECTION

Alpha and Omega

The Beginning and The End

Is that perfection?

Conclusion?

We live in anticipation

Life seldom touches that, but-

When it does, immortality descends-

A moment containing eternity

Hindsight is 20/20

We see completely as it ends

The whole is greater 

Is that perfection?

Alpha and Omega

The Beginning and The End

Is that perfection?

Conclusion?

What’s the cost?

Do we lose beauty in pursuit?

Beauty is in the journey

We find it as we press on

The End devours beauty

Only if we continue on

Does beauty still breath

Waiting for The Beginning

Alpha and Omega

The Beginning and The End

Is that perfection?

Conclusion?

Alpha and Omega

The Beginning and The End

That is perfection-

The Ceaseless Cycle, not Conclusion

That is perfection-

The Ceaseless Cycle, not Conclusion

That is perfection-

The Ceaseless Cycle, not Conclusion

Part 2: The Coup

PART 2: THE COUP

Though few in numbers their hearts were great

No fear of sacrifice did they hold

Rallied around the one called Neptune

He would lead them to the next day’s light

The ones that were smashed are fighting back

The separate piece will control The Beast

That hostile takeo’er led to the Coup

Quickly they struck to have great effect

The fighting soon grew fiercer than thought

The tide looked to be in their favor

This may turn out better than they’d hoped

CHORUS

The battle like a storm was raging

The Beast’s minions were caught unawares

Many perished before backup came

They far outnumbered the Resistance

CHORUS

The enemy came flooding in

How much longer can they hold them off

Their strength dwindles with the passing time

Neptune charging forth bringing hope back

CHORUS

Focus regained, fighting e’en more fierce

Corpses of the enemy all o’er

The piece has been won, but it’s not done

On they go to the lair of The Beast

CHORUS

The lair has been reached, in they now go

The final fight with that awful Beast

The Beast cowers at their great presence

One quick thrust, ends terror brings back trust

CHORUS (2x)

Ode to the BBQ

ODE TO THE BBQ or BBQ EULOGY

The barbeque has come to an end

Great smiling men to the grills did tend

Any challenge of meat they could meet

The service was an outstanding feat

Barbeque day was great

Tears were shed at its fate

It brought more joy than known

Those cooks deserve a throne

Every Thursday it did come

Causing first comers to be struck dumb

Thirty odd years did it help and serve

Morale and goodwill it did preserve

CHORUS

Frequented by both near and far

Coming as if guided by a star

All who did partake loved what they ate

The grill was a place devoid of hate

CHORUS

Looked forward to throughout the whole week

A shrine for pilgrims to surely seek

As the smell did waft, mouths salivate

For the grilling it was worth the wait

CHORUS

Summers won’t be the same without it

Barbeque day was a home run hit

The tastes and smells will be sorely missed

Fond thoughts will definitely persist

CHORUS

We shan’t forget Bert, Collin, and Pete

All other burgers they did beat

To know such men as these is quite rare

These three shall live within us fore’er

Triplets Three

TRUTH, JOY, AND YOUTH or TRIPLETS THREE 

Truth, Joy, and Youth

All desirable and worth having

If you could choose only one, which would it be?

Truth is harsh, yet satisfying

She cuts deep, but like a surgeon

The cuts help heal, causing pain, 

But only to help

Joy is bubbly, and content

She fills the heart with gladness

No one quite knows why,

But smiles abound

Youth is haunting, yet inviting

She is untainted by experience

Innocence gleams white like the lamb,

But simply waiting to be sheared

Truth sets man free

Joy is for man to be

Youth gives new light, for me to see

Can I be free if I cannot be or see?

Can I be if I am not free and cannot see?

Can I see if I cannot be and am not free?

Truth, Joy, and Youth

Three triplets incomplete without each other

To choose one, I must be

NKS

NKS or WATCH THE TREES or ALL SHOULD FEAR

Live in houses made from trees

About as high as your knees

Mutants with piercing blue eyes

Born from endless boundless lies

Nude Killer Squirrels

Beasts that all should fear

Nude Killer Squirrels

Fiends that won’t shed a tear

Horror is their one true name

Eating innocents is their game

Attacking without warning

Love wee hours of the morning

CHORUS

Wilderness survival test

Build yourself a giant nest

Kamikaze Bird they fear

Ruthless dives at all that’s near

CHORUS

Hairless except for their tails

Claws sharper than brand new nails

No provoking is needed

Humans to them are deeded

CHORUS

Spears they hold in their fierce paws

Teeth gleam with blood in their jaws

Much worse than mutant Ewoks

Quite adept at throwing rocks

CHORUS

Haunting forests forever

All sinew they will sever

Watch the trees for bright blue eyes

Descending from the night skies

CHORUS (2x)

Lifeguard

Lifeguard or Fun-Suckers or Day at the Pool or Fun in the Sun

One day I went to the pool

Wasn’t trying to be cool

Hung out with some of my friends

Rules we did not try to bends

Everything we did was so wrong

We would not be in there long

The Lifeguards- Suckers of fun

The Lifeguards- No place to run

The Lifeguards- Don’t let your toys

The Lifeguards- Those big killjoys

They say don’t do that horseplay

Not even on your own birthday

We asked what were the pool rules

He looked like he’d won many duels

Whatever makes me feel nervous

Like he was the boss of us

CHORUS

After that we calmed it down

Didn’t mess with the lifeguard’s crown

We began to have some fun

Joy we felt but we weren’t done

We stayed and the rules obeyed

Glares of death were soon conveyed

CHORUS

The sky turned black with some rain

Lifeguard looked to be in pain

His eyes were red and fangs grew

On us he was soon to chew

He swooped down looking so scary

We were no longer very merry

CHORUS

I vant to suck all your fun

That doesn’t sound good on a bun

Joey was the first to be bit

Where was a vamp slaying kit

Instead of a great big stake

A foam noodle we did take

CHORUS

We then attacked the vamp lifeguard

With our noodle we stabbed him hard

The clouds and rain disappeared

The lifeguard just looked and leered

Our day at the pool was soon over

Next time we’d bring a luck clover

CHORUS (2x)

Driven to Insanity

DRIVEN TO INSANITY or MIND MELTER

I start each day fresh

The more time I spend here

The harder I try to mesh

The looser my grip on good cheer

Bit by bit, chunk by chunk

My mind begins to melt

Worse and worse, growing junk

I can’t even buckle my belt

Driven to insanity

By surrounding hypocrisy

No chair to sit on

Dark and gloomy, no light

Someone else’s chess pawn

Going against big might

CHORUS

I fight with a badge

Control is all but lost

My mind starts to cadge

Like someone about to be tossed

CHORUS

Yelling begins to close in

Ridden with obscenities, too

Over the walls, it pours in a din

Covering everything like wet dew

CHORUS

Feet attacking my chair

Multiplying like rabbits in spring

Staple removers assault my hair

Everywhere begins to sting

CHORUS

Nothing makes sense to me

Thumbtacks appear as art forms

This is not how it should be

Worse than nightmare storms

CHORUS

Chucks

CHUCKS or ICON or STAR

Known around the globe

None are more perfect

Lots in my wardrobe

Awesome the verdict

Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars

A state of bliss for my feet

The first shoes to walk on Mars

Is anything else that neat?

Those grand Cons nothing can beat

Symbol is the star

Racing stripes as well

Cool like a sports car

Sweet dude these shoes yell

CHORUS

Come call them Converse

Others prefer Chucks

The name could be hearse

They’d still whip those ducks

CHORUS

Can be worn all o’er

E’en with a new suit

Always want some more

Your feet will scream Woot!

CHORUS

A timeless icon

Marty Mcfly knows

All times he did don

All Stars with his clothes

CHORUS

The shoes transcend time

Canvas and rubber

Look good e’en with grime

The Stars they hover

CHORUS (2x)

Pizza Delivery Dude

I wrote this while waiting for some pizza to be delivered, my thoughts just started going about what sort of person it would be and then led to this.

PIZZA DELIVERY DUDE or HEY JUDE 

The pizza delivery dude

The dude with the food

Are you always in a foul mood?

Earning money for the girl to be wooed

Barely scraping by as is

Your life is really none of my biz'

Maybe you’re an out of luck whiz

Or perhaps Val Jean from Les Mis

O, pizza delivery dude

O, dude with the food-

I didn’t mean to make you come unglued

It was in jest- now I feel like you’re screwed

I judged harshly, without merit

But you do look a bit like a ferret

With hair colored of carrots.

No! Now I ramble like a crazy parrot

You deserve my benefit’s doubt

You, who have no way out

You, trapped, waiting, with nary a shout

You, bound by an unspeakable drought

Who knows why you are there?

Maybe you were treated quite unfair

Perhaps you have a passion that you must share

Or is it all that you dare

Pizza delivery dude

Dude with the food

Good luck with how you are viewed

Next time, I’ll call out, “Hey, Jude...”

The Law

A recent writing, I wrote this last night, loosely inspired by "Javert's Suicide" from Les Miserables. 

THE LAW or DUALITY or HIM

The Law.

Binding, yet freeing.

The Law.

Binding, yet freeing.

Through him we learn of Justice and Mercy

Through him we learn of Power and Duty

Does he show, lead, or restrict, and tie?

Does he lift, free, or depress, and bind?

A dual nature- irreconcilable

Both darkness and light

Is it in him or us that the difference lies?

Does he or do we choose the day, or the night?

Are we all equal or stripped of individuality?

Can we demand equality, yet remain unique?

Does he feel sympathy?

Or does he simply wait to correct and critique?

A guideline to show us the way

A warning for where not to go

A restriction of the freedom we deserve

A kind voice gently saying no

Is that all?

Can He be summed up in words?

He is the Law

Subtle like the early chirping of the birds

The Law.

Binding, yet freeing.

The Law.

Binding, yet freeing.

Black with the Rising Sun

Black with the Rising Sun or Stealth and Brutality

Roam the seas clad in black

They search for ships to attack

Hands are missing from arms

They are not short on charms

Masks pulled over their heads

They don’t sleep in any beds

No eyes or legs for them

From them your problems stem

They’re- Stealth and Brutality

No cares for humanity

On and gone in a blitz

The great Ninja Pirates

The ship is gone- none flat

Robbed and sunk just like that

No survivors are left

In that they are quite deft

CHORUS

Their strength you cannot match

Those who laugh burn like thatch

They control the blue sea

Gold is the only key

CHORUS

Pay them for your safety

And they might let you free

Their speech is quite obscene

To avoid them would be keen

CHORUS

Watch the grand horizon

The sail with no abandon

Black with the rising sun

Is their flag with a gun

CHORUS (2x)

A Quest for Truth

My thoughts on what beauty is, originally performed as a beatnik poem, complete with bongos.

A Quest for Truth

The moonlight breaking through the clouds

The sun peaking through the gray mist

One man running through many crowds

Ambiguous as a clenched fist

A sign waiting up in the sky

A bright spot amidst the darkness

One man ready to jump and fly

Conflict asserts her agelessness

The joy of first discovery

The pain of not fully knowing

One man deep in recovery

The Search is forever flowing

A quest for truth

A search for life

Conflict brings us

Beauty in strife

A Christmas Gift

A gift to my parents this past Christmas. 

A Christmas Gift

Dedicated to Mom and Dad

Two people dedicated to creating life

Not just giving it

Two people shaping, molding life

More than just giving it

The role of a parent is more

Duty dictates (demands?) diligence

Watching, guiding, pushing, prodding

What can only a child know?

The limits are set

The bounds are given

Life begins, but it’s all livin’

How much freedom is mine?

Respect, obey, but why?

Fear? -No

Duty? -No

Love- from them, for them

An outstretched hand

A warm embrace

A firm command

A whisper of grace

Not everything was great

But it did the trick

I am who I am

Thanks to some saints, not Nick

Two people dedicated to creating life

Not just giving it

Two people shaping, molding life

More than just giving it

Horace Gill Hilton: In Memoriam

I wrote this after my grandfather passed away last fall. A more serious turn to my musings than usual.

H. Gill Hilton: In Memoriam

Horace- lover of the sound of a full chorus

Horace- enjoyer of flowers perhaps even an orris

Horace- grateful his name was not Boris

Horace Gill- a man of untold skill

Horace Gill- twice climbed that old hill

Horace Gill- shied not away from the quill

Horace Gill Hilton- denied help to none

Horace Gill Hilton- devoted disciple of Thy Son

Horace Gill Hilton- against death he has won