Friday, December 31, 2010

I Can Ramble, Man

I can ramble, man
Go where light takes me
In the snow...on the beach
Diggin’ the scene, doin’
I can make it here
Or there
I know what I’m about
And how the shimmering sun
-- or the slate gray sky --
Can be the essence of together
I can hop to it
Jump on through it
I can scat and croon
Man, you know I can trill
My heart envelops the love
And the joy (spoken sotto voce) 
Of a million friends of friends
Clasping hearts of glorious companions
The tip toe trails of tigers
The bowling rolling hedgehog
Puttin’ on the dog
It’s all there for me, man
I can go to it and come from it
Same day, matter of fact
You just watch
I’ll come and go
Lovin’ it

Thursday, December 30, 2010

High Praise Indeed

This is the greatest moment in history
Unbelievable
Positively brilliant
I’ve never seen such artistry
Witness the wonder
You are fantastic
No, that’s understating it
I am in awe of you
Amazing
Stupendous
It is humbling to be in your presence
We must all kneel before you
The second coming couldn’t top that
Words cannot do you justice
It’s a privilege to be near you
Let’s restore the monarchy and make you the royal family
You are divinity itself
There has never been anything like you
You are a force of nature
Nay, you are nature in all its beauty
Thank you so much
We debase ourselves before you
You are transcendent
I am so happy to be a judge on this televised singing competition
Praise be!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

Smirking teenagers riding the bus
Whispering about other passengers
Distracted by everything, focused on nothing
College students are self absorbed
Yet polite and oddly mannered
The elderly look sad as if all their cares
Over a lifetime accompany them on the bus
The driver is grumpy
Who wouldn’t be in such heavy traffic
But he is able and efficient
Someone talks too loud about ice cream
Someone else has their ipod on too loud
Someone else is me, trying to read David Copperfield
The bus ride is in fits and stops
But the bus is warm and eventually I’m able to focus on Uriah Heep
And am glad he’s not on the bus

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Telegraph Avenue

I saw your the legions of lonely drifters pouring into Berkeley
Sad badly drawn faces and hard scrabble lives 
They could not be untangled from the despair of ruinous events
There was an uncommon mix of anger and joy
Alternately rising from the shuffling hordes
They sought peace with dignity
But often brought their addictions and insanity
We danced around them
Sometimes offering help
Sometimes offering the jack boot
They raged under hot suns 
Sought shelter from drenching rains
They asked constantly
We seldom gave
These are the moments of sad wisdom
When we decide to ration our humanity
Impatience with their clarity
Longing for their ramblings
Confused by how they frame us within their minds
Ignoring their slurred words and scabby arms
Selling bits of them
They choke on our intolerance
But never fade

Monday, December 27, 2010

Cloudy Night Ramble

In great castles beyond watching eyes
Is the cacophony of laughter as lovers lay in languor
The dance of brightly clad ladies accompanies shapely silences
Lifting the clouds away for a peak
One sees the wisps of calculating lightening
But the mysterious envy of the watchful
Dies under the weight of old truths
And burdens of yesteryear are lifted
As if cold catches of radiant grass speak
Miles of tenderness is upon the land
And so we flock to where nothing matters
But to make the most of our insincerity
Love conquers in the end
So the gate minders sleep
Happily letting us cavort with wonder
Till dawn doth does up a parting
Another fantasy well met

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas

Jingle bells decking my halls
With Rudolph and his red nose
I strike a Christmas pose
Oh blessed season of colorful lights
You offer love to replace the fights
But too many choose just the glitter
So after the holidays hearts turn bitter
Let us be always joyful never Scrooges
Let us serve one another and be not corporate stooges
Give us this season the gift of love
Let us shun the hawk and embrace the dove
Santa we thank you for your gifts
If only you could also repair all our rifts
The happy Yule season and the colorful tree
Such a cheery sight to behold and see
Merry Christmas to us everyone
May we have peace in addition to the fun

Thursday, December 23, 2010

He Talks to Jesus

There is a man living alone outside a village
He talks to Jesus everyday
You cannot convince him otherwise
Nor should you try
He is certain of what he does
He has seen angels in his attic
He is certain of it
This is man without doubts
He is certain of his plow
Of his dog, Vic
A believer in his garden
Faithful to his well
True to his visions
The man has a perpetual stubble on his chin
To other people he is gruff
His mate died long ago
They were childless
He doesn’t leave his land
Visiting town only to buy food and supplies
Talking to Jesus during his walks
Tending his chickens
Scrambling their eggs
Enjoying coffee before a roaring fire
Resolute in his few beliefs
Determined to see out every day
Never lonely
Who’s to tell him to live another way?
Who’s to tell him to change?
He is clean
He talks to Jesus
In his own mind
Which is strong, clear and his very own
Yup

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A Prayer

Oh you faded man of empty dreams and forgotten promises
Leave us to our own devices
As you leave those, guide us into temptation
Let us not be drawn in any further by your vacuous meanderings
Let us have strength to wonder at the improbability of the holy
Give us this day our daily reprieve from the mindless chatter
Let us feel the strength and power of the unity within our universe
Draw us kindly but swiftly away from equivocation with evil forces
Those hateful wielders of unjust powers
Be us oh mighty we and be we oh loving us
We are our mantra
We are our serenity
Let us not touch the scalding fires of man made hells
But let us bathe in the tender caress of a million hugs
Give us peace eternal as we damn the noisy and infernal
Soar from the banality of your evil
Reach heavenward for the goodness of our past souls
We reject that which seeks to bind us to anger
We rejoice in the light of a child’s tender kiss
Forever and never hey men

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Thoughts in Sequence

Gossamer wings on gray black days
Flushing out the debris of our thinking
The pain of lightness burns my sorrow
An awkward silence of gusting winds
Drowns the guttural clang of lost hopes
Sighs of gigantic proportions were conflicted
Tolerance is understandable and chimes with radiance
I lose the sense of caution
When raindrops clutter the desperate dreams
But anguish always gives way to stocking footed strolls
In a backyard of bedrooms of moonlight wonder
Nothing but lust-less drama and evocative memories
Strawberries forever!

Monday, December 20, 2010

My Hero

I’m my hero now
Rebels are interesting
Conformists are boring
Be the person you seek in the world
Change your consistency
Trade in your fears
Don’t just think outside the box
Blow the mother-fucking box up
Listen to your heart
Sing its tunes
Believe in your honesty
And reject your lies
Remember you’re worth it
Celebrate being unique
Be your own hero
You deserve to be you
Make being yourself something to be excited about
You can be your own role model
You just gotta have faith

Friday, December 17, 2010

It’s Time

It was evident
But not to me
I couldn’t see it
My mind was free
So obvious to all
Yet I was blind
Didn’t have a clue
Nothing on my mind
Right there in the open
So hard to miss
Loud and out there 
In a stupor of bliss
But it was really fine
No need to worry
I’d just relax
Let others hurry
Then time caught up to me
There was nowhere to go
Couldn’t run or hide
Now I had to know
Love abounded
The time was right
With joy unrestrained
I gave up without a fight
Now I’m resigned
There is no choice
I’ve learned to live with it
But I can’t hear my voice

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Strictly for Medicinal Purposes

It’s got to have that in it
You know, the feeling evoked by spirals
Pizazz
The glorious achievements of the great
It needs rhythm but plenty of bass
Those and these and that
Lots of flourish
Down home happiness and uptown glitz
Sentimental smooches in a daylight romp
The hour long kisses of two new lovers
The sob of the jilted
The random explosion of cars and hearts
Give it feeling, plenty of gusto
Pep it up
All that jazz
More oomph
Cymbals and symbols and dashes to clashes
The radiant sunrise of a brilliant day
Emotion in spades, brother
Make it bounce off the hills and fly through the dells
Make people want to stay
Make ‘em laugh and how
Give it all you got
Make it a romp a jumble a maddening tumble
Put your all into it 
And then some more
The ole 110%
Never mind the grammatical fiction
It’s got to sizzle
It needs to be about something
The message must get across
We’ve got to be left wanting more
Please don’t let us down
We know you want
Go get ‘em tiger

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Life on Life’s Terms

I hear the booming thunder, see the lightning strike
I watch the volleyball player set up her teammate’s spike
I wonder at the questions that plague the thoughtful mind
I marvel at the pleasure that through true love we find
I sing of songs most gracious that yet remain unsung
I long to feel the probing of the pretty lady’s tongue
I weep wail and bluster
I store up all the indignation I can muster
At the wrong that man has wrought
And shake my head in wander at the wars that we have fought
I contemplate the brevity of the time that we are here
I regret that so much is spent in ignorance and fear
I celebrate my kinfolk, lovers, pals and friends
I hope fond memories of you are something that never ends
We fight we dance we talk we scheme
But what we do best is perchance to dream
But I pause now to say this to one and all
Please heed these words I shout be you short or be you tall
Smite the lonely angry ranter those who hate and in turn spew
Leave the good life for those who kindness always like to do
Blessed are those who like to make the peace
They are to be always cherished and deserve life’s finest feast
I hear now the splatter of the rain and love its pretty sound
I enjoy the way my life continues to astound
Roll on you happy days may you outnumber the doleful and sad
Glory to be life and love and to the best days we’ve ever had

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Days of Wonder

“While Uriah writhed with such unobtrusive satisfaction and self-abasement, that I could gladly have pitched him over the banisters.” From David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
All the days of wonder progress slowly but yield so much
The caring, kissing hours of being with loved ones
The hugging handshaking minutes stretch to your eternity
We try so hard to not try too hard that naturally....
But that’s not natural nor should it be
What is real is the way we feel when inspired or badly hurt
It need not be pleasant to be truthful just strongly felt
Perhaps passionately so
Every fiber of us must know that the next day can bring more joy
There is no use turning our backs to the angels
Those bringers of good tidings and hope
Those purveyors of justice and redemption
From this rich brew must we quaff
All our days can be filled with the goodness of meaning
Empty now the bitter bile of ignorance and intolerance
Let love dive headlong into our meaty thighs
Our mighty cries should be for the best in the rest of us
Caring and giving and understanding should rule the days of wonder
They come now with messages of terminal glory
Such a turn of phrase
Such characters
Dwell among the greatest characters of your life and you shall always be happy
Every minute spent with the quirky the odd the persistently piquant
Eschew the ordinary and you will be rewarded
Grace among us
Peace in you and me and she and he and they and us
Turn on the lights of love
Let them shine brightly and allow their glow to caress your soul
Let spirits charge forth in the days of wonder
No regrets, mate

Monday, December 13, 2010

Actually It Was Just a Cold

The angel of death came by
Tripping and stumbling 
Not interested was I
To live another day was my rule
Any other choice not for me
Pick on some sap some fool
I have a lot yet to do
Not playing chess grim reaper
For now we’re through
I live I go on I dance
Happy to be here
Enjoying another chance
Angel of death be gone
There’s no time for your scythe
I’ll awake to meet another dawn

Friday, December 10, 2010

Just for Today

Lessons learned
Journals burned
Life and strife rhyme
But I haven’t the time
So I get out of bed
And plow ahead
I strive for joy
Like when I was a boy
Look for balance
Not taking a chance
Swaying back and forth
Resolving I have worth
Trusting in we
Can’t rely on me
Need the two
Don’t you and you?
There’s much to be done
Not all of it fun
The day of love is here
I have someone most dear
Don’t go back
Can’t go back
Forward must go
Be part of the show
Just have today
Time to play
Thinking too much
Is such
A bother
Eh?

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Advice to the Young

Cling to your doubts young ones
Know that schools can lie too
Cherish your questions
And recognize your own defiance
But use it wisely and sparingly
Do not rush for answers
Confuse not facts for truth
Don’t be taken in by the easy seduction of artificial highs
Respect the elders who don’t insist on respect
And who don’t talk down to you
Find the dancer within you and feel the rhythms
Don’t hate the haters, just ignore them
Seek the light of love
And the tender embracing care of the giver
Fill your world with friends and cherish them all your days
Make your work your play and your play your work
Make love
And make love a priority
And make making love a priority
Bless the peace makers
Be one
Find yourself then be yourself
Have fun whenever possible
Taste life
Wonder at its miracles
Remember you are divine
Yet you are no better than him or her or even me
We too are divine
Learn to accept what you cannot change
Fight or embrace the rest
Be happy (it’ll do your heart good)

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Get Back

Please send me on an acid flashback
Let me have a moment of pure psychedelic transportation
Into a trippy hippie dippy minute
Let me re-live the madness of my youth and the soul-searching pursuit 
Of the elusive truth
Take me back to Gasoline Alley where I hung with Rod
Send me via the Jefferson Airplane on a flight of fancy
Where I can see Ziggy Stardust kissing Joplin
On the stairway to heaven
Let me go across the universe
In a mind bending 60 seconds with my generation
I need for a moment to have my brain tumbling down that endless grassy hill
In a delicious reminder of purple haze
While crooning with Winwood and running through fields of grass
*That kind* (wink)
I have to laugh uproariously at the banality of the middle class
Hops and jumps and caresses of the incense and peppermint
Jugs of wine fueling an old VW Van that takes me to a dappled moon
Oh yeah Oh yeah yeah yeah
I need the soaring clouds in my soul to lift me to galaxies untouched by other minds
Just give me this
Please

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Optimist

I raged at the dying of the dawn
The arrogant moaning of sunsets gone
I screamed and hollered at the fat and greedy
As they ignored the poor and needy
I wondered aloud at lives gone wrong
I sadly pondered the bustling throng
I came to see all is not well
In places of ignorance that resemble hell
I stomped my foot at the blazing sun
And the evil that some men have done
I cried real tears over sins of lust
And unhappy lives that come to dust
There it goes the Wintry day
Time again for children to play
As softly I caress the bursting flowers
While making love to precious hours
Hope is always our best road to take
And love not war is what we should make
I love you life I truly do
And celebrate each day that’s new
Though I may rage and I may scream
I put my faith into a dream
My screaming fits will fade quite soon
And then I’ll sing a happy tune

Monday, December 6, 2010

The Governess

I think of the governess I never had
With long flowing brown hair and a tender smile
A big cast iron skillet cooks an egg over easy
For me
The rain spatters against the kitchen window
Lacy brightly colored window curtains are pulled back
The cat meows and the dog looks up from his nap
They both yawn
I wonder at women darning socks
My wife frowns at a stupid remark I make
The smell of coffee brewing so redolent of yesterdays
A pretty woman in a short skirt walks by
She wears a light sweater and must cross her arms to keep warm
The rain has stopped, of course
Still, I had no governess, it’s a silly thought really
But I can’t let go of it
There is a strong sexuality to it all
I wonder at the term ash can
There is only one banana in the house and it is too brown
I want to take the camera and shoot pictures of trees
Or flowers
Or the pretty woman who walked by
Even the big cast iron skillet I imagined
Or the governess
What a pretty dress my imaginary governess wears
I lay my head in her lap
My hand itches
I wish I spoke fluent French
I wish I could jitterbug
Instead I drink the delicious coffee my wife made
I love her
Who needs a governess?

Friday, December 3, 2010

The Dangerous Man

This is the story of a dangerous man
He claims to be doing the best that he can
His motives are pure, he will always claim
The results of his actions are always the same
He forges ahead living the life
Steering clear from trouble and strife
Takes care of business and pay his bills
His life is free of excitement and thrills
Asks no questions doesn’t what to know
His mind and soul have ceased to grow
Likes the simple life, especially his TV
What it doesn’t show him he’ll never see
Pays his taxes and votes without thought
Just is grateful for what he’s got
Follows all the laws and to the letter
But does not a thing to make things better
Cares not at all about injustice and wrongs
Imagines they’re words just mentioned in songs
Poverty, war and pollution aren’t his concern
If its not his house on fire, let it burn
The dangerous man doesn’t rob, destroy or kill
But he’s the main reason our society is ill
His apathy is contagious it’s in every town and city
The dangerous man -- what a pity

Thursday, December 2, 2010

In 1967

I’ve been offered a job at Dow Chemical making napalm
I think I’ll pass on it
And burn draft cards instead 
(That’s instead of burning people)
I’m strongly against the war
I oppose American imperial aggression
I support indigenous people
I hate the military industrial complex
My priorities have shifted lately
I’m less inclined to care about what society tells me to care about
And more drawn to what I think is important
I’ve gotten into Eastern philosophy
Zen meditation
I don’t eat meat anymore
(Though I think eating the rich is a good idea)
I’m concerned about the environment
But actually want to turn my concern into action
I accept the differences in others more readily
But am less tolerant of hate, violence and greed
I think positive changes are coming 
But don’t intend to sit around and wait for them
I believe in the spirt of the people 
But only as connected to nature and animals
My hair is really long now
I hardly ever watch TV but listen to a lot of music
FM radio
I drive a VW van
I’m mostly happy
I live with my girlfriend though I don’t call her that
I call her my old lady
I’m her old man
One other thing: power to the people!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Who?

Who am I
Am I this age
Or all the ages I’ve ever been
Am I my body
Or my mind
Am I my accomplishments
Or my dreams
Am I who I say
Or am I your perceptions of me
Am I wrong or right
Am I happy or sad
Does who I am depend on what I’ve just done
Or what I’ve just thought
Or what I’ve just said
Or what I’m planning on doing
And who are you
Are you my reflection of you
Or are you something I cannot know
How can we possibly get along
We must be in each other’s way
We look at the world very differently
We have our own biases and life experiences
We have our own tastes and desires
We dream differently
Yet here we are together
Sharing
Friendly
Who are we
Is there a we
Is it mostly you or mostly me
Or is we perfectly equal
Are we our common ground
Do we only exist when we’re together
Is there no we when we’re apart
How is this all different from us
I’m a bit confused today
sorry

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Our Country Tis of Thee

Cut taxes
Reign in spending
Loosen government control of businesses
Beef up the military
Stricter enforcement of immigration laws
Emphasis on family values
Small town values
Middle American values
Let the infrastructure crumble
Eliminate the social safety net
Give the rich and corporations all they want
All they need
And more
Cut public transportation
Cut education funding
Maintain discriminatory policies against gays
Screw civil liberties
Only businesses need freedom
Attack and plunder our perceived international enemies
Find a pretext
Drag America back to the 19th century
Let’s have a corporate oligarchy
Dumb down politics
Appeal to the lowest common denominator
Demonize all opponents
Demonize educational elites
Barbeques
Diet cokes
Twinkies
God bless America
The land of the fat

Monday, November 29, 2010

What Does Judi Dench Smell Like?

What does Judi Dench smell like
I don’t know and I don’t care
Where are the drivers taking us
Are we going here or staying there
Are the roads less traveled clean
Or do they have a certain tint about them
One that can’t be explained you know
By ordinary minds
Not that Clark Gable would care --
Name dropper --
If I were to interrupt a soliloquy to buy you a bottle of rum
Because there are always things best left unsaid
Like marriage proposals
Unless you’ve found
THE ONE
I saw a potato that looked like Jeanne Moreau
That, that was an interesting day
After all, there’s no accounting for wastes
Unless you’re tripping over the very adverbs you’ve
You’ve
Been warned about
Please let us congratulate those winning candidates
Wish them God’s speed
(He is quite fast, you know)
So I was saying to Gene Hackman
Over tea and crumpets
Delish!
But of course none of this is any more real
Than the question I started with
*Sniff sniff*

Friday, November 26, 2010

Possessing the Bone

Patterns of clarity with the shuffling minds
Acting surprised at ordinary finds
Copper skinned girls dancing alone
The righteous and mighty are possessing the bone
Are we God’s illusions on a star filled night
Or do we simply belong to the bright shining light
Should we be looking under stars or streams
Or is everything we need gamboling in dreams
We go on daily pushing bravely ahead
Is is because angels our cases have plead
To what do we owe the graces we receive
And whom do we blame for the times that we grieve
Need we ponder these mysteries ascertain he unknown
Or might we be better served just holding the bone
The obvious the clear and the oh so plain
Are the very things that might drive us insane
Hoping for visions answers and cures
Are just some of life’s temptations some of the lures
Copper skinned girls please let me dance too
Help lighten my cares it’s the least you can do
Afterwards maybe we’ll love and we’ll moan
The righteous and mighty are possessing the bone

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving

Thank you to my lovely wife
Because of you I have a wonderful life
Thank you to my late great dad
You’re the best father anyone ever had
Thank you to my daughters dear
I’m so lucky that you are here
Thank you to the Bears of Cal
Win or lose you’re a real pal
Thank you to the Giants of baseball
I’m still so happy that you won it all
Thank you to my brother and his clan
Of you all I’m a real fan
Thank you to friends here and there
Life without you I couldn’t bear
Thank you to the artists I adore
Your music, books and films I love to explore
Thank you world for my good health
It’s more important than financial wealth
Thank you readers of these humble lines
Thanks to you my heart  still shines
A Happy Thanksgiving to everyone
Here’s hoping for a day of food and fun