old stuff

Fold the parchment, let it fall

Off the tracks and down the falls
Kiss the wind and let it ride
Let the promises take flight

Wish on stars with open eyes

Greet the burning light with pride
Feel the feathers of his breath
Tantalize with soft caress

Flood the daydreams with your mind

So many treasures there to find
And if you blink, it’s gone again
A dozen lanterns around the bend

Let slip the daylight into shadow

Fall back into the downy pillows
Find me in the in-between
The real world meets our make-believe

Fold the parchment let it ride

Upon the zephyr through the sky
Ride the torrent down again
To wander in the labyrinth

Collect it all in a box of light

Store it deep and out of sight
Secrets, secrets you and I
The promise of a paradise

And if I speak the spell is done

We rise with the climbing sun
Separate now, but still together
In our dreams, in love forever

Gone too Soon

When honey freezes cold with snow

The angels weep and winds do blow
When candles kiss the wax in death
Many take their final breath

When circles ripple out of shape

And rust has eaten at the gates
Creaking in the overgrowth
Many let go of the rope

When chimneys sit in sullen silence

Without the fuel to feed their violence
When fate has cast a heavy hand
Many chose to leave this land

When bakers bake the meal-worms dry

And all the children are left to cry
The skies above cloud up with doom
Many whisper: “Gone too soon”

I remember when he passed

All the flickers filled with laughs
Each and every one outside
Had no idea that he died

And I remember to this day still

That HE is buried on that hill
Not myself, this raving loon
And yes, I whispered: “Gone too soon”

Hand in hand we walked away

And nothing else was left to say
The sun was blotting out his moon
And all had whispered: “Gone too soon”

Shoreline

She turns away to face the tides

Shedding tears from hidden crimes

All the ghosts wrapped up in skin

Idle tricks stained white with sin

She lingers on the edge of earth

Where sand and ocean teach rebirth

Driftwood floats like separate lives

Each one has a past to hide

And still the wind blows, on and on

Gales of guilt, she hurt someone

Desire to climb up from the pit

Yet hungry waves crash over it

Solitary now as then

But courted by the gentlemen

Salt air strips the gloss away

And all that’s left is yesterday

Waning hours cool the beach

As whispers of the prophets preach

The voices rise up from the deep

Calling for her soul to keep

Gray and wispy, hair and thought

With memories of the fish she caught

And still there’s one that got away

When she gave the life inside away

The Sand by the Shore

Carry me down To the waves by the sand I left my life there In the ocean’s hands Lay me down soft And let the tide come on in I’ve lived far too long In this tired, old skin Life after life I’ve followed her home And in the depths of the water I will not be alone I’ve seen men move mountains To build their empires And raze all the forests To stoke the fires But nothing lasts, child Not even our dreams We all return some time To the dark of the deep Walk away quickly, There’s no use for tears We’ll meet again, brother We all come back here

And days become night The deeper we swim The old life dissolves And a new one begins Don’t be afraid We’re never alone Everyone needs help to Carry the stone And if you pass by, now Don’t shed a tear In the depths of the ocean Our pain disappears A cycle folds closed And a new one unfurls We wash up reborn On the shores of the world Stretch out our hands To touch the blue skies Excited and willing to Start our new lives …Carry me down to the sand by the shore…

The waltz

She waltzed alone in clouded skies

The floor half-puddles, the floor half dry

And sometimes she just shines too bright

For me to find her at my side

The film rolls empty, the shutter clicks

A portrait captures all this bliss

Silk and perfume to barter with

Across time my mind plays tricks

Am I the shadow grown too long?

The days fade into evenings long

The paint has dried, the band plays on

Yet who will be her lucky one?

I made a choice to let it be

It was too afraid to see

I let her go, my tragedy

She smiled; waltzed away from me