2. Historical Poems
     World View, Knights of Yesterday, 
     Stains, Mansions of Glory, Empires,
     Wise Men, Upon a Thousand Battlefields,
     Eagles Landing

       3. Time & Season Poems
     I live for the Morning, Morning Glory,
     Forever's Just a Day, Future's Present Past,
     Yesterday's Child, Moment in Time,
     Season's Ending

       4. Life Poems
     Life (again.), Carousel, Promises,
     Energy of Life, Matter of Life, Senseless,
     To Be Perfect, In the Game, Life 101

       5. Philosophical Poems
     The Eyes of God, Relativity, Mirror,
     Here and There, Something about Nothing,

      6. Lite Poems
     A Spring Breeze, The Blackbird and the Dove,
     Trafania

       7. Miscellaneous Poems
     Each One of Us, The Long Journey, Beauty,
     Walls, The Magic in You, 
     Once upon an Evening's Dawn, Basics,
     The Fight, Window to the World, 
     What Will Be, Whys and What Fors,
     Treasures, The Soldier, Chance, Sun Rising

       8. Gray Poems
     Gray Day, A Child's Cry, Depths of Despair,
     Before the cold wind blows, Mind Death,
     Cry for the Children, Out of Love, 
     Present Tense, For No One

       9. Fast Lane Poems
     Altered States, The Burnout, The Fast Track,
     Over the edge, Lost in the Illusion

    I will attempt to describe my love
      She soars just like a bright white dove
     into an ocean of blue sky above
       but words cannot describe my love

    Her beauty flows like a stream
      making things more than they seem
     Life becomes a beautiful dream
       when I bathe within her stream

    She is the brightest light I have known
      In her I see all which can be shown
     I feel as though all the world I own
       because her boundless love I have known

    I am in her and she is in me
      Though I am blinded I still can see
     that locked within her is the key
       to open up the love inside of me

     I am so in love with you
       that when my day is through
      I still need to hold you tight
        in all of my dreams at night

     It does not matter when or where,
       whenever I close my eyes you are there
      living the love that we both see
        which makes us feel alive and free

     In my dreams the world is ours 
       with only sunshine,  no rain or showers
      and an infinite amount of time to take
        to enjoy the love that we make

     These dreams have no sorrows or fear
       or any reasons to shed a tear,
      just love and laughter and us
        caring and sharing in total trust

     Though beautiful,  these dreams are fake
       which I discover when I awake
      to find you there lying next to me
        more lovely than any dream can be

      While summer was dying down
        and I sat amongst its embers
       burning deep into the ground,
         came the time I will always remember

      It was a time of innocence
        with me still mired in my youth
       Everything seemed to make sense
         but I still searched on for truth

      Soon reason gave way to joy
        when I met the girl of my dreams
       No longer was I a mere boy
         for I had learned what loving means

      But the feeling did remain
        after the affair reached its end
       It was then I learned of the pain
         and of the wounds which never mend

      I've been in love many times since
        but never has it been nearly as great
       Never again to feel like a prince
         being swept along by fate

       There is a bittersweet fruit
         that once it has been bitten
        overpowers you with its flavor
          and by its nectar you are smitten

       You lose to it your will
         as it holds you in its rapture
        and you do not mind
          that your soul it did capture

       It caresses you with joy
         but its absence causes you pain
        It creates a need in you
          that with you will forever remain

       It is not a poison 
         nor is it any drug
        but it is just as deadly
          for it is called love

        Once again I am falling
          and I don't know what to do
         Again my heart is calling
           me to spend some time with you

        This feeling has come before
          often though it never did last
         Always leaving me wanting more
           but all of that is in the past

        You are so filled with life
          that I can't see past today
         I forget my struggle and strife,
           happiness cannot stay away

        The road I travel fades
          and I am glad to be lost
         To be near your life's cascade
           confusion is a minimal cost

        I care not to find myself
          for I'd be ever content with you
         I'd put my life up on a shelf
           if only you would ask me to

     If I could take away your sorrow
       and remove the tears from your eyes,
      I would surely do it in an instant
        for seeing you so,  a part of me just dies

     If I could stop all of your crying
       and put an end to all of your pain,
      you and I could both be happy
        and all of the world could gain

     I realize it is impossible
       to smile while your heart cries
      but by being consumed by your grief,
        you steal a little light from everyone's lives

     No one cares more than I do
       to see you come out of the rain
      so please believe that I do care
        and that your troubles can be tamed

      I fell in love with a robin
        who landed on the ground one day
       She was fresh as the morning sun
         and as pretty as the month of May

      She was showered in youth and sunshine
        as I sat and watched her play
       When I saw the beauty within her
         I couldn't think of a word to say

      I watched her for nearly an hour
        when I saw to my dismay
       She had spun around to face me
         then turned west and flew away

      Now its been four years or more
        but I still remember her today
       As much as I hated to see her go
         I knew that she couldn't stay

      All that I can do now 
        is sit and hope and pray
       that one day that beautiful robin
         will again pass my way

     I see her standing beneath the haze
       her green eyes,  how they shine
      holding me steadily within her gaze
        with beauty too deep to define
       Across the beach,  beside me she strays
         for she has all that I hoped to find
        to fill these long summer days

     Alone on the beach,  talking of her mind
       not thinking of new days
      or old ones left behind
        but thinking more of new ways
       of how to spend our time
         In the background,  the music plays
        for I'll be hers and she'll be mine
          making love beside the waves

     But the time has come when I had to find
       that she isn't what she portrays
      It doesn't matter 'cause love is blind
        for now and for as long as she stays

      I get up for work every morning
        and work outside all of the day
       but I can't wait to get home at night
         for the sunshine you send my way

      You always brighten my life
        and you invigorate my soul
       You keep the warmth in my heart
         when all the world seems cold

      Whenever life gets me down
        and I begin to feel blue
       all that I need to feel better
         is just to think of you

      Because being around you
        I get a particular feeling
       No matter how bad the hurt,
         I immediately start healing

      If I were forced to live
        my life without you there
       I know that I couldn't cope
         and I would fall into despair

      But my life is truly bliss
        because I can count on you 
       to be there and to care
         and to help see me through

      So the weather never bothers me
        no matter how cold or grey
       because no matter what happens,
         my sunshine is here to stay

       If outsiders were to come to Earth today
         and observe all the things we do,
        the ways that we act and the words we say,
          what they would see I call the world view

       They would see below a world divided,
         cut up and cut off by borders unseen
        People different due to where they resided
          exaggerating what their differences mean

       They would see mankind is often selfish
         helping groups or themselves but rarely the whole,
        an ocean of islands who are never selfless
          always chasing irrelevant meaningless goals

       And they'd see a race full of promise still
         as it continues on forward to evolve
        by attacking it weaknesses with its will
          and finding new problems it must resolve

     As we look for direction 
       to guide our lives today
      we can follow examples set
        by the knights of yesterday

     Not only knights of war
       but people of justice and peace,
      those who went beyond the known
        and helped our ignorance decrease

     Those people of days gone by
       who outshined all of the rest
      Those whose deeds have spanned time,
        those few whom we call the best

     Their words which changed our world
       have been preserved for us to read
      and have been entrusted to us
        to guard in case of future need

     We can follow their examples 
       and try to emulate their lives
      Their words demand attention
        and have made generations more wise

     They make us stop and think
       and give us reason to dream
      They make us think our problems
        are not as unsolvable as they seem

     They encourage people to act
       and stand up for what they believe
      They show us that we are enriched
        by what we give instead of receive

     Though they spoke of freedom
       and represent the power in all of us,
      they gave selflessly for others
        and by that they earned their trust

     So as we build in their memory
       monuments,  churches,  and such
      we should know their stories aren't over
        while new lives they continue to touch

     For as long as we remember them
       their lives have not forever died
      Their lives are a part of our memories
        and by this,  in us they still reside

     Though we immortalize our heroes
       their opposites shall also remain
      In the tapestry of humanity
        nothing can ever remove their stains

     They are the ones that define evil,
       men such as Hitler,  Stalin,  and Mao
      Those who increased the limitations
        of injustice that men will allow

     But fortunately that has backlashed
       because of their many bloody deeds
      We may never again follow their roads
        now that we have learned where they lead

     Through them we see the dark side
       of power and ourselves as well,
      unthinkable and unspeakable 
        which we must remember and tell

     Even though it is extremely painful,
       never forget the horrors that were then
      because the more we realize what it was
        the less chance it will ever be again

     As we live out our lives
       and continue our world's story,
      will we find room for us
        within the mansions of glory

     Can we equal the deeds
       or possibly even surpass
      the great ones which were
        but now are part of the past

     Are we less than they?
       Can we too not be as great,
      or as we have raised them high,
        doomed ourselves to a lesser fate

     An aura of reverence
       obscures what then was true
      They were not more than we
        and less things were they able to do

     We in our new age
       are much more able to change
      ourselves and our worlds
        possessing potential of unlimited range

     We also know more
       because we have a larger past
      They knew relatively little
        while our own knowledge is vast

     As long as we remember
       that we too can and will excel,
      we will do far greater things
        of which our posterity will tell

        As people came together
          and began to join hands,
         they learned how to share
           ignoring their separate lands

        They formed a language
          to achieve understanding
         This helped them to think
           and made possible planning

        Now they could talk
          and discuss what to do
         By this they learned the joy
           in creating something new

        So they began to paint
          things which they had seen,
         pictures of their lives
           and scenes from their dreams

        They learned how to sing
          and they learned to dance
         Though they knew of love,
           they invented romance

        They began to build
          cities in which to live
         For the common good
           they had learned to give

        But they also learned of evil
          in this new world they did create
         Of all the things they had made,
           there was nothing worse than hate

        When they united in purpose
          it was usually to kill
         They sought to destroy each other
           and to take away their freewill

        This was their burden
          which they did not overcome
         so it had destroyed them
           and all that they had done

        All that they had needed
          to save them from their end
         was to remember how they began
           and that end wouldn't have been

        It was the co-operation
          which enabled it all to be
         Without it all empires crumble
           and become faded memories

    Once upon a time
      long before yours and mine,
     there lived a wise man
       who was part of a large clan

    They lived upon the crust
      of a planet made of stardust
     which circled a ball of light
       in a great void they called night

    Little they did know
      but they wanted and needed to grow
     and often they did kill
       though it was not always their will

    In this world of turmoil
      to himself the wise man stayed loyal
     and looked inward to see
       how he and his world ought to be

    He learned that humility
      is far more valuable than nobility
     and having wealth and power
       is a shroud in which the weak cower

    He knew that only love
      could enable them to rise above
     the shame which they knew
       for being better than they could do

    He was one with the infinite,
      each thing was in he and he in it
     and yet he chose to return
       in the hope that they too could learn

    His message was misunderstood
      but they still learned all that they could
     and their world reflected the disparity
       between total ignorance and total clarity

       Once it was thought
          that truth was decided
            upon the battlefield
        Those with the might
           were always right
             and the wrong must yield

       They thought that it was destiny
          or that they were chosen by God
            to prevail over the rest,
        that they stood in the light
          while they continued the fight
            which was a divine test

       Now we see the suffering
          and little of the glory
            of the spoils of war
        With our improved sight
           we may reach a new height 
             where we will fight no more

       This is not predestined
          and will not come easily,
            but yet still a possibility
        While verbally we fight
           to decide who is right,
             the killing need not be

      There is a place in this world
        where eagles are landing
       A place where they can soar
         and achieve understanding

      It is a wonderful place
        where they can fly high and free,
       where they can be themselves
         for whatever they might be

      It is big,  full of open space
        in which the restless can roam
       It is a place of opportunity
         where the despondent can make a home

      It is a bountiful place
        where seeds can grow big and strong
       It gives off a sense of rightness
         making all feel they too can belong

      Although it is very real,
        it's also just a dream we dreamed
       but one day the two shall merge
         and the legend shall be redeemed

       I live for the morning
         when rejuvenation is in the air
        and all arise refreshed,
          invigorated by the newfound glare

       The morning is a beginning,
         an awakening to a familiar land
        It is the renewal of life
          which makes living seem so grand

       Morning is the dawn of consciousness
         so it is also a state of mind
        It is a reaching for new dreams
          and leaving old ones behind

       So I will await the morning
         and watch for life to begin anew
        but I know the changes it brings
          will inevitably soon be outgrew

      The morning glory is gone
        in the heat of the afternoon
       Its time is only at dawn
         which is ended all too soon

      The time when life is new
        is much like the early morn
       Their precious moments are few,
         beauty unbounded but quickly worn

      True beauty is not forever
        and life is not everlasting
       If we enjoy them now however,
         we won't mind so much their passing

      My sun is setting
        on my lifetime's day
       It seemed like forever,
         it always seems that way

      My day began with promise
        when my sun arose anew
       It seemed there was much time
         to do the many things that I should do

      My morning was spent
        enjoying the life of my new day
       I took nothing too seriously
         and savored the joy of play

      As my afternoon began 
        I felt healthy and strong
       I did not worry about time
         because the day seemed so long

      I tried to do as I should
        but my mind seemed to stray
       back to the joys of the morning
         and of ways to make them stay

      Evening came too quickly 
        as I became tired and weak
       and of what I should have done
         I would not think of or speak

      My new day is old
        and will soon pass away
       All beginnings must end,
         there can be no other way

      The passing of a day
        is not a time to grieve
       When a day turns into night
         its sun does not leave,
        it only leaves our sight

      My sun shall rise again
        in the dawn of a brand new day
       There will be a tomorrow
         for what I did not do today
        so do not feel any sorrow,
          forever was really just a day

     Now is for forever 
       but forever never lasts
      It lasts but a second
        and then becomes the past
       It is tomorrow's yesterday,
         it is future's present past

     We are now and now we are,
       we are history in the making
      but we too are temporary,
        solid as rock but always breaking
       We are like fleeting dreams
          that disappear upon waking

     What separates now from then
       and determines which is real?
      Could it be that we are 
        whenever it is we think and feel
       We are where we think we are
         at one point on a gigantic wheel

     We are in all of our tomorrows
       and in all of our yesterdays
      We and time are like phonograph records,
        known only by the way that it plays
       Each moment is a reality
         but each moment is only a phase

     Just as in a phonograph song
       we can play any note at any time
      but it is only when played in order
        that it has any reason or rhyme
       and only when played from start to end
         does it give an illusion we climb

        Yesterday's child is old
          and will soon be obsolete
         The young grow bold
           with tough new standards to meet

        Tomorrow comes quickly
          pushing today in the past
         It becomes ever more tricky
           to make anything last

        History is a second ago,
          a hundred years is ancient
         With ever more to know
           less may know what it meant

        Life is on fast-forward
          racing to an unknown fate
         Events once stirred
           made a whirlpool too great

        Toward the center we go
          and faster we will spin
         Soon we should know
           whether or not we can win

      There is a moment in time
        which contains all presents and pasts
       It passes in an instant
         but through eternity it lasts

      It seems part of a chain
        yet it is also every link
       If we did not use this
         we would not be able to think

      It is miracles and mystery
        yet by itself it is nothing
       It provides all the music
         to which the world does sing

      It is the black in the background
        yet it is always to the fore
       In it lies all possibilities
         and everything plus much more

      It is always here and happening 
        although I know not how
       You know it as all have known it
         because it always is the now

      The seasons of my life
        fade fast before my eyes
       and all the truths I tell
         will soon become lies

      The past is just a lie
        and the future,  empty dreams
       Neither me nor my world
         ever is as it seems

      All is always changing
        but never becoming real
       Those that do the dining
         are they themselves the meal

      The myth stays alive
        as long as those who believe
       Even the lies are true
         and truth itself deceives

      Truth is profound writing
        that is written in the sand
       After the wind has blown
         a new writer is in command

        Life,  it is a game and a dream
          It is everything and nothing
            and something in between

        It is reality and fantasy,
          logical and magical,
            superficial deep in mystery

        It is both a test and a plan
          for being and believing
            and for choosing as best you can

        It also is a race
          but the first and last
            both share the first place

        It is a nursery rhyme,
          beautiful and simple
            and made for simple minds

      Life is a carrousel
        forever moving ahead
       never taking us anywhere
         but in a circle instead

      We can ride painted horses
        going up and down
       or rest in the big chairs
         as we travel around

      We see what turns with us
        but the rest becomes a blur
       as does the difference
         between where we are and were

      On we travel joyously
        and laugh without a care
       We can look for meaning
         though there isn't any there

      The means is the end
        and the striving is the goal
       so enjoy the free ride
         before time takes its toll

      They promised their child a future,
        it was then that they lied
       They had promised him a life
         and now the promise has died

      Why did they not know
        life is not predictable at all
       We live on the edge of being
         and at any moment we can fall

      But when we live,  it's magic
        a wonderful and mysterious thing
       full of the laughter,  love,  and hope
         each and every moment can bring

      A minute can seem like forever
        when that minute is all you see
       It's how,  not how long you live
         which makes it an eternity

      It is this magical timelessness
        which makes us forget our mortality
       As surely as we exist now,
         all too soon our lives will not be

      So never ever promise
        life which you cannot give
       Life makes us no promises,
         we know not how long we will live

      That is really not so bad
        when you look at it another way
       Billions of moments,  not just one life
         and thousands more each day

      So please don't feel cheated
        and maybe someday you will learn
       life really owes us nothing
         and we owe it everything in return

         There is an energy within us 
           which I call the energy of life
          It is meek,  kind,  and gentle
            but as pointed as a knife

         It is the power within
           which enables us to act
          Forever flowing out of us
            and forever ebbing back

         Although it is unchanging,
           it is the nature of change
          existing only as a process
            by which life is rearranged

         It has no conscience,
           no morality does it heed
          It is of its own nature
            and nothing does it need

         Though it has no aims,
           it always follows a plan
          always guiding what will be
            which is rarely known to Man

         It is forever giving us life
           without ever making demands
          and though it controls no one,
            all the world it can command

         Know that it is within you
           and you will soon find it there
          waiting quietly to awaken you
            to realize it is everywhere

     In this world of differences
       where we all fight to stay alive
       some will find advantages 
        which will enable them to thrive
       but most would be lucky
         if they are just able to survive

     It is not entirely our doing
       but a part of the world we share
      Survival of the fittest,
        nature is relentless and does not care,
       not for those who cannot cope
         or for those who may suffer there

     Instead,  nature challenges us,
       it dares us to become more concerned
      to give up our very lives
        or the bread we have earned
       to give to those needy
         who stand before us as our backs are turned

     We are beings of substance
       and we must kill in order to live
      Self survival is our goal
        so it is not in our nature to give
       but their fates are locked with ours
         and they may not be quick to forgive

     Our lives are marked with conflict
       between our ever conflicting desires
      We have the power to give or take
        and to ourselves we are all liars
       for thinking ourselves helpless
         when we are our actions sires

      Why is the world so cruel
        to crush us with its stupid rules
       Why does it cause us such pain
         we overcome only to be broken again

      Is this really how it must be-
        from heartache will we ever be free
       Must we always suffer so-
         is there nowhere else we can go

      What sense was there in creating
        a world that is so degrading
       Where is there any worth
         in lives spent suffering since birth

      These are questions all have asked
        but their answers never did last
       No argument ever justifies
         the horrors that here are realized

       People always worry about how they look,
         about their weight,  their skin,  and their hair
        It is the superficial they are concerned with,
          in appearances which they can compare

       Together they spend billions on fake cosmetics
         and even more on chic or trendy clothes to wear
        So insecure,  they need to prove themselves
          by showing others that they too have flair

       And for those who are different or unattractive,
         others will make their worlds living nightmares
        by shunning them with stringent rules for acceptance
          or only giving them indifference or stares

       Though this is both cruel and inhuman
         this fate is a burden that many must bear
        We know better but old habits die hard
          and those who do better still are too rare

       If we despised the ugliness of our actions
         and instead turned frivolous attentions there
        we might truly finally become beautiful
          but shamefully no one else might know or care

      We cannot judge a sport
        while we are playing the game
       While we are in the picture,
         we cannot see its frame

      All that is in this world,
        all the pleasure and all the pain,
       it seems all too confusing
         to be understood by my little brain

      Some people seek knowledge,
        others seek wealth and fame
       Some are wise,  some are not
         some are strong,  some are lame

      Those who have little usually lose,
        those who have much usually gain
       Some are in want of jewels and furs,
         others are in need of water and grain

      All have different wishes and hopes
        yet living is their common aim
       Each one fighting against time,
         all different yet all the same

    There is more to this world
      than that which we can perceive
     Even as our senses inform us,
       they can just as easily deceive

    When given contradictory ideas
      we must choose which to believe
     and this affects how we interpret
       what information we will receive

    Try to pigeonhole all that you've learned
      and all which you think that you know
     Try to think of it all as interesting
       but that it is not all necessarily so

    We can only watch the scenery
      while through our lives we go
     It is just like watching a movie,
       we see only what the camera will show

    Out of all that we can be or do
      at one time we can only have one
     In realizing the few we lose the many,
       to have them all would be to have none

    Think of life as a prerequisite course
      for greater learning yet to come
     So learn all you can but remember,
       you'll still have but a fraction of the sum

  As we continually climb higher
    in our search for the ultimate point of view
   we always seem to keep believing
     that what lies outside of us is more true

  We believe that there is a way of seeing
    which is far more encompassing than our own
   from which all questions can be asked
     and by which their answers can be known

  If you think this in not within
    then your quest may never be through
   and whatever road that you may travel
     will always lead back to you

  But we must complete our journeys
    and while down our weary paths we trod,
   we always know but never realize
     that it is we that are the eyes of God

         Sometimes I wonder
           how much thinking we should do
          if truth is related
            to our own points of view

         Time and space are relative,
           what's good and bad is in dispute
          More and more it seems to be
            that the truth is never absolute

         With God others will blind us
           and try to bind us with fright
          They try to keep us from knowing
            that we decide what is right

         First we believe something to be,
           then we prove why it is so
          That the circle begins with us
            is what we did not know

         Forever chasing shadows
           conceived and made by the mind
          Until we learn to quiet it,
            real truth we will not find

         Reality is not out there,
           it is what we believe it to be
          and we will make it better
            when we realize we have the key

   All of the good and bad you can find
     is reflected in the mirror of your mind
    All of the events that you are shown
      are things that you always have known

   We are the questions the answers forgot
     seemingly incomplete though we are not
    All that we will become we already are,
      always there though we seem to travel far

   Forget the facts and the truths remain
     unchanged by the world of pleasure and pain
    All things are always as they must be
      but the reasons are not always for us to see

   We are the actors on the living stage
     as bound to our roles as words on a page
    When your part has ended you will find
      that the entire production was in your mind

       I am here,  you are there
         Each one has a when and where
           but could it be
           that we will see
         that both of these we share

       I am me and you are you,
         Surely we must number two
           yet as I write
           within your sight
         the thoughts know not who is who

       I'm what I am and not what I'm not
         but I am not sure of all I've got
           It is my mind
           which is hard to define
         using infinite ageless thought

       My mind can escape my place,
         my points in time and space
           but cannot know itself
           though deep it delves
         because its own thoughts it can't trace

       So no matter what you do,
         don't be sure you are just you
           It is your mind
           which defies space and time
         and is part of everyone else too

        Can nothing be something?
          It possesses a name
         and is a concept just the same
           How can it be nothing?

        It is needed for space
          between here and there
         and it is everywhere
           in everything in every place

        It is older than the universe
          and in it all were born
         Yet nothing we do not adorn
           but instead think it a curse

        Nothingness is necessary
          for all things yet to be
         Maybe someday we will see
           that all the world it does carry

      Out of all the things we are
        and all that we are yet to be,
       the true substance of our lives
         we may never ever see

      It is not in our hopes and dreams
        or in the wonderful things we make
       It is in our relations with others,
         in our live's constant give and take

      In life we affect other life
        and in turn are affected by it
       Each action spreads like waves
         with no telling who or how they'll hit

      Everything is tied to all else
        in an intricate and invisible net
       Who knows the fires of change
         that we may inadvertently set

      Despite uncertainty of effects
        we can still try to do our best
       and hopefully our wills will prevail
         and triumph over all of the rest

        As all things grow
          they continue to change
         With each turning page
           the more we will know

        All which we see
          returns again to thought
         By this it is we 
           that knowledge has sought

        Before anything could be
          it was first a state of mind
         and it cannot be free
           while its ties to matter bind

        We are the harvesters and the crop,
          in us thought and matter blend
         It is a process which does not stop
           when our lives reach their end

        As life begins to fade
          and consciousness to ebb
         new revelations are made
           when freed from matter's web

     Sometimes I wonder
       what lies beyond our thoughts,
      what can be but not be conceived
        never to be known or taught

     It seems to be pointless
       seeking after what can never be had
      To try to see what cannot be seen
        surely must seem to be mad

     Though they seem to be infinite,
       what can be or be thought must have an end
      Once the limit has been reached
        things probably start over again

     It is the combinations
       which make it all seem so great
      but even they too must be finite
        in what they can create

     That we can think
       about what is which cannot be thought
      shows that our minds can jump the bounds
        of what is and can be sought

      I am a river of knowledge
        that flows into a great big sea
       I am growing bigger and stronger
         but doomed to lose my identity

      Now the great sea and I are one
        and all of the rivers flow to me
       I breathe life into the world,
         I give to all and I ask no fee

      I am here,  there,  and everywhere
        in each animal and each tree
       I am in them and I am them
         and it is through them that I see

      Through learning their essence unites
        and they become conscious and free
       In time they learn with their freedom
         that being alone means being lonely

      Their minds become like flowing streams
        carrying a fluid called memories
       As they grow they need more knowledge
         and when they find my sea they are happy

      When consciousness begins to fade
        and the mind becomes at rest
       we see the hopes unfulfilled
         and feelings we have repressed

      We enter another world
        where all is always as it seems
       It lies between life and death
         and it is called the land of dreams

      There our souls can fly
        and know their lives and hopes
       There they know true freedom
         outside of reality's ropes

      This place is infinite
        and exists beyond time
       It is as formless as ideas
         and by ideas it is defined

      Our experience gives it form,
        a medium with which to teach
       It shows to us our hopes
         and moves them nearer our reach

      It portrays to us our world
        as a manipulation of symbols,
       an extremely complex example
         to make new ideas look simple

      So we live between two worlds,
        each one always feeding the other
       New ideas spring from experience
         but the dream is reality's mother

      Just as our lives are now divided
        between the real and unreal we dream,
       when life is gone and only dreams remain
         we'll find the real wasn't all it seemed

     As I wonder
       what everything is for,
      I wonder if anyone
        is keeping score
       or if anyone
         cares anymore

     I wonder how
       I would rate 
      or even the things
        that I create
       Is anything truly
         lousy or great?

     Who then
       is qualified to judge
      Would his or her opinion
        be able to budge
       if many or all
         were to give it a nudge

     Could it be that all
       is still in black and white?
      That everything is wrong
        unless it is right
       That only one way of seeing
         is true sight

     I do not think 
       that could ever be so
      Not with the many
        different ways to show
       the various truths
         each of us knows

     We live in a world
       where nothing is real
      Nothing you see or hear,
        only that which you feel

     The hatred and the love,
       the pleasure and the pain,
      these alone are real
        and will always remain

     Our lives and our world
       are mere illusions
      used to control us
        with our own confusion
 

      A warm and gentle breeze
        flows through the flowers and trees
       carrying the fragrance of spring
         to each and every thing

      Across an open meadow,
        it makes the tall grass rustle
       and at a nearby crystal blue lake
         it makes the glass-like surface quake

      The breeze blows on
        across freshly mowed lawns
       and it brings the smell of the grass
         to some people walking past

      In a quiet little town
        it blows by some people milling around
       A falling kite it does save
         and a sagging flag waves

      Soon it reaches the city
        and passes the gates of factories
       No longer does its fragrance please
         but that doesn't bother the breeze

      It passes through the city
        and heads out to the open sea
       but before the breeze does fail
         it manages to even fill a sail

      Once in the sunny month of May
        on an island far away
         there was a strange meeting
          while animals were eating
        by the edge of a sparkling bay

      A blackbird sat near a tree
        which was as dark as a tree could be
          Because of its black bark
          none could see a bird so dark
        as it watched the animals by the sea

      "What big teeth they have got,"
        the blackbird had thought
          when down from above
          came a little white dove
        which landed near the blackbird's spot

      The bright flash of white
        had caught an animal's sight
          and quickly it ran
          across the yellow sand
        with its big teeth ready to bite

      "Look out,"  the blackbird had said
        then the dove turned its head
          in just enough time to see
          that it must quickly flee
        or else it would soon be dead

      So into a tree the dove flew
        and then the blackbird did too
          "Thanks,"  the dove said,
          "I would have been dead
        if had not been for you."

      The blackbird said, "Your problem,  you see
        is that you should look more like me.
          When I am on the ground
          I cannot easily be found
        and in this I think you'll agree."

      Then the dove laughed out loud,
        "Of my color I am proud.
          Where I fly
          up high in the sky
       I blend right in with the clouds."

      The blackbird shook his head,
        "You are mistaken,  friend,"  he said
          "In flying high,  you're the best
         but all birds must surely rest.
       It is better to be my color instead."

      Again the dove disagreed,
        "Though we must go down to feed
          we live in nests up high
          and we fly in the sky,
        a different color I do not need."

      He said,  "If you come with me
        then maybe you will see
          and know why
          that where I fly
        white is the best color to be."

      So off together they flew
        to find out if this was true
          They flew up high
          into the big sky
       where everything is white and blue

      Up there an eagle did fly
        and the color black caught his eye
          so he flew at what the saw
          and spread out his giant claws
        and he let out a loud terrifying cry

      Suddenly the little black bird
        turned toward the sound he heard
          and then he knew
          there was nothing to do
        against such a gigantic bird

      Though fast he did fly
        the blackbird was about to die
          when out of a cloud above
          came the little white dove
        and put its claws in the eagle's eyes

      Together away they sped
        and then the dove had said
          "Now you know
          that where I go
        it is better to be white instead."

      The blackbird said,  "I agree
        and I think that I finally see
          that either black or white,
          neither is wrong or right
        and whichever you are is the best to be

         Beneath a majestic mountain
           in a far away magic place
          lies the kingdom of Trafania
            which time can never erase

         All of the people are wizards
           who can easily walk on air
          and there is not any limit
            of wonders to be found there

         There is never a shortage
           of water, clothes, or food
          They turn nothing into something
            whenever they are in the mood

         These people never hate
           nor do they ever fight
          They seem to believe
            that everyone is always right

         They have no need of laws
           for telling people what to do
          because everyone is good
            and they are good to others too

         They live outside of time
           so no one ever grows old
          and no one tries to shape
            others in a preset mold

         New people come all the time
           and others will decide to leave
          They come here to find out
            what it is that they really need

         They do not come here
           by a car,  a boat,  or train
          nor can they get here
            by a helicopter or airplane

         Only your imagination
           can bring you to this place
          because it is not in outer,
            but rather in inner space

     Each one of us is a performer,
       we are actors comics and such
      giving the performance of our lives
        to an audience outside our touch
       and though safely within our guise
         we have never before risked so much

     Each one of us has one part to play
       and only one chance to play it well
      We will always be linked to this role
        when others remember and tell
      of whether we reached any of our goals
        and of whether we stood tall or fell

     Each one of us is truly privileged
       to be playing within life's hallowed halls
      and those of us who are truly blessed
        courageously answer all curtain calls
       hoping only to at their best
         when at last the curtain falls

    I met a weary traveler
      as the day was nearing its end
     I asked him if he traveled far
       but he couldn't remember from where or when

    All that he knew was he'd been traveling
      and come tomorrow he'd be traveling still
     He did not know where or why he was going
       but he knew he had a need his journey would fulfill

    I was curious that he carried no baggage
      so I asked him why he chose to travel so light
     He told me he had no need of possessions
       To keep them,  said he,  one must be prepared to fight

    I walked with him for a short time
      and asked if he knew when his journey would be through
     He said that it would end where he ends
       at that time when there is nothing more he can do

    It grew late and I took my leave of him
      for there were people who would soon miss me
     I had realized while I was walking home
       though I never travel,  I am on the same journey as he

        True beauty blinds us
          like looking at a bright light
         and it confines us
           by taking away our sight

        It gives us a scale,
          a scale with which to measure
         It shows us what fails
           to give us equal pleasure

        Just like a bright light,
          beauty makes the rest seem dim
         Despite what is right
           it can make the dull seem grim

        It limits our view
          by our own choosing to see
         that beautiful few
           out of all things which can be

        Beauty does abound
          in life and love everywhere
         and it will be found
           whenever you know it is there

       If we could not forget the pain in this world
         we would be crying all of the time
        It is these walls that we build to protect us
          which we must occasionally try to climb

       These walls are made of insensitivity
         so we can see but not feel the pain
        We think we are safer for having them
          but with them we loose far more than we gain

       By building them we separate ourselves from others
         Though we may know their pain,  it is not our own
        This may keep us from meeting any harm
          but it keeps us afraid and alone

       We can build doors in our walls though,
         that can open and let those we love through
        Their sorrows turn into our own sorrows
          and their triumphs become our triumphs too

       If we become lucky,  our doors open wide
         and we lose the walls between us and others
        We then realize humanity is our family
          and all people are our sisters and brothers

       I know that for some,  what is outside those walls
         is so bad that without them they'd go insane
        but if in our lives we never tear them down
          within these walls we will forever remain

      To give up on life
        is the most tragic thing to do
       and you could not if you knew
         there is magic inside of you

      Whatever you want can be yours,
        all that it takes is you to make it so
       What you want to learn you will know,
         wherever you want to be you can go

      The key to it all is confidence,
        if you think failure then it will be
       and you may keep failing until you see
         that your belief can set you free

      So do not give up on life
        and in time your dreams will come true
       if instead of feeling sad or blue
         you remember there is magic in you

      Someone that I once knew
        suffered a terrible plight
       She was becoming blind
         and would soon lose her sight

      She wanted so much to see
        as many things as she could
       for she knew that soon
         what she didn't see,  she never would

      She awoke early every morning
        and spent it gazing at the skies
       She did not want to miss
         the chance to see one more sunrise

      She'd spend all of her days
        absorbing whatever was there
       All the people and all things,
         nothing escaped her stare

      Of the beauty and the ugliness,
        she searched for all she could find
       When at last the darkness came
         she did not seem to mind

      This I could not understand
        and I asked how it could be
       She said in those final few days
         she saw more than most will ever see

       All of us have weaknesses
         and each of us has virtues too
        How we think they affect us
          determines what we can and will do

       You can emphasize your goodness
         or dwell on that which is bad
        but emphasizing the negative
          either makes you angry or sad

       We are far from perfect
         but we seem to think we should be
        If we could do no wrong
          then we could not be called free

       What counts is the intent
         behind the actions we make
        No one is ever a failure
          for making a few mistakes

       We live out our lives
         upon life's battlefields
        forever wearing us down
          denting our armor and shields

       Soon it becomes impossible
         to be able to stay detached
        Every blow rips our skin
          though only our armor is scratched

       Though it is only a game
         we can tire of the fight
        What matters is what is
          and not what or who is right

       This does not mean our end
         or that we have become weak
        Sometimes even the strong
          should turn the other cheek

       To live seeking victories
         is not the only or the best way
        The only way to win that game
          is to decide not to play

         All there is to this
           room is a window
          gazing like an eye
           to what goes on below

         My eyes will never see
           what it is my life's about
          like the window never sees
           who is inside looking out

         But what the window never sees
           it can never hide 
          from the people passing by
           who pause to look inside

         The window can be covered though,
           like the eyes can be closed
          but to hide what lies inside
           is to begin not seeing
           what the world has to show
            and keeps others from seeing
             the beauty they might had known

   Oh,  what will the world be
     when people realize they are free
    to be the greatest good
      and to be the baddest bad,
     to be infinitely happy
       or to be infinitely sad

   Oh,  what will the people do
     when they find that they create the true
    Will they help the needy
      or just their own lives
     Will they seek comfort
       or will they seek to become wise

   When they know the world is theirs
     will they put aside their individual cares
    to help the confused 
      and lead them from despair
     or instead seek to control them
       by trying to keep them there

   What will the world become
     when they realize that all can be won
    Will they play on 
      and try to improve the game
     or will they tire
       and decide to abstain

   Will they realize the greatest dream
     that only good people and things will be seen
    or will they make for others 
      a world that is a living nightmare
     Only they can say for sure
       and only they can make themselves care

        We seek not only to know what is
          but also the reasons that lie hidden behind
         We believe there are reasons for all things
           or these reasons we would not try to find

        The question that always comes to mind
          when we attempt to reason is "Why?"
         Although some questions seem unanswerable
           we nevertheless continue to try

        So why is it that we continue to pry
          for questions' answers which may not even exist
         All too often the need in us to find out
           is a desire far too powerful for us to resist

        We may find out that ignorance is bliss
          when we uncover the answers long concealed
         but it is certain that some will never rest
           until the day when those answers are revealed

        We seek not only to know what is
          but also the reasons that lie hidden behind
         We believe there are reasons for all things
           or these reasons we would not try to find

        The question that always comes to mind
          when we attempt to reason is "Why?"
         Although some questions seem unanswerable
           we nevertheless continue to try

        So why is it that we continue to pry
          for questions' answers which may not even exist
         All too often the need in us to find out
           is a desire far too powerful for us to resist

        We may find out that ignorance is bliss
          when we uncover the answers long concealed
         but it is certain that some will never rest
           until the day when those answers are revealed

      For some it is not enough
        to enjoy life's simple pleasures
       so they spend all their time
         gathering wealth and treasures

      They do not seem to realize
        that rich are those whose need are few
       By not needing for themselves
         they are able to help many others too

      Money is intoxicating,
        it gets us drunk with power
       We savor the sweetness of success
         but our greed can make it sour

      A mountain of money helping a few
        is less than a little helping many
       Wealth's use decides its value,
         money not spent isn't worth a penny

      If we who have the means
        could do without a new car or boat
       and give so that lives can be saved,
         it could open up new doors of hope

      The cash value of life
        is far too great to measure
       No amount of wealth equals it,
         it is the most precious treasure

          He lives in hell
            and deals in death
           Its bitter smell
             stealing his breath
            while laying down his life

          He came to fight
            because he thought it just
           but now his sight
             is on doing what he must
            to go home to his wife

          He cares not for truth
            about what it all is for
           It robbed him of his youth
             and now might take even more
            ending his struggle and strife

          Soon his fate arrived
            as a shiny blade was tossed
           He struggled to stay alive
             though he knew he was lost
            as he groped the fatal knife

          As the light did fade
            on his bloody world
           he removed the knife
             which he could have hurled
            but instead took his own life

         Another day,  another chance
           a chance to begin again
          A new chance to do now
            whatever you should have then

         Though chances never stay
           many more come every dawn
          We don't always see them coming
            yet we know when they're gone

         But what is a chance?
           It has no touch,  no feel
          No size or shape or weight,
            no way to know if it is real

         Are the roads not taken
           really there for us at all
          or are they just illusions
            to keep our egos standing tall

         Or are they windows
           through which we can see
          other real alternatives
            to what our lives can be

         Chances we will see
           whether or not they are true
          but chances represent choices
            and choosing is not easy to do

         Sometimes choosing one
           means passing the other by
          Since opportunities seldom last,
            bypassed chances can die

         Remember never to mourn
           for past chances that fade
          because when opportunities die,
            new ones are always made

      Look into the dawn
        and not the setting sun
       Look not for what has gone
         but for what has yet to come

      Live not in the past
        but be born each new day
       Past events will not last,
         time always sweeps them away

      Life is just beginning
        as our futures start today
       Each moment we are winning
         the chance to continue the play

      Fear not the approaching end
        for our journeys have just begun
       Time is given to us to spend
         and spent wisely it is not lost but won

        Dark clouds have come my way
          and melancholy will not stay away
         The storm that is outside today
           is inside of me on this gray day

        Outside the grayness is in full bloom
          filling me with a feeling of doom
         as I look out from my darkened room
           feeling as though I am in a tomb

        When the sun returns,  the feeling will pass
          We forget the darkness,  in the light we bask
         but in life outside of the looking glass
           between the dark and the light,  we see its mask

   On a busy city street
     with many people passing by
    all can hear but no one listens
      to the sound of a child's cry

   She sits by her window crying
     as her world comes crashing down
    Crying out,  still no one listens
      all alone in a gigantic town

   The one's who were suppose to care,
     it was by them that she was abused
    What she should do,  she does not know
      so she sits there hurt and confused

   She looks out at the people below
     while through the crowded streets they roam
    "Just another hour,"  she thinks
      "before they will once again come home."

   Though lonely,  she wants to be alone
     but she cannot understand why
    As life goes on all around her,
      she sits there wishing she could die

  There is a place where we go
    deep inside us when no one seems to care
   We walk down a dark and murky stair,
     further and further into the depths of despair

  We retreat from the warmth
    and enter into a cold and dismal place
   where we come face to face
     with feelings and fears we cannot erase

  It is a place of darkness
    where,  if we are lucky,  we hardly ever go
   There our suspicions grow
     though we think that they do not show

  It is a fountain of terror
    where every drop is really a tear
   seeming far yet always near
     and ever flowing with all of our fears

  Only love can lessen this place
    and remove whatever down there crawls
   through the darkened halls
     casting horrible shadows on the walls

       We often pass by 
         but hardly ever meet
        those who survive
          living out on the street

       They have no home,
         no place to be warmed
        so they do roam
          seeking shelter from the storms

       This world is a cold
         and miserable place
        when the weak and old
          are forced out into disgrace

       They are defenseless,
         easy prey to the vicious
        Though it seems senseless,
          they're even less to the auspicious

       Many others still care
         but their help is in short supply
        Few will ever find repair,
          most will suffer on or die

       As you travel through their space
         try to be one of those who knows
        the hardships that they face
          when the cold wind blows

     There is nothing more difficult
       than living while your mind decays
      Always knowing that tomorrow
        you'll be less than you are today

     It is a frightening concept
       but a burden many will bear,
      to know that your life will go on
        even if your mind is not there

     Life becomes a desperate struggle
       to hold on to some vestige of sanity,
      all the while fighting formless foes
        representing the confusion and calamity

     Death becomes victory,  not surrender
       One last decision debated then made
      One last chance to rule one's destiny
        before the mind permanently fades

       We teach children love
         and yet behind their backs
        we live in a world of hate
          and paint their future black

       Our world today is one 
         filled with hatred and fear
        causing more death and destruction
          year after year after year

       Thousand of children are killed
         by us fools who choose to war
        and millions more will die
          by famines we often ignore,
         children struggling to live
           with little to live for

       Our day is already upon us,
         our children's has not yet come
        yet before it even gets here
          we are making it come undone

       By not changing our world
         we are leaving them our ills,
        the ignorance which blinds us
          and the indifference that kills

       With love as our light
         maybe a better world they shall see
        Their world can be bright
          if we try to make it be
         by not leaving our poisons
           for our posterity

      For me,  love is never won
        no matter what I do
       I will always be just one
         in a world made for two

      Forever out of love
        is the fate that is mine
       and the sun high above
         for me will never shine

      I am always in the dark
        no matter how bright the day
       for without a loving heart
         is will always seem this way

      But I never did choose
        to be in this sorry state
       I have never hoped to lose,
         it just seems to be my fate

      In loving someone,  I always fail
        though I know that I have tried
       I feel like my heart has been in jail
         and of loneliness it has died

      So I have decided to live
        far apart from all of the rest
       who have the love to give
         and whose lives are truly blessed

     Live your life in the present,
       don't look to far ahead
      Before the future gets here
        all of us might be dead

     Decisions may be made and buttons pushed
       by those who've hardened their hearts
      One revolution against evolution,
        then our world would be blown apart

     The final fight to the finish
       where none would gain and none would keep
      A devastation of every nation
        with no one left living to weep

     The more that we ignore it,
       the greater the chance it will be
      Don't let it take you by surprise,
        learn to look at all you can see

     It is too bad we never realized
       the value of victory versus the cost
      The human race may soon be over
        and we will all know that we lost

     Make your peace with God now
       for you may never get another chance
      Many you give and receive much joy
        and join in humanity's last dance

      This is for no one
        who never was nor will ever be
       Robbed of any future,
         it could have been us oh so easily

      He will never hope or dream,
        he will never laugh or cry
       Never to live,  never to die
         and never to understand why

      He will never know of love
        or what it means to be happy
       He will never know of kindness
         or the true value of sincerity

      Fated to be what is not
        above and beyond eternity
       always and never absent
         from what we call reality

      Millions of new opportunities
        come and go within our days,
       few realized,  most fade away
         but within the realm of possibility
        far greater than what can be
          exists all past potentialities
         that we never have nor ever will see

      Maybe it is there that he exists
        as an idea long since forgotten
       living a life that never was,
         giving what will never be gotten
        by us in our separate world
          of limited possibilities,
         side by side yet forever apart
           locked in separate realities

   Reality alone is never enough
     as we escape its narrow straits
    We do this in our dreams at night
      and in all of our altered states

   To us it is our experiences
     that determines what is real
    but these are altered by drugs we take
      and even by the ways that we feel

   When we are happy or high
      we see life through rose colored glasses
     but when we are bitter or hateful,
       we have standards so great nothing passes

   We see only what we wish to see
     in all of our different states of mind
    We can choose to see beyond our lives
      or decide we are better off partially blind

   We can escape our purposes and intents
     but we are ourselves in all of our states
    One can run but only run within
      the world which his mind creates

       My life's a hazy scene
         of the way things used to be
        Characters come and go
          and never set me free
         from the other things in life
           not known to me

       It's like trying to stand
         like a rock against the tide
        with everything moving around you
          and nothing by your side

       Things change around me
         from without,  within,  and beyond
        Most of which,  I never will know
          with who or where I belong

       And so it goes,  day by day
         an endless streaming blur
        of people I used to know
          and thoughts that used to stir
         but one day it all will end
           and all will come to pass
          of the one who used to never know
            and never thought to ask

      I'm flyin' at full speed
        and I'm never lookin' back
       From my past I've been freed
         and I'm finally back on track

      Time again is on my side
        and I am reachin' for more
       I'm feelin' alive in overdrive
         rememberin' what I live for

      I almost let it all slip away
        but that'll never happen again
       I am here and here to stay
         back like I've never been

      Sure I've got catchin' up to do
        but its great just bein' in the race
       People,  I am tellin' you,
         this feelin' nothin' can replace

      It'd be fine passin' the finish line
        but I don't really care
       When  you're doin' good and feelin' fine,
         man,  you are already there

        Living a life on the edge
          is one that many will lead
         A feeling of imminent danger
           becomes their greatest need

        They live their lives
          always looking for a thrill
         and they are not satisfied
           unless the thrill can kill

        They need to face death
          to feel they are alive,
         forever tempting fate
           until the day they die

        Some do it with sport,
          some with drugs or alcohol
         Whatever can bring the end
           which others try to forestall

        Some drive their cars fast
          past the point of no return
         Not caring what they risk,
           not living long enough to learn

        Who knows what pain
          from their losses will stem
         I only know we are lucky
           when others don't die with them

      I had it all but then I lost it
        and fell into a well of confusion
       My body lies up there somewhere
         but I am lost in my illusions

      I thought I owned the fine line
        between creation and self destruction
       But that was before I crossed it
         now I wander hoping for a resurrection

      I live in a dream world out of control
        far too confusing to be a nightmare
       I know that there must be some way out
         if I only could remember how or where

      That which came before all of this
        I see only in images and fragmented memories
       I remember that once things made sense
         but now I live through meaningless moraless stories

      I know that nothing here is real
        though that does not help me escape
       My world is totally void of substance
        with everything changing it meaning and shape

      I keep praying that this is just a dream
        and that somehow soon I will again awake
       What I really find hard for me to believe
         is that I hated the real and preferred the fake