The dawning day’s cacophony, through my open window serenades;
An early bird symphony into my bedroom noisily invades;
The cawing of a murder between rat-a-tat-tat of a woodpecker’s head;
Mix with distant sounds of early commuters, beckoning me out of bed.
The dawning day’s cacophony, accompanied by rays from the morning sun,
Announce my night is over and a new day has begun.
I am standing at a crossroads with no signs pointing the way;
My shadow stretches in front of me from the dawning of a new day;
No matter which road I choose to take, there will be no turning back;
Whether or not you’re on the path I choose requires knowledge that I lack.
One path could lead to happiness; another could lead to pain;
One path could lead to riches; on another I could lose all that I’ve gained;
Every journey begins with a single step, which I am hesitant to take;
But, with confidence I’ll move forward even if it is a big mistake.
I pick up all my baggage, preparing to move along;
Looking forward with my head held high, I start whistling a song;
If I meet you on this journey, I hope we can travel together for a while;
And when our paths divert again, I hope I leave you with a smile.
I am standing at a crossroads with no signs pointing the way;
I know I must move forward because I’m not the kind of guy who stays.
There is no guarantee that the future will become your past;
Each breath that you breathe might be the breath that you breathe last;
No promise of a tomorrow before you meet your final end;
No definitive opportunity to hug a loved one or a friend.
That confession of love, you procrastinate to say;
That statement of gratitude that you just let slip away;
That declaration of pride that for some reason you hold inside,
The opportunity to express them all may just have passed you by.
Don’t wait for the perfect time; it may never come to call;
If you don’t do those things today they might never get done at all;
Don’t risk a last goodbye with a compliment unsaid;
Don’t leave them always wondering about the silence when you’re dead.
They buried civility in a shallow grave;
Without humility the combatants all behaved;
When, finally, in victory a hand up high was raised,
They wondered, unequivocally, why the world was all a crazed.
When you enter a pact with the Devil for your soul;
When you distort the facts to achieve your final goal;
The enemies you attract tally up a pretty toll;
There’s no going back once the Devil’s in your fold.
In the dust of history only ruins will remain;
Those who caused the misery infamously will be named;
The Devil meticulously collects his souls, just the same;
When, quite viciously, politicians play their games.
We are all traveling on the same journey
With a destination quite unknown;
Regardless of your origination;
Regardless of miles already flown.
Some are traveling in first class;
Some ride steerage with the stock;
Some will work on providing comfort:
Some will pilot; most will not.
We’re not sure where we are headed;
What twists and turns the journey may bring;
Some will argue about how we should get there;
Some will worry about various other things.
In the end the end is a beginning
Of another journey we cannot comprehend;
How we travel in the journey we are living
Will determine where the next journey ends.
What happens when we veer off course?
What happens under darkly clouded skies?
What happens when the reasonable voice grows hoarse?
What happens? … We Rise!
What happens when tolerance fails?
What happens when the truth gets buried by lies?
What happens when scientific facts grow pale?
What happens? … We Rise!
What happens when the going gets tough?
What happens when inhumanity thrives?
What happens when enough is enough?
What happens? … We Rise!
What happens when fear gives way to mistrust?
What happens when the bully arrives?
What happens when injustice is just?
What happens? … We Rise!
While others lie drowning in a sea of hate
You must strive to rise above;
Don’t join the fray; don’t take the bait;
Respond, instead, with love.
It’s tempting to fight fire with fire,
But that only adds fuel to the heat;
When they sink low you must climb higher
Where disdain cannot compete.
Insults lobbied from differing views
Hardly constitutes a debate;
Loss of decorum and chaos ensues
When motivated only by hate.
When the dust settles;
When the cameras stop rolling;
When the newest news story
Starts receiving top polling;
Who is left to pick up the pieces?
Who is left to shoulder the pain?
Who is left to mourn the departed?
Who ensures it won’t happen again?
We watch on TV while eating desserts;
We cry for a moment, for the moment it hurts;
We voice our disgust for a world that’s gone mad;
But, what do we do to help those who are sad?
We turn on a comedy when the evening news has ended;
We share analysis and opinions with strangers we’ve befriended;
We try to teach our children a lesson to be learned;
But, we forget about those whose lives have been turned.
With each tragedy we witness and watch from afar;
People are left with an unhealable scar;
When the short span of our attention has faded;
Left in the wake are the emotionally injured, unaided.
So, when the dust settles and the cameras stop rolling;
When the newest news story starts receiving top polling;
When analyses and opinions social networks stop sharing,
Somehow, some way, let the families know we’re still caring.
He said, “Daddy, I didn’t mean to make my Mommy cry,
And I really didn’t want to put that tear inside your eye.
I didn’t know I was sick when I didn’t tell you ‘bout the pain,
I just wanted to make sure I could go outside to play again.”
He said, “Daddy, I am sorry for whatever evil I have done
To make God give me cancer; and an incurable one.
He said, “I prayed every night that he would take the pain away;
I guess God didn’t care to hear the things I had to say.”
I said, “Son, don’t you worry about your Mother’s and my tears;
You’ve given us nothing but happiness throughout your ten years.
I said, “Cancer isn’t punishment for any sins, don’t you know;
God just needed another angel and you have the purest soul.”
He said, “Daddy, I will miss you, but don’t you follow me too soon;
Mommy really needs you so she can sing again a happy tune.
I will look down upon you from the heavens up above,
I will send to you and Mommy, every day, all my love.”
I said, “Son we will miss you and think about you every day;
Your Mom will learn to smile again knowing you’re sending love her way.
It’s time to let the pain all go and close your little eyes.”
I kissed him on the forehead and my son whispered to me, “Goodbye”.
Poems, Lyrics and Stuff by an Average Joe 