what you want and what
you get; you never know until
you take it home

Just Because the Devil Says Boo!

Down is up and up is down,
When the devil is in town.
Good is bad and bad is good,
When the devil’s in the ‘hood.

I lost my friend down Reno way,
Found my heaven late in the day;
She was the girl he left behind,
The devil he laughed, but I paid no mind.

She was sweet and kind, a bit headstrong at first,
I was rambling and blind and dying of thirst.
She took me in and she let me stay –
The devil locked out for many a day!

But wrong is right and right is wrong,
When the devil tags along.
And loss is win and win is loss,
When the devil is your boss.

She thought she knew what was best for us all
Took the devil in hand, said, ‘Now youre small.’
All Hell broke loose but she just didnt care,
As she showed that Devil a bigger pair!

Now the Devil displaying his ruthless guile
Knew better than to risk a woman’s wile.
Said, “Tell you what, let’s call it a truce!”;
Devil’s white flag turned out to be “deuce”…

Now, mouse is man and man is mouse
When the devil is in your house,
‘Cause small is big and big is small
When the devil’s ten feet tall.

But fibs ain’t truth and truth ain’t fibs
Just because the devil calls dibs,
And true ain’t false and false ain’t true
Just because the Devil says “Boo!”

Love is a Smoke Made with the Fume of Sighs

Lovers concur that love is a smoke,
Made with the fume of sighs.
It twists and it curls and hangs in the air
Until it eventually dies.

Lovers attest that love is a plume
Fed by infernal fires,
Destined to fade and to go the way
Of all unnatural desires.

Lovers agree that love is a fog
That smothers and puts down the will.
Where angels and demons fight to prevail
Over the soul fo the kill.

Lovers contend that love is a mist,
A paradise lost and regained;
A malodorous tale of deceit and betrayal
Whose purpose is never explained.

Love, to lovers, is a will-o-the-wisp,
Fair and faint and oft perfumed;
Yet fire, to which we slowly submit
Until we’re finally consumed!

This reads a little better, apologies…

Wake up, my darling, arise and make haste;
Yesterday’s dreams have been laid to waste!
With anguish afoot and despair on its heel,
Come let us partake of one final meal.

Come rise up my love, give thanks for the day,
Gather your things and we’ll be on our way;
Drink this sweet water; the well ‘tis but empty,
Our journey is long with dangers aplenty.

Down by the shore the boatman awaits,
The water is wide; his skills are first rate;
In some other land we’ll seek our true fate,
The way is prepared so let’s not be late.

How the morning star shines in the sky so clear,
How my heart sings whenever you’re near;
Give thanks where it’s due and say your goodbyes,
Adventure awaits your brightening eyes!

Come wake up, my darling, it’s time to depart,
Yesterday’s dreams have fallen apart.
With anguish upon us and despair to arrive…
If we stay here we will not survive!

earth is for the meek,
heaven is for the bold
and courageous

The Cliffhanger

High up above the valley below,
The cliffhanger hangs on fingers and toes.

The sun on his face, the wind in his hair,
His heart held aloft beyond all despair.

He’s come here to heal, away from the crowd,
To scale the sheer stone and cry out aloud.

Love laughs in the day, rejoices in light,
But grows in a bed of pain by night!

High up above, the valley below,
The cliffhanger hangs on fingers and toes;

The wind in his hair, the sun on his face,
His heart held aloft in the gentlest embrace.

the sadness in a child’s eyes can at any
moment become happiness – and does!

The Lord of Karma

The Lord of Karma is imposing and tall.
He speaks with an accent from his days

on Earth, when his family were councillors
to Ghengis Khan. Keeping decrees secret,

that power may always remain one step
ahead of consequence. His baritone is

rich and sonorous and used to great effect.
His oratory skills are renowned both wide

and far. Few dare challenge the Lord of
Karma, except when he’s called upon to

pass judgement on individuals or bodies
higher up than himself. As above, so below!

When considering judgement of another,
ask yourself, where does the buck stop?

It’s a hung jury. What will the Lord of
Karma decide? His choice. His skin.

The games we play,
And the price we pay…

I Find Myself

I find myself in moments when
I think of how I loved you then.
Of why we had to let it go,
And curse my bitter stars and woe.

We were so much younger then,
Yet to learn to count to ten.
It’s how it was when things went well,
And how it was when things were hell.

Looking into each other’s eyes,
Trying our bodies on for size.
The things we said and the things we meant,
The things we wanted and the way it went.

How I’d fawn and beg and seek,
And want your love when I was weak;
How you’d play and string me along
And scorn my love when you were strong.

Now we live different lives,
With different husbands and different wives.
In different seasons and hemispheres,
With different secrets for different ears…

I find myself in moments when
I think of how I loved you then.
Of why we had to let it go,
And curse my bitter stars and woe.

defeat and victory
in every silent footfall –
the looming summit

The Cup of Life

Come hither, wanderers, with hearts bereft,
And drink from the Cup of Life, again;
The crow has packed up its tent and left,
And the lion is in the lion’s den.

None are denied that fulsome draught,
Not fevered youth, not palsied age.
Restitutive tears, cried and laughed,
Must be replenished, and so assuaged.

Come raise that Cup and drink at length,
It matters not wherefore thou art;
Whether you wax or wane in strength,
Whether you caught or threw the dart.

Raise your fallen eyes, my friend,
And drink from the Cup extended to thee;
That God may have you in the end,
So all that comes to pass must be.

Drain thy Cup to the very last drop,
And give thanks for the gift of life each day.
And when you reach your mountaintop,
All pain and limitation will fade away!

Drink from the Cup and become wise men,
O, broken hearted wanderers, all;
Drink from the Cup again and again…
That you may hear God’s whisper and heed His call!

30 03 2024