One Lonely Dragon

One Lonely Dragon, Magic and Tough

Once I yearned to be magic and tough,

But I was left to wonder what my status is,

Though life’s a stage to strut my stuff,

I knew I’d never make it in show biz.

I was the wall flower, intense and shy,

Entering from stage left, or was it right?

Left out of the popular group, the other guy,

For everything I got, I had to fight.

So I became a dragon from medieval days,

You knew I was there.  I had a mighty roar,

But dragons are the ones who everyone slays,

If I wasn’t careful, I’d be doomed forevermore.

I could be in a crowded room, invisible to all,

Pretending that I’d asked someone to dance,

Yet even then my courage would hit the wall,

For lonely dragons only get one chance.

There must be a lady dragon waiting somewhere,

Although time drags on and it’s getting late,

I’m still invisible and no one can find me here,

I’m breathing fire and I don’t want to wait.

And the days drag on, and the nights grow cold,

I still remain a dragon, but just on the inside,

Watching the modern knights who are so bold,

While I sit steaming in my tough old hide.

With a Breeze in the Back

With a Breeze in the Back

“One lump or two?” I heard the nurse say,

My heart began pounding twice as fast,

I wasn’t mentally prepared on that fateful day,

I thought, This day could be my last.

From his office into the clean crisp air,

Escaping because I was upset and afraid,

Suddenly I realized that I was almost bare,

And in front of the Thanksgiving parade.

I couldn’t decide exactly what to do,

 I still wore my gown with a breeze in the back,

 I was embarrassed and a little cold too,

But I was in the parade, the leader of the pack.

My mind was numb and I lost my fear,

And I began to relax and wave,

The crowd roared and began to cheer,

For they thought I was extremely brave.

High stepping and saluting to the crowd’s delight,

I marched past the judges’ stand,

I was in my glory and in full sight,

I won a trophy for most spectacular in all the land.

I led that parade down a frontage street,

Until I marched into the doctor’s office again,

I entered and had just taken a seat,

When the doctor rushed in with a grin.

He asked, “Have you been waiting long?”

As he spent two minutes looking over my chart,

“Well I marched in a parade and wrote a song.”

He squinted and said, “Patience is an art.”

“Doc, I need to know.  Was it one lump or two?”

“Why would you want to know that?

I want my coffee sweet so two lumps will do,

My wife would kill me.  She thinks I’m getting fat.”

Two lumps of sugar had been my downfall,

I had led a parade where everyone could see,

It hadn’t been my lymphatic glands at all,

 It was sugar that almost killed me.

In the doctor’s office listen to what he says,

Don’t jump to conclusions if you’ve found a little bump,

Unless he shows you the x-rays,

Let his coffee contain the lump.

Melt My Heart of Stone

Melt My Heart of Stone!

When my daughter was only three,

She was as independent as can be,

On the playground she could hear me calling,

“Wait for me!  I don’t want you falling.”

But she would race toward the slide,

Even at that tender age she had pride,

“Me do it!” she would stubbornly insist,

She refused my help and would resist,

Hardheaded and independent, (just like her father).

So why should I try to help?  Why even bother?

As the years passed by, I didn’t get any wiser,

I didn’t save love and I didn’t become a miser,

I didn’t seek truth from wise men near and far,

I relied on myself to follow a distant star,

“Me do it!” I shouted to the heavens above,

“Why do I need help to learn the ways of love?”

Fair maidens passed often in the depths of night,

But their hearts were broken, sad was their plight,

I was too independent so I remained alone,

Hard-headed but sad, my heart turned to stone,

Who could open her heart and give me a chance?

Who could love enough to spark new romance?

I learned to accept help from any source I can,

I became less difficult; I became a calmer man,

With years of experience I became smarter too,

I decided not to rely on me; I wanted to depend on you,

Working and playing together as a team,

We could turn my world into a better dream,

Man was not meant to be alone,

“Help me please; melt my heart of stone!”

But She Forgot

But She Forgot

When her boyfriend broke up with her,

She:

Cried on my shoulder,

Walked with me by the lake,

Talked for hours about all the things they did,

Wanted me to be there just to hear her breathe,

But she forgot I was there.

When she met the man of her dreams,

She:

Told me how special he was,

Wanted me to meet him,

Insisted I go shopping with her to buy him gifts,

Asked me to help her write love poems (for him),

But she forgot I had feelings too.

When he became too busy to be with her,

She:

Wouldn’t talk to anyone for days,

Partied every weekend with her girl friends,

Claimed I would be her best friend forever,

Moved in with a roommate,

But she forgot I cared.

When she became pregnant,

She:

Needed me to take care of her,

Said I would be her son’s godfather,

Told me all the things we would do together,

Said she wanted to be independent,

But she forgot I had always been there for her.

When her boyfriend beat her up,

She:

Lost her baby,

Insisted she still loved him,

Asked me to mind my own business,

Said I should stay away,

But she forgot my heart was broken.

When she was dying,

She:

Looked very pretty,

Said she was sorry,

Wished that she loved me,

Left a note asking me to take care of her son,

But she forgot she didn’t even have to ask.

Are We There Yet?

Are We There Yet?

I often heard my children ask, “Are we there yet?”

On a trip we had just begun,

That was their way of saying,

They weren’t having any fun.

When I consider we’re all kids,

Traveling the same kind of road,

“Are we there yet?” means to me,

Someone is tired of his load.

We live in a smug cruel world,

Where we claim everything is under control,

But it’s time we search our hearts and ask,

Have we really reached our goals?

We haven’t found the ways to peace,

Though we tried with flowers in our hair,

Even SGT. Pepper could not stop the wars,

Even though we tried to care.

A white horse appeared on a cloud,

Its rider clutched a bow,

Representing conquest and a destructive force,

Sending peace reeling with a mighty blow.

Famine spreads across the land,

While food supplies dwindle down,

Animals and people fight to live,

But little grows on bloody parched ground.

A black horse stepping high,

With weighing scales at his side,

Famine strikes fear in all hearts,

While hope disappears worldwide.

A fiery horse gallops with color aglow,

Mass slaughter is his game,

His rider lets persecution and pain go free,

War is still the one to blame.

Pestilence still sweeps the world,

While we turn our heads in vain,

Trying to ignore terrible diseases,

That keep third world children in pain.

Death still stalks each of us,

We won’t leave this world alive,

But couldn’t we try to slow death down,

Allowing us a few more years to thrive.

Astride a pale horse with sunken eyes,

The Grim Reaper wears a grin,

He scans the earth looking for those,

Who have already died within.

Are we there yet?

It’s a question we should ask,

Have we done all we can possibly do,

Before we give up our chosen task?

The Four Horsemen continue to ride,

Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death,

With sword and gun they sweep the land,

And steal each feeble breath.

Are we there yet?

The question echoes on,

We can’t stop to boast or reset,

Until the battles are won.

Miles of Travel and Roadside Stands

Miles of Travel and Roadside Stands

Bouncing along in my old sedan,

Stopping for refreshments at roadside stands,

Miles of travel watching for flea market sales,

Electronic games and puppy dog tales,

Little brother’s laugh echoing for miles around,

Counting farms and houses before the next town,

Tired and grumpy after an hour or two,

A fight or argument and a quarter is due,

A roll of quarters for each child,

Dwindling down as behavior turns wild,

Happy is the child who manages to maintain,

Happy are the parents who don’t hear them complain,

Watching billboards, children play the alphabet game,

From license plates they learn the states by name,

A day of travel with few fights and no fuss,

Is there a family as happy as us?

We have good times aplenty as we travel afar,

Though crowded together in my old red car.

Join Me for Coffee

Join Me for Coffee

“Good morning! Have a cup of coffee with me,

Relax and enjoy, what a great day it will be,

We’ll discuss the news and what went wrong,

Our place in the universe and where we belong,

We’ll talk about the drought and why we don’t have rain,

Aunt Lulu’s flowers and Rhonda’s recent weight gain,

We’ll talk about most everything except you and me,

We’re afraid to confront our feelings and what we really see,

I know you belong to another who calls me his friend,

But without you in my arms the nights never end,

Let’s talk about the weather and time spent together,

If people have noticed, will storm clouds gather?

Our love is a relationship between you and me,

We need to decide how we want it to be,

Our families, our friends, not many will approve,

Should we stand and face them, or should we move?

Join me for coffee, or do you prefer tea?

I want to know how this will be,

Open for all to see, love in the sun,

Or living in darkness and love on the run?

Join me for coffee, please don’t hesitate,

I’m ready for love, and my love won’t wait.”