FEAR

As I walked out the door
To check the mail.
I saw a dog
Sickly and frail.

It was a Rotweiller
With massive jowls,
As I bent over
He started to growl.

His fierce demeanor
Did cause me fright;
I was afraid
That he might bite.

So I left him there
All alone,
Hoping he would
Find his way home.

The next morning
The dog lay dead.
Flies encircled
His ugly head.

He died of fear
I do believe,
Mine to give
His to receive.



SELF-ESTEEM

What we think we are
Is based on how we believe
That we compare and rate
To other people that we see.

But we only see
A censored, edited view
Of the other people
We compare ourselves to.

And we always see ourselves
Unedited and X rated,
This is why self esteem
Is destined to be ill fated.



GOOD PARASITES

A good parasite
Doesn't kill its host.
This allows them to
Exploit them the most.

A bad parasite
Kills their host with haste.
Then they must search
For another to waste.

The thing we call love
Makes our lives bright.
It also allows us
To be good parasites.




TELL IT LIKE IT IS

I am very smart.
How do I know?
I heard it on TV;
My congressman said it's so.

I have high moral values.
I work hard for my pay.
How do I know this?
It's what my senators say.

Whenever my ego suffers,
And self-esteem is missin'
I'm reminded of how good I am
By listening to politicians.

And you can bet I will
Continue to help to elect
People so good at assessing
My character and intellect.




LIFE AND DEATH

If we did not live,
We could not die.
If we did not die,
We could not live.

Life would be dull;
It would be rather dry,
If no matter what
We could not die.

If the thought of death
We could not feel,
Life would not be
Such a big deal.

So we dare it to happen;
We stare into its face;
We flirt with death;
It make our heart race.

We seek it out;
We attempt to defeat it.
With acts of bravery
We try to cheat it.

And these things that we do
Would not thrill us
Without the thought
That they might kill us.

So death will always
Be our final fate,
But it is death
Which makes living great.

Life without death,
Like summer without fall,
Would not be
Intriguing at all.




CRAZY?

Why do people think
A better deal they'll find
If they do business with
Those of demented mind?

Wild Bill and Crazy Eddie--
Their minds they have lost.
So we can buy from them
At less than dealer cost.

These merchants are so crazy
That we think just maybe,
We can steal from them
Like taking candy from a baby.

Does this reflect our nature,
That we are so evil,
We would like to swindle
Those with minds so feeble?

If this is how it is,
And people are looking to cheat,
Slogans such as these
Would help business to compete:

"Special Ed's Used Cars--
Everyone a gem.
Hitch-hike to his lot
and you might steal a car from him.

Or "Stupid Johnny's Home Appliances,
He's so retarded he may
Let you have a refrigerator
And forget to make you pay."

But I guess the reality is
That people fall for such pitches,
So that being considered crazy
Can help to bring you riches.

"You can't cheat an honest man,"
Is how the saying goes.
This technique works so well
Because there are so few of those.




LIFE IN THE PIPES

For so long now,
With so many to thank,
My life has been headed
For the septic tank.

From the flush of my birth
I traveled through the pipes.
Making the voyage
That I call "life."

But when the pipes end
That will be it,
And I will dwell forever
With all the other shit.





DON'T LET THE DOOR

The interview went well,
I felt inside my gut,
Until I let the door
Hit me in the butt.

This was the thing
They told me not to do
As they concluded
My interview.

It hit me in the butt!
I wanted to sob.
I guess this means
I won't get the job.


WILD HORSES

I didn't want to leave.
I wanted to stay;
But wild horses
Drove me away.

I wanted to come,
But dog-gone-it! 
Wild horses
Kept me from it.

I should have known
They were up to good
When wild horses moved
Into my neighborhood.

And ever since
The wild horses came
They make me do
All kinds of things.

Those damned wild horses;
They're a bunch of jerks.
They keep me from
Going to work.

They won't let me rake
Or mow the yard,
Visit my in-laws
Or do chores that are hard.

They make me stay inside
And drink and eat,
Make me sit in my chair
And prop up my feet,

And watch TV,
Press buttons on the remote,
And feed the wild horses
Sugar and oats.






INVISIBLE

If I were invisible
To others eyes
Bankers would be amazed
At how money flies.

Stack after stack
Would float from the vault,
And being invisible,
I would never get caught.

I'd go from bank to bank,
Having lot's of fun
Robbing banks
Without a gun.

When I was rich,
Then I guess
I would go to a spa
To watch the women undress.

And then I'd go
All over town
And have some fun
Slapping people around.

I'd hit them, kick them
And then I'd bite.
This invisible thing
Would be out of sight!

But I guess it's best
That I can be seen.
It keeps me from being
Psychopathic and mean.




POOR AND STUPID

It is not good at all
To be poor and bright,
Because you are completely
Aware of your plight.

Being poor and stupid
Is closer to being good,
Because the fact you're poor
Is not fully understood.

So if you are poor,
You can manage,
Just do things to yourself
That will cause brain damage.




DO WE REALLY KNOW?

You could be married for a century,
Or maybe even two.
But you'll never really know her,
And she'll never really know you.

You bond with parents and children,
As strong as the strongest glue;
But you'll never really know them,
And they'll never really know you.

We come into this world alone,
And out alone we go,
And in between we become so close
To people we don't really know.


Chicken Soup


A plant popped up in my flower pot. 
I nourished it, and it grew.
Its stalk was strong;
Its leaves thick and bright.
It thrived in the rays
Of the summer sunlight.

Proud it stood on that autumn morn
As a visitor came to view
This hardy plant in the morning dew.

"That's a weed! 
He related in a shout.
So I kneeled over 
And pulled it out.

ASSUMPTIONS



The biggest fools,
Doomed to fail from the start,
Are the ones who assume
That most people are smart.

The ones who succeed,
And make money by the peck,
Are the ones who assume
People have low intellect.

But if you should ever
Doubt this is so
Just watch Jerry Springer
Or the Ricki Lake Show.




THE VIRTUE AND CRIME OF TIME

Time filters memory
Like a merciful strain,
So that only good
And beauty remains.

But without mercy,
This filtrated bliss,
At death makes us think
That living we'll miss.





SUFFRAGE

Louisiana has its bayous and boats.
It is also the state where dead people vote.
If our dead can dig out of their graves,
The voting lines to brave,
Then you and I have no reason that's valid
For not going to the polls to cast our ballot.


DISOBEDIENCE

For every action,
Say one of Newton's Laws,
An equal and opposite
Reaction is caused.

In physics this law
Is a constant reality.
But it does not apply
To you and to me.

If it did, indeed,
It would be very say.
For every good action
Would cause equal bad.

So you and I
Are special because
We are free to disobey
One Of Newton's Laws.




PERSPECTIVE

If one had to die,
Chicken or prince,
Which death
Would make better sense?

If you ask a rat
Which one should pass,
He wouldn't give
A rat's ass!

But it would be
The chicken that died
If the prince
Was the one to decide.

And the heart of the chicken
Would keep on tickin'
If it was the chicken
Who was doing the pickin'.

But ask a goat
To resolve this spat,
And he would likely
Agree with the rat.

"Man is the measure of all things,"
Protagoras once wrote.
But he was a man,
Not a chicken, rat or goat.




TROUBLE IN PARADISE

There was trouble brewing in heaven.
Jesus was showing some wear.
What was it that so fatigued our Lord?
Answering all of those prayers!

He went to God with his concerns.
Determined to have his say.
"There are almost six billion people,
And most of them pray every day.

They pray for more money.
They pray for their favorite team.
And you would not believe the number
Who pray to be homecoming queen.

They pray when they take a test.
Asking that we'll help them pass.
They get themselves in trouble,
And pray that we'll save their ass.

They pray for the sick.
They pray for those who are well.
They even pray for some lost souls
That we've already sent to hell.

Being the son of God,
Is not a job that I need,
If 24 hours a day
I must listen to people plead.

So take this as my notice;
I will split this scene
If you don't get me
A good answering machine."

God replied to his son
"Don't quit this godly mission.
When they pray do as I do
And just pretend to listen."

Jesus was astounded.
"You mean you just pretend?
You don't hear the 'Dear God's'
You don't hear the 'amen's?'"

"Of course I don't," said God. 
"If I listened to all that trite
Even though I am God
I wouldn't have much of a life."

Jesus said to God,
"You really are cool!
To hell with all those prayers!
Let's go shoot some pool!"

So off they went to the pool hall--
Neither having a care--
Leaving mankind here on Earth
Without a prayer.




GLAD I DIDN'T KNOW

Everything I've ever done
That I considered good,
Required more work
Than I thought it would.

But I didn't know,
And for this I'm glad,
For I wouldn't have done them
If I had.


HIGH AND LOW



They automate, they downsize;

They send jobs overseas.

These are among the ways

Our business shows its greed.



And our poor grow in numbers;

They suffer for these offenses.

Their lives lose satisfaction;

These are the consequences.



And our poor think that God

Does not hear their prayers,

And if God does exist,

Then he no longer cares.



They lose spirit and faith,

Because of their losing hands;

They are no longer moved

To live as God commands.



Then our society suffers;

Our morality degenerates.

Our conscience is not strengthened

By religious faith.



And the rich count their money

And buy what they please;

But find their lives are lacking

Contented inner-peace.



For happiness and fulfillment

Comes not from purchased wares;

These will only come to those

Who answer their neighbor's prayers.



But if each person must learn this

by sacrificing their fate,

It will be individually learned

When it is collectively too late.



As we look at our degradation,

We look in places low;

For this is where we see

Our corrupt, immoral woe.



But to find the cause,

We must raise our stares,

And look at those who refuse

To answer their neighbor's prayers.





LIMITATIONS



Our eyes convert light to electricity;

This allows the brain to see.

But in this crude conversion

We miss much reality.



Our ears collect vibrations;

A small range we can detect.

And all other commotion

Our brain must neglect.



Nerve cells in our tongue and nose

Detect chemicals which go by.

But they can only detect those

Of a certain shape and size.



Our skin has little nerve cells

That respond to mechanical events.

They convert them to electricity,

And our brain makes them make sense.



With all our limitations,

It is easy to show

That there is much reality

That we can never know.



And what we are missing,

I'm led to believe,

Is far more than that

Which we can perceive.





TELL IT LIKE IT IS



I am very smart.

How do I know?

I heard it on TV;

My congressman said it's so.



I have high moral values;

I work hard for my pay.

How do I know?

It's what my senators say.



Whenver my ego suffers,

And self-esteem is missin',

I'm reminded of how good I am

By listening to politicians.



And you can bet I will
 
Continue to help elect

People so good at assessing

My character and intellect.





SOLITARY



The quality of living

Is so much less,

When in solitude

We find lonliness.





SUPREMACY



Last night in my sleep

I had a strange dream.

There were several animals

Arguing who was supreme.



The turtle said "I live long

And am protected so complete;

I only must be careful

When I cross the street."



The bird said "I fly

Into the sky so stellar;

But I must avoid

Airplanes and their propellers."



The fish said "I swim

So freely in the sea.

If not for pollution

Who know how great I'd be."



The spoke man:

"I build airplanes, streets and pollute."

The others grew silent,

As they knew their points were moot.





WHAT THEN?



When all lost souls

To the lord they win,

When crime, war and hate

Are put to an end,

When all broken hearts

Have been made to mend,

When the lonely have friends

And orphans have kin--

What then?



When all skin colors

Have been made to blend,

When babies don't cry,

Politicians don't lie,

When mosquitoes don't bite

And people don't fight,

When gamblers don't lose

And winos don't booze--

What then?



Without causes to defend,

No helping hand to lend,

Do we say "amen?"

Is this the end?

I don't know, my friend.



But when all of this happens

A part of the enjoyment

Will be seeing Geraldo

Draw unemployment.





SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE



With money and blood pressure,

Things can get really rough,

If you have an overabundance

Or not enough.



With money and blood pressure,

You'll be fit as a fiddle,

If for both you are

Somewhere in the middle.





LOVE AND MONEY



When people have money,

We love them more.

Money makes people

Easy to adore.



It makes them better looking;

It gives them personality.

They are people we want to talk to

And people we like to see.



We even love ourselves more

When we have a lot of bread.

We love ourselves so much

That it goes to our head.



Love and money--

It causes an ado;

Some suspect

That this love isn't true.



But it is true,

Without doubt,

Right up until

The money runs out.





HOPE



Hope abounds

In our impoverished hordes

As the only comfort

They can afford.







WRETCH



I know a poet,

I won't mention his name,

Who tortures himself

To write of the pain.



He sets himself up

For an emotional fall,

And proceeds to beat

His head against the wall.



Then he writes of the torment

And the agony he's feeling,

And calls it his way

Of bringing on healing.



But I think, in truth,

That he walks into hell

Because failing is the one thing

He really does well.



So I no longer pity him;

He chose this way to go,

To be a magnificant wretch

Rather than an average Joe.





PASS AND FAIL



Laws are passed

When morality fails.

Conscience is

Replaced by jails.





PAPER AND PEN



Paper and pen,

In the hands of the wise,

Can describe the beauty

Of a summer sunrise.



Paper and pen,

In the hands of love,

Can recreate the glow

Of the stars above.



But paper and pen,

In the hands of hate,

Can destroy all that

Love and wisdom create.





STRENGTH



The strength of the brave

Will far surpass

The size and might

Of their muscle mass.





CONDENSATION



Money is like water,

Once it goes into motion,

The pools, streams and ditches

Drain to the oceans.



Gravity demands

That material formations

Slowly drift

To lower elevations.



And the oceans will not share

With the pools, ditches and streams,

Except what the sun

Takes from them in steam;



And when condensation

Makes it heavier than air,

That is when

The poor get their share.



So the rich will always

Put the money away;

And the poor will bow

And to the heavens pray--



For the heat of the sun

To take some of these riches,

And caused them to fall

In the pools, streams and ditches.





CARROT ON A STICK



The people that I know,

With whom I'm most impressed,

Don't need a bribe;

Don't need a threat.



They just try to do right;

They just try to excel,

Without the bribe of heaven,

Without the threat of hell.



Having no dogmatic delusions,

And no faith in magic tricks,

They follow love and conscience

Without the carrot on a stick.



Being honest with themselves,

They avoid the nonsensic,

And the goodness they achieve

Is more purely intrinsic.



They gaze far and wide;

Their stare is not fixed

On an unattainable carrot

Which dangles from a stick.



Truth and virtue within,

Truth and virtue without

An imaginary carrot

With imaginary clout.



Truth and virtue within,

Without threatening control,

This may be

The essence of soul.





EMOTIONAL GROWTH



Love and hate are both

Emotions that grow.

You are almost guaranteed

To reap more than you sow.



If you decide to hate,

All the hate you do

Will be multiplied

And returned to you.



But if you choose to love,

The love that you extend

Will be amplified

And returned to you again.





NO COMPARISON



There was a wreck

On the interstate.

Traffic was backed up;

Everyone would be late.



When it became apparent

We were going nowhere,

We got out of our cars

To get some fresh air.



To my left was a man

Who drove a new Lexus.

I looked at his tag;

He was from Texas.



He was ranting and raving;

At the mouth he foamed,

As he shouted obscenities

Into his car phone.



Being delayed

Had set him aback.

He smoked a cigarette,

Then opened a fresh pack.



On the side of the road,

Pushing a buggy,

Was a homeless man,

So shabby and grubby.



As he walked past my car

I asked "how ya doin'?"

He said "I got a chipped wheel

In need of some gluin',



But other than that

Things are just fine."

He smiled and walked on--

Sipping his wine.



I looked at the Lexus;

I looked at the cart;

And I pondered what it was

That set these men apart.



The bum drank his wine;

The Texan hacked a cough.

I wondered which

Was better off.

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