Wishes

Occasion: This is one of those silly love poems from the heart of a love sick boy. I wrote it in 1985 and I have absolutely no idea which of my many crushes prompted it.

If I could have three wishes,
This is what they’d be,
First I’d be next to the shore,
With you walking next to me.
Next we would be in a far away place,
Where nobody else could find us,
Third we’d be living on Easy Street,
With our troubles and cares all behind us.

Well maybe Easy Street doesn’t exist,
And we’ll always have troubles to face,
And I kind of like having people around,
And this ain’t such a terrible place,
And just cause we live quite away from the shore,
Doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to see,
Cause no matter where or how near or how far,
I’d still like you walking with me.

That's When

Occasion: During Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri I wound up in the post hospital with blood poisoning. I wrote this poem from my hospital room on April 9, 1987 upon hearing of my oldest brothers separation from his wife.

When my troubles all surround me,
Like mountains on all sides,
When I wallow in the mire of despair,
When I cannot see the bottom,
Of the pit of discontent,
When it seems that life is harsh and so unfair.

When I have no where to turn to,
When my path has met its end,
When I can't go on and all my strength is drained,
When pain has racked my body,
When my mind is fading fast,
When everything within my life is strained.

That's when I turn to you oh Lord,
That's when you turn to me,
That's when I focus on your shining face,
That's when I know you're there dear God,
That's when I lean on you,
That's when I feel your sweet, amazing grace.

When your blessings all surround me,
Like mountains on all sides,
When I'm swimming in the sea of sweet relief,
When I cannot see the end,
Of the plains of perfect peace,
When my life is without sorrow, pain or grief.

When the road that leads to happiness,
Lies before me clear and true,
When I have the strength to go the extra mile,
When my body is alive and well,
When my mind's alert and strong,
When everything in life seems so worthwhile.

That's when I turn to you oh Lord,
That's when you turn to me,
That's when I focus on your shining face,
That's when I know you're there, dear God,
That's when I lean on you,
That's when I feel your sweet, amazing grace.

Untitled

Occasion: I wrote this during my first semester of Bible School in 1986. More than likely I was racked with guilt about something I thought I should feel guilty for that probably wasn't all that big a deal. Nevertheless, I like it for it's old fashioned hymn like quality.

Don’t let my heart be hardened,
Don’t let my soul be stone,
But compel me Lord to come to you,
And worship you alone.

Make my life like new, Oh Lord,
Please wash me white as snow,
So I can do what ere you want,
And go where ere you go.

Keep my life in constant check,
So I won’t stray from thee,
Open my ears so I can hear,
And my eyes so I can see.

Help me Lord, to see the pain,
Of others as they cry,
And show those people you’re the one,
Who makes our spirits fly.

We the People

Occasion: I wrote this after a Company meeting at the Presidio of San Francisco where everyone was complaining about a whole bunch of very insignificant issues. 1988.

We the people, full of pride,
Want life on the "gimme" side.
We've got it good from day to day,
And want things going our own way.

We the people of discontent,
Dissatisfied and impotent,
Care not what goes up or down,
As long as what we want is found.

We the people, the human race,
Want it at a quicker pace,
We'll climb the ladder and never stop,
And step on heads to reach the top.

We the people of intellect,
Live life without retrospect,
We look on others with disdain,
And see to live just to complain.

Who are we to cast a "no!”
When we are asked to rise and go?
When in the past the great would give,
Their blood so we could freely live.

What of those who went to fight,
Without complaining, "It's not right!"
And fought so hard to save our flag,
Yet came home in a plastic bag?

Forget about some silly thing,
And help the bell of freedom ring.
Preserve liberty lest she suffocates,
We the people of the United States.

Hand in Hand

Occasion: Of course, Tina, 1988, Presidio of San Francisco. I was really beginning to ponder the possibility that I might actually marry this person. Woman, thy name is "Vixen".

Part 1

I was walking by myself,
Down a moonlit, misty beach,
And it seemed like you were further,
Than the stars were out of reach.

So I stood there in the night,
With my eyes out on the sea,
Hands buried in my pockets,
With the fog surrounding me.

Then a thought came to my mind,
As I stood ‘tween sea and land,
That naught else could I want,
If I could only hold your hand.


Part 2

I was sitting in the sunlight,
With its warmth upon my face,
Just looking at the trees and grass,
And the beauty of that place.

And there you stood beside me,
With the sunshine on your hair,
While your azure eyes were blazing,
So I couldn’t help but stare.

Then a thought came to my mind,
That without you I can’t stand,
And my heart and spirit lept for joy,
When I felt you hold my hand.