Another song about change

 Another song looking for music, or is is a poem?

When I was a kid I wanted to be Perry Mason,

Defend the innocent, trick the guilty into confessiing.

I'm not sure why he was my hero,

Maybe because he always won.

In high school I shifted my focus,

Billie Jean and Joan became my heroes.

They showed me another world,

and another person I could become.

I just heard another song about change

"Going through some changes", the guy sang

Who isn't, I thought,

If you don't change you become complacent

And will always wonder what you could have been.

Change seems to be my middle name,

every few years the job or place.

Except for the eighteen years raising kids,

even with our ups and downs, I got restless..

Some lament that change wasn't what they wanted 

Others celebrate how they've grown

Some play the guitar and sing a song about change

I listen, wondering when it will be my turn.

I've been called a gypsy, been called a quitter,

Been called more names than I can remember.

So here's to another song about change,

About dreams chased and caught,

About hopes dashed, new opportunities rising,

About change, my lifetime constant.

It's a good day for love

I don't know if this is a poem or a song. As of now I can feel the rhythm of a song but no clue as to what kind of melody or music. All I know is, I''m enjoying the day.

Sunny day, looking out the bakery window,

Kid with frosting on his mouth, crumbs on his shirt.

Parents hug each other,

It's a good day for love.

Jack of diamonds, Jack of diamonds

The cuckoo she's a pretty bird, She warbles as she flies

I know you rider, you're gonna miss me when you're gone.

Bluegrass band playing for tips.

Deep blue sky, bright sun, a little breeze coming from the west,

Yellow and orange leaves in trees and on the ground

Couples out walking,

It's a good day for love.

I used to deny I wanted to die

The day you said we're through

But it's wonderful now, I don't hurt anymore.

Bluegrass songs tell a truth.

It's a good day for love

even if you're single.

It's a good day for love

even if you're grieving.

It's a little reminder

of the joy of living.

It's a good day for love, today.

 

Perfect Storm

 I saw a headline about a politician being the embodiment of a perfect storm. I took the phrase and turned it into a romantic kind of thing. I'm toying with changing it to first person. Not sure it will flow as well. And, oh yeah, I need to come up with the music.

She's the embodiment of a perfect storm

caused by a deluge of factors.

Things could wind up very bad, or if you're lucky very good.

Depends on how the wind is blowing.

One minute you're bracing for the worst,

The next you're hoping for the best

There's gonna be a monumental outcome,

You just hope when it happens you'll be ready.

  She's so unpredictable,

  But then again she isn't

  Just like you, hoping it will work out,

  But figuring it probably won't.

Investing time and emotion,

Waiting for an explosion.

Will the sparks build into a fire

That heats you up or burns you down?

Pessimistic, been hurt every other time,

It's hard to commit, hard to hold on.

After it ends,It's hard to move on, 

It's hard when it's familiar and unknown.

  She's so unpredictable,

  But then again she isn't

  Just like you, hoping it will work out,

  But figuring it probably won't.

You hope you'll know when to end it.

Before the potential to hurt gets too big,

You hope you'll recover quickly,

No matter who pulls the plug.

  She's so unpredictable,

  But then again she isn't

  Just like you, hoping it will work out,

  But figuring it probably won't.

Trading hope for logic,

Thinking this might be it,

So you go ahead

and gamble your heart again.

Don't worry so much?

I had time to listen to a few news shows today. One of them featured several 20-29 year olds.

On the news a twenty-something said,

There's so much to worry about,

  climate change,

  being able to afford rent and groceries,

  micro plastics,

  the world we live in,

  the world I'll leave for my children and grandchildren.

We're being told to vote our values,

  and that's what I plan to do."

Values.

I worry about

  what those values are.

I know mine,

  and based on what I hear and see,

  some people's values are not based on 

  anything I've been taught about religion,

  ethics, compassion,

  and the difference between right and wrong.

Like that twenty-something,

I worry about a lot of things, too.

And like her, 

I worry because I live in 

  a world

  that rewards division and name calling

  and discourages compromise, civil conversation, and ethics.

I've been told that

  worrying can wear you down.

I feel the weight of worry,

But instead of wearing me down,

it's making me stronger.

I've been told that

  worrying won't change anything,

I humbly disagree.

My worrying has motivated me 

  to get more involved

  in little things 

  that are part of a bigger picture.

Maybe if enough of us followed our worrying,

  we could make a positive difference

  with our words and actions.

There's so much to worry about

  these days.

Quality of life,

The future of life.

Worth worrying about.

Values, talk, action.

 

I didn't visit my mom

Watching Jeopardy with my dad and thinking about my mom. I usually visit her when I'm in town. I decided not to this time. Feeling a little guilty, but I'll be okay.

I didn't visit my mom on this trip,

I feel a little guilty about that,

but I shouldn't.

I can talk to her any time I want to

without having to drive to the graveyard

and kneel in the damp grass

at her gravestone.

I visit with her when I feel the need

to hear her voice.

Sometimes she reaches out to me

when I don't expect it.

So, no, brothers,

I didn't sit by her stone

on this trip.

Instead I sat nearby while her husband 

ate, watched tv, and napped.

I walked in the crisp fall weather

and visited with her

in my head

and heart.

I hope she understood.

She was all about family

so she would want me to

be with the living.

I think.

So far, she hasn't complained.

Wait a minute,

I think she's calling to me.

Ah, she says it's okay.

She'd rather I spend time with Dad

and get outside for fresh air,

staying inside isn't healthy for me,

but be sure I don't overdo it.

Yeah, I didn't go to her grave

but we still talked.

Love you, mom.

See you later.

 

The Last Time I

 I started this one as a song. I might be able to set it to music if I do some serious editing. Stay tuned.

The last time I saw you,

we barely talked.

You had somewhere you had to go,

I had somewhere else I wanted to be.

The last time I laughed

was yesterday.

I laugh a lot these days,

smiling comes easy now.

The last time I sang our song,

my voice was strong.

I can sing it without

wanting the words to be true.

The last time I had to explain 

or defend my actions

was so long ago

that it no longer matters.

The last time I said I love you

and didn't mean it

is no longer a memory.

I've forgotten the when, where, and why

The last time I,

I could go on and on,

but I don't need to

do that anymore.

I talk, laugh, sing, live

as loudly as I want to.

I dance with or without a partner,

when I want to.

The laugh lines on my face have grown

and I love that they are always there.

I don't play the last time game anymore,

instead, I focus on firsts and well earned encores.

 

AND HERE'S THE SONG, LAST TIMES.

 

 

Snowing in October

I was hoping to write a song but it came out like a poem.

Snowing in October,

is a trick not a treat! 

Just a dusting but

too early for me!

This morning I woke up to see

a dusting of snow in the shade,

wet like dew in the sun.

Orange, red, and yellow leaves

still waiting in the trees 

to join their friends on the ground.

The cooling summer wind has gone,

Replaced by a cold wind

that bites rather than refreshes.

I pull my fleece tighter,

wonder why I didn't think

to wear a hat.

Snowing in October,

is a trick not a treat! 

Just a dusting but

too early for me!

Midwest near a great lake,

The clouds linger,

drop rain, sleet, snow.

The clouds don't have a calendar.

They don't know it's too early

to think about winter.

 

 

Lost Words and Conversations

Lost Words and conversations

He doesn't say much on the phone,

Didn't say much when I lived at home.

Didn't use many words but when he did

I knew I should listen,

  but I was stubborn,

  so I didn't.

Now I think,

I should have listened better,

I should have noticed more than the lack of words,

I should have tried harder to understand,

I should have told him that when he didn't say enough,

  It hurt,

I should have admitted that I wasn't sure

  what I needed him to say,

  I just needed more than what he gave.

Now we sit in companionable silence.

There's something sweet

  about being in the same room,

And not feeling the need to clutter our space

  with words,

Spoken or not.