Thursday, August 13, 2009

Just Stay With Me

I've got to preface this with what inspired me to write it. A couple weeks ago I went to Lake Powell with a couple of my close friends and their family. One of the people I met there had her two kids with her, they were 5 and 6 years old.

We were having a fun time jumping off the back of the houseboat into the water. It was sooo funny watching the little 5 year old girl jump off the back, she would build up the courage, go to the edge, stand there for about thirty seconds, and finally take the plunge. Her little legs would start wiggling and then tremor right before she jumped. It may have been the cutest thing ever. Anyway, one time when she was either getting in the water or going on a jet ski ride, she looked back at her mom, and her mom was doing something like grabbing a towel or putting her sunglasses down or something like that. When the little girl looked back and saw her mom doing something else, she said "Momma you stay with me!!"

That phrase right there just triggered an entire story in my brain. I saw a little girl dependent on her mom, then I saw her growing and craving independence and desiring a distance from her mother, then I saw all the important events in her life and how her mom stayed with her the entire time. I even saw bad things that she would go through, and no matter what her mom stayed with her...even times when the girl didn't want her mom to stay. Finally I saw a point where her mom finally couldn't stay, and no matter what had happened in her life, that little girl so badly wanted her mom to stay with her.

So this goes out to all the moms, fathers, friends, and whoever that stay by our sides...even when it's hard....even when we don't want them to.

Here it is:


Hey baby boy we're goin to the store
"Mama you stay with me!"
I will son don't worry, you're not alone

Hello my little king, I'm gettin in the pool
"Mama you stay with me!"
Of course son, one day I won't be so cool

Oh young child time for you to go to school
"Mama you stay with me!"
I have to go son, but I'll stay just for a few

Little guy it's time to go practice T-ball
"Mama you stay with me!"
I won't be far son, if there's a problem just call

Young man let's go get your driver's permit
"Mama you stay with me!"
Son take this test alone, don't throw a fit.

Ryan your graduation starts in an hour
"Mama you'll be with me?"
Yes son, we'll be cheering from the crowd

Mom, I'm leaving for the university
"Son, just stay with me."
Can't Mom, gotta experience society

Mom guess what, I got a job in the city
"Son just stay with me."
Can't Mom, gotta go make a big salary

Mom, I have to visit the wife's family
"Son just stay with me"
Can't Mom, it's my turn in Monopoly

Hey baby boy, bad news -- Cancer, I'll be fine
"Mama just stay with me."
Sorry son, gotta go right now it's my time.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Blind Dream

I was all alone and didn't know what I could become
Truth is I didn't know what to want, living without sun
My biggest dream had me achieving the smallest success
I lived beyond myself things accumulated in excess

Do I make sense? Does anybody understand me at last?
My mistakes scare me, not as much as pieces that pass.
That's fine, I'll get over it, it helps to identify the weak
With such easily breakable pieces I will never reach any peak

Of the multiple mountains that appear in my uncommon path
On my way up a beaten trail, I absently wandered off
Uphill climb, out of place, something new, a Mountain Swamp
Enticing refreshment meets punishing mud, clogs the wheels
Experiences robbed, but superior provided, a unique feel

Rustling the periphery, you rushed in with a full head of steam
Pushing, pulling, fighting, and crying, immediately on my team
Hidden strength, disguised with such beauty I've never seen
Coaxed lightly by hand, now I'm bigger than my biggest dream

The future is ablaze finally, after a long, long...arduous while
New purpose inspires a climber, inspires me, mile upon mile
Until I reach the summit of this hypothetical mountain
You will be my strength, and my life-altering fountain

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The Forest

Another one that I wrote a long time ago...around September 2005


As the sun rises, the morning dew drips off the beautiful green leaves. The pine trees towered over us with clusters of pine cones around their trunks. The bronze-colored dried pine needles are what remains of the years before. They were lost as summer slipped into fall and they no longer clung to the branches. Now the forest floor is carpeted with these remnants from the past. The birds in their nests sing softly as we pass underneath them. The squirrels and chipmunks scurry about frantically searching for their precious acorns. The sweet melody of the bird's song combined with the rustling squirrels, and the rhythmic pulse of the insects provides an amazingly unique experience. Although so much is going on, one doesn't dare speak for fear of obstruction of nature's beauty. This environment provides all of the necessary elements for deep personal introspection where one can contemplate God, nature, and the majesty of life.

Life is Beautiful

Here's one that I wrote in 2006


My life is beautiful, I love it.
I want to live each day so I won't forget
what love, fun heartaches, and excitement exist.
As life proceeds each day must be filled with joy.
Experience upon experience has changed me to man from boy.
I marvel at God's creations, they give me hope.
I know that nothing exists that does not a God denote.
I want to live each day so I won't forget
that nothing should be left with any regret.
My life is beautiful, I love it.
I wish to not waste, but wear it out.
I will not sit quietly, I will stand and shout.
My voice will be heard, not as a whisper.
I will be outspoken, a constant fixture
of what is great on this earthly sphere.
In my young age it's become so clear
What I'm looking for, I've already found
No matter what happens, when I'm put in the ground
I want no mournings, contentions or strife
I want it proclaimed: The cause of Death:

LIFE!!!!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Old Friend

Withered and old yet still standing strong.
Limbs are knobby and fail to function in their natural way.
The old wise one.
Nobody compares to your glory.

I look and I wonder,
I think and I ponder.
What have you witnessed?
What have you endured?
Greater things than I, that's for sure.

The lines in your face and skin testify of your experiences.
Without departure you have lived through more than most.
Created by your ancestors, you came to a new world.
A constant struggle for survival, you beat the odds.
Those challenges allowed you to survive.

You became strong because of the hardships you lived through.
You placed your roots securely in unpleasant soil.
You knew we have to go down deep before we grow up.
From the very bottom we find strength
to reach the pinnacle of our potential.

Your growth began and immediately you were different.
Others teach us how to live and find success.
You chose your own path and achieved in ways
nobody believed existed.
Oh, your detractors never stopped mocking.
But you never listened.
How could you? You were too busy chasing dreams.

More like fulfilling dreams, not only yours.
The dreams of countless others, fulfilled because of you.
You set your own goals.
You accomplished them on your own terms too.
Without waiting on the world, you identified your needs.
You grasped them without restraint.

Nothing was ever given to you, you earned every inch.
Because your different you are feared.
You have been called ugly, scary, and weird.
Anybody that is around you knows different.
Your energy inspires hearts and minds to believe.
Believe in anything, believe in everything.

Those around you understand your beauty.
At least part of it. Nobody can comprehend it all.
Not even you...

You've lost some of your spring, actually you lost it all.
You don't bloom in season anymore, like you used to.
Yet, even without renewed energy you stand.
Tall. Proud. Handsome.

In the short time you have left, do a little more.
For me, for everyone, we need you.
Keep standing my friend.
I know you can see the storm on the horizon.
You've already begun to feel it's effects.
However, even the worst storms bring water.
And water brings life.

You've survived worse.
You will survive this, you will continue to endure.
The winds of change have tried to tear you down.
You are resilient, you stand strong against temptation.

Stand watch over the forest of your peers.
Watch over my house.
Look into the window of my life.
Allow me to draw my inspiration of life,
from the life that is in you.

Stand as an example.
You've always lived on your own terms.
Refuse to go down by those of others.
You will only die when you refuse to fight.

It does not matter if you are winning or not.
Only that you continue fighting.
What good comes from falling down?
Nothing, our only chance at success is to try.
Live on my friend, and never doubt yourself.
Your terms have brought you happiness,
and they are your terms.

You are not afraid, you are not scared, you are not tired,
You are you, and that's everything I've ever wanted.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Las Vegas

Walkin down the strip
the world feels exciting.
Women shake their hips
and are ever inviting.

This is the world's playground
any normal person would enjoy
Bells ring, constant sound
Most addictive vices employ

Why do I feel out of place
am I strange or weird?
So much sin in a single space
addiction and lust...feared.

Tryin to fit in, be normal
happiness becomes hidden
Inside knows this as abominable
realization comes all of a sudden.

I am not "normal" I am unique
fun is not free, sin brings a fee
These actions I must self-critique
Clearly, Vegas ain't the place for me.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Your Story

Who am I in your story?
Am I the bad guy or a hero?
Am I your everything or just a zero?
One you reject, the other you marry.

We're always the protagonist in our own worlds.
But on other planets we are simply minor.
Some roles are huge and others much finer.
We're actors men and women, boys and girls.

The possibilities are endless, we play different parts
Some fun, some boring, some happy, some sad
Some long, some short, others good, others bad
We can offer healing hugs or throw fiery darts

I've been the bad guy despite my best efforts
Circumstances require this from all actors
We play these parts because of many factors
Sometimes the bad guy is my last resort

Some actors are type cast, yet others expand
It's who you want to be that matters
Because of no control, we might leave one in tatters
Our chaotic chaos creates a plan

Improve your lot in life
Strive for some new parts
New experiences will give you heart
This plea is for all brother, sister, husband, wife

Never aim for the bad guy role
Never shy away from it either
Life gives parts simultaneous, there are no breathers
You will achieve the goal

So who am I in your story?
In my own I'm the good guy.
Yet, I do things and others ask Why?
Heavy loads I thought I could carry.

Ask yourselves who you are in another's story.
Do you play you or do you play another?
It's okay, nobody is never some other.
Who are you in my story?

Are we the same in each other's story?
If so that, for sure, is a true rarity.