Life’s Mirror
An illustration from page 30 of Mjallhvít (Snow White) an 1852 icelandic translation of the Grimm-version fairytale (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Life’s Mirror Is a Friend or Two
“You’re incompetent!” he screamed as he sat in his chair,
But, oh, how he wished that mirror wasn’t there.
He wanted to look regal perched on a throne,
But that was impossible when his friends were gone.
Tears splashed down his cheeks
As he stared up into the sky,
“How can my friends show respect
To such a fool as I?
Throughout my life there was much,
I wanted to say and do,
I wanted to be a good Samaritan,
I’d help someone, it didn’t matter who.
I thought I’d take trips to exotic places
But I chose to work instead,
By then I had a growing family,
and the children needed bread.
How can I prove I’m a cultured man?
I haven’t traveled very far,
All my knowledge is about small town folks,
I never claimed to be a star.
I thought I’d try to be an example
Of how a man should be,
But I’ve failed every time with even my best,
Because all you get is me.”
He had been confessing to a mirror,
That he’d failed every worldly task,
“What’s wrong?” I ventured through the open door,
Yet I had no need to ask,
The old man was surprised to see someone he knew,
I considered myself a friend,
“I’ve been listening for quite some time,
Your self pity needs to end.
You’ve raised five kids all alone,
You took that burden in stride,
I don’t know about the rest of your friends,
But I think of you with pride.
You coached several teams in summer leagues,
You taught some kids to drive,
You were there to greet strangers,
When they were anxious and newly arrived.
You helped families who lost their homes,
Or anyone out of luck,
Even when you were stretched real thin,
Somehow you found a few bucks.
You might think you did things wrong,
I think you did things right,
There’s a crowd gathering in the dark,
Could I welcome them in with the light?”
One single line came through the door
and seemed to stretch for miles.
Each person had something good to say,
and ended their comments with a smile.
“We wanted you to know we learned from you,
We always knew your love was wide.
All the love we have for you
We can no longer keep inside.”
The old man’s eyes grew large and dark,
He glanced around the hall,
“Thank you, my friends, for loving me,
For you know I love you all.”
He shook the hands of all and each,
It filled his heart with pride,
Then because he had been deeply touched,
He lowered his head and cried.
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“Not Quite Housebroke!”
Image via Wikipedia
I went to visit my country friends,
It’d been a while, you see,
They’d told me to drop on in,
They sure was glad to see me,
They hugged me several times,
Before anyone there spoke,
“Don’t mind our dog under the porch,
He ain’t quite housebroke,”
Conversation flowed easily,
And time flew by,
I thought it was about time,
To say my goodbyes,
“Why don’t you join us for supper?
Cornbread and beans and blackberry pie,
Poke Salad and green beans,
A little moonshine for you and I,”
Adult conversation they were hoping for,
They’d been so nice I couldn’t say no,
So I said I’d dine with them,
Then I’d have to go,
Little Bobbie threw food,
Finally my friend spoke,
“We’re learning him right,
He’s just not housebroke,”
After a few swigs of moonshine,
Our laughter grew loud,
The stories that were told,
Would’ve entertained any crowd,
I helped clean the kitchen,
The two little ones went off to bed,
They were still too young to stay awake,
They needed lots of rest instead,
My friends got to arguing,
And then she finally spoke,
“You’d best get out of here now,
Before something gets broke,”
Relationships are fragile and need time to grow,
Words have to be tender before they’re spoke,
Because anger can explode quickly,
If both are not housebroke.
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Bills, Bills, Bills
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He was
sitting at the bar,
His eyes
were full of tears,
He claimed he was a bit tipsy,
He’d had one
too many beers,
“Son, let me tell you a story,
About what
happened to me,
Sometimes life
just isn’t fun,
And I’ll bet
you’ll agree,
If you’ll buy me one more drink,
I’ll tell my
tale of woe,
I’ll tell
the truth, the awful truth,
Then I’ll
have to go,
A year ago I
was much like you,
I was
convinced I had it all,
I had a job
and was very smug,
That was
before my great fall,”
“I don’t
love you now,
That you’re
down and broke,”
I can still
hear her voice ringing,
With the
harsh words she spoke,
Then she
piled bills, bills, bills,
Upon the
countertop,
“You just don’t
earn enough money,
These bills
just have to stop,”
“Would she
still be hanging around,
To tell me I’m
worse than a louse,
If I told
her I was just laid off,
And soon I
would lose the house,
Because of
bills, bills, bills,
I needed a
brand new start,
Every penny
was simply gone,
And my life
was falling apart,
There was no
way to reassure her,
Without having
to continually lie,
No cash was
in my bank account,
My investments
had gone awry,
If I had
diamonds and lots of gold,
Reported to
be a girl’s best friend,
I’d spend
freely to buy love,
And keep up
with the prevailing trend,
Because I have
bills, bills, bills, bills,
There’s no
merriment in the house today,
My wife has
up and left me,
But the
debts are here to stay,
Credit
cards, checkbook, transactions online,
In
commercials all is done with a smile,
I know I can’t
take money with me,
But I’d like
to have some for awhile,
And bills,
bills, bills, and more bills,
Are raining
from the sky,
How can I
pay if I’ve nothing to give,
I’m worried
but I can’t even cry,
Be generous,
help the poor,
Everywhere I
turn it’s the same,
People I’ve
never met before,
Suddenly know
my name,
But bills,
bills, bills, bills,
I wish
someone really understood,
These bills
are driving me crazy,
I’d shred
them if I could,
A bundle of
bills are waiting,
They’re
coiled and ready to strike,
A cardboard
box will be my new home,
My next car
will be a bike,
And now
there are bills, bills, bills,
The postman
brings me more,
The creditors
are getting anxious,
They’re
beating on my door,
No job, ill
health, lots of stress,
Problems greet
me every day,
Friends
avoid me like the plague,
Only the
bills are here to stay,
Late bills,
silver bills, big bills,
No way can I
relax,
Percentage
rates are raised,
Now I can’t
pay my tax,
Easy money
and easy street,
Seemed like
a life for me,
But bills,
bills, bills, bills,
Keep me in
agony,”
He took a swig
and stumbled out,
Into the
dark of night,
I watched
him go as long as I could,
Until he was
out of sight,
I often think
of what he said,
About being
in agony,
As the bills
come in each month,
I wonder if
it could happen to me.
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Salt and Pepper
Image via Wikipedia
We were a team,
Rappin’ to each other,
We were real close,
Like he was my brother,
Each day we met up,
And wrote our poetry
down,
Cause that’s what
rappin’ is,
It makes the sweetest
sound,
Salt and Pepper were
our names,
Seemed to us they fit,
Close friends could always find,
The ways we could
benefit,
We were together at parties,
Next to each other at
school,
Combined we were
unbeatable,
Salt and Pepper together
were cool,
But Pepper went
searching,
At a party last night,
Looking for his special
girl,
Got into a real nasty
fight,
And when the shooting
started,
I should have been at
his side,
I could have taken his
bullets,
Or at least pulled him
inside,
Now there’s no Pepper,
And the Salt don’t
quit,
Until the score is
evened,
And I get to the end of
it,
What kind of hard life,
Is destined for me,
Without Pepper around,
Where will I be?
Things aren’t going
right,
On this side of town,
I’ll stay out of the
shadows,
I’ll stand my ground,
But who’ll be there,
At the next attack,
I have no friend,
To watch my back.
You Are
Image via Wikipedia
You are a
social butterfly,
With lots of
friends to fill your days,
As you flit
from flower to flower,
You could be
good for me,
Making my
heart glad,
Putting a
smile on my face,
You are a hopeful
romantic,
Waiting for
love to come your way,
Ready to be
kissed,
Afraid you’ll
be missed,
Your heart
is ripe for love,
You are a
modern Cinderella,
Looking for
magic to touch your life,
Searching for
a charming prince,
Looking for
a happy beginning,
Waiting for
that midnight clock,
To reveal
the truth,
You are a
private dancer,
Wanting to
please one man,
Playing the
role of seductress,
Drawing him
into your web,
Closing in quickly,
To secure
him with your sweetness,
You are a
connoisseur,
Sampling and
tasting,
Those that
come within reach,
But not
committing to one,
While you
wait for the special man,
Who will
stir your emotions,
You are a
modern woman,
Independent
and willing,
Ready to call
your own shots,
You could be
good for me,
What could I
do for you?
I could hold
you tight,
Each and
every night,
Help count
the stars above,
I could hold
your hand,
Be an answer
to your lonely nights,
Fill your
waiting arms,
Discover
your many charms,
And be there
for you,
You are so
many things to me,
And I like
you just the way,
You are.
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Changing the Future
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Changing the Future by Looking at the Past
This year the earth revealed its splendor,
I watched keenly and wrote with joy,
As each delicious moment appeared,
The pleasures were mine to enjoy,
Yet I knew everything in my path,
Was not deserved, whether good or bad,
Possessions and talents squandered,
The things I wanted or thought I had,
Slipped dancing before my eyes,
Laughs I’ve given and sorrows, too,
Started coming back, one at a time,
Returning as Capistrano’s swallows do,
Time elapsed quickly like sand in a glass,
Keeping me mindful of family and friends,
I invested in friendship and gave love away,
Stayed vulnerable, bending with the winds,
My yesterdays were counted and gone,
Once spent, no way to pull them back,
But each day was a bonus and not my last,
That’s why I am so very determined,
To change the future by looking at the past,
Each day I’ll do an unexpected good,
Because everybody is broken in some way,
I’ll reach out to those who feel misunderstood,
I’ll be encouraging, patient and gentle every day,
I’ll try to make this year even better,
For there is still so much to be done,
I’ll lead by example, helping with love,
Reaching out to the world, one by one.
Nobody
Although I am Nobody
I am a nobody,
I can go anywhere and not be mobbed or recognized,
Travel around the country, around the state, or even in town,
Talk to friends, big shots, or other nobodies,
I enjoy my measure of anonymity,
Yet I have talents not exercised,
Within me are golden treasures,
Stored and protected,
Spun out by centrifugal force,
Collected on the walls of my own chamber,
But thoughts and words only proclaim,
Possibly I could grab a measure of fame,
With a little luck and a lot of hard work,
Enjoy the glory, enjoy the luxury,
Yet along with the fame comes the pain,
The loneliness of being special, but not normal anymore,
Not always seeing the world without the world watching you,
The isolation while in a crowd,
The idea of not really knowing which are friends,
And which will run when the money is done,
Being mobbed, swarmed, roughed up,
Treated special, but always in danger of being,
Swindled, threatened, or stalked,
If I could have had fame, I would have balked,
A game of names and glitter and phoniness,
Although I am a nobody, I am more than some of the somebodies
Because I know who I am and where I’ve been,
Some of the somebodies might drown in the adulation of anybodies,
Or nobodies, while acting out what is real and what is not,
Just dancing to please the crowd of anybodies,
I think I won’t change, if it’s all the same to you.
