AUTUMNS MUSE

Gold and crimson green dollops of color
Earths dormant sienna grass will smother
Miles and heaps of tint not yet withered
Reflecting light off sun beams splintered


Limp and shouting shades of brilliance
Speaks aloud worlds elegant radiance
While its dwelling place awaits a slumber
As its children lie on ground of umber


Cradled and immersed as I fall abed
Lazily feeling its comfort spread
Its fragrance covers and soothes my soul
Reminiscing of dreams spent long ago


Yet again will life embark its change
As another season turns a page
A rest well earned creates once more
Fresh new leaves for next years floor

SURROUNDED

Surrounded we are by evil and lust
Our stomachs turn, we look on with disgust
Hardly believing what we see and hear
And yet the news shows it all so clear
Horrors and crime we should never see
Reporters drone on with seemingly glee
People seem numb as they look upon
The death and destruction that daily are on
Our eyes are glued, we can't look away
 At the latest murder on television today

When finally there's time to relax and recoup
To what do we find ourselves willing to stoop
The latest movie full of adventure and action
Seems always to be our minds attraction
So used to seeing hurt, chaos and trouble
To see something good almost bursts our bubble
We know who's the source of this wicked plan
It's Satan the devil who just knows that he can
He knows that we struggle to turn our eyes
Away from the filth, deception and lies
Always ready to cash in on our imperfection
He's waiting and watching to cause our deflection

So how do we fight this world we live in
Our God gave us the tools and armour to win
He talks to us daily in his own written word
His promises to us can be constantly heard
Please don't give up and turn away from me
Continue to endure is always his plea
I promise you happiness, goodness and love
Our God keeps telling from the heavens above
Don't let what you see start to affect your heart
Just listen to me if you want to be smart

Delight in living beyond wildest dreams
Will be ours to enjoy forever it seems
Then our eyes will see and our ears will hear
Only beauty and splendor with nothing to fear
No time for misery, grief or despair
Our lives safe and secure without a care
No need to worry that someone will harm
No need for a burglar or fire alarm
No guns and bombs and terrorist attack
No need for police now that peace is back
So until then we do what we can to survive
Taking precautions to help stay alive
Much problems and injustice we can be sure
But our God will help us these things to endure

DEATH TOOK YOU FROM ME

Passing time clutches my silent grief
Hangs heavy, wanting relief
Its vacant stare emptied of delight
Frozen damp lonesome dark night

Stinging nettles buried deep within
Its irritating presence a result of sin
You left us here to fend for ourselves
Leaving only your picture upon a shelf

No doubt or confusion as to where you are
Only trails of tears that have left a scar
Just a bottomless hole lives within my heart
I still can't believe we're so far apart

If only I could touch you and see your face
I'd hold you forever in close embrace
In winters cavern and frigid grave
You're locked, my love, but no longer a slave

Freed from this worlds unwholesome capture
Awaiting promise of future rapture
No cares to worry, no thoughts to think
You'll awaken again in merely a blink

The struggle to live has ended for you
Our creator will make your body all new
No hurt or distress will harm you again
No wait or wonder when it all will end

I'm thrilled to see you've won the fight
But since you've left there is no more light
A vacant space struggles to survive
I cannot comprehend you're no longer alive

Hurry time...........please pass me by
Exhaustion reigns as I mourn and sigh
Until then I will continue to weep
Awaiting our dear God's promise to keep

When, oh when, will I hear your voice?
How long will it be until I rejoice?
Your laughter still rings aloud in my ear
And a thousand memories I hold so dear

THE CHOICE

Fleeting is our life and filled with trouble or joy
But it's up to us what we choose to employ
If trouble's our choice we'll reap much sadness
And those we love are drawn into the madness


Ugliness and corruption exhales from our remains
An empty soul though alive stays the same
Never to glimpse the ecstacy we could have
Debauchery and wickedness we desire as our salve


Brief and momentary the pleasure may be
But the light in our life slowly oozes, you see
Althought we still breathe, we are already dead
Because we choose iniquity and danger instead


Breathe joyous light and the darkness will recede
And no badness or sorrow will our lives impede
Inhale the beauty and see what you possess
Never throw it away just because you feel stress


Our happiness forever is already a guarantee
So grab it and clutch it and don't set it free
This promise is for real from our God above
Life everlasting with those that you love

A CANDLE IN YOUR HANDS

A flickering candle still burns down low
Almost extinguished by loves treacherous foe
Walk with it gently, let the wind not blow
Still sputtering radiance with a soft red glow

Oh delicate candle that glimmered and shone
Now barely smoldering, standing alone
Nearly doused by a careless breath
Ready to blaze and battle with death

Fragile light fights the enemies harm
Spills it light, trusting loves charm
Beaming with power it spreads its glow
Loves light illuminates, again to bestow

Oh flickering candle that still burns down low
Show your authority and persist to glow
Your wick a lovely crimson ember stands
At the mercy of those fine loving hands

FOR MUSIC LOVERS ONLY

MELODY HAS DIED.....It took its last choking breath over a decade ago. This world killed it. It put up a valiant fight in its last days, but money, greed and fame squashed the life out of it, only to replace it with a caricature of something that once resembled music. Now a human doesn't have to be born with the creative gift to make beautiful melodies and change lives by it. A record producer now manufactures the creative process without the help of any gifted musicians.....almost. A female's only qualification is to be able to writhe, scantily clad on the floor, while an evil robotic machine called "auto-tune" sings for her. No worries about singing on pitch. A male only needs charisma and looks to excite pre-teen girls. There is no need for musical instruments. No need for talented breathing human musicians who genuinely play the piano, bass, guitar, trumpet, flute, violin, cello or percussion. That's been taken care of digitally also.....But it was the beat that delivered the final blow. It clubbed the melody to death with a dominant punch......just a rap here and a rap there and melody sung it's last cry before expiring. After the beating, there was nothing left of the musical corpse.....Nothing left except the beat and the contrived instruments. Gone was that sweet melody that was able to expose your heart's longing.....gone was the meoldy that incited to action......and gone was the melody which produced such yearning and desire, that after centuries, its tunes are still embedded in hearts and minds.....The stories and emotion behind real music, by real people, is lost forever and this world grieves.

WAITING

WAITING

Scattered dreams

Disperse in endless universe

Caught by stars

With cryptic glow

They hang suspended

Lingering

Hopeful

Wedged in eternity

Its unfurling grasp

Buoyant screams ascend

While expectation clutches

Timeless hope

Awaiting rebirth

Of love's radiant cloak

TEXAS SPRING, a Life after Loss

        Her experience in life had taught her one thing.....and that was not to trust anyone or anything that made her happy, so how in the world was she to stop this univited feeling of contentment creeping through her.
       Just a glance up at the azure blue sky brought a smile to her face. Her senses barely took in all the sights and smells of the most colorful spring she had ever witnessed in Texas. Bluebonnets so plump, she wanted to stop the car and jump out, lay in them and have them cover her up. Indian Paintbrush, Black-eyed Susans and Daisys all boasting of their individuality. "Look at me, look at me!" they all seemed to say. The smell of Mountain Laurel filled her senses and in the background a rooster crowed. She was overwhelmed as she looked up at that lovely sky and saw white and silver sun's rays sneaking through cotton clouds as they touched the fresh new growth of another season. She knew where all this beauty had come from and felt a gratitude so deep it brought her to her knees.
       Her reaction didn't surprise her. There was another rational explantion for her delight in feeling alive again....... It was her husband. She hadn't wanted to feel sentiment or the love of a man again. The very idea of starting all over after so much loss was a frightening risk, but the fact of the matter was.......he was the most precious gift she had been given in a long time.
       He had become her best friend, her companion, her teacher, her lover. His strong self-assured character had encouraged her to remember once again how enjoyable life could be. His calm relaxed presence allowed her the confidence to be herself. She could be whimsical, quirky, silly, creative and even stupid without condemnation. In short, he was the companion she had always longed for. This time she would treasure all the good moments. This time she wouldn't waste even a second on ridiculous issues. This time she let herself actually see a future.
       She could envision them sharing endless years together.......sitting on a porch swing with a light silky breeze blowing while hearing that familiar warble of a cardinal and coo of a mourning dove. She could imagine little children playing in the bluebonnets, then running up to throw their little arms around them. She could see this all so clearly. The sensation of sheer joy, once so foreign to her had become much more than a just a dream. It was real. She wanted to shout it out.
        "I'm alive.....I'm alive and I can feel life again and I have my husband to share it all with."
       With those thoughts in mind, she continued to absorb the brilliant Texas spring feeling free and satisfied for possibly the first time in her life.

JOB INTERVIEWS

There are few things more demeaning and humiliating than being interviewed by a stranger (sometimes several strangers) for a new job. Forget the fact that your whole world has changed by the loss of your former position. Get ready to park yourself in front of a computer and fill out endless pages of job applications, only to to blow the whole two hour process by downloading the wrong cover letter and resume with the incorrect position you are asking for. Your bills are all due, the house mortgage is late and someone without insurance just backed into your car.
 But wait.....there's hope. You get an e-mail from a company interested in your credentials and they want to schedule an interview.....not until next week though. The anxiety builds. Now life has to stick the knife in by forcing you to answer the silliest, most mundane questions on a job interview that's only the first of a series of interviews......Hope you make it through this one.
Much  has been written on the internet about how to interview, what to wear, how to speak, how to answer, your body language, your attitude, etc. All this is in preparation for some of the most useless and scripted questions you will ever be asked in your life.
And now there is a new group of people doing the asking....they are called Recruiters. They don't know anything about you except what's on paper or about the type of job you do......nor do they care.  They are just happy to have a job themselves.

Here are some of their favorite interview questions with the real answers :

Q.  What do you think you'll bring to the table if you are hired?

A.   A.....everything in my resume and cover letter. Did you read it?

Q.   Are you a team player?

A.   I generally prefer doing my own work without the lazy brown-nosers in the group getting any credit for what I busted my butt doing.

Q.   What was your worst job and how did you correct it?

A.   Cleaning the toilet when I was a kid.....I got corrected for not doing it right!!!!

Q.  How did you find out about this postion?

A.  Who cares......I can't remember.

Q.  What kind of salary are you looking for?

A.   The absolute most you'll give me.  My mortgage is 2 months late.

Q.   What are your weaknesses?

A.   If  I have any, I won't be sharing them with you.

Q.   What do you think your strengths are?

A.   They are too numerous to mention.....unless you have a couple of hours.

Q.   Why do you want this position?

A.   Duh!!  I need a job.