Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Portraits On The Wall

Worriless people appear walking though museums,
Their souls the artifacts of their ancestors,
While the poor man's dust broken faces decay,
They are blown like wind scattered through time

They are portraits on the wall,
Some are shadows on the pavement,
But you can't look away,
You can't look away,
Some hang in museums,
Others forgotten in memory,
But you can't look away,
You can't look away

As you walk through the galleries before you,
You see faces becoming void of expression,
You can only think to pity their lives,
As they stare out into their helpless eternity

They are portraits on the wall,
Some are shadows on the pavement,
But you can't look away,
You can't look away
Some hang in museums,
Others forgotten in memory,
But you can't look away,
You can't look away

Echoing graffiti exhibits against debris,
Portraits locked up at night curled into frames,
Face down from the goddesses posing before them,
Nobody can see their blood splattered on walls

They are portraits on the wall,
Some are shadows on the pavement,
But you can't look away,
You can't look away,
Some hang in museums,
Others forgotten in memory,
But you can't look away,
You can't look away

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Breaking News: U.S. Funds Being Secretly Funneled To Violent Al Qaeda-Linked Groups

Hersh: U.S. Funds Being Secretly Funneled To Violent Al Qaeda-Linked Groups

New Yorker columnist Sy Hersh says the “single most explosive” element of his latest article involves an effort by the Bush administration to stem the growth of Shiite influence in the Middle East (specifically the Iranian government and Hezbollah in Lebanon) by funding violent Sunni groups.
Hersh says the U.S. has been “pumping money, a great deal of money, without congressional authority, without any congressional oversight” for covert operations in the Middle East where it wants to “stop the Shiite spread or the Shiite influence.” Hersh says these funds have ended up in the hands of “three Sunni jihadist groups” who are “connected to al Qaeda” but “want to take on Hezbollah.”
Hersh summed up his scoop in stark terms: “We are simply in a situation where this president is really taking his notion of executive privilege to the absolute limit here, running covert operations, using money that was not authorized by Congress, supporting groups indirectly that are involved with the same people that did 9/11.”
Hersh added, “All of this should be investigated by Congress, by the way, and I trust it will be. In my talking to membership — members there, they are very upset that they know nothing about this. And they have great many suspicions.”

Transcript:
BLITZER: Near the end of your article, you have this explosive point in there about John Negroponte, who is now going to be the deputy secretary of state, as opposed to the head of U.S. intelligence.
You write this: “I was subsequently told by the two government consultants and the former senior intelligence officials that the echoes of Iran-Contra were a factor in Negroponte’s decision to resign from the National Intelligence directorship and accept the position of deputy secretary of state.”
Explain what you were hearing, because that is obviously a very explosive charge.
HERSH: Yes. It is probably the single most explosive, if you will, or depressing — or distressing sort of thing I discovered in the last few months, which is simply this. This administration has made a policy change, a decision that they are going to put all of the pressure they can on the Shiites, that is the Shiite regime in Iran, the Shiite — and they are also doing everything they can to stop Hezbollah — which is Shiite, the Hezbollah organization from getting any control or any more of a political foothold in Lebanon.
So they essentially, I quote the — I saw Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, and he described it this way, as “fitna (ph),” the Arab word for “civil war.” As far as he is concerned, we are interested in recreating what is happening in Iraq in Lebanon, that is Sunni versus Shia. And in looking into that story, and I saw him in December, I found this. That we have been pumping money, a great deal of money, without congressional authority, without any congressional oversight, Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia is putting up some of this money, for covert operations in many areas of the Middle East where we think that the — we want to stop the Shiite spread or the Shiite influence.
They call it the “Shiite Crescent.” And a lot of this money, and I can’t tell you with absolute certainty how — exactly when and how, but this money has gotten into the hands — among other places, in Lebanon, into the hands of three — at least three jihadist groups. There are three Sunni jihadist groups whose main claim to fame inside Lebanon right now is that they are very tough. These are people connected to al Qaeda who want to take on Hezbollah. So this government, at the minimum, we may not directly be funneling money to them, but we certainly know that these groups exist.
My government, which arrests al Qaeda every place it can find them and send — some of them are n Guantanamo and other places, is sitting back while the Lebanese government we support, the government of Prime Minister Siniora, is providing arms and sustenance to three jihadist groups whose sole function, seems to me and to the people that talk to me in our government, to be there in case there is a real shoot-’em-up with Hezbollah and we really get into some sort of serious major conflict between the Sunni government and Hezbollah, which is largely Shia, who are basically — or as you know, there is a coalition headed by Hezbollah that is challenging the government right now, demonstrations, sit-ins.
There has been some violence. So America, my country, without telling Congress, using funds not appropriated, I don’t know where, by my sources believe much of the money obviously came from Iraq where there is all kinds of piles of loose money, pools of cash that could be used for covert operations.
All of this should be investigated by Congress, by the way, and I trust it will be. In my talking to membership — members there, they are very upset that they know nothing about this. And they have great many suspicions.
We are simply in a situation where this president is really taking his notion of executive privilege to the absolute limit here, running covert operations, using money that was not authorized by Congress, supporting groups indirectly that are involved with the same people that did 9/11, and we should be arresting these people rather than looking the other way…
BLITZER: And your bottom line, Sy…
HERSH: … and could lead to a real mess…
BLITZER: Your bottom line is that Negroponte was aware of this, obviously, and he wanted to distance himself from it? That is why he decided to give up that position and take the number two job at the State Department?
HERSH: He — that is one of the reasons, I was told. Negroponte also was not in tune with Cheney. There was a lot of complaints about him because he was seen as much of a stickler, too ethical for some of the operations the Pentagon wants to run.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Seeds

We won't grow over a hill of weeds,
But I ain't gonna quit my tryin',
I don't know of any seeds anymore,
They are sprouted or they're dyin'

We awoke before the sun can say,
Its hidding underneith and covered,
Oh, night's moon will enspire us with song,
Until the sun's light is recovered

You can take from me this chaffy gold,
And can purchase where I am standin',
But I will be sure I plant revered seeds,
Into the ground for their expandin'

Listen you all to the raven bird,
It knows to not conceal the brightened,
It will conquer the thieves of the light,
And give hope those who are frightened

You may take with you this sturdy cane,
Faithful to me and my walkin',
They are hoping to bury us today,
And never let roots grow to stalkin'

Democracy Won't Die

I remember a day when freedom,
Was a concept that was held dear,
Now it has become only a word,
To provoke division, hate and fear,
But I know that you among us,
Cannot stand what has taken place,
The rape of the flag for profits,
And a nation mourning in disgrace,
Now could I ask you kindly,
To refrain from feeling sad,
I know that dreams were crushed,
But the sun will lift what we had,
Fight for freedom fellow drifters,
There is more work to be done,
We'll march on the road to freedom,
And we'll head to the rising sun

And democracy won't die before me,
The future will walk along side us,
What do you believe in, my country?
We'll march back onto that freedom bus,
And justice will belong to all of us

Some weep for my beloved country,
Not me and not in my name,
Come and praise the rainbows,
Don't march to the flooding rains,
I can see their hands a’ reaching,
Above the waters for a limb,
They will drown in their own hatred,
And they will never reach Him,
My heart can never turn away,
As I reach down in the streams,
And rescue those being dragged down,
By stones disguised as God's dreams,
It's not too late to stand up,
And breathe air that gives you voice,
Stand up for the world in peace,
And we shall all sing and rejoice

And democracy won't die before me,
The future will walk along side us,
What do you believe in, my country?
We'll march back onto that freedom bus,
And justice will belong to all of us

I stand aside the hopeful souls,
Staring towards a clear blue sky,
Behind us charge the flooding rains,
We can't just stare and wonder why,
Lift the sun over these mountains,
You will feel the strength within,
The cold shadows can be lifted,
If we join together we will win,
I feel our unity today,
They can't turn us away,
We will march toward justice,
And reach the promised land someday,
We will stand behind this family,
Of this world and it's human race,
And they cannot turn us away,
Our hearts will not abandon this sacred place

And democracy won't die before me,
The future will walk along side us,
What do you believe in, my country?
We'll march back onto that freedom bus,
And justice will belong to all of us

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Love Has Passed You By

I occupied my time,
With what could fit in a dream,
The words to say, won't go away,
Love is never what it seems,
Love had left,
Though I never gave a sigh,
No regrets, never forget,
When love has passed you by

But now I know,
That love is not a losing game,
I miss you and could kiss you,
Things just aren't the same,
I still can't see,
Another lonesome day pass by,
Sharing tears, nothing left here,
When love has passed you by

As time went by,
Every dream hid in the clouds,
As if the Gods of love,
Will never again shoot them down,
Enter Iracrus,
From behind the curtain flies,
Dreamed nights and sunlit flights,
When love has passed you by

I now realize,
That just the time was wrong,
This is where I gave my prayer,
And feel like I belong,
But I can't go there,
The flames touching the sky,
No escaping from the fall,
When love has passed you by

If you believe,
In the day after the sunrise,
Love found you and has bound you,
So as not to fall from the skies,
Hold on tightly,
Me to you and you to I,
Time has passed, We're here at last,
After love had passed us by

The Knight Dubbed Don Quixote

Where corn stalks grow golden, beneath the forenoon setting sun,
The burying winds with shovel soldiers, The windmills slowly spun,
A lone knight upon his noble steed, Rising up from shadowed hills,
He was a Johnny Appleseed, Planting sunbeams to be tiled,
While people bellowed angry words, Love grew behind his steps,
Blazed on every trail taken, Rosinante never slept,
The endless dark clouds lifted, Ruptured by one brave saint,
Who on the dried out Spanish pastures, The fairytales he would paint,
Swept out of the cupboards, Were unspun compassed dreams,
Which escaped all their boundaries, From sinking tar pit streams,
He knew a better day was soon to come, As he knew of everyday,
He could shape it like a mountain, or let it slip away,
And in a moment’s notice, Don had broken roads to pave,
Sancho broke out from his confinement, He knew he had a world to save,
If not on billboards or in government, then where do true heroes lie?
They are the ones attempting to do good by saving lives,
That was all he tried to do, It’s all a knight could ever be,
The story of Sancho Panza, and the knight dubbed Don Quixote

A wagon stranded in an alley way, with wheels as the trash can’s lids,
And all the things inside the bag, Were never meant to be thrown in,
Wheels pierced by spears of war, Lancing stabbing to get freed,
Then Quixote said to Sancho, this is what our purpose must be,
We must free those who are ailing, Free any soul in distress,
The days ahead will look brighter, he said, with wars laid to rest,
Burdens held in the heroes lances, All the outlets in his hands,
His shield held on his bold heart, Which he used to protect lands,
With straw homes built around him, The knight sat on his saddle,
The wolf winds made unwavering sounds, The start of bloodshed battles,
The stars in the sky above, Drip down to aid in the fight,
They shine in the tears of victims, Who stare at missiles in their flight,
Better start running to the cellar, and escape through the descent,
As soon as Don took a step outside, The land around him had been spent,
Sliding down the new shaped valley, With Sancho by his side,
Don’s helmet of gold fell to the earth, And was stolen by a tide,
The waves ascended the two knights, Like headlights to a deer,
And a sling shot gave to Goliath, Was by warlord heathens revered

Don Quixote has overthrown them, It is not a dream anymore,
There were once iron parachutes, Pilling up before the ruler’s door,
The door through strong has broken, Fallen pieces in each hand,
What Don Quixote saw as a prison, Against love could not withstand,
All the locks all disappeared, They were all the world had seen,
But in the eyes of Don Quixote, Were slaves and death now seen,
So many people had been lost, In the greed of gold medallions,
More should hold dear the stately dreams, Of Quixote on his stallion,
All this time we’ve spent in a dungeon, Waiting for knights to set us free,
But all you need, says Sancho, Are the eyes of Don Quixote,
It is not up to Don Quixote, To cast you from your fears,
But you see deaths caused by windmills, Trying to blow away your tears,
Walls that flames have burned down, Now sweet flowers are afoot,
Ragging are the pastured winds, That blow away the blackened soot,
For so long a time, A fog can keep its hold,
But Sancho looks at all he had passed, Leaving behind the hidden roads,
If you are stuck on cobweb wheels, On a ship about to drown,
The shipmates stared from the crow’s nest, As Sancho lost his flightless down

The Love She Met Before

Love came in the autumn’s late, The rivers lay in a dormant state,
The winter winds will not wait, They will drag us both apart,
Last winter found her another heart, Leaving me to delay my start,
Snowflakes puncture like a gash, It is the repletion of the past,
I love her, not love slashed, And her far eyes make love seem so vast

Now I see no Spring ahead, But I feel her heart and I'll be led,
But under leaves falling like lead, Stealing grip like thieves,
I pray that I will believe, That my love has not meant to leave,
I carved an angel in the frost, Remembering the wings I've lost,
For she saved me from the first, Been trapped there since my birth

To be a blossom that waits to bloom, Walking in the loveless tombs,
They want to bury me behind, But I will live with thoughts of when,
It damages my soul within, I repeat that I cannot let her know,
She is like the gentle snow, Falling right into a warming glow,
For her heart I will wait, Behind closing heaven's gates

The sun holds out flower fields, Out before me so I can't yield,
I never hid behind a shield, But now her love seems so sealed,
I found her in eternal Spring, From harsh branches winters clings,
From her hands the winter brings, A touch that makes the birds sing,
My life follows anchor rings, And loss keeps a puppet on a string

Through the snow I see no feet, My tracks covered by love I meet,
She has had a love to greet, I can only walk on empty streets,
Since fierce winds of winter clung, Against hopes of love so young,
Above me clouds are strung, Constellations sewing drowning ships,
Sinking into cloud's lost grips, Just like a loved heart slips

Nothing More Than This

You will live your life,
Like a piece of falling glass,
Dropping like the flower buds,
After the coldest winters pass,
You percieved your kingdoms,
They came from all your splenders,
But if you see your sword in hand,
Those massacres you would remember,
You can be so mistaken,
When you can admire all your dreams,
If I could cut in skin like you,
I would fall into their screams,
I would itch like fire blazes,
And be crying down like rain,
But all your countless murders,
Never seem to bring you pain

Once you climb over mountains,
You see the longest roads,
But you never see the land mines,
That are preparing to explode,
You then send away your army,
Charging strait ahead,
Though you're not convinced of murder,
When you walk over the dead,
If all else fails but you,
Then what crimes have you done?
To win your admiration,
Of all the other ones?
If you went in the wrong direction,
There was nobody to point you there,
Once they see you tailing,
Allow them all to stop and stare

Step into the burning tar,
And then find the other shore,
you have launched those skipping stones,
That can't leap up anymore,
A bird has this strange confusion,
What should it do to fly?
You become the clouds of any rain,
And then cover up the sky,
And like a dandoline ocean,
Neptune lifts the ocean winds,
You can blow all of these kisses,
Right into your harmful sins,
With your fairy tale envy,
Of the sword out of the stone,
At the end of every lethal swing,
You will find that you're alone

I'll never lift this sinking heart,
Some things can not come true,
You would be the ocean,
If the same happened to you,
Walk to the stage across the plank,
Where you hold on for your skin,
Which never seems to contiplate,
All the sins that are within,
And some people will not mention,
That others fall by name,
While you rise up like a queen,
And it's a crying shame,
That you can't assist them up again,
You give them the gallow's glee,
And you turn your head away from them,
Which you will never see

Stone's Throw

So many dreams,
So many days awoken,
My life was shattered,
My heart became broken,
A didn't know,
If I could travel on,
My feeble feet,
Against the barren dawn

A heart abandoned,
Not a heart of stone,
Left unregarded,
To face the world alone,
Watch what you hold,
On your fingertips,
Affection for you,
Just might slip

A flightless bird,
Cannot make it higher,
Overlooking fruitless love,
From a growing fire,
A flight against gravity,
That's how it seemed,
I'm just a stones throw,
From a dream

Not Like You At All

It’s not like you at all,
To assume that you have failed,
To beat yourself up along the trail,
Thinking you took the wrong road there,
You can hear the vultures call,
Over the wasteland where you crawl,
But that’s not like you at all

It’s not like you at all,
To refuse to live a day,
And to let one slip away,
Before it ever reaches you,
You no longer stand up tall,
You hide and feel so small,
But that’s not like you at all

It's not like you at all,
To hold down your two feet,
To be poised for your retreat,
At the start of the new day,
You may fear a coming squall,
While pressed up against the wall,
But that's not like you at all

You can’t see through the night,
There appears no hope in sight,
You are scared of what the day may bring,
But you will surmount it all,
Just remember you can’t fall,
Just remember you can’t fall

Breaking Up

Your voice is beginning to break up out here,
Sand storms brush over harsh desert terrain,
Looking back once more as my car expels smoke,
A water-color mirage that slowly stains,
I can only feel this suitcase in my hands,
Able to salvage the few things that remain,
I looked out to the storm clouded horizon,
Where phone lines stretch out as far as trains

There are no roots in this rocks and gravel,
Blood from the crash drips down my skin,
Hobbling along with broken glass like mirrors,
Reflecting the pain that for so long hurt within,
But the tortoise shell is only scared, not broken,
He is a fighter and will survive what comes,
It has crossed endless roads after the dust bowl,
A sacrificial walk that would be too much for some

Flat tires like footsteps on the side of the road,
Steps taken but not deep enough to brace,
An impact felt in hearts outstretched for miles,
Leaving this burned out wasteland without a trace,
Road kill sizzles as sweat drips from my skin,
Dust strikes me like being buried in the ground,
I'm losing touch with you and all that you say,
The winds have replaced static as the only sound

Kokopelli

Like swarming locusts, we devour the earth,
Pollution covers mountains of human birth,
New customs stole great histories away,
Nothing learned from the Hopi ways,
And the seeds on Kokopelli’s back,
Have been exchanged for wads of cash,
Now we all have Kokopelli to buy,
But the rains have stopped and the soil's dry

From proud cultures the greedy loot,
Dust storms rise from the hunchback’s flute,
The value held in this sacred land,
Is worth more than the money crumpled in your hands,
Their water is stolen and Hopi can’t grow corn,
It is as if a people had never been born,
You who don’t have to face these droughts,
Will spend all you have until nothing sprouts

Can’t till the soils from which you once fed,
When you’re drilling for oil and mining for lead,
And with Kokopelli stuck on your store shelves,
He becomes only a shell of his former self,
Manufactured in China through American eyes,
The sun is setting over the life-giving sky,
A tourist icon has been trapped on display,
Watching the world around him wither away

Nothing To Feel

Nobody can see,
The kindness within,
Her heart is alone,
And pays for their sins,
Wherever she goes,
Inside she weeps,
It is only a dream,
That she gently sleeps,
She holds back,
Trapped in silent prayer,
He's at the healm,
Both bound to die there,
Guess it becomes true,
That love isn't real,
Just an empty space,
With nothing to feel

The wind died down,
The rain would stop,
All in the hopes,
Of what was not,
Drops of silence,
Pound against her face,
Her eyes wide open,
Not going anyplace,
Sounds that crumbled,
Are being stepped upon,
But she won't notice,
Until it is all gone,
Nowhere else to go,
Is there more to say?
Either love what you will,
Or love what you may

Ballad of A Tin Man

Eden melts like statued Oz,
The horizon sunset is gold road,
Four travelers on a setting wagon,
It's wheels ready to corrode,
Upon the path where bare feet tred,
Lie cupid's broken arrows,
I watched as the cowardly immortal lion,
Disfigured the sure-minded scarecrow,
Tin man walked through sun lit fields,
It didn't matter where he rode,
The Lion escorted Dorothy out,
And heaved himself into a moat,
Packing an oil can with him,
Knowing that it could not float,
The sea then engulfed the tin man,
And he sank like a foothold boat

The two marched on horizon gold,
Upon a road that never bent,
The map they used to travel with,
Made their sturdy, stable tent,
Footprints lodged inside the hills,
They must all dream alone,
All the dreams they once held dear,
Shattered like straw bones,
Behind an old run down coffee house,
In a garden that is never seen,
The tin man picked his paint brush up,
And depicted untold dreams,
The lion painted a box over them,
With all the dreams secured inside,
And while Dorothy pondered its meaning,
The two ran inside the box to hide

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Unwound

When they have let go,
And all around you is unwound,
You will feel within you,
That your heart is still bound

But they cannot rend you,
Or leave you there alone,
Progressing with the ripples,
Formed by a fallen throne,
Letting go of the fire,
They once thought as stone,
With your growing desire,
They dare not have flown,
You are not a child,
Abandoned in the reeds,
They were all seprants,
Trapping you in misdeeds,
Now that you are older,
Outgrowing is your task,
You are a beaming angel,
That lay upon the grass

When they have let go,
And all around you is unwound,
You will feel within you,
That your heart is still bound

Though you see your world,
Fall apart before your eyes,
Preventing you from dreaming,
Are storm clouds in the skies,
Painted like portraits,
Of the tears in your eyes,
Staining desolate roads,
Embarked from long goodbyes,
But you'll reach your dreams,
You've longed for for years,
While trapped in a dungeon,
Thinking all's disappeared,
Shut hearts like flowers,
Will bloom with the sun,
Holding our hands tightly,
As our worlds come undone

When they have let go,
And all around you is unwound,
You will feel within you,
That your heart is still bound

Mama, They Killed Me

They killed me mama,
They have killed my family,
They told me it was fine,
Working in their fields and factories,
But they had lied to my eyes,
Poisoned from my skin to bones,
My friends were by mu side,
But now I’m crying all alone,
They killed me mama,
Their chemicals replaced my blood,
On the factory floor I labored,
And in the fields of toxic mud,
They knew of all the dangers,
That they were feeding me,
I’m dying ma’, I’m dying ma’,
And, mama, they killed me

They killed me, mama,
Our children become lab rats,
Stretch the soils to their limits,
Covered in their chemicals vats,
They just told me to do my work,
And that I belonged to the company,
They told me not to worry,
And that it didn’t concern me,
They killed me, mama,
I know I was not raised this way,
Still the poisoners insist,
They will bring us better days,
But I can see our lives are broken,
From sea to shining sea,
I’m dying ma’, I’m dying ma’,
And, mama, they killed me

Land Under Heaven

Leaving is not gone,
Staying is not here,
You may still see your crying face,
After you wash away your tears,
Nothing left is here,
Nothing here is gone,
So take your crutch and heal soon,
You have firm land to travel on

Take all of these rainstorms,
Their shadows turn to sun,
You will walk upon their beams,
Until falling can't be done

It is a land under heaven,
For an angel without wings,
Dark clouds may conceal you,
Just forget about those things,
Move forwards and not backwards,
For your back's weighed down by tears,
But the roads ahead are dry and vast,
Just fly right up and peer

You Will Make It Through

The knight on his stallion,
Turned out to hold a shield,
He hid all his lies from you,
While his heart was cold as steel,
Icarus charged towards the sun,
Tried to stab your day to night,
But his anchor fell from you,
As you dawned on him in flight

And you will make it through,
Oh, You will make it through,
Through the gates of heaven,
And all they'll lead you to

When leaves fall from trees,
Like shooting stars disappear,
And the snow is your blanket,
And you feel like no one's near,
Make it past the frozen rivers,
Walk on their cobble stones,
The fallen castle, just a wall,
Built to keep you there alone

But you will make it through,
Oh, You will make it through,
Through the gates of heaven,
And all they'll lead you to

The sky rushes away from you,
Dreams he promised in clouds,
But he crowns heads with halos,
After wrapping eyes in shrouds,
Outside hearts, words are weeds,
But inside grow the roots of love,
With meadows lost to deserts,
You like rain, fall from above

But you will make it through,
Oh, you will make it through,
Through the gates of heaven,
And all they'll lead you to

His winter briar field grew,
From the middle of your heart,
You still keep it all inside,
After wilted flowers part,
Vines laced around your wings,
You wait on freezing ground,
A wanderer came passing by,
With only you around

Deer In The Headlights

I waited for the morning
But the rain clouds showed,
A deer in the headlights,
On the side of the road

Relentless flies buzzing around,
As I breathe air's stenches in,
Sunshine can't make it through,
Past these grey misty winds,
Stuck on this endless highway,
In a city where I lost my mind,
Since I had reeled and gambled,
It seems like the longest time

I waited for the morning
But the rain clouds showed,
A deer in the headlights,
On the side of the road

Cars passed by like I was home,
Staring blankly into the rain,
Can't see past fog that won't lift,
Rainy curtains over window panes,
I can see only weeds to my sides,
A dirt road traveled under my feet,
Don't know what I'll see when rains clear,
But I feel nothing growing underneath

I waited for the morning
But the rain clouds showed,
A deer in the headlights,
On the side of the road

Love of Everything

The Lord of all he gained was tickled to his soul,
Until we realized he was being devoured by moles,
With their teeth in his veins that wouldn't let go,
He kept walking until mazes grew out of control

He ran to see his bride who was knitting in pursuit,
To regain his power that was not perceived as roots,
But she gouged out his eyes and gave a mock salute,
To the heart that she knew before suspicion took root

He took it as an improvement and said it to her face,
The wounds still bled through the tightly wound lace,
This was as close as it got to feeling warm embrace,
Tattered angel wings unhinged were falling from grace

Before he could lift a finger the room began to shake,
His legs drilled to the core were giving way to break,
Grabbing for bust's platforms would become his last mistake,
For he grabbed Medusa's curse and in his palms crawled snakes

He became frozen like exiled Gods in statuesque poses,
Shattered like mountains boulders and Burning Bush Roses,
It was as if Robin Hood hit him to the core from his bow,
Wrinkled roots and gray bodies die in forests never sown

Say Your Prayers

Vigil candles are burning out,
There is nothing left to see,
Relying on fire and brimstone,
And the ashes of past centuries,
Where tridents bearing candle sticks,
Devoured our seas in flame,
Prayers release apocalyptic nightmares,
Chanted like holy omens in God's name

Vigil candles are burning out,
We must refuse to hang on to the past,
There are those who say, "Just let it go,
The fuse is burning out too fast."
They swallow scripture like poison,
And feed off of concentration camps,
That burn and tear the world asunder,
Feeling sympathy for infesting rats

Vigil candles are burning out,
Lighting roads perceived as direction,
On it's edges crash wailing cemeteries,
Stretching from our feet to the horizon,
Prophetic winds blow over these lands,
But the ash they carry burns my eyes,
Tuck me in soundly so I cannot hear,
And sing me a lullaby so I won't cry

Air of Fire (9/11)

The day breaks with air of fire,
The cave I crawl through has no end,
My feet walk on pins of blizzards,
Can you tell me why I wondered in?

The clocks on the wall will bleed forever,
The sky has bred immortal cracks,
And whenever lightning floods the earth,
My body melts like a candle's wax

My dreams all sit where I once sat,
Under the rubble of earth and sky,
Don't let the ground fall over you,
It will do no good for you to die

My Friend

Oh my friend I miss you dearly,
I hope you can see through my night clearly,
The sight of every moon and every sun,
Reminds me of the pain I've caused and done,
And these tears flow by me everyday,
No armor can keep the pain at bay,
After armies charge through blinding hew,
The fog will lift so I can see you,
The sun reappears, you mean so much,
No more guilt held by this crutch,
But hard times bring with them hands,
Hold flowers wilted in hour glass sands

Flowers wilted in hour glass sands

When a friend walks away,
I wonder where I'd been,
Oh I, uh, promise to you, darlin',
That you won't get hurt again

Oh my friend I miss you dearly,
Prison walls reach the sky, nearly,
Shooting stars can still be seen,
Through the branches of a laurel tree,
Which I would catch like dragonflies,
The light of the world inside your eyes,
Can't stand the thought of hurting you,
If I did accidently, I am sorry, too,
I opened the door and I left my world,
Behind hinges resting on a saddened girl,
Even though the times since have changed,
I hope one friend is never out of range

One friend is never out of range

When a friend walks away,
I wonder where I'd been,
Oh I, uh, promise to you, darlin',
That you won't get hurt again

Oh my friend I miss you dearly,
My only wish is that you were near me,
Though distance may rest in between,
It has not died and it's still serene,
We sank in a river reflecting stars,
And anchors felt like they were ours,
No way to tell where I'll go now,
My last hope to grab the falling bough,
The chill inside like a mountain grows,
For under it's shadows no sunlight glows,
A friendship means always being there,
Now I keep you, friend, in every prayer

I keep you, friend, in every prayer

When a friend walks away,
I wonder where I'd been,
Oh I, uh, promise to you, darlin',
That you won't get hurt again

Promised Land

Co-written with Aaron Jun

The abandoned have no shelter tonight,
No peace upon a bullet-ridden ground,
Ghosts of murders to us not worth a damn,
That's how it seems to my eyes,
And whether you lived or died,
You have cried

Look at the faces, reach for their hands,
Out of Egypt's river, to the promised land

Maybe you have shed tears in silence,
Waiting to hear just one person grieve,
Maybe you have held in bitter sadness,
That's how it seems to my eyes,
And whether you lived or died,
You have cried

Look at the faces, hold tight their hands,
Out of Egypt's river, to the promised land

Never again will our promises be broken,
For those who die are not merely memories,
They die as we stand here doing nothing,
That's how it seems to my eyes,
And whether you lived or died,
You have cried

Look at the faces, lift up their hands,
Out of Egypt's river, to the promised land

This Is Not Our Children's War

There is no victory for those who are unloved,
No wars can embrace the love I've seen,
I stare at your face with my blistered eyes,
And heave you back where you're unseen,
See the dead soldiers flow in our rivers,
That we use to cleanse our blood-stained hands,
The soils of hatered turn dry in the summers,
As roots of bombs spread over the lands

All your fears will drive us farther away,
We can't play with our old friends anymore,
But I can hear a distant voice that whispers,
That this is not our children's war

Our fathers tore down the bridges to dreams,
And the sons and daughters must rebuild them,
If it is not to them whom we owe this world,
Then it will belong to those who condemn them,
We hand them their guns as they go out to play,
And we teach them the fun and laughs of killing,
Packing them on trains to fight for these wars,
But it's our own blood they will be spilling

All your fears will drive us farther away,
We can't play with our old friends anymore,
But I can hear a distant voice that whispers,
That this is not our children's war

Sound the war-drums of a tin soldier dancing,
Only to fall at the hands of false wisdoms,
Our children will know the feeling of death,
As they die bleeding where peace never comes,
Look into the graves you teach all our children,
But not to the trees and the rivers and stars,
They learn from our hatred or our compassion,
Handing them weapons to make them who we are

All your fears will drive us farther away,
We can't play with our old friends anymore,
But I can hear a distant voice that whispers,
That this is not our children's war

Bound to Be

You can't leave me, baby,
I'm already long gone,
I've gone away flying,
Hatched from my swan song,
This room is hardly lit,
Left for the landlord to burn,
It was time to set my sails,
And let the weather turn,
Punched out flat on my back,
I couldn't pick up the speed,
I was busted to the core,
And the engine wouldn't feed,
The hot coals grabbed my feet,
And the hail rattled my neck,
I carried your weight this far,
Didn't matter if I got any respect

Her hands frozen on my skin,
Unfeeling mechanisms and gears,
Stabbing standard brandings,
My heart too young to sear,
You can have your dreams,
They are dust collecting on me,
Like a grave you never visit,
Couldn't stand on my own two feet,
I know you too well to forget,
But I have enough sense to love,
You will be left with parting words,
Just a trust and betrayal thereof,
Never found comfort in your words,
Ambers boil off your tongue,
Hidden snake in burning bushes,
Venemous smoking remnants stung

You had turned me loose,
And I was bound to dart,
This cage was the only thing,
Keeping you and me apart,
I am not all that tired,
Don't get me wrong,
But all I have left to question,
Is why you took so long,
Whatever you got to tell me,
It's burned out in my brain,
Long forgotten like a needle,
Piercing me only as a strain,
Stuck in a dreamer's wasteland,
That I could hardly see,
And somewhere down the road,
Where we were bound to be

A Pop Song/I'll Cry For You (Rough Draft)

A Pop Song

The junkyard alley cats,
Wearing clothes pin hats,
And rain's their next fad,
Cushioned into fashion ads,
Throwns hold bar bells,
From when all they fell,
Past an Einstein yield,
The locusts stormed the field

The fossils of our glory,
And their untold story,
A fairytale was bought,
Built a casket for thought,
Burn firewood artists,
Whom can smoke the smartest?
The drain train's ashes,
In the photgrapher's flashes

The flat-tire outlaws,
Get away with your jaws,
Lawmen would stop 'em,
But they only seek to top 'em,
The underpaid road-mops,
And burnt tire hills atop,
The flames take the stage,
With the artists in a cage

Crowns for ersatz leaders,
And their slavish lip-readers,
You look to the rivers,
In the winters a shiver,
Surrendering their orrs,
To the waterfall rapport,
A theatre you may say,
Of a curtain fall bouquet,
Weighs like a digging shovel,
Delves a forever sullen tunnel

Not to be a God from birth,
Fogs obtain words of myrrh,
A craddle to your rounds,
Guarding against this sound,
Few thrive for the mire,
To what the barons aspire,
All their songs I learn,
Sets my soul ablaze to spurn

I love your lip balm,
Does not fit in a love song,
Don't sell your emotions,
To the critic-eared oceans,
Write what you feel,
Not what will get deals,
Be a hit for one day,
Then life will go away,
The charts are a plank,
It's too bad you sank

I'll Cry for You

I'll hold my arms around you,
Rest your head against my shoulder,
Encircled in a starlight cacoon,
The universe couldn't get much colder,
I know your ambitions all too well,
To leave you teary eyed and be fancy free,
Webs of stars, overcome, hang from my skin,
Healing scars from what your smile does to me

Oh, I'll cry for you,
Oh, I'll cry for you,
So you don't have to

-----------------

I'm bound to wonder what it's all about
If you already know what love is,
Than why take the time to find out?

If There's A Cloud

If there's a cloud over me, tell it to depart,
And that I don't need it to carry me along,
Storms have flooded over me for the last time,
Now I'll stand under the sun where I belong

At first I did not know what I was up against,
I backed down when I felt my deepest fears,
I knew I would gain nothing from the skies of dust,
That had settled over me from many loveless years

If I could see the light unfold before my eyes,
Than I would surely come to rest upon its glow,
It is not my love the clouds conceal from me,
But the truth inside that the sun already knows

Just when the clouds lifted their knives of storms,
And prepared to stab me without feeling remorse,
She opened my eyes and cleared a new way to venture,
Where the sun turned gold upon this unexpected course

Now that I love her there ain't no going back,
To storms that shattered eyes and felt no shame,
I recall feeling memories drown against my eyes,
Like a dying poet's love becoming silent and tame

No longer will clouds dictate my love for her,
They imitate heaven but they are really guards,
Imprison my affections with no more than fear,
But the sun from shackles breaks through the bars

Hurricane Katrina

We are only as strong as our souls can defend,
Even mighty nations can crumble in coliseums,
Leaders noses in the air and thumbs facing down,
If a person was killed they wouldn't even see 'em,
Below the debris are dreams built over life times,
Lives left to face the unforgiving world abandoned,
So many of their prayers have been left unanswered,
A people watched it all unfold and gathered stunned

I see people on the levy,
Waiting for the flood to dry,
The tears on their faces,
Should have come as no surprise,
For those who do not know,
How to make a nation proud,
They promised the work of angels,
Yet left an entire city to drown

Our whole nation prayed through murkey waters,
Saw the destruction upon the meek and the poor,
Tired feet wading through mud and remains,
Knowing they would not have a home anymore,
Reconstruction can never really begin,
Nobody can rebuild the souls been torn down,
Buildings are left to decay in the streets,
Facing a storm and forgetting crumbling sounds

I see people on the levy,
Waiting for the flood to dry,
The tears on their faces,
Should have come as no surprise,
For those who do not know,
How to make a nation proud,
They promised the work of angels,
Yet left an entire city to drown

Again

Blossoms from your sweet embrace,
And eyes that can lift me up to grace,
I pray they will be in plain view of mine,
And afflictions will never bother me again

The winds whispered like arrows,
Shattered glass through veins narrow,
These were my only armor yesterday,
But I will never wear those tears again

The bridges built of cobblestone,
Crumbled away and left me here alone,
So to you who somehow reached my heart,
I will never need to pray for love again

Those days as deep as splinters,
Felt like snowflakes in the winters,
Until the sun broke through the clouds,
And I looked out with my smile once again

Footsteps

I won’t walk,
On my footsteps,
Before I take them,
And the trees,
They will dance,
With skies of blue,
I will be gazing,
At the forests,
As they surround me,
With their leaves,
Of autumn falling,
From the sky,
I will gaze at,
Their branch’s orphans,
Falling to me,
As my heart,
Stares back at them,
With same reply

I wonder where,
My mind has wondered,
When it’s without me,
Travels down,
To the shoreline,
To cast stones,
While I rest silent,
Looking over,
A dying river,
Slowly taken,
By the dust,
Held by winds,
Cover my heart,
With night’s blanket,
It’s still dreaming,
While the starlight,
On the river,
Sees the morn’

Garden painters,
Dab their pastels,
On the sunrise,
And the scarecrow,
Smiles brightly,
As they do,
But the rain builds,
All its battles,
Over candles,
There is shade,
In your smile,
It can’t rain,
You stand around,
In these meadows,
With no sunlight,
Let not mountains,
Nor the shadows,
Stop sun’s glow

I need to,
Find the words,
To say I love you,
But I,
Just don’t know,
What to say,
All I know,
Is that footsteps,
Lead me closer,
When the night grows,
The morning seems,
So far away,
I’ll walk forward,
Knowing well,
There will be dawn,
I see my footsteps,
Before I take them,
And I will not fall

Despise

Saw myself for the first time,
Was that really me?
I have become forgetful,
Of what life means to me,
Leaving for dead,
Friends I care for deeply,
Arms chained to a brutal soul,
Never to be set free

The world inside me aches,
I don't know where I'm going,
How I ended up here,
I can't bare to think,
Must have been abandoned,
And taken out my losses,
For my world is falling,
And I know I'm to blame

My troubles accumulate,
Like cracks on a wall,
Sometimes I break,
And hurt my dear friends,
I kept Van Gough paintings,
Locked up inside,
Distorted by time,
Crows that mimic sunrise

All that they went through,
I can not imagine,
Yet I wasn't there,
How I feel shame,
And when they needed me,
I shrugged them off,
I was not a friend,
But a stranger to them

I look back at my life,
Nothing but regret,
I had good intentions,
But never followed through,
It's time to change,
I've opened my eyes,
I see I've caused pain,
I'm who I despise

Lighthouse

The sun could not peak through clouds,
That were iron shovel dense,
And the lighthouse kept above the shore,
Circled in a searching fence,
My throat was swallowed by the fog,
When all the seconds lingered on,
But it was not worse than I pain I felt,
When I knew I treated her wrong

In the flames that night has caught,
Whisked through the air like ash,
On the ground lay these forgotten sparks,
Smoldering after they crashed,
They were buried atop a ragged cliff,
Where on top we placed the flowers,
And as these days creep slowly by,
The seconds replace the hours

I have seen the lighthouse bow its head,
Over the ocean of its weeping fate,
I swore to it the ship would come,
And that it would not arrive so late,
But it was lost behind the tides,
Over the horizon and its setting sun,
I'm sorry that I hurt you, dear,
I'm crying over what I've done

Beaten Eyes

He saw you with his tired eyes,
Yes he did,
He saw you with his tired eyes,
Yes he did,
He saw you with his tired eyes,
Looked up and saw the bluer skies,
As if he had grown the wings to fly,
And as if his heart would never die

He reached for you with shackled arms,
Yes he did,
He reached for you with shackled arms,
Yes he did,
He reached for you with shackled arms,
No chains too heavy to cause him harm,
Even the dungeons don't stir alarm,
Because he escaped within your arms

He marched for you with worn down feet,
Yes he did,
He marched for you with worn do feet,
Yes he did,
He marched for you with worn down feet,
To shooting stars that do not repeat,
That did not quit his old heartbeat,
And sent the sullen night into retreat

He waits for you with his longing heart,
He still does,
He waits for you with his longing heart,
He still does,
He waits for you with his longing heart,
Love did not grant him a running start,
And you two may've landed far apart,
But in the right place rests his heart

Lonely Smile, Still No Frown

Your heart sinks below the weight of the lies that he told to you,
And when closing your eyes does not rid you of those hurtful memories,
You will look back from where you came and see everything in tact,
And look ahead to tell yourself your future can never resemble that

Tears from devistation rest under the surface and have followed you,
From times buried deep in his heart like fossils that gave him life,
But when it turned out his words had been lost and you trapped in haze,
Heart's cacoon tied tightly to warm can sufficate the life out of days

This world has fallen apart but rest assured it is just an illusion,
The ground ahead is not laced with careless scars of lies and deciet,
You stand with your hand out stretched to feel the warmth of the sun,
And wondering who else has felt it and think you will never be the one

Never let those thoughts embolden the brunt of your nightmares,
There is no strength in him for he has cast doubt over your dreams,
Life is not a curtain that closes when the spotlight fades from you,
Nor is it his hand that let go of yours to feel comfort with what's untrue

It may seem that you have no place to go and no place left to turn,
Believe me I felt the same and I still feel lost at times,
But don't be discouraged because your smile will return to your face,
Remember that old pictures in your hands cannot feel your embrace

Stuck On This Road

It's been a long hard trip this season,
So many shortcuts and rides I had owed,
If you think of me don't send your hardship,
I'm stuck on this road, stuck on this road

With me the stong rains and thunders travel,
Like a suitcase abandoned alongside the road,
Walking on stitches of the path to unravel,
I'm stuck on this road, stuck on this road

On this road people have been buried deep,
Deeper than the reach of their heart's load,
Their graves have brought me to knees to weep,
I'm stuck on this road, stuck on this road

I followed the wind as if it were my breath,
As if death was the storm the wind bestowed,
A world of hate that met its violent death,
We're all stuck on this road, stuck on this road