Reasons Demand (+4)

Sometimes the words mean what they say,

and sometimes they don’t

 

Sometimes the feelings rot and decay,

and sometimes they won’t

 

Sometimes the vision is based on your sight,

and sometimes it’s not

 

Sometimes your hope is based on a dream,

and sometimes forgot

 

Sometimes the face is someone you know,

and sometimes it’s different

 

Sometimes a home is where you must go,

and sometimes it’s distant

 

Sometimes the flag is meant to be waved,

but sometimes you can’t

 

Sometimes your anger you try to enslave,

but sometimes you rant

 

Sometimes the meaning gets caught between lines,

and sometimes it doesn’t

 

Sometimes a verb will murder a noun,

and sometimes a dozen

 

Sometimes the day surrenders to night,

when nobody’s watching

 

Sometimes the night forces sinners to pray,

as destiny’s stalking

 

What’s old again new, all time to eschew,

both past and then future

 

As reasons demand what excuses command,

the ending unsutured

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2018)

 

One Promise

 

One verse with many rhymes,

one bell with many chimes

 

One direction with many charts,

one blood with many hearts

 

One journey with many stops,

one timer with many clocks

 

One horizon with many shores,

one boat with many oars

 

One gallery with many arts,

one ending with many starts

 

One message with many tongues,

one legion with many sons

 

One promise to many gave,

one present—time remade

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2018)

 

 

Choose

 

You can’t reinvent

the future

 

You can’t reinvent

the past

 

You can only reinvent

the present

 

The choice upon you

—choose at last

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2018)

 

 

The Verse Now Safe

 

Endowed with words,

I run to the page

 

Hoping my pen

can be found

 

Keeping them alive, I’ve

yet to inscribe

 

Their voices seep and drip

to the ground

 

Left waiting inside

my hand starts to write

 

As the ink begins to flow

lines astound

 

My day now complete,

this night I shall sleep

 

The gifted verse safe

—written down

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2018)

 

 

No Last Goodbye

 

That left undone while living,

a bedside chat won’t cure

 

Death coming fast, the first now last,

the closing of the door

 

With wounds unbled, in unmade beds,

lay prisoners of time

 

Good wishes die, no last goodbye

—intentions left behind

 

(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2018)