we are citizens

falling down reactors,falling down planes.hollow men with masks,hollow dreams, hollow drugs.hollow patriots, hollow Jesus,hollow bodies, hollow hugs.drunk men drunk on power,drunk preachers drunk on salvation.drunk drivers lost in the night,drunk politicians annebriate the nation.lonely men carry the biggest guns,lonely children follow behind.lonely widows blame themselves,lonely lovers lose their mind.truth slaps against the glass,truth breaks down…

singing softly,as he sweeps the floorof your room?do you hearthe whirr ofthe butterfly’s wings,flying just outside your window?do you hearthe silence of the rain,falling just outside your door?do you hearthe beating of the heart,rhyming yours,filling the void with light?it’s just me…let me in!

and left me standing in the drive…i learned to see again,staring at old photographsin a book hid away.i learned to think again,thinking, and rethinkingevery move and every action.i learned to feel again,struck dumb with waves of sorrow,with blood on my lips.i learned to cry again,in the dark and sleepless night,when no one else could see.i…

too much traffic, and the law.stole some plastic;set up a tent down deepin the woods by the creek….up above the place wherethe cows cross… hauled mybelongings, a few clothes,books, an old rifle, a coffee pot,and a few utensils…a little food.built a small fire… thinking.what to do? steal a car,make a run for God knows where?or…

the church was empty,no cars in the parking lot.the hand on the door,seemed familiar, but not.the voice in the casket,both grey, and cold.the mind packed boxes,fingers buttoned and unbuttoned.the candle fell from the table,unlit and unnoticed.even god was distant,and the tide failed to come in….the man stood up and walked out,never to return!

he sat by her bed,holding her limp hand….alzheimer’s, and a bad heart,eyes that didnt know him,anymore!he pulled the tubes fromher nose, from her mouth,from her arms….and whispered into her ear…‘go, be free…i wont be long…’true love pays the cost!