April 27: Patty

Patty

On a farm with a big organic garden,
There’s always more to be done,
So you do what you have to, not asking for pardon
In your balance of duty and fun,
Feeling the wind and the sun.

It’s a way of life where you see the fruition
And reap the results of your toil,
And as you do so, you make decisions
On how much to devote to the soil;
What to save and what to let spoil.

What to cook, or freeze, or consign to canning,
And what’s good enough to sell
It’s a process involving hard labor and planning,
And drawing from your spiritual well,
You mull it over sometimes when you’ve got peas to shell,

But what you’ll do, you know you can’t always tell.

With matters like these, you must constantly grapple,
But on the way from the store,
You see a tree over laden with apples,
So you take a break from your chores,
And knock on that home-owner’s door;

Who hasn’t the sensibilities,
The ability or even the time
To do something with his apple trees
And he’s more than grateful to find
A good person who’s so inclined,

Who’s got a ladder that she’s ready to climb.

He’s astonished to hear your enthusiasm
About picking up fruit off the ground,
And you break through social and political chasms
As every year you come around,
And a smile replaces a lonely frown,
And it looks like a friend you have found!

On a farm with a big organic garden,
There’s always more to be done,
So you do what you have to, not asking for pardon
In your balance of duty and fun,
Feeling the wind and the sun,

And working through the rain and the cold.

Sometimes it looks like just another distraction;
A commitment to yet another chore,
But you feel when you put yourself into action,
You’re able to do even more
Towards paying endeavors not thought of before,

Filling needs that you cannot ignore.

And slowly, you build a connection.
You might bake him more than one apple pie!
In a dangerous world, you’ll need protection,
And it pays to diversify.
But that’s not the reason why!
As you do what you love, you get by.

April 26: Glad, Glad, Glad!

Glad, Glad, Glad!

I feel so good since you let me go!
I accept “whatever” in the here and now.

I was caught in a quagmire where I just couldn’t grow.
I’ll be okay, but I don’t know how!

There’s nothing in this world I have to do

After all that I’ve been through.

I’m just so glad, glad, glad, glad, glad, glad, glad -

That I don’t work for you!

I can’t think any more about all my duress.

How I smile to remember when you got in my face!

You just don’t know - how much I feel blessed

Now that I don’t have to work at your place!

You’ve helped me to know what it’s like to be used;

To let go of caring what happens to me!

When my world has been shattered, I have nothing to lose

It just doesn’t matter how distressing the news.

I’m too scattered to say that I’ve paid my dues,

But boss man, do I feel free!

Sure, I’ll do my best

To maintain what I’ve got,

But I’m not obsessed

To be like the rest

Who think life is a test.

It’s not.

(I can still take a shot!)

So if everything in my life breaks down –

My house, my money, my shop - like sand,

And I find myself walking all over town

With no respect, and without a plan,

And I wind up in jail

With no end of trouble,

And my friends all disown me -

I’m still in my bubble

There’s nothing in this world I have to do

After all that I’ve been through.

I’m just so glad, glad, glad, glad, glad, glad, glad -

That I don’t work for you!

I can’t think any more about all my duress.

How I smile to remember when you got in my face!

You just don’t know - how much I feel blessed

Now that I don’t have to work at your place!

Just knowing your idiot job is gone,

Where I’ve already walked that extra mile

That just kept going on and on:

Just knowing it’s over is making me smile!

Whatever happens from here on out

(I know I’m not in the least bit prepared),

There’s no room anymore in my world for doubt.

I’m just that grateful that I’m not there!

There’s nothing in this world I have to do

After all that I’ve been through.

I’m just so glad, glad, glad, glad, glad, glad, glad -

That I don’t work for you!

April 25: The Plan

The Plan

There is a plan.  There are standards,

All with reasons we strive to understand

And to carry out gracefully,

Even when we know we will fail

To do all that is required.

That's why we were hired.

Yes, and we do it daily; even gaily, when we can.

We know we can't take it so damn serious,

And we'd go crazy if we did,

So we kid around and play,

And we realize it's not in our hands anyway.

It's not our style to worry,

Though there's a lot to worry about.

Sometimes, we hurry, hurry, hurry

When we need to figure it out.

But it's best to zip along; eyes open,

Expecting anyway, that, fast or slow,

We're going to get it wrong -

To those supposed to know!

No one can keep in check

The sheer number of little tasks,

The unpredictability of the flow,

And all that will be asked.

Even so, we do prevail.

Though sad, or tired,

We still get through it;

Maybe in a round-about way,

But we do it,

Just like we've done the same sort of thing before.

Ninety-nine percent of the time!

Anyway, no one's keeping score!

Nothing goes exactly according to plan,

But we know the dark tunnel we're traveling through,

And we do the best we can.

Then again, if things get too askew, we will take a stand!

That, too, is what's demanded.

April 24: Understanding and Focus of Mind

Understanding and Focus of Mind

I put a blank key in the key machine.

If I cut all at once, it tends to slip,

So I cut it in passes, or I tighten the grip.

Likewise, in getting across what I mean,

I don’t want to sound like I’m off on a trip.

I share the trend of my thought before I dip.

I don’t want to always have to make an excuse

When I make a faulty decision.

So I keep on making new revisions,

Not hedging my  bets by living loose,

But learning to act with precision,

Both in detail and in wider vision.

Like a key that eventually turns a lock,

I am honing my life and my unseemly career,

Making my purpose specific and clear.

Like carefully constructing a deep water dock

So a ship can safely approach the pier,

Not just in theory, but here!

I create my poems, my life, to serve.

I trust my intent to succeed.

I commit to my cause and the fruits of my seeds.

I declare my truth and the place which I deserve,

As I fulfill each present need;

Though my time isn’t always free.

I’ll be your friend -- in deed.

It always requires some patience to learn.

The steps are never completely defined.

It takes steps for distinctions to be refined.

We deal with matters of real concern

With a human face, so we have to be kind,

In understanding and focus of mind.

I don’t want to always have to make an excuse

When I make a faulty decision.

So I keep on making new revisions,

Not hedging my  bets by living loose,

But  learning to act with precision,

Both in detail and in wider vision.

I create my poems, my life, to serve.

I trust my intent to succeed.

I commit to my cause and the fruits of my seeds.

I declare my truth and the place which I deserve,

As I Fulfill each present need;

Always taking heed;

Not afraid to take the lead:

I’ll be your friend -- in deed.

April 23: Co-counselor Expectations

Co-counselor Expectations

I’d been pushing some thoughts around in my head,
And I thought I might tell them to you instead.
You might be that mirror that shows where I’m slack.
You might jump in to help me restore where I lack.
I’m hoping for that insight that will get me on track
To where nothing really needs to be said.

But I’ve got some issues that I want to present
That lie at the heart of my discontent,
And I’m wondering what will be your reaction.
Can you see that they’re largely just another distraction;
That life is a very complex interaction,
And that words can’t describe my intent?

You can’t even see what I’ve got on my plate.
Why it matters, I can’t start to communicate.
Still, I really want for you to comprehend
What matters, or not, and what I intend,
So we can build a ladder which I can ascend
Towards knowing and choosing my fate.

Chorus:

My concerns may be finite, but they’re tough to convey,
Even if we made time to talk all day.
At the end of the day, we’re all still alone.  

What we feel; what we wish for, we still have to own,
And it’s not what we’ve said, but what we’ve made known,
So that we can be off, on our way.

Do you know that your silence can create a gap
Which I often perceive as a kind of a trap,
For though it opens the doors  to creativity,
It puts into shadows your own sensibility.
Yes, my life is surely my responsibility,
But don’t let me sit in my crap!

I want more than castles made of psychic sand,
So I speak out of Wisdom; not just idle demand.
To achieve self-awareness, we must feel our own pain.
We must study the habits on which it’s maintained.
For then our choices can become the more plain.
That’s a way you can give me a hand.

But when we see our patterns, we’ve got to step out,
And face fears and forces that keep us in doubt.
Let us pray about how our lives might be used
As we challenge each other with alternate views
And affirm what we’re living is something we choose,
Consistent with the love we’re about!

Chorus

So be my support where my path is scary,
But stand up to me as an adversary,
Demand I face matters of real impendence;
To do what’s required to reach independence;
Face the human condition as we aim for transcendence
Of loneliness, pain, . . . and the cemetery.

I promise that I’ll do the same for you;
That I honestly care what you’re going through.
You listen to me, and I’ll take my own turn.
Your time with me is more than just something to earn.
It’s a spiritual reaching, and a chance to learn,
And to consider what we each need to do.

I believe that as friends, we must to express what we feel,
Because that’s what invigorates, and that’s what can heal.
Don’t assume you are able to be objective
As we share our knowledge, and we wax reflective.
It’s not all about being introspective,
But it’s caring, and keeping it real!

Chorus

My concerns may be finite, but they’re tough to convey,
Even if we made time to talk all day.
At the end of the day, we’re all still alone.  

What we feel; what we wish for, we still have to own,
And it’s not what we’ve said, but what we’ve made known,
So that we can be off, on our way.

April 22: Caught Out In The Rain

Caught Out in the Rain

So what do you expect

With an attitude so cynical?

Did you think you would connect,

With your reasoning so clinical?

You’re certainly intelligent,

And I know that you’re well-read,

But no one thinks you’re heaven-sent

When you’re living in your head!

So you walked out of the meeting.

What’s your reason to complain?

You didn’t take a beating.

You’re just caught out in the rain.

You think the wording matters,

But the rain’s pitter-patter

Says your deal’s just been scattered.

You just can’t keep holding on!

You got to go with the flow.

You got to live what you know.

Where you’re sent, you must go:

But - please try to get along!

You don’t know your addictions,

And you’re striking your very best pose:

Showing forth all your convictions,

And hiding your list of woes!

You’re not feeling much enjoyment,

Where’s the friends you’d like to meet?

You feel chained to your employment

While you try to find your feet.

You recite what you believe in,

While you melt your candy cane,

‘Cause you get to the party when it’s time to leave!

You’re just caught out in the rain.

You think their judgments matter,

But the rain’s pitter-patter

Says everybody’s scattered,

And just trying to hold on!

You can’t fight with the flow.

You got to live what you know.

Where you’re sent, you must go:

But then, you’ve got to be strong!

I wish someone had called me aside,

And said, “Hey what you heading for?

I know I was living in too much pride

To knock on anyone’s door.

Always busy, but disengaged

In free-floating imagination,

Drowning in self-pity and rage;

Seeking solace in stimulation:

False beginnings and dead-end roads:

But there’s always another train!

When the story’s becomes too heavy a load.

You got to find your way out of the rain!

All that history matters!

But the rain’s pitter-patter

Says those seeds have been scattered.

And now you’ve just got to go on!

While you live, you can grow.

There’s still so much to know!

For your Love, you must go -

While it lasts, and before it’s all gone!