by Laurie Lyle
Marks of violence on my heart
TRACKS THROUGH MY MIND
Standing by the railroad
Here on the tracks
You are on that train
With my big bucks and cash
My arms reaching out
I want you to hear my shout
Fast-racing train
Going on down the track
It’s going away, toot, toot
Why did I give you the boot?
Here covered in grime and soot
I have lost a good thing
It is hitting me hard
All the love songs we would sing
Dancing gaily to our hearts
With a rhythmic swing
My heart is ailing
I want you, my darling
Please hear my calling
I’m sorry, please stop my
Whole world from falling
FREEDOM
Ohh! Glorious hummingbird
How beautiful you are
I stand here and gaze
On your feathers from afar
Watching you sit atop a tree
Enjoying its every sway
I wonder if I will ever be
As free as you someday
Free to live my life
Whichever way I choose
Not wondering if I’ll make it
Or will I win or loose
Not having to plan for tomorrow
Or a couple of days ahead
But taking each day as it comes
And thanking God for my daily bread
Fly, dear humming bird
You have no sorrows
Every day is your tomorrow
Free to go with the wind
Either way you please
Hoping that someday
I will be as free as thee
Weathering the challenges
Flying wild in cloud-streaked sky
High above earth’s open land
And its endless changing seas!
HOW LONG
How long do the needy, those ignored
Have to groan before they are heard?
Will we be able to restore the innocence
of our children?
Let them find happiness along life’s
intimidating way
If we believe in ourselves, then we can
But if we don’t, subsequently we can’t
The future belong to the little ones
We are the sculptor and must
Carve their lives with patience and dignity
They are loved because they are valuable
Valuable because of our priceless love
Wisdom is a reward; it comes from
Acquiring and sharpening the skills of listening
Give and give freely from the heart
Give kindness away; it usually comes back
This is a special day; we must be glad and rejoice
Gratitude and contentment will be our attitude
Love forever abounds in pride-filled hearts
QUEEN OF HEARTS
In Mississippi a princess was born
She walked among them, and they did not know
She was an average girl with a difficult and problematic first stage
Obstacles were constantly being placed in her path
She studied each one before overcoming them
And as a result was wise beyond her years for her age
She passed her trials with crazily flying colors
And went on to become became the queen she was meant to be
She became America’s messenger of hope and redemption
Evolving the awareness and gratitude of people everywhere
The therapist of the nation who listened to their problems
And found solutions for them; she operated under the brand of love
This united and fostered togetherness and care for each other
She is the host of a golden heart and special fingers
There is love, compassion, and prosperity in everything she does
She has inspired so many with her encouraging and superb ways
Have made the lives of so many richer and fuller with meaningful words
And actions from fitness and health to positive choices in life
Prominent woman of color who own the airwaves
A medium through which she imparts her special brand
We respect and love you, and our adoration is insurmountable
FLYING DREAMS
We dream, and our minds make life the way
it wants to be
Enjoying, sharing, doing good, wonderful things
We awaken reluctantly, filled with
Remorse, regret, and disappointment
We sometimes lose control
It takes us to another place
We awaken frightened, scared, trembling, and sweaty
Looking around nervously
Wondering were we there or here
Dreams are real even just
For that time, you cross the sphere
The experiences are limitless and often shared
Chariots of fire, the chase, butterfly kisses
Wind beneath my wings, on death’s door
Light up my life, what a wonderful world
Grace is amazing, because you loved me
My inspiration, I will tell it on the mountain
Surround and engulf me softly, tenderly
Walking intimate, close to you all my life
Flying dreams symbolic, nostalgic, and true
Setting one free to break from all limitations
Dreams take me to new heights; let me explore
Possibilities that lie beyond the reality
Of our everyday optimistic ambitions
I am here, and I am knocking on your door
WORKING MAN
I am a working man
With a big head and no plan
Up with the cock
My faithful trusty clock
Yes, up at five
Raise my hand
Thank God, I am alive
Down with the toast
Maybe some eggs
And the coffee I drink
Even the damned dregs
No big deal
Can just about feel
The life coming to my legs
I am a worker with a miserable job
Hate being a part of that mob
With a heavy heart
I hang my head and sob
To hell with those hideous blobs
A DOG’S LIFE
Walking in the pouring rain
Looking up into nothingness
I know they all think I am insane
It is a dog’s life
What can I do?
About this pain
This suffering and strife
I have run away, I left my wife
It is a dog’s life
Crazy eyes with a faraway look
It is coming to pass
It is there written in the book
It is a dog’s life
Nothing to buy a morsel
The bills they are piling up
Right there on the table
It is a dog’s life
When they cry and are in need
It rips through my heart and I bleed
The children, my own seed
It is a dog’s life
/> I came away searching hoping to find
A way of life for me and my family
A stout heart and a willing mind
Still I have yet to find
It is a dog’s life
MUMMIFIED
Looks like a wrapped-up banana
Inside must be hot like a sauna
Looks cool reposing on the corner
Bring the shroud, let us have a fling
Songs of praises we must sing
First, we close the eyes
Now he can’t see a thing
Then we tie the jaw
Cannot open the maw
Cross the hands on the chest
In this way, he looks the best
Then we tie the wrist
He can’t give you a fist
Now we cross the legs
Small things, they look like pegs
Then tie the ankle
Like you putting shackle
Now we spread the shroud and roll
Till it looks like a scroll
Then we tie the head, tie the foot
And so we get the banana look
It is cool reposing on the corner
Just like a wrapped-up banana
This is how we send him over yonder
Everybody wants to go to heaven,
but nobody wants to die.
MOUNTAIN MAN
Running along an old mountain range
Crossing mountains joined
Only by a rickety aged bridge
Playing here living dangerously on the edge
Seeking escapades that knows no boundary
Carelessly fearlessly recklessly sundry
Variety of living to hell and living well
Overcome the daunting challenge of impossible
To be conqueror of the mountain array
Outcroppings jagged and sharp
In this most wonderful of parks
Sit by them and play a harp
In the harshness of this environment
There will be tranquility stark
The secure shadow of hallowed moment
Thin air mingling cool mist
Eyes of a hawk to see in the dark
Prowling restlessness of a big cat
Tough leathery mountain man
Languishing time and endless dream
The equivalent of a benevolent life
Things of the earth not on his list
There is nothing not even kisses
That the mountain man misses
His life under the canopy is not mundane
Ask him now he tells you the same
You are the one who sure is insane
DEATH CAMP
Death camp the mark of the beast 666
Stands out on your forehead like a stamp
Haul out of the gutter like a tramp
Should have redeemed yourself
Should have revamped
The mark of the beast is 666
Stands out on your forehead like a stamp
Should have redeemed yourself
Should have revamped
Heart of the devil actions of evil
Steal from people you are a weasel
High octane polluted
Like a worn-out diesel
The mark of the beast is 666
Stands out on your forehead like a stamp
Should have redeemed yourself
Should have revamped
Stealing from the poor
Banished forevermore
You owe the devil a very big score
He is going to hug and kiss you for sure
The mark of the beast is 666
Stands out on your forehead like a stamp
Should have redeemed yourself
Should have revamped
WHISTLING
So much on my mind
All things good and bad combined
I have killed so much time
Have been back there and read the sign
I am whistling past the graveyard
I have loved you all the time
Ever since I made you mine
You have changed over time
Foxy and sinister that is what I find
I am whistling past the graveyard
I saw you together dine
There with him sipping wine
Spoke to you, and you
Started to whine
Then came back to me
All lovey-dovey, all divine
A hiss of air through clenched teeth
I am whistling past the graveyard
I thought our hearts they were entwined
You broke it as you would a vine
Behaving like you were never mine
Unfaithful schemes and games combined
I am whistling past the graveyard
Now look in the gutter, all I see is a swine
My heart blows up like a goddamn mine
I am at the graveyard, I am not whistling
This place stops me dead in my tracks
Across the way the bell it chimes
Telling us all, now it is time
There is stillness in the graveyard.
GUARDIAN ANGEL
I call quietly and solicit your help
My guardian angel represents
My personal needs and desires
You inspire and console me
Through difficult and testing times
With offerings of support and comfort
I connect with you through this
Attractive, quiet, peaceful space
Filled with love, candles, flowers,
Inspiring music, and literature
Of shiny, sparkling dancing stars
They make me calm and centered
In this beautiful heavenly place
The light touch of an angel’s wing
A waft of gentle air across the face
Feeling of well-being high and spiritual
Everyone has a guardian angel
Attentively hovering near
The spirits, angels, and ghosts
Who love and care so much
With gifts of healing, vision, emotional courage
And freedom from loneliness
Become receptive
Count your blessings
Create a golden aurora
Then revel in the bliss
Of your special angel’s touch
Experience true love
From a warm golden heart
FOR SEASONS
Spring, summer, autumn, winter
I will tell you why they are so special to me
In springtime, the season comes alive
There is freshness about the earth
As it breathes and creates new life
The hibernators look around expectantly
Then frolic in playful anticipation
As the fields blanket themselves in green
Summer is a time for love
It is a time when we harvest
The richness that surrounds us
As new love is found and articulated
Behavior is carefree as dreamy couples
Count stars and romance in abandonment
A thrilling time except for the occasional spill
That period when the forlorn smiles
Autumn brings a special kind of chill
Somber and sometimes very tranquil
All that we built in the summer
Is slowly going down the hill
The golden leaves, they are falling
It tells you everything is changing
While the hibernators tediously gather
Pieces of lost, broken, contrite hearts
Scattered everywhere, lying there still
Winter is cold and a very special time
The jolly old heart freezes over
And is thawed by the warmth from within
Kindness of heart, togetherness of communities
Celebration of life, special moments in time
That brings out the richness of life
With the love and sincerity that binds us.
SEDUCTION
I look into your smoky eyes
They lead me straight to hell
I sin myself in ways I cannot tell
I shake all over just like a ringing bell
My heart races so, I am not doing well
I think about those legs, archway to hell
I cannot seem to get over the fragrance of you
Beautiful hair I want to touch and smell
Then rest my head on your bosom
That place where every man wants to dwell
A place that feed the world oh so well
My arms are reaching out, I want to caress
The gorgeous outline of you
Your lips sip of honey, and I want to kiss
