by Laurie Lyle
Made us insistent, untiring in our quest for redemption
And so we fought our ever-raging war half a world away
God knew we had to bring peace to our bleeding hearts
Our leaders and military with uncanny wits and savvy decisions did us proud
With solid judgment, keen foresight, and strong will
Unrelenting patriotic deliberation, they did everything right
He was buried in the cold uninviting North Arabian Sea today
A seal placed over a solemn and somber chapter of our lives
After 9/11, we looked through clouded vision
At broken lives we understood the shattered dreams of families
We will continue our fight for world peace, order, and unity
Seeking to evoke humane treatment of each other
For solidarity, compassion, and goodwill
Until violence, hatred, animosity, and division is nonexistent
When all peace is made peaceful
Then rest is restful and the heart exudes
The free and proper meaning of love, compassion, and care.
ANGRY RIVER
1
Lost, broken, my soul stolen
Raging river races on
Rising swollen, angry swirling
Raging river races on
Chorus
Angry river roaring on
Raging torrents rolling
Contorting, roaring, yes, it’s coming
Angry river moving on
2
Angry river splashes me
Mist and spray is all I see?
Wet, damp, as now I feel
Wrath of river overpowering me
Chorus
Angry river roaring on
Raging torrents rolling
Contorting, roaring, yes, it’s coming
Angry river moving on
3
What sparked uprising at this time?
Something painful or love divine
Who pierced the heart of Old Man River?
Now his angry head rises as he madly slithers on
Spreading wrath, bringing doom, listen careful, hear the boom
Thunderous, growling, white head foaming, nature’s fury soaring
Fast we move on down the track no time to idle or look back
No time today, I dare say to clasp our hands, bow our heads, and pray
Chorus
Angry river roaring on
Raging torrents rolling
Contorting, roaring, yes, it’s coming
Angry river thunders on
TO BE A WORKING MAN
Too slowly we grow and we anxiously wait
The time when we leave our parents’ home
Venture out into the world to earn our due keep
To corral all the nice things eluded us so long
Disappointment waits for apprehensive souls
Life came at us jabbing, punching, we raise our fists
Fight back in defense of our precious life
For some it was quite all right
For others this idea not too bright
Work from dawn until late at night
Not all fights can be won, incessant pounding wearing me down
Beaten, bruised, broken, pummeled into the ground
In constant pain we fight this fight, which is in vain
Still we trod on, contemptuous of every blow, fist raised in defiance
Fend off the many disappointments from a merciless life
We fight for our life with living, many blows from a revengeful fist
We spend the best years of our lives fighting the worst fights
We must provide for our family; the young ones need guidance
Restless anticipation bursting the way we were, the way we are
Those for whom we fight will one day inherit this
Spattered worn boxing glove and continue this combat
We work ourselves to death in order to stay alive
CRIMSON TIDE
Out at sea the place I want to be
Where the air is sweet, fresh, wind dance on clammy skin
Cool crystal clear water splashes on joyful feet
Carefree and reckless, dancing to my heart’s passionate beat
Will not get tired, no need to take a rest
Everything I’ve got, this place took it all; everything, including my very best
Crimson tide engulfs me and roll, revolving with you all I want to do
Across endless ocean wide-open spaces
Let me swirl with you, traverse beautiful fields, wild red daisies
It was meant to be; they did me wrong, now they
may see
The crimson in you gets the blood boiling in me
Escape as far away as I need to be
Evading the judgment passed down on me
I ran away, broke free to the sea
Convicted of love, a tyranny, you see
Uncommitted, awful as can be
A heart impaled on the spike of lust’s greed
Limp and bleeding, a horrible, terrible deed
Give back life, give mercy
Give back a special thing
Give back the spirit that lets one walk with honor and sing
Give back that special feeling of love that dwells therein
Give me the love, that extraordinary thing that shields me from injustice
Give me the joy and peace that flows like crimson tide from a sanctified place deep within
SACRED FLAME
Sacred flame burn away all this negative energy
That encompasses my body leaving my spirit listless
Instead leave me with that positive karma that others want to feel
Leave me with happy content absolute peace opulence of wealth in love
Richness in abundance dependability of faithful devotion
Give me instant miracles the power of vision so I see the future
Command a wish a signature gift
Unequalled mastery the future forever revealed
Flawless revelation miraculous intervention frank candid truthful
Let me forget the past indulge in interest of the future
Help me to the place where I spend the rest of my life
I want to be there my dwelling this sanctuary called home
The spirit calls and I live forevermore
A paradise land of vibrant people this structure a welcoming place
This house we made into a home
A king in paradise a realm where I rule with tremendous powerful force
Where negativity evil and malicious entities mysteriously disappear
Forever protected from infestation and we reap countless compliments
Continuing dedicated determined effort to keep our family unit strong secure
Beyond the grasp of those who seek to destroy
Respecting the matriarch be calm Ulysses treat your mother with respect and grace
Give her the love she deserves have peace within be gentle and tolerable
Mother always does her best for us and for her we thrive and prosper
She made stunning creations so we are incomparable and matchless
ASHES OF LIFE
From the waste sedate ashes of a dead fire, life breathes
Its litter discarded scattered amid a bountiful garden
Of prominence and crazily sprouting bulbs and shoots
Superior garden nurtured by the usefulness of spent waste
This c
ompost fertilizes and energizes young flora
A garden that breathes life encourages hope
The living must die so a wide variety of things may live
A closed gate will eventually open so a thing or someone passes through
Fulfilling the purpose for which it was meant
This ceiling will get higher as we reach for new heights
With aspiration and a burning desire, we follow where ambition leads
Vision is limited, but we see all that’s at the end
The long race is not for the swift if there is no competition
Dominance and perseverance is preserved
If there is no one to guide, nothing to push forward for
Time can run out, use it now, let it serve, use it well
A nickel, a dime, something must go so we sell
To be forgiven, we shun vanity, give to our charity, save us from that place hell
We write once more a story so we have something to tell
For another time, a burst of flame we light the fire under the seasoned food
Gray smoke rising swirling aloft twitching noses, flared nostrils, we get the smell
Comical involuntary growling stomachs heave, and we yell
Heads bounce in unison to the joyous pulsation going through our souls
Exploding in our skulls, we hear again the resonance, a million pealing cathedral bells, then it’s calm again
FREEDOM TO LOVE
Use love freely, don’t let it go limp, atrophy, or die
Encourage hope, use it well, give it time, an even spell
Keep faith alive, committed, convicted, and true
Never get downhearted, frustrated, flustered, or blue
Do not destroy peace and all the blessings and solace it brings
Let tranquility be broken only by birds of wild beauty
Choruses of the pretty songs they sing
Be stimulated by the wonder of things you see and hear
We need friendship and the stability it brings
Company to share with the one for whom we care
Our memories are alive, a recorded history
Tracking of things from the past, small memories, others vast
Give vitality to life and what it brings
With courage we forge ahead, seeking to fulfill promises
For a better life still waiting there, up ahead
We trust and believe them, every word they said
Transparency invades our souls, and so you see
We hide nothing, subtle beauty therein lies
Nothing can hurt or make us scared; we are unfathomable,
Commitment to love, the sacred value of precious life shared
If we walk alone, he is always by our side
We expel the distraction of temptation from our spirit
To live a life that is blissfully gratifying,
Clandestine, eternal, devoted, and sincere
RECESSION
Life was worth living, and we enjoyed giving
Then suddenly resources started dwindling
Not making enough, then things, oh man! Started to get tough
An easy life starting to get rough
Of bitter times I’ve had enough
It hit hard, it hit fast, down there days past
It was way back yesterday, but I remember
like it was today
I lost everything when I lost my pay
Nobody with me wanted to stay
Not even the ones with whom I used to play
It came my way this distressing, infuriating day
Now I have no boot, no shoe on my feet
No food nowhere so I can eat
Out here living on the harsh desolate street
Wasted body broken by the arms of defeat
Looking down, never dare to look around
Bulging eyes staring, there to the ground
There is an excruciating pain in my heart
Thunderous growling in my stomach
Unrelenting ache of my body, unbearable strain on my legs
Reminds me again, I’m going in one direction, the only way is down.
In this sea of bitterness unwilling; I’ll drown
ABUNDANCE OF LOVE
We lived and loved living
We loved and loved all things
Some so good, others that were not
What we put forward was always the best
Life so full, emotional, and physical
We race toward our goal, ambitious never-ending quest
Living hard we put everything to our grueling test
Good times in abundance immersed in passion
With spirituality we put bad ones to rest
We hiked life’s winding byways in those
Bright, splendid, sun-infested glorious days
Too short they were, too soon it’s done
The beckoning hand waves, saying please come
It is getting dark, the murky clouds now cover the sun
We look back, we remember the days and how it begun
The consciousness of our minds causes us to replicate, duplicate, regenerate
How do we go back?
There is confidence but nothing left to come
Too short the cycle of life that to which we belong
We’ve come full circle in this race of existence
Crossing the bright imaginary finish line
We struggle to answer the nagging question lurking
In the back of our cloudy minds, we are here, but have we won?
DYING DREAMS
When dreams die it is hard just to say good-bye
Long after they are cold and morbid we hang on
Holding them close to a pathetic broken heart
Hating the thought they’ll eventually turn to dust
Broken and bound forever lost never to be found
I diligently asked dream with me come be with me
We nurtured hope and aspired was strong for so long
Now we are left wondering where we went wrong
Weak in spirit we shuffle and wobble as we move feebly along
Through the pain the optimistic thoughts are alive
It is through endurance and determination that we succeed
The vicious hand of life pierced my soul with the dagger of truth
From its wounds I bleed my cry falls on deaf ears as I plead
You were there you heard me feed me feed me with love
Console my limp blithering demented body
Take me back from the brink before return is too late
Help me bring peace to my overused confused mind
