The Man of Many Hats

For Marvin, a man who freely gave his joy to many, at the entrance to the Los Coches Wal Mart in El Cajon, CA

Out to the East by Los Coches,

There is a store along the way,

Where stood a man by the door,

Who had a hat for every day.

He was an older man named Marvin,

Who had seen his life with style,

So in his thanks for the gift of time,

He sought to give us each a smile.

He was hard to catch to give a word, 

There was always someone there,

If that person had eight or eighty years,

He would always show he cared.

For folks who move to quick to notice,

He had ways to catch their eyes,

With costumes and hats of colors,

He knew when and how to be sly.

They looked up from their phones to his eyes,

And he greeted them with a smile,

Yet the gift he gave was not for naught,

It would last more than quite a while.

I enjoyed his words when we would speak,

I am sure that he enjoyed mine,

He became a part of each of us,

And he used his gift of time.

I wish I could have seen him once again,

To say thanks for all he gives,

But I know he can hear this as I write,

For in our hearts he lives.

Snowflakes fill the air around me,

Like angels coming from Heaven,

They gently surround me,

Reminding that God is with us,

No matter how dark the times may seem,

Though the sun hides behind the clouds,

Amidst the cold of Winter,

Yet I am warm in the hearts of family,

While Christmas lights of Poland gleam.

With those who are close I share the sunrise,

For in love the sun never sets,

Hearts know of no distance,

I close my eyes in their embrace,

Opening my eyes to family,

While countries are closed in fear,

God blesses with the miracle of travel,

Sheltered amidst the snow covered mountains,

With the family who loves me here.

 

The Old Swan

When I saw this video I was inspired to write. Her mind had forgotten words, her body had forgotten strength, but her heart remembered music which is the language of love.

All are given a time,

Yet her time has long passed,

As she sits in the warmth of the sun,

Trying to remember its name.

Wheelchair bound in stricken form,

Her beautiful legs a memory,

Once danced ballets of the heart,

Lifting her from obscurity to fame.

 

The lines of time upon her face,

Her thoughts no longer find words,

Speechless she sits in the chair,

Until music flutters in on a breeze.

What requires no words to understand,

Runs with her blood from ears to hands,

Remembering the dance of Swan Lake,

Which her hands gracefully caress with ease.

 

Every fire giving warmth requires a spark,

Including fires held within the heart,

This spark came appropriately with a kiss,

That a gentleman placed upon her hand.

Releasing the fire of love once more,

As the music played across her soul,

Her arms remembering motions of beauty,

Though her body could no longer stand.

 

Every moment we have is a memory,

Every memory burns though the light is gone.

For no living moment will cease to live,

Forever embraced in time and space.

Each moment becomes a universe,

Visited through the doorway of the heart,

For as her hands remember the dance,

Her soul flies to that moment in haste.

 

Her vacant stare replaced with vacant chair,

The old swan has risen brighter than the sun,

Dancing by the side of her prince of dreams,

They smile to us living on forever young.

Within the song we see doorways to all moments,

For the heart dispels the illusions of time,

Through those doorways we find each other,

Within your heart’s love I find mine.

 

Free to Fly

The heart is the source of truth,

A light which can be seen through the eyes,

The lamp that lights the world,

For love can never lie.

Many have lost their way,

Because the eyes could never see,

Turn to the source of truth,

The heart knows what can be.

Listen to the laugh of a child,

Free from illusions of the world,

The questions the child will ask,

Will lead to truth unfurled.

Take that child in hand,

Let that child’s love guide you,

Your heart will reawaken,

As that child walks beside you.

If love is letting go of fear,

Then fear is the result of pain,

Pain often leads to anger,

Then only the darkness will reign.

Love is the song of life,

Healing hearts willing to try,

Love overcomes all bonds,

Setting hearts free to fly.

Problems are the Path

 There is no easy road,

That provides a beautiful view,

There is no simple answer,

For the work we must do.

The trials come in life,

And leave us wondering why,

Yet what defines us in the end,

Are solutions that we try.

What comes to our hands easy,

Are the things that never last,

Our hearts define our souls,

Because problems are the path.

Trouble stops us on the way,

And we no longer want to try,

Problems presented to us,

Are opportunities to fly,

Dreams held within the heart,

Present problems to confound,

If the Wright brothers let that stop them,

We would still be on the ground.

What comes to our hands easy,

Are the things that never last,

Our hearts define our souls,

Because problems are the path.

We all need help to overcome,

That’s why we have each other here,

So many people and perspectives,

We should be glad that they are near.

When we pray to God for answers,

They hardly fall from the sky,

They come from the hearts and souls,

Of the people who are nearby.

What comes to our hands easy,

Are the things that never last,

Our hearts define our souls,

Because problems are the path.

With imaginary labels,

Lines are drawn in the sand,

Leaving us lonely,

Not a good plan.

We are in this thing together,

When push comes to shove,

Yet when fears are forsaken,

There is only love.

What comes to our hands easy,

Are the things that never last,

Our hearts define our souls,

Because problems are the path.

The Embrace of a Woman

Make a woman laugh and the air is filled with butterflies,

Bring a woman love and the sky is filled with stars,

She will teach your heart to sing and paint life with color,

Loneliness is the only pain she fears,

Her soul searching for what her heart can share,

Like a river love will always flow through her,

When pour out more can fill her heart there.

He is born from the womb of a woman,

It is a woman’s heart that teaches him to see,

His hands learn how to add to creation,

But from her love he can add to the stars,

After seeing all colors nothing is impossible,

Bringing dreams into reality from afar.

To wake up to her eyes is fulfillment,

There is nothing more he truly ever needs,

For in love he found the unending song,

With words that his mind could never speak,

For she holds him in the embrace of her heart,

Where no life could ever fall asleep.

The Comfort of Illusions

 Beneath the light of Venus,

 Before the rising sun,

Familiar sounds as birds awake,

Away from the peace of the waves,

Far from the falling of night,

When Saturn looked upon me,

Blessed with another day,

Underneath the stars,

Trying to find my way.

Yet the stars have always guided,

To the distant shores,

Now the stars are in our hands,

Leaving us wanting much more,

Looking down into these screens,

Which promise most anything,

Emotion through emoticons,

Illusions we do embrace,

Forgetting to look up,

Into eachother’s eyes.

Forgetting all of the days,

Of front porches and lemonade,

Gathering fiddles and guitars,

Listening to stories from old hearts,

Of what the younger never knew,

While I feel such times I miss,

In the middle of the night,

Beneath the light of Mars.

We can find ourselves again,

In the warmth of other hearts,

For God gave us all each other,

From the very start,

To give is to never be empty,

Cups must empty to refill,

When we look into another’s eyes,

The memories will return,

As small sparks ignite our flame,

Of strength we gain through sharing,

Leaving the comfort of illusions,

For the guiding light in our hearts.