Twilight - For Bob Seger

Dear Bob,

I doubt I could ever reach you, but I just wrote this right now to thank you and your band for last night in San Diego.

Eric

On a path toward the beginning,

We set out long ago,

Our experience in living,

Shapes a place we do not know,

As each sunrise brings a promise,

Of what the coming day will show.

Underneath the sky’s direction,

I start out on my day,

To unknown situations,

In which I don’t know what to say,

For a guiding hand upon me,

Within my heart I ask and pray.

Holding fast to wisdom’s tether,

On course through stormy weather,

To peaceful seas within the night,

After the day after the fight,

I find my sense of peace and meaning,

Within the shade of twilight.

We never choose to come here,

Though some may choose to go,

Through pages of life’s journey,

In each chapter we must grow,

Yet in understanding reasons,

There are things I will never know.

One thing I am certain of,

You are by my side,

Through laughter and the tears,

We hold on throughout the ride,

The love you taught and filled me with,

I only speak of with great pride.

Holding fast to wisdom’s tether,

On course through stormy weather,

To peaceful seas within the night,

After the day all seems right,

I find my peace and meaning in you,

Resting in the shade of twilight.

It is not an easy matter,

For us each to hold a flame,

Leaving no excuse for darkness,

As there is only us to blame,

For if any light lies hidden,

The results only bring us shame.

I have never known you more,

Then on each brand new day,

Always something more to show me,

For you something on the way,

Leaving love’s description,

With more and more words to say.

Holding fast to wisdom’s tether,

We do stay the course together,

To peaceful seas within the night,

In the glory of the stars’ delight,

Through the strength of love’s embrace,

Within the shade of twilight.

Here We Are

I chose an image of apparent loneliness to convey a truth.

We are never truly alone.

Right off to work,

We go from school,

To make our mark,

Apply the rules,

To get our fill,

We lost the thrill,

By sundown.

Along the path,

We lost our way,

Too hard to see,

Both night and day,

No clues to solve,

Our will dissolves,

Into the ground.

Souls are real,

That’s the deal,

Shining bright,

Day or night,

Near or far,

Together,

Here we are.

Life lights around me,

Some flicker and die,

Under the starlight,

I sit and wonder why,

They are all that’s real,

That is the deal,

Here on Earth.

Each soul a starlight,

On canvas of this world,

As through the darkness,

Our tiny planet hurls,

Chasing illusions,

Adding confusion,

From our birth.

Souls are real,

That’s the deal,

Shining bright,

Day or night,

Near or far,

Together,

Here we are.

There from beginning,

You set the sky on fire,

Love unending,

Strength that never tires,

You hold our lives,

We all will thrive,

In your hand.

You gave me others,

Faces fill my mind,

You gave each other,

So answers we can find,

Love through your Son,

Our hearts you have won,

By your plan.

Souls are real,

That’s the deal,

Shining bright,

Day or night,

Near or far,

Together,

Here we are.

Take My Hand

I wrote this for Madison Holleran in her memory back in 2015, after she jumped off of a parking garage near her school and ended her life.  In memory of her and others like her, none of us should pass an opportunity to reach in when another soul is reachinguu out and crying for help.  We are here for each other.

I saw you smile on the corner,

Just the other day,

It seemed you had the world in hand,

But your eyes had more to say.

You showed the world your best side,

Though you just wanted to cry,

And felt your soul could have freedom,

If only you could fly.

You think it all fell apart,

You think life will not stand,

You think you could not take the heat,

You did not have a plan.

Don’t say a word,

Don’t turn around,

Don’t walk away…

Just take my hand.

You asked the world to see you,

Because you are not feeling whole,

Their eyes are focused in places,

Where you will never find a soul.

The world is full of magic,

Your heart will see it if you try,

Your soul can feel that fire,

You can see it in my eyes.

You think it all fell apart,

You think life will not stand,

You think you could not take the heat,

You did not have a plan.

Don’t say a word,

Don’t turn around,

Don’t walk away…

Just take my hand.

When you look into the mirror,

You feel lost with what you see,

As you feel the gulf dividing,

What is and what should be.

You must trust the hearts that see you,

For only hearts can see things true,

Let the words of life paint your portrait,

So you may see yourself as new.

You think it all fell apart,

You think life will not stand,

You think you could not take the heat,

You did not have a plan.

Don’t say a word,

Don’t turn around,

Don’t walk away…

Just take my hand.

We are on this world together,

We are all that we have here,

Passing other’s pain for pleasure,

We will loose what’s true and dear.

Do not pass the torch of wisdom,

For we each must hold it high,

Earth’s true treasure is each heart’s measure,

Poured into another life.

You think it all fell apart,

You think life will not stand,

You think you could not take the heat,

You did not have a plan.

Don’t say a word,

Don’t turn around,

Don’t walk away…

Just take my hand.

For Uncle Sal

The book has closed,

But the story is open,

No character truly dies,

The last chapter closes,

The story never ends,

Our hopes raise to the sky.

Beyond which is Heaven,

Pierced by the stars,

Shining God’s love in the night,

Each soul as a star,

Burns on though our hearts,

So others may see the light.

His voice sounds within me,

His strength burns within,

His faith overcame all,

Though weak in the body,

He stayed strong in the spirit,

And always was standing tall.

A father and solider,

An uncle and a friend,

Touching many through his life,

Imperfectly human,

Perfectly God’s son,

And never overcome by strife.

We all gather to this flame,

A burning bright life,

Through us the story unfurls,

For we carry his light,

Within all of our hearts,

To shine throughout the world.

Death Cafe

 With my uncle on life support and in our prayers

I find my self sitting at a car wash, finding 

something to read, and coming across Death Cafe.
I have been walking the line between life and death
writing for and reaching out to many who have
lost loved ones.  The difficulty is how do you explore
something beyond the physical, when our senses
are limited to the physical?

When the heart stops beating,

There are no ears to hear,

No voice to share,

What eyes have not seen,

A shore beyond shores,

Which no ship can reach,

Where all sailors must go,

Embraced by the sea,

But the heart is not here,

Not a part of this world,

It is an organ of truth,

Which the spirit sees through,

And feels those we have lost,

For love is the tether,

Which binds beyond death,

Uniting every heart,

As there is never a start,

And never an ending,

For our hearts beat forever,

Which we explore in thought,

As we join in our journey,

At the Death Café.