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.

Bards of the Wind

From town to town they traveled,

Face to face and soul to soul,

Spreading words of life they heard,

To where they come and go.

Carrying the song in their hearts,

The played the notes to share the news,

To keep the towns as one together,

To share their joys or their blues.

The times may change but not the tempo,

Souls drawn together through sounds of strings,

Sometimes words just lack the power,

When music can say most anything.

Through time our skills have grown,

To share most anything far and wide,

Yet all this would lead to silence,

If hearts forget how to confide.

Looking out onto horizons,

Storm clouds building everywhere,

Amidst all fear and confusion,

It seems that people just don’t care.

And yet music carries the message,

Sung fully by bards of the wind,

The road to tomorrow begins today,

It is through love we can begin.

For Valerie

 Where today passes into yesterday we stand,

Where the story ends with the book closed we stand,

Yet each life is but a story in song,

And there is no song that truly ends.

A mother and a daughter and a wife,

A flower amongst flowers in the garden,

A friend and a comfort to many hearts,

Leaving an imprint on each soul with her smile.

We live a life amidst illusions in this world,

The greatest being that life has an end,

Yet the heart is a window unto forever,

Seeing the truth of love that never ends.

May her life shine through every heart she touched,

While her touch unforgotten continues to shine on,

The warmth of love will keep us and guide us,

For love has no beginning and no end.

Behind the Mask

 In the day or night surrounding,

Expressionless faces confounding,

On every street and corner,

Six feet away,

Both night and day,

Protecting our neighbors in health,

Protecting our hearts from contact.

 

Another stage in the game,

Colors of life fading plain,

Distancing form others,

Focused on ourselves,

Into our needs we delve,

Forgetting the greatest treasures,

Are walking the streets with us.

 

Looking deep into the past,

We hear the love of those who laughed before,

Look into eyes of those behind the mask,

Join hearts and lives together once more.

 

Someone has a problem before me,

What does that have to do with me?

This is a question of destruction,

Pulling lives further away,

When together we need to stay,

Taking this for the chance it really is.

 

Imagination is truly the key,

For all of our lives to be free,

In spite of the times upon us,

To reach out from behind the mask,

To form human bonds that last,

Redefining all it means to live. 

 

Looking deep into the past,

We hear the love of those who laughed before,

Look into eyes of those behind the mask,

Join hearts and lives together once more.

 

What you do is up to you,

You can change the world that's true,

Whatever the mask may be,

One of culture or of color,

Yet we are the same as every other,

Finding meaning of life in the world.

 

Nothing is impossible,

If your heart wants it to be possible,

That's how dreams become real,

From the heart into light of day,

Creation has so many ways,

Yet the eyes behind the masks are on you.

 

 

Looking deep into the eyes,

You can see the life who stands before you,

Heart of the one behind the mask,

You can touch that soul with good once more.

Equations of the Heart

Mathematics is a language,

Transcending mere numbers,

The feelings we embrace,

Are equations of the heart.

With factors beyond numbers,

And emotions beyond words,

The language of love,

Is a mystery from the start.

Poets and philosophers,

Wiseman and sages,

Muses and musicians,

Have struggled to find words.

Through all their efforts,

Volumes of pages,

The true depths of love,

Remain to be heard.

Words are imperfect,

Yet have such importance,

Holding the power,

Over life and the world.

To convey the unspeakable,

Ideas and emotions,

Bringing dreams to reality,

Creation unfurled.

We stumble in stride,

To clarify confusions,

To proclaim our love,

Through the night and the day.

Weaving heartfelt equations,

Through wisdom of feeling,

We grow closer together,

When love is the way.

Love’s Sweet Refrain

Love is a mystery,

Because to give is to gain,

Love is a mystery,

No joy without pain,

There is nothing more real,

Nothing better to feel,

And the truth to life,

Is you must hurt to heal.

The only road from darkness,

Leading to light,

Love is the way,

To make everything right.

The years do pass,

Taking their toll,

But a youthful smile,

Restores the soul.

Love’s sweet refrain,

Can heal any pain,

And with just a smile,

We are young again.

The only road from darkness,

Leading to light,

Love is the way,

To make everything right.

Our souls at times feel,

Without a hope,

Wondering where to turn,

And how to cope.

Dispelling any fear,

One may hold near,

Exchanging lies for truth,

Holding life sincere.

The only road from darkness,

Leading to light,

Love is the way,

To make everything right.

Pain leads to anger,

And anger to loss,

Which makes the heart empty,

Too high of a cost.

Our cups will always be filled,

Our hearts always thrilled,

For when others come first,

God’s love is fulfilled.

The only road from darkness,

Leading to light,

Love is the way,

To make everything right.

The Rock

 

His hands were dirty and sweaty,

Yet he was strong like no other,
He was the head of the family,

Standing tall with my mother.

The guide of my hand,

He held tight to mine with his heart,

In his wisdom and love,

By his side I found my start.

 

The Rock taught me how to stand,

Face my fears and my joys in the light,

The Rock showed me life's a great plan,

Which gave me the strength to stand and fight.

 

The years did add to my height,

As love and pain taught my heart to live,

Yet even when there was not much,

From him I learned how to give.

 Not the perfect man,

He was perfect for my mother and me,

When the world gave only shadows,

He taught my heart to see.

 

The Rock taught me how to stand,

Face my fears and my joys in the light,

The Rock showed me life is a great plan,

Which gave me the strength to stand and fight.

We have watched the years together,

Both with his children and mine,

Generations can grow strong,

Within love and passing of time.

No day the same,

We each would find something new,

Guiding my heart in this way,

Is the way love did shine as it grew.

 

The Rock taught me how to stand,

Face my fears and my joys in the light,

The Rock showed me life is a great plan,

Which gave me the strength to stand and fight.

 

There came a day his hand grew frail,

Knowing all stories have their time,

Now I was to be his rock,

With his hand secure in mine.

Time never ends,

For in love there is no goodbye,

I lean strongly on the Rock of Ages,

Until the day when our souls will fly.

The Rock gave us all His great plan,

Giving vision with his love and light,

For all our hearts will unite again,

Beyond the veil of endless night.

Hands were dirty and sweaty,

Yet strong like no other,
Head of the family,

One with my mother,

The guide of my hand,

He held with his heart,

In his wisdom and love,

I found my start.

In the fears of my youth,

The Dream That Never Ends

He stood by the ocean,

Where he held her hand,

So many years ago,

By the ocean,

Where she sailed away,

And her boat came back alone.

For so many years,

He has held her,

Safe within his heart,

For so many years,

He has loved her,

Since the day they did part.

For she knew his soul,

Like no other,

 Thoughts and feelings within,

She felt his pain,

And his joys,

For she held his heart within.

Upon this island,

Their hearts did sing,

As the two became one,

Upon this shore,
More than anything,
Love joined them under the sun.

He lived and loved,
Throughout the years,
Having a full and joyous life,
Yet to this island,
His heart returned,
To whom he dreamed would be his wife.

Amidst the trees,
He hears her laughter,
The music that was her own,
Amidst the trees,
Upon this island,
He never walks alone.

Upon Ocracoke,
His silent memories,
Suddenly become alive,
Upon this island,
With her soul,
His heart becomes alive.

Feeling a presence,
While on this beach,
He once knew in this place,
He turned to look,
And his joy returned,
As he suddenly saw her face.

They held each other,
An eternal instant,
Then they walked hand-in-hand,
Yet behind them,
He saw himself,
Asleep upon the sand.

To find one‘a soulmate,
Is a miracle,
A heart that God does send,
Changing the pain,
On the path of life,
Into a dream that never ends.

The Beauty of Forever

I think a fisherman knew,

God up above,

He said “There is no goodbye,

There is only love“,
For no hearts can be separate,
That meet but a second,
Sharing a smile,
A laugh,
Anything for another.

A person risks loss,
For the chance of gain,
So no one can love,
Without risking pain,
No fire in the furnace,
Leaves just a void,
Cold and dark,
A heart,
Knows only sorrow.

A tethered heart,
Can never fly,
Like a wing clipped bird,
Just yearning to try,
With sky forgotten,
So is life’s purpose,
The sky’s freedom,
Is traded,
For the cage of fear.

We have but these hours,
To hold and to love,
What hearts bind here,
Stay bound in heaven above,
Goodbye is just a word,
Love’s treasure is never lost,
And with each embrace,
We expand,
The beauty of forever.

Yet Another Sunrise

Yet another sunrise,

Where are we going?

What are we knowing?

When nothing feels the same,

An unfamiliar game,

Pandemic of late,

With epidemic of hate,

Yet who we are today,

Is an all we do or say.

Confusion,

Illusion,

Doubt and fear,

Far and near,

Peace,

Joy,

Love abounds,

Though hard to see,

Easily found.

Close your eyes,

To see the light,

For just the heart,

Commands true sight,

The birds proclaim,

Another day,

Their song has purpose,

Reminding the heart,

To find the way.

With every sunrise,

We are tasked to paint,

Our joys and hopes,

Imagination’s gate,

Receiving a canvas,

With each new day,

And colors of love,

With which to say,

What we give to tomorrow.

Different Shades of Human

I have never truly met,

A person black or white,

With skin the tone of paper,

Or color of the night,

We are all a little different,

In this we are the same,

Keeping life of interest,

We are all in this game.

The only true colors,

Are found within the heart,

All who would hurt another,

Filled with darkness from the start,

We cannot write a wrong,

With torches ablaze,

Only with the fire of love,

Can our hearts escaped this maze.

We are different shades of human,

Underneath the sun,

Yet without a shade of love,

The game is all but done.

Anger is a circumstance,

Hatred is a crime,

Souls are all eternal,

Feelings are sublime,

Love will bind souls,

Beyond life or death,

In the history of humans,

Only love has passed the test.

We cannot survive battles,

Thinking only of ourselves,

It is only in each other,

God has given us true wealth,

As the night sky is needed,

For the stars to shine bright,

Together with our differences,

We will make this world right.

We are different shades of human,

Underneath the sun,

Yet without a shade of love,

The game is all but done

What we share is in the silence,

Without words,

Have you heard?

For it cost nothing but a smile,

For a while,

No denial,

For time is but a gift,

To share from the heart.

Our days are shared as one,

Just together,

Any weather,

There is no true need in life,

But love,

From above,

In just a patch of sunlight,

The warmth of this shines true.

I know you feel this too,

As you purr,

Through your fur,

And your feelings see the heart,

Without words,

That you heard,

In my eyes you see the truth of love.

Magic Window

I was recently intrigued looking at Audrey Hepburn photographs.

She never looked at the camera, she looked beyond the camera to see us.

What is a photograph,
An idea in the present,
An image in the past,
A moment captured,
Forever held,
A window through time.

She did not see the camera,
Looking beyond,
Looking past the photographer,
Looking past the device,
Looking into our hearts,
She saw you and me.

She turned a skill and a gift,
Into a way to share love,
Love multiplied,
Love shared among many,
Love magnified,
To our hearts from hers.

Time teaches us illusions,
Teaching she is not here,
While love teaches differently,
Knowing no bounds of time,
Nor life or death,
Knowing she feels our love.

We learn from her eyes,
Looking for the good in us,
We look for the good in others,
Bringing joy as natural as hers,
As we learn to share love,
Beyond time and space.

Her heart learned from us,
Thinking she was just a girl,
Yet one heart can change the world,
Our world changed through her,
She showed that we can do the same,
Through the window of love.

The Nameless Face

A dear friend of ours found this image among old family pictures, but nobody knows who she was.
From that moment this face looking through the faded window of time intrigued me.

There she is,
Looking to her future,
Which was long within our past.
She wondered then,
As we wonder now,
What can really last.

A nameless face,
Across the place of time,
A longing and a life.

Faded photo,
Tattered and torn,
Yet beauty prevails in strife.

Here so short,
To live our lives,
And then we go away.

What we have done,
And who we loved,
What remains to say?

Once we share,
Our lives and joy,
Our lives and joy,
That never goes away.

Forever part,
Of other hearts,
Beyond the final day.

Loves tapestry,
Once woven,
Can never be undone.

A light that shines,
Through life and death,
To outshine the sun.

Whoever she was,
Wherever she is,
She was once begotten.

Our souls living,
Forever in love,
Can never be forgotten.

Tears in the Rain

In sharing we keep moments from being lost,

like tears in the rain.

We are the sum of what we do,

All we see and all we say,

What we have tasted and what we have seen,

Storms weathered and sunsets serene,

All of our laughter and all of our pain,

When we are gone lost like tears in the rain.

What is real except for the soul?

Flowing like a river far beyond the horizon,

While buildings will crumble our souls stand strong,

Kept warm from within by the fireplace of love,

A tapestry of visions and love,

We each paint our canvas given from above.

Where my tapestry ends yours begins,

Our souls connect through both eyes and embrace,

Each one on a quest finding meaning in place,

Making the things we share go on forever,

Lit by the passion in each other’s eyes,

To live on forever beyond Heaven’s skies.

What Is

Where is what is,

When we are blinded by the night,

Only seeing what is present,

In today’s sunlight?

Yesterday is hidden,

From the perception of our eyes,

While today is but a moment,

Underneath the passing skies.

We leave our homes each morning,

To battle windmills in the fields,

Though we can not see them,

Our homes remain real.

We find our homes again,

At the start of every night,

Though not visible in the distance,

They are found by faith’s light.

God‘s vision does not need,

The suns imperfect rays,

All our days are clear before him,

His heart sees clear always.

Our hearts feel those gone before,

As if they were here today,

For the truth through time’s illusion,

Is they never went away.

Standing on this ancient ground,

Where the Padres raised their prayers,

Their voices heard with ours,

For the mission is still there.

All things past and future,

Are seen as one from up above,

And time’s illusion falls away,

When we see through love.

Life‘s moments pass,

Like laughter on the wind,

Like tears in the rain,

Like a wave upon the sand.

Captured within the heart,

Inhaled with every breath,

Writing words upon our souls,

Adding fire to our light.

These moments can be lost,

Like in a book that’s never opened,

With words upon each page,

Yet buried in the sand.

These moments become eternal,

When written on other hearts,

With our words and actions,

Written by love’s hand.

It is within the sharing,
We have the power to change the world,
For it only takes a spark,
To light the greatest flame.
With just a single word,
A heart can change forever,
That heart can change the world,
Though we did like the flame.

The greatest stone structures,
That mankind has created,
Will wither into dust,
Through the winds of time.
What we build in other souls,
Which stand here but walk eternal,
Are the monuments of living,
From hearts like yours and mine.

The Breath of Love

Where do you find the answers,

When the one you love has gone?

You awake not finding the world,

The sun rises on a different land,

Out of place and out of time,

When the one you love has gone.

There is no reckoning with reason,

Death does not choose a season,

A special day unhonored,

With patience in time,

The sun rises on another day,

Then the one we love is gone.

Love defeats the boundaries of death,

Binding hearts with light,

Through the veil of this world to reality,

With every tear and smile,

Revealing the truth of God,

Binding us eternally in his soul.

No one we love is gone,

Love is undeniable like the sunrise,

Love surrounds us like the air,

Coursing through us like blood,

Shining light from our hearts,

Because there is only love.