Simon Says…

Get this bread. Fill your head.

Love endlessly. Laugh often.

Nail the coffin shut. Strut

your stuff. Call their bluff.

Say anything except “but”.

Find different ways to

fill your cup. Look up to

your friends, not your foes.

Survive the lows and enjoy

the highs. Become surprised.

Live through your own eyes.

Don’t wait until they dry.

It won’t last if you go faster.

Slow down in times of disaster.

No need to talk when you can

listen to the voices you have

been missing. Enjoy this time

as death will, one day, take

both you and me away.

Time on Earth

For what it’s worth,
let’s have the best
time we can on earth.
Life flashes by like
a dragonfly. Time
is beside us, and life
is inside us. Invisible
clocks tick. tick. tick.
The circle of life is
visible at night. We
count stars and sheep
from time to time.
Most of the time,
we lose count and
drift away. Days
grow wings and fly,
yet memories stay.
Life, as we know it,
is a gift: a present
to use in the future.
Our time on earth
will drive our souls
to meet unmet goals.

The Haunting

Haunted by voices, the only child sees
shadows pass by. When he closes
his eyes, he can still see the demons
haunting him. Noise fills the still air.
Haunted by those who won’t leave,
he stays up all night. One night,
the only child hears his name being called.
Afraid and awake, he walks toward
the voice calling his name. He gets
close enough to see a ballpoint pen
lodged between a blank journal.
The only child picks up the pen, filling
up the blank pages. He writes, “I’m not
real” over and over. The voices stop,
and the shadows disappear. The only
child closes the journal, then the curtains
are thrown open. The shining light
illuminates his transparent face.
The light shines right through.
Surrounded by life, the only child sees
his future then jumps into the past. It felt
so real for him. He almost forgot, he was
a lurking shadow, once alive and well.
The only child visits the blank journal
now and again to encounter memories
once made, remembered, and forgot.

Unplugged

Back in the day, kids found a way
to play until the sun vanished.
Kids knew how to enjoy each other
in some of the worst weather.
Kids weren’t static. They moved
about: looking for adventures.
Technology has evolved into a
monster that can’t be conquered.
Not all can see it. Those plugged
in will never see it for what it is.
Trapped, torn, and born into
a life of phones, computers,
and smart cars that know
where we are – where we been:
life has never been the same.
Impossible to break free, try to
think of ways to rid yourself of
the hypnotic spell once cast.
If you are plugged in, find time
to get to the source and pull
out the cord. Unplug and see
your life just how you looked
at these words. Take a break
from screens stealing the time
that we never seem to find.

Ruins

Many years ago, there were cities, statues, cathedrals, pyramids,
and buildings made of bamboo, sand, clay, plaster, cobblestone,
blood, sweat, and tears. Lives were lost at the cost of these
creations. Not one worker knew the magnitude nor the attitude
that followed their construction. Even after their destruction,
they stood the test of time. Time has passed, yet the history lasts.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,
the Statue of Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse
of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, and the Mausoleum
of Halicarnassus tell us a story: a tragic story of life and death
and how they finally met. Now, what we have has been ruined
to no one’s fault. What is left is a gift from those before us.
We must appreciate old ruins before they all turn to dust.