I still hear a vocal command,
"Get out from under that bed!"
They'd put a lock on the closet;
I had few places left to go.
Remembering childhood fears
and the maple tree where I was
out of their mind behind the garage.
Yes I may smile
But after a while
Maybe someone will see
This will never be me
Yes in fact
Its all an act
I am not happy
I am not proud
Im sad on the ground
Dying through a smile
Hidden on trial
The struggle so big
But no one to dig
Me out of this ditch
Please someone tell me its a glitch
And I really may be
One day
Me.
(“Nonbinary”, 2023, original encaustic)
Who Are The Good Guys?
It’s a simple question and obvious assumption
But the “good guys” are always “us”
And not them.
And yet all around us, all the time
We see people changing sides
Growing up, becoming wiser, or more corrupt
But making a change, a conversion, a choice
To be themselves in new ways, or sometimes
Just their same old ways as others change.
But the assumption that we are always right
Yet in need of more skill in being right
Is what holds us back from something more.
And that something more
Is what awaits when all distinctions
Of us and them dissolve.
The ultimate OBE, not just out-of-body
But out of mind
And so, Samsara as well.
And when we are so delivered, what do we find?
Peace and spaciousness
And the face of the sacred, in everyone we see.
(11/23/24)
I lost a friend; Jason really loved his gin.
One night while he was on a binge.
He walked off into the deep end,
now no one has ever seen Jason again.
I lost a friend; his life was his duffle sack.
One day he headed to Iraq.
I didn’t know him when he came back,
well I guess Billy’s mind slipped right off its track.
I lost a friend; his name was old Stan the Man.
Spent two tours in Afghanistan.
Survived bullets and scorching heat,
just to come home and get shot down in the street.
I lost a friend; lived in a house on the hill.
Had two kids and a bag of pills.
One day they found her on the floor,
she’s not going to need those pills anymore.
I lost some friends; I only think about them.
Oh, once in a while, now and then.
Don’t want to seem harsh or unkind,
but as they say, they’re out of sight, out of mind.
You know that life is a very fickle thing.
Make the best of what it might bring.
We’re just a bright flash ‘cross the screen,
before we can blink… we’re just a memory.
He was so very lonely in the cold,
resigned to live a life that we have never known,
below the city lights where eyes don't wish to see,
in a world that is ... but it should never be.
He had so, so many dreams when he was young,
but fate would reach and crush and break them one by one,
'til hope had turned to tears until he cried no more;
pieces of his world lie scattered on the floor.
How could I pass him by with barely just a glance,
not even wishing life would gift a second chance,
but I was very late for dinner on that day -
besides, I had to go, I had to get away ...
T
i
m
e
O
u
t
o
f
M
i
n
d
Time
life’s pendular
ever–present
moment
arcs across
the frozen face
of place.
©5/20/2017
submitted to – Pendulum of Time and Place – Poetry Contest
I'm scared
I'm scared
No music is here
This is where lives have played
Played out the last laugh
Played out a last cry
You can see it their cold eyes
You can hear it in their silent cries
That taste in the stale air of lost love and lost lives
Fading Images of good times
Sharp Images of bad times
Smothered in lost dreams
Echoes of sorrowful screams
Spirit's running scared, soul's running blind
What's left here is existence - existence out of mind...
I'm scared
I'm scared.
Does the motto out of sight out of mind really work
Yes it does due to the fact you don't think about something or someone who's a jerk,
As long as there is no constant reminder for you to see
Your thoughts are good and the bad doesn't exist and you feel free,
Out of sight out of mind
Reminds you to always be kind,
Not seeing also helps give you great thoughts
Even when you have to face this again just don't get bought,
A human can get to someone in many ways
And they enjoy it this and will do it for days,
Their psyche is not all together
So just be careful when coming across these humans because they are tough as leather,
They are tough and mean and want to get even
Always remember God is there for you so keep believing.
Written By: Unique Poetry 2015
I thought of you today
I never imagined I would
Out of sight out of mind
Or so I hoped
You flew
You grew
You were too close to the sun
I thought I told you
Not to fall
Fall to the ground
Out of sight
Out of mind
But always so close to my still beating heart
Your memory burns into my soul
Forgotten laughs
Secrets still kept
Ideas we had
Plans we had made
Where are they now?
Those dreams we shared?
Out of sight
Out of mind
But I know this for sure
Your memory burnt into my soul
Will never truly be forgotten
Only hidden to protect my broken heart
While you are out of sight
And out of mind
You are never too far away
And I believe that those far from sight
Will be waiting
One day
Arms open wide
Out of sight
Out of mind
Still close to heart
You were my sun in light
And my moon at night
Your enticing eyes I couldn’t resist or fight
You had taken away all my will and might
But now you are away and out of sight
And what is out of sight, is out of mind!
You charm me for days with words you text
Then I'm completely ignored, left feeling perplexed
Maybe you're afraid that we're moving with haste
But totally ignoring me leaves me with a bitter taste
If you need your space then kindly inform me so
I have a life and other places I can go
Consideration and communication are high on my list
Please don't make me feel like for days I don't exist
When I'm with you it's a completely different story
I'm like a rare flower basking in your glory
Attentive and captivating you make me feel unique
Maybe part of the allure is your baffling mystique
We all seem to want what we can not possess
But a relationship without time will not be a success
So when I'm out of sight..... keep me in your mind
Or you may find yourself single, for I will leave you behind!
I am so run down
My feet are draggin' on the ground
I have no rhythm, no rhyme
You took my heart, but left me behind
Now that you are gone, I am lost
Never knew how much that would cost
You held me close all these years
You let me drown in my own tears
No life jacket, you didn't even throw me a line
Now I wander aimlessly, out of mind
It's been three years since I last saw you
Your whereabouts unknown, you left no clues
My heart has hardened, my feelings are numb
I look in the mirror, at this stone wall I have become
Don't eve come back, never show your face
I have the freedom, I have my own space
I think about what could have been in due time
But then again, as the saying goes, out of sight out of mind
Alight on me, do you, once in every while.
Temerity of expectation, the answer is yes;
When snow falls on cedars in autumn,
Would the frost of your heart then melt, acquiesce?
Do you feel my ghost fingers sketch prints on your cheek,
Do you mis-recognise, and linger upon
Indulgence in psychic hide-and-seek?
Dwell on me, should you, at points in a day,
Uncertainty of supposition, the answer is no,
When sun sparks off gravel in summer
Would the feelings leave cinders in eyes set aglow?
Do you hold your cool breath like a kitten that dies,
Do you reminisce, from daydreams wake
To a misted haze of forgotten goodbyes?
Dream of me, could you, in the deep vault of night,
Clarity of dislocation, the truth be told,
When fog mows the lawn in winter
Would the wings of an angel constrict and enfold?
Can you feel my raw memories tug your sleeve,
Do you care too much, and then cry inside
For the times before I took my leave…?
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