How Did I Get Here
I swore an oath to protect and defend
But something went wrong with me in the end
I went through the training, completed it all
Finished with honors but started to fall
I was sent to a place that I’ve never been
Kill or be killed, even though it’s a sin
I struggled with faith, tormented and feared
That my trust in the Lord would soon disappear
Our cause was just and our cause was right
I heard over and over so continued to fight
But when I came home, I wasn’t the same
Something was different, for I surely changed
My manners were gruff, and I didn’t care
If I lived or I died for I had no fear
No fear of living, no fear of death
No fear of belonging to anything left
So, I took to the streets and there I remain
Not telling my story or giving my name
I keep to myself and solemnly pray
Hoping that God will just whisk me away
There are many like me who can’t deal with this pain
The struggles of war and the scars still remain
While the drugs and the whiskey help soothe our nerves
This isn’t the life a veteran deserves
Our Flag
When I think about our flag, I think of liberty
But If I asked a thousand souls, different answers there would be
If you could hear the voices of those who came before
To the ones who gave us freedom, this flag meant so much more…...
White was for the purity of a nation that was new
Not built upon innocence, but giving God His due.
Red was for the spirit, hardy to the core
Filled with pride and valor a Colony no more
Blue would be a symbol of justice for us all
A vigilant reminder that no one’s above the law
Thirteen stipes for colonies that fought for all the rights
And individual freedoms that we all hold so tight
The right for us to speak our minds and print it in the news
To worship a religion anyway we choose
The freedom to assemble the freedom to protest
And no, they were not perfect but strived to do their best
Last not least there were the stars what might they represent
Perhaps a perfect union, divine and heaven sent.
One nation under God all different but the same
Their flag stood for Freedom and that principle remains.
So, if you think about our flag and what it means to you
Please think about the stars and stripes the red, the white, the blue
But if you think unkindly of our flag, your right to do.
Diminished not are those who braved for “Our Flag” and you.
“A Binary World”
Life is mostly a binary choice
You can choose to rebel or choose to rejoice
There are only two states, or so it would seem
So, if you’re caught in the middle, you’re on nobody’s team
You’re either high or you’re low, it’s stop or go
I say there’s a God, but others say no
Black or white, day or night
How do you vote? For the left or the right
How did we ever get to a place
Where things often hinge on political taste
How do you choose between zero and one
Is it good for all, or just good for some
Life can be binary, that's so plain to see
But in this digital world, is that what we need
You see a ones’ not a one, without a reference in place
So, a one needs a zero, and reverse is the case
A one can be high if the reference is ground
And a high can be zero when it’s flipped upside down
It’s negative logic when a zero is high
It can be confusing, but keep this in mind
If a high is a zero, then zero is one
It's all about reference, now isn't this fun
The reference you see depends in the end
On the way that you're grounded in faith, family, and friends
We are all tiny bytes of life’s data bit streams
Sync'd and unsync'd, if you know what I mean
But why can't we live somewhere in the space
Between high and low, where transitions take place
If you dare to be bold and live in between
The highs and the lows and the crazy extremes
It’s there that you'll find as transitions occur
Peace in the middle and a world we can share
“The Wall”
Still unanswered after all these years
Forgotten, means unforgiving tears
Separate measures of faded scenes
A broken promise and broken dreams
Just a march in a golden field
To a drummer’s beat that would not yield
Brazen lads though forged of steel
Their innocence would be revealed
Silhouettes of faceless names to blame
While echoed voices off “The Wall” remain
They marched alone but rose as one
Many known as forgotten sons
Years to suffer the pain and grief
Tell me, who’s the reaper; who’s the thief
Carved in stone is a hero’s call
A sad reminder to us all
Remember
There is a thought we throw around
Sometimes carelessly
A promise to “remember”
Those who kept us free
We’ve honored them with songs and prayers
Poems and Holidays
Parades and wreaths and tiny flags
By the crosses where they lay
Through all their acts of valor
And the sacrifices made
I think that to “remember” them
Should also go this way
Remember them by living, the life they never could
And that their call to duty was for a greater good
Remember that our country, one nation under God
Was defended by those hero's against all enemies and all odds
So live your life with purpose
Love and dare to dream
And appreciate those patriots that long have kept us free
Do this in remembrance, do this everyday
And don’t just fly the Stars and Stripes on special Holidays
“Remember Everyday”
The Fourth of July
As I look outside my window at the houses on my street
The Stars and Stripes on full display for everyone to see
I truly love my neighbors, and they all love this land
We may sometimes disagree but still, we understand
What this nation stands for, how liberty was won
What the cost of freedom is for each and everyone
We stand here as Americans on this special day
And celebrate July the Fourth, our Independence Day
So put aside your bias, reach for your neighbors’ hand
And celebrate America, all across the land
Together we’re united, divided we will fall
We are the greatest nation, so stand and stand up tall
Celebrate your freedoms, learn all about our past
And Everyone who’s paid the price so, liberty can last
I have a friend we’ll call him Moe, a patriotic man
We are miles and miles apart on almost every stand
He leans a little (lol) to the left, and I lean to the right
Still, there’s much in common so, no politics tonight
We both served this Great Nation on the land and on the sea
And we are truly grateful for our Liberty
So, we drink a toast America from sea to shining sea
“May you always have the right to dream, to hope and to live free”
Regardless of your politics don’t forsake this day
For we all became Americans on Independence Day…………Celebrate with Pride!
A Thought About America
Life and treasure
Words to measure
A commitment to their pledge
They signed away the lives they made
For a new nation on the edge
A declaration to be heard
All across the land
To free ourselves from tyranny
And govern as we can
A perfect nation we weren’t born
But still, we strive to be
It’s such a great experiment
Our founders did conceive.
The Pickle Tax
There was a man who had a pickle
He bought it with a shiny nickel
His neighbor laughed and shyly asked
Is there such a thing as a pickle tax
Why yes there is said the man
Our leaders tax us on all they can
They tax our wage when we toil
They tax the food that we boil
They tax investments that we make
And inheritance at our wakes
They tax us all young and old
On things we’ve bought and things we’ve sold
They tax the rich and tax the poor
And things you own even more
Things you make or songs you write
If you sell a word they want a bite
They even tax you when you die
On all that’s left and that’s not a lie
And even though they had no hand
In everything they will demand
A small reprise or tax they say
For letting you live this way
The neighbor spoke as he hung his head
Enjoy that “Pickle” was all he said
Tiny Seed
From a tiny seed a mighty tree can grow
With strong and healthy branches that hither to and fro
Giving shade from sunlight and sometimes bearing fruit
Protecting us from windy storms
But only with good roots
Children are like trees you see
They start out as a seed
But if they are not nurtured
How can they succeed
They are just merely saplings reaching for the sun
And they will need your guidance when their branches have sprung
So, if you want to grow a tree or have a little one
Make sure your roots are deep and strong
Before the planting has begun.
The Great Divide
What’s it like to be in the middle
To take no sides to not be little
No left no right no party lines
Just hear the truth and then decide
But who can say what’s right or wrong
When greed and power string us along
We can’t trust the ones who say
The other side is corrupt today
So, if nothing pleases either side
We must have reached a compromise
It’s only then that we can see
And the great divide will cease to be