A thought?

Upon a bitter dream we live

A mountain echo we become

A shadow of what once we were

With nothing left to give

We stand upon a silent shore

The sea gulls lofted high above

In daydream stance we idle there

While the world we all ignore

But soon we're called to wakefulness

To strange sights never seen before

We fight and struggle mightily

But still we fail the test

For dream worlds always have their place

And often times we must escape

To rest our tired and weary minds

And slow our driving haste

But always we must ready be

For life is full of twists and turns

And any road we're forced to take

Cannot be driven idly

The City of Gold

In these days of irresponsible government and corporate actions, I offer a word of warning.

There once was a city of gold

In the days of the great legends, old

It had wealth everywhere

And no one could compare

With this city, or so I've been told

The bank vaults were filled to the top

And the incoming wealth would not stop

For the industry grew

And the profits did, too

A product made here did not flop

Soon the city was blocked by the stash

And it littered the streets just like trash

"What can we do,"

Cried the governing few,

"To get rid of this cluttering cash?'

They decided to hand out the gold

To the citizens, both young and old

Soon the city streets shown

'Cause the money was gone

It's the truth, or so I've been told

The gold city cound not survive

When the great industry could not thrive

With no work to call

Industry had to stall

And the city of gold had to die

The wealthy townsfolk moved away

They had no reason, at all, now to stay

With their handouts they skipped

From the city they'd stripped

And the gold city faded away

Now the city of gold lives today

In the legends passed down through the age

Handouts are no more

In this city of lore

And the government is in decay

In this day and time, news reports often push an agenda rather than the truth. The thought that true and accurate reporting is a responsibility, not a whim, has been forgotten by the mainstream media. Good news is seldom reported and bad news has often been distorted to influence public opinion. I offer this thought:

"Peace on earth and goodwill toward men,"

The angel was heard to say.

The message, alas, has now been lost,

Discarded along the way.

Man is on a mission from which he won't turn,

A mission too much in demand

As he works and strives for better ways

To kill his fellow man.

Is all our hope gone in this fast paced world?

Have things worked out for our good?

Could we right the things that we know are wrong

If we did the things we should?

Or are we all doomed to our selfishness

As we rush headlong into the day?

And are we not guilty of stabbing wounds

When we dont watch the things we say?

Answers don't come from the TV set

Or from the writer's pen.

The angel said, "Peace on earth,

Peace and goodwill toward men."

Life

Life isn't full of red roses in bloom
It is not a game won by chance
And nothing worthwhile is ever done
If left to happenstance

Bumps on life's roadway aren't smoothed with a wish
And mountains aren't climbed by a dream
An effort is needed for things great and small
And all of those things in between

Never a job will be started and done
If you think that you do not know how
But everything takes on a satisfied hue
With a measure of sweat on the brow