
Misery Doesn't Always Love Company
Mark A. McDonald
Copyright © 2009 by Mark A. McDonald.
Library of Congress Control Number:
2009911245
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-4415-9239-2
Softcover
978-1-4415-9238-5
978-1-4500-0401-5
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Contents
Change
My Mother's Chair
Why
Complacency
Thief
For You (Thanks to an employer)
Dance
Free
Red
Jackie
Relief
Consequence
Do You Really?
Just before Dawn
Siren
Discontent
Yesterday
Path
Elián
Drain
Drive
My Sovereignty, a dilemma
The Deciding Factor
FOE
Indifference
Forever
Traitor
My Shame
Faith
The Rose
Master of My Fate
Taint
Truth
Pain
Distress
Within
Race
The Only One
Advent
Esteem
Me
CAT
Eventually
The Person I Knew
My Fire
Average
Left, Right, Wrong?
How Can You, Mozart?
What Would You Say
Ode
Doubt
Closer
Life
We constantly wade through the toil and the strife
Where is my lighthouse, my guide
Life compromising!
Life unbecoming!
Life---I find you lacking!
But I digress . . .
"We must make an effort to implement positive changes in our lives
And not just sit and watch the days go by"
Change
Are you willing to, in your life
Facilitate change?
Are you willing to go through possible hardship
To earn its wage?
Or succumb to the crime of indifference
And invite its rage?
My Mother's Chair
I really enjoy sitting in this chair
It gives me such comfort
It gives me such peace
All chaos around me cease
Nothing gets to me, frustration the least
When I'm sitting in this chair
No matter how angry, malicious or negative I get
I sit back, I forget
I let my mind clear of all its ails
They all just dissipate in the air
All the worries, all the fear
Because of this chair!
Its wonderful color, with dirt and stain
Troubles try to overtake me---they try in vain
If I could only stay a while longer
Only remain
In this chair, my mother's wonderful chair.
Why
If on man we could rely
If only on his word, his honor, we could go by
We can't, why?
It is not that everything done, spoken, implied is a lie
But man is oriented unfortunately, to watching his fellowman fail, even die
One has to be exceptional, not necessarily good but at least better
Or even try
And we can't, why?
We live in a world in which good people are greeted with suspicion
Suspense
Where is truth when we need it to stand in our defense?
Hypocrites, chameleons, no one to trust, a true offense!
You would think that such an intelligent species would have more sense . . .
Yet we do not, why?
Isn't it good to know we can be set straight?
Choose other options besides envy, bigotry, hate?
But a lot of us are going to give in too late
Still harboring the same old habits
But wait
If on both sides these forces reign so great
To what or whom, will we finally relate?
We get love, unity, peace
And all we have to do is forsake malice, hate
Yet we can't, why?
Can you tell me?
"If you have something to do to better yourself
To create a better tomorrow
Do it now!
Don't procrastinate
At least life is pointing you in a particular direction"
Complacency
So many gone before me
Have been lost along the way
So many, some bad, some better than me
Their lives have dwindled away
Some fell into undesirable company
Some their environment was too rocky
But I seem to have landed on fertile clay!
But I have to grow
I have to flourish
I have to bear fruit
I have to nourish
But first I have to die!
But I'm comfortable with this life
I don't want it to vanish
Yet it seems I have no choice
It has begun to diminish
I'm holding on too long to this lie
For things to get better
I have to die
But I'm afraid of the unknown
I'll lie down, I'll try
But what do I know---I'm just a seed!
Thief
To be a thief wouldn't that be neat
Steal, steal, easy and neat, sweet?
I don't think so
Me? I'd never get caught, never
The cops would be too dumb to catch me, catch me? Never, ever?
I don't think so
Alright, so I got caught
It was those stupid idiots, it wasn't my fault!
But hey I'm not worried, the judge can't make nothing stick
If only these stupid cops stop annoying me, especially that pig, that . . . @#&!
I've never been sent to prison, and I never will
I'll get off, you just wait and see
What with my amazing abilities, with my skills?
I don't think so.
God damn! I'm in prison!
Why didn't I pay attention to my lawyer, that stupid judge!
Why didn't I listen?
No! No! I'm not going in there!
YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!
NO! LET ME GO YOU PIG! NO, LET ME GO---ah man---
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO HIT ME!!
Alright, alright I messed up, please give me another chance
I'll change my ways
GET YOURSELF TOGETHER BOY!
TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A MAN!
DIDN'T YOU KNOW THAT crime doesn't pay
Hey look! Fresh meat! Well what do you know---
HELLO BABY!
Guard, was that big guy talking to me . . .
Huh?
Answer me
ANSWER ME!
Maybe
Son, it's simple, you break the law you pay
Think about it son, we're doing you a favor
The direction you were going
In a few years you might have been dead anyway!
Oh yeah? I'm going to get all of you!
That's what you think!
That's what I know!
With that kind of attitude young man . . .
I don't think so.
"Happy is the man who is employed in something he enjoys
Wouldn't it be perfect without these distractions called Bills?"
For You (Thanks to an employer)
No matter the complaints I hear
The sounds of discontent
The glimmers of fear
Whether it's justified
Whether it's true
I'm thankful to God
For you.
Without your accomplishments, your dreams
None of us would be here
Yes, employment we would have found
Although we don't know where
But to get a chance at a better life
Something better, worthwhile to do
I'm thankful to God
For you.
Sure we could have been better
Or we could have been worse
Will time pass judgment
By the size of one's purse?
If only we could just be concerned
With the here and now
Do our best, help each other out
And be thankful for what tomorrow allows
One day, we might see some of our dreams come true
But until then, I'm thankful to God
For you
One's true path in life is sometimes clear
Most of us are oblivious to it, don't even care
I'm thankful you found yours, despite pain or strife
I'm thankful that you and your company are a part of my life.
Dance
Dance for me
Dance some more
Turn me on
Capture me in your stare
Torture me, I don't care
Just don't say you're gone
Show me what I want to see
Come deep, deep inside me
Deep and long
I'm yours, at least for a while
To you I belong
How ironic
Or is it pathetic?
I think I'll go home now
Later.
Free
When shall we be free
Truly free?
Do we act
Stand proud and
Take the initiative, or
Just wait and see?
Black person?
Human?
Red
Red and white
What a sight
Too bad it's just a fantasy
Moving to the left then
To the right
Room barely void of light
Harkening the conveyor of ecstasy
Stares falling on empty eyes
The beautiful smile
The beautiful lies
I love you.
Love
The "Holy Grail" of relationships,
Be it myth or true
To find that someone who makes you feel so wonderful inside
When they say "I love you" . . .
"Tend your garden with all the care and love you can give
Give each flower the greatest chance of being all it can be"
Jackie
Beautiful flower
On this long lost day
Your frail, wondrous petals
Have started to fade away
Although the splendor of your bloom isn't visible now
Fantastic flower, your demise I shan't allow!
I know now what I must do
The care, the love that must be given to you
You only get one chance to show the world your light
In this endless night
So bloom, beautiful flower bloom with all your might!!
Do not succumb to winter's merciless cold
Let only tales of your warmth, beautiful flower, o'er the eons be told!
Tales that will never get old!
Relief
She called today
Set aright my troubled mind that had gone amiss
My mind, which was painfully caught
In the gears of this gigantic mechanism
We refer to as life
But she did call
And now everything is better.
"Some actions are worth the possible consequences
No matter how much you put yourself in harm's way
Love is one such action"
Consequence
Head first
That's the way I always do it
At least lately anyway
Head first
Not contemplating the possible outcomes
Of my actions
Regardless of
The consequences
Once bitten, twice shy?
Not so!
At what age did this author write that anyway?
Did he or she, go through all of life's
Possible situations?
I unfortunately, have proven it incorrect
Is it better
To not have loved at all
Than to have loved and lost?
Or is it healthy to, every once in a while
Put your emotions through the wringer?
Do You Really?
You say you love me
Yet you thrust into my heart a blade
Twisting it, turning it, leaving my trust betrayed
The reasons why, I cannot see
Yet you stare and
You say you love me?
You say you love me
So why forego all my years of sacrifice
Was all my pain not worth the price?
From your father and me, you hide things so carefully
Then you stare and
Say you love me?
O if I could repay the debt
Take back all the tears that have been wept
I would do things better, do things differently
You person in the mirror, why do you stare
And
Say you love me?
Just before Dawn
I know you're out there
Somewhere trying to hide from me
This darkness, I shall have no fear
I'll toil just a little while longer
I know you will not forsake me
O Dawn
It's now the darkest night
But when you return all will be right
Come to me now
Brighten my life, my day, somehow
Don't forget me
O Dawn.
Passion
I remember how I used to feel
Those innocent moments I used to steal . . .
"So wonderful, this voyage we call life
She's so beautiful, what a lovely voice
So lovely
Oh no! Where did those rocks come from?
We're going to crash! Take evasive action . . ."
Siren
Sing to me
Again
Unleashing passions in me
Thought long ago released
Stirring up emotions in me
Thought long ago deceased
My siren of resurrection
Bringing about emotional insurrection
This shouldn't be happening
It seems so unreal
But I love the way
You make me feel!
Sing to me
Again.
Discontent
I'm very happy I met her
I'm very sorry I met her
I'm happy I spoke to her
I never should have said a word to her
Isn't it funny that the only hope for happiness
In my life
Lies within the embrace of
Another man's wife?
Yesterday
Yesterday
I felt as if the world was mine
Felt passion so sensual, so divine
Living a life that should be lived by
Only the most deserved of men
Experiencing pleasure again and again
Yesterday
My emotions were racing wild
Emanating with the innocence of a newborn child
My heart was pounding quite heavily within my chest
My heart reigned among romances greats; Lord Byron, Shakespeare
Among the best
Yesterday
Was everything I experienced real?
Or am I destined to develop wounds that will never heal?
How long will these feelings I have last?
Or are they ordained to, once more, collect dust in my past?
Today
I feel good because of
Yesterday
Tomorrow
I'll worry about, sometime later
But not now.
Hardship
The challenges in life we must face
The pain, as a result, we cannot erase . . .
Path
Where do I go now
Which path do I take
What a horrible feeling
Finding out that I'm mediocre
I have no life to give
Because I'm living a lie
I have no life to take
Because I'm afraid to die
I hate my life---Oh I forgot
What life!
So comfortable, yet
So hard
I seem to move forward an inch
Only to plummet back a yard!
"Are we so much different from our forefathers?
From our founding fathers?
Sad to say but
I think so"
Elián
What are you willing to die for?
Give your life in return for?
Maybe your country
The land of your birth
Is the quest for its freedom
Your life's worth?
Would you fight for the right
For your children to be free?
Or would you turn and run away
Live to fight another day
To somewhere else, maybe overseas?
Why should I die, risk my health
My new opportunities, my new found wealth?
When my child can be free at someone else's expense?
Something to think about? God bless America!!
"For every attempt we make in life we put ourselves at risk
Of being disappointed
So what do we do, stop trying?
No!"
Drain
How many times can one take
Disappointments drain?
What's left inside after being let down
Again and again?
Sooner or later I imagine time will take its toll
Then only a cold lifeless shell of a man will remain
I can't think right now, it hurts too much.
"You can't usually tell what a person's life is like
By their outward appearance
What situations they're going through
Please be patient"
Drive
I met another one today
She had a wonderfully strong demeanor
I could see drive and determination in her
Another mother left to fend on her own, by herself
Another wife abandoned, thrown to the elements
Without any help
Battered, bruised
With nothing left to lose
Betrayed by the one who promised
To have and to hold
Now that story's old . . .
She has to pick up the broken pieces
Her chance for a new life now increases
Another story begins anew.
"Is there a reason why we're drawn to crowded places?
Why do we have to be with our so called friends?
Is there something we're running away from?"
My Sovereignty, a dilemma
What will be the end result
Of this plight of the lonely?
Manic depression? Anti-social behavior? Suicide maybe?
What about psychosis, wouldn't you inevitably
Lose touch with reality?
Well look at me
Tell me what you think
Do I seem to be PSYCHOTIC?
Do I appear to be in a panic?
Don't wave around your conjectures as if you're wielding a sword
Substantiate your opinions before uttering one word
YES I do find time to acquire objects of love, hate
While secretly needing to find someone with whom I can relate
But then I wouldn't be able to thrive in this kingdom of self-pity
I've managed to create
Yes! This is my realm, I need nothing else to make me elate
Death to anyone who dares to topple my empire, who dares to
Desecrate!
So leave me be, I've earned this countenance I've attained.
I'm free of malice, hate, envy---HA! I HAVEN'T LOST, I'VE GAINED!
It will be a pleasure to keep away from this morbid world
Remain abstained
But what about love, happiness, tranquility, relationship
Without which we'll all be deeply scarred, stained?
Just four words and the foundation of my dominion is already strained!
OK, I'll think about it.
The Deciding Factor
Where were you
When I needed you?
When all my wants and desires
Cried out to you?
Please be near me
Embrace, envelope me
Every fiber of this body
Beckons to thee
I thought you loved me
Or at least liked me
O, if only you would
Bring salvation to me
So close
Though safely out of reach
Please . . .
Don't tease . . .
I beseech.
Faith
Please God don't make my punishment too bad
For all these impure thoughts I have had . . .
FOE
Depression, and thy cohort frustration
Thou art formidable foes
Thou shall not be victorious
Though once again I am as mallard
Brought down from the sky
I shall turn the other cheek
I shall not die!
Indifference
Come on
Get your act together
And do not give me your usual
Nonchalant answer "whatever"
You must try
Have you ever thought of quitting?
Never!
Did you just lie to me? Yes
Honest, but not too clever
Sometimes it's better to lie
This isn't one of those times however
Don't let go of your hope, don't ever!
Forever
I want to live forever
So what's to keep me from getting together
With that ever after eternal bliss?
Fear
The incurable disease
The effective paralyzer
The sedate tranquilizer
It stops me from getting near
I won't be able to go there.
Traitor
Look at you lying there
Dead!
Should I have been in your place
Should I have been the betrayer in your stead?
I would say that, at least
You're in a happier place
But even in heaven you would
Have had to live in disgrace
I wonder how many realize that
If you did not betray
Millions of souls would probably be lost today
How painfully ironic because
Even if it is true
The label of traitor is eternally linked to you
To think, the dishonor also spills over to our names
It could have easily been "The Book of Judas"
Instead of the "Book of James"!
I'm sure Jesus isn't angry with you
He knew what had to be done
The roll of betrayer had to be played by someone
That someone had to be you I suppose
What a horrible task for a person to be held responsible for
What a horrible task to impose
I'm sorry though, that it had to be you
Nevertheless, I'm happy to meet you
Go find peace in this darkness that never ends
I hope this will help your broken soul to mend
Another time, another place, we may have been good friends.
"After some decisions made
Wouldn't it be nice if someone awoke you and
You realized it was all a bad dream?"
My Shame
30 pieces of silver
It wasn't even gold
I threw the lamb to the wolves
To the enemy, his life I sold
My name will always be held in contempt
Or so I've been told
It's getting so dark
I feel so cold
I'm sorry master, I should have done better
I shouldn't have lied
I should have resisted the temptation
Or at least tried
30 pieces of silver
Even if it were gold
Could I have been more righteous?
Been more bold?
No, I'm sorry for what was done
I was misled
Look at my body, there
Lifeless, broken
I'm glad I'm dead.
Faith
Without faith it is impossible to please God
To the uninformed this might seem quite odd
How can you trust something you cannot touch
Something you cannot see?
Is it wise? It isn't even clever
I might as well believe in whatever!
That's a bit much
Even for me
Have faith in God
In God we trust
I have to acknowledge the present
A must!
But I'm supposed to disregard things as such
So what is the key?
The Rose
Oh the beauty!
My eyes doth see
Beauty created so perfectly
Be it a meadow or in a garden be
Who placed you there so lovingly?
Oh, the beauty
My eyes doth see
Beauty created so perfectly
So simple, so calm, please tell me
Can you be compared
To the Lily of the Valley?
Who was scorned, rejected, crucified but yet
Was beauty incarnate?
No, I say! Though leaved and thorned
Only in death will you be scorned!
In life you were adored, your beauty did show
Perhaps the triumph of the lily one day you will know
But until then, although I stand in awe
I can only lament on the beauty my eyes saw.
"No matter how much to the contrary it seems
We have a choice
I believe that the choices we make
Ultimately determine our fate"
Master of My Fate
Get outta here
Unruly
Unworthy
Junkie
Ever wavering
Ever un-giving
Life undisciplined
Servant of God!
Right!
Do you hear me?
Yes, but I listen not
Do you fear me?
Yes, but serve you I cannot
But you must or you'll die
I know, I try
Days of progress destroyed
By one second's lie
I love you still.
Anguish
How the ghosts of 'what ifs' or
'What might have been' continually haunt,
So conveniently explained, but why can't we get
Everything we want?
"For most of us it's easier to remain in our present horrible situations
Than to endure the pain of change
Change for a better life"
Taint
Look into my eyes
Go ahead
Look again
Do you see the taint on my soul
Describe to me, tell me
What you see
How can I be made whole?
Look into my heart
Do you feel betrayed?
Tell me
Is it love or
Is it hate that's conveyed
Or even worse . . .
Indifference
Should I have left
Even though I stayed?
Be good, why even try
When all this time I'm living a lie
Tell the truth.
"Sometimes nothing is more damaging or misleading
Than someone else's perception of you
Try to be yourself"
Truth
Maybe what my mother said is right
Maybe I'm no better than a mangy dog
No cleaner than a filthy hog
Maybe she said it out of spite
Maybe what my mother said is right
Maybe the way I feel towards my father is wrong
Maybe like him I'm destined to become
Just another penniless, shameless bum
I try to be different, try to be strong
Maybe the way I feel towards my father is wrong
Maybe there's a real reason why I feel like this
Maybe I was born to be used
To finally end up tossed aside like well worn shoes
Somebody put me on God's sh\*#t list
Maybe there's a real reason why I feel like this.
Maybe crying isn't so wrong
Maybe not if it helps to alleviate the pain
To remove from my soul this scarlet stain
It may be better than saying "so long"
Maybe crying isn't so wrong.
Pain
This night
The hue, the dark
I do believe that I am the lowest
Of this race
Augment this body
With this face
I myself hate
Awaiting some vicious demise
Some awful fate
I live
I hate
To die
I wait
Apathy, yes
Hope?
Surely you jest.
Distress
I feel myself sinking
This quicksand
I can feel it
Flowing into my esophagus
It is overpowering
What dire consequences!
I'm rescued
I'm grateful
But I feel myself going back.
It beckons to me
This quicksand
What dire consequences!
But yet
I jump right back in!
Rescue me
Please.
"As humans it seems we need to go through adversities, frustrations, etc.
To get better, to get stronger
Keyword: Through"
Within
When shall I give in
To thou, creature within?
To partake in thy thievery, thy lies
To meddle in thy sin?
To thou all my troubles tie
Hopes, joys, dreams gone awry.
What shall incur with innocence's last breath?
Separate from me this bed, in which I lie.
I shall fight thee, creature within, to the death!
Finally justifying all the tears I have wept
O no! Easily thou will not win,
Forever I will sustain this struggle I have kept.
Die! Die! Creature within!
Remove thyself from beneath my skin
My history is now the past
Allow me my life, my freedom begin.
"It would be good if most people realize that
We don't have a choice of the shell we are given at birth
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful
Don't hate me because I'm not!"
Race
I peer into the black
It has nothing to offer me,
I am of no color, so I close my eyes
But it's only the black I see.
I peer into the black
Scarred by years of intense envy
Scars, although shrouded by
Unnecessary shadows
Cry out "Heal me, Heal me'"
"Do not, under mask of bigotry
Attack me, conceal me!"
In the black I see me
And I lick my wounds.
I peer into the black and
Sharing its struggle against self-esteem
Sharing the burden
The pain
Not knowing whether to feel proud
Or ashamed.
I stare and
I feel
I laugh in its joy
I lament in its sorrow.
Its shade begins to envelope me
It's marvelous tone, hue so right
But then
I stumble into the light . . .
. . . Don't step on me because I'm not white!
The Only One
You are
The only one left
Who can stir what emotion
Lies inside me.
You are
The only one who
Captivates the imagination
That my mind's eyes see.
What am I
Supposed to do?
I have no right
To impose my feelings on you!
I'll just stay here
In my own private hell
Slowly becoming a cold
Emotionless shell
Everything heals with time?
I guess only time will tell.
Introspection
I see the real me sometimes when I look inside,
I have a problem when it and these other imposters collide.
Inside, deep inside . . .
"What kind of man was he?
Did he love his family?
Did he care for his friends?
Did he give his all in all his endeavors?
This will probably be the only time
What others think will matter to me"
Advent
In the advent of my possible death
And we are all bound to die,
I wound like to dispense of a terrible lie
I lacked strength
I was weak.
I'm so tired
Tired of trying
Slowly dying
Inside.
The failure
The deceitful demeanor
The lies I have to tell.
I can no longer distinguish what is true
Oh well!
We only live once
But what a way to live!
Aren't you supposed to give of yourself
Until there's nothing left to give?
And then receive your reward
Come on, take it like a man
But you won't, will you
Coward!
Esteem
Tell me again
Tell me you love me.
You sit back and judge me
Then you come close and indulge me.
This only serves to confuse me
You do not hesitate to abuse me.
With your words and your tortuous lies
You demon in your angel disguise!
Tell me again
Tell me you love me.
Say it once more, it might convince me
Which lost soul have you managed to fool since me?
Am I the one you're trying to persuade?
Pretending to be savior, to be my aide?
Sometime soon I will be better and know what to do
I'll develop the courage to stop listening to you.
Me
I am
Grateful
Thoughtful
Sensitive
Humorous
Encouraging
All because of
"Do unto others as you
Would have them do
Unto you"
CAT
It's now over
I am certain
Now sure
Hell awaits me.
I have to do it
Not for me anymore
For them?
For the games I play?
No
For my cat that went astray.
Eventually
I'm devious
Sometimes mischievous!
I do not dare
You're unaware.
Sneaky was once used to describe
Silence was often prescribed.
With a smile, with a compliment---let it begin!
I wait patiently. I get under your skin.
Days, weeks, months or even years then
Finally getting to the end,
You get me as a good friend.
The Person I Knew
I want you to know my name
Know you're not the one to blame
I forgive you anyway
Because my father would do the same.
For your narrow mindedness and bigotry
For the terrible way you treated me
For the thoughts in my head, may God forgive me!
After all, you're blind, these things you don't see.
I forgive you Mark Anthony McDonald
It's all I can do
I will be praying too.
Praying for your salvation, may God have mercy on you.
"Life has an uncanny way of rewarding us in the present
From seeds we had sown in the past
Good or bad"
My Fire
Innocence denied from a soul lost
Still above the waves though thrown and tossed.
A heart more cold than winter's coldest frost
The fire awaits, the fire awaits.
The truth in the eyes of the beholder is seldom true
The skeletons in your closet are speaking to you.
Eat this drink that, telling you what to do
The fire awaits!
The fire awaits, your flesh to burn.
Do not deny it, soon it will be your turn!
This life of yours is no longer your concern
The fire awaits.
But what's that over the horizon I see?
A second, no, a third chance beckoning to me!
What do I do now, what will become of me?
"I want to be
All I was created to be
Better, smarter, wiser
Isn't there a pill I can buy for that?
No? Oh well"
Average
What makes a person average?
Is it a lack of ambition?
Lack of a clear cut mission?
No real commitment to anything
No conviction?
I think not giving your all, in whichever endeavor
Reinforces a certain behavior.
Then one becomes average
Then begins the irreparable damage
But we don't know, so we
Don't care!
But I know too much already I fear.
Et Al
And elsewhere . . .
Left, Right, Wrong?
A man left
With nothing to lose.
Left with no choices
From which to choose
A man right
After a life of knowing only wrong.
Right about the only thing
That might allow him to belong
He's dead!
Inside, may as well be without!
He has nothing left
To care about.
Has nothing right
To be faithfully devout.
A prisoner in his own life,
All because of a wife
The source of his strife?
Should that man be left up
To his own ingenuity?
Would it be right to
Let him loose upon society?
How Can You, Mozart?
How can you, Mozart
With works worthy of praise
Be so childish in all your ways ?
Your passions, dedication
Towards music I see
But at what cost: your commerce
Your health, your humanity ?
O, how early you started
Indeed all too well
Of your life, young Mozart
There are wondrous stories to tell!
Concerto at age four
First opera at age twelve
Was not pride instilled within yourself?
So what about the quality of your life, Mozart
The nature, the principle, the mere essence?
But what IS quality?
Distinguishing characteristics, degree of excellence
The quality of your life, if one should ask
Is one of quite a low middle class
You could have lived better!
No avail
Only composing, writing
Your work must entail
You're not even concerned
With bare necessities
Yet you drink much wine, frolic with women
Attend many parties
You love your work
Yes this I can see
But I think you should
Review your priorities!
How can you, Mozart
Make this clear to me
Your name is renowned
Yet a pauper you be?
Where is the love?
Where is the care?
Do you think this
To your family is fair?
O Mozart!
You work and you slave
All your life to music you gave!
For what?
To be buried in an unmarked grave!
But from all this at least one thing can be found
Your work, your music, is known the world around
So the quality of your life, Mozart?
Your life is sheer genius
Your life is art!
What Would You Say
Tell me what you'd say
If on a particular day
I said I hated you.
Jump to a conclusion? You'd probably delay
Because you'd know I wasn't that way
And what I said was not true.
ANYWAY . . .
Tell me what you'd say
If free drugs they gave away
COCAINE, crack, heroin even
On what foundation would society's conscience lay
BUT THERE'S NO MORE CRIME MAN, hurray?
What new label would moral be given?
LABEL: IDIOCY
Solve society's problems, I won't even try
I have problems of my own to get me by
And this might seem cruel, thoughtless I know
But not lend a hand to someone who might even die!
Believing it's their problem, none of my business---A LIE
I DON'T THINK SO!
BUT . . .
A lot of us this way we behave
For ourselves we work, we slave
And why not? Who's gonna take care of No. 1 if not me?
But if just for a moment you stopped pursuing what you crave
And to someone less fortunate a gift of love, even life you gave
You might enjoy that feeling---to know that YOU made a change---you'll see
SO . . .
Tell me what you'd say
If from that selfish mentality I stay
And said I was willing to make a change?
I'm going to start right now, today
This voice deep inside me I'll obey
In these acts of fulfillment, unselfishness I'll engage
I don't know what you'd say, but I'd say Good for you!
Ode
Imagine the way life is
With its twists and turns:
This road of life one must take
Some things stand fast---the ones you love
The friends you make.
You never know what's around the next corner
Each bad experience you try to endure
All the good ones, like treasure
You secure.
Imagine the way life is
How intricate, how profound:
Just like a piece of fine china
Crashing to the ground.
The nature of life
Is so fragile, I've found
Snuffed out here
Created there
For those who take it for granted
Please beware!
Imagine the way life is
With its twists and turns
With all its losses
And happy returns.
It exists, we humans, to confound
Imagine the way life is
How intricate, how profound.
"A relationship is an exercise in give and take
Perfection is nonexistent
Love at first sight?---I wish"
Doubt
Love sometimes leaves a distaste,
In your mouth
In your heart.
It often seems like such a waste
Overshadowed by doubt
Right from the start
Am I the one for you?
Are you the one for me?
10 years from now will we feel the same?
Where will this relationship be?
Very well then, let's give it a go
Will our love stand the test of time?
I don't know.
I know this much though
Happiness is all I seek.
I will always look to the future positively
No matter how bleak.
Closer
Did I help you move
Closer
Towards a better life?
To being counted among the wise?
Or
Did I help you take one step
Closer to mediocrity?
Closer to your demise?
Table of Contents
Misery Doesn't Always Love Company
For You (Thanks to an employer)

