20 years minus a revelation

Brown lacquer finish
with smudges and handprints.
My guitar.

Worn frets dirty
and old strings out of tune
My father's.

Sweet sounds aloud
played with care and love
My aspirations.

Slammed door shut
keep the world outside
My studio.

Sweet sorrow played
lungs fill with air and exhale
My regret.

Warm sleepless nights
Mind and eyes kept on hourly watch
My shame.

Long lasting music
Songs in the shower sung unconscious
My redemption.

Midday Blues and Other Jazz Musings

Stomp my foot to the beat
as the sounds rise to my ears like heat from the ground
you can feel the musician in the notes
every strain from the horn denotes a pain in his life
Hang my head in disgust
in this oppressive heat your woes seem a little worse
i feel sick to my stomach but its not caused by illness
and every tick on this keyboard is a beat of my heart
Fold my arms to appear engaged
its getting harder and harder fein a smile for strangers
though i doubt it fooled anyone anyhow, anyone who cared
every time i fake a laugh i forget how it feels to want to
Raise my fist to take a stand
I wont let it go on like this,
having every ray of light blocked by a grey cloud
this year, this moment, this verse will be different
ill wipe the rain from my eyes see life for what it is
yet every time i make this promise i fear the inevitable
you can only bend a note so far before it isnt right
Maybe ill just stomp my foot to the beat

Happy Alone

Two birds in love and not wanting to be selfish
offered their song to me so i would join in the chorus
I politely declined citing my being content
with the melody of my life
"I'll sing my song solo, until the right one hears it"
Only wishing the best, one bird took offense
to my refusal, and insisted that I look for love before its too late,
"Too late for what?" i say, "I'm young and not in a hurry."
"You'll miss the chance if you continue complacent" the one bird said
"You need to be certain of nothing and live in the now"
Live in the now? Don't you realize I am?
Right now i'm happy alone, maybe not forever
but for now
With that the two birds became distracted again
with their own love song to argue their point.