Little Pilgrims.

They frame every gift you give
Off of your every word, they live
For you, they'd drive all night
Not a wink of sleep
...If only all this staying awake
Could keep you happy and safe

Little pilgrimages they have made
To keep you here
Little pilgrimages they hope
Will offer some up for you
If only we could get through
All your red tape

You are stuck
And we're sticking by you
But somehow the glue
That held you together
Somewhere along the line
Couldn't handle the weather
And I can see now
After all this rain
You'll never return
And how this knowledge burns

And burns

Still, they'll hang another frame
And call you all the same
...If it eases the pain
I can pass no blame...

Little pilgrims, they keep the faith
Even if yours is all lost
Little pilgrims, they'll love you
Despite your conditioning,
- They'll love you unconditionally

But every year, we always notice
How your chair stays oh so empty.

The Coloured Wing.

And love as I see it
Is, as a butterfly
- A coloured wing
Delicate and fleeting
- Painting hearts in warm hues
While softly landing...

And should it land on you
Don't try to catch it
- You will only crush it
And should it fly away
Don't try to chase it
- It cannot be caged

For just as love is free
So, should you,
Let it be
- Honour it, should it come your way
And if it's coloured wing
Should fly away
Let it go
And if it returns
Then it was meant to stay.

What's Left.

Mind,
No longer do I
Watch the time
No longer does it
Matter one bit
In the great scheme
Of things
I don't need
They're all make believe
The only thing real
And tangible
Left at the end
Will be the hands I have held
And the love I've shared
With those
For whom I've always cared
And dared
To show my heart.

Choose Your Focus.

You can choose
Choose your focus
Adjust your eyes to see
More clearly
What is good

...And keep it there
Hold your focus
On what is true

Let the phony, the superficial
The insignificant
Fade, in it's significance
- Blur to the edges

Focusing only on the center
Line it up
Align your vision
Take your shot
While acknowledging your blind spots

Because at the core of creation
Life is magnificent

So take your own picture
But make your life richer
By capturing the moments
With those you hold close
Collect them as you go
And at the end
They'll complete the set
My friend,
That was your life

And if you chose your focus well
And stayed true to yourself
You will look back
And see clearly
What was true.
What was good.

Checked Out.

Asleep at the check-in
They were
Sleeping like babies
In the morning they'll be
Airborne with wings...

But for now
They dream of earthly things
Of homes and escapes

But I can't shut my eyes
Though my head is heavy
From many goodbyes
I just can't shut my eyes...

But if I don't
How will I see tomorrow?
Tomorrow, where the sun grows
As the night dies
...I must sleep
So I can see the world
With fresh eyes

Asleep at the check-in
But everyone's checked out.

Washed.

The rains came
And I was soaked right through
The rains came
But after they went
What was old
Had been washed away
And what was left
Had been made new

And should the rain come again
Another day
I'll welcome the lessons it has for me
- I'll not run away

I'll choose instead
To raise my head
To let the water fall
And wash all that is unimportant, away
Leaving me behind
With just my heart, to dance and play.

The Older I Get.

And the older I get
The more everything is stripped away
To reveal what is essential
And what is essential
Is to connect

To be here and give

Dedicate these years of life
To seeking
And forever look
To fill with truthful expression
These pages in my book
Just one
Among a library of lives
From which we can learn
Everyday,
By taking the time to read each other
And by simply opening our eyes

- Without bias
Just looking at each other
Without judging the book by the cover
And seeing past the storyline
To the true meaning
- The essential
And what is essential
Is to connect
- To be here and give
And in turn, love will reflect
And that is all that really matters
The older I get.

Life Is Whispering.

Life it whispers
In my ear sometimes
And when it does
It catches me off guard
And softens the view
When I'm looking too hard
And getting caught up
In the superficial, the facade...

And when it whispers
I stop
And I listen
As life, she tells me;

How everything is
Exactly as it should be
- And so should you be
Enjoying the road
- The trip of a lifetime
Complete with all
The twists and turns
The highs and lows
- It's just the way it goes
And life she just knows
When to remind us
To go with the flow...

Catching us when we drift
And if we listen
- Giving us a lift
A gentle push
Back to the core
Back to being
Back to believing
And then hopefully
Seeing.