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White Fence

HOME

As the rest of the

   world rattles and shakes

I enjoy coming home to

   a warm smiling face,

the great out doors are

   being torn apart

but, inside these walls

   I feel safe in the dark.


I don’t understand what’s

   going on over there

I only know that I

   need you here,

sometimes when I’m tired

    and cold

its so nice just

   to be home.


I count my blessings

   every day

I don’t take for granted

   your loving ways,

I don’t want the grief or

   the baggage that people have

I simply want to come

   home and to hold your hand.


I’m a simple minded person

   that’s lost in the world

and I like coming home

   to my special girl,

I don’t expect anyone

   to understand

all that matters is that

   you and I can.


If people could only

   see who they are

then they might

   change…that’s a farce!

All I know is

   what I see

and I see the way

   you look at me.


Your green eyes

   pull me in

while at the same time

   you look within,

your warm hands

   hold me close

and once again the

   outside world is closed.


I write about people

   and what they might do

but I never thought I’d

   be sitting here loving you,

Its all so easy

   when I’m at home

I feel completely safe…

   loved…and warm.


The past is gone and

   memories abound

but the future is open

   and can’t tie me down,

wherever I go and

   whatever I may see

nothing can compare

   to you and me!!


Sometimes we laugh

   and sometimes we cry

that’s what makes

   great lullaby’s.





BC     6/2/02

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Five More Minutes

Oklahoma City Bombing

As you stand on

  this hallowed ground

never forget the tragedy

  that struck us down.

Five more minutes is

  all I would ask

to say, "goodbye," to my

  loved ones before the blast.

On your deathbed before

  your last breath

you'll ask for five more

  minutes as your last request.

You'll take a breath

  and feel the air

you'll talk freely

  to no one in particular there.

You may laugh or

  you may cry

but, you'll have five more

  minutes before you die.

Standing at the edge

  of time

I had no idea that

  9:02 would be mine.

Had I known I

  would have prayed

for there were children

  on the second floor that played.

I would ask for their

  lives to be spared

give them five minutes

  to run and to disappear.

I would shout to

  God with burning desire

to stop this madness

  from going any higher.

I would plead and I

  would beg

take me...take my life...

  and not their's instead!

Five more minutes

  is not a long time,

but it has become

  an eternity of mine.

I never got to say

  "goodbye"

I will never see a

  child that is mine.

I will never cherish

  another moment's thought

I will never sit with

  my family and talk.

I will never share

  a simple smile

I will never hold

  my only child.

The devil's hand had

  done its work

as 168 people lay

  in rubble and dirt.

Jesus wept from

  across the road

as I only wanted

  five more minutes to be told.

Parents wore

  badges of love

as their hearts grieved

  to heaven above.

"Where is my baby?"

  a woman screamed

frantically searching

  with all her means.

"It's all a nightmare,"

  someone said.

And all I wanted was five more

  minutes to plead and to beg.

I saw the rescue workers

  cry in the night

as the Red Cross organized the

  confusion with wide open eyes.

The volunteers that toiled

  'til dawn

worked for hours until the

  last body was found.

The insulated heartland

  was struck a mighty blow

as innocent people

  found their way home.

I am under the Survivor Tree

  come...and rest...

and sit with me.

This piece is dedicated to the 168 victims who lost their lives in the Oklahoma City Bombing and to their families and to the people all over the world. 

BC 

Sunset

The Winds of Change

The days have changed

  as the hours are the same

the calendar moves

  in mysterious ways,

time marches on

  as people change

moving away as

  some stay the same.


As the moon and the sun

  are different each day

time travels forward

  in a miraculous way,

as black clouds move in

  and blue clouds roll out

everyday has a challenge

  and filled with self doubt.


Sometimes are dreams

  vanish in dust

laying on the floor

  so brutally crushed,

like a rose and its thorn

  intertwined on a stem

our lives are mingled

  with family and friends.

The star crest sky

  so open and wide

yields the answers

  to all our goodbyes,

open your eyes and

  open your heart

unlock the changes

  before you depart.


The wind and the rain

  wash the earth

cleansing the soil

  of man’s plastic dirt,

the trees and the water

  allow us life

as we waste

  the sun and the moon

our precious mornings and nights.


The cry within

  that no one wants to hear

is yours to keep

  your cross to bear,

unleash the truth

  from your inner soul

freedom is your

  to grasp and hold.

Undo the wrong

  make a brand new day

filled with HAPPINESS…

  find the way!


BC    12/15/98

Mother and Baby

"A Mother's Love"

A mother is the jack of every trade

She always works but never gets paid

When her children grow and leave

They leave their mother with a new life to weave

A mother can tell when you lie

No excuse will get you by

When trouble begins and you know she knows

That is where your problems grow

She may yell, scream and even fight

But deep down you know she is right

All your life she’s helped you out

Giving advice without a doubt

Your mother should be your very best friend

She will stick with you until the end

I want to say that my mother is true

And Mom, wherever we are, we all love you



BC

***This piece was in the Clearwater Sun newspaper on 1*9*83***

Butterfly Collage

A Butterflies Flight

The days grow colder

  as my life winds down

the days grow shorter

  as the seasons turn around,

my craving for success

  has taken its toll

I’m very tired and

  a lot less bold.

I think less of

  climbing the ladder

the money and prestige

  just doesn’t matter,

the twilight mist

  that is surrounding me

engulfs my thoughts

  allowing my soul to be free.

The past is gone

  and hardly seen

the future is beautiful

  and so pristine,

I felt the wind

  in my face

its stinging thoughts

  have left no trace.

The bridge that connects

  my heart and soul

is under repair

  in the summer’s cold.

I have smelled the

  perfume of a rose

I have touched

  another’s soul,

there’s nothing left

  for me to do

in a tired world

  where nothing is new.

Sometimes I wonder

  what’s on the other side

and would you miss me

  and would you cry,

I am merely a speck

  finding my way

walking the earth

  day to day.

My heart that bleeds

  for what is mine

is a life I’ve lived

  that is well defined,

the saddest song is

  the one not yet played

but I hear the

  tune every single day.

I’ll leave you with

  a simple thought…

My time is up

  but I haven’t lost!


BC

New York

Did My Mother Cry?

A piece about 911

On September 11th during

   that fateful day

a coward was hiding

   in his usual way,

in the chaotic madness

   under blue skies

innocent people suffered

   and died.


The world’s carnage

   lies in the demon’s eye

lurking in the shadows

   clothed in politics and lies,

warped religions

   and twisted gods

is one coward’s fantasy

   is one Osama Bin Laden.


The Hitler of

   our day

has risen from

   his grave,

his focus is not

   only on the Jews

he wants to destroy

   me and you.


Expelled from his homeland

   the wicked demon lurked

until he found new life in

   Sudan where he continued his work,

the sages of time

   imposters all

could never tell

   how many would fall.


Like a rabid dog with

   his tail between his legs

Sudan kicked him out

   as he wailed and begged,

Afghanistan actually took

   him as a guest

and now the United States

   has a price on his head.


The almighty Allah

   closed his eyes

he turned his back as

   people died,

the coldest truth is

   at death’s door

religion isn’t intertwined

   with war!!


The human race as extinct

   as it might become

falls in the hands

   of the mighty ones,

George W. Bush has

   vowed to fight

as other countries

   give support and unite.


The American flag

   has stood its ground

it cannot be trampled

   it can not be bound,

its fabric has seen

   its share of wars

the red, white, and blue

   will see one more.

Patriotic voyeurs from

   around the world

will die to give freedom

   to their little boys and girls,

by the hand of God, the

   world will be spared

and victory will once

   again, be declared.


I sit and wonder

   as I often do

how come one person

   guide so many fools,

to think Osama Bin Laden

   is somebody’s son

how do you explain

   that one?


The suicide bombers are

   misguided souls

lost and lured to

   death’s door,

they take with them a

   piece of you and me

as we feel hatred

   way down deep.


The terrorists have become

   the devil’s hand

doing his work

   as he has planned,

do you think that

   when he runs and hides

does he ever wonder

    “Did My Mother Cry?”



BC

AN EMPTY CHAIR

About flight 592 in Florida Everglades...

As human beings we

   are driven towards success

we acquire money,

   possessions and relationships,

everyone is really

   the same

and when we lose someone

   its really a shame.

 

The cost of a life

   can never be measured

in either money or gold

   it is extremely precious,

we take for granted

   our every day lives

and we plan for tomorrow

   until were surprised.

 

On May 11th there

   came such a day

as 110 people stepped

   on a plane,

Flight 592 took

   to the air

and it took us by surprise…

   completely unaware.

 

The open skies are

   beautiful indeed

until it breathes fire

   for all to see,

mankind strives

   for success

sometimes we fail…

   we’re only human…I guess.

 

I bow my head with

   tear filled eyes

and I pray for all

   the souls that died,

the wondrous Everglades

   so majestic and clean

swallowed an airplane

   in seconds…it seems.

 

All of us stood

   silently dismayed,

“How could this happen?

   Why today?”

As we pondered and

   as we probed

the questions lingered

   until it was solved.

 

While waiting in Atlanta

   fear gripped our hearts

we stood in silence

   as death cradled our thoughts,

our lives stopped and

   will never be the same

we’ve lost our loved ones

   on that fateful day.

Divers worked in

   dangerous waters

desperately searching for

   the planes voice and data recorder,

after it was recovered

   the voices were heard

a fire broke out

   and the plane burned.

 

No one was found 

   the plane disappeared

oxygen tanks were the

   cause…I heard,

the faintest whisper

   and a lonely cry

brushed past me

   as I stood by.

 

The FAA made

   their reports

and people and companies

   will be dragged through courts,

pointing fingers won’t

   bring them back

its an overwhelming responsibility

   to stand up to the facts.

 

As time passes, we

   try to forget

I have an empty

   chair and a few regrets,

I have a hug and a

   kiss waiting for me

one that never made

   it, past Miami.

 

This Memorial was built

   through volunteers

its all we have as

   we visit year to year,

take a moment

   look to the sky

and listen as gentle

   whispers pass you by.

BC

American War Cemetery

FACES...

About Vietnam War

It was early January

   and I was about to go on leave

when the orders came down

   from the General to me,

take my men and move

   them North

and capture a village

   at any cost.

My instincts said

   not to go

to take my men

   and lay them low,

the sweat that lay

   upon my brow

trickled blood as

   I see it now.


I followed my orders

   and off we went

we headed north

   as we were sent,

my senses were peaked

   as butterflies flew

in my stomach

   which was nothing new.

I saw the village

   where I stood

and stopped my men

   and took a longer look,

their faces were young

   and filled with fear

as I hid my terror

   behind orders so clear.


Time stood still

   in those woods

as anxiety filled me

   where I stood,

I barked out orders

   for all to hear

I tried to mask

   my deepest fear.

I was about to go

   on leave

but I knew some of

   these faces would be haunting me,

I watched as their

   eyes bore into my soul

they trusted me

   with their lives to hold.


With fervor and passion

   we took our steps

which led to a future

   of daily unrest,

shots were fired

   from my right

as bombs exploded

   in the night.

I yelled and screamed

   to my men

giving instructions to

   try and help them,

I saw them scramble

   without hearing a word

as the noise was deafening

   as we lay in the dirt.


“I’m hit! I’m hit!”

   I heard someone cry

as many men laid

   down their lives,

I inched my way to the

   front of my platoon

crawling over bodies

   that died too soon.

Burning flesh

   filled the air

as they burned their own

   village without a care,

bloodshed overshadowed

   any rational thought

as I fire bombed the

   woods at any cost.


We fought for twelve

   hours without a rest

I was proud of my platoon

   as they gave their best,

the night grew silent

   and I counted heads

and made a list

   of all the dead.


I left my men

   to go on leave

and just as I thought

   that night still haunts me,

in the everyday world

   I bring home my pay

and I see those

   faces everyday.

    

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