American Standard

1989 Chevy Suburban with a 454 V8 engine owned and operated by my friend Marissa N.

A beautiful truck indeed

Powerful and loud as it should be

Added attention to the rim

Clean and polished to the brim

Step on the pedal as a statement

Shift gear for entertainment

Any import on the way

Will bow to it on the highway

Americans will nod in admiration

Others will shake in indignation

Age does not corrode the beast

Appreciation to say the least

Modern standards go to hell

This truck will live to tell

The way America was, is and will be

Powerful, beautiful and free

Mixed Tape

Listen to Laura Nyro and her hit "And When I Die"

Don Mclean's tragic "American Pie"

Teenage wasteland is mentioned in The Who's "Baba O'Riley"

Like Credence Clearwater's shout to "Proud Mary"

Peter Gabriel's sledgehammer hit "Solsbury Hill" 

Similar to "For What Its Worth" by Buffalo Springfield

"Say Say Say" a duet by Paul McCartney and Michel Jackson

 "Take it on the Run" by REO Speedwagon

The Beatles love America with "Get Back"

"Wicked Game" for Phoebe and Rachel by Chris Isaak

Say it well with F.R. David and his "Words" 

Be "Head Over Heels" like The Go-Go's

Patrick Hernandez was "Born to be Alive"

Take a stroll with Dire Straits' "Walk of Life"

Do you Know Roxy Music's "More Than This" ?

I'm sure you know "Shout" by Tears for Fears

Say "Goodbye Stranger" like Supertramp

Or say hi to "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp

"Aquarius" is a celestial hit by Fifth Dimension

"Show Me the Way"  is even better by Peter Frampton

Try to say "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly

Or something easy like Prince's "When Doves Cry"

Listen to a classic like Del Shannon's "Runaway"

Or another like "Hound Dog" by the king Elvis Presley

Romantic like "Right Here Waiting For You" by Richard Marx

Or sad like by "Here Comes the Rain Again" by Eurythmics

Go to the beach and play "Wipe Out" by The Ventures

Cast a spell with "Hocus Pocus" by Focus

We love music!

A Class Forgotten

Look at them in the eyes

Speak like a friend

Listen to every word

And always be nice

Roaming cities every day

Seeking a place to sleep

Looking for something to eat

And take hopelessness away

Look at their feet

Imagine the pain they're in

Miles of road to blame
A little rest is sweet

Sleeping in the city
Tents erected, shelter perfected
Bench secured, cardboard expansion
Blankets given out of pity

Look at their effects
Trash to entertain
Findings to defend
Donations we call defects

These people need a hand
Be selective if you want
Yet do it form the heart
And you will understand

Haiku 2

Mobile

Little bright screen

Gets a lot more attention

Than the whole wide world

Beer

After a long day

When work has stressed my head

Cold ale is the cure

Picnic

Burgers and hotdogs

Lemonade soda and chips

The sun over me

A Fallen Giant

A fallen giant never dies,

Its just another stage of life.

You gave us oxygen.

Now carbon very sudden.

You gave us shade in the summer.

Now its lumber for a shelter.

You housed many vertebrates.

Now you hide many invertebrates.

Birds loved to rest on you.

Now we get to rest with you.

Your leaves kept us from the rain.

Now wood for heat we gain.

Most will never acknowledge what you did.

Still, we need you for our greed.

Dear giant you have fallen.

To some you will never be forgotten.

Your place will allow the sun to shine

And let others plants peacefully dine.

Dear giant you have died.

Your gifts were never denied.

Hechizo Joven

Jovenes escuchen ya

Tenemos algo que documentar

Somos los mejores

Sabemos los colores

Y todos los sabores

Entonces

No me trates como los menores

Estoy harto de sacar basura

Y de limpiar el piso

No se hable del patio

Que esta hecho un desastre

No quiero usar mi tiempo

Para impresionarte

Lo unico que quiero

Es irme con mis cuates

Y no lavar mas trastes

Si yo quiero studio

Si yo quiero trabajo

Si yo quiero duermo todo el dia

Hasta que la tarde se haga muy fria

Y la noche te traiga

Otra pesadilla

Si se puede te quito tu dinero

Me como tu comida

Te robo una cerveza

Uso tu carro con delicadeza

Uso la casa para una fiesta

Cuando te vallas de vacacionero

Y te dejare en cero

Algo que no entiendo

Porque castigarme?

Siempre lograba escaparme

Porque reganarme?

Siempre lograba filtrarte

Para que guiarme?

Todos tus consejos

Los tiraba a la calle

Lo unico que prendias

Era la luz del desmadre

Que iluminaba mi escape

Estaba en el fondo de un hoyo

Me meti en un rollo

Le hice caso a un vato

Y que me desbarato

No sabia como escapar

La ley la tenia como par

El juez me odiaba a morir

Y los polis me hacian sufrir

En el bote no podia ni dormir

Extranaba cuando me gritabas

Porque siempre enojado me sacabas

Hasta la espalda me sobabas

Ya entiendo que decias

Todos estos años yo no sabia

Tampoco te creia

Y menos cazo hacia

Estaba bajo un hechizo

De juventud loquera

Fuera lo que fuera

Siempre perdia la carrera

Todos mis amigos

Eran guias eternos

Me daban consejos

Solo que opuestos

Me daban un trago

Los seguia de vago

Me daban un toque

Luego un madrazo

Y aveces un repaso

No vale la pena

El dano que me daba

Los amigos que perdia

Corazones que rompia

La sangre que caia

Y el cazo que no hacia

Al final yo solo perdia

Pero ganaba la sabiduria

Vivo solo una vez

Yo entiendo todo al reves

Lo aplico mes tras mes

Y este sueño es como es

Between the Walls

Ignore the signs and hold your load,
Don't let badges stop you cold.
Invisible is how to stop danger,
They see you and see a stranger.
Hold the hand of mom and dad,
Very tight and you'll be glad.
Crawl between very small spaces,
Don't get caught for the time races.
Avoid the light or game is over,
Use the plants and find some cover.
Allow the moon to clear your path,
Or you will feel their angry wrath.
Prepare to run be very silent,
Speed and stealth is your intent.
Don't look back you're almost there,
A victory sure is rare.
Your new life a few yards away,
A new flag is the only way.
This is not a dream it is quite real,
Pain is normal and it will heal.
Feel the soil of your new home,
A new place where you shall roam.
Nothing can steal your freedom,
And never forget where you come from.


Between the Walls (pdf)

Constant Relocation

Different places under stress

City to city and never settle

Never resting, never satisfied

Always meeting, always goodbye

Leaving people in distress

Across the country to the north
Leaving complication, devaluation and corruption
Little children dragged by force
My young life was gradually robbed
From one place to another
With alleged peace from this day forth

Schools gave me an interesting education
No use crying in the class
When I was punished with angry hands
Some will give you stars and others scars
Fortune if someone didn't give a damn
Rules change, people change
The learning and pain stagnant at every relocation

Jobs became colored pins on maps

I did what I could to make some cash

Working hard and learning new ways every time

It is the curse of moving so much

Working days came with caps

Had a girlfriend here and there

Like flowers in a garden

Love and friendship so brief

Blooms began and never fully opened

Lack of water and attention

Petals fall, color fades,

A lasting loving living beauty was rare

Friends are easy to find
And difficult to keep
Many names to learn and retain
Faces fade like pearls in vinegar
Voices lost like water on sand
One or two engrained in mind

Family is temporary
When loyalty is betrayed
The shun takes effect
Cicadas will emerge
Time will eventually decide
Until connection is stationary

I can count the constants of life with one hand
The sun, the moon and the stars up above
My child born with all my love
The thought that I will eventually die
And be once again dust in the land

Text for Crime

Texting and driving
Not a skill or a privilege
But a crime pending

A crime indeed
But lives can be lost
And so easy to impede

Let the ringtone play
The vibration continue
And no one has to pay

Forget jail or fines
No amount or sentence
Can bring back lives

The facts are real
Statistics are there
From events that don't heal

Don't think drinking is worse
Danger is equally there
Just a different course

The Vague Life of a Man

I live in the city
Tall buildings
Large population
And smog a-plenty

I work in a factory
Good products are made
My boss is nice
I keep the inventory

I have a red car
With brand new tires
Fuel efficient
And takes me far

My apartment is small
Two bed, bath and kitchen
A parking spot nearby
And that is all

I like reading books
And watch television
Sometimes go to the gym
Since I worry about my looks

Social media is all right
I have a profile
Videos, messages and friends
Follow me tonight

I met a woman
Had a red purse and dress
Good looking and nice
And perhaps a tan

I have a small family
Parents and siblings
A few friends around
Sometimes I get lonely

I'd like a whiskey on ice
To help me forget
About this hectic life
Another chance to roll the dice

American Spirit and the Weakening of Democracy

We take a stroll down democracy lane
Forty-five roads, this could be the last
Nothing matters except a chief starving for fame
Even if it means hurting us fast.

This country has seen uprisings and falls
Some at the mercy of wars
Sons and daughters risking their lives
For an era of alternative facts.

Allegations are ending careers in a flash
Many of them losing fame and cash
Yet the chief seems immune to it all
Like a great, beautiful and impenetrable wall.

The most difficult job is the administration
Whatever the chief says or does day and night
Whatever the past has exposed to the world
Requires a face of steel for justification.

Our views have shifted left and right
Arguments get nasty, civil, heavy and light
Whether support or oppose truth or lies
It can change friend and family ties.

A voice is a spell used for love and evil
Fear not, protection is granted by norm
Yet usage is controversial by the ears of us
Causing riots and protests to upheaval.

The chief is a fraction of the American pie
A bicameral power split, unbalanced and stagnant
Places a burden to people and neighbors around
And feels like representation is nothing but lie.

It may seem like a heavy burden
Your voice needs to be heard very loud
Red, blue or whatever you choose
Vote, demand, think, research and stay strong with the crowd.

It doesn't matter what side is chosen
It doesn't matter what beliefs one lives by
It doesn't matter who is in the house
The important thing is the support of each other
And demand rights to keep our country stronger than ever
And keep the spirit of the Constitution at heart
And love the red, white and blue forever.

Watch the Road

Don't text and drive
Fight the need to reply
Or you wont survive.

Don't be a fool
Wait 'til you park
Then you'll be cool.

Hands on the wheel
Eyes on the road
That is the deal.

A simple message
It sure can wait
and avoid wreckage.


     I would like you to share this poem with everyone. Click on the link below and download the pdf copy of my poem. Send it to your family, friends, co-workers and any person you can think of. You can also print it and post it at work, the office, and any place people can read it. Texting and driving is not only a crime but also dangerous to you and your fellow drivers.

  Watch the Road (pdf)

The Bus

Public transportation
Waiting at the station
I pay my fare
The driver gave a stare
I just smile and walk back
I found a seat with a snack
Half eaten on the seat
Sticky, gross and not to eat
A woman dressed in colors weird
A man with a very dirty beard
A classy lady in a dress
Another like a princess
This is the price of lack of car
A slower trip to take me far
But a dollar and change or pass
Beats a payment and lots of gas

Toast to Drink

One drink in
Two drinks cling
Three drinks sing
Four drinks sin
Five drinks fall
I can't recall