Amid the noise and haste remember the PEACE one finds in silence.  Be GRACIOUS in
disagreement, CALM in discord and GENTLE to people of lesser station.  Speak your
TRUTH quietly, not loudly.  Let caution in your business not blind you to the virtues
in others.  Whatever LOVE you give make certain it be TRUE.  Feigned affection is
worse than a curse.  Forego the impulse of YOUTH and take the counsel of your YEARS.
Keep interested in your CAREER no matter how humble.  Nurture your SPIRIT for sudden
misfortune.  Fatigue and loneliness breed FEAR- so, beyond a healthy discipline be
gentle to yourself and keep peace with all persons, above all with your SOUL.
You have a RIGHT to belong, no less than the trees.  Whatever you conceive GOD to be,
be at peace with HIM.  DESPITE of all its drudgery and broken dreams THIS is still a
beautiful WORLD and HAPPINESS is yours if you strive for it.

Abandon me now,
Cruel and merciless World.
Yield to me that which was mine,
So that Light may return
To this darkened Soul,
And Joy to this saddened Heart.

Abandon me now,
Sadistic twist of Fate.
Allow me to travel alone
On the forgotten Path of Destiny,
Not with you down the Road of Despair.

Abandon me now,
Shallow and empty Promises.
Leave me to piece together
The remnants of shattered
     Hopes and Broken Dreams,
And take away your Vain
     Desires and empty Pleasures.

Abandon me now,
Blind Hatred and Ignorance.
Let me live out my Life
In Peace and Tranquillity.
Not in Agony and Depression.

Abandon me now,
Cruel and merciless World.
You will not defeat Me.
Abandon me now...
For I have long abandoned you.

- DVIII

As I think about my life.
As I contemplate the strife.
As I sort through all the pain.
As I slowly go insane.
I dance on a razor's edge.

As I search for peace.
A place where I can be at ease.
As I look for tranquility
To escape from mediocrity.
I dance on a razor's edge.

As I look for happiness
To escape this sadness.
As I search through my mind,
I find that life is too unkind.
I dance on a razor's edge.

I'm reaching out with my soul,
So that I can reach my goal.
I'm reaching out with my heart,
So that I will not fall apart.
As I dance on a razor's edge.

As I search for that special one,
I know deep down that there is none.
As I continue the search in vain,
All that I find is more pain.
As I dance on a razor's edge.

- DVIII

On the outside,
   I may be laughing,
But on inside,
   My heart is breaking,
Longing for compassion.

On the outside,
   I may be smiling,
But on inside,
   My soul is dying,
Longing for a friend.

On the outside,
   I may be joking,
But on inside,
   My love is choking,
Longing to be shared.

On the outside,
   I may be glad,
But on inside,
   My heart is sad,
Longing to be happy.

On the outside,
   I may be fine,
But on inside,
   My soul does pine,
Longing to find love.

What's on the outside,
   Is a clever hoax,
What's on the inside,
   Is what matters most.
The real me in pain.

- DVIII

I am the expiration date
on cottage cheese.
I am the tickling sensation
Before you sneeze.

I am the Picasso.
I am the Dali.
I am boiled ham
In a Jewish deli.

I am the round square.
I am the pickled pork rind.
I am the orderly chaos,
In a logical mind.

I am anarchy,
Amid the calm.
I am the sweat
In your right hand palm.

I am the keeper of the cheese.
I am the banana peal.
I am the lemon merchant.
I AM SIR REAL.

I am the Grateful Dead.
I am the Who.
I am ME.
I am YOU.

- DVIII

Soldiers all,
Soldiers brave.
Here you lie
In a somber grave.

You defended freedom.
You fought for truth.
War�s own Hell,
Destroyed your youth.

Your names are written
On a wall.
Now your names
Are known by all.

Knights so bold.
Warriors true.
We shall all
Remember you.

- DVIII

Blood so warm,
Running through my veins.
Letting it loose
Would end all my pains.

Steel so cold,
Inviting me now.
I shall go quietly.
This I must do.

Union of both,
If I do dare,...
Would anyone forgive me?
Would anyone care?

- DVIII

A circle is made,
Out of pure gold.
The circle eternal,
Will never grow old.

It's sealed with a diamond,
Clear and cut true,
To give it good Hope,
For me and for you.

In this ring, is a promise,
That'll always be true.
I'll love you forever,
And I'll only love you.

- DVIII

Through ME the way into the Suffering City,
Through ME the way to the Eternal Pain,
Through ME the way that runs among the Lost.

Justice urged on my high Artificer;
My Maker was Divine Authority,
The Highest Wisdom, and the Primal Love.

Before ME nothing but Eternal things were made,
And I endure eternally.

Abandon every hope, all who enter HERE.

My body has been battered,
And tossed and torn about.
But the scars that hurt me most,
Are more inner than on out.

The scars about my body
Will fade and go away.
But the scars upon my mind
Are the ones that are going to stay.

My body may get broken
And it may fall apart.
But the scars that hurt me most
Are the ones that cut my heart.

I may get hurt a lot
But I will heal in time.
The scars that never leave
Are the ones that destroy my mind.

So you may see me scarred,
But that's outside of me.
The scars that hurt me most
Are the ones you do not see.

- DVIII

O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy,
Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips
To beg the voice and utterence of my tongue,
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar's spirit raging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from Hell,
Shall in those confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'HAVOC', and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

When things go wrong
  as they somethines will,
When the road you're
  trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low
  and debts are high,
And you want to smile,
  but you have to sigh,
When care
  is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but
      DON'T YOU QUIT!

Success is failure
  turned inside out,
The silver tint
  of the cloud of doubt
And you never can tell
  how close you are,
It may seem near
  when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight
  when you're hardest hit-
     It's when things go wrong that
     YOU MUSTN'T QUIT!

On window panes, the icy frost
Leaves feathered patterns, crissed and crossed,
But in this house the Christmas tree
Is decorated festively
With tiny dots of colored light
That cozy up this winter night.
Christmas songs, familiar, slow,
Play softly on the radio.
Pops and hisses from the fire
Whistle with the bells and choir.
My sweetheart is now fast asleep,
In my arms and dreaming deep.
Watching the fire with her near,
I'm so happy that she is here.
Propped against me on the rug,
I give my sweetheart a gentle hug.
Tomorrow's what I'm waiting for,
But I can wait a little more.

I resign my soul,
To the relentless North Wind.
There is nothing more.

I resign my heart,
To the coldness of the sea.
There is nothing more.

I resign my life,
To the blackest void of space.
There is nothing more.

- DVIII

What if I were to tell you
What was in my heart?
Would you think these words were true?
Would you believe them from the start?

What if I were to tell you
Just what I want to say?
How can I tell you to your face,
Without the words getting in the way?

What if I were to hold you,
And protect you from all harms?
Would you struggle to break free,
Or just stay here in my arms?

What if I were to love you,
And promise to be true?
Would you run away?
Or say "I love you, too"?

- DVIII

You light up my life, you brighten my days,
You make me feel special in so many ways.
I send you this rose, to show how I care,
That I'm here by your side, thru rough & thru fair
I send you this rose, to show you my heart,
Though we're not together, we're never apart.
(@}-'-------------

- DVIII

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