2 yous

There’s a you who’s pure and simple
And a you who’s anything but
There’s a you who loves everyone
And a you who hates their guts

There’s a you who wants to try
And a you who wants to quit
There’s a you who wants to get up
And a you who wants to sit

There’s a you who wants to do it all
And a you who’s just plain lazy
There’s a you who’s got it all together
And a you who’s just plain crazy

You see, there are two you’s,
Living in us every day
Whichever you feed
Will be the one to succeed.
And the other will fade away.

Canoe trip

Water flows
And takes us on its arms
We look at its beauty
We laugh at its charms

The river is quiet
Yet extremely polite
We paddle all day
To its utter delight

But the joy is all ours
As we spend a whole day
Letting the river
Take us its way

From here it keeps going
Although our trip is through
It just keeps on flowing
As we dock our canoe

We stand in thanks
For our day in the sun
For the time we spent
With the river as one

Attention

Excuse me, Owners? Please listen up
I know I’m just a dog. Just a hound. Just a pup.
But for two days, you left me here all alone
Ran as fast as you could right out of our home.
Didn’t you worry about giving me kibble?
(The neighbors came over just to give me a nibble.)
No one walked me around the block.
I didn’t play with a ball or a rolled up sock.
And even now, it’s like I don’t exist.
Was I long forgotten, and then not even missed?
And what’s that there that you’ve got in the blanket?
Is it a big roast beef from a three-day-long banquet?
No? What is it? C’mon, let me see.
What’s causing no one to pay attention to me?
Oh no! It can’t be! It’s another one of those!
With ten little fingers and ten tiny toes.
I could have been starving. I could’ve gotten rabies.
You were out getting another one of those silly babies.

'sponsible

My room is dirty.
And I don’t care.
My teeth aren’t brushed.
Neither is my hair.
My room is in shambles
My chores aren’t done.
I’d rather watch TV
Or go have some fun
Who really cares,
‘cept little old me?
If I just hang around
And do what I please?
Someone else will do it
‘Cause they always do
In fact my whole life
could be completely up to you
I’ll just sit and watch
And play with joy
As you scurry around
To clean up my toys.

Well, it’s thirty years later
And I’m sad to report
That my plans didn’t work
In fact they fell well short
Well they worked for a time
Yeah, it was fun for awhile
Until you got tired
Of cleaning my piles
So here I sit,
As still as a stone
Never learned to do a thing
And now I’m alone.
But I’ve learned one thing
And I learned it real good.
If you don’t take care of yourself
Then no one else should.

Run away

Today is the day I’m running away.
I’m sick of the rules, I just want to play
I’ll just need a few toys, and I’ll sure need my Teddy
Just a couple more things and then I’ll be ready.

I’ll need lots of good books for when I get bored
I’ll take my hamster, ‘cuz he can’t be ignored.
I’ll need my big pillow for when I get tired
Of course my toothbrush will be required

I’ll take plenty of food for plenty of eating
And I’ll take the stove in case something needs heating
Hmmm. But wait. I can’t really cook.
So I’ll take my mom and a recipe book.

I’ll need a bat and a ball to be thrown.
And I’ll need my brother, ‘cuz I can’t play alone
I’ll also need my tackle box and my fishing pole,
And my dad, to take me to the fishing hole.

If it rains out there I’ll just get doused
So for shelter I'll just take the whole house
O.K. I’m ready. I’m going on my way
But it’s heavy, all of this, so I might as well stay.

The tree

A tree spreads out
As it gets bigger
Reaching to heaven
With incredible vigor

People, however
Tend to get disjointed
As we get hurt
And disappointed

We close up
And our dreams disappear
When our hopes are lost
And we're left with just fear

We could learn from that tree
A thing or two or twenty
About how life is good
And how God gives us plenty

Don't let the bad
Undo all the great
See all that's possible
And let love conquer hate

So stand in the sunshine
Laugh in the rain
And realize that joy
Is greater than pain

Stretch like the tree
And don't have a care
Because heaven, my child
Is both here and there

Penny

I found a penny
Picked it up
After all
It was good luck

I took that penny
To a wishing well
I made a wish
And down it fell

To my amazement
My wish came true
When I looked on the ground
And I saw two

Two little pennies
Meant two more wishes
All of this wishing
Was quite delicious

So I made a wish
And gave ‘em a drop
I fully expected
My luck would stop

But there on the ground
Was a shiny new nickel
And from my head to my toes
I was nothing but tickled

My nickel became a dime
My dime became a quarter
And over and over and over
And over

Then I had thousands
Then millions. Then billions
Then whatever the heck
Comes after gazillions.

Now this is one
Remarkable thing
I started with a penny
Now I’m set like a king

But I guess I must’ve
Been here awhile
‘Cuz I’m old and gray
And I started a child

I’ve got little to show
For all of my wishes
No family, no friends
Just a whole lot of riches

If I could go back in time
And go back to that day
I would’ve found someone in need
And given that penny away

Wait! Hold on!
What am I thinking?
I’m at a magic well
I can go back without blinking

So I took the gazillion
And threw it all in
“Take me back to that day”
I said once and again

But nothing happened
All was the same
Just an old man standing
With nothing but shame

Guess you can wish
For as much money as you please
But a wish for more time
Is just a wish on the breeze

I, comma

I’m always stuck in the middle
I never finish my lists
And I don’t have as much fun
as an asterisk.

I try to hold it all together
I’m constantly connecting
And I interrupt thoughts
Whenever I’m reflecting

I don’t start at the beginning
I don’t end at the end
And I look like a quote mark
Who just lost a friend

I’m sorry about the fuss
I don’t mean to cause a drama
(I’ve got it better than the colon)
Guess I’m happy to be a comma.

Reverse

Why is there evil?
So there can be good
Why is there pain?
So comfort's understood
Why is there death?
So we can appreciate life
Why is there dark?
So we can see light
Why is there poor?
So there can be weath
Why is there sickness?
So there may be health

You see, these things exist
So there can be the reverse
So thank God for the good
And don't fear the worst
It's simply a way
To help you be glad
That life is a blessing
On good days and on bad

The door

There’s a door in a room in my Grandma’s house
That’s always completely shut
I’ve always imagined what lies behind it
But I don’t know exactly what

It could be a treasure
Filled with gold bars
It could be a spaceship
That could take me to Mars
It could be an entrance
To another dimension
It could be a lab
With the world’s greatest invention.
It could be all the secrets
Of the whole universe
It could be a twenty-eyed monster
Or it could be even worse

OK, here goes.
I’m ready for it all.
Oh.
It’s just some old clothes.
And they smell like moth balls.

Word play

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am proud to announce
The first ever play
That you’ll need to pronounce

You see it’s a play of words
Played entirely by letters
Most of the 26,
working together

The curtain draws
Out come “H” and “I”
For an opening statement
Of just simply “HI”

Then comes T and S
Approaching each side
To say just “THIS”
As they beam with pride

“T” and “H” exit stage left
Leaving “IS” on display
Then out run O and N and E
But E tripped along the way

Now stood “ON”
And this wasn’t fun
Til the E stood up
And spelled out “ONE”

The “O” stayed on stage
As many letters scurried
Spelling out “SHORT”
After they dashed and hurried

Then all went offstage
As four letters walked in
Spelling out “YALP”
Until they did a spin

The last word was “PLAY”
And that my friends is it
"THIS IS ONE SHORT PLAY"
We hope you enjoyed your visit

The curtains closed
And the crowd clapped on cue
But they weren’t quite done
There was one more thing to do

Back came the “O”
And it was quite a place
Out came a “W”
And a “b” that was lowercase

Seems the “B” was out sick
But out came his buddy
The little “b”
(his understudy)

And the word spelled “bOW”
As the curtains closed
Then all 26
Came out and posed

Well, it wasn’t that great
Yes, I’ve seen much better
But certainly never by
A bunch of letters

But don’t look for the ENCORE
No that you won’t see
Because, my friends
There’s only one “E”

New opposites

The opposite of aha!
Is ummmm…..
The opposite of yuck
Is yummmmm.
The opposite of yea!
Is awwww.
The opposite of yup
Is nawwww.
The opposite of this poem
Is great
Because this little poem
Just ain’t.

Back words

Devil spelled backwards is Lived.
Evil spelled backwards is Live.
Seems if you’re the opposite of Doom
To God, a good Mood you’ll give.

Absurd bird

Yesterday I saw a bird
And he seemed a bit absurd
He said “hello”
I said "huh? whoa”
'Cause I couldn’t believe what I heard.


He went on, “Good day, my friend”
I couldn’t believe I heard it again.
I found it abnormal
That he was so formal
But I decided an ear I would lend


And then he politely asked for some food
I said “I’ll check”, ‘cause I hate to be rude.
I thought long and hard.
I looked ‘round the yard
“Sorry, no” is what I had to conclude.


“Well there’s a fishing store five blocks away”
The bird said in a much less courteous way
“They sell worms by the bunch
Which would be great for lunch.”
So I begrudgingly said, “OK”


Then I walked to the store, a good mile from there.
“Just ask for a can”, that bird did declare.
I walked into the store
It was a dollar and four.
“I’ll pay you back” he said, “I swear”


When I opened the can, I thought the bird was quite clever
And started to think this was a daily endeavor
When the store clerk screamed
“Bird, you still up to this scheme?
I told you not to come back! Not ever!”


So if a bird talks to you, make sure you stand firm
And deal with him on your very own terms
I shoulda conceived
But I didn’t believe
That I’d opened such a big can of worms.

The difference

Adults are complicated
Kids are not
Adults have infections
Kids have snot

Adults have acquaintances

Kids have buddies

Adults have work

Kids have studies

Adults have responsibilities

Kids have chores

Adults have apnea

Kids just snore

Adults get emotional
Kids get whiny
Adults have a gluteus
Kids have hineys

You see, we're not that different
Adults just make it seem hard
We could use less stress
And more playing in the yard
Something gets lost
From age five to age thirty
We stop noticing butterflies, planes
and the little birdies
We stop being silly
And start getting real
We simply stop dreaming
Getting lost in the ordeal
It all seems so strange
And a little bit crazy
Those carefree days
Seem a little bit hazy

Perhaps all adults
should all make this pact:
Yes we have to grow up,
but we can always go back.

The voice

There's a voice in your head
That whispers to you
About all of the things
You're not good enough to do

Well that little voice
Is not yours at all
No, that little voice
Once took a great fall

And now he's just bitter
And wants you to fail
he wants you to be frightened
And go no where

Where there's great potential
he'll give you a "don't"
When there's great success
he'll say a "you won't"

You see that little voice
Wants you to stay right there
And wants you to worry
About every small care

But something much greater
Wants you to win
Something that can defeat
That tiny voice within

So confront that voice daily
And make sure you take heed
Just say "watch this, voice"
And then wildly succeed

The ride

The Earth rotates in exactly one day
And goes around the sun in precisely one year
How does the Earth know what time it is
And when to be there or here?

The moon moves around Earth
The tides move the oceans
Makes me stop and wonder
How they each got the notion.

With every storm
New life is sprung
For everything that’s old
There’s a new something young

The days get longer and longer
Then shorter and shorter
Everything goes around
In beautifully perfect order

All of this thinking
Has got me quite tired
Too much to question
And energy required

So instead of being anxious
About how it’s all guided
I think I’ll just relax
And enjoy the ride

One little thing

One little thing
Can change the whole Earth
Just one little act
Becomes more than it’s worth

You see child, to you
It’s just one little thing
But to the person you help
Who knows what it brings?

And then that person
May return the favor
To someone else
Who’s in need of a savior

And so on and so forth
And on and on
Until all in the world
Are touched upon

Just do one little thing
And then watch it all go
Cause it just takes one little thing
To make love overflow

The human race

Perhaps instead of running a ninety-year dash
You should stop, look, listen, and enjoy the path.
Life is a blessing, but you only get one.
So make sure you slow down. And enjoy the run.

Lighten up

People can be proud
People can be brash
People can be unforgiving
People can clash

But we're all going through
The same basic lives
Things make us laugh
Things make us cry

I don't understand
Why people can't forgive
Mistakes are made in life
So live and help live

If you are wronged
Make them feel right
If they put you in darkness
Just help them see light

People are people
And we all can be wrong
But that doesn't mean
We can't all get along

Poor 11

One's always first
two is a cuddle
three is a crowd
four is a huddle
five is hand
six sides on a di
seven is good luck
eight's two circles high
nine is a six
turned on its head
ten is perfection
or so it is said
But what is eleven
besides two little ones?
when does eleven
get all its fun?
Eleven is nothing
but two straight lines
like two little twins
always combined
Or worse than that,
they're like two silly cousins
(who are frankly a donut
short of a dozen.)