Rhino Guys 

I wonder/ what if Rhino guys/ decided to meet us/ to come and greet us/ if they were well dressed for Rhino guys/ what would you do to them/ would you say/ there is no room for gray noses/ do you suppose this/ and not let them in/ to your particular group of friends/ do you suppose this/ would you treat Rhino guys/ as another group of men/ that meet the guidelines for your prejudice/ that they are lesser men/ than the rest of us/ do you suppose this/ that they wouldn't be allowed in your restaurants/ do you suppose this/ that there would be a second men's room/ a different bathroom/ that they had to use/ do you suppose this/ that you would say that they are less intelligent/ and that you wouldn't let your daughters go out with them/ I wonder what the Rhino guys would think of us/ if you made such a fuss

 

 

How Do Others See Us

I thought about the fact/ that people see us in many different ways/ that even our faces are changed/ when they are seen  through different eyes

I paused to ponder whether people really know us at all/ if we are all like the pieces in a jig saw puzzle and no on has time/ to put them together

I can only imagine what others see/ what thoughts they have when they think of me/ and yet I know/ that no matter what  they see/ I will always be me

Found and Lost

There are many distractions that become attractions

There are may obsessions that take us in new directions

There are days when our anger puts us in the danger

When we say to ourselves, I have nothing to lose

The price that we may have to pay can be very high

But for some reason. or lack of thinking we do it anyway

When the human heart grows cold

When our anger gets hotter 

We are headed for disaster

Like a moth to a flame  faster and faster

We may burn our wings in fires of darkness

We may decide that dying  is irresistible 

Our worst enemy may finally be us, ourselves

There is a battle inside  of us and it is raging

Every day we have so much pain to maintain

We may cut ourselves to deal with it again and again

We may take dangerous drugs to dull all of it

But none of it works for very long, something's wrong

Gradually out of great distress we are killing ourselves

Little by little we plunge deeper and deeper into depression

We don't try to break the chain that hold us prisoner 

We don't let go of all of our pain, anger, doubt and fear

Pain and death have become an obsession 

Pain and death whip us and beat us with depression

But I have found that none of us need to be lost

That no though, idea or emotion has to be our boss

Inside of every human being are the seeds of freedom

All we have to do is to nurture, feed and grow them

It is true that healing is  hard and takes a lot of time

Never give up, never quit, press on, you can heal

REMEMBER YOU WERE BORN TO BE YOU

Where Are We Going

There are many images that crawl into our minds
Some of them are beautiful, gentle and O so kind
But others are ugly and horrific and O so evil
Some of them make us wonder if there is a Devil
Some people like to dance with scary things
Some people are frightened by nightmare dreams

Some people don't consider hell but live there
Everyday for them is empty and void of pleasure
Some people carry a heavy load of so much pain
Some people hurt so much every hour of the day
They may feel trapped in a spider's web with no escape
They are drowning in a sea of horrible heart ache

But in the end we all become all of our choices
We create our circumstances with different voices
What some may see as very bad is good for others
Some people are so confused, don't know what to choose
Some people sing happy songs. while others sing the blues
We have all learned that what we choose is life or death for me and you

The question always is ; Where are you going
What seeds have you planted; how are you growing
Do you contemplate your action , or just do things
Do you rebel against every form of authority to be free
Have you chosen just to get by, or embraced your destiny
Is your life heaven on earth or is it horrific hell

Only your choices and time will tell

A Poem For My Friend Grace

Curtis H. Stamey

Days and nights pass like rippling ocean waves/ touching the shore and retreating/ like heartbeats/ with a simple rhythm/ finding movements and capturing them and then setting them free to return in memories/ time chooses its pace/ sometimes proceeding and almost speeding/ sometimes slow and lazy/ relaxing in needed sleep till morning/ much is happening and giving life meaning/ even though where we are going is often a mystery/ each step we take forward requires courage and faith/ for we still deal with remnants of pain/ like curtains on a window pane/ sometimes pain keeps sunlight from coming inside of us/ some times remnants of pain don't bother us/ hope brings new imaginings/ hope gives us new wings/ and we learn to fly and ride the thermals/ but there are days we are grounded/ can't fly because of a broken wing/ that needs gentle healing/ a time of peace and resting/ but who we truly are we are becoming/ because we allow ourselves to be free/ and sing our new songs joyfully/ we find our path and e don't give up on our journey/ perhaps this is you and me/ two best friends/ who are sharing/ who are kind and gentle/ and caring

Wisdom

Wisdom

In the race of our obsessions seeking money, sex, and possessions
There is little time for wisdom or finding the right questions
Moments of temporary satisfaction flow from all the action
Succumbing to attractions and following all of the new fashions
We are hungry and always empty even though some things are filling

In a marginal moment of reflection we may bump into wisdom
And finally ask the questions WHO AM I? WHAT DO I WANT TO BE?
Even though our world has blinded us wisdom helps us see
Beyond big deals and one night stands, beyond sex without love
And money without meaning, except to BUY BUY BUY AND BUY MORE.

Wisdom's path is at a slower pace, not a competitive race
Wisdom is our humanity with an honest human face
Wisdom is the heart of everything real love means
Wisdom is the act of once again becoming human beings
We learn to care about others and how to be sisters and brothers

We learn to find life's greatest joy in living for others
When we freely give to others we finally find true treasure
We discontinue being the living dead and find our heats again
We live in relationships that are really real
We connect with others and our emotions are much more real

Every day we must decide whether we are living or dead inside.
Accept no imitations, being truly alive has no limitations.
Set yourself free to be, and to live your destiny
You don't have to follow the herd and strive to fit in.
You are free to be you, you are free to live and choose again.