Paul stood by the open tent flap, taking a few minutes to enjoy the beautiful gifts nature provided him for free. Looking to the eastern shore, he marveled at the red, orange and yellow explosion of pre-dawn glory heralding a new day. Low on the Western horizon, the nearly full moon lay pale and bloated. In the aerie pre-dawn light a heavy dew clinging to everything that did not move seemed somehow phosphorescent. The fre...

When I was young I used to have so much fun Not knowing what part I would have in life's play Happiness is gone. . .I now carry a gun And my thoughts settle about me, like ashes in wet clayI saw John, today, catch a bullet and die He was married, and I think he had a kid Hope they can find time to stop awhile to cry, . . .and remember all of the good things he didJohn died today, and tomorrow I may die Or did I die last w...

As I view the world through the prism of my mind I see what life's made of, and I wish I were blind Nobody is happy, and those that say they are Have a mind that's torn, twisted, with a social scarThe beat goes on ... the war goes on ... But can life go on? The world is a chess board and I am but a pawn Could this hourglass, known as time, run out of sand? How much sand is left, enough to fill up my hand?Or does everythin...

Rainy days are not any fun. Sam and his little brother Jim knew this all too well. The constant rain for the past week forced the two boys to resort to other means of entertainment. Both of the boys would have loved to play in the snow, like they saw on the TV shows about Christmas. But the TV and Christmas Cards were the only places they saw snow. It had been raining for several days, and the constant rain killed any tho...

Across the disco void I'm attracted by your smile But our orbits remain in sync for just a little while The music machine makes loud the distance between us Alas! I am from Mars and you are from Venus

PART ONENaomi sat, staring out of the city bus window. She held two large, brown shopping bags on her lap. The bus was not really crowded, but she did not feel at ease. Looking out the window was her way of avoiding eye contact with the other passengers. An undercurrent of fear caused her to wrap her arms around the crumpled shopping bags. Clutching the bags close to her, she sat silent as she peered out the window. It wa...

I live deep within these caves of concrete and polished steel Cut off from all the things of the world that are beautiful and real. Reluctantly I awake, to the clock's persistent chime. I hop in my super-car, and fight the crowd to punch in on time I'm caught in the web, Spider-establishment close at hand. Free will in an illusion, like water upon the desert sandOur technology like fresh paint upon the kitchen floor, Has...

Christmas Far from Home PART ONE A cold wind swept the dirt street sending clouds of dust into the air. A few pedestrians scurried along the worn paths between the ruined buildings. Anxiety mixed with despair was the most common emotion that seemed to be etched deep into their weathered faces. Quickly they dashed across the dusty, rubble-filled street, eager to duck into the protective shadows to avoid being in the open f...

Sam trudged along the now familiar path around the storage area. Two hundred paces along the fence line, one hundred paces to the corner of the first building, two hundred fifty paces along the back of the building, and seventy-five paces back to the fence line, and then another round was complete. Forty laps, maybe even a few more, would be completed before his shift was over. Such was the life of a military security gua...

PART ONEIt’s that time again, that time again--that time between mid-November and the end of December. Yes, it is that time again, when everywhere you look, everywhere you go, you are reminded that you need to buy something for someone. That time again, when kids, momentarily, are on their best behavior in an attempt to parley or negotiate a bigger bonus of toys and other gifts. Yes, it is that time again; as the temperat...