Men in Black

A halting walk. A forceful pace.
They cease their talk. They steel their face.
With withered hand they touch the veil.
They understand the empty shell.
Then file away and know too soon,
That Death will play; they'll hear the tune.

A soul unseen, that won't be back.
They'll lie between the men in black.

A forceful pace. A halting walk.
They steel their face. They cease their talk.
They touch the veil, with withered hand.
The empty shell, they understand.
They know too soon that Death will play.
They'll hear the tune...and file away.

Sweet Dreams

Lying here, I think of you.
I wonder where you are.
There's not a thing that I can do,
But wish upon a star.
The air I breathe is not as sweet
Unless I'm by your side.
The world is cold. I feel no heat.
My lust for life has died.
It never is just like before;
Won't ever be the same.
And even now I want you more.
And now, I say your name.
It's getting late and soon I'll drift,
In sleep, I'll think of you.
And dreams will take away the rift
That separates us two.

A Fowl Finger

While walking in the forest night
Across a moonless bog,
I came across, in the ghostly light,
A stranger there in the fog.
He blocked my path as he approached,
His stare never leaving my eyes.
He probed my soul, and then encroached!
It caused my pulse to rise!

"You have trespassed upon my ground!
You've tainted my expanse!
Your soul to me would now be bound,
But first, I'll give you a chance!"
He put his finger to my chest,
And then he said to me,
"A riddle is to be your test,
The answer will set you free!"

"What burns like fire in darkest black
For travellers on a wayward track?
It's lust for rich and poor alike
Will grow the instant Death does strike!"

And then a sort of twisted grin
Appeared upon his face.
An evil shown from deep within,
From some corrupted place.

"Ti's Hell!", I cried, "You devilish beast!
The answer was there in your eyes!
I'll not become your bloody feast!
You've given away your disguise!"

He dropped his head, and then he cursed,
And changed back into a fiend.
To answer his riddle, I'd been the first.
My slate had just been cleaned.
He wheeled about and did not linger.
He had just lost the fight.
He bid farewell with a bony finger,
And disappeared into the night.

If I Could

If I could write what's in my heart
I'd tell you all my pain.
But, I don't know just where to start.
I feel it's all in vain.

If I could say what's on my mind
I'd empty out my sack.
Too many memories left behind.
Too many more come back.

If I could show you how I feel
And let you see my soul,
You'd see a wound that will not heal;
An unrelenting hole.

If I could have the things I want,
I'd only need a few.
But fickle fate will tease and taunt,
And never give me you.

If I could be, just for a while,
Right where I want to be,
I'd take a beach; a sandy isle,
Somewhere across the sea,
Alone, just you and me.

Altered Memory

I saw her just the other day,
And barely caught the face.
Her memory had been stored away
In some forgotten place.
She looked at me but didn't know
Who I had grown to be,
Or maybe didn't want to show
That she remembered me.
I watched her for a moment or two,
But shied from being rude.
I searched for something, just a clue,
That gave away her mood.
She acted different than the way
That I remembered her.
I didn't expect her looks to stay
The same as how they were.
But something deep within my mind
Said that she hadn't changed.
The truth, it seemed, I'd left behind;
The fact I'd rearranged.

My mind replayed a book I'd read
About how thought proceeds.
What we perceive within our head
Is changed to suit our needs.
Then all the things I held as truth,
My mind began to ponder.
Conceptions I had formed in youth,
My ignorance, they were under.
I thought on this all through the night.
Without sleep I went long.
What I thought wrong just may be right,
And what was right is wrong.
This madness pressed upon my brain,
Possession, the final intent.
My sanity drowning in lunatic pain,
No reasoning left to dement.
My soul was weary with the fight.
The war then came to naught.
I saw that girl again last night.
She wasn't the one I had thought.

Simple Love

Her smile could calm a raging storm,
Or melt an icy heart.
Those eyes so innocent and warm
Could tear a man apart.
A poise as graceful as a queen
Yet gentle as a dove.
They say an angel can't be seen.
She's one from heaven above.

But now that smile has gone away.
Her heart no longer stirs.
She left it to another day;
A time when I was hers.
That little flame that used to play
In eyes so deep and blue,
Has slowly died and gone away.
But to her man shes' true.
She vowed to follow wherever he leads;
Through sunny sky or rain.
When simple love is all she needs,
Seems all she gets is pain.

Eulogy to the Unborn

You'll not get to run through the green with bare feet,
Or see the white puffs in the blue.
But now you can run and fall at His feet,
And give Him the credit He's due.

You'll give no account for the word or deed;
For the thoughts that were formed from within.
You went home to the Lord while still as a seed,
Being chosen, He covered your sin.

The Kingdom, for me, is dark through the glass,
Yet, you see the truth face to face.
But my fleshly vision will very soon pass,
Then, I too will see by His grace.

The truth is unknown. Were you sister or brother?
You left with the story untold.
Perhaps you were taken to stay with each other;
Two lambs in the heavenly fold.

For now I will keep both your memories with me
And think of the place where you are.
Then I'll know for sure, that one day we'll see
Each other, in a better place by far.

Dedicated to the Campbell children who are patiently waiting.