Pearl in Suprise

Been so long since I remember when
I could laugh and joke, take it on the chin
Years went by and I forgot more and more
Unknowingly shoved in the proverbial drawer

You took the step and opened the door
Showed me your beauty that you had in store
A bright smile and soul to match
Showed me the way through my rough patch

You wanted all that I had and was
Healed my anger, healed my scars
Scraped away the years of doubt
Gave me something to crow about

I love the way you laugh at my jokes
The time we spend with your loving folks
My friends are never a challenge to bear
Eager you are with my poems that I share

I love your independence with a slice of need
In the face of obstacle, you take the lead
Not afraid, to admit you were wrong
Never let me forget I belong

I know you would catch me if I ever fell
Forgive my mistakes and never tell
Wipe my tears and never judge
Supportive always without a grudge

So in these words is my bond of love
We fit together like the perfect glove
I thank you always for who you are
My gift from above, my shooting star

Those Days

I think of those days, sitting in the drive
Laughing and giggling and feeling alive
Before the bumps, before the tricks
Before being covered with a ton of bricks

So long ago, but just yesterday
With Murray the K and the swinging soiree
Forty fives and book reports
Dirty subways and NY transports

I think of those days with a tonsil surprise
Putting out fires, we were so wise
Sunday mass and Alley Pond Park
Ice cream Joe, throwing up on the block

Skinning my knees from being called over
Like Charlie Brown, I was Red Rover
Tagging along, you never minded
A hassle I was but never reminded

Always there, for me to vent
A great sister, 100 percent
You housed me and helped me with all my debris
A great many memories, I do agree

As I look back and regret just a little
I know in my heart, that life is so brittle
Time is fleeting and here on loan
Linked we are and truly homegrown

So as the calendar starts to wane
I no longer feel the need to be vain
Those days rush back and bring a big smile
Proud to be your brother, all the while

Eye to Eye

Eyes half glazed with bloodshot minds
Time clicks away as the story winds
Mired in misery and bitter herb
Once was important now kick to the curb

It takes all I have to hang on tight
All my patience all my might
Not all alone but just as hard
No matter what we would of sparred

Two more years hardly matters
Don’t exist left in tatters
Tired of playing un winnable game
Can call me sometime there is no one to blame

I will always be here an inch from you
Whenever you decide to walk on through
No eyebrows or litmus for you to respond
Deep in my heart will store our bond

I hope to be there for all your triumphs
And dust you off when you take your lumps
Walk you down holding back the tears
Holding my grandchild in those golden years

Remember that I tried to ensure the best
Help you adjust show you are blessed
Think about me when you start to fly
I pray some day we see eye to eye

Niece Like You

Ten plus six makes a very short time
Fair and sweet as I watched you climb
Before my eyes you sprouted new wings
Decked in baubles and matching gold rings

Awkward stage complete with braces
Special shoes and off to the races
Style and grace remains the same
You’re my niece, I proudly exclaim

Loving photos of you and my son
Fleeting moments in the shining sun
Watching you grow to the woman you’ll be
Success will follow, I cannot disagree

Treasure these days and those tomorrow
For they are gifts that we only borrow
Be true to yourself and never waver
Cause times like this are for you to savor

So on this day of a life beginning
Let them wonder why you are grinning
While many fail with being so young
You remain poised and totally unsung

Pleasure it is to be a part of your life
To listen and support with any strife
And during this time of great celebration
I love being your Aunt without hesitation

Tangled Up in Blue

Early one mornin' the sun was shinin',
I was layin' in bed
Wond'rin' if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red.
Her folks they said our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like Mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough.
And I was standin' on the side of the road
Rain fallin' on my shoes
Heading out for the East Coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues gettin' through,
Tangled up in blue.

She was married when we first met
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess,
But I used a little too much force.
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out West
Split up on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best.
She turned around to look at me
As I was walkin' away
I heard her say over my shoulder,
"We'll meet again someday on the avenue,"
Tangled up in blue.

I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the ax just fell.
So I drifted down to New Orleans
Where I happened to be employed
Workin' for a while on a fishin' boat
Right outside of Delacroix.
But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women
But she never escaped my mind, and I just grew
Tangled up in blue.

She was workin' in a topless place
and I stopped in for a beer,
I just kept lookin' at the side of her face
In the spotlight so clear.
And later on as the crowd thinned out
I's just about to do the same,
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said to me, "Don't I know your name?"
I muttered somethin' underneath my breath,
She studied the lines on my face.
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe,
Tangled up in blue.

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello," she said
"You look like the silent type."
Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet
From the thirteenth century.
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul from me to you,
Tangled up in blue.

I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs,
There was music in the cafes at night
And revolution in the air.
Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died.
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside.
And when finally the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn,
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew,
Tangled up in blue.

So now I'm goin' back again,
I got to get to her somehow.
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now.
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter's wives.
Don't know how it all got started,
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives.
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same,
We just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.

Bob Dylan

Ruby vs Nightshade

I lived in Tampa at the time, and me and my room mate Jason were at Frenchy's on the beach in Clearwater drinking beers and tequila. Anyway, we get tired of that and want to smoke some herb.

Side note: my roommate was a pathelogical liar. He swore up and down he was a navy seal, but had no proof of it other than a deep navy blue satin jacken that said "NAVY" in big bold yellow letters on the back of it. This is the same type of jacket you can find at your local fair, and win from the one eyed man with the killer BO.

Anyway, Jason says his cousin, which just so happens to live in Clearwater also might have some. So we go check it out.I'm driving a red '74 beetle at the time, my most favorite car ever. We pull up to what looks like a modern day Beverly Hillbilly's shack in search of the sweet sweet green. It's dark out so I'm sure I can’t fully appreciate the sheer trashiness of the place. We go inside. Not only are there 50 bajillion children running around, but their 'father' (Jason's cousin) has a rat tail. Mind you, this was 1999, perhaps. Rat tails are not fashionable no matter where you're living at the time.

Come to find out, he didn't have any weed, BUT his girlfriend might. This chick comes skating out of the back looking trailor trash hot, I must admit. However, she had no weed either, but might know someone that does. And if we take her to meet up with her John (yes her customer who is paying for her vagina, remember the boyfriend and oh yeah, the children) then she'll hook us up with this chick other chick that does have some.

On the way we pick up some more suds and head to TACO BELL. Ahh yes, Taco Bell, the place where all high-class prostitues meet up with their clientelle. We dump her off and pick up this chick. Much younger, a lot cleaner and much better looking. She takes us to her apartment, which just so happened to be in a very BAD area of town. It was a complex in which we (the hooker, Jason & myself) were the only white folks around. Most were perusing the area with saggy pants, boxer shorts showing, no shirt on & pimping the gangsta lean.

Once inside, her apartment closely resembled a closet with a toilet in it. This place was trashed. You know those free prostitution publications you get on the corners or at strip clubs? They were all over her apartment: the floor, the table, everywhere. So as she's packing a bowl she's proceeds to show Jason and I 'Nightshade's' advertisements in the mags. She had finally made the big time! Good for her! We smoke a bit and she is complaining how her rent is due tomorrow, and how she's short the money, etc, etc. Being the goodsamaritan that Jason is he asks Nightshade how much she would take to f*ck the both of us. Being my first time with a hooker I'm a bit nervous and say, "Oh, don't worry about it, dude. You go ahead. I'll just watch." He disagrees. After a long bout of negotiations she agrees to make the sweet sweet love to the tow of us for $160 dollars.

Jason's up first (he paid and all). She takes the money and tucks it away. He is nailing this girl. I mean the floor was shaking. There was absolutely no mercy coming from this man. After about 5 min and no rocks being broken she screams out "GET THE F*CK OFF OF ME! F*CK THE $HIT OUT OF ME FOR 160 DOLLARS!?! I DON'T THINK SO!" With much reluctance he dismounts and heads out the door.

I'm up. I'm very nervous. Yet she eases my nerves as she slides the condom on with her mouth (my first time to experience that). After a little more foreplay I go for the stab. Having never been with a whore before I begin to girate slowly, in a circular motion, making love to my whore. I didn't know you just f*cked them at the time. Silly me... So I'm loving like no one has loved before when I feel the matress move behind me. I look back and Jason has his arm shoulder deep beneath the matress. He puts his finger over his lips telling me to be quiet. No bother, I was in heaven making love to a hooker!

He comes in 5 min later saying, "Dude! My brother’s in trouble. We gotta go!" I tell him, "Dude, 10 more mintues! I'm almost done." The beer and THC had prolonged my love making skills, and I was quite proud indeed. Time passes, and much lovemaking was made. Jason comes barreling in. He means business this time. "DUDE!!! My brother's REALLY in trouble. We gotta GO! NOW!" No stalling this time. So I dismount. I put my clothes on being rushed by Jason all the while.

We hop into Ruby (the red '74) and she starts with a sputter. About that time the front door to her apartment flies open, and there stands Nightshade in nothing but her white lace panties with an orange bottle of Saint Ides. She’s screaming something. I look over at Jason and he shows me a wad of cash and laughs. He says, "GO DUDE! GO!" I hear Nightshade scream again this time in vile anger and disgust, "YOU MOTHER F*CKERS TOOK MY MONEY!!!" She chucks the bottle of Saint Ides, and successfully dings Ruby near the rear passenger side quarter panel. We peel out of there as fast as Ruby can take us.

Now, what I didn't tell you is that Nightshade liked to keep her hookin' money underneath the matress upon which she did business. Jason was making a grab for the cash when I looked back and saw him. Everything came together at that point. We came out on top with not only the original 160 bones, but made 120 on top of that.…We drank for a few days on that money.

written by Rikooprate

Simpatico

It is strange that people never seem to learn the lessons of the past. We are quick to shun the old and ignore their experience. To step over the poor and blame the helpless. We value money and denounce integrity. We as humans were born on this planet and have done everything to divide and destroy it. We stand on our soap boxes and shout at the moon that we are the best.

"Blessed are the humble" People like Lincoln, Sadat, Ghandi and many others who gave their lives for the greater good. The great leaders of the world have been ignored and abused when all they try to do is improve our moral fiber.

Ghandi once said "However much I may sympathize with and admire worthy motives, I am an uncompromising opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of causes."As civilized human beings, we have an obligation to lend a hand when we are busy. To focus on the truth when we want to turn our eyes. To humbly respect the ideas of others when we feel the urge to supress.

Emma Lazarus wrote "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, Stalin's ethnic cleansing, The slaughter of Native Americans, the Holocaust and many other periods in history where man has raised his ugly head to show why our world is in a state of chaos. The U.S., Great Britain, China, Russia, Japan and all other great nations need to teach their children the ways of the meek, the unselfish and the courageous and reject the old imperial ways.

I was born and raised in NYC. I was devistated by the events of 911. Just like all people in other countries who have felt similar pain. Sometimes I think my country is great and sometimes I do not...just like all other countries. Because all countries are run by humans, humans who make mistakes, who are greedy, uncaring, compassionate and beautiful. Let us rejoice in our similarities and not dwell on our differences.

Human Conscience is the Almighty and the Eternally Damned

“Let your conscience be your guide,” wise words spoken by Jiminy Cricket in the Disney animated film Pinocchio. This singular phrase encapsulates so much of what I envision in regards to reverence of a higher power.

Many denominations survive through the use of primitive scare tactics. If the Almighty, “the all-forgiving God” does exist, wouldn’t it make sense that he/she would rather have a kinder, more forgiving relationship with his/her children?As it stands, “God” poses as a parental figure that, if crossed or disobeyed, will exercise a punishment so severe that those that follow the “wrong path” will experience this punishment for all of eternity. Eternity. The one place where time stops.

Religion is the ultimate hypocrite. All-forgiving yet relentless in judgement. Therefore, I propose a new doctrine, a new truth: Jiminyism. Let your conscience be your guide. “God” and “Satan” live and exist in our minds, in our figurative imagination. They make appearances every waking moment of our lives. We have such an entrenched relationship with our conscience, our minds, our power of choice that we fail to give it the proper recognition it deserves.

As young children we are taught what is wrong and what is right. We are given a set of morals and ethics that we receive through our loved ones, the media and day-to-day interaction with other people, places and things. Humanity, at large, regardless of location, race or religion share an extremely similar core set of values. Stealing is wrong. Murder is wrong. Telling false truths, for the most part, is wrong. When a situation occurs where temptation and morality collide, we are occupied by a presence with the sublime. “God” and “Satan” are present and “exist” due in large part by our natural given desire to label that which we do not fully understand, in the individual’s conscience at these very common, but oftentimes disregarded divine moments.“Satan,” evil influence, socially unaccepted thoughts and mentalities have the ability to influence out paths of choice.

However, “God,” truthful and communal influence, socially endorsed thoughts and mentalities, influence, ultimately what choices we make. You see, we always know what is right, but we don’t always make that choice, consciously. Therefore, dependent on the severity of the wrong choice, say for example, Murder, guilt plays a pivotal and debatably religious role.Guilt can carry such gravity that one’s mental stability can crumble and disintegrate. Coping with such stresses might cause a snowball effect in that it self perpetuates itself.

So, with regards to human existence, this guilt can last until death; the end of the human experience. Definition? Guilt = Hell. Damnation. Suffering for all of what we know as eternity. Eternity = the time we spend as a conscious entity that exists and interacts on this planet. Yet guilt can be conquered when one follows the influence of their negative conscience. At which time that individual begins to lose sight of what is right and what is wrong, and therefore become a slave o their own misguided thoughts. Religious-speak: one becomes a slave to or a tool of the Devil. Heaven?

Those moments in life that bring one of many pinnacles of joy and clarity in our lives. Birth, music, accomplishments, reunions, Love.Heaven and Hell vary from person to person of course depending upon their likes, dislikes, fears and passions. Heaven and Hell may exist, but there are no Pearly Gates or Fire and Brimstone. Heaven and Hell may only be a state of mind, which grows and evolves with us as we ourselves grow and evolve. Our power of choice is amazingly simple, yet it is also the single most influential aspect of the human psyche.

Choice and Conscience guide our lives. It tells us: where we go, what we do, who we are, who we become, and those whom we influence.For those that frown upon atheism, this is my personal solution to your conflict with natural independent thought and beliefs: I do believe in “God” and “Satan,” or more appropriately labelled, Good and Evil. The powers that guide our lives are not beings that lead us on strings, but are our own choices and the guilt or joy that accompanies those choices.

Of course, these are just random thoughts that I’ve put on Paper, and the ideas contained within these pages, although recorded on a solid medium, make it no more significant or factual than the philosophy used to create it.Faith? Have faith in yourself and your own choices. Have faith in those around you. Have faith that life supplies many rich rewards in good time and in bad. If the mentality shared in these pages can be adopted, I believe a greater number of people can enjoy a little slice of their own Heaven by enjoying peace, humility, and appreciation in themselves.Start Jimmineyism in your own community and your own circle…

written by Rikooprate

It's Just a K

Numbers like pieces are all they see
Moving around the board of life
They shout their ideals in a grand decree
Till they cut through us all like a knife

One by one, they march to the beat
On the glory that was built before them
Trusting and praying for all to compete
In the stage that the suits laid before them

They say they were losses that were factored in
They are collateral damage, the pundits say
But are lives and souls that are lost for the sin
And for all they care, it’s just a K

True heroes go to battle with fear and mettle
A band of brothers they all are
Oblivious to the ignorance we all settle
Not caring for the deeds of afar

We turn the page to watch our shows
And escape the reality of life
While the dogs of war take their blows
Know the real meaning of strife

We cry about vacations and discomfort and aches
And swift boat and taxes and pay
About the winners and losers and the stakes
While the powers shout, it’s just a K

So as they come home, draped in the flag
In rectangular boxes of darkness
As those who never fought, start to brag
We all have to live with the madness

In math I was taught that numbers are power
From decimal to metric to binary
But the men who sit in their ivory tower
Are only concerned with the refinery

So the time has come in the fall of O-four
To send a message, the old fashion way
To send our voice, our words, our roar
To show them it’s NOT just a K

Empty Fridays

She closes it quietly and stumbles to bed
Not enough time for the clothes to shed
Steps on the cat and tears her hose
Wafting smoke invades her nose

Curled up in a blanket, playing the role
The years go by, taking their toll
Suppose to be different, her mother complains
Another Tanqueray to ease the pains

Carousel of Princes, promise her more
Gets caught up, the borderline whore
Feeling special while the lights are low
Bullshit from heaven, the lying beau

Week after week, she believes the game
Hoping and praying for someone to claim
Back in her room, she starts to weep
Until she falls into a restless sleep

As a young girl she played it all out
The loving wife, without a doubt
Dressed up her Barbie’s and created the theme
Middle class America, the perfect dream

Many years later, they call her by name
Has her own stool, no one to blame
Cigarette breath and slow gin tears
Empty speeches are all she hears

The Ultimate Pledge

From a speech made by Capt. John S. McCain, USN, (Ret) who represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate:

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.

One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.
Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967.

Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country-and our military-provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.

Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag.

He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to pledge allegiance to our flag and our country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."