This Is Why

I could have retired,
A year or two ago;
I could have rode the corporate bus,
And watch the dollars grow.

I could have gone on painfully,
Trying to impress;
I could have played the corporate game,
But didn’t nonetheless.

I was away everyday,
I missed my family;
I know it’s hard to understand,
My sensitivity.

I missed my boys, I missed the joys,
Of my community;
I wanted just to be a part,
Of this family.

So I chose survival,
It’s hard to understand;
I chose to be a leader but,
It didn’t go as planned.

We worked things out together,
You helped me beat the drum;
We grew our independence,
Yet together we were one.

For our kids it was a chance,
For all of us to grow;
They saw things happen, good and bad,
It was great for them to know.

I saw an opportunity,
Our boys could watch and see;
They’d learn to take the world head-on,
And choose what they could be.

Crossroads became the center,
To many folks in town;
We became a stopping point,
For folks when they were down.

With a guitar, they were a star,
Out on our showroom floor;
It helped them with reality,
To leave life at the door.

It’s not made up, it’s not a lie,
They’d say it to my face;
“I really love my time in here. It’s such a happy place.”

I could have retired but,
I didn’t know your plan;
I thought the trip was side by side,
I didn’t understand.

But not at the beginning,
Our work went hand in hand;
We built our place from four bare walls,
I thought you liked our plan.

Challenges and drawbacks,
They happened on a dime;
I never felt as close to you,
Like that intensive time.

In my heart, that’s what I felt,
That you and I could do;
I thought together you and I,
Could make this dream come true.

But my dream was not your dream,
Somehow I didn’t see;
That this dream would drive a wedge,
Between both you and me.

Wall Street crashed, we had no cash,
We hoped that it would change;
Instead it only made things worse,
Our life was rearranged.

I take responsibility,
For doing what was done;
I’ve never been the type of guy,
To simply cut and run.

Everything I’ve ever done,
Was done with you in mind;
Some was right and some was tied,
In knots I can’t unwind.

Through thick and thin my love for you,
Has never, ever waned;
Even at the worst of times,
It’s knowledge that I’ve gained.

I’ve learned respect, to tolerate,
The things I don’t agree;
You will laugh but it has helped with my anxiety.

I can only say I’m sorry,
For things that I have done;
I never meant to squash your dreams,
I thought our goals were one

I don’t mean to say it’s not that way,
We still walk hand in hand;
In everything we do in life,
I’ll always be your man.

Copyright 2019 MDC

What You Learn

Great performers,
Once bench warmers,
Know the life is tough.

To strive for great,
That is innate,
Will make the going rough.

Top the ladder,
Doesn’t matter,
All that’s left is down

It’s what you learn
Amidst the churn,
That helps you on the ground.

(Inspired by dinner with Ferguson Jenkins, Hall of Fame pitcher)

Copyright 2019 MDC

Jim and Flo

Jim was a man who knew too much,
Who talked too much, who squawked too much;
Jim was a man who knew too much,
But now he’s dead and gone.

He was a man who lived with kings,
Who stayed with kings, who played with kings;
He was a man who lived with kings,
But now he’s dead and gone.

There was a man who ran the show,
And owned the show, was in the know;
There was a man who ran the show,
Who put the hit on Jim.

The big, bad man was known as Pete,
He fought the street, he bought the street;
This bad man whose name was Pete,
He whacked his good friend Jim.

The bad ass man who ran the show,
Was in the know bout Jim and Flo;
Jim and Flo were in the know,
That Flo was Big Pete’s wife.

Jim was a man who knew too much,
He did the crime but did no time;
Jim was a man who knew too much,
But didn’t see the knife.

Copyright 2019 MDC

My Mind’s Eye

Wispy sky of pink and blue,
Makes me only think of you;
Morning sky, in my mind’s eye,
Leads me to this song.

Taking time to think of you,
Wispy sky of pink and blue;
Bright sunrise, in my mind’s eye,
Make my feelings strong.

The beauty of horizons,
The beauty of your eyes;
Are things that make my mind erase a world that’s full of lies.

Taking time to be here now,
Following a mindful vow;
To stop and smell the roses,
That bloom from day to day.

Wispy skies of blue and pink,
Can only help me stop and think;
Those brilliant skies, in my mind’s eye,
Can make me feel this way.

The beauty of horizons, The beauty of your eyes; are things that make my mind erase a world that’s full of lies.

Copyright 2019 MDC