LIVE AND LET LIVE

i like to live and let live
give, when i can give...
a hand to my fellow man
say a kind word
hold a door or give up a seat
for some elderly person
'cause i believe in karma

but there is evil in the world
and when i see it standing in front of me on two legs
smirking in my face
or beating down someone smaller
i like to take it by the collar
and drag it down into the pit
and beat it to death

because good and evil exist in the world
and though i favor the good
sometimes the evil part of me arises
against the evils of the world
and it feels damn good
still, i try to live and let live

I turn the other cheek once...
then twice...
but never on the third time
'cause then i counter-punch
a cheap shot, a blindside,
and evil goes down.

CHICAGO WINTER

winter in chicago lasts from october 'til june
then it gets hot and humid.
today autumn ended not with a gasp...
but with howling winds, known as "the hawk"
to all chicagoans.

i have my combat boots and leathers ready
snow and slush is soon to arrive
my batteries are charged, and anti-freeze is good
it's time for giant pots of chili and spaghetti sauce...
usually eaten on saturday or sunday
in front of a tv set, which will feature my chicago bears.

i will get heatburn
and swear off sports and spicy food
'til monday night football, and leftovers.
people continue to shop, and the rich get richer
the poor get poorer
and the parking lots are filled with people rushing
giving each other the finger.
ahhhh!...the joy of the christmas spirit!

i go about my mundane business
of working out in the cold gym
dressed like rocky balboa with holey sweats
and ripped up gloves and straps
and get even with wall street with every plate that i slam in place
and the healthy sweat saturates me.

i am in my glory, but wish they played joe cocker,
instead of lady gaga, 'cause this ain't gym music...
for old dogs like me.

and the food, gift, and gas prices are higher
and the politicians and corporates continue to steal
and the congress is as useless as tits on a boar
but my wife's cookies still taste pretty good
with a hot cuppa' joe

so i'm ready for winter
and i'm ready for another christmas
and hopefully, my old carcass will be here for spring
when i can wear muscle man t-shirts again
and pretend that i am still in the loop
in the game
alive and well
in chicago, my home town.

A LOVE STORY

i fell in love with her
and she with me
we had youth, and clear-eyed hopes
and all that goes along with it

and the passion lasted
oh, so many years
each knew the other's thoughts
and we raised beautiful children together
and we laughed with our grandchildren

and as some old people do...
we ended up sleeping in separate rooms
she upstairs in the master
me downstairs in my studio

but our passion did not stop
and we made "dates" during the day
for love making

then one morning, i hobbled upstairs for coffee
i smiled as i poured my first cup
she had set the timer, and it was freshly perked
i called out to her, for she had overslept
and still she didn't answer me

so i went upstairs
and a mild fear gripped me as i made my way
and when i saw her, she looked so white
but she was at ease with her hands folded...
as if she was in prayer

she had a gentle smile on her face
so i stroked her hair
and it felt soft, like baby hair
but she felt so cold
as i kissed her forehead

as my tears fell on her brow
the rest was not so beautiful
until the rituals were over
so now i talk to her every day
for she is still with me
she is in my heart
and death looks less fearful to me now
because i miss her

THANKS

thanks for life
thanks for family
thanks for shelter
thanks for food
thanks for being alive
thanks for all these things

i have my health
i have more years than i deserve
and more things than i deserve
i will not diminish this holdiay
with a rant or rave
i am thankful for so many things

i pray for those who suffer this day
i pray for my family and friends
who have passed on
i pray for all those who suffer in the world
and wish for the end to all chaos and injustice

i pray you all have a meaningful thanksgiving
and i hope that you do something for someone less fortunate
share your wealth and love
make this thanksgiving a treat for someone in need
blessings to all of you
thanks.

GONE

"tough tony" is gone
i once feared him, but he turned out to be alright
once, i saw him in a chicago south side bar
must have been back in the 70's
his mind was already gone
filling his lungs with airplane glue by a urinal
walking with a cane
then he was gone
"mike the cleaner" is gone too
he hailed from taylor street
he knew all the tough guys
chuck, kenny, and jimmie bought it in vietnam
bobby died last year from agent orange
and bitched to the end about hines hospital
on how they treated veterans
"muscleman hokey" is gone from a heart attack
so is joe laporte, who was on my baseball team
and "billy akates" lies in bed all day
drinking 36 beers and waiting for his wife to come home
his christmas tree hasn't been taken down for 5 years
now i hear that "tom the shark" has throat cancer
i called him...no answer...wish him the best...
prayers are coming your way...sounds so phony...
what else can a man do?
i go to the gym and push hard
fight against the clock
go out like a warrior, i hope
tick...tick...tick...
fight against the inevitable
till i'm gone.

ARTIFICIAL WORLD

give me less, not more
tv commercials
pop-ups advertising shows during my shows
endless commercialism
capitalism
buy...buy...buy
the biggest sale of the year
every day...every day...every day...
it obliterates all sensibility
it insults my intelligence
it makes me want to turn off
tune out
and leave all the devices by the wayside
i want to be my own guitar hero
to play for real
in the game of life
not the artificial game
the virtual cesspool will not include me
maybe for an hour a day
or two...
or six?
you see, it's insidious...
when's the last time you saw the sun rise?

THE COLD

the cold is back
like death on divsion street
as i remember the tenements
and those desperate days
of hunger and fear
chased by the "bulls"
who protect and serve
only the rich
who are carried from limosines
like baby jesus in swaddling clothes
into pampered nightclubs
smelling of aged beef
while me and my cohorts
shuffled in shoes
with cardboard soles
looking in dumpsters
for day old bread
and other sustenance
which couldn't be found in taverns
where broken merry-go-round dreams
afflicted our souls
we walked in, not carried
the cold wind at our backs
to smells of urine and smoke
cheap frozen pizzas
tattered barstools
and aged bartenders
cackling females beyond their prime
so i got drunk enough
to face the cold
being just numb enough
to make it back home
to set the alarm
for the frigid morn
and go through the motions
at horrificly monotonous jobs
days without end
till the cold enveloped me
for the end