WHEN

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WHEN
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When the summer trees sway to and fro

I feel the broken edges of my heart

When music swells inside my soul

I feel the broken edges of my heart

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HOCUS FOCUS

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HOCUS FOCUS

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When a powerful witch has your back

You needn't fear harm or attack

The protection acts like a shield

Consequences are the weapons they wield

Bad actors better think twice

They better back off or be nice

Witches prefer to heal and bless

But don't put their benevolence to the test

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CONSEQUENCES

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CONSEQUENCES

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When the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a.m.

The slaves were freed

A war started to perpetuate and expand slavery was actually 

The death knell of that grotesque institution

Events in history are like dominoes in entangled rows

Stretching into the distant futures, over the horizon and beyond

But once the first domino topples, it hits the next one

A series of consequences set in action, beyond anyone's control

No one can say with certainty where this current chain reaction will end

What chains will be unlocked, who will be set free

But once a domino falls it can never rise again

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LOST IN TIME

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LOST IN TIME

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Dinosaurs used to roam where my dwelling now stands

The property is on the edge of an extinct lake

Which is why my soil is so sandy and my basement is dry

The dinosaurs did not know, could not know, about me

But I know about them -  tiny plant-eaters and giant meat-eaters

What unimaginable sequence of events gave me this place in time?

I wonder about the future, in 200 million years

Who or what will live here? 

There is no guarantee that humans will be here

Or anything recognizable to us

I will enjoy my moment in the sun, on the Earth

Rolling around in the mists of time like tumbling dice

Taking a chance, the only chance, to be here now.

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TOWER OF TRUTH

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THE TOWER OF TRUTH

We were taught the Tower of Babel 

Was about all the many languages

But since we can translate any language

Now I don't think that's true

I think the Tower of Babel

Means what is true for me might be something false to you 

The Tower of Babel is a symbol for our unique perspective

Forcing anyone to see things our way

Is going to be, at best, ineffective

We must make bridges between the towers

Made of good will and respect

While we may never have a common vision of things

That we are each a unique tower with a different point of view

Is a fact that we must all accept

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FLUTTER BY

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FLUTTER BY
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What can a little poem do?

It can reach out to touch your heart

It can say "You're going to be all right"

It can hand you a flaming sword

It can say "Stand your ground and fight"

It can bring a flickering candle

And invite you into the light

A little poem can sit quietly by your side

Hold your shaking hand so tight

A little poem

Carried like a leaf on the wind

Can bring the message "Keep going

You can do it. We can do it.

You are not alone."

We travel together as friends

Caring and sharing our lives

You can fold the poem, carry it in your pocket

A talisman, a love letter

As we walk towards the unknown

You and me and a little poem

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YEARNING

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YEARNING

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There is a beautiful garden 

Fragrant and glowing with a heavenly light

Paths of peace and contentment

Wind through the whispering trees

Birdsong and butterflies fill the gentle air

Under radiant blue skies and dreaming clouds

We look at this garden 

Through iron bars, unable to enter

Instead we are given a small handful of seeds

To begin the work of making a garden

Of our own.

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FIVE

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FIVE

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This is what I am here to say:

Eat five fruits and vegetables every day

Consume fresh produce - at least five

To keep you healthy and alive

Dark leafy greens, cruciferous ones too

Five fruits and veggies working hard for you

A few simple recipes, you're on your way!

To eating five fruits and vegetables every day

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BRAVE NEW WHIRL

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BRAVE NEW WHIRL

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When an addicted person finally struggles their way

Onto the safe dry land of recovery

They discover a whole new world

Possibilities abound, paths going in every direction

It can be confusing and overwhelming

The best thing about the land of sobriety and abstinence

Is that you only need to take the first step

Then assess if this is a good orderly direction

Towards the better life envisioned 

The journey of a thousand miles

Begins with that first uncertain step

On this, the first day, the only day 

Any of us have to make our way towards

The Light

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MIRACLE OF MIRACLES

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MIRACLE OF MIRACLES

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When you are born you are given a "you"

To care for and cherish, to learn what to do

To keep the "you" safe, watered and fed

Exercised daily, put gently to bed

Your "you" is amazing, only one in the world

From out of the void that drifted and swirled

The atoms all joined, they knew what to do

The cosmos delighted to make wonderful "you"

Every cell in your body, every thought in your mind

Is precious and special, the only one of its kind

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WHEN

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WHEN

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She'll be coming round the mountain

She'll be coming round the bend

The mountain trail is so winding

She can never see the end

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Onward she will travel

Over hill and over dale

Sometimes friends walk with her

As she hikes along her trail

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There are many glorious beauties

There are dangers out there too

She must factor in the weather

She must make her footsteps true

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We each have our mountain trail

Sometimes our paths converge

Someday we'll reach the trail's end

Where all our paths will merge

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CH CH CH CHANGES

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Ch Ch Ch Changes

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Some creatures, when they molt

Are just slightly larger versions of their prior life

Some creatures, when they molt

Change so dramatically that they emerge looking nothing like

The old version

There is no missing link, no Mr. Inbetween

Just one day it becomes obvious that things

Simply can not go on as they were

Change is needed, required, the only viable option

Then we need a safe cocoon of quiet and solitude

As the changes magically occur

(Because if this isn't magic, nothing is magic)

One fine day we emerge in our new form

Reborn, a new creature, a blessing to the world

With colorful wings and a new mandate of peace and good will

Towards all

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VISITATION

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VISITATION
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Out of the corner of my eye

I saw a ghost nearby

I sat very still

Felt an icy thrill

It hovered in the air

I felt it was aware

It was someone, I could tell

That had come to say farewell

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UPHOLDING

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UPHOLDING

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The Pillar of Severity is carved from the Rock of Truth

It is a Pillar that can never be moved

But it can bear the weight of sorrow and regret

To hold up the Holy Temple of Life

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