Yet More of My Poetry

You know you love it, yo.

CAN'T LOOK AHEAD, CAN'T LOOK BACK

When I was young I fought for the wrong side.
Now all I've left is my wounded pride.
But I'm trying hard to put aside
The indiscretions of my youth.

But the demons of my past,
Their wings outstretched,
Their grasp spreading like a plague,
They know me well.

They know that I'm afraid to look ahead
When every face that comes my way
Might be the face I dread.

Can't look ahead, can't look back.

And so my gaze is fixed upon the ground.
And though my ears attune to the slightest of sounds,
The cackle of madmen swinging their shackles
As thunder crashes and lightning crackles
Makes it impossible for me to hear
More than my heart beating faster in fear.

Can't look ahead, can't look back.

The path is cracked and broken.
Where I tread
My footsteps fill so quickly
It's as if I was never there.

Can't look ahead, can't look back.

When I was a child they told me
"Son you can be just what you want to be."
Then they sent me packing
And shipped me off to sea.

Can't look ahead, can't look back.

When I was young, I fought for the wrong side.
If dad found out, he'd surely tan my hide.
I don't want to know what he whispered while he cried.
I don't want to know what he said before he died.

Another hole in my shoe, another knot in my back.
Another broken promise, just throw it on the stack.
Another shanty town and another hermit's shack.
Can't look ahead, can't look back.

WILL WE EVER SING THAT SONG AGAIN?

We made beautiful music together
But we forgot to hit record.
Now the song is incomplete.
We try to piece it back together
As fragments fall about our feet.

Searching for a melody,
Reaching for a refrain,
We're hopeless without harmony.
Will we ever sing that song again?

Weren't you the one who said
There's a symphony in your head?
I want to hear it too.

Searching for a melody,
Reaching for a refrain,
We're hopeless without harmony.
Will we ever sing that song again?

Sounds familiar, no that's not it.
Close I guess, but it sounds like shit.
I bet you're lying, you don't know
Any more than I do how it goes.

Once I knew it note for note
And my fingers freely formed each chord.
The greatest song we ever wrote
Will never be restored.

Searching for a melody,
Reaching for a refrain,
We're hopeless without harmony.
Will we ever sing that song again?

What was that I heard you humming?
What's that rhythm I hear you strumming?
Could it be - no, something's wrong.
Same progression, different song.

We made beautiful music together
But we forgot to write it down.
All across the floor tattered pages are strewn
As I try to recreate it.
But even my own voice sounds out of tune.

LOVE DON'T BELIEVE IN ME

Once I said, "I believe in love."
But love it don't believe in me.

I recall
Growing old
As something I would never have to do.
But now with all my years behind me,
The only thing that's left beside me
The only constant in my life is you.
But when I hear your voice each morning
Calling like an early warning
Another day, spent in misery.

Once I said, "I believe in love."
But love it don't believe in me.

I look back
And can't determine
How I ever ended up this way.
How did we end up together
When every day brings stormy weather?
The ship is sinking faster every day.
And though I try to bail it out,
Every time I hear you shout
I might just throw myself into the sea.

Once I said, "I believe in love."
But love it don't believe in me.

Turn on the television.
Shut your mouth, go back to knittin
I don't give a damn about your quilt.
Though I may seem the aggressor
Don't label me the oppressor.
I don't feel a single ounce of guilt.

You're an evil harpy
And your tongue strikes like a snake.
Don' tell me to grin and bear it
When my sanity's at stake.
Every time you waste your breath
I pray for sweet release of death
To hurry up and come and set me free.

Once I said, "I believe in love."
But love it don't believe in me.

I am old
And you're a bitch,
Not that doe-eyed girl that I once met
What seems like ages long ago.
Must have been blinded by the afterglow.
Now I'm left with nothing but regret.
And though you tell me I'm senile
You're very sight fills me with bile.
Don't tell me I'm simply crotchety.

Once I said, "I believe in love."
But love it don't believe in me.

We vowed by only death we'd part.
Why can't I still the beating of my heart?
I know there's some who'd disagree.

Though once I said, "I believe in love."
I'm now quite certain
Love it don't believe in me.