MAN ON A CORNER

Watching the sun go down, his stare seemed beyond the sky,

A child so young, from this corner, he saw them light up the night,

Run with your friends as the sun rises in the early morning light.

I have seen a man on a corner since my days of chasing butterflies,

Where is it that he goes, what thoughts clutter his mind on many days?

He begins back in time when he too watched a man on a corner,

Playing many childish games, we ran until the sun set in the sky,

Today, as the children play, it is I who becomes a man on a corner.

       Keith Garrett

                            WHITE  NOISE

She passed away, my wife from yesterday,

Where did she go? I’m sure heaven I know.

Is there a place in between?  a place never seen,

As if awakened from a dream,  I hear her from before.

Body and soul, energy and personality, we disappear,

Listen closely as the white noise enters your rested mind.

 A contact is a possibility, desperate to connect once again,

Somewhere out there, a piece of her survives, listening to white noise.

Keith Garrett

             JUDGMENT HAS A FACE

From behind a door, walking down a street, who are they?

They wander around, they look without a friendly sound.

With paper and pen, not a friend as they may smile but pretend,

Watched you are as you walk, speak, examined over a way you dress.

Judge me with your thoughts, but what is there to see in you?

I am judged by those whom I never see again, strangers, and some family.

Judgment has a face, not the same as it changes from day to day,

We are judged by the rotation of our world, traveling with the wind.

                                            Keith Garrett

          PLACES TO SEE

Going on a trip, I’m leaving my hometown,

Nebraska is no paradise to me now.

I’ve got this life, places to see, just a roll of the dice,

My horse is left behind; he’s called Pony Boy.

Somewhere out there is a lucky town, maybe Reno,

It takes none but the brave, a real man, to get up and go.

I’ll be missing things, but I feel trapped here,

Maybe there’s a little magic out there,

Maybe the price you pay to face it point-blank.

I’ll find me a man’s job, no more sad eyes,

I’m out in the street driving, looking for a place open all night.

I need some music, but I can’t find a radio anywhere,

There’s a place up ahead to eat called Mary’s place.

It’s sure been a lonesome day, there’s a whole world out there,

I’ve seen living proof.

I’m not going all the way home. I was on rocky ground there,

I stayed down by the river for the night,

Don’t want to break down, it sure would be a long walk home.

I found a job in a new town, the owner’s name is Mrs. McGrath.

I met a red-headed woman, whom I call Sherry Darling.

                  Keith Garrett

                  ARMS OF GOD

Outstretched, they reach far and wide, around the world,

Fierce and strong, they can crush or destroy what’s needed,

Careful and loving as they will comfort when the going is tough.

A being so full of mystery, with power and wisdom so unknown,

Creator of all that we know and more, the arms of God will carry us home.

Wherever you may be, within all that we see, they exist to help us up,

Touching a universe that seems to have no ending of discovery,

The arms of God are not to be seen as they are not a fantasy or a dream.

                                  Keith Garrett

            A PLACE TO DREAM

Away from here, far, far away, I disappear,

Possibilities await me; they’re only there.

Covered hills of grass so green, just you and me,

Beautiful trees, the warm, colorful sun between.

A place to dream where the wind can be seen,

Where the sky can be touched, a place to dream.

A tune to my ears, that which soothes a soul,

A song in my heart, one that speaks words of you.

Hopes and wishes, fantasies or dreams,

Is there such a place for these, a place to dream?

           Keith Garrett

                                                        DAD    

         A dad is special, fearless, and strong,

  As a child, I really believed that my dad was great.

I still do believe this, as I am now much older than he was,

Gone by the age of thirty-seven, as I was only seven.

Today I am sixty-four and full of memories about dad,

As a boy, I didn’t understand the burden of work, a job.

Dad was my hero; he came home tired and wanted peace.

He was not perfect, but he was Dad,  always showing us things,

 I remember the things he taught me as a child, forever in my thoughts,

 Dad, you were really the best. I love you, and I’ll see you again.

Keith Garrett

   IN THE COURSE OF A LIFETIME

Born we are, each of us with a purpose unless altered,

Nothing stops what we do, depending on anything in our way.

We see so much with these eyes of mystery given from the master,

What about those without sight, is there a gift that comes from here?

Nothing is taken for granted when you have never seen what you are missing,

You now see with your heart and mind, this is what challenges your time,

We travel a thousand roads trying to choose the best way to go, but we don’t know.

Decisions of intelligence, luck along the way, a prayer of hope, and we may be okay.

In the course of a lifetime, we pass each other by, shake hands, laugh, and say goodbye.

                                     Keith Garrett

     BREAKING WHAT'S LEFT OF THE LAW

Rules were taught from the beginning
Of our days,

Do the right thing, follow the laws that
Lawmakers made.

A broken system has been ours for such a while,
Cracks are made,

These laws were supposed to be fair and equal to
All citizens.

Corruption has been around since man walked this Earth,
Never to go away,

What a scary thought when we realize that leaders
Of the world are

Exempt from laws that we all have to live by or go
To jail, above the law.

Rules and laws are broken when the time is right
Depending on who it is,

Breaking what’s left of the law by higher-ups,
Powerful people in government.

Breaking what’s left of the law spreads from hand
To hand, across the land,

Across the oceans and seas, to every country where
Power and money are seen.
Keith Garrett

                                 I SAW A MAGIC HORSE

  They thought he was a nothing,  an injured horse,

At one time, he was a champion,  running like the wind.

There are no guarantees; in life, there are many challenges,

Don’t give up on a friend, and she won’t give up on you.

I saw a magic horse that stood on its feet today,

She would look into your eyes, magic all the way.

I saw a magic horse shining in the sun, beautiful was she,

A second chance to prove herself and all that she would be.

Keith Garrett