LISTEN TO MY TALE

I write this for you, my dear friend,

Born in the U.S.A. over fifty years ago was I.

The light of day was mine as only a child,

Cover me with a blanket as I am cold this moment.

Cross my heart that the road about to be taken will be long,

I’m countin’ on a miracle that there will be better days ahead.

Be true to yourself and that book of dreams may become real,

You can be your own worst enemy with bad decisions.

The souls of the departed are in heaven as they’ve made it all the way home,

Sometimes it’s just a roll of the dice to that which comes our way.

Blinded by the light but heard by me were the chimes of freedom echoing in the distance,

There are those who wear a brilliant disguise but the truth is they carry Inside devils and dust.

I was on a downbound train through Nebraska heading for Darlington County,

The Badlands were out there, I was thinking of Gloria’s eyes.

I stopped for the night to see the county fair, stayed at Mary’s place,

Thinking of my glory days being a local hero on my high school football team.

Before I left to go back home to Reno I stopped for a visit with Bobby Jean,

We spent some fun time drinking and dancing in the dark,

Eventually, the dreaming stopped and I went back to working on the highway.

Keith Garrett

HE CAME FROM NOWHERE

Not a clue of who he really was, his name not sure,

It is said he came from nowhere, a tall man of strength.

He spoke always in a manner of calm and peace,

You could not enrage him, a confident look upon his face.

Softly spoken words but a lethal weapon, you can be sure,

There is no record of him, a mystery from where he came,

He was very fast, he was there and then he was not.

He came from nowhere, a powerful man who did want peace,

In the end, he stood tall, a trail of death he left, not evil was he.

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 taken for granted when you never saw 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, 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

TO LIVE

What is the meaning of life,? we do not know of God’s plan,

To live, we must seize the day, laugh and play.

Most are worried about surviving from the clocks every tick,

As if to really live has no time for us.

When you awake do you see the light, the rising sun,

Are you blinded by the struggles of your daily flight?

To your ears is there the sound of birds chirping and singing,

Or only the echo in your head of all that must be done.

You need to stop and watch as the sun goes down,

A moment of peace before a regret that tomorrow has no plans for you.

Learn to dance, listen to the music you forget to hear,

Take a walk with the one you love until it’s time to disappear.

Slow down just a little and breathe the air,

To live is to relax and enjoy, to love and sometimes do nothing but see and dream.

Take notice that as we grow older time seems to move faster,

The day will come when we must let it all go,

Pray that God’s plan has a place for you.

Keith Garrett

ONLY SO MANY SUMMERS

SO MANY SPRINGS

The sun rises and the sun sets, I’ve seen this,

Will, there be another, I take it in as it’s my last.

Morning breaks, will this be the last time I awake,

Feel the morning, feel the beauty of the day.

I stand in the dark night, feeling the calm breeze,

A full moon rises, will this be the last dark night as I see the nights light.

The ocean and mountains are alive through time,

The clouds with their wind blown shapes are forever in the sky.

Only so many Summers, so many Springs,

To dance in the sand, swim in the never ending waves.

To see daylight awake, to see the night close its eyes,

To feel the wind until it says goodbye.

So little time to make memories before we have to go away.

Keith Garrett

I REMEMBER

KEITH GARRETT
So many sunrises, so many sunsets ago, I remember,

A place not forgotten, seemed like magical moments.

A town lost in time but never in this man’s mind,

A friend with a name that’s been spoken from inside.

Where did you go when the sun set young man,

Forever have you disappeared from me, where are you.

I remember when we walked the streets of Yorba,

We were free as two boys could be, Summer’s of yesterday.

Treasured are for me those wonderful days in the sun,

Skateboards and less troubled times for boys that could run.

A moment never drifts by that I don’t recall my friend known by me,

Marty was your name, pictures of you remain locked inside.

Something not finished, regrets and memories of less painful days,

I know of your loss fore I have lost too, take a walk back in time dear friend.

i live each day in a place that knows my name, home is far away,

A wish to stand before you and say thank you for a day in the sun with a friend.

I remember,

Keith Garrett

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

For whatever it’s worth you came out on top,

Power in the hands of the right and wrong is scary.

You are human but who are you really behind those eyes,

Through the years, from any shore, leaders are seen with fear and war.

Behind guarded doors of a house, Palaces and castles on foreign soil,

Keys to the Kingdom are held by those with or without morals.

There are battles fought to hold onto or gain possession of many keys,

Keys to secret places, vaults, and of course, keys to the end of the world,

Some keys should be destroyed, taken from them who misuse keys to the Kingdom.

Keith Garrett

LIGHT IN THE WINDOW

Each night as the sun goes down, darkness visits a sleepy town,

A usual stroll through the streets brings peace before dreams.

What’s noticed from a man’s eyes within the blackness is a window,

A dark building shows off the faint light that glows from behind a shade.

As I pass by every night along my route of walking I wonder about the light,

Who might be there beyond the walls surrounding this one and only window?

Always seems so quiet, could there be laughter or singing on the other side,

Someone quietly reading a book, dreaming of what’s out there in the world,

Beyond their window, do they wonder of things that are a mystery to them?

Is there a possible sadness that wanders around inside, who might hide,

A name must be attached to a soul with a life, only a light in the window is seen.

Keith Garrett

HILLS’ OF FIRE
Keith Garrett

Look to the sky, watch as the smoke rises high above,

Beauty disappears as the heat consumes what was green.

Ignorance or wind destroys god’s masterpiece created,

A fool is the man who can’t see the gift put in front of him.

See the hills of fire, watch as the animals run, see their fear,

See all that can be seen through eyes of pain, of sorrow.

Hills of fire burn no more, fire of death be rained down upon,

Let life reappear, let the colors so bright be a sight.

Hills of fire and death, open your eyes, do you see,

Hills of pain, hills of sorrow, open your eyes, do you see.

Hills of beauty and laughter, open your eyes, do you see,

Hills of breath, hills of darkness, open your eyes, do you see.

Hills of danger and mistrust, open your eyes, do you see,

The glow in the sky, a scar for all to see.

Hills of eternity and life, open your eyes, do you see,

Hills of slumber, hills of strength, open your eyes, do you.

Take these hills of fire away, never again, there’s a price you pay.

I’M JUST A POOR BOY

No car do I own, socks’ full of holes, day by day an hourly wage,

I lie there In bed worrying about tomorrow, a bed of my own.

No credit cards’ or a bank account, my only money In an aging wallet,

A table of food always, dinner as a poor boy will gladly serve.

Clothes on my back, shoes that take me to where I survive,

Blesses of many In a world of sorrow and strife.

I’m just a poor boy with a smile and a tear, a wish and a fear,

What I lack In gold Is made up of treasure discovered every day.

I’ll take a trip somewhere from my mind, to a place of fantasy,

A rich man can’t find, where a poor boy can’t buy.

I’m just a poor boy with so much to give, I give to you,

I’m just a poor boy, what’s a poor boy to do.

Keith Garrett