Stolen Love

It was a moment of stolen love
A glance from across a room
An acknowledgement of what once was
Until you decided to change the tune

Thought we were on the same page
Shared the same hopes and dreams
But when you got free of your cage
It turned out nothing was what it seemed

No one is to blame; it's how we played it
We had what each other wanted
When neither of us could take it
And now that's been forgotten

You needed me
I needed you
To find the strength to be free
To prove I'm good and true

We fight the urge to let our hearts mend
Instead we feel each other's presence from miles away
Afraid to let ourselves be vulnerable again
Even though we know these feelings won't be swayed

Time to make that stolen love our own
Move past those cracks we put in this road
Not because we're afraid of being alone
It's the only way we'll ever find home

Early Morning Peace

Sitting the dark before the dawn
Coffee brewing, water dancing on the lawn
Wondering how many notes are left in this song
Thinking about all the days that have come and gone

Here for only a short time
Can't spend it all waiting for a sign
Sometimes you just have to walk the line
And hope in the end you have piece of mind

We all end up in the same place
Some think it's all just a waste
Others grow tired of the chase
Searching for meaning, hoping for grace

Best to stay in the right now
What's in the past is gone anyhow
Cash and prizes won't cure your sorrow
And you can't take any of that to tomorrow

Dusty Old Head

Wish things had been different
When I needed you
You couldn't be bothered
When you needed me
I looked the other way

Did my best to steer clear of you
Didn't seem you wanted me around
Always angry, always bitter, always yelling
All I wanted to do was hide
And yes, sometimes I wished you'd die

Now I know you didn't want to be there
And none of it had much to do with me
I was just part of the scenery
A piece of background noise
In a cursed home

The dark clouds over you
Vanished over time
But for me to survive
I had to learn not to want
To be touched, held or loved

And now you're gone
And I'm still here
That anger that kept me strong
Now only serves to keep me down
Thousands of miles from my home

Only thing I know for sure
Won't pass those feelings on to anyone else
These demons will die here
Just me and some memories
In this dusty old head

Around the Bend

Pretty much sleep all the time now
Only thing that gives my head some peace
Tired of chasing something that's not there
Doesn't really matter in the end anyway

Keep looking for some validation
From people who don't even know me
As if somehow that will bring some happiness
When the only one who can do that is in the mirror staring back at me.

Got reminded that having a fire
Only gets you burned in the end
Am I getting too old to fight
Or does it no longer matter who's right

Each day gets tougher
To pretend to care
Push myself back up that hill
Hoping for some inspiration

So much noise all around
Nothing I want to hear
Rather sit here in the dark
And wait for the lid to close

Maybe next time around
I'll climb a mountain
Sail a sea
Or just have someone next to me

No regrets about the road I'm on
Got here myself with no map
Try to do right where I can
And hope for something better around the bend.

It Just Came to Pieces

When I was a freshman in college one of my two roommates was Pete I. We were an odd mix but somehow it worked. We shared a love The Jam and The Clash. He also was a huge Queen fan while I favored The Who and Springsteen and, yes, Rod Stewart. He wore flannel all the time and had a dry sense of humor. He could drink but rarely got totally bombed the way I would. I wore my emotions on my sleeve but Pete was more introspective. We could both be moody and I think we shared a similar world view that was fairly bleak although we arrived there on different paths. He was a quiet man of sadness and I lived a life of noisy desperation.

Pete died a few years ago. We never really kept in touch after college. I think I saw him once or twice even though we both ended up in Los Angeles in the 90s.

Anyway, I'm thinking of him tonight while listening to The Style Council's It Just Came To Pieces In My Hand, which he put on a tape for me once.