EYES THAT BLINK WITH KINDNESS

Insomnia
My old unwelcomed friend
Causing me to bend
Don’t judge me
If you cannot comprehend
Simply feel my prose
Then thank your cosmic tea leaves
For the cattle path that you chose
My journey leads me inward
Underneath the bridges
Where destitution cowers
Prostitution flowers
Dead
Bloated bodies
Pile up by the hour
A pilgrim’s gait
At times
A bit unsure
Searching for the cure
Caution
Trumps raw courage
Slow paced
Then discouraged
Passions ember wanes
Borderline insane
Before blasting head first
Into mental illness
Bar fights
Northern Lights
Sacrificial rights
Loneliness is crushing
Gossip
Psychobabble hearsay
I choose not to play
Such juvenile games
Pure truth
Can always be found
In eyes that blink with kindness
Evil orbs however
Simply cant
Stark subliminal point
Clear
Razor sharp
Trust your basic instincts
Respect all sincere art
That flows from the heart
Ancient ice
Slowly melts
I reflect fondly
On the passion I have felt
Miles of weariness
Etched upon my middle aged face
Determined
Seeking Grace
Questions end with “whether”
Esoteric tether
Evil
Shall never win
Not now
Not ever…….

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

A BULLET IN THE HEAD

Polar Caps are melting
Our Ozone layer
Fried
Borderline insane
Quite inhumane
Inhospitable
“LET ME GO”
She cried
As if deep inside her
She died
While politicians
Force feed us only lies
Glacial currents
Mammoth icebergs
Mighty frozen fortress
Rushing to the salty sea
False integrity
Blackened Diocese’s
Virgin snow
So incredibly pristine
As she gently makes her way
Such Ballerina grace
To sacred Mother Earth
Until evil hydrocarbons
Desecrate her birth
Nonlinear verbiage
Art
Immaculate
My shelter from the bullshit
Beloved amulet
Street sale narcotics
Sadly I see
Blind already blackened eyes
Hardly a surprise
Tis public policy
False advertisement I despise
Apathy
Saps our conscious strength
My esteemed friends
Only a coward
Will keep this at arm’s length
As our children suffer deeply
As our moral fiber fades
A bed our system made
Lonely tears are shed
Then
We find them dead
With a bullet in the head
With a bullet in the head

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

TRANSCENDENTAL RIDE

Celestial star burst
Enigmatic moonbeams
Phosphorescent nova
Alms from Jehovah
Atmospheric light show
Screaming through cosmos
Nexus of the night
Eerie black hole maw
Perhaps coincidence
Or destiny arriving
Ablaze
Brilliant Holy glory
No need for fear dear Children
Simply grasp His mighty hand
Supernatural comfort
Soothing saving grace
The enemy we face
Without trepidation
Spastic intuition
Pure Love
Manifest
Surreal epiphany
His mighty Angels
Draw their gilded blades
To battle for the ground of evermore
Already know the score
Elated
Sedated
Stone emancipated
Unpretentious
So grateful for the chance
To journey ever onward
Indeed
A transcendental ride
No urge to run and hide
Esoteric rawhide
Instead
I simply smile
In quiet gratitude
Blessed intuition
Fruition
Prophetic destiny

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

BUCKEYE

It ended with a buckeye
A gift from me to him
3,000 miles from home
Token of new friendship
An innocent bauble
Home grown
On my Sister’s fertile tree
Ohio magic bean
Sacred symbol of good fortune
Salt Lake City poison
I did not see it coming
Stealth blindside
The often fatal kind
Butt naked
Spread eagle
Vicious decimation
So incredibly brutal
Can be the corporate world
Mental disembowelment
Atom splitting pain between my eyes
Involuntarily crossed
In cranial malaise
Stomach ulcers three
Volcanic eruption
In my bleeding belly
Hopes and dreams lay crumpled
On the VP’s killing floor
Stunned beyond a sentence
Bewildered
Vulnerable
Stinging tears of anger
Shock
Sheer disbelief
Searing shame of failure
What would I tell my precious children?
Unemployment Blitzkrieg
Career assassination
A broken hollow man
Hell
I was still learning the Utah Freeways
The ride home was incoherent
I think I drove to Provo
Before I knew what hit me
For what it’s worth
A moral
Cold hard lesson learned
Tis wise to refrain
From offering a Buckeye
To a Utah “Utes” fan
On the Wasatch Mountain Range

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

ODE TO LEG CRAMPS

Council Bluffs Iowa
Leg cramps “a go go”
Awash
In a sea of Hotel “BOGO”
Frequent shower discounts
Complimentary Breakfast
Thank you major players
A soft bed
Clean bathrooms
The rest is purely fluff
Advertising stuff
I-2 detours
A 200 mile disaster
Interrupted
By a mystifying rainbow
Of incredible hue
Mesmerizing
Anecdotal
As the cornfields stand in awe
In silent unity
With this grateful Pilgrim
JAH
Almighty God
The ultimate dream painter
My Savior
Precious Lord
It’s critical to me
That I remain above board
Practice humility
Steady integrity
As I enjoy my text contact
With my baby gurl
My ever glowing world
The best thing in my storied life
She loves me unconditionally
Despite my inability
To keep a wife
Dad
A title I’m most proud of
My finest achievement
Ultimate honor

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

BANSHEE DEMON HEADWIND

October 5th, 2011
Somewhere in Nebraska
Banshee Demon headwind
Gale force
Category One
The road ends abruptly
As I reach Mizzou
Three part roadblock
Untimely detour
Compliments of a nasty flood
So many lost their homes
Incredible destruction
Silent misery
On my way to see my little Sister
A pleasant intermission
Twelve hour reprieve
Tears upon my sleeve
Confusion in my heart

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

GOLDEN FLEECE HYPOCRISY

Spectral tunnel vision
Twisted emotion
Torn between comfort
And good measure
Monetary treasure
Golden Fleece hypocrisy
Vassar education
Social interaction
Fleeting satisfaction
I nod in acquiescence
Flaming red lipstick
Tells a tale of lust and greed
On his starched white collar
As his wife tries vainly to cope
Still clinging to the hope
That their vows are forever
Homogenized Society
Conspicuous anonymity
Cloak of obscurity
Blinding ray of truth
Indulgence through the roof
Of palatial human lust

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

TEMPERAMENTAL NOTIONS

November 2nd, 2011
Huntsville Alabama
Cotton fields ablaze
In stark white contrast
To the dry heather grassland
The burnt orange foliage
Sacred dark earth
Cross fire melancholy
Awkward fantasy
Obscure destiny
Mixed with a dash of Mountain Dew
Deep in contemplation
Humble self-reflection
As I ponder my direction
Simply smile
I’ve journeyed 9,000 miles
Only to return erstwhile
Fascinating circle
From the root of my search
Polythene Pam
Mean Mustard Man
I’ve immersed myself in music
Across this noble land
“Once there was a way”
“To get back homeward”
So many lessons learned
Tanks of petrol burned
Countless pages turned
“Out of college, money spent
“See no future, pay no rent”
“All the money's gone, nowhere to go”
“Any jobber got the sack”
“Monday morning, turning back”
“Yellow lorry slow, nowhere to go”
“But, oh, that magic feeling”
“Nowhere to go”
“Oh, that magic feeling”
“Nowhere to go”
The Abbey Road Medley
A perfect nomad anthem
Live without a net
Never to forget
The beautiful people I have met
Kindred souls along the way
Each with a story to tell
Conscious understanding
In their sympathetic eyes
A few tried to put me in their cage
I quickly turned their page
Avoiding evil rage
Moving forward quickly
Quirky human nature
I’ve learned we truly are quite similar
Created in the image of The Master
Different dialects
Customs
Tribal rituals
A child of God
At the center of our core
It dawns on me
In lightning bolt synapse
Vain wall collapse
Childlike clarity
The simple home I seek
Has been here all along
Nestled deep inside my restless soul
Longing for control
Complete mastery
Over silly insecurity
Artistic imagery
Temperamental notions
Hot and cold emotions
Transcendental oceans
Of poetic excellence
“Here comes the sun”
“It’s all right”………

© The Beatles Abbey Road
© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

CLOAKED ETERNITY

October 6th, 2011
Ina Illinois
Love’s Truck Stop
“Fried Gizzards” says the sign
Semi clean bathrooms
A welcomed reprieve
From my blacktop odyssey
A nasty case of road shits
Baby diaper blue
Bubble guts compounded
Only passing through
Plain M&M’s
Diet Mountain Dew
Fort Campbell Kentucky
6:30PM
Another Holiday Inn
Exit ramp comfort
Rest for this weary Road Warrior
After 6,000 hard miles
Cloaked eternity
Lay mysteriously
Seductively
Before me
My two newest friends
Retired Southern Gentlemen
A wonderful chat
About cookies
Faith
Hospitality
Shared nobility
Virtues of humanity
Bloodline Christian love
I’m constantly amazed
How my journey touches soul
In the most unlikely places
Compassionate faces
Gentle eyes that smile
Observances abundant
Personal witness
How complete strangers
Portray utmost character
Sincere integrity
Sheer honesty
I’m happy to report
Trust
Is alive and doing well
Across the USA

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

GOT MOLD?

October 12th, 2011
I-57 North bound
Damn sure getting my “Ya Ya’s out
“Oh Carol”
“Don’t let em steal your heart away”
No doubt
I have a bad case of “Stray Cat Blues”
Rend Lake Community College
Ina Illinois
Nestled right across the highway
From Marion Penitentiary
“Ah yea…..well get on down”
Struts the legendary Sir Mick
As the massive combines
Seduce their Grain Silo lovers
I ease through a speed trap
Covert
Cunning
Camouflaged
Unmarked car
Perched atop the overpass
In the middle of the road
I understand the concept
It’s their sneaky methods
I simply don’t agree with
Public safety I suppose
As the Trooper picks his nose
“Got mold”
The billboard asks me
Not so strange a question
In the grand scheme of things
Woven tapestry
Of spatial symmetry
As I search for my sacred purpose

© “Get yer Ya Ya’s out” The Rolling Stones
© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011

SOUR MASH CORRIDOR

I 24 East
Tullahoma Tennessee
Sour Mash corridor
The sign says “See Rock City”
A grand weekend cruise
Nothing left to lose
Such a mortal pity
Rude Redneck Dicks
NASCAR wannabes
Disrupt the highway peace
With their dangerous antics
Nickajack Dam
Lower Tennessee
River watershed
Scenic majesty
Old South hospitality
I 75 East
Atlanta Georgia bound
Antebellum grounds
Street gang warfare
Silver Porsche Spyder
Dr. Homer Adenoids I presume
Perhaps Thoracic Surgeon
Professional Idiot indeed
Flaunting his prestige
He should be ashamed
He’s far too old to drive like that
If money makes one act like that
Then none for me I say
On this sunny Saturday

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2011