EMPIRICAL DECAY

High stakes players
Warn of dismal earnings
Fortunes vicious curse
Tired are we
The stooges
Self induced bewilderment
As Babylon crumbles
Rotten legacy
Insatiable greed
Empirical decay
Sad echo
Fleeting prominence
Cost of blatant arrogance
Hissing last breath
Robust hypocrisy
Alarming depth indeed
In a turbulent sea
So many ways to love
Sacred strand of hope
Spiritual lifeline
Manifest by holy grace
Time to surrender
Humble retribution
Only one solution
His brilliant light beckons


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

DEEPER SLICE OF SOUL

Grace
Unmerited favor
Seeking rhythm
Finding harmony
A deeper slice of soul
Red house
Flashing blue lights
Distant silver linings
Brilliant purple twilight
Hope of a new day
Forgiveness
Perfect balance
Sweet emancipation


John 1:15-17 (King James Version)
15John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, this was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

CAPTIVITY

Furtive glance
Her azure eyes
So futile
Unassuming
Continents away
Spiritual
Yet strangely disconnected
Grave pall
Glazed pupils
Dilated
At times
Violated
Hellish wave
Scorns brutal swell
Rampant self destruction
Raging wildly
Throughout her fragile soul
Agony
Too much for her to bear
Lost love manifest
Peace
Escapes again today
No man can hold her
Not even he who cares to
Mystery remains
Just beyond his desperate grasp
Captivity
A fate
Much worse than death


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

PERCEPTION

Grey is white

Black

A subtle green

It simply matters not

To those

Sight unseen

(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

Maître d ‘

Slim Maître d ‘
Obnoxious chap indeed
Starched
A trifle rude that night
Someone kicked his cat perhaps
Astonishing blonde
Quite pleased with her rack
Hypnotizing rump
She flowed about the smoky room
As fog
Laced with cheap perfume
Fluid lies
Gushed with Midori
Trail of weak intentions
Sliced through neon sediment
Mental constipation
Can’t free my mind of all this shit
Awkward situation
Extreme hallucination
Feeling deepest truth
Yet protesting in silence
Red door
Freshly painted
Nomads find their way to knock
No desire to let them enter
Random thoughts persist
Moments of coherence
Loosely crafted poetry
Splashed about like stray urine
Splattered
Yellow dots
Clammy tile freckles
No distinct metastasis
Simply a wry smile
So deft
At keeping threats at bay
Including my own ego
Languished composition book
Well worn keyboard
I could use some new bifocals



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

HAIGHT

Tribes gathered
1966
Hungry for uncluttered life
San Francisco sound
Haight
The Mecca
Grooving
Rocking
Flopping
State of altered joy
Barefoot girls
Mystical gyration
Owsley’s purple trip
Scattered by the Diggers
Tuned in to Monterey
Sergeant Peppers Kingdom
Counter culture riot
Blown mind explosion
Psychedelic tap dance
Summer love
Bloomed in concert
1967
The Airplane
Fed our hungry heads
Jimi Hendrix
Double dose
He rose to highest heights
The Dead
Grateful
Symbolic
Language of the Hippie
Prince Morrison
High Priest Tim Leary
Educated euphoria
Watts acid test
Unwashed hair
Roach clip barrettes
The jams
Kicked out in defiance
No shelter
At Altamonte
Experiment in sensory freedom
Massive casualties
Flowers in their hair
Change
Was in the air



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

ENCHANTING COMMUNION

“You make me feel amazing”
Her dancing eyes
Tightly shut
Yet hoping for a glimpse
Of loves blinding ray
Despite circumstance
Against crushing odds
Daydreams frolic
Knocking patiently
Etiquette answers
Melancholy’s home
She speaks of Wordsworth
Digs The Cure
Tenderness
Soft summer rain
Her gentle ways
So sensitive
Genuine
Graceful
Rhythm pounding
Inside his fragile mind
Sheer passion
Coursing
Sacred blood
Shared so long ago
Needing her
Silently
He bleeds
She dwells front and center
His heart
An open book
To climb inside awhile
Their magical place
Enchanting communion
Sadness
Dark things flee
Acceptance arrives
Hope
Remains indwelled
Natural
So good
Sleepless nights invade
Intuition territory
Soon flowing words
Soothe their restless souls
Such logic
Never mind
Forever unexplained
And never meant to be



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

AS IF WE WERE ROBOTIC

Reflections of a time
Not so long ago
Love meant forever
Not in monthly installments
Romance
Danced across our senses
Tingling
Soft
Mesmerizing
So much deeper than the hunt
Instinctual conquest
Eyes
Filled with passion
Hearts
Pumped in sacred rhythm
Sense of touch
Electric
Sufficient stimulation
We shuffle through existence
Never pausing
Somehow blinded by self absorption
We’ve forgotten how to feel
As if we were robotic


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

MADMEN

Madmen poised as saviors
Perched atop
Atomic obelisks
They pander what we crave
Bewildered
As we bleed
Bombs designed to vanquish
Mass obliteration
Crushing all resistance
Objection
To their sleight of hand
Kill the witness
Bulldoze all intelligence
No mystery here
Simply propaganda
Cocoon comfort
False security
Haunting visions
Flying by
Apathetic deeds
Welcome to the New World Order


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

SURREAL LOVE STORY

Magic
Adoration
Mysterious union
Born so many moons ago
Surreal
Breathtaking still
Screams in harmony
Silent lament
Boy meets girl
Romantic ritual
Dancing down the brittle yearbook pages
Explosive adolescence
Veritable plunge
Mask of blind pursuit
Threadbare facade
Hidden gems
Strewn about in dreamy glee
Ripe for the picking
Alas
Just out of reach
Dying on the vine
Slowing down to feel
Poetic elegance
Absorbed
Truly understood
Taken seriously
Unassuming audience
Haunted memory
Sultry eyes
Aflame
Glowing embers
Passions radiance
Internal
Empty fantasy
Stagger
Ever so lightly
On subtle might have been
Reclusive thoughts
Strangely sentimental
Emotional ghost
Flowing through his lonely soul
Longing to be free
Wings of non commitment
Artistic expression
Low key stillness
One fragile heart
Barely beating now
Courteous small talk
Pleasant euphemisms
Surrogates for deeper pain
Waiting patiently
On a cab that shall never come




© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

GOD’S SENSE OF HUMOR

Flowing words
From deepest chasm
Wounded
Screaming out in pain
Sacred thoughts
Cloudy dreams
Soulful script unfolds
Esoteric metaphors
Lack of metered rhythm
Critics can be damned
Jeers the aging wordsmith
Nobel truth
Never futile
Needs no coy defense
Melancholy smile
From she who truly feels it
Distant twinkle
Darts through her misty eyes
So beautiful
Hypnotic
She lives on the inside
Warm
Safe
Secure
Longing for solutions
Going through the motions
Genuine fulfillment
Beyond her silky grasp
He wanders
Just outside the glass
Lonely
Mystified
Trying hard to sustain
Brave game face
Trusted Gentleman
Gazing in at her
Craving her angelic touch
Familiar comfort zone
Surreal fantasy
Thirty years
A vacuum
So many things have changed
Many more
Not altered
By the fleeting time
God’s sense of humor
Two separate lives
Unique relationship
Friends
Forever bound
Four hundred miles between



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

SOUL THESIS

Precocious thoughts
Tranquility
Imperfect circumstance
No need for human eyes to see
Just faith
Blind
Consuming
Soul thesis
Word for word
Significant
Yet simple
Impatience
Chokes discernment
Fosters discontent
Social theories
Fad affairs
Boring dissertations
Weary from the drama
Impending epilogue
Searing eyes
Hypocrisy
Futile exploration
No need for resolution
Righteousness prevails


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

HER HAZEL EYES (Revised)

Wispy foam
Lucent waves
Emerald green
Gently lap
Upon the lagoon shore
Massive sea turtles
Docile
Non aggressive guides
Glide effortlessly
Through their liquid playground
Two Gentleman Realtors
Both extremely wealthy
Post hurricane construction
Politely they discuss
Local politics
Over stout chicory coffee
Sweet rustic pastries
Satisfied
Opinionated
Oblivious
To my sudden appearance
I tour the magical island
On the back of a furry white mongrel
In silence
He directs our journey
With deft programmed precision
Surreal sand dunes
Virgin sugar
White
Mighty windswept slopes
Flowing sea oats
Clear memories from my childhood
Before the winds of change
Blazing noonday sun
Burns my fair skin
Lost in time am I
She
Proudly displays her new beach home
Children play peacefully
On the shiny hardwood floor
“I had to sell my jewelry”
Her somber tone
Depressed
Solemn
She wrapped her arms around my waist
Uncharacteristically
I say nothing
Large social gathering in progress
Bright Florida room
Alive with festive energy
Wings of war
Thunder from the distant runway
Sonic booms
In rhythm with the Reggae band
Me
Stranger in this exotic paradise
Yet I know it intimately
From such frequent visions
Strange eccentric guests
Greet me with kindness
Plasticized graciousness
Eclectic polished pleasantries
I smile
My canine stallion gallops onward
Ominous black clouds
Roiling fast from the east
“We shall ride the storm out here” she said
Her soft kiss goodbye
Still wet upon my cheek
We both know
Never shall we meet again
I shall remember always
Graceful fear
Glowing in her hazel eyes
Mountainous wall of water
Crashing down
Upon the peaceful seaside village
Gone in a matter of seconds
Lifetime of mystical existence
Flotsam and jetsam
All that remains for future generations
Sadly I awoke
Thus ends this trippy dream
One cold October morning
In these times of stark significance



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2006

VISCERAL SPECULATION

Visceral speculation
Controlled perceptual chaos
Swirling thoughts of calculated reason
Who I am
Where my path has led me
Spiritual crescendo
Words
Poetic intensity
Meditation
Draws me deeply inward
Self discovery
Basking in His brilliant holy light
Blinding me
Since I was old enough to understand
Not of this world
Never have been
Merely passing through
Eternal mystic journey
So many fail to grasp
Mysterious demeanor
Soul offering
For all the world to see
No secrets
Hidden agendas
Filled with Holy Spirit
Saved by Godly grace
Simplicity
Such a beautiful thing
As society grows more complicated
Inner peace I seek
Serenity
Clinging to sweet Jesus Christ
The only way I comprehend
Life one day at a time
I pray for all to share His love
Absorb Him like a sponge
So delightful is the journey
Everlasting high
His triumphant return draws nigh
Exactly as it is written
Be ever watchful children
Shine thy radiance with zeal
Boldly
Unafraid
Stout-hearted
Share His brilliant glory
With all who shall listen
As destiny arrives



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2006

BRANDY AND EDGAR

Edgar said “I’m lonely”
Brandy said “me too”
“I think I’ve lost my vision”
“And I don’t know what to do”

Life on coffee
Cigarettes
Bleary mornings
No regrets

Dopamine shuffle
Liquor slurred
Fried synapse
Wounded bird

His missing rib
Such brittle wings
Her sultry smile
Gold nose ring

He needed her
Just wanted her to know
The chance slipped through his fingers
Sleepless nights ago

“He’s the only one for me”
Precedes her painful pause
Searching for forever
Overlook the flaws

Glazed disposition
Crown of matted hair
Tender soul a rotting
Dazed
Stark despair

Mean streets
Dark
So fucking cold
Minutes seem like hours
Teenage eyes grow old

Jungle steeped in evil
Consciousness evades
“Survival but a choice”
Says the Queen of Spades

Thirst to feel
Not merely see
No time left for sad goodbyes
He wandered aimlessly

Reckless Altar Boy
Lacerated prey
White Horse overdose
He tried too hard that day



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

BEHOLD.....A BLACK HORSE

Be
What you will be
Why
Matters not
Love
Simply love
Fascination
Alms indeed
Hate
Just doesn’t fit
Looming mass
Bewildered
Growing ever weary
Fear
Redefined
Bleeding world
In sync
My bleeding heart
Reflexive disdain
Granite thoughts
Goofy foot gait
Fleet narcissism
Chaucer’s Chanticleer
Fallen heroes ode
Man dictates his doom
The dollar falls
Nervous smiles
Implosion of the ages
Distasteful exit
Hastily arranged
Austrian atrocities
Burmese cyclone horror
Famine
Gnawing pangs
Behold a black horse


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008






4Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.
5When the Lamb opened the third seal; I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart[a] of wheat for a day's wages,[b] and three quarts of barley for a day's wages,[c] and do not damage the oil and the wine!"
Footnotes:
Revelation 6:6 Greek a choinix (probably about a liter)
Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius

Revelation 6:4-6 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society





http://www.4literature.net/Geoffrey_Chaucer/Nun_s_Priest_s_Tale/

(1380) CANTERBURY TALES
THE NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE
By Geoffrey Chaucer
THE NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE
OF THE COCK AND HEN, CHANTICLEER
AND PERTELOTE

I AM AND i...(A song of praise and gratitude)

Flowing with His current
Surfing holy tide
Wander where He leads me
My soul
Satisfied

Following His guidance
Budding holy tree
Accepting life on sacred terms
Letting it all be

Peace
Satisfaction
Joy
Serenity
Not worthy of His blessings
Or grace He’s given me

Grateful nonetheless
A miracle
It’s true
Saved by love
Sweet Jesus Christ
Born again
Brand new

Join the angels
Daily praise
Live for Him each day
His light
Shines deep within me
Helps me make my way

SELAH



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2005

LACKEY BLUES (A song about “Boomers” growing old)

Grand Funk blasting
Rock defined
Sold out venues
Liberal minds

Black light posters
Viet Nam
Charley don’t surf
In Birmingham

Cheap cologne
Burning blunts
Wild eyed boys
On the hunt

For painted ladies
Curly hair
Legs for days
No underwear

Pun intended
Food for thought
Narcotic fog
Just don’t get caught

Trophy wife
Three car garage
Grand Pooba
At the Masons Lodge

Yapping lap dog
Shooting stars
Whiskey head games
Tapas Bars

Crafted headlines
Leveraged homes
Sarcastic landmines
Roaming Gnomes

New Age shakedown
Latest news
Holographic
Lackey Blues

Hip Yuppie
Swatting flies
Acid reflux
Alibis

Babylon
Bares her breast
Hyperbole
On house arrest

Faster
Higher
Grab the ring
Envy
An infectious thing


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

CHILDREN AT PLAY

Atlanta airport
Rush hour
Frantic
Mad dash
Distorted faces
Wild eyed
Full tilt
Three precious boys
Ages six perhaps
Playing together on the floor
Immersed
Gleeful
Innocent
For a few Godly moments
Time stands still
Strangers smile
Memories of our childhood
Crashing in with gentle force
On our personal agendas
Skimming joyful slivers
Sheer delight as we watch
Multi colored faces
Beam in unison
Racial barriers
Erased
Evil
Crushed
Love
Flowing freely
There is peace on earth
When the children play


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2005

DISCARDED

So difficult to fathom
Selfish lust of youth
Before
Invigorating
Tonight
Painfully clear
As the colors fade
Emotional deceit
Young woman
Tender
Virgin silk
Ravishing
Consumed
Gnawing hunger
Fierce desire
To be desired
Longing only to be loved
Hormonal mind games
Splotchy ecstasy
Countless carnal liars
Raging fire
Now smolders
3:00 a.m.
Alone
Stained sheets
Streaked mascara
Her delicate head
Gently cupped
In palsied hands
She sobs
Ever so softly
He seeks a fresh conquest
Discarded
As a well worn dress
Second hand romance
Lacerated heart
Overwhelming
Feeble shame
Invades her broken soul


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008