TEXAS ROMANCE

He loved Bonnie
She loved Clyde
Reckless lifestyle
Stolen rides

Forbidden romance
Captured hearts
Public villains
From the start

Red roses
Tommy Guns
Easy money
On the run

Rampant crimes
Storied fall
Wanted posters
Sirens call

Ambushed death
Louisiana style
Tragic end
No fair trial

Demise was instant
Early dawn
Fabled outlaws
Their legend lives on

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

MUMBAI

Thanksgiving Day
November 27th, 2008
Sad day indeed
Such senseless carnage
Supernatural hatred
Streets of Mumbai
Ankle deep with innocent blood
Five star hotels
Reduced to battlefields
Tales of heroism
Militant cowardice
Who cares what they believe
Fanatic violence
There is no justification
Resilient human spirit
Righteousness
Selfless compassion
Shall triumph evermore



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

IT’S LIFE MAN

Peeling glassy curls
Beryl sapphire shimmer
So graceful
Infinite stimulation
Tranquilizing wetness
Cascades in brilliant favor
Obsessive magical moment
My troubles melt in the peaceful eddy
Moral majority think tank
Stuck in naive backwoods
Those who deem me bedlamite
Concerned that I “just don’t get it”
Grieve not my puffed up critics
I have no desire to perceive
Delusive adaptations
Brackish social squares
Me
A simple round projectile
Adrift on balmy seas
My condolences
Sincere sympathy
Goes out to the “in crowd” herd
Who graze in fields of faked out pretense
Simmer down a bit
Unclench those poor offended toes
Soak your feet in tidal pools of forgiveness
Exhaling red annoyance
Its life man
Human interaction
Not a staged performance
His peace remains abundant
Copious blessings
Flood our restless souls
Alas
The best intentions
Exhausting burden of “fitting in”
Leaves one rather weary
Gravely spiritless
Barren vessels of regret
Animate
Rejoice
Kindergarten mentality
A child of God
Serene


Bill Grimes Jr. 2006

RISE

Generations
Come and go
No clear cut winners
Rigged human race
Viscous oil slicks
Choke our shores of gilded lust
Counting to a trillion
Still it’s not enough
We grieve perceived lost fortunes
Deceptive opulence
Betrayed birthright
As if we truly prospered
You see
It never was
Merely an illusion
Mortal sleight of hand
Fiat paper
Fancy minted ink
Now we pay the devils due
For our foolishness
Intimidation
Servitude
Torture
Degradation
Time to let it go
Refuse to run for cover
You who hold the weapons
Let them rip I say
No stopping angry multitudes
Who fail to jump when you say “BOO”
Basal sincerity
What it takes to rise
A man without a humble soul
A doomed man indeed


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

FEAR NOT

Dominance agendas
Absurd priorities
Drive by promises
Dead on arrival
Common sense meltdown
As if we never had it
I simply see no wisdom
In violent gluttony
Dust shall never settle
On alters of aggression
Economic stimulus
Investment Banker hard on
All talk
No satisfaction
In riches
Spawned from thin air
Fear not
Child of God
For He is with us
Dire headlines
Global strife
Wrath shall come and go
As it was written long ago
Immoral men
Wicked deeds
Famine
Utter chaos
No surprises here
Man’s lust for gold
Ultimate false idol
Flesh
Biodegradable
Sacred soul
Infinite
Holy path to heaven
Begins in mortal hell


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

2008

I hear the loud clatter
Explosive rhetoric
I feel death all around us
Creeping loss of innocence
I also witness love
Widespread
Hard to camouflage
Beacon in the darkness
Hope to all who need it
My choice has been simple
To embrace brotherhood
Not so hard to fathom
When focused on AGAPE


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

FASCINATING KISS (For Mel)

I caught a glimpse of you today
Random
Passing by in traffic
Hauntingly familiar
Yet so fiercely distant
Complicated love
Crashing down around me still
My yearning heart
Pounding ricochet
Familiar breathless rhythm
These warp speed years
Have been quite kind to you
You wear them well my dear
My mind
Adrift
Delicious daydreams
Moonlight nights
Soulful calls at 3am
Lost dogs
Sober thoughts
Dealing with fear demons
Clinging to each other
Despite the awkward chemistry
Your tender hand
Softly cupped in mine
My hungry arms
Wrapped around your feminine waist
Your whisper voice
So soothing
To these aging ears
Incredible sparkle
Dancing through your loving eyes
That magical kiss
Ah Mel……..
That fascinating kiss
No discernible logic
This gnawing need for you
It simply is
Never left sweet lady
I’ve tried my best to let you go
No relief
No fulfillment
Are you still afraid?



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

ELEMENTARY THESIS

Some questions
Truly have no answers
Mankind
Far below the higher intellect
Master plan exists
Mind blowing
Our frail human brains
Illogical perception
Created in His image
Root of all existence
Holy angels
Assisting Him with joy
Vast celebration
Life
So very simple
As we accept the truth
Righteousness
Walks in brilliant light
Evil
Dank darkness
Elementary thesis
Good enough for me


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

METASTASIS

Deodorant
Worn to a chalky nub
Still you see me sweat
As it is meant to be
Dark secrets
Dim
Transparency blooms
He is
No more am simply i
So digging this metastasis
Perfect symmetry



© Bill Grimes Jr. 2008

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