ODE TO THE SAND FLEA

I can only laugh

In cynical reflection

Aging misdirection

At this life’s cruelest joke

Arthritic hips and knees

Such agony

In measured degrees

I’m reminded of sand fleas

Nibbling hungrily

At my surf soaked feet

In sacred Ormond Beach

God’s loving bounty

So easily in reach

Burrowing in the sand

I simply scooped them as i needed

To fetch a mighty blue

A Pompano or two

As my children frolicked

In magical glee

To be one with the sea

I smile in quiet reverence

At this paradise i lost

How i deeply cherish now

Despite the brutal cost

I pray

To return some sweet day

Forever baptized

In the salty water

Buoyant and free

As it’s meant to be........

(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

YOUNG ONE

Take a moment

Young one

With eyes that swim

Amazed

Sweet

Blessed child

Sit with me awhile

At this horn of plenty table

Set for me

And thee

I pass my portion to you

And the lofty dreams

That fascinate you

And above all

There is LOVE

Sacred young one

You shall need it

Courage to survive

Instinctual wisdom

To overcome

To thrive

To keep the fire alive

An achievement

Necessary

Prophetic

Deemed quite bold

By Angels i am told

Hear me now

Sweet young one

For i am growing old

Weary

From the battle

Now merely

Passing through

YOU

Are surely destined

To craft a world

Brand new

Where love and peace

Shall RULE

As it was written in the stars

and i smile........

　

(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

I SEE

July 4th, 2012

A day of independence

Laced with sentiment

Lonely width and breadth

Achieved by patriotic death

Heroic last breath

Tribal knowledge gained

Only truth remains

As I ponder immortality

Just what it means to me

I’m grateful for the guidance

Transcendental clarity

I see

The mystery

Of our universe

Raw power

Majesty

A force far superior

To me

As it’s meant to be.......

(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

CLASS OF 1977

June 23rd, 2012
A day of deep reflection
Childhood resurrection
I’ve spent decades
Chasing clarity
Inner peace
Soul harmony
Suddenly
I see
With crystal clear resolve
Through the smiling eyes
Of my lifelong friends
A love that never ends
Forged from youthful innocence
Sincerity
Fierce High School loyalty
A sacred bond
That binds us so closely
To this very day
And I smile
Through melancholy tears
Lift my glass in reverence
As we celebrate the years
The unity we hold so dear
Salute
John Shaw High School
I love you one and all
Kindred souls are we
And always will be.......
:-)
(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

IT ROCKED ME

February 9th, 1964
My life
Forever altered
At the tender age of five
Suddenly alive
Such strange
Yet familiar energy
Blasting through me
Probably
My very first hard on
As the power
Surged at will
Through my spatial symmetry
Dancing chills
Electric
Down my spine
Blowing my young mind
The Beatles first appearance
The Ed Sullivan Show
A magical memory
It rocked me
Deeply
With toe tapping force
Artistic imagery
Creative self expression
I’m a music junkie still
Forever dedicated
To it’s sacred place
Deftly planted
Within my DNA
Significant influence
On this word man
I am today
Eternally
Held in awe
Complete admiration
Of it’s mystical sway.......
　
(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012
　
　
　

SHARDS OF COLORED GLASS

Dreams of gloom
Of rubber rooms
Nightmares
In an airtight tomb
Dirty needles
Sliver spoons
Haunting apparitions
Hide silly superstitions
Shadows
Dark partitions
Lunacy conditions
Shards of colored glass
Reflect a deep crevice
Through which sunlight
Cannot pass
Nor time
Nor human circumstance
A tale of things ironic
Too many Gin and Tonics
Of art
Sublime
Iconic
Thoughts of Andy Warhol
Legacy of pain
Psychedelic windowpanes
Microdot
Swirling acid rain
Peyote trance
Ritual of tribal dance
Nothing left to gain
Leads one down
A path of great resistance
Plasticized existence
Demons taunt
With incredible persistence
A hellish walk indeed
Insanity
Supercedes
Prior sound judgment
A babe among the reeds
Lost within the weeds
Wounded by unkind deeds
Fear is just a state of mind
As the story of his life
Sluggishly rewinds
Hallowed Gaelic tunes
Echo through the black light balloons
Void of oxygen
Of horrid death
And scared birth
Again
And again
To not feel it
Is a mortal sin
Of the highest magnitude
One step closer
To inner peace
Solitude.......
　
(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012
　
　
　

PETROLEUM IS WHERE IT’S AT

Shortbread cookies
Harvest Moon
Nomad roaming
Sacred spoon
Alms a plenty
Special gifts
Social graces
Modern myths
Children crying
Scars run deep
Old men dying
Their old wives weep
Lost innocence
Vast dismay
New World Order
On display
Global warming
Imagine that
Petroleum
Is where it’s at
Close surveillance
At traffic lights
Racial profiles
Lily white
Night stalker
FBI
Children dying
WHY?
Presidents
Kings and Queens
Terrorists
Ways and means
This world
A stage
Yes indeed
Ancient rage
Sowing seeds
Sigmund Freud
Anais Nin
Herbert Hoover
Gunga Din
War art sinking in
The end
Is just beginning
No my friends
Evil is not winning
Lost words
Nobel acts
All rhetoric
And thats a fact.....
　
(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012
　

QUITE SIMPLY

He who moves me
Moves me
She who soothes me
Soothes me
Don’t over analyze me
With Freudian imagery
Or quite simply
You will lose me.....
(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

ODE TO A SPIDER

As I prepare
A special lair

In the mind

Of my enemy
Without caution
Malice
Or despair
I pay homage to a Spider
She lives upon my deck
Resourceful
Crafty
Cunning
Exceptionally stunning
Nature’s deft assassin
Warfare of silk
Delicate
Yet tensile skein
A killing machine
With grace
She knows no release
As life
Swirls around her
No worry in her eyes
Always
Another fly
Another reason why…..

©Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

A BEAUTIFUL THING

If I flow it

Will you read it?

Will you feel it

As I bleed it?

Because you see

I need it

To justify my trip

My words

A pointed tip

Dipped in sacred blood

Precursor

To the coming flood

A gift from God

My KING

A beautiful thing

To serve His higher cause

I'm not seeking vain applause

Simply

Clarity

For this lost world to see

His grace

Sweet charity

Unconditional love

And peace

My ultimate release

SELAH…….

(C) Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

SEA OF URGENCY

A single strand of delicate silk
Young Mothers sacred milk
Harmony beckons
Yonder mountain way
My mind is wandering today
Life happens quickly
A blistering pace
Some need to save face
Others need to win the rodent race
Me
I drift along
At times
A bit confused
Still searching for my muse
My tertiary fuse
Shelter from the storm
Sweet dreams of flight
Sojourn across the globe
With melancholy thoughts
A manic frontal lobe
I know of those who spend their days
Clinging fiercely to the past
I can’t seem to find mine
It’s lost
In a sea of urgency
Intrinsically
Deep within my rhyme
Far too many times
I’ve raised my eyes
Seeking clear fruition
An odd superstition
Spiritual malnutrition
A sad aftermath
Mind and body collision
A reader of souls
Quickly growing old
Losing all control
There is no shame in letting go
Of that which brings me pain
Causes such disdain
Artistic love in vain……

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

NOCTURNE IN E FLAT

Robert Redford
Johnny Depp
Leading men
With swaggered step
Rocky Mountains
Cold and hard
Far removed
From Wilshire Blvd.
With total disregard
Piano Concerto
Genius of Chopin
Ancient Christian night prayer
Nocturne
So exquisite
A way of life
I live it
So join me
I will take you there
Sound wisdom
Fleur Di Lis
Missiles flying
Wounded Knee
“No laws for the brave ones”
“No asylum for the crazy ones”
My journey
Always on the run
Has only just begun……

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

DANIEL IS THE SHIT

Time warp mentality
Imposed on our blind society
Blatant hypocrisy
Lunacy
Has finally conquered me
Daniel is the shit
Neon tourniquet
No worries sacred tribe
I’ll be back in just a bit
See you on the other side
Of this narcissistic ride
Purple lava
Magma
Spiritual fist fight
As day succumbs to night
I’m bleeding from my ears
Pent up frustration
Corporate castration
I’ve bit my tongue
Far too many years
Evil Babylon
Sadly reincarnated
Wall Street Bourgeoisie
Methodically
Choking the shit out of me
They set me up to fail
Sentenced me
To mortal fucking hell
Greed sanitarium
Excrement
With a gloss coat of platinum
Reality
Completely uncertain
As I venture without fear
Into a long, mystic tunnel
It’s inner peace I seek
For in the end
It’s all about release
Of strychnine demons
Commanding them to cease
And desist
With a defiant raised fist………..

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

OPINIATED RUST

Word man manifesto
“Band of Gypsys” statement
Guitar celebration
Genius innovation
To Be
Or fade away
Constantly seeking
Another perfect day
Solace from the fray
Of making that money
Sweet mountain honey
The horrible cost
Losing myself
Bread and butter sustenance
Rotting on the shelf
April 29th, 2012
I dare to deeply delve
Stoically
Defiant
Courage of dissection
Earnest reflection
From the bitching rhythm section
That prances down my spine
This day I stand before you
With nothing left to prove
To share this great resolve
No pardon shall I ever beg of anyone
Who vociferously disapprove
Turn their snotty noses skyward
In obvious disgust
Shallow minded mis trust
Opiniated rust
With blatant criticism
After arrogant
Cross examination
Of my poetic regurgitation
Blackened soul liberation
If my words disturb you deeply
Don’t read them
Did you hear me?
Do not read them
You simply do not need them
Me
I must bleed them
In soul purging freedom
My art
Needs no crass endorsement
From any Mothers Son
Celestial ascent
Has finally begun
Rapidly advancing to the sun
As it’s searing brilliance
Bows to the waxing blood red moon
Not a moment too soon
I have increasing difficulty
Taking anyone
Seriously
Who can’t hear the scream of a butterfly
As it explodes upon a slick
Polished windshield
Of a $50K automobile
Those who shall never know
The mystical sound of one hand clapping
It’s always been about soul to me
It truly doesn’t matter
If you cannot see
My artistic revelry
Home grown chivalry
Core sensitivity
Blind, deaf, and dumb
I shall never be
I grow more distant by the moment
From the false corporate snapshot
Relentlessly bombarding
My atrophied senses
Compliments
Of Madison Avenue Puppet Masters
Shadow soldier killers
Who create global disaster
Every evening on the 9pm News
Please don’t be amazed
That I stray from the herd
My strength
Comes from my words
At times
A bit absurd
Precisely
How I choose it to be
Flopping erratically
Like a wounded love bird
Crashing fatally
Into polished ego glass
53 years of hard grinding
Continually seeking
Sadly
Never finding
True harmony
So carefully
Crafting metaphors
To replace the primal screams
Futile nevermore
So meticulously
Penning literary reams
Of chronological extremes
I flow it
As I feel it
For he who feels it
Knows it
A true
Avant Garde artist
Dares to expose his raw nerves
No gimmicks
No photo shop
No cautious reserve
Time to bring this home
I wish I had a better epilogue
Tonight
It is what it simply is
Powerful fatigue
Symptom of my roam
Blessings
Love
HIS peace
May you all find sweet release
On our intrinsic journey home
And I smile………

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

THE LEGENDARY SQUARE GROUPER

Well-tanned
Seasoned locals
Fondly known as “Crackers”
Call them “Square Grouper”
Buoyant bales indeed
Sandy
Salty seaweed
Cherished
Quite affordable
Staple of the Woodstock Generation
Hippie Culture Nation
When $35.00 U.S.
Could buy a garbage bag
No exaggeration
Pungent smoke libation
Neptune’s favored bounty
Alms from the sea
Found bobbing lazily
In the Gulf of Mexico
Miles of dense Mangroves
Due west of Everglades City
A sacred place
Home to 10,000 Islands
A smugglers wet dream
My mind drifts to 1977
Fabled wasted years
A blur of resonance
Spatial circumstance
Sock Hop slow dance
Jim Beam
Testosterone
Teenaged stab at romance
Jimi fucking Hendrix
Captain Zig Zag
Mysterious Sea Hag
Velvet Black Light Posters
Heroes of the day
My foggy
Twisted way
Lighting up with my Professor
Partaking of the herb
Twisting dovetail joints
Exploring deeper points
Mother Nature’s verbs
No need to mention names
Old Shell Road parking lot
Sentimental slipknot
Such silly battles fought
When they called me Billy Ray
Badge of honor
Scarred my bony knees
Sentimental breeze
“Thank you”
“Yes Ma’am”
“Please”
Shag Carpet burns
Senior Class interns
All eager
To taste the latest cure
Tribal knowledge gained
Friendships
Trusted
Pure
Righteous times for damn sure
Lava Lamps
Incense
Erotic Patchouli
A Pirate Looks at 40
Mr. Buffet’s finest work
Fascinations quirk
Red Dragon perks
Me
I’m just a word man
Not interested in plunder
Only art you see
Sacred poetry
Tongue in cheek soliloquy
Allows me
To simply be
Psychedelic Galaxy
Broadway candlelight
Illusion of youth
I swear to tell the truth
I’m incapable this day
To condone corporate lust
So sue me if you must
Myriad of change
Perhaps I’ve grown a bit deranged
My destiny
Prearranged
I dig spontaneous nothingness
So stumble on I must
In quiet solitude
Melancholy mood
Instinctual aptitude
Not jerked to life by hidden strings
Or shiny, gilded things
My music loudly rings
Such peace and joy it brings
Dear esteemed reader
Take me with a salty grain
I choose not to refrain
From the soapbox I inherit
My credentials
Hide my merit
Moonlit Jubilee
Shores of gentle Fairhope
Creatures of the sea
Advance in droves
Like Biblical
Fishes and loaves
Mystical Showtime
My deepest soul
Origins nomadic
Hardly democratic
I focus on sporadic
In He Dog sized doses
Brain dead scoliosis
Textbook Neurosis
For “crazy” after all
Requires a massive set of balls
To speak of things forbidden
Which intrigue me at my core
The true essence of my call……..

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

SO BE IT

I made a conscious choice
So many moons ago
To exercise my voice
Poetic interlude
Don’t mean to be rude
If the truth offends
So be it
I write
Because I see it
I’m busting at the seams
As nightmares
Turn to dreams……..


© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

SUDDENLY I SMILE

Easter Sunday
2012
My 1st day off in awhile
Suddenly I smile
Hy-Vee Super Store
Surreal burning bush
The spiritual kind
As only Angels bring
Lovely blonde lady
Tanned
Smiling brightly
Eyes of brilliant blue
Stunning Yellow Sundress
Yes I am impressed
As you circled round again
That you chose me today
Hypnotic
Graceful sway
So I would know my way
To your sultry vortex
Sweet anticipation
Mysterious pleasures coming next
I pray we’ll meet again
Somehow I know we will
By the way
I’m Bill………..

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

A BEAUTIFUL MESS

December 2011
Golden CO
Soothing Pink Floyd riffs
Engulf me as always
In complete awe
Artistic genius
Forever
My oasis
From the stiff winds of life
Constantly igniting
My deepest word man fuse
Nothing left to lose
Sedated Gag Reflex
Solar Plexus punch
Freudian hunch
Woodys Pizza for lunch
My mind drifts
In lazy
Fond reflection
To spin the bottle days
Innocent haze
Society malaise
I miss a few of these things
The sweet smell of a woman
Sacred morning spoon
On the dark side of the moon
Existential rings
Scrambled eggs at 3:00am
A road with seven bridges
Eight Track groove
Teenaged night moves
Harmony personified
Artful Dodger antics
In Mobile AL
So many friends I’ve made
Manipulative charades
Mardi Gras Parades
At times
I looked for trouble
In macho arrogance
Usually I found it
At times
I wish I had not
This day
My head faces skyward
In humble gratitude
My weary eyes
Reverently closed
Avoiding the high weeds
Focused on kind deeds
Child of God connections
Manuscript corrections
And still I smile……..

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

ART COLLIDES WITH ESSENCE

Mighty Rocky Mountains
Mystically inspire me
Well-crafted music
Always satisfies me
Beautiful people
I meet along the way
Make my burden lighter
Righteous love is flowing
Despite my loneliness
Fond memories abound
Constantly
I turn around
To see the path I’ve carved
In sublime satisfaction
Cosmic chain reaction
Prismatic refraction
As art
Collides with essence
My Brother JM
Photog extraordinaire
Would surely bust a lens
In this scenic wonderland
A smile
Kindred nodding head
Perhaps a song instead
Today I walk in silence
Seeking only peace
Serenity
Release
From chains of apprehension
In humble gratitude………

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012

STRANGE DAZE INDEED

My soul
Deemed artistic
My words transcend
At times
A bit ballistic
I flow them as they come
From my deepest vein
The darkened past
Easily buried
Clarity however
Does not mean it didn’t happen
Depression is a place
Where disenchanted people
Fade away and die
No need to ponder why
Strange daze indeed
Social etiquette
Rules I once followed
Abandoned
One by one
As circumstance dictated
Popular Facebook
Trendy treble hook
Atmospheric mucus
C.S. fucking Lewis
Gonna sock it to us
In his mystical way
I’m bleeding today
Recoiled
From the public fray
Perhaps I’ll fly away…….

© Bill Grimes Jr. 2012