The Moment

What if we lived in the moment
What if we lived in the now
Never worrying about the past
Never having to ask how

How will we survive tomorrow
How will we make it last
Always looking to the next day
Not living in the past

Let the moments fade
And look to the current day
It doesn't matter what you've done
Or where your next step leads

What if we could live for now
And lived it like our last
No more clinging to mistakes
No more hoping for the best

4/4/14 - ALJ

Stuck in the Middle

The messenger

The middle man

The person stuck between

Never pleasing

Always reasoning

Whatever do you mean?

Try as you may

Try as you might

No matter the case

You never end up right

It’s either this or that

Or how about when

Then maybe, a sort of

Okay, but not then

Caught in the struggle

To make the words right

Remembering this one

Or this one?  Uh, not quite

Doing this dance

All the day long

It’s what I’m here for

Even if I get it wrong

A jumble

A mess

They just won’t quit

Do you want it

Or you

Oh, no… Not it!

3/28/14 - ALJ

Wish For a Star

As the world grows bigger

And you find yourself so small

I hope you will find someone

To help you rise above it all

After the spotlight has faded

And only the man remains

May there be someone there

Without something to gain

As others focus on the outer

May she look to see within

Sharing the same desires

When hopes of family begin

To the world, you may shine bright

Or become a fading star

Yet she remains, not for roles played

Only because of whom you are

As beauty slowly slips away

I hope you find yourself to be

With the one who sees you

And not just fame and glory

When the jokes have all grown old

And there's nothing new to say

May her company not be waning

May you still enjoy each day

As the joints grow slow and tired

And it's hard to bust a move

May there still be one that's longing

To dance each day with you

May she firmly hold your hand

No matter the incoming call

Supporting your dreams as her own

Together forever, once and for all

3/5/14 – ALJ [re-edit]

Rewind

Being chased by my shadow,
always looking behind;
Even when I think I've turned a corner,
just living my life in rewind.
Can't keep this pace up forever,
some day I'll have to slow down;
But until that day comes,
I'll keep both my feet on the ground.

2/26/2014 - ALJ

My Father’s Father

My Father’s Father was a real good man

He grew up in the Chicagoland

Fell in the love with a Polish girl

Loved her more than anyone in the world

My Father’s Father worked hard in life

Supporting his family with a butcher’s knife

Four children born including the twins

Cheering each season for a White Sox win

My Father’s Father loved to laugh and smile

Dressing up to clown around in Clover style

He served his time back in the war

A proud Navy vet and so much more

My Father’s Father was a proud man

Retirement never being part of his plan

He drove that hearse through the city streets

A more confident man you would not meet

My Father’s Father loved his family

Nine grandchildren are his legacy

Two great grandsons he met before he passed

But hopefully they won’t be the last

My Father’s Father was a Christian man

His love for Jesus spent as a Lutheran

Time at church spent in joy and cheer

Singing those hymns for all to hear

My Father’s Father is in heaven now

And we are left to go on somehow

So it’s in the hope that we know is true

That Jesus died for all and especially you

2/23/2014 – ALJ

Clover

My heart aches

With each little break

Knowing you’re no longer here

Remembrances of old

The stories you told

All the moments spent so dear

The jokes that you made

And love that you gave

Will stay with us now you are gone

Free of pain and of strife

All the worries of life

No burdens for you to hold

A blessing on earth

With such joy and mirth

Yet the best is soon to be

Together someday

In that heavenly way

You, Grandma, Jesus and me

2/22/2014 – ALJ

[In Loving Memory of Ed "Clover" Jacob]

Ode to Dave

Have a birthday
Fill it with joy
Eat lots of cake
Act like a boy
Smiles and fun
I wish you this day
Time with loved ones
And not to dismay
Out on the coast
I hope you have a blast
A happy, happy day
Each second to the last

1/16/14 - ALJ