I’d pay for an idea
but I have no bread
can’t find a brainstorm anywhere,
can’t buy inspiration

just when I think I can’t find my rhythm
in this desert valley
my brother lays a beat down
on the drum kit in my head

suddenly I hear the joining
of two fingers snapping
then the drumsticks’ cadence
rat-a-tat-tapping

the only way to keep it occupied
is strumming on these six strings

am I still an artist or am I
another victim
of a burned out light bulb
in the city of neon

whenever the downers of this town
seem to common
I hear my brother wailing away
on my eardrums

his snare drumming traps me
and his conga slapping
he rides the cymbals
while the bass is clapping

the only way to keep it occupied
is strumming on these six strings

This little lighter of mine
I’m gonna let it shine

Hold it high
Hold it high

Light it up for the armed forces
Light it up to the sky
Light it up for the armed forces
That no bullets should fly
No bullets should fly

Light it up for the women and children
Who run for their lives
Light it up for the women and children
That they should survive
They should survive

Light it up for the ones who dwell
on the wrong side of warfare
on the borderline
the Columbine

This little lighter of mine
I’m gonna let it shine

Hold it high
Hold it high

Strange how the flames sway
they firefly away

This little lighter of mine
I’m gonna let it shine

Hold it high
Hold it high

I’m dizzy as a frisbee
spinning like the line on a reel
sinking in like a question
changing perceptions

I am nothing but a wave of sound
I am nothing but a wave
I am nothing

I’m dizzy as a frisbee
dropping like the reef at high tide
shifting like a notion
changing emotions

I am nothing but a wave of sound
I am nothing but a wave

I’m dizzy as a frisbee
coasting like a paper boat
descending like the current
changing my element

I am nothing but a wave of sound
I am nothing but a wave
I am nothing

I’m dizzy as a frisbee
I’m dizzy

The two dogs of your conscience
are constantly fighting
the black has the white
by the throat and he’s biting
your two dogs are at it constantly
victory goes to the mouth you feed

When you feed your black dog
more than your white
you feed to the black dog’s
black appetite
you sharpen his canine teeth and claws
you’re the advocate
to his scandalous cause

your two dogs are fighting constantly
victory to the mouth you feed

The dogs of your conscience
are wrestling like thoughts
the what ifs, the should’ves
the could’ves, the buts
they keep you up growling
night until dawn
they each feel the other
doesn’t belong

your two dogs are fighting constantly
victory to the mouth you feed

When you feed your white dog
you stand upright
you are what you like
and you know that’s alright
you know that’s alright
you know that’s alright
you are what you like
and you know that’s alright

Backpacking across frozen hills
Hiking this mountain feels
Like an answer to my cold chills
In the far outdoors are the best thrills

Am I the first to set foot here?

Braving this frontier
With nothing but freezing to fear
And only the winds to hear

The day is blowing away
Like the tracks that I tread
My energy is leaving me
As the sun drops dead
Where I lay my pack is my homestead

In this blizzard I am only a flake of snow

Double digits below
I’m losing fingers, I know
And the breeze terrorizes me
Whenever it blows

I can’t close my eyes
They won’t allow me to blink
Because there’s too much too see
Too many thoughts to think

Am I crossing the brink?

I do not anticipate a comeback
Laying on my back
Staring up at the black
I am missing in action
Like a wolf from its pack

In the air I see
Hallucinations and lights
I see ribbons of color
In an otherwise raven night
Releasing me from my plight

Aurora Borealis is arising

A kaleidoscope of colors flying
Climbing, curling and spiraling
Appearing and disappearing
Like smoky streams

A warm breath of heaven
Seven colors and every shade in between
In the air like a river of blue-green
Red-violet like a candle burning over me
The Northern Lights are my remedy