Love Hurts-By Nazareth

With one more hour
another day perhaps
A time of concentration
we could rise up
surpass, surprise ourselves
And all of our ambitions
Maybe even thrust
An unclenched fist
Through an empty cloud
Or pass a golden galaxy
And with some patience
And no little practice
Even touch the lower sky

HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING NEW
ABOUT BEING ALONE?
TELL SOMEONE YOU'RE A LONER
AND RIGHT AWAY THEY THINK YOU'RE LONELY

IT'S NOT THE SAME THING YOU KNOW
IT'S NOT WANTING TO PUT ALL YOUR
MARBLES IN ONE POCKET.
IT'S CARING ENOUGH NOT TO CARE TO MUCH
MOSTLY IT'S LETTING YOURSELF
COME FIRST FOR AWHILE

Once I wrote a song
Almost.
Sixteen lines that walked
up from ny belly to my head.

As I stood waiting for the light to change
And making up a melody,
A yellow bus passed by-slowly.
Looking up I lost the lines I thought I'd learned
And several more that never came
All because a bus passed by
And someone smiled from out a yellow window.

I DON'T HAVE TO TOUCH YOU
TO BE TOUCHING YOU
NOR FEEL YOUR FACE
TO FEEL YOUR FACE
YET SOMETIMES TOUCHING YOU
I FEEL YOU NOT AT ALL.

THERE SEEMS TO BE
SO MUCH OF YOU AT TIMES
ENOUGH TO FILL
AND SPILL ACROSS THE ROOM.
OTHER TIMES
I STRETCH IN YOUR DIRECTION
AND DRAW BACK TO ME
GREAT ARMFULS OF AIR.

I can handle hope
As well as heartache
Life as well as living-
(How unalike they are
As different in their way
As death and dying)

I can keep a smile on
Long past its due
And think beyond
The time of thinking
Once the process has
Been set in motion

AND I'M DETACHED

THAT'S AS IT SHOULD BE,
FOR I NEED MORE THAN GAMES.

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
I HAVEN'T ANY NAME
BUT WHAT YOU'LL GIVE ME WHEN YOU LEAVE.

I promised I would call
I used to do that often
and meant it at the time
as I meant to answer letters
and take the dogs out walking
the same hour every day.

I didn't call because I didn't
and because a promise
I might keep
that leads you nowhere
would be unkinder
than good intentions
that grow dim.

THOUGH I FELT SPENT
LET DOWN AND DONE,
TRYING TO SLOW DOWN IS NOT SO EASY
WHEN YOUR THOUGHTS STILL
HANG ON YESTERDAY.

DODGING PIGEONS IN THE SQUARE
WHILE FIVE-PEICE COMBOS
GRATE MY EARS,
I'M RESTLESS ALL DAY LONG

APART I AM
AMD MUCH ALONE.

In loving you
I've held back no reserve
and so I've nothing left
to give tomorrow's lover
when you go

If thoughts have deepened after reading these poems, I really recommend reading Rod McKuens Poetry books "Listen to the Warm" and "Caught in the Quiet". There are many more that he has written also. Send me your favorites and we could get a collection page going...

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