THE RAPTURE OF A CLOWN...

PAINTED FACES ,EMPTY PLACES LEAVING TRACES OF MYSELF.WAYWARD MAN MAKING PLANS WITH EMPTY HANDS IS THE MEASURE OF MY WEALTH.IT'S THE CLOWN BROKEN DOWN TURNING TOWNS UPSIDE DOWN,CHANGING SMILES INTO FROWNS.BOX CAR SONGS BECOME MY PSALMS ,WITH A GRIN CONFESS MY SINS ,ECHOES HEARD OF EMPTY WORDS HAVE ALL GONE.LIGHT A CANDLE ON A MANTLE PROTECT MY SOUL FROM WHAT'S WITHIN,PRAISING GOD'S,LIGHTNING ROD'S FEARING RAPTURE FROM THE WINDS.BLACKEST CLOUDS BRING THE RAIN CRACKING THUNDER WHISPERS OF PAIN.ABSENSE OF LIGHT I DREAM ALL DAY AND FEAR THE NIGHT.I PUT MY EAR TO THE GROUND AND FEAR THE SILENCE, THE CONSEQUENCE OF FOOTSTEPS AS THEY POUND.IN A HAZE,END OF DAY'S,BEAM OF LIGHT ARMAGEDDON IN THE WAVES. CRASHING DOWN A MILLION FROWNS ,ONE MORE BREATH I HEAR THE CLOWNS.WASHED AWAY UPSIDE DOWN,ANOTHER MAN..ANOTHER TOWN HAVE JUST BEEN BAPTIZED BROKEN DOWN..

LOVE LETTER...

I WISH YOU LAUGHTER AND I WISH YOU A SMILE, I WISH YOU THE MAN THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL WORTH WHILE.I HOPE HE HOLDS YOU DEEP IN THE NIGHT,SQUEEZES YOUR HAND AND NEVER LET'S YOU OUT OF HIS SIGHT.I WISH YOU THE LOVE THAT WILL FILL UP YOUR HEART,I WISH YOU NOTHING BUT HAPPINESS EVERY DAY WERE APART.I WILL MISS YOUR EYES AND THE TOUCH OF YOUR HAND BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND HURTING YOU WAS NEVER WHAT I PLANNED.I WILL REMEMBER EVERY MOMENT AND SPECIAL TIMES THAT WE SHARED,I KNOW I DID NOT ALWAYS SHOW IT BUT TRULY I CARED.I JUST CLOSE MY EYES WHEN I NEED TO SEE YOUR FACE,YOUR ALWAYS ON MY MIND NO MATTER THE PLACE.FREE LIKE A BUTTERFLY SPREADING ITS WINGS I WISH THE JOY TRUE HAPPINESS BRINGS.IF I TOLD YOU I LOVE YOU ,YOU WOULD THINK ITS A LIE ,SO I WROTE YOU THIS POEM FILLED WITH THE TEARS THAT I CRY.YOU WERE ALWAYS THERE FOR ME WHEN PUSH CAME TO SHOVE,THE ONLY WAY TO REPAY YOU IS TO SHOW YOU TRUE LOVE.SO GOODBYE MY LOVER,GOODBYE TO MY FRIEND,SAY HELLO TO NEW LOVE AND YOUR BROKEN HEART WILL SOON BE ON THE MEND.SOMETIMES LOVE IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS,UNTIL I'M ALL FORGOTTEN BECAUSE YOU MET THE MAN OF YOUR DREAMS....

IMPRINTS..

MY SOUL IS BLEEDING CRIMSON RED,FADING VISIONS INVADE MY HEAD.I STAND FOR NOTHING AND FALL FOR IT ALL,BRICK BY BRICK I BUILT THIS WALL.I HEAR THE RHYTHM OF A BROKEN HEART AND DANCE WITH SHADOW'S WORLDS APART.I AM THE ECHOES OF SILENT CRIES,I AM THE TRUTH INSIDE THE LIES.I WISH I COULD TALK TO THAT BOY WHO LOST HIS WAY BUT ALL THAT'S LEFT IS WHAT YOU SEE TODAY. I HAVE FELT THE WRATH OF THE BEATEN PATH,I HAVE HIDDEN TEARS AND WORN THE MASK.WINDING ROADS AND BROKEN HOMES,I'LL HANG MY HAT ON A MIND THAT ROAMS.I HAVE CRIED RIVERS FROM MY OWN TEARS AND BEEN A PRISONER TO ALL MY FEARS BUT I HAVE LEARNED ONE THING ALONG THE WAY,THERE'S NO TOMORROW WITHOUT TODAY.I MAY WALK MILES BEFORE I FEEL WORTH WHILE BUT I'LL TAKE EACH STEP WITH GRACE AND STYLE.I LEFT MY IMPRINTS FROM AN EMPTY HAND AND ON MY JOURNEY HELPED THAT BOY BECOME A MAN..

RUNAWAY TRAIN

MY DAYS ARE FILLED WITH STRAINS, PAINS AND RUNAWAY TRAINS,TRAVELING THROUGH SO MANY PLACES I HAVE FORGOTTEN THE NAMES.SLEEPING IN CARS,DRINKING IN BARS, TOASTING WITH BEAUTIFUL WOMEN AND PUFFING CIGARS.I'M HANGING MY HAT IN THESE PLACES I CALL HOME,IM SHINNING MY SHOES BEFORE I'M READY TO ROAM. A GYPSY TORNADO BLOWING THROUGH TOWNS,SLEEPING IN CEMETERIES TO BURY MY FROWNS.CIRCUS LIFE FILLED WITH FOUR WAY LANES ,TO MANY FACES TO REMEMBER THE NAMES .A TINY SUITCASE,A DIRTY OLD HAT ,THE MODEST OF LIVING JUST THE CLOTHES ON MY BACK ,MY STAY WILL BE BRIEF NO NEED TO UNPACK IF I MISS THE RUNAWAY TRAIN I JUST FOLLOW THE TRACKS.A NEW DAY BEGINS WITH MY THUMB IN THE WIND ,EIGHTY PROOF IN PALM TO ATONE FOR LAST NIGHTS SIN.DRAWING MAPS IN THE SAND OF THE NEXT PLACE I'LL LAND ,KEEPING MY FREEDOM IN THE PALM OF MY HAND.WELCOME HOME FROM YOUR ROAM OH MY HOW YOU'VE GROWN BUT THE YEARS OF THIS SADNESS ON YOUR FACE IT HAS SHOWN.I BARELY RECOGNIZE THIS MAN WHO STANDS BEFORE ME TODAY,IT'S SOMETHING IN YOUR EYES SUCH A SULLEN MALAISE.A FACE THAT ONCE HELD PROMISE NOW COVERED IN PAIN AS HE WAITS IN THE RAIN FOR THE RUNAWAY TRAIN ..

THE JOURNEY

RAINY DAYS,DRUNKEN HAZE,MELTED HEART ,SILENT RAGE,WALKING BACKWARDS THROUGH A MAZE,LOOSING TIME AS DAYLIGHT FADES.VISIONS PAINTED OF THE ROAD NOT TAKEN,AS I ASK THE LORD WHY HAVE I BEEN FORSAKEN? MEMORIES HALLOWED HALLS ,DARKEST NIGHTS SUNLIGHT FALLS.CRIMSON TEARS LOSING YEARS ,DROWNING IN MY OCEANS FEARS.BLACKEST CLOUDS ,SWIRLING WINDS CAPTURE SPIRITS FROM DEEP WITHIN.DANCE WITH SHADOWS OF MYSELF ,BLOOD STAINED HANDS MEASURE WEALTH.SLOTH FOLLOW SLOW THE BEATEN PATH OPEN WOUNDS ENTER WRATH.I TASTED LIFE WITH GLUTTONY AS MY TONGUE AND BIT THE APPLE BEFORE THE FEAST BEGUN.GREED STOLE THE HARVEST AND LEFT A SEED ,PROCREATION LUST IMPEDES.PRIDE BEFORE THE GREATEST FALL I STAND FOR NOTHING AND ENVY IT ALL.CONTRITION COMES ON BENDED KNEE FOR MORTAL SINS ATONEMENT PLEAS.TAKING JOURNEYS THROUGH THE REALMS,VIRGIL GUIDES AS THE INFERNO SWELLS .ASCEND TO PURGATORY'S MOUNTAINS PEEK FROM SATAN'S UNDERGLOOM FAR BENEATH. CELESTIAL SPHERES NINE APPEAR ,VISIONS OF PARADISE HEAVEN IS NEAR...

PRISONER ..

IM LOOSING FACE,IM LOOSING TIME ,IN MY MIND I WALK THE LINE, CONVICT MYSELF OF THE CRIME.LINK BY LINK I BUILT THIS CHAIN IT LOCKS ME UP AND RESTRAINS MY PAIN..RAINY DAYS ,FADING SUNLIGHT THROUGH THE HAZE,BROKEN PATH BECOMES A MAZE. WALKING BACKWARDS FUELS MY RAGE,NO HOLDS BARED I BUILT THIS CAGE.BEHIND THESE BARS HIDDEN SCARS COUNTING WOUNDS MY BODY'S MARRED.MY EXECUTION'S DRAWING NEAR,CANT THINK STRAIGHT IM DRAPPED WITH FEAR.ABRASIVE THOUGHTS ON MY BRAIN AS POISON COURSES THROUGH OUT EACH VEIN.I CREATED MY OWN INFECTION AND DISTORTED EACH THOUGHT BY LETHAL INJECTION..A PRISONER DOING TIME ,MY ONLY CRIME A BROKEN MIND..

ALL POETRY PROTECTED BY COPY WRITE BY THOMAS F. ARTESSA..A.K.A. THE BROKEN DOWN CLOWN..2003& BEYOND..