By: Douglas Karson

A blind man once asked a fish
    “How may I learn to swim if I cannot see the water?”
The wise fish replied
    “The air will rise and the sun will set and your eyes will speak not a word.  Upon
      your strength you must rely and the water will cradle you like a baby bird in
      nest.”
The blind many took the fish’s words and jumped in the water and drowned
The fish laughed as he and his family feasted on the body

By: Douglas Karson

Who would today buy some kind of book
    Of poems that are sweet that come from a nook
A corner, a crevice, a cave of my heart
    With my own thoughts, could I bear part?
I guess only time with answer such things
    They say the time, they are changing
A movement so fast toward a place called the new
    We all get in line, that hard dreadful queue
In that damn realm there is no place for rhyme
    There is no beauty in nature or in mind
Just the endless pursuit of whatever comes next
    Who has the hours to site down with text
With internet and jobs and family with friends
    T.V. and movies and I-Pods and trends
Who can keep up with these changes non-stop
    Are we not all cut from the same kind of crop?
So I ask it again but expect answers none
    Who should I continue to write brand new puns?
In truth not for sales that I write down so much
    But for something deep inside that I struggle to touch
A feeling of warmth that comes from the words
    A sensation of lightness up high with the birds
A sense of conquering some legendary feat
    All without leaving my comfortable seat
The benefits I find number quiet many
    Of words strung together to make that sweet poesy
Who cares if the words does want my book?
    I have lightness of soul and a bursting heart nook!
I see beautiful things every single day
    Boundless my faith in thanks I do pray
For not only the chance to vent out my pain
    But also the joy to sing in the rain
Both are emotions that I can write down
    For only my soul, not outward renown
Thanks to my God, whichever I please
    From the Tao to the Son, I try to appease
By saying true thanks whenever I can
    Whether speaking aloud or moving my pen
Or singing a song out for no one to hear
    Or speaking my pens to no human ear
For in the end my poems are not from just me
    They come from beyond, a place unseen
It could easily be said that my heart is the source
    This would not give credit to my charged up brain force
In truth it comes not from heart nor from head
    From all of this life inspiration is sped
Like an assault on the senses I can only submit
    Let it flow through to rhyme I must out and spit
Were there also so few who see life just like me?
    I ask this question and search history
The answer I do get in a resounding big yes
    The amount who true thank is always way less
The mass of people put out effort not
    To daily give thanks for all that they’ve got
This is the source of the greatest of poems
    Those giving thanks are the one’s we’ve all known
Are there still those who will read a book
    They have always existed, I need only look
Perhaps now aint so different from what they all say
    I celebrate then, “HIP HIP HOORAY!”
Celebrate the past when no-one did rush
    No electronics around to act as a crutch
Everything slower because it had to be done
    In human time, we can only run
So fast next to walk, who wouldn’t then just drive
    Easier to check internet than keep facts inside
This ease has come at a terrible price
    Although comfort and ease can often be nice
Its easy to forget the value of work
    Not some cush desk job with some nice travel perks
But true hard work done with the hands to create
    A share in creation we can all share the take
Instant gratification has no benefit
    Value comes more when you work hard for it
The way some person could value some book
    A book of sweet poems from a hearts corner nook
These are those who have true love for art
    Taste cannot be bought at any mini mart
Perhaps some can learn from being around
    Breathtaking sights and beautiful sounds
Some can come from reading and some from paint
    All can find it, from sinner to saint
Cultivating culture is a worth while pursuit
    Loving great art is not a point moot!
In time we will turn back to this light
    That or we die in some silly dumb fight
Till then I’ll write to lighten to load
    I’ll just keep walking on down this life road
I’ll continue to find the pure joy I can
    With guitar brush, baskets, and pen
Perhaps it will save more than I know
    Future shoots gone from fate’s longest bow
Destiny’s a call that some never hear
    Not touching heart, soul or mind with words or with tears
I can not know how my fate lies
    I will continue my path, aimed toward the sky
My poems will carry me on, straight till the morn
    On this word cloud on which I am borne
Vision of truth and a desire to share
    I supposed in the end I do really care
If there are those around who would buy a book
    Composed of sweet poems, from a heart’s corner nook

By: Douglas Karson

Oh where can I go
For a nice glass of vino
To unwind after a long day

The place that I like
Is too crowded tonight
I might have to go home where I stay
But I like to be among
People with fun
Shouting, talking, jovial and gay
And a bit of good wine
Would be near divine
It is for this I crave
My days been horrid at least
Now some wine with my feast!
This my bad day could save

Beer is still good
Hard liquor is would
Get me drunk all the faster
By when it comes to alcohol
Wine it beats all
It is the undisputed Master
But it comes just the same
With bubbles or inflamed
That it acts like a magic caster
We try to do spells
That rarely end well
And make us look like bastards

Oh where can I go
For a nice glass of vino
To unwind after a long day

By: Douglas Karson

What is the secret to find happiness
Is there a shortcut to finding the bliss
Why so much shit through which we my shift
A constant struggle we never must quit

Its seems because
Value for us
Is higher with struggle behind it
If it came to easy
If would depreciate quickly
And people are so fast to forget
With a struggle to prove
They got their scars too
In the end, they say “completely worth it”
They wear them with pride
The struggle survived
Contentment is the best reward to get
It would seem on this path
The trick is to laugh
Even when in some deep shit
One the other side clean
Is no mere pipe dream
We can climb out of out own pit
Worth clawing and fights
For a cause that is right
Relax and sometime enjoy a gimlet
Can’t fight all the time
All must relax and unwind
Or the sanity become a target

What is the secret to finding happiness
Should we all bow, pray, and confess
Is this life here merely a test
For a prize that awaits in the life that is next

The case of the now
Makes us all say wow
With the smallest objects of wonder
A flower in the spring
Or a little diamond ring
All serve as a friendly reminder
There is beauty out there
For all those who choose care
And she’s waiting for us to find her
Or him if you like
True joy for you is what’s right
Not obeying the laws of another
All must realize
Joy and happiness lie
On planes that are asunder
Joy is much more
Than a passing repoire
It touches down to the center
But this doesn’t mean
A moment must seem
Less important the all the future
But beauty exists
In big and smallness
Its spell we can all fall under

What is the secret to finding happiness
Can it be found in a woman’s caress
Or perhaps it may be the wheels of success
Many never find it here. They have to much repressed

While laying in a woman’s sweet arms
You may feel complete and safe from harm
But this rarely does prove to be true
She is for right then
What often happens
In a month you are ready for a woman new
Try to keep faith
With temptation you mayeth
Find that your whole relationship in big skew
But monogamy finds
Some people and binds
What is the secret of those select few?
Is there a code
A successful combo
So I can be faithful too?
Is there a spell
In earth or in hell
To keep your mind and body in sooth
But what of success
It must be the best
Path to have your shit fully proved
On this path you may find
Many land mines
To keep you from following through
What is the secret to finding happiness
This pursuit can be the noblest quest
As long as you don’t forget the rest
Instead lead, be a moral compass

A journey, a mission
Just go forth, don’t ask permission
To sprout the truest of seed
Water them so
You can watch them grow
And provide for so many people in need
A teacher, a doctor
A Lenin like rocket
All live by the same creed
Change the world for the better
Whether with work or with letters
This is the path to the true happiness
Helping out others is not just a jest.