You educate and inspire love
So I'm a graduate of higher love
Like the sweet smell of hay on a fresh-cut summer day
Like the full moon in flight on a perfect summer night
You'll be my moon that's full and sweet aroma
My honeysuckle soul and love diploma
We share a delicate eloquence
A deliberate eminence
We illuminate an essence
An equal interest in co-dependence
Like the challenging of an oncoming halogen town
The fighting words have all been penned down
The message is now for giving
To live and to love, two to's that equal forgiving
The mission is now for caring
To warm like a glove, to chose two people sharing
Like the sweet smell of hay on a fresh-cut summer day
Like the full moon in flight on a perfect summer night
You'll be my moon that's full and sweet aroma
My honeysuckle soul and love diploma
Now I'm a graduate of higher love
Like Noah's transition from raven to dove
You listen to my analytical views
And feel for humanities political news
Together lets remember geography
We won't be just a match, we'll be a candle
A burning ember engraved inside of me
You educate and inspire love
So I'm a graduate of higher love
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/11/08
Friday, December 12, 2008
Unblemished Nature
Steering my feet over rocks on the river
Guided by adrenaline through blackberries and branches
Though these aren't moccasins on my feet
My mind is drifting back in time
Back to a place where mine is yours and yours is mine
Where you didn't get fired if you weren't on time
Where you didn't turn your back on friends in need
And I jump the fallen trees
Ducking overhanging evergreens a hundred years old
Crude sticks and stones turn precious soil
My mind is drifting back in time
Back to a place where mine is yours and yours is mine
Where unblemished hillsides fill my hearts desire
Where currency was salt and seed
Wandering out into the meadow by the pond
From fire red dragonflies to rainbow trout
Colors and scents disguise the millions from death
My mind is drifting back in time
Back to a place where mine is yours and yours is mine
Where nature's justice eliminated crime
Where there wasn't such thing as greed
Let your mind drift back in time
by Royce Waxenfelter
9/18/90
Guided by adrenaline through blackberries and branches
Though these aren't moccasins on my feet
My mind is drifting back in time
Back to a place where mine is yours and yours is mine
Where you didn't get fired if you weren't on time
Where you didn't turn your back on friends in need
And I jump the fallen trees
Ducking overhanging evergreens a hundred years old
Crude sticks and stones turn precious soil
My mind is drifting back in time
Back to a place where mine is yours and yours is mine
Where unblemished hillsides fill my hearts desire
Where currency was salt and seed
Wandering out into the meadow by the pond
From fire red dragonflies to rainbow trout
Colors and scents disguise the millions from death
My mind is drifting back in time
Back to a place where mine is yours and yours is mine
Where nature's justice eliminated crime
Where there wasn't such thing as greed
Let your mind drift back in time
by Royce Waxenfelter
9/18/90
Upside Down
Are you going to turn my upside down
Spit and spite and put me down
Stomp my name into the ground
Are you going to turn my upside down
If you are then I don't want to meet you
If you are then just turn around
If you are then you'll take a piece of
My life and turn it upside down
Are you going to go and ruin my fun
Impale me with your lashing tongue
Catch me in the web you've spun
Are you going to go and ruin my fun
If you are then I don't want to see you
If you are, turn around and run
If you are then pour poison in
My life and ruin my fun
Are you going to subtract my positive outlook
Hang me like the criminal crook
Stir me in your chemical cook
Are you going to subtract my positive outlook
If you are then I don't want to be you
If you are I won't stop to look
If you are then try to see it's
My life and my positive outlook
by Royce Waxenfelter
4/10/90
Spit and spite and put me down
Stomp my name into the ground
Are you going to turn my upside down
If you are then I don't want to meet you
If you are then just turn around
If you are then you'll take a piece of
My life and turn it upside down
Are you going to go and ruin my fun
Impale me with your lashing tongue
Catch me in the web you've spun
Are you going to go and ruin my fun
If you are then I don't want to see you
If you are, turn around and run
If you are then pour poison in
My life and ruin my fun
Are you going to subtract my positive outlook
Hang me like the criminal crook
Stir me in your chemical cook
Are you going to subtract my positive outlook
If you are then I don't want to be you
If you are I won't stop to look
If you are then try to see it's
My life and my positive outlook
by Royce Waxenfelter
4/10/90
Instrumental
I want a cymbal, I want a harmonica, I want a guitar
Go after a groove and chase down the blues
Rock and roll and harmonize
A stream of notes that hypnotize
Listen as the message slowly sinks into your mind
I want a banjo, I want a trombone, I want a keyboard
The atmosphere is sweet with a thriving beat
Rock and roll and harmonize
A stream of notes that hypnotize
Listen as the message slowly sinks into your mind
I want a flute, I want a drum, I want a saxophone
A tune that I can hum while my fingers start to strum
Rock and roll and harmonize
A stream of notes that hypnotize
Listen as the message slowly sinks into your mind
I want a violin, I want a bass, I want a muted trumpet
All the creatures in the ocean couldn't swim through my emotion
Rock and roll and harmonize
A stream of notes that hypnotize
Listen as the message slowly sinks into your mind
by Royce Waxenfelter
10/4/90
Go after a groove and chase down the blues
Rock and roll and harmonize
A stream of notes that hypnotize
Listen as the message slowly sinks into your mind
I want a banjo, I want a trombone, I want a keyboard
The atmosphere is sweet with a thriving beat
Rock and roll and harmonize
A stream of notes that hypnotize
Listen as the message slowly sinks into your mind
I want a flute, I want a drum, I want a saxophone
A tune that I can hum while my fingers start to strum
Rock and roll and harmonize
A stream of notes that hypnotize
Listen as the message slowly sinks into your mind
I want a violin, I want a bass, I want a muted trumpet
All the creatures in the ocean couldn't swim through my emotion
Rock and roll and harmonize
A stream of notes that hypnotize
Listen as the message slowly sinks into your mind
by Royce Waxenfelter
10/4/90
Every Crowd
I am runnin' on fertile ground
Disputes tucked back behind me now
Every detail thing affects my being
I'll be runnin' with every crowd
Hazy bright violet breaks through the rain
And the wind fells mean outside your door
When there's thunder and hail from every cloud
I'll be runnin' with every crowd
See you with your mystic eyes
Sharp gusts whistle through the skies
White spears of light spread up and down
And you'll be runnin' with every crowd
Prints of our feet left in the mud
Deep into fields long since been plowed
Sweet scents from silk left on the ground
And we'll have run with every crowd
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/4/88
Disputes tucked back behind me now
Every detail thing affects my being
I'll be runnin' with every crowd
Hazy bright violet breaks through the rain
And the wind fells mean outside your door
When there's thunder and hail from every cloud
I'll be runnin' with every crowd
See you with your mystic eyes
Sharp gusts whistle through the skies
White spears of light spread up and down
And you'll be runnin' with every crowd
Prints of our feet left in the mud
Deep into fields long since been plowed
Sweet scents from silk left on the ground
And we'll have run with every crowd
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/4/88
He Has Saved My Soul
chorus:
From perils unknown
The Lord has delivered me
From darkness not shown
The Lord will deliver me
With mercies untold
The Lord has delivered me
As problems unfold
The Lord will deliver me
He saved my soul
From the grasp of depression
I am now made whole
By sincere confession
Have saved my soul
Jesus is my savior
So I rely on Him
To guide my behavior
He saved my soul
On the cross by dying
And He conquered sin
On the third day, rising
He saved my soul
From a hell eternal
I'm glad to escape
Satan's dark inferno
He saved my soul
He's the King of Heaven
I know when I die
I'll be in His pressence
He saved my soul
you can learn about it
The Bible is His word
Find out about it
by Royce Waxenfelter
2/24/04
From perils unknown
The Lord has delivered me
From darkness not shown
The Lord will deliver me
With mercies untold
The Lord has delivered me
As problems unfold
The Lord will deliver me
He saved my soul
From the grasp of depression
I am now made whole
By sincere confession
Have saved my soul
Jesus is my savior
So I rely on Him
To guide my behavior
He saved my soul
On the cross by dying
And He conquered sin
On the third day, rising
He saved my soul
From a hell eternal
I'm glad to escape
Satan's dark inferno
He saved my soul
He's the King of Heaven
I know when I die
I'll be in His pressence
He saved my soul
you can learn about it
The Bible is His word
Find out about it
by Royce Waxenfelter
2/24/04
To Build or to Buy
Do it your way
Cavalier
Build your own home
Post and pier
Forgo the crystal
Chandelier
And ratchet up
Another gear
Juggle and jostle
Most unsteady
Contract work is
Never ready
Stressing out, those bills
You're dreading
While your wife picks out
The bedding
The rest of life
Derailed
Hit your finger
Holding nail
Fresh concrete then
Sleet and hail
This whole idea becomes
Your jail
The bank man makes sure you feel
The sting
He made you mortgage
Everything
Next time go with
Pre-existing
Choose a realtor, check out
The listings
Buy a home that's
Already there
Let the wind blow through
Your hair
Then sit back in your
Captain's chair
And wave your hands into
The Air
By Royce Waxenfelter
12/11/08
Cavalier
Build your own home
Post and pier
Forgo the crystal
Chandelier
And ratchet up
Another gear
Juggle and jostle
Most unsteady
Contract work is
Never ready
Stressing out, those bills
You're dreading
While your wife picks out
The bedding
The rest of life
Derailed
Hit your finger
Holding nail
Fresh concrete then
Sleet and hail
This whole idea becomes
Your jail
The bank man makes sure you feel
The sting
He made you mortgage
Everything
Next time go with
Pre-existing
Choose a realtor, check out
The listings
Buy a home that's
Already there
Let the wind blow through
Your hair
Then sit back in your
Captain's chair
And wave your hands into
The Air
By Royce Waxenfelter
12/11/08
Thursday, December 11, 2008
NFL Rap
This is the song of an NFL player
A Redskin or a Seahawk or an L.A. Raider
A safety or linebacker, I am not a slacker
A Minnesota Viking or a Green Bay Packer
Having lots of fun everywhere we go
A Patriot or Dolphin or a Bill from Buffalo
Runnin' up the field, quick as a lightning bolt
A Falcon and an Oiler, a Steeler and a Colt
A Bengal or an Eagle, a Cardinal or Brown
Every time I get the ball I get a first down
A Buccaneer, a Lion, a Dallas Cowboy
When we play in your town we bring you lots of joy
During the off-season I'll be sailing near a reef
a Bronco and a Giant and a Kansas City Chief
The Saints are from New Orleans, the Jets from New York City
If there's not a team in your town, we're sorry - that's a pity
A 49er or a Bear, a Charger or a Ram
That finishes the teams and that finishes this jam!
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/2/87
A Redskin or a Seahawk or an L.A. Raider
A safety or linebacker, I am not a slacker
A Minnesota Viking or a Green Bay Packer
Having lots of fun everywhere we go
A Patriot or Dolphin or a Bill from Buffalo
Runnin' up the field, quick as a lightning bolt
A Falcon and an Oiler, a Steeler and a Colt
A Bengal or an Eagle, a Cardinal or Brown
Every time I get the ball I get a first down
A Buccaneer, a Lion, a Dallas Cowboy
When we play in your town we bring you lots of joy
During the off-season I'll be sailing near a reef
a Bronco and a Giant and a Kansas City Chief
The Saints are from New Orleans, the Jets from New York City
If there's not a team in your town, we're sorry - that's a pity
A 49er or a Bear, a Charger or a Ram
That finishes the teams and that finishes this jam!
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/2/87
Valentines Day 2008
When I’m with you I feel so real
Comfortable, natural
When I’m with you I feel unreal
Spiritual, supernatural
Sometimes I want to freeze the moment
To capture it and stay there forever with you
Other times I want to push ahead
Because the connection keeps growing stronger – getting better
When I’m with you I feel at peace
Relaxed, sedated
When I’m with you I feel energy
Wide-eyed, elated
Sometimes I want to steal you away
To a place where it’s just you and I
Sometimes I want the world to see
Your brilliance and the way you shine
When I’m with you I feel emotion
Joy, happiness
When I’m with you I get the notion
We’re unique, divinely blessed
Sometimes I want to present the world to you
In all its beauty as a gift
Sometimes I want the world to end
So we can spend eternity together in bliss
by Royce Waxenfelter
2/14/08
Comfortable, natural
When I’m with you I feel unreal
Spiritual, supernatural
Sometimes I want to freeze the moment
To capture it and stay there forever with you
Other times I want to push ahead
Because the connection keeps growing stronger – getting better
When I’m with you I feel at peace
Relaxed, sedated
When I’m with you I feel energy
Wide-eyed, elated
Sometimes I want to steal you away
To a place where it’s just you and I
Sometimes I want the world to see
Your brilliance and the way you shine
When I’m with you I feel emotion
Joy, happiness
When I’m with you I get the notion
We’re unique, divinely blessed
Sometimes I want to present the world to you
In all its beauty as a gift
Sometimes I want the world to end
So we can spend eternity together in bliss
by Royce Waxenfelter
2/14/08
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Restored At Last
Have you lost sight of God?
Lost footing in faith?
Talk to God
Lost footing in faith?
Talk to God
Have you lost track of life?
Lost the value of love?
Return to God
Have you felt unworthy?
Lost beauty and joy?
Seek God
Have you lost hope in Heaven?
Lost sense of direction?
Find God
Have you lost your energy?
Lost motivation and meaning?
Receive God
Have you found failure in your choices?
Lost control, been hurt?
Be healed by God
Have you hardened your heart?
Lost your smile?
Be revived by God
Have you been uprooted?
Lost security and depth?
Listen to God
Have you wasted your time?
Lost mercy and grace?
Grow in God
Have you lost discernment?
Lost right from wrong?
Know God
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/9/08
(lessons from Hosea 14)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Nomadic Mind
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To predict the predicament
To interrogate the kind
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To resurrect the resurgence
To retaliate the recurrence
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To signal the significance
To comprehend my find
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To forecast the finite
To neutralize the night
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To oblige my occurrence
Transparent the blind
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To persuade and prefer
To government the grind
by Royce Waxenfelter
10/27/90
Me and my nomadic mind
To predict the predicament
To interrogate the kind
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To resurrect the resurgence
To retaliate the recurrence
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To signal the significance
To comprehend my find
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To forecast the finite
To neutralize the night
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To oblige my occurrence
Transparent the blind
This time we're in a bind
Me and my nomadic mind
To persuade and prefer
To government the grind
by Royce Waxenfelter
10/27/90
Freight Trains
Anxiously waiting
Time to go home
Train derailing
Specific detailing
You pick up the phone
Freight trains in my mind
I've got a two track mind
Fearfully hating
Thoughts are on loan
Post-dated mailing
A vision of failing
You can't go back home
Freight trains in my mind
I've got a two track mind
Carefully shaving
A number unknown
Weeping and wailing
Buckets I'm bailing
Of years that I've grown
Freight trains in my mind
I've got a two track mind
Consciously braving
Harmonic tone
Staring and saving
Memories sailing
Of when I'll be home
by Royce Waxenfelter
3/7/90
Time to go home
Train derailing
Specific detailing
You pick up the phone
Freight trains in my mind
I've got a two track mind
Fearfully hating
Thoughts are on loan
Post-dated mailing
A vision of failing
You can't go back home
Freight trains in my mind
I've got a two track mind
Carefully shaving
A number unknown
Weeping and wailing
Buckets I'm bailing
Of years that I've grown
Freight trains in my mind
I've got a two track mind
Consciously braving
Harmonic tone
Staring and saving
Memories sailing
Of when I'll be home
by Royce Waxenfelter
3/7/90
Difficult Times
Blinding
Grinding
Never minding
Sending
Bending
Never ending
Where am I headed
Wear my shoes
Difficult times
The needle threaded
Hear the news
Difficult times
Biting
Fighting
Such short sighting
Pacing
Casing
Short embracing
A broken promise
Broken pact
Difficult times
A doubting Thomas
Honesty cracked
Difficult times
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/30/89
Grinding
Never minding
Sending
Bending
Never ending
Where am I headed
Wear my shoes
Difficult times
The needle threaded
Hear the news
Difficult times
Biting
Fighting
Such short sighting
Pacing
Casing
Short embracing
A broken promise
Broken pact
Difficult times
A doubting Thomas
Honesty cracked
Difficult times
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/30/89
Time Cards
It happened during the war
In the factories, in the cities
When women and men clocked in
And used these time cards
And ever since then
When we all clock in
We work and we wonder when
Our shift is gonna end
So you happen to be poor
Out of savings, into debt
If not you wouldn't clock in
And use these time cards
Sitting in distress
Schedule is a mess
Your work enhances stress
Like a twig in a nest
Still we labor at our chore
In the dawning of the day
We're the reason we clock in
And use these time cards
Outlook isn't bright
When our money's tight
Prices are out of sight
Every time your wallet's light
So we're slaving to restore
The wallet size, the economy
We're living at the Clock Inn
Using these time cards
We all pay the price
In conditions not so nice
I'm here to tell you twice
We're laboratory mice
We're laboratory mice...with time cards
by Royce Waxenfelter
4/5/90
In the factories, in the cities
When women and men clocked in
And used these time cards
And ever since then
When we all clock in
We work and we wonder when
Our shift is gonna end
So you happen to be poor
Out of savings, into debt
If not you wouldn't clock in
And use these time cards
Sitting in distress
Schedule is a mess
Your work enhances stress
Like a twig in a nest
Still we labor at our chore
In the dawning of the day
We're the reason we clock in
And use these time cards
Outlook isn't bright
When our money's tight
Prices are out of sight
Every time your wallet's light
So we're slaving to restore
The wallet size, the economy
We're living at the Clock Inn
Using these time cards
We all pay the price
In conditions not so nice
I'm here to tell you twice
We're laboratory mice
We're laboratory mice...with time cards
by Royce Waxenfelter
4/5/90
Wisdom Shows
Decisive walk
Heroic mock
Displayed for sympathy
getting the most for me
And I'll talk about some history
Gathering rocks
Killing flocks
For the sake of masculinity
Searching for the enemy
And their true identity
Sudden starts
Thumping hearts
Traveling down this highway
Through a state of disarray
And looking for a place to stay
Quiet wounds
Haunting moons
Problems testing temperaments
Using caution giving sentiments
And caution taking compliments
And you grow as you've learned
Experience is what you've earned
Wisdom shows in situations
Wisdom grows through complications
by Royce Waxenfelter
6/4/89
Heroic mock
Displayed for sympathy
getting the most for me
And I'll talk about some history
Gathering rocks
Killing flocks
For the sake of masculinity
Searching for the enemy
And their true identity
Sudden starts
Thumping hearts
Traveling down this highway
Through a state of disarray
And looking for a place to stay
Quiet wounds
Haunting moons
Problems testing temperaments
Using caution giving sentiments
And caution taking compliments
And you grow as you've learned
Experience is what you've earned
Wisdom shows in situations
Wisdom grows through complications
by Royce Waxenfelter
6/4/89
Theif Called Time
I see through optomology
Shallow as a wading pool
Life is one big anthology
And you are but a tool
Antagonize, criminalize
Crash, boom, bam
A wolf who's full of lies
Disguised as lamb
Treasure your senses
Take what you can get
Past and present tenses
Flinching to regret
There's a thief called time
Seconds are you cash
He's a filthy, grubby slime
A season in the trash
The hands spin 'round
What have you done?
The river has run
The sun goes down
What have you done?
Is the battle won?
Minutes start to disappear
The wind has swept it elsewhere
Flying like a streamline spear
The time thief has you in despair
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/7/89
Shallow as a wading pool
Life is one big anthology
And you are but a tool
Antagonize, criminalize
Crash, boom, bam
A wolf who's full of lies
Disguised as lamb
Treasure your senses
Take what you can get
Past and present tenses
Flinching to regret
There's a thief called time
Seconds are you cash
He's a filthy, grubby slime
A season in the trash
The hands spin 'round
What have you done?
The river has run
The sun goes down
What have you done?
Is the battle won?
Minutes start to disappear
The wind has swept it elsewhere
Flying like a streamline spear
The time thief has you in despair
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/7/89
Liberty
Taste the pleasure, taste the pain
Feel the heat is rising
But it comes before the rain
Brave the weather, face the rain
Feel the blade is slicing
A tourniquet from further gain
Seize the treasure, grace the gain
Gold becomes enticing
But gold becomes too plain
Climb the mountain, race the plain
And then soon we're gliding
Through amber waves of grain
Work the factories, split the grain
A free country who's guiding
Through the pleasure and the pain
Taste the pleasure, taste the pain
Feel the heat is rising
But it comes before the rain
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/13/89
Feel the heat is rising
But it comes before the rain
Brave the weather, face the rain
Feel the blade is slicing
A tourniquet from further gain
Seize the treasure, grace the gain
Gold becomes enticing
But gold becomes too plain
Climb the mountain, race the plain
And then soon we're gliding
Through amber waves of grain
Work the factories, split the grain
A free country who's guiding
Through the pleasure and the pain
Taste the pleasure, taste the pain
Feel the heat is rising
But it comes before the rain
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/13/89
Hard Luck Story
Work long hours at the grocery store
Don't get to relax
Do my best and they want more
And they take it out in tax
It's my very own hard luck story
One just like the rest
Everyone's got a hard luck story
To get off of their chest
The brand new shirt I bought just tore
Now I'll have to sew it
I can't save so I get poor
Wish I didn't have to show it
It's my very own hard luck story
One just like the rest
Everyone's got a hard luck story
To get off of their chest
My head's stuffed with a permanent cold
Take antihistamine
My hard luck story must be told
To keep my conscience clean
It's my very own hard luck story
One just like the rest
Everyone's got a hard luck story
To get off of their chest
The way I tell my hard luck story
I'm fit to be tied
All guts and brains, no glory
Are you satisfied?
It's my very own hard luck story
One just like the rest
Everyone's got a hard luck story
To get off of their chest
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/23/89 (Thanksgiving)
Don't get to relax
Do my best and they want more
And they take it out in tax
It's my very own hard luck story
One just like the rest
Everyone's got a hard luck story
To get off of their chest
The brand new shirt I bought just tore
Now I'll have to sew it
I can't save so I get poor
Wish I didn't have to show it
It's my very own hard luck story
One just like the rest
Everyone's got a hard luck story
To get off of their chest
My head's stuffed with a permanent cold
Take antihistamine
My hard luck story must be told
To keep my conscience clean
It's my very own hard luck story
One just like the rest
Everyone's got a hard luck story
To get off of their chest
The way I tell my hard luck story
I'm fit to be tied
All guts and brains, no glory
Are you satisfied?
It's my very own hard luck story
One just like the rest
Everyone's got a hard luck story
To get off of their chest
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/23/89 (Thanksgiving)
Chilling Blue
Drawn to you through chilling blue
That crystal shine that's only you
With unnamed color you've caught my eye
In dark and dim you glow so true
Like Gabriel's wings or Samson's hair
You've got eyes that make me stare
Shouting love and mystery
Like precious gems your eyes so rare
Far away I walk the night
Searching life with all my might
In coming home I find you there
Your saviour eyes turn dark to light
Swept from all thought by a moments glance
Miles and miles your eyes enhance
A mountain's peak or shooting star
I dare believe I've got a chance
by Royce Waxenfelter
1/20/89
That crystal shine that's only you
With unnamed color you've caught my eye
In dark and dim you glow so true
Like Gabriel's wings or Samson's hair
You've got eyes that make me stare
Shouting love and mystery
Like precious gems your eyes so rare
Far away I walk the night
Searching life with all my might
In coming home I find you there
Your saviour eyes turn dark to light
Swept from all thought by a moments glance
Miles and miles your eyes enhance
A mountain's peak or shooting star
I dare believe I've got a chance
by Royce Waxenfelter
1/20/89
Campaigning For Clouds
Suddenly the country was blinded by the scenery
And the mountains were the heads of state
And congress were the shores
The sun casts his votes to change the season
The rivers are the Parliament
Yea, the country is beautiful
When the trees are green social security
A country who dreams the stars
Whose colors are the scenery
Campaigning for clouds
We will outnumber the winter's thunder
Automatically remember Autumn's September
And raining praises sing landscape's graces
We will campaign for clouds
Campaigning for clouds
With the leaves on the trees on the board of trustees
Forest animal's pleasure the national treasurer
God given sense the world's defense
We will campaign for clouds
by Royce Waxenfelter
10/22/90
And the mountains were the heads of state
And congress were the shores
The sun casts his votes to change the season
The rivers are the Parliament
Yea, the country is beautiful
When the trees are green social security
A country who dreams the stars
Whose colors are the scenery
Campaigning for clouds
We will outnumber the winter's thunder
Automatically remember Autumn's September
And raining praises sing landscape's graces
We will campaign for clouds
Campaigning for clouds
With the leaves on the trees on the board of trustees
Forest animal's pleasure the national treasurer
God given sense the world's defense
We will campaign for clouds
by Royce Waxenfelter
10/22/90
Coming To Grips On Vacation
Away Away
Here I go into the air
Spectacular
Today Today
Receding goes my hair
Eradicated
Goodbye Goodbye
I hope to see you shortly
Deprivation
Oh My Oh My
Suddenly I'm portly
Voraciousness
Above Above
Flippant about the sky
Bouyancy
My Love My Love
With my feelings I comply
Entrusting
by Royce Waxenfelter
10/7/01
Here I go into the air
Spectacular
Today Today
Receding goes my hair
Eradicated
Goodbye Goodbye
I hope to see you shortly
Deprivation
Oh My Oh My
Suddenly I'm portly
Voraciousness
Above Above
Flippant about the sky
Bouyancy
My Love My Love
With my feelings I comply
Entrusting
by Royce Waxenfelter
10/7/01
Your Own Assumption
Everyone takes the ice of mine
Everyone reads 'Of Mice and Men'
Everyone stands
Anyone here got the time
Anyone here can read that line
Anyone laughs
Especially when the leaves are green
Especially with a healthy spleen
Especially now
Privately put the money back
Privately pat your own back
Privately sell
Probably like to weep and wail
Probably assumed I'd tell a tale
Probably not
by Royce Waxenfelter
8/11/92
Everyone reads 'Of Mice and Men'
Everyone stands
Anyone here got the time
Anyone here can read that line
Anyone laughs
Especially when the leaves are green
Especially with a healthy spleen
Especially now
Privately put the money back
Privately pat your own back
Privately sell
Probably like to weep and wail
Probably assumed I'd tell a tale
Probably not
by Royce Waxenfelter
8/11/92
Valentine’s Day – A New Connotation
As I contemplate Valentine’s Day from one year to the next
I’m so awed by the changes you could say I’m perplexed
It feels like my life took the stage – what a play!
With contrasting scene changes – night into day
From a bachelor foraging cupboards so lean
To a wife who loves cooking me tasty cuisine
From a big empty bed where I felt so forlorn
To your exquisite visage and body so warm
From a critical pessimist, broken and burned
To a joyous testament that that love’s not just a word
From a lonely man wondering why others would leave me
To a satisfied husband who knows you believe me
When I hold you and express my love, face to face
I’m so relieved… that was not always the case
My confidence was so shaky it made Cupid miss
But now I don’t go one night without a hug and a kiss
When before I was stunted and misunderstood
Now my love communicates ever so good
I was stagnant, not growing, in doubt-ridden mire
But you’ve given me reason to strive higher and higher
From years wasted wishing for someone to care for
To a love-life we both have – finally! – and therefore
For once I’ll enjoy Valentine’s with a smile on my face
You’ve given me meaning, hope, laughter, and grace
While last year I did not even know you were there
This year you are this Valentine’s answer to prayer!
To my loving wife on our first Valentine’s Day together,
With true love, always and forever,
Your devoted husband, Royce
2/14/07
I’m so awed by the changes you could say I’m perplexed
It feels like my life took the stage – what a play!
With contrasting scene changes – night into day
From a bachelor foraging cupboards so lean
To a wife who loves cooking me tasty cuisine
From a big empty bed where I felt so forlorn
To your exquisite visage and body so warm
From a critical pessimist, broken and burned
To a joyous testament that that love’s not just a word
From a lonely man wondering why others would leave me
To a satisfied husband who knows you believe me
When I hold you and express my love, face to face
I’m so relieved… that was not always the case
My confidence was so shaky it made Cupid miss
But now I don’t go one night without a hug and a kiss
When before I was stunted and misunderstood
Now my love communicates ever so good
I was stagnant, not growing, in doubt-ridden mire
But you’ve given me reason to strive higher and higher
From years wasted wishing for someone to care for
To a love-life we both have – finally! – and therefore
For once I’ll enjoy Valentine’s with a smile on my face
You’ve given me meaning, hope, laughter, and grace
While last year I did not even know you were there
This year you are this Valentine’s answer to prayer!
To my loving wife on our first Valentine’s Day together,
With true love, always and forever,
Your devoted husband, Royce
2/14/07
Wedding Planning Blues
I’ve got worries, worries on my mind
I’ve got worries that ain’t even mine
See my Baby’s getting married soon
& she’s stressed in every way, shape, & kind
I’ve got options, options for to choose
I’ve got options - that ain’t always good news
See my Baby’s walking the aisle soon
& she’s got so many choices she’s got the blues
We’ve got money, money goin’ away
We’ve got money gone ‘bout every day
See my Baby’s wedding day is soon
& she’s got stuff to buy without further delay
I’ve got loving, loving in my plans
I’ve got loving thoughts - every way we can
See my baby’s gonna wed me soon
but she has no time for love - there’s way too much to plan
I’ve got smiling, smiling on and on
I’ve got smiling ‘cause the stress will soon be gone
See my Baby’s gonna say “I do”
& she’ll be worry free from then on
I’ve got wedding, wedding day oh happy tune
I’ve got wedding and it couldn’t come too soon
See my Baby won’t have wedding planning blues
When we’re on our honeymoon!!
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/2/06
I’ve got worries that ain’t even mine
See my Baby’s getting married soon
& she’s stressed in every way, shape, & kind
I’ve got options, options for to choose
I’ve got options - that ain’t always good news
See my Baby’s walking the aisle soon
& she’s got so many choices she’s got the blues
We’ve got money, money goin’ away
We’ve got money gone ‘bout every day
See my Baby’s wedding day is soon
& she’s got stuff to buy without further delay
I’ve got loving, loving in my plans
I’ve got loving thoughts - every way we can
See my baby’s gonna wed me soon
but she has no time for love - there’s way too much to plan
I’ve got smiling, smiling on and on
I’ve got smiling ‘cause the stress will soon be gone
See my Baby’s gonna say “I do”
& she’ll be worry free from then on
I’ve got wedding, wedding day oh happy tune
I’ve got wedding and it couldn’t come too soon
See my Baby won’t have wedding planning blues
When we’re on our honeymoon!!
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/2/06
All the Days
When the snow falls silent on Christmas day
And the flakes float ‘round us like summer hay
We will sing of Jesus who came this day
A gift from Heaven above
Oh Lord I thank you
I really thank you
I just thank you all the days of my life
When we feel unworthy and lead astray
Ashamed of the thoughts in our head today
We will think of the grace that continues to save
Sent from a God of love
Oh Lord I thank you
I really thank you
I just thank you all the days of my life
When we feel bitter and in dismay
With the worlds dishonest unbalanced scales
We remember righteousness will come our way
Thanks to a God who’s just
Oh Lord I thank you
I really thank you
I just thank you all the days of my life
As the bombs drop over the globe today
We cry for the people hurt in every way
Then we will dream of the peace we’ll have one day
When we get to Heaven above
Oh Lord I thank you
I really thank you
I just thank you all the days of my life
by Royce Waxenfelter
8/18/08
(the chorus is from a song we sing at church, but it goes perfectly with this song)
And the flakes float ‘round us like summer hay
We will sing of Jesus who came this day
A gift from Heaven above
Oh Lord I thank you
I really thank you
I just thank you all the days of my life
When we feel unworthy and lead astray
Ashamed of the thoughts in our head today
We will think of the grace that continues to save
Sent from a God of love
Oh Lord I thank you
I really thank you
I just thank you all the days of my life
When we feel bitter and in dismay
With the worlds dishonest unbalanced scales
We remember righteousness will come our way
Thanks to a God who’s just
Oh Lord I thank you
I really thank you
I just thank you all the days of my life
As the bombs drop over the globe today
We cry for the people hurt in every way
Then we will dream of the peace we’ll have one day
When we get to Heaven above
Oh Lord I thank you
I really thank you
I just thank you all the days of my life
by Royce Waxenfelter
8/18/08
(the chorus is from a song we sing at church, but it goes perfectly with this song)
Childhood Memories
Where to start? Arkansas… the prevalent memories are always of Arkansas. It seems as though my senses were awakened in Arkansas.
The ice on the ponds
The smell of fresh cut cedar
The sweet taste of honeysuckle flowers straight off the vine
Neighbors, acres away, yet closer than any neighbor today
Old Mr. Norris spent most days fishing and would often bring us freshly caught catfish
While waiting for the school bus on her porch, Old Mrs. Norris would cook us a few eggs, pulled that morning from the hen house. Sometimes she’d pull out her teeth and put in a chew of tobacco
Glenn and Oma Bon, our other neighbors, would make us home-made loganberry juice and gave us zucchini from their garden as well as lima beans and black-eyed peas they had picked and canned
Sweet peas, right out of the garden, an indescribable treat
Watching old men whittle on their front porch
Getting baptized at the same church where my dad led the choir
Dad making us tuck our shirts in before church
Watching through the sliding glass door as our dog Paco barked at a possum, and witnessing the possum ‘play possum’
Books: Are You My Mother?, Inside Outside Upside Down (Bernstein Bears), Sammy the Seal, Dick and Jane books, Golden Seal books, Little Bear Goes to the Moon, Green Eggs and Ham, Curious George books, Caps For Sale, Frog and Toad Are Friends, Hop on Pop, Homer Price, and Andy the Cowboy
Home-made peach ice cream
Grandpa Jim Boyce on the brush hog
Getting my lined denim jacket caught on the barbed-wire while running to catch the bus
Our grade school principal named Mr. Pickle in a town known for its pickles
Baseball with cow pie bases
Cow-pie fights
Tornadoes and storm cellars
Eating at Whatta-Burger
Dirt roads
Catching tadpoles and watching as they grew into frogs
Celebrating the Bi-centennial and making revolutionary war style paper hats
Winning a Bi-centennial quarter for placing third in the spelling bee
Feeding the chickens in the sheet metal barns
Digging up pieces of old wagon wheels and old nails and calling them our ‘preciouses’
Catching fireflies at Rayburn Bowden’s place
4th of July and persimmon pie at JC Meisenheimer’s
Watching the vet reach his full arm into a mommy cow and pull out a very wet, very alive calf
Stepping over a stick that slithered away mid-step, turns out it was a water-moccasin, not a stick
Chiggers
Swimming in the creek
Visiting our cousins Matt and Jeanie, they also lived on Crow Mountain
Playing with Fischer Price ‘Little People’, Silly Putty, Weebles, Lincoln Logs, Tiddly Winks, Light Brights, Shrinky Dinks, and Slinkys
My older brother Grady’s friend Joel taught him how to make the ‘A-OOOO-GA’ sound of an old car horn, so Grady was sure to pass that gift on to me and my younger brother Aaron
My Six Million Dollar Man full size action figure with a magnified eye hole you could look through
Hee-Haw on channel 7 and huge belly laughs from my dad. (I searched the world over and thought I found true love, you met another and THPHHTH you were gone!)
Holding the bucket while mom milked our cow Daisy
My older brother Grady wildly and randomly strumming on his guitar and singing “You look like a frog….. you smell like a frog… you taste like a frog… YOU ARE A FROG!!!!”
‘Popping’ big grey bloated ticks with a hammer on the sidewalk
Cap guns
Playing cowboys and Indians
Playing cops and robbers
Playing with GI Joes and army men
Listening to our 45 rpm records… GI Joe, Johnny Appleseed, one about a tug boat, Poison Ivy, The Streak, 16 Tons, Love and Marriage
Hours and hours of Hotwheels and Matchbox cars
Our horse Cinnamon bucking mom off into the barbed wire fence
Being in my first car crash; while mom was driving down the steep s-curve Crow Mountain road
Grady playing little league for the ‘Runts'
Cracking my head open on the corner of the bleachers during a ‘Runts’ game
Mom holding my head together all night that night while the cut mended
My brothers and I getting Rams and Cowboys helmets for Christmas
Pretending the swing set was a motorcycle and a car
Tonka trucks
Making snow angels in the snow
Hang-ten underwear
Toughskin jeans
Fat Man’s Miserable (an outlook at the edge of the bluff with a narrow entryway)
Helping dad take off his boots and his socks that according to him “smelled like peaches”
Grady being chased by a mean Brahma bull
Box style haircuts
My public school teacher leading prayer in class
Buying football and baseball cards at Wal-Mart and playing games with them in the hall on the green carpet
Game-crunched football cards of Otis Sistrunk, Franco Harris, Jack Youngblood, Ray Guy, Boobie Clark, Jack Lambert, Larry Little, Bob Griese, Fran Tarkenton, Lawrence McCutcheon, ‘Hollywood’ Henderson, ‘Too Tall’ Jones, Lynn Swan, Walter Payton, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Carl Eller, Tony Dorsett, Roger Staubach, ‘Mean’ Joe Green, Fred Biletnikoff, Terry Bradshaw, Dan Pastorini, Billy ‘White Shoes’ Johnson, Jack Ham, Alan Page, Mel Blount, Chuck Foreman, Ken ‘the Snake’ Stabler, Cliff Branch, George Blanda, Terry Metcalf, Len Dawson, Garo Yepremian, and Archie Manning
Well worn baseball cards of Steve Carlton, Ralph Garr, Rod Carew, Johnny Bench, ‘Catfish’ Hunter, Carlton Fisk, Willie Randolph, ‘Goose’ Gossage, George Foster, Davey Lopes, Rollie Fingers, Willie Stargell, Bill Buckner, Fred Lynn, Joe Morgan, Robin Yount, Ernie Banks, Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose, Steve Garvey, and best of all, Oscar Gamble (we called him ‘Big Ears’ because his afro sticking out from under his baseball hat made him look like he had big ears)
Cutting down trees in the snow for fire wood
Watching copperheads dodge bullets as if they were in slow-motion
Herding the cows through the shoot and up the ramp into the pick-up
The smell of the auction and the lightning quick voice of the auctioneer
Having tons of fun whenever Uncle Jimmy babysat us
Dad bringing home jelly donuts from the Morton factory he worked at
Cheering for the Razorbacks
Playing ‘Go Fish’
Calling Gramps and Grandma Bon on Christmas to thank them for the presents they had sent
‘Wrastle time’ in the living room with dad and hearing mom say “Ohhhh... be careful!!!”
Running to tell dad it was dinner time and catching my neck and eye-brow on the barbed wire strand he had put up to keep the cows out of the hay barn he was building
A high school football player named Donnie Bo-Bo who played for the Atkins Red Devils was the local talent, I remember my brothers and I pretending to be him in our backyard tackle football games
Being called ‘Little Wax’ by all of my big brother’s friends
All of these are sensations and memories, they may not even be accurate, but that’s how I remember them, and hope never to forget. It seems as though my senses were awakened in Arkansas.
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/16/03
The ice on the ponds
The smell of fresh cut cedar
The sweet taste of honeysuckle flowers straight off the vine
Neighbors, acres away, yet closer than any neighbor today
Old Mr. Norris spent most days fishing and would often bring us freshly caught catfish
While waiting for the school bus on her porch, Old Mrs. Norris would cook us a few eggs, pulled that morning from the hen house. Sometimes she’d pull out her teeth and put in a chew of tobacco
Glenn and Oma Bon, our other neighbors, would make us home-made loganberry juice and gave us zucchini from their garden as well as lima beans and black-eyed peas they had picked and canned
Sweet peas, right out of the garden, an indescribable treat
Watching old men whittle on their front porch
Getting baptized at the same church where my dad led the choir
Dad making us tuck our shirts in before church
Watching through the sliding glass door as our dog Paco barked at a possum, and witnessing the possum ‘play possum’
Books: Are You My Mother?, Inside Outside Upside Down (Bernstein Bears), Sammy the Seal, Dick and Jane books, Golden Seal books, Little Bear Goes to the Moon, Green Eggs and Ham, Curious George books, Caps For Sale, Frog and Toad Are Friends, Hop on Pop, Homer Price, and Andy the Cowboy
Home-made peach ice cream
Grandpa Jim Boyce on the brush hog
Getting my lined denim jacket caught on the barbed-wire while running to catch the bus
Our grade school principal named Mr. Pickle in a town known for its pickles
Baseball with cow pie bases
Cow-pie fights
Tornadoes and storm cellars
Eating at Whatta-Burger
Dirt roads
Catching tadpoles and watching as they grew into frogs
Celebrating the Bi-centennial and making revolutionary war style paper hats
Winning a Bi-centennial quarter for placing third in the spelling bee
Feeding the chickens in the sheet metal barns
Digging up pieces of old wagon wheels and old nails and calling them our ‘preciouses’
Catching fireflies at Rayburn Bowden’s place
4th of July and persimmon pie at JC Meisenheimer’s
Watching the vet reach his full arm into a mommy cow and pull out a very wet, very alive calf
Stepping over a stick that slithered away mid-step, turns out it was a water-moccasin, not a stick
Chiggers
Swimming in the creek
Visiting our cousins Matt and Jeanie, they also lived on Crow Mountain
Playing with Fischer Price ‘Little People’, Silly Putty, Weebles, Lincoln Logs, Tiddly Winks, Light Brights, Shrinky Dinks, and Slinkys
My older brother Grady’s friend Joel taught him how to make the ‘A-OOOO-GA’ sound of an old car horn, so Grady was sure to pass that gift on to me and my younger brother Aaron
My Six Million Dollar Man full size action figure with a magnified eye hole you could look through
Hee-Haw on channel 7 and huge belly laughs from my dad. (I searched the world over and thought I found true love, you met another and THPHHTH you were gone!)
Holding the bucket while mom milked our cow Daisy
My older brother Grady wildly and randomly strumming on his guitar and singing “You look like a frog….. you smell like a frog… you taste like a frog… YOU ARE A FROG!!!!”
‘Popping’ big grey bloated ticks with a hammer on the sidewalk
Cap guns
Playing cowboys and Indians
Playing cops and robbers
Playing with GI Joes and army men
Listening to our 45 rpm records… GI Joe, Johnny Appleseed, one about a tug boat, Poison Ivy, The Streak, 16 Tons, Love and Marriage
Hours and hours of Hotwheels and Matchbox cars
Our horse Cinnamon bucking mom off into the barbed wire fence
Being in my first car crash; while mom was driving down the steep s-curve Crow Mountain road
Grady playing little league for the ‘Runts'
Cracking my head open on the corner of the bleachers during a ‘Runts’ game
Mom holding my head together all night that night while the cut mended
My brothers and I getting Rams and Cowboys helmets for Christmas
Pretending the swing set was a motorcycle and a car
Tonka trucks
Making snow angels in the snow
Hang-ten underwear
Toughskin jeans
Fat Man’s Miserable (an outlook at the edge of the bluff with a narrow entryway)
Helping dad take off his boots and his socks that according to him “smelled like peaches”
Grady being chased by a mean Brahma bull
Box style haircuts
My public school teacher leading prayer in class
Buying football and baseball cards at Wal-Mart and playing games with them in the hall on the green carpet
Game-crunched football cards of Otis Sistrunk, Franco Harris, Jack Youngblood, Ray Guy, Boobie Clark, Jack Lambert, Larry Little, Bob Griese, Fran Tarkenton, Lawrence McCutcheon, ‘Hollywood’ Henderson, ‘Too Tall’ Jones, Lynn Swan, Walter Payton, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Carl Eller, Tony Dorsett, Roger Staubach, ‘Mean’ Joe Green, Fred Biletnikoff, Terry Bradshaw, Dan Pastorini, Billy ‘White Shoes’ Johnson, Jack Ham, Alan Page, Mel Blount, Chuck Foreman, Ken ‘the Snake’ Stabler, Cliff Branch, George Blanda, Terry Metcalf, Len Dawson, Garo Yepremian, and Archie Manning
Well worn baseball cards of Steve Carlton, Ralph Garr, Rod Carew, Johnny Bench, ‘Catfish’ Hunter, Carlton Fisk, Willie Randolph, ‘Goose’ Gossage, George Foster, Davey Lopes, Rollie Fingers, Willie Stargell, Bill Buckner, Fred Lynn, Joe Morgan, Robin Yount, Ernie Banks, Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose, Steve Garvey, and best of all, Oscar Gamble (we called him ‘Big Ears’ because his afro sticking out from under his baseball hat made him look like he had big ears)
Cutting down trees in the snow for fire wood
Watching copperheads dodge bullets as if they were in slow-motion
Herding the cows through the shoot and up the ramp into the pick-up
The smell of the auction and the lightning quick voice of the auctioneer
Having tons of fun whenever Uncle Jimmy babysat us
Dad bringing home jelly donuts from the Morton factory he worked at
Cheering for the Razorbacks
Playing ‘Go Fish’
Calling Gramps and Grandma Bon on Christmas to thank them for the presents they had sent
‘Wrastle time’ in the living room with dad and hearing mom say “Ohhhh... be careful!!!”
Running to tell dad it was dinner time and catching my neck and eye-brow on the barbed wire strand he had put up to keep the cows out of the hay barn he was building
A high school football player named Donnie Bo-Bo who played for the Atkins Red Devils was the local talent, I remember my brothers and I pretending to be him in our backyard tackle football games
Being called ‘Little Wax’ by all of my big brother’s friends
All of these are sensations and memories, they may not even be accurate, but that’s how I remember them, and hope never to forget. It seems as though my senses were awakened in Arkansas.
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/16/03
Blown and Tossed
I asked God for wisdom at a pretty early age
Gracefully He granted it but I did not engage
I followed my wants and I followed my friends
I got blown and tossed around by cold uncaring winds
Drowning in sin and sorrow, I came to desperation
My only hope was try to go and seek God’s navigation
He lifted me up and He bailed me out
He saved my life from being blown and tossed about
Through His Word I finally made the connection
Life is not meant to live without God’s direction
If you ever find your life adrift without a sail or rudder
And all your thoughts are hopeless and your life is in the gutter
You shouldn’t sit around and wallow in your doubt
The King of Kings can rescue you, He’ll come and bail you out
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/6/03
(from James 1:6)
Gracefully He granted it but I did not engage
I followed my wants and I followed my friends
I got blown and tossed around by cold uncaring winds
Drowning in sin and sorrow, I came to desperation
My only hope was try to go and seek God’s navigation
He lifted me up and He bailed me out
He saved my life from being blown and tossed about
Through His Word I finally made the connection
Life is not meant to live without God’s direction
If you ever find your life adrift without a sail or rudder
And all your thoughts are hopeless and your life is in the gutter
You shouldn’t sit around and wallow in your doubt
The King of Kings can rescue you, He’ll come and bail you out
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/6/03
(from James 1:6)
My Parents
Taught me to be nice
Taught me to look at the big picture
Told me they were proud of me when I tried to do my best
Taught me how to forgive
Taught me to read
Laid down rules and expected me to go by them
Taught me that nothing was impossible for Jesus
Always let me sing and whistle
Taught me to be well rounded
Brought me along when they traveled
Taught me the difference between intelligence and wisdom
Taught me to say I am sorry to the people I had wronged
Taught me that being poor didn’t mean you couldn’t have fun
Taught me to smile and laugh
Prayed for me every day
Taught me that life on Earth is short – put my hope in heaven
Gave me lots of hugs and kisses
Taught me to love, care for, and give to those in need
Told me not to be negative, always look on the bright side
Taught me that Jesus loves me
Taught me to respect my elders
Loved each other, even when times were tough
Taught me to use good hygiene
Taught me to love the outdoors
Told me I was a genius
Brought me to church every Sunday
Taught me how to have fun
Taught me to obey them
Clapped and cheered for me during my games and performances
Pointed out the beauty in everything
Taught me the difference between right and wrong
Showed me how to work hard
Taught me to be resourceful
Taught me that God made all things, great and small
Gave me opportunities and challenged me to improve
Taught me to love and care for animals
Told me to finish every job
Disciplined me when I deserved it
Taught me that all things work together for good for those who follow Christ
Taught me to listen when I was spoken to – not to interrupt
Taught me to be hospitable
Taught me not to talk back to them in a harsh or demeaning manner
Taught me how to be politely tenacious
Taught me to be creative
My parents, more than anything, love God and are blessed by Him for doing so. They are great examples of Christ’s love – He loves us unconditionally.
by Royce Waxenfelter
4/21/04
Candor and Cancer
A darkening ocean drowned my hopeful horizon
A startling notion downed what I used to have my eyes on
It stole my yearning and looted my wonder
It took my happiness for its plunder
It laughed maniacally in my general direction
Then left me reeling with this bitter infection
The woeful pain gasps for every breathe
The willful strain of what should be has left
It pillaged my flesh down to the smallest cell
It cast aside the idea that I might get well
It taunted me jeeringly, oozing attrition
And haunted my thoughts and my losing condition
Oh how I want to break free of this prison
Oh how I long to undo God’s decision
It hinders my progress and wipes away my smile
It renders my heart crippled and fills me with guile
It hastens my journey to this very life
And plasters my spirit with envy and strife
If I could forget what life used to be
Then I might not remember what now tortures me
The memories are vivid of life teaming with glee
I blossomed and bloomed like a spring-time tree
But it’s scratched at my trunk and chopped on my branches
And shaken my leaves off and all that enhances
I feel I’m inhabited by venomous creatures
I want to hide when you stare at my skeleton features
It heckles and vexes and stands in my way
My freckles are hexes revealing more every day
It erases my memories, kills my good tastes
And lays my sore muscles in its violent waste
I want to know why, I demand an answer
Why am I blessed with this candor and cancer?
By Royce Waxenfelter
1/3/08
(an ode to my friend Sara, currently in remission)
A startling notion downed what I used to have my eyes on
It stole my yearning and looted my wonder
It took my happiness for its plunder
It laughed maniacally in my general direction
Then left me reeling with this bitter infection
The woeful pain gasps for every breathe
The willful strain of what should be has left
It pillaged my flesh down to the smallest cell
It cast aside the idea that I might get well
It taunted me jeeringly, oozing attrition
And haunted my thoughts and my losing condition
Oh how I want to break free of this prison
Oh how I long to undo God’s decision
It hinders my progress and wipes away my smile
It renders my heart crippled and fills me with guile
It hastens my journey to this very life
And plasters my spirit with envy and strife
If I could forget what life used to be
Then I might not remember what now tortures me
The memories are vivid of life teaming with glee
I blossomed and bloomed like a spring-time tree
But it’s scratched at my trunk and chopped on my branches
And shaken my leaves off and all that enhances
I feel I’m inhabited by venomous creatures
I want to hide when you stare at my skeleton features
It heckles and vexes and stands in my way
My freckles are hexes revealing more every day
It erases my memories, kills my good tastes
And lays my sore muscles in its violent waste
I want to know why, I demand an answer
Why am I blessed with this candor and cancer?
By Royce Waxenfelter
1/3/08
(an ode to my friend Sara, currently in remission)
Sandwiches
Let’s have sandwiches by the sea
On the sand which is by the sea.
By Royce Waxenfelter
10/13/05
On the sand which is by the sea.
By Royce Waxenfelter
10/13/05
To write the perfect story…
I wanted to write an epic tale of life and death; a classic struggle between good and evil, a historical documentary that renews interest in an age of mystery and intrigue; to show a visually stunning image of harsh reality, full of back-stabbing characters, bribery, broken trust, culture clashes, fresh chances, and men and women who overcome overwhelming odds.
I sought to tell a suspenseful story of bravery, valor, destruction, and lust. I hoped to give an opulent look at the rich and famous, including their misgivings, greed, power-plays, and secret lives of infidelity, lies, and corporate corruption.
I welcomed the thought of sharing a heart-felt, feel-good, tear-jerker with all of the love, sorrow, joy, pain and passion you could ever hope for. A creative celebration of poetry and music. A sweeping journey through time and space, full of lush landscapes and distant galaxies. A voyage through past, present, and future.
To relay a compelling courtroom drama, with all the trappings of murder, investigation, deceit, false accusations, thievery, law and order, justice and vindication. To unleash unfathomable cruelty, suffering and torture, anger and hurt. A frightening voyeur into the criminal mind.
I anticipated the adventures of a ship-wrecked voyage, snakes and lions, brutes and beasts, sorcerers and witches, warriors and knights, sword-fights and military strategy, massive armies and ingenious inventions. A fascinating look at cities under siege, the fight for survival, muscle and blood, danger, captivity, redemption, and freedom.
I longed to convey sarcasm and truth, humor and hatred, cowardice and courage, endurance and integrity, elation and salvation. To disclose an original idea of soul and spirit, providence and free-will.
To reveal a saga that eclipses intellect and piety; an artistic view of addiction and failure, grief and poverty, catastrophe and depression.
I wanted to unearth a gripping family legend; an account of strength and wisdom, of mistakes and forgiveness, revelation and prophecy, practical lessons of right and wrong, and generations of artisan craftsmanship.
To bring dreams and visions to light. To escape into a land of supernatural power, angels and demons, heaven and hell. A place of royalty and splendor, fortresses and palaces, friendship and trust, loyalty and honor, sacrifice and mercy.
I realized that the ultimate narrative would also have layered meaning, multiple implications in an on-going allegorical depth. It would require betrayal and wrath, faith and obedience, wandering travelers, the common-man-turned-hero scenario, violent storms, debate, miracles, explosions and fire, twins, fugitives, plagues, inmates, giants, dwarves, and lost treasure.
Then I realized that the Bible has every one of those traits… we already have the perfect book – thanks to God, the Author of all life.
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/19/04
I sought to tell a suspenseful story of bravery, valor, destruction, and lust. I hoped to give an opulent look at the rich and famous, including their misgivings, greed, power-plays, and secret lives of infidelity, lies, and corporate corruption.
I welcomed the thought of sharing a heart-felt, feel-good, tear-jerker with all of the love, sorrow, joy, pain and passion you could ever hope for. A creative celebration of poetry and music. A sweeping journey through time and space, full of lush landscapes and distant galaxies. A voyage through past, present, and future.
To relay a compelling courtroom drama, with all the trappings of murder, investigation, deceit, false accusations, thievery, law and order, justice and vindication. To unleash unfathomable cruelty, suffering and torture, anger and hurt. A frightening voyeur into the criminal mind.
I anticipated the adventures of a ship-wrecked voyage, snakes and lions, brutes and beasts, sorcerers and witches, warriors and knights, sword-fights and military strategy, massive armies and ingenious inventions. A fascinating look at cities under siege, the fight for survival, muscle and blood, danger, captivity, redemption, and freedom.
I longed to convey sarcasm and truth, humor and hatred, cowardice and courage, endurance and integrity, elation and salvation. To disclose an original idea of soul and spirit, providence and free-will.
To reveal a saga that eclipses intellect and piety; an artistic view of addiction and failure, grief and poverty, catastrophe and depression.
I wanted to unearth a gripping family legend; an account of strength and wisdom, of mistakes and forgiveness, revelation and prophecy, practical lessons of right and wrong, and generations of artisan craftsmanship.
To bring dreams and visions to light. To escape into a land of supernatural power, angels and demons, heaven and hell. A place of royalty and splendor, fortresses and palaces, friendship and trust, loyalty and honor, sacrifice and mercy.
I realized that the ultimate narrative would also have layered meaning, multiple implications in an on-going allegorical depth. It would require betrayal and wrath, faith and obedience, wandering travelers, the common-man-turned-hero scenario, violent storms, debate, miracles, explosions and fire, twins, fugitives, plagues, inmates, giants, dwarves, and lost treasure.
Then I realized that the Bible has every one of those traits… we already have the perfect book – thanks to God, the Author of all life.
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/19/04
Sleep Deprivation
A simple note to keep me afloat
On the verge of sleep on the edge of deep
A drowsy blast of future past
A frightening derision of shaky vision
A combative notion, an infusion potion
Of dreamy nesting in prophetic questing
A superlative grant to rave and to rant
Now slipping closely to bliss that’s mostly
Void of reason, a shifting season
A foggy maze becomes a craze
To look ahead beyond the bed
To forecast back and forth the knack
Which breaks the seal that dreams reveal
Of smelting known yet to be shown
And brings to light this pilgrim’s plight
The story’s there but in despair
I cannot grasp through my throaty rasp
Because I have not taken the rest forsaken
In my selfish will to fill the bill
Of worldly earning in lieu of the yearning
To gather a yield behind a stout shield
Of spiritual power and the soulful shower
Bestowed by the Master, the universe caster
Who invented the notion of moon and the ocean
The magnetic pull of nighttime and so
I should really go sleep and embrace the deep
I missed it last night so now I just might
Fall asleep on my keyboard because of my need for
A rechargeable body which has grown to be shoddy
So goodbye open eye, in dreams I shall fly!
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/26/06
On the verge of sleep on the edge of deep
A drowsy blast of future past
A frightening derision of shaky vision
A combative notion, an infusion potion
Of dreamy nesting in prophetic questing
A superlative grant to rave and to rant
Now slipping closely to bliss that’s mostly
Void of reason, a shifting season
A foggy maze becomes a craze
To look ahead beyond the bed
To forecast back and forth the knack
Which breaks the seal that dreams reveal
Of smelting known yet to be shown
And brings to light this pilgrim’s plight
The story’s there but in despair
I cannot grasp through my throaty rasp
Because I have not taken the rest forsaken
In my selfish will to fill the bill
Of worldly earning in lieu of the yearning
To gather a yield behind a stout shield
Of spiritual power and the soulful shower
Bestowed by the Master, the universe caster
Who invented the notion of moon and the ocean
The magnetic pull of nighttime and so
I should really go sleep and embrace the deep
I missed it last night so now I just might
Fall asleep on my keyboard because of my need for
A rechargeable body which has grown to be shoddy
So goodbye open eye, in dreams I shall fly!
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/26/06
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Upstairs Neighbors
“What are they doing up there?” my Mommy asked my Dad, “All the noises they are making really make me mad!”
My dad said…
“There’s a bowling tournament up there being played by kangaroos,
and elephants are tap dancing while wearing steel-toed shoes,
a marching band made up of soldiers marching to their tunes,
and twenty birthday parties are all popping their balloons,
a herd of roaming buffaloes, a circus and a fair,
an angry group of screaming monkeys flying through the air,
an avalanche, a boxing match, and funny as it seems,
many Mexican Jumping Beans on mini-trampolines
a construction workers’ challenge to see who can hammer fastest,
a fireworks show that’s filled with sounds of BOOMS! BAMS! POPS! and CRASHES!
a rodeo, a symphony, an all-star basketball game,
a bagpipe troop who play so loud they put most rock bands to shame,
a jump rope contest happens up there every Friday night,
and when that event is finished, they send a rocket into flight,
a sumo wrestling match is noisier than you’d think,
but nothing is as noisy as the upstairs roller-rink,
a chili cook-off that we can smell (it may not be so noisy,
but the stench is so darn powerful it stinks from here to Boise!),
it sounds like someone’s accidentally dropping lots of dishes,
and the boy upstairs who wanted drums and cymbals got his wishes,
the speakers on their stereo sound as big as battleships,
and they must’ve put a microphone in the sink that always drips,
the noises go on constantly, they don’t even stop at night,
but we should not complain,” Dad said… “downstairs they think that our footsteps sound just like dynamite!”
by Royce Waxenfelter
4/8/04
My dad said…
“There’s a bowling tournament up there being played by kangaroos,
and elephants are tap dancing while wearing steel-toed shoes,
a marching band made up of soldiers marching to their tunes,
and twenty birthday parties are all popping their balloons,
a herd of roaming buffaloes, a circus and a fair,
an angry group of screaming monkeys flying through the air,
an avalanche, a boxing match, and funny as it seems,
many Mexican Jumping Beans on mini-trampolines
a construction workers’ challenge to see who can hammer fastest,
a fireworks show that’s filled with sounds of BOOMS! BAMS! POPS! and CRASHES!
a rodeo, a symphony, an all-star basketball game,
a bagpipe troop who play so loud they put most rock bands to shame,
a jump rope contest happens up there every Friday night,
and when that event is finished, they send a rocket into flight,
a sumo wrestling match is noisier than you’d think,
but nothing is as noisy as the upstairs roller-rink,
a chili cook-off that we can smell (it may not be so noisy,
but the stench is so darn powerful it stinks from here to Boise!),
it sounds like someone’s accidentally dropping lots of dishes,
and the boy upstairs who wanted drums and cymbals got his wishes,
the speakers on their stereo sound as big as battleships,
and they must’ve put a microphone in the sink that always drips,
the noises go on constantly, they don’t even stop at night,
but we should not complain,” Dad said… “downstairs they think that our footsteps sound just like dynamite!”
by Royce Waxenfelter
4/8/04
Bi-Polar Express
A typical storm on an untypical day
A virulent wave of emotional fray
Erasing all pleasure with a turbulent ride
Hastening lessons of a cranium dive
Unsure as a whisper in the whipping west wind
An altered commotion I didn’t intend
Subjected to swift stops and violent clashes
The expectant abruptness of lightning then flashes
Awakening figures from out of their cave
And battering those who once thought they were safe
Listless and dropping, strength seems to scatter
Lacking in reason and rhyme from gray matter
Taking its toll without my confiding
Waiting and writhing, defeated and hiding
It sweeps over porous land filling the ditches
And just when it starts to subside, then it switches
It wafts and it wanders, it swirls and it misses
It rages and screams, it boils and it hisses
I can’t seem to set this ruckus at ease
Why can’t I shake this bi-polar disease?
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/29/04
A virulent wave of emotional fray
Erasing all pleasure with a turbulent ride
Hastening lessons of a cranium dive
Unsure as a whisper in the whipping west wind
An altered commotion I didn’t intend
Subjected to swift stops and violent clashes
The expectant abruptness of lightning then flashes
Awakening figures from out of their cave
And battering those who once thought they were safe
Listless and dropping, strength seems to scatter
Lacking in reason and rhyme from gray matter
Taking its toll without my confiding
Waiting and writhing, defeated and hiding
It sweeps over porous land filling the ditches
And just when it starts to subside, then it switches
It wafts and it wanders, it swirls and it misses
It rages and screams, it boils and it hisses
I can’t seem to set this ruckus at ease
Why can’t I shake this bi-polar disease?
by Royce Waxenfelter
12/29/04
Awake My Glory
Awake my glory
Awake the dawn
I wake in the morning
And sing a song
I sing Your praises
Sing out loud
Your truth and mercy
Reach the clouds
My heart and soul
To You in the morning
My smile and song to You
You save me from
The lion’s teeth
You shelter me
From the enemy
You saved my soul
From the darkest night
That I may walk
In the Living Light
My heart and soul
To You in the morning
My smile and song to You
I won’t be afraid
What can man do?
You are my God
I trust in You
Unto the nations
I praise You God
Above the heavens
Exalted God
My heart and soul
To You in the morning
My smile and song to You
~Royce Waxenfelter
12/20/03
(from Psalm 56 & 57)
Awake the dawn
I wake in the morning
And sing a song
I sing Your praises
Sing out loud
Your truth and mercy
Reach the clouds
My heart and soul
To You in the morning
My smile and song to You
You save me from
The lion’s teeth
You shelter me
From the enemy
You saved my soul
From the darkest night
That I may walk
In the Living Light
My heart and soul
To You in the morning
My smile and song to You
I won’t be afraid
What can man do?
You are my God
I trust in You
Unto the nations
I praise You God
Above the heavens
Exalted God
My heart and soul
To You in the morning
My smile and song to You
~Royce Waxenfelter
12/20/03
(from Psalm 56 & 57)
Job's Lament
Oh your ways are so set in
And your life is neatly planned
So with the warning wind
I will admonish while I can
There's a mysterious mist
And it frightens to the core
The lack of knowing the future
That no one can ignore
And there's a calculated bliss
While you're lying on the shore
And the mysterious mist
Won't enthrall you anymore
But then the thunder clap will slap you
And the mountains will explode
The floods extend to trap you
And demolish your abode
And the whether will persist
And it will be driving down your door
And the calculated bliss
Won't involve you anymore
by Royce Waxenfelter
1/23/92
And your life is neatly planned
So with the warning wind
I will admonish while I can
There's a mysterious mist
And it frightens to the core
The lack of knowing the future
That no one can ignore
And there's a calculated bliss
While you're lying on the shore
And the mysterious mist
Won't enthrall you anymore
But then the thunder clap will slap you
And the mountains will explode
The floods extend to trap you
And demolish your abode
And the whether will persist
And it will be driving down your door
And the calculated bliss
Won't involve you anymore
by Royce Waxenfelter
1/23/92
Word Leader
As I walked a cross a minefield of lyrics
A saturated mind filled with lyrics
My message was blown apart
By Napoleon Bonaparte
He fought and conquered many worlds
As I battle back the world with words
Believing he was his nation extending
As my trust perceives imagination pretending
Perhaps you’d be pretending too
If you were at your Waterloo
Now every word’s a story and every phrase a clue
And every allegory is thrown into my stew
Will my ideas become obscure, clouds covering the moon at night?
Or, will miracles endure (if I am right) and by God’s blessing I can write?
By Royce Waxenfelter
7/12/91
A saturated mind filled with lyrics
My message was blown apart
By Napoleon Bonaparte
He fought and conquered many worlds
As I battle back the world with words
Believing he was his nation extending
As my trust perceives imagination pretending
Perhaps you’d be pretending too
If you were at your Waterloo
Now every word’s a story and every phrase a clue
And every allegory is thrown into my stew
Will my ideas become obscure, clouds covering the moon at night?
Or, will miracles endure (if I am right) and by God’s blessing I can write?
By Royce Waxenfelter
7/12/91
The Art of Contemplating Absolutely Nothing
Multiple lulls sentenced with wildly varying, freakish mental anomalies, we despairingly trudge amongst queries.
Amid the modest piles of immaculate, wrapped extensions of neurons, I wavered, having the foresight to belittle the very concept in which attitudes carry pensiveness.
Time permitting, you will catch the mother of the storm by accident and wisp a delicate wind among the immense tides, extending gratuity and ciphering an aptitude full of inclination.
Comprehension withstands but through servile fortitude, thus rendering the utmost competent defunct.
Retrospection emits constant pending, yet upon cultivation, the diligent thrusting of layer upon layer of negation until, through sheer conviction, emanated evocation... cathartically expunged.
by Royce Waxenfelter
7/19/96
Amid the modest piles of immaculate, wrapped extensions of neurons, I wavered, having the foresight to belittle the very concept in which attitudes carry pensiveness.
Time permitting, you will catch the mother of the storm by accident and wisp a delicate wind among the immense tides, extending gratuity and ciphering an aptitude full of inclination.
Comprehension withstands but through servile fortitude, thus rendering the utmost competent defunct.
Retrospection emits constant pending, yet upon cultivation, the diligent thrusting of layer upon layer of negation until, through sheer conviction, emanated evocation... cathartically expunged.
by Royce Waxenfelter
7/19/96
Beyond
As I'm looking at this blank that appears before me
I find it very amiable with a friendliness that stems from it's own amenity
And I know now what I meant before
Like the lingering pause of an open door
It became clear that the clarity should extend through daily clarifying.
Beyond the forests and the castles
The silence and the hassles
Beyond the fence and beyond the tension
Extended through dimensions that appear before me
I discover a stillness in a swaying that promotes me logically
And I know now what I meant before
Of happenings happening while I snore
It becomes real that reality should protrude my interpretation
Beyond the forests and the castles
The silence and the hassles
Beyond the fence and beyond the tension
Dreams seem to be reasonably rational finally
I locate accurately actual fallacies that deliver true reality
And I know now what I meant before
All of the land that lies beyond the shore
It becomes right that mystery is not a misty sea to me
Beyond the forests and the castles
The silence and the hassles
Beyond the fence and beyond the tension
Illusions look and exist analytically at last
I install indisputable errors to rescue steadfast factuality
And I know now what I meant before
All subconscious lies secretly stored
It corresponds exactly, this puzzle is pieced precisely
Beyond the forests and the castles
The silence and the hassles
Beyond the fence and beyond the tension
Beyond decision
by Royce Waxenfelter
6/8/91
I find it very amiable with a friendliness that stems from it's own amenity
And I know now what I meant before
Like the lingering pause of an open door
It became clear that the clarity should extend through daily clarifying.
Beyond the forests and the castles
The silence and the hassles
Beyond the fence and beyond the tension
Extended through dimensions that appear before me
I discover a stillness in a swaying that promotes me logically
And I know now what I meant before
Of happenings happening while I snore
It becomes real that reality should protrude my interpretation
Beyond the forests and the castles
The silence and the hassles
Beyond the fence and beyond the tension
Dreams seem to be reasonably rational finally
I locate accurately actual fallacies that deliver true reality
And I know now what I meant before
All of the land that lies beyond the shore
It becomes right that mystery is not a misty sea to me
Beyond the forests and the castles
The silence and the hassles
Beyond the fence and beyond the tension
Illusions look and exist analytically at last
I install indisputable errors to rescue steadfast factuality
And I know now what I meant before
All subconscious lies secretly stored
It corresponds exactly, this puzzle is pieced precisely
Beyond the forests and the castles
The silence and the hassles
Beyond the fence and beyond the tension
Beyond decision
by Royce Waxenfelter
6/8/91
Missed Opportunity
Variety times meaning negates value when
deity mimes, preening, delegate salary.
Musty rules and dusty jewels in buried treasure
synchronize by compromise a worthless measure,
Of money saved and rules unchanged
slapping missed opportunity on a wishing community.
The zenith is gone and the hallowed song sung
resonating through bone are sounds unknown.
Lost is the pretense of oceans so immense
that rules cannot bind them and jewels cannot buy them.
So the worthless measure of buried treasure
negates the value of the delegated salary.
by Royce Waxenfelter
8/1/01
deity mimes, preening, delegate salary.
Musty rules and dusty jewels in buried treasure
synchronize by compromise a worthless measure,
Of money saved and rules unchanged
slapping missed opportunity on a wishing community.
The zenith is gone and the hallowed song sung
resonating through bone are sounds unknown.
Lost is the pretense of oceans so immense
that rules cannot bind them and jewels cannot buy them.
So the worthless measure of buried treasure
negates the value of the delegated salary.
by Royce Waxenfelter
8/1/01
Static
There's a storm across the land
There's a storm across the nation
There's a static in the waves
And we can't quite find the station
When birds no longer strain their wings
Wind corrupts us while it sings
When telephones all cease their rings
Wind whistles with the tree branch swings
There's uprising in the band
There's a fire at every station
As the river rants and raves
Through a stone bed of abrasion
When words no longer tell emotion
Wind disrupts the placid ocean
When poets often place and portion
Wind carries instinct with the notion
There's a fear in every man
There's a flame across the nation
We are wind-whipped blistered slaves
And we cannot turn the station
by Royce Waxenfelter
1/9/90
There's a storm across the nation
There's a static in the waves
And we can't quite find the station
When birds no longer strain their wings
Wind corrupts us while it sings
When telephones all cease their rings
Wind whistles with the tree branch swings
There's uprising in the band
There's a fire at every station
As the river rants and raves
Through a stone bed of abrasion
When words no longer tell emotion
Wind disrupts the placid ocean
When poets often place and portion
Wind carries instinct with the notion
There's a fear in every man
There's a flame across the nation
We are wind-whipped blistered slaves
And we cannot turn the station
by Royce Waxenfelter
1/9/90
My Archipelagos
My Archipelagos
Shaped like many mini-'fros
Wake the feeling in my toes
And tilt implications, gamble on Pete Rose
"My oh my", the fellow goes
Who puts concentration in nice little rows
And wades like a fisherman into the throws
Hunting aboves and far down belows
Exasperation takes me there
Caveat Emptor - the buyer beware
In a sense making cents just doesn't seem fair
Catapulting irony into the air
Taken a-gasp by a murder of Crows
Uncomprehending a number of those
Who escaped with a plan the conscience knows
Is the only reality, admittedly so
Then raise your fist, open or closed
Smack down the question, hit the unknowns
Shake the disease from your shivering bones
And take the excitement in clear blue tones
I'll send like a swallow into the air
Then splendor the ears and every hare
Preparing a pallet for plentiful pare
Saturating silence with the mind I share
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/3/00
Shaped like many mini-'fros
Wake the feeling in my toes
And tilt implications, gamble on Pete Rose
"My oh my", the fellow goes
Who puts concentration in nice little rows
And wades like a fisherman into the throws
Hunting aboves and far down belows
Exasperation takes me there
Caveat Emptor - the buyer beware
In a sense making cents just doesn't seem fair
Catapulting irony into the air
Taken a-gasp by a murder of Crows
Uncomprehending a number of those
Who escaped with a plan the conscience knows
Is the only reality, admittedly so
Then raise your fist, open or closed
Smack down the question, hit the unknowns
Shake the disease from your shivering bones
And take the excitement in clear blue tones
I'll send like a swallow into the air
Then splendor the ears and every hare
Preparing a pallet for plentiful pare
Saturating silence with the mind I share
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/3/00
Genetic Defect
When I was blind my colors were sounds
My fears were astounding of fast cars and depth
My thoughts were my phobias put to the test
When I was paralyzed, feelings were sounds
My mind was abounding in jealous convictions
My limbs were just dangling and useless restrictions
When I was deaf, sounds were my colors
My eyes were on others unappreciative of ears
My glands often filling up, swelling with tears
When I was healthy I took it for granted
My views had been slanted by a "better than" feeling
My sight, sound, and texture had lost all their meaning
by Royce Waxenfelter
7/12/90
My fears were astounding of fast cars and depth
My thoughts were my phobias put to the test
When I was paralyzed, feelings were sounds
My mind was abounding in jealous convictions
My limbs were just dangling and useless restrictions
When I was deaf, sounds were my colors
My eyes were on others unappreciative of ears
My glands often filling up, swelling with tears
When I was healthy I took it for granted
My views had been slanted by a "better than" feeling
My sight, sound, and texture had lost all their meaning
by Royce Waxenfelter
7/12/90
Anti-Directional
I took her out to dinner before
before Dick Van Dyke and Dinah Shore
before Johnny Q couldn't talk anymore
before marriage was a dinosaur
I took her car down to the store
the store where you don't know anymore
the place where anything is in store
to store rivers rushing down to the shore
I took her to this place that I know
said "I've got two friends in Idaho"
said it real sharp then I said it real slow
everyone knows the the things that they grow
I took her way up on a plateau
she trembled her finger and quivered her toe
from the quiver came the arrow straight into her bow
thrown for a loop on the desert below
I took her gift of one white rose
rose the emotion under my clothes
to mind the mind that nobody knows
close open eyes to all of the woes
I took her up from where I was at
stood on my head to tell myself that
directions change with the drop of a hat
no man alive can tell where heaven is at
I took her out of society
away from policing the policy
out to nature university
we will swim our deepest poetry
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/15/91
before Dick Van Dyke and Dinah Shore
before Johnny Q couldn't talk anymore
before marriage was a dinosaur
I took her car down to the store
the store where you don't know anymore
the place where anything is in store
to store rivers rushing down to the shore
I took her to this place that I know
said "I've got two friends in Idaho"
said it real sharp then I said it real slow
everyone knows the the things that they grow
I took her way up on a plateau
she trembled her finger and quivered her toe
from the quiver came the arrow straight into her bow
thrown for a loop on the desert below
I took her gift of one white rose
rose the emotion under my clothes
to mind the mind that nobody knows
close open eyes to all of the woes
I took her up from where I was at
stood on my head to tell myself that
directions change with the drop of a hat
no man alive can tell where heaven is at
I took her out of society
away from policing the policy
out to nature university
we will swim our deepest poetry
by Royce Waxenfelter
5/15/91
Exxon Veldez's Lament
Silent skies
With Sparkling Eyes
Focus in on my demise
Protruding ink stain
Years of dark rain
Slick seashores of blackened heart bane
Jilted otters
Murky waters
Sinking crude and whirling blotters
Tested tethers
Flightless feathers
Seething seals with sickened leathers
Aquatic zones
Bereft of tones
Echo back the wailing moans
by Royce Waxenfelter
9/17/04
With Sparkling Eyes
Focus in on my demise
Protruding ink stain
Years of dark rain
Slick seashores of blackened heart bane
Jilted otters
Murky waters
Sinking crude and whirling blotters
Tested tethers
Flightless feathers
Seething seals with sickened leathers
Aquatic zones
Bereft of tones
Echo back the wailing moans
by Royce Waxenfelter
9/17/04
Finding
anticipating anxiety was clever and mighty
the precursory label of clandestine fable
that discovered will tell of wishing and well
even the crop of the reluctant
who came and who went
as a token of one well spoken
extending misery to a land in memory
where men were exiled and graves were defiled
by knights of dishonor with intent to conquer
lending a piece of the deceased
to stay and garnish the prey of armies
who went astray one fateful day
the welfare taken to a most forsaken
state of array in foreboding gray
the qualm protrudes and calm eludes
the wholesome tasks of fashioned masks
that made from from forges in the deepest gorges
where lain a-strew by a howling fool
take no notation for pure frustration
will seize you shaking upon every waking
moment from now, this momentous plow
will forever endeavor
to steal the soil wherein you toil
to make things straight, but you know it's too late
inclined to swell yet still instill
the will to house the dreams of thieves
who took their loot to grand dilution
siding with mountains and cavernous dwellings
of wave upon wake, to save for the sake
of donating remnants of someones remembrance
decidedly barren but riding and sharing
what little is known try still to bestow
for barely you gesture while it sits here and festers
the ominous distance between missing a sentence
and gathering storage of something we've foraged
a plot to escape will falsify justice
and knots in the making the ballast will crush us
for this is the crashing, the wailing and gnashing
the obscure is so sure to see insecurity
as disciplined gallows descending to swallow
the crevice inside of the shelves of my mind
the motion to cope, to group and to grope
for an evasive ration of persuasive passion
is followed by melding the time and the talent
with anvil and mallet
formed in the sensation of nerve detonation
deplored is the hoard, a once double-edged sword
which takes the assumption to fathom the junction
of concealed inspiration through selfish dictation
a safeguarded aura shelters more of
the valor's description
while seeking to harbor the very inscription
thus desperate words are fluttering birds
flapping and diving, tapping and sizing
the grills of the oncoming hills
unwritten wills guess similar pages
when unfinished chills flash unblemished sages
words of the terrified must pass writhing through tooth
to flee from the petrified sayer of sooth
by Royce Waxenfelter
8/4/01
the precursory label of clandestine fable
that discovered will tell of wishing and well
even the crop of the reluctant
who came and who went
as a token of one well spoken
extending misery to a land in memory
where men were exiled and graves were defiled
by knights of dishonor with intent to conquer
lending a piece of the deceased
to stay and garnish the prey of armies
who went astray one fateful day
the welfare taken to a most forsaken
state of array in foreboding gray
the qualm protrudes and calm eludes
the wholesome tasks of fashioned masks
that made from from forges in the deepest gorges
where lain a-strew by a howling fool
take no notation for pure frustration
will seize you shaking upon every waking
moment from now, this momentous plow
will forever endeavor
to steal the soil wherein you toil
to make things straight, but you know it's too late
inclined to swell yet still instill
the will to house the dreams of thieves
who took their loot to grand dilution
siding with mountains and cavernous dwellings
of wave upon wake, to save for the sake
of donating remnants of someones remembrance
decidedly barren but riding and sharing
what little is known try still to bestow
for barely you gesture while it sits here and festers
the ominous distance between missing a sentence
and gathering storage of something we've foraged
a plot to escape will falsify justice
and knots in the making the ballast will crush us
for this is the crashing, the wailing and gnashing
the obscure is so sure to see insecurity
as disciplined gallows descending to swallow
the crevice inside of the shelves of my mind
the motion to cope, to group and to grope
for an evasive ration of persuasive passion
is followed by melding the time and the talent
with anvil and mallet
formed in the sensation of nerve detonation
deplored is the hoard, a once double-edged sword
which takes the assumption to fathom the junction
of concealed inspiration through selfish dictation
a safeguarded aura shelters more of
the valor's description
while seeking to harbor the very inscription
thus desperate words are fluttering birds
flapping and diving, tapping and sizing
the grills of the oncoming hills
unwritten wills guess similar pages
when unfinished chills flash unblemished sages
words of the terrified must pass writhing through tooth
to flee from the petrified sayer of sooth
by Royce Waxenfelter
8/4/01
The Challenge
If the world heard music like me
We'd all sing in harmony
We'd all have voices clear and rich
Even baseball players would have perfect pitch
My notes are colors and stories
That take away my worries
All the sound begins with Christ the King
I understand, that's why I sing
You can try to try all you want to make the music dead
But that's a chore that won't get done
Because there's music in my head
I feel that I've been blessed by God
With sound senses spectacular
I feel that He gave me the nod
And I received a great vernacular
Won't cease, won't end, won't be complete
The music I hear won't miss a beat
And the sun is not as bright in June
As the sound I hear in every tune
So try all you like, pull the plug on me
Still I'll listen in my head
Because there's music in the colors I see
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/27/89
We'd all sing in harmony
We'd all have voices clear and rich
Even baseball players would have perfect pitch
My notes are colors and stories
That take away my worries
All the sound begins with Christ the King
I understand, that's why I sing
You can try to try all you want to make the music dead
But that's a chore that won't get done
Because there's music in my head
I feel that I've been blessed by God
With sound senses spectacular
I feel that He gave me the nod
And I received a great vernacular
Won't cease, won't end, won't be complete
The music I hear won't miss a beat
And the sun is not as bright in June
As the sound I hear in every tune
So try all you like, pull the plug on me
Still I'll listen in my head
Because there's music in the colors I see
by Royce Waxenfelter
11/27/89
Pizza Box
This pizza box says stay
stay right here and have a slice
and to that I say OK
because I think it's being nice
to offer up a bed so cheesy
and lots of pepperoni
a taste that's sure to please me
and to prove I'm not a phony
I'm gonna eat this pizza
to see if it defeats a
man my size
who cannot disguise
his widening waist
or his ravenous tastes
for a crispy crusted piece of food
delivered by a pizza dude
who stops by here 'bout twice a day
and tells the pizza box to stay
by Royce Waxenfelter
2/10/06
stay right here and have a slice
and to that I say OK
because I think it's being nice
to offer up a bed so cheesy
and lots of pepperoni
a taste that's sure to please me
and to prove I'm not a phony
I'm gonna eat this pizza
to see if it defeats a
man my size
who cannot disguise
his widening waist
or his ravenous tastes
for a crispy crusted piece of food
delivered by a pizza dude
who stops by here 'bout twice a day
and tells the pizza box to stay
by Royce Waxenfelter
2/10/06
The Irate Pirate Song
While you seek beauty in fancy culture – Da Vinci or Van Gogh
I find art in a swirling vulture or when e’er I shout “Land ho!”
For I sail the sea on a pirate ship a bounty for to find
In doing so I scarred my lip, my left eye she be blind
They say that pirates have no manners; they say we have no soul
We hoist the skull and crossbones banners and swig rum from a bowl
Well what you’ve heard ain’t far from true so skip the pleasantries
My courtships with the ocean blue and my dates all fall from trees
So hide your daughters and your wives, be it port or open sea
You won’t escape here with your lives, there’s nothing to fear but me!
‘Cause I’m a bloody irate pirate, rest assured it’s true
If you’ve a musket you best fire it ‘fore I run ya through – oy!
By Royce Waxenfelter
7/7/05
I find art in a swirling vulture or when e’er I shout “Land ho!”
For I sail the sea on a pirate ship a bounty for to find
In doing so I scarred my lip, my left eye she be blind
They say that pirates have no manners; they say we have no soul
We hoist the skull and crossbones banners and swig rum from a bowl
Well what you’ve heard ain’t far from true so skip the pleasantries
My courtships with the ocean blue and my dates all fall from trees
So hide your daughters and your wives, be it port or open sea
You won’t escape here with your lives, there’s nothing to fear but me!
‘Cause I’m a bloody irate pirate, rest assured it’s true
If you’ve a musket you best fire it ‘fore I run ya through – oy!
By Royce Waxenfelter
7/7/05
Cube Life
Margin and data are all that matter
Analyze, summarize, compress then re-address
Show the impact with costs in tact
Grow the benchmark measurements
Think outside boxes of containment
Cube life
Corporate strife
Not strenuous or rough
Doesn’t come with fame or clout
Just vacant enough to stress you out
by Royce Waxenfelter
6/17/08
Analyze, summarize, compress then re-address
Show the impact with costs in tact
Grow the benchmark measurements
Think outside boxes of containment
Cube life
Corporate strife
Not strenuous or rough
Doesn’t come with fame or clout
Just vacant enough to stress you out
by Royce Waxenfelter
6/17/08
Mysteries Of The Universe
Ancient mysteries scrawled on random rocks
Shadows emerging from deep Scottish lochs
What does it mean? How did it get there?
Why does my head start to lose all of its hair?
The mysteries of the universe will be revealed
In Heaven to those who have revealed
Their need for forgiveness and a grace that saves
And freedom from self-centric ways that enslave
The captivity of flesh tends to increase
Unless we surrender to the One who will bring peace
Those who accept Jesus Christ understand
The meaning of life and the number of sand
Is going to be given to us in the spirit
So death is no biggie, we don’t have to fear it
We’ve got Heaven to hope for, much better than this life
So vaporous and fleeting, so full of strife
What do you hope for and how will you get there?
When you pass away are you the eternal King’s heir?
He grants me forever and throws in no sorrow
So I give Him my life and don’t fret tomorrow
What I don’t understand doesn’t matter to this man
Because I follow the God who created the plan
He’ll give me the answers I need in due season
Until then I don’t mind the things I can’t reason.
By Royce Waxenfelter
12/2/08
Shadows emerging from deep Scottish lochs
What does it mean? How did it get there?
Why does my head start to lose all of its hair?
The mysteries of the universe will be revealed
In Heaven to those who have revealed
Their need for forgiveness and a grace that saves
And freedom from self-centric ways that enslave
The captivity of flesh tends to increase
Unless we surrender to the One who will bring peace
Those who accept Jesus Christ understand
The meaning of life and the number of sand
Is going to be given to us in the spirit
So death is no biggie, we don’t have to fear it
We’ve got Heaven to hope for, much better than this life
So vaporous and fleeting, so full of strife
What do you hope for and how will you get there?
When you pass away are you the eternal King’s heir?
He grants me forever and throws in no sorrow
So I give Him my life and don’t fret tomorrow
What I don’t understand doesn’t matter to this man
Because I follow the God who created the plan
He’ll give me the answers I need in due season
Until then I don’t mind the things I can’t reason.
By Royce Waxenfelter
12/2/08
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