"Once upon a time," they say,
There was a land so far away.
A land where children were loved and safe
A land I can not find today.
Each day I dress and go to school,
And try to do my best,
But a load of grown-up problems
Sit heavy on my chest.

To me, the old woman who lived in a shoe
Is not so far a stretch.
My project's house is in bad shape
And moonbeams are hard to catch.
Mary had a little lamb,
I have a tired, old worn-out stray.
We have no cockle shells or May Bells,
And only streets in which to play.

The dish and the spoon are still at home,
But Dad ran away last week.
No one jumped over the moon,
And Mom's too drunk to speak.
No princess has come to kiss the frog
That my life has become.
No knight in shinning armor
On a big white horse has come.

No little man has turned
Our aluminum cans into gold.
Our chickens don't lay golden eggs
And the power is being turned off, we're told.
The pigs aren't the only ones
Whose houses fall apart.
The wolf is there -- he is big and real
And I live with fear in my heart.

Old King Cole may have been a merry ole soul,
But most of the people I meet
Are lonely and sick and scared,
And they don't have enough to eat.
So when you are writing the "happily ever afters"
Be sure and write me one too.
'Cause my future is not a fairy tale
Where all my dreams come true.

I Trust You

Being born into this world
Weak and dependent on your help,
I trust that keeping me well will be your plan.
I trust you with my health (and you can).
 
Being born into this world
Without a friend or guide,
I trust that in your friendship I can stand.
I trust the strength in your shoulders (and you can).
 
Being born into this world
Knowing not my spiritual self,
I trust you will tell me of a higher land.
I trust you with my soul (and you can).
 
Being born into this world
Easily tempted into harmful ways,
I trust you to tell me the good from the bad.
I trust you with my head (and you can).
 
Being born into this world
Looking for guidance in your words,
I trust you through my whole life span.
I trust my family (and you can).
 
Being born into this world
Feeling a need to grow and learn,
I trust you to use a guiding hand.
I trust you with my future (and you can).
 
Being born into this world
Fragile, unable to defend myself,
I trust you to keep peace in this land.
I trust you with my safety (and you can).
 
 Being born into this world
Knowing you hold my future in your hands,
Knowing there is a common good for man,
Knowing we must try and try again,
Knowing you will help me if you can . . . (AND I CAN.)
 

Written as part of a presentation for a Prevention Summit in Cookeville, Tennessee, this poem is in the format of a "call and response" with participants choral reading the "and you can - and I can" phrases.

Get Thee Behind me Passive Verbs

Good-bye is, was and were.
So long my lovely passive verbs.
Good-bye has and good-bye have
Forever more I shall not have had.
How could I have known they were so bad?

Poor little am, I loved you so.
And are, it will be so very hard to see you go.
My favorite three,
Been, being, be,
Must go on alone without me.

Action verbs are my new game.
Or should I say,
"Action verbs comprise my new game."
Nothing was and nothing is,
And nothing can ever be.
So passive verbs,
I ask you to leave,
So very passively.

Pam Petty
 

The End of the Tunnel is a Dark, Dark Place

Headlines, deadlines,
Meet me on the sidelines.
"I need a break," she pines.
Oh, for the days of dines and wines.

My, how the love of life declines
When bylines and timelines
And all kinds of late fines
Get in the way of my good times.

11/02/04 02:02:47 PM