.....No Place to Hide....

                                     Travel Wide and Long
                         to the Place of Wilds
                         into Dark and Lonely Places,
                         into the Homes of Bewildered Poor Childs.

                                      You keep on that Road
                         no matter how tough it gets
                         but I in My wonder....
                         want to know why these People Sweat.
 
                         They are in the End spots
                         of the Cities Row....
                         Struggling, some hard,
                         some just to keep alive.. I Know!

                         Sooner or Later,
                         after I make my Travels far and wide
                         I don't have to stop and wonder,
                         they'll have no place to Hide.

                         Now that I've left over Seas
                         beyond their Unsuccessful Land,
                         I'll never forget the Poor
                         giving me a helping hand.
                         
                         If ever I come back to this Land, 
                         that I love so much.......
                         I'll always go back to those People
                         so that I'll never lose their touch!
                   

.....Poor Boy In Shame....

                       His mother sent him out, 
                  'cause of a family disgrace.
                  Now he's on that Road....
                  fightin' the Human Race.

                  This time tomorrow, 
                  not knowing where he'll be...
                  He's on that lonesome road
                  Fightin' only to be free.

                  This time tomorrow,
                  knowin' where he'll be
                  probably workin' on a Job, 
                  Fightin' to be Free.

                  Hang your head Poor boy,
                  Hang it in Shame....
                  Hang your Head poor boy,
                  Never to return again.

                  Your Nights they cost Ya,
                  were your times that good...
                  to be left deserted,
                  and make your way the best you could.
                  
                  Poor Boy you're lost now
                  out on your own....
                  left only to the Heavens,
                  with many a place to Rome.
  
                  I leave you standing now,
                  your thoughts they are confused
                  looking for the End,
                  the beginning you have Abused!

.....What's in a Number ..?!!

                Just recently I had a Birthday where I celebrated my 67th day on this great earth of ours. But I reflected on more than the date as I went back in time and ran into a few people and things that I find to be buried in time. 
           One with another significant meaning: The Music Festivals I helped to put together in Design so that my friends and other people could enjoy. The first was Alive in '75, which was a passage to my late father who passed away at the young age of 57. That Party was forty years ago, and by making the time in numbers I had made it passed that by ten years! I thought this was a landmark in my life so that the 40 years should be celebrated for all to enjoy and reflect on those days passed.
           Much  has to be grateful for bringing it back to life, with life  ever present......the Bands that played ...the food that was cooked, and especially to the people who were really behind it, who I know you Know who you are.
            Even Tom, Greg, Shrulu, Barry, Micheal, Ted, passed by to have an up date of things going on and knowing our hearts were with them.
            
           What's in a number I tried so hard to make sense of it all.
I graduated in 1967, a time much different that now. We were free to explore the wonders of the world ahead of us. My dear friend Norm Stoddard was the first to go into that dark hole of War, and not return. How does the time between the year '67 differ from my age now at '67?! Norm just passed me by and reassured me that Numbers are a just a way to count the steps we have taken to achieve our spot in life. His spot was taken to soon, just as all the friends that are gone, but not forgotten. Those number of friends will be with us forever. Just as the light of Tom, Greg, Shrulu,  Micheal, and Teddy, and so many more, will shine brightly on our souls forever.

             ....Numbers can have a direct and lasting effect on people, may you treat them with respect that is due to them, let's not keep fighting it...treasure every moment, next year will be upon faster than you think......

                       ....Love and Peace to all...see you next year....!

...From another time and place, we endure to lose another Friend.....

                   


                                From anther time we will drift back to those Days that now catch up with us in a most unusual time and matter....


              It was back in the early Eighty's when I chanced upon a new ambition that developed into a craft that had been within  me and my past ancestry's. What or Whom, made that develop was an 'ol Hippy....yeah they say he was the first Hippy in New Milford....so with myself having left a visit in Florida in the '60's being the 'only Beard on the Beach....I figured what the Hell.....

             Tom Spargo taught me how to build...I mean really build a secure structure that would outlast us both. Starting from the ground up that corner of the house better be as close to 'right on' as a String through the eye of the Needle......which means all Levels and squares shall indicate so, other wise the Sheet rockers on the 2nd and 3rd floor are gonna come after you w Blood in their eyes....but we didn't worry since we didn't need Tom to come after us with Blood in his eyes.....it was bad enough watching him hold back that anger when things didn't quite go his way...
             We had developed a unique  partnership, both in work and play. As much as we liked to 'Party', Tom always kept the two separate, well as much as possible! A Case of Heineken was a good day. Anything more would have just put us into another place.

             I would venture to say coming from one of his saying's that I can now relate to after learning so much from him....'shit, I've forgotten more than he'll ever know'...

               ...Rest in Peace...you 'ol Hippy.....            
             

...Log Date..1967...from Pages of Poems & Prose...

                            Cry of the Love Never Lost
    
                        Hurt with the loss of Love....
                        Gone with the Breath of the Wind
                        Night will fall as Day will Break
                        Short the Feeling that lasted.....

                         She appears again,
                         with the Love deep inside
                         Brought forth to Burden Me
                         Then once again I am Revived.
                
                         She has told me of her great Love 
                         But careful am I to Believe,
                         For the next Day, she might turn
                         And once more I must Grieve.
              
                         She has done it again,
                         Hell is my Destiny.....
                         For I have None to live for
                         And again I bring Antipathy.

                         Will She come back...?
                         And grace my side once more, 
                         Only to be lost with Misgivings 
                         And Run around like a Whore?

                         I have told Myself
                                     That I will never Weep nor Cry
                         If  she leaves My side,
                         But be lost in a Bar to Die.

                         Long the Days and the Weeks
                         I Drown My Memories in Sorrow
                         To awaken to a forgotten Face,
                         Sober up, and get drunk Tomorrow.

                         Damn My Soul,
                         Cursed with Doom,
                         She has come back now when
                         My Heart is like an empty Room.

                         My Love sneaks back,
                         With hers to be Obvious....
                         I am careful now
                         For we have Love...both of Us.

                          
                         Certain things I'm made to Leave
                         But as long as she is with Me
                         I will keep My Promise.....
                         For all I want is Her Love.....

                             
                                 
                                   

......Call me Emerson......

                That's what Teddy wanted to be called, Emerson Fittipaldi...after his Formula One Driver, his Hero.  Ted had many names, from Ted...Teddy...Theodore...and one that I comically named him as 'Square Man' due to his somewhat square stature. 
But no matter what name he went by he always loved a good time, with his love of Sports and helping others out. I knew Teddy from High School, well I should say that I knew of him since he was a Freshman & I a Senior. We both grew up in the same Town, although far apart just as the four years between kept us from really knowing each other until the days at the Pub & Stage Three. We all know & remember how those were times of vague existence of good times & hard work. Actually, work was the main denominator that brought us closer together. 
         It wasn't long after his father died that Ted became the driving force in his father's business as a local contractor. He had developed some interesting clients over the years. Some his Dads, but one stood out the most that myself, Walter, Charlie & Bobby Lane & Big George,became involved with. He called him 'Frenchy,'A man that was of wealth from Sharon, who owned a resort in the Islands & a Summer home in Sharon. His hobby, believe it or not was Cars. He owned a Stock car, & raced at Limerock at certain times. Myself, as most of you know Cars is a passion of mine, so there you have it, Ted set up some work with Frenchy, & he would have us do the work needed at the time. Teddy showed  up long enough to say 'I'll be right back' and then come back for lunch, which he took care of...generous to a falt.
        He played the part well, dressed to the 'T' ....preppy style...clutching a glass of mixed Vodka, in one hand & a bag with our lunch in the other.....
        So it went with him  always the 'Hero' getting us work when we needed it, or just having a good time, as we needed it.

        Theodore, or Teddy or Ted, he was always on top of the game no matter what he always came through with that Big Grin like he had the best news ever to tell you, & for the most part he did, it was another job or an event that we all were going to go to, or the pay check he knew he must deliver on time. What ever it was Ted would come through & we all benefited in one form or another. 

         Music, of course was another love, & this month shows just how much we all come together with the news of many Deaths of famous Musicians!
         I'm going to take a part of an article I just read in the News today. .....it's titled Cultural Grief....

         Mornings of late take on a new dread.
         Wake up. Roll over. Grab you phone. Check who's trending today.Scroll down to see whose photo has circulated on Facebook since last night.
         Which of my Heroes am I Mourning today..?!
          From Glenn Frey to Natalie Cole to Lenny Kilmister to Alan Rickman, to the ever beloved David Bowie.

         Bowie being Teddy's most favorite, And now the both may have  the peace & joy together that they all deserve. 
  
         I would like to also mention that Theodore's most loved & adored close friend Mary Eisenmenger took great care to see that he had been most comfortable in all his days, along with our good friend Barbara who made sure that his Hair was with not one strand out of place, keeping him looking the best as only Emerson would have wanted it.......



         ......as the 'list' continues to grow, may you all find Peace & Happiness ...Loving one 'n other...while we enjoy this time together.....
          
         
        

......LOOKING BACK TO SEE IF SHE WAS LOOKING BACK TO SEE IF I WAS LOOKING AT HER....

              ....What makes this thing we are tied to, call TIME...
         Can we really adjust to the changes it brings us.....
         How will we move to that beat that calls us to listen,
         in our Hearts our Souls & most important our Minds.

         To think that another Year has past, in the Blink
         of an Eye...or so it seems, now that it's gone.....
         How do we involve ourselves in trying to dissect 
         the one thing we can't Control......

         We keep looking back to see if there was something.
         just one thing that may give us the satisfaction of doing
         that one thing we can't change now that the Year is Gone,
         or maybe it was in Poor Judgement & now that too is gone...

         Do we Punish  ourselves for making that mistake..?
         Or was it a Mistake or just bad timing...?
         Our inner clocks just keep ticking so that whatever we do,
         we can't turn back the Hands of time to correct it!

            
               What a long strange trip it's been....
         It goes back further than just this past year....
         To look at the years before....I have used 40 as a guiding 
         Post to bring us only to a small portion of what the Past 
         has brought us.
         
              Bringing back all those Memories of Friends we have
         lost, then confining in the ones that are still with us to try &
         understand those losses, in hopes of securing the right answer.
         Only to find out there is no 'Right' or 'Wrong' answer.....
  
               We move on from there, to think of just one of those 
         friends sets us back in time & uncertain memories....
         Such good friends they were, joyful & free, serious &without 
         hesitation make you feel that all is well, & we are just young
         without fear of the consequences...to keep moving & not
         slowing down for anyone.....
    
         I had the privilege to know many good people who became 
         great friends & that they continue to inspire me in any of the
         quests that I choose to follow, & that feeling stays with me 
         until it's my time to go with hopes that my Spirit will be 
         allowed to bring more Happiness, Joy, & Love to others....
    

               .....may you all have a most wonderful New Year, 
               and that Love & Peace follow you where ever you 
               shall go......