[Moontanman]

Pine trees

If time were a direction, down the street,
around the bend, and the further I walked the younger I would be

And I could spend an afternoon visiting the past as easy as walking to the lake

I would take the direction that leads to a long winding road at the top of a hill

Where tall pine trees sway in the breeze, where a young girl with flaming hair waits for me

Her blue eyes shine with joy, with lips as sweet as rose petals covered in honeydew

If I could again drink deeply of the innocent love that was given to me

No distance would be to far to walk; nothing could stop my feet as I walked along that time twisted street

To kiss your neck, smell your hair, feel your young heart beating next to mine, look into your eyes so blue

How many times would I make that trip to a rendezvous addictive as any drug and just as sure not to last?

How did those moments feel to you? Did your heart beat with fear or was it desire?

How often would you make the trip along that time twisted path to relive those moments of romance?

What would be the cost of each of those trips? Would you trade one day of your future for a day of the past

To kiss your sweet young lips, to see the blush between the freckles on your face would be worth any price

I am afraid I would walk that past until my future was gone, until only a ghost would walk the street

Or maybe I would only walk the twisted street once, pull you up on my motorbike and take you away

But would you give up all that has passed into this future for another unsure future roll of life’s dice

The past is gone, the future is fixed, but we still have the memories of those days under the tall pines

Michael Hissom

[Moontanman]

the Stars Beckon


Once When Men Looked At The Stars, They Saw Gods
They Prayed And Begged But The Stars Gave Them Not Even A Nod

Them Men Became Wise And Saw The Stars As Distant Suns
Trips To These Distant Lights Were Planned In Fun

Then The Earth Became Small, And Men Looked At The Sky
Those Worlds Looked Like The Answer To The Crowded Earth’s Cry

But The Wise Men Who Make The Rules, The Ones Who Decide
Said “not Yet, We Must Protect Ourselves From The Other Side.”

Weapons Of, War, That’s What We Need, More And More, With Godspeed
So They Bought And They Bought With Fear And Pride To Fuel Their Greed

So These Men, With No Thought Or Care, Borrowed From Those Yet To Be,
All The Wealth, The Coal, Oil, And Gas, Even The Last Of The Trees

When The Others Proved To Be No Longer A Threat
To Move To The Stars Looked Like A Sure Bet

But Again The Men, The Men So Sure Their Wisdom Knew No Bounds
Said, “not Yet, To Solve Our Problems, More Wealth Must Be Found.”

But Men Made More Men, And The Cry For More Room Grew Louder Still
And Our World Grew Smaller And, And The Future Was Stolen To Pay The Bill

One Day The Men In Control Saw The Wealth Had Run Out
Suddenly The Wisdom Of These Wise Men Knew The Pain Of Doubt

They Said “where Are Voices That Planned For The Stars?”
The Answer Was “ We Traded Them For More Boats, Planes, And Cars”

So The Wise Men Looked For The Riches It Would Take To Reach The Sky
But Nothing Remained, No Oil, No Trees, Not Even Birds On High

Just A Small Foul Planet, With Men To Spare
A World Pillaged, Now Filled With Dispair

Many Years Later, In The Sky, Appears A New Light
A Mighty Vessel, A Starship, Looks Down From A Height

No Longer Do The Works Of Man Dominate The Veiw
Just Clean Air, Pristine Forests, And Oceans Of Blue

When These Visitors Stride Across What Was Once Our Land
Through Moldering Cities Built At Mans Command

Our Epitaph Transcends The Barriers Of Species And Time
Screams Out From The Ruins The Story Of Our Crime

We Took No Bold Steps, We Got What Men Crave
We Provided For Everyone, From Cradel To Grave!


Michael Hissom

[Tarantism]

I love all of you for making art here.