Morning came
Another knock on the door
Off you go to your second home
You can't seem to break away

Same old walls
Same old family
Newer faces
And patience greets

The chatter slowly spreads again
Quieter and quieter each visit you make

You're the missing man
In the minds of all you know
They wait for you to break away
And live with them at home

You're the family man
Your son sits by
Lucky that he has a place
To gather him when you're there and here

On the other side we live and hear
On the other side we live and hear

I AM an imperfect man
And I like it that way
I am broken and fixed
Throughout all my days

I strive for perfection
But not everyday
My life doesn't matter
If I can't go astray

Throw on Jimenez
And give me a beer
I'm touching the earth
And denying all fear

The world is a monster
But monsters can feel
If I change all their viewpoints
Then my work is done here

Yes, I'm a man
Chemically and genetically
I have needs and thoughts
That God has given me

Leave me to be
A part of nature to see
What I can become
When my spirit is freed

The pressure increases
It's trying to kill me
You're pushing too much
The threshold is steeped

I AM an imperfect man
And no longer can deny
To be what I am
And release into life

Because when I break
You can fix
And when I am fixed
You can rest

Springtime in its youth it was. This day I can't forget.
An afternoon of glowing light, ironic at its best.
Arriving at a destined site, to speak and to perform,
My task that day, commissioned to, perform a dancer's song.

But never did I realize the strangeness of this day.
Arriving at the destined sight, all dancers in a daze.
"He's dead; he's lost," said tearful cries.
The echoed moans did reach.

My ears to tears, away from songs,
My springtime glow deceived,
And brought to mind a sudden thirst,
A query to relieve.

Questioning, inquiring,
The answer I must know,
"What soul has springtime found this day,
To bring into its glow?"

"It's he," they moaned, "the one you've known,
A brother in your home.
He's left us by his hand we fear.
The reason yet unknown."

And in the distance, I then heard,
"Your show you must perform."
I quickly gathered sentiment,
And heeded these strong words.

Raced back to find the destined site,
Prepared now to perform.
When song arose into the air,
The dancer's dance took form.

No longer like a dance I'd known,
Much darker and malformed.
The contrast of the dance and glow,
Brought twilight to this world,

And woke my mind to find the soul,
Now joined with springtime glow.
My query, surely it was heard,
For soon after the show,

The voices crying said to me,
"Your brother is no more!
Found was he this afternoon,
Some feet above the floor.

This fear we speak is true you see,
To true eyes it was shown.
Your brother has now left us,
With the springtime glow this morn'."

Are you tapping on my window sill
Curious of what's within
Do you want it opened to the world
Or a secret private joy

Can you fathom
What your eyes will find
Do you resist your impulse
To not steal, what is not given

How near to the window
Can you approach
Before all you want
Is what's within

And when the door opens
Do you dare venture in
Unsure of what you'll become
If you can't get yourself to leave...

These recent days
Alive with change
My spirit awakens from slumber

The phoenix death
From ashes creates
A rebirth born of thunder

In winter's spring
My strength renews
A newborn filled with wonder

And all about
Will surge the change
To brother, friend and lover

There was this young lady
Whose sweetness and beauty were known
By woman, man, and child
From shore to shore

Her parents were proud
Yet humble they remained
They, wise and so loving
A sweet lady they raised

But she had a small secret
That most could not see
A secret she would share
With only her young apple tree

She longed to find someone
With whom to share all her love
Always anticipating
When the next suitor would come

The apple tree would comfort her
And with his shade he'd protect
Her soft skin and long curls
So the sun they would not burn

He adored her and so loved her
With the deepest of all love
And often wished that he
Could be the suitor she would love

But still content he remained
And so grateful he would feel
For whatever time she'd spend with him
Whatever seconds he could steal

Day after day
He would hope for a glimpse
Of her beautiful smile
Or that with him she would sit

But her visits were few
And she would quickly leave
When she'd here the phone ringing
A new suitor to meet

The tree would moan deeply
But he would never let her see
The sadness deep inside of him
Every time she would leave

But as before, she would return
Broken and blue,
Disappointed again
At another suitor who had proven untrue

He would listen to her sadness
As she cried woefully,
"How many more suitors,
Must my poor heart endure?"

With her he would mourn
But deep down inside
He was grateful to be with her
Even when she would cry

The tree would whisper a cool breeze
And its branch gently outstretch
A sweet apple he would give her
To allay her bitterness

But again she could not see
The love of her tree
'Cause when the phone would ring
She would then quickly flee

There on the floor
The apple he gave
Discarded and uneaten
Like other times before

"Oh, God!" he would cry,
"How much more shall we take?
My love for her kills me,
And in her sadness she'll break."

But the time still passed on
This time her absence was long
And the tree now was aching
"Where had she gone?"

With a suitor he feared
Perhaps, this the one
That would bring her the happiness
For which she so longed

Day after day
His branches outstretched
Hoping to see her
Hoping with him she would sit

But the days slowly passed
And he neither drank nor ate
Her presence was the nourishment
That gave him all his strength

His apples now fell
And his branches were withered
He made one last stretch
And hoped he would see her

There was one last moan
Throughout the town it was heard
As he cried out to her
With the last breath he owned

But on her deaf ears it fell
For she did not hear
The words "How I loved you"
That were so sincere

Now a new sun had risen
And the girl had returned
Again sad and broken
And looking to heal

Found her way to the apple tree
And cried in disbelief
"My poor broken friend"
Your shade I now need

And then deepest heartache
The greatest tears ever wept
Consumed her whole being
A feeling she did not expect

"My poor tree, it is you
Whom I've loved all along.
How could I've not seen it?
Only now that you've gone"

Her sadness was deeper
Than any she'd known
Her parents consoling
But her tears would not slow

Day after day
Her tears they did flow
Not eating or drinking
For his love fed her soul

Now weakened and exhausted
One last prayer she did speak
"Oh, God, why was he not
The suitor for me to keep?"


And she cried herself to sleep
As a great storm began to reap
All the broken trees and bushes
That the land would not keep

Washed clean were all the houses
And the air now crisp and clean
The sunshine bearing down on earth
On this first day of spring

The light of day peered
Into the dark room
Which slowly awakened
A frail, sobbing girl

She caught the scent of apples
And decided to once more
Look upon her broken love
But noticed something more

No longer was there
A broken, withered tree
But a young man sleeping
Where her tree once used to be

She cried, "Oh, God!"
Could this truly be?"
As she ran out of the house
As quickly as she could flee

And where once stood the apple tree
A young man she did see
Standing right in front of her
Both now in disbelief

"Is it true?
Is it you?
My beloved
Apple tree"

But overjoyed
He could not speak
So only gently
Did he outstretch

An apple in hand
To give to her
As the words, "How I do love you",
Reached her ears

From the lips of the boy
Who once was
Her beloved apple tree

America's Colors?
-J.J. Morales

The blue kills the red
The red kills the white
The white kills the black
But life's still not right

The black kills the white
The white kills the yellow
The yellow kills the blue
But there's no gas for you

The red kills the brown
The brown kills the blue
Has anyone seen
All the smoke screens around you

The Politics hide
When the immigrants march
Waiting to see
Where their color will lie

So they wait for all colors
To destroy and divide
One another after another
While their color still hides

Their color is green
And they'll remain unseen
Until all other colors
Begin to secede

"Let the ignorant slit
One another's throats
Pit one against the other"
The Politic gloats

*This poem is dedicated to my family-what remains for me at the end of the day.


The Vital Root (For my family about my family)
by J.J. Morales

Like mother earth you comfort us
nourish and support
A sanctuary in this world
our land of love and hope
Miles of red earth and rich green fields
therein the vital root
Of all of those who've come before
and the seeds who've yet to bloom

A cradle in this fragile life
our unity creates
It guards our strength and innocence
these branches we outstretch
Firmly rooted, please remain
whatever soil there is
For when I've lost my way, my riches, and sometimes God
from your root I can be born again.