rainbow family of light

national gathering

pennsylvania 1998

the mountain formed a view

i already knew

the smoke from many camps

consumed the wind

and the flags of many colors

communed the valley

my brothers and sisters

welcomed me home

back to the woods of my soul

back to the divine of the kind

back to a love i seldom find

back to the family of the rainbow tribes

to share in all we brought and all we do

no bowl goes empty and our wants are few

to be free to be here we believe

cause here is freedom you see

we gather in the forest

our church on earth

every july fourth

where we give birth to prayer

and verse to bless and honor

mother earth

here in the forest i formed a view

i already knew

as the flames of the fires

my sisters danced

as the rumble through the mountains

my brothers drummed

as the moon sparkled in my eyes

my spirit soared

i knew a wisdom will come

to heal the earth

and the wisdom will come

on the thunder

of drums

_________________

winter was still deep

in my heart when my eyes filled

with the full moon of june

and i knew soon i must gather together

the tribe and ride east

after the ritual and feast of the solstice

the mad rush to leave as early as

must work on the bus

must see who's going with us

must gather the cash for gas

and the never ending thing of what

to bring

may take two days may take two weeks

just to be able to go is a tease so sweet

to be on the highway beat

the hymn of the hum late night

when no one can sleep

the closer we get to being there

the more our troubles fade into the air

and the journey doesn't end

till we're home again

_________________________________

rainbow family of light

national gathering

montana 1999

the wind swept the coals

till they shone gold

then the fire

broke free

i

broke free

completely

and entered the forest

of my brothers and sisters

spirituality

i humbly come

to provide

and search and hide

amongst the tribes

i humbly come

to share in the grace

of our sacred place

i humbly come

to drink from

the divine chalice

of kindness

i humbly come

because all are

welcome

i humbly come

with all i can

and as many as i can

i am one

amongst thousands

_________________

at the gathering

in dead wood's bright flame

high on a mountain in montana

cold as hell on a summer's night

huddled around the fire

shuttling the chalice and

smoking the kind

the silence as the rain starts falling

hard and getting drenched are we

to look up and see the stars

of a cloudless sky

magnified

the rainbow i saw

yesterday after the storm

to be shown to be chosen

to see believe me

is all the belief

i will ever need

and from my heart

i will shape my art

for all to see

what appears to be

a view clear through

reality

_________________________________

reggae sunsplash

saint joseph, michigan

7/17/05

i see my smile

grow with the riddems

of the joint chiefs

the bass thump walks

my cup across the table

her voice quickly melts

the ice in my glass

and the rip of the riffs

shatters the boredom

in jah's kingdom

i relive my worst

nightmare and sweetest

dream here in the dread

and high in the glee

and sigh of the rastafari

my mind is reminded

of the strength of our

struggle the unity of our

love the joyfull celebration

and soulfull creation

of brother and sister

a tiny natty nation

at the amtrack station

saint joseph michigan

a splash of sun for as long

as we remember

_________________________________

magnoliafest midwest

bean blossom, indiana

7/22-7/24 2005

the adventure the seed

road trippy hippy

my thought blooms

in bean blossoms

and the heart and soul

of bill "by god' monroe

don'tcha know he's dead now

singing through the lonesome

sound of every breakdown

every solo every halo of those

who dedicate their lives

to the banjo bass fiddle

mandolin and guitar

you won't get rich and

ya won't get far filled

with song filled with love

reaching for the stars

in a sip of moonshine

your eyes met mine high

on bluegrass "you have

no shadow" she said.

"full moon madness" i reply.

it was hot enough today to

melt the shade hot enough

to poach an egg might be

too hot tomorrow to bale

hay unheard of till this

heat wave

funny i should think of our

nudity in this humidity

"lets moonbathe" i say

just like a woman she looks

at me and says "not yet.

this ain't no pagan fest."

the rooster crows at

midnight so i says "i'm in

a grateful dead cover band."

she said "we all are" and

went to bed just my luck

i woke up this morning

trying to remember her name

there's pickin' in my head

and the music said "i'm a

human bean in bean blossom"

then my toe starts tappin'

my head starts noddin'

and the sound turns to grass

bluegrass at a brown county

jamboree bluegrass

and i am sod

_________________________________

widespread panic

noblesville, indiana

7/27/05

googoo balls

and i'm dancin' inside

my spirit soars

wingspread deadahead

widespread panic

a picnic of peace

complete without words

without need with family

you greet me greatly lacy

i feel the love of your hug

that i now crave everyday

my want to be touched

with your touch of want

i yearn you

and i am grateful

as i climb the clouds

back down to the ground

_________________________________

blues night open mic

mid-city grill

fort wayne, indiana

8/1/05

as i learn

to braid the blues

the physical the sexual

the spiritual i yearn

for you too

this energy this esctasy

like a song like a worth

where do the roots end

where do the heavens

begin within without

you in my heart

as i learn i yearn

for you too

my heart an open mic

with the blues feel me

feel you with the blues

taste me taste you

with the blues

let me earn you

with lust with touch

let me

rid these blues

_________________________________

grass roots music festival

the waterbowl, muncie in

8/12-13/05

the place sounds like

bong water the waterbowl

muncie indiana grass roots

dig it celebrate the rocks

lay back and open joy

the laugh of a big belly

the sigh of a lover's return

a game of flame and moth

the toss i lost and fell

into the evening sky i've

got the nightwatch and i

remember the cicada at dusk

the sound tasted and taught

the shape of my thoughts

my must of my wonderlust

where will i walk tonight

to what star will i fly

how far will i fall

only my fear dies

it dawns on me and i smile

a day many miles high

thunderclouds full of faces

a race of wind and people

a rainbow our steeple

my church my mother earth

the taller i grow the deeper

i go fare thee well grass roots

for another year for another show

_________________________________

burning spear

bloomington, indiana

9/16/05

south on indiana state road 37

bloomtown bound and all the birds

not at rest are flying west

i stopped to pick up a hitchhiking

buzzard cause i knew he would

of done the same for me

the buzzard said brother

have you heard the news

there's an army of buddhas

and recuitment is up

yes i said i read where thee thee

the the signed up, none the wiser

enlisted, crazy cloud said his

vows out loud, dumb luck

showed up and the spirit of the

flock grew as the buzzard knew too

there were more than a few who

are needed to teach christains

not to kill there are more than

a few who are needed to seperate

church from hate we all know

the united states ain't hated

for its freedom america is hated

for its greed and if you need

for me to say this then i'm

reporting for duty

brother buzzard had dreads

and said we are all an army

of one one love in the sum

of all worth peace on earth

i said ya know, there's a little

buddha in every head

_________________________________

lotus world music festival

bloomington, indiana

9/22-9/25 2005

last night not quite

in a flash of light

i was knighted

call me sir iflopalot

i face a little bit different

way in a little bit different

time with a little bit different

need we are all a little bit bit

an insanity in all my humanity

a gypsy flair in my thinning hair

a thread of what seams to be

reality a dream come true

little boy blue at the runcible

spoon lotus time in bloomtown

and the question in my coffee

cup is what do you do when

the spirit stirs you lotus time

and we are all one blossom

flower power as my life

becomes all my life

_________________________________

the grateful groove band

bloomington, indiana

11/11/05

state of indiana state of grace

i like the pace of this place no race

never too late sacred space

its easy to be bored its easier

to be distracted early afternoon

southbound turnaround

i'm driving upsidedown

and the truckers are rolling

left handed thunder i too crave

a smoke and feel the road

like a lover i find the flow

and feel the groove and i am

very grateful for you up ahead

deadahead dedicated and medicated

the grateful groove in bloomtown

the trees are barely bare yet the leaves

bring me luck and the question in my

coffee cup is do you give the gifts

the spirit gives you to return

in kind to return in time 1 a.m.

and i feel the road again the wheel

the hymn of the hum the sum

of my thoughts i've been looking

for years for something real

it ain't in my head it ain't between

my legs its in my heart pure and true

my love is real i see this now

now i see this in you