at the furthest
                        reach from me,

somewhere on the other side
                        of these lucid hills,

a box of sun has been
                        opened,

cut into manageable
                        pieces,

and given to all the young
                        dreaming denizens,

to blow with all
                         they have

inside their strong little
                         lungs--
                               ­     up,
                                          up,
                                                upward
into the sky,

circulating light
                          until it dawns as us all.

Build your castles in the air
Lock in the magic keep it there
In your fortress of tales untold
City streets are paved with gold
Girls with green hair, mermaid struck
Are bound to bless your day with luck
The man with briefcase on the bus
Hides wings of golden angel dust
Enjoy the conversations heard
The variations of the word
The power of the spoken truth
The reckless in the throes of youth
Living in your imagination
Life becomes your own creation
Let not the doom and gloom abound
Sorrow be lost, joy be found
Listen to the sweetest songs
Let your truth right all the wrongs
It’s not real others may say
Life’s yours to own; live it your way
When the darkest shadows come
Turn them into bright sun beams
Safe in the castles of your dreams

I go unwilling and unarmed
Recruited by age I lay me down
The medals gleaming on my coat
Mean nothing now, my vessel weak
Hard for my ship to stay afloat
The ocean once sparkling blue
A dingy grey of lowering clouds
Dark and foreboding as a storm
I recall standing proudly on the prow
My crew would not know me now
There are things to accept, things to learn
Time to know my place, take the stern
My orders once barked in strident tone
Now a whisper, not my own
My ship becalmed, canons disarmed
Her flag that once flew with pride
Is still, no wind can stir her, colours bled
I salute and a gust raises her high,
A blood red pennant in a star filled sky
I am not afraid to die