The pen is mightier than the sword, but the computer can pass beyond the borders of nations and conquer the world.

Death Of A Virgin
I was in a queezy state all day
The clock was ticking in a digital way
The minutes crawled through swamp filled hours
While the seconds stung like sleeting showers

Eating supper seemed to make it worse
But I needed strength to overcome the curse
The one that's always held me back
Fear whispered of the confidence I lack

The time drew near, my hand reached the door
My feet stepped in on to the hallowed floor
My eyes explored the atmosphere
My ears listened for sounds I came to hear

I knew this time I would not back down
These imprisoned words would release their sound
As those before me with unchained hearts
Exposed their passion beyond naked parts

Would I look as smooth or sound as cool
As the dark knights whose lessons teach this school?
If I pass the test am I let in?
Now the time has come, let the rhymes begin

A virgin poet took to the stage
Reading words into climactic verbal rage
Who cares if I failed or made the grade?
The poem's been read, I'm finally laid!


Copyright JFJ 02/25/2003
poetryman@seeds-and-weeds.com

After my 1st Poetry Reading 2/25/03:

This poem is in my new book, Seeds And Weeds, which is available at
www.seeds-and-weeds.com through Booksurge Publishing at Amazon.com.

Seeds And Weeds is a philosophically expressive compilation of poetry and prose, offering progressive views on politics, peace, nature, fate, faith, family, friendship, introspection, and poetry itself.

"Seeds and Weeds" is more than simply a collection of verse with splashes of imagery. This book challenges the mind and heart to find a better way through observations and feelings on the rise and fall of character, creatively expressed in rhyme and reason.

3 Seeds
Young ones look up to us with learning eyes each day as they grow
Teach your children how to feel and everything that you know
About love and self-esteem and what you reap you sow
Parents who express no love raise their children down so low

Once planted in a heart, the seeds of hatred sprout then grow
Pride injects a high, like drugs, through veins where it can flow
To desire more, then crash from withdrawal addicts come to know
Three seeds of prejudice raise your spirit down so low

From the depths once descended exploring new levels to exceed
Is there nowhere inside their souls unconsumed by material need?
Hypocrites utter deception, telling half-truths designed to mislead
Said so many times even they believe in the lies that plant the seed

Corporate owners seem to have forgotten the slaves were freed
Robbing retirement funds to stuff their overwhelming greed
Keeping down the poor to maintain their status as the richest breed
Who refuse to admit the pecuniary progress they impede

Zealots point fingers and label "immoral", hearts that bleed
And proclaim God as a charter member of their creed
They hunger for power over fearful faithful they can lead
With a grip on their flock that strangles credence like a weed

Cowled cowards twisting scripture till they feel sanctified
Planting the tree grown for the cross, burned to become purified
But there's another fire eager to see how far down they can slide
Where the fallen one would rise to lead them to unholy deicide

Seduced by fear, bathed in greed and gorged the flesh with pride
Will they embrace all three until they've cast their souls aside?
Will God look back at the end of man and see the hate of genocide?
The first thing God did not create, the only thing that never died

The rainbow in their love filled lives kept them on the outside
Don't ask, don't tell the truth, there are rules to abide
Homophobia in fox holes is not morally justified
Love feels no conflicting virtues that ever could collide

Weak hearts are overcome when they feel a darkness drawing near
Listening to the movement beating war drums within each ear
Quiet those thoughts and open the mind to a silence all can hear
Look inside the heart for the courage to quell this secret fear

Eyes held closed to painful sights shed not a single tear
When they open up their eyes the truth becomes so clear
Mesmerized by powerphiles like headlights to a deer
In darkness till they will admit every human is their peer

Search within thick forests for three seeds that grew three shady trees
Knock on their wood to hear three names carried on the breeze
Hear the quiver of terror, glory and desire shaking the greener leaves
See spring saplings and perceive the grand design that hatred weaves

Time marches ever onward forming new circles in the wood
Branching out lines surrounding rings where only one once stood
Lines drawn in circles that separate where colors never could
While one more family tree draws cryptic bloodlines in the hood

The high and mighty tree grows taller with each passing year
The weight of its own branches make it hard to persevere
Until its hollow trunk caves in making way for freedoms true frontier
The first steps toward the promised land must begin right here



Copyright © JFJ 05/12/2003
JJ Johnson
poetryman@seeds-and-weeds.com

This poem is available in my new book, Seeds And Weeds.

Seeds And Weeds is a philosophically expressive compilation of poetry and prose, offering progressive views on politics, peace, nature, fate, faith, family, friendship, introspection, and poetry itself.

"Seeds and Weeds" is more than simply a collection of verse with splashes of imagery. This book challenges the mind and heart to find a better way through observations and feelings on the rise and fall of character, creatively expressed in rhyme and reason.

Do you know of someone who has allowed pride to grow into a colossal weed and strangle those who will not bow down before his regime? Will we silently witness the simultaneous strangulation of Humanity and Mother Nature at the hands of the foulest fertilizer in the world?

It's time to weed the garden!

Peace

Seeds And Weeds is available on Amazon.com or
www.seeds-and-weeds.com where you can read excerpts and find related links.
ISBN number 1-4196-3309-0

Ro-Ro Rows Her Boat
Ro-Ro rows her boat gently down uncharted streams
She can travel anywhere she wants, but only in her dreams
There she can decide where her boat oars will move her
Sailing to her happy home and a family that loves her

Circling in unknown, turbulant cold waters
Changing direction, guided by those deciding hers
Controlled by unseen hands steering her to and fro
Taking her to places that she doesn't want to go

The mystery of life she will never understand
I reach out to her but never know if she'll take my hand
I want to pull her from that boat and walk beyond the shore
Where love is real and she won't need to dream it anymore


Copyright JFJ 07/06/2001
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

Knot In The Loop
No I am not now nor will I ever be
Within the circle under the cliquing tree
Mirrors reflect the asses being kissed
By the ass kissers on everyones list
Who aspire to be elected to an imaginary office
Who vote in praise of an all too real orifice

I find it all so distasteful, so full of it
Instead of a kiss, I'd rather get bit
When I offer up my thoughts of critique and of praise
As in my poems those thoughts express my feelings in a phrase
To cast my vote, join the party and tow the line
Would tie the knot around my neck to be a part of that grapevine


Copyright JFJ 10/26/2002
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

Within Me, Beyond Me
Questions, haunting your mind, crushing your bleeding heart
Answers, from nowhere you can hear, tearing at your hallowed soul
Teachings never taught and lessons left for someone else to impart
Where all you ever needed to rise up out of your unholy hole

You are beyond understanding why you are fourty and alone
But the confidence missing from your soul is a dark beacon to all
A shadow escaping from you leads to a light you'll never be shown
Warning of the destiny into which you have no choice but to fall

You feel like God has you under his thumb, forcing you to sin
Searching forever for answers writing poems you cannot sing
You won't find what's missing because it's never been within
You fail before you even begin because self-esteem is everything



Copyright © 07/18/2003 JFJ
JJ Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

Blind To The Me Others See
Now I've lost the fabric of my dreams
It's drifted away through the unsown seams
Why can't I envision anymore
Whatever it was I'm still looking for?

And though my friends might never have guessed
I've done so much that needs to be confessed
I'm blind to the me that others see
Unworthy of the trust thrust upon me

And trapped within the endless phony seams
The essence of my art and of my dreams
Would I be better off without them
To be without a single apothegm?


Copyright JFJ 07/04/1987
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

The First Snow - Fall
It happened while I slept last night
I awoke to snow layered on the dying red leaves
The first fall in Fall made the colors turn white
Cold air surrounds me unlike the blanket snow weaves

I took a hot shower this morn
Relaxing stiff muscles that ache from stillness in cold
With no one the share warmth this life is forlorn
As fate waits to judge me for the soul that I sold

Then walking to work while it fell
I heard the crunching beneath each step that I took
While a cutting Northwind feels colder than Hell
I see you face in the snow everywhere I look



Copyright © 10/23/2002 Joseph F Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

Halloween Knight
This Halloween I fear the coming of your light
By day I am filled with a darkness black as night
His shadow clouds my eyes to see your face no more
For I'll never be your Knight in shining armor

When all the Saints arrived my deamons lurked within
With their number marching, did Valentine sneak in?
Is he a myth like the archer angel Cupid?
Tempting Amour; How could I have been so stupid?

For this Queen, the battle was never mine to fight
Like the Quasi fool, I'm dubbed All Hallow's Eve Knight
Seeking sweetness behind each good door where I knock
Only to be handed grief as hard as a rock

You celebrate the anniversery of life
While a wish is made to bring me a deadly knife
Carving the pumpkin and removing all its seeds
Unlike Jack's hollowed head, my empty heart still bleeds


Copyright © 10/12/2002 Joseph F Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

A Shadow By The Lake
It's that day again, that forever afternoon
I'd forgotten all about it like two years ago
But yesterday someone reminded me too soon
And I think the book store is a better place to go

No one will notice if I'm in my spot or not
I'm sure you won't go to see if I show my face
And with my luck, just like the love I never got
I'm sure someone else will be there to take my place

There's no reason to go, not even old times sake
Tuesday night will never be a walk in the park
If only I could find a shadow by the lake
If not for all the lights I could hide in the dark

My heart knows all too well the sparks that made it blind
Of loves never fostered and friendships that erode
Reflections from the lake will invade my lost mind
With every burst of rockets glare my heart will explode



Copyright © 08/06/2002 Joseph F Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

The Long Road Home
Last week I rode by a house
I'd swear I saw you come out the door
Was it you? Was it my imagination?
Did I just see someone who looked like you?
It can't be that, there is no one who looks like you
You are an angel, you are perfect
My eyes know when they rest upon a vision of perfection
Did you move? I know you didn't live there before
But the cars in the driveway are a dead give away
I suppose it could be a coincidence
I suppose some other beautiful goddess could live there
With two cars that are the same kind as yours
What are the odds of that?
And doesn't it just fit the scene I knew you would be in?
The perfect little home
On the street I ride down from work to the bank
But I hope it wasn't you
I hope it's not your house
I can't stand to see such beauty
I can't bare to look into your eyes ever again
I still love you with all my heart
It's not my house you share
Not my bed room you yearn to be in
Not my life you want to be a part of
Not my heart you want to love you
So now I must find a new road to ride down
Though it's the only one that goes straight there
I will have to ride all the way around town
Peddle back up hill again
Me not being in the best of shape
Esspecially since I haven't taken your aerobics class
In well over a year now
It isn't going to be an easy trip
A part of me wants to keep going that way anyway
Hoping you will see me
Maybe looking out the window
But I'll be going by too fast for you
To come out and say hello
I will make sure I'm going too fast....
Then again, I think it would be better
To go the long way around
What if you are already there
Outside on the lawn
Where I won't be able to hide from you?
god, I love you
I wish I didn't
I wish I could forget you
But then I was the one
Who said wishes don't come true
If they did, that would be our house
I saw you run back into
Did you see me coming?
Were you hiding from me?
You don't need to hide
From someone who turned his back on you
Someone who is hiding from the truth



Copyright © 07/26/2002 Joseph F Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

I Wish It Was Me
A year ago seems like eternity
Was Paris the ticket he purchased your heart with?
Did you take the flight because it was free?
Or did you pay with something that you should only give?

I wonder if it was a critical time
I wonder if I had a ticket to paradise
If we'd be watching the Lakers win again tonight
But their victory brings forth a greater loss in my heart

I can't watch a game without thinking of you
I can't go past your old house or apartment anymore
You're not there but your presence is felt
Everywhere we have been burns my heart when I'm there

I can't ever go back to our gym for aerobics
In fact any aerobics makes me remember when I cared about you
I despise my heart for giving in when it couldn't put out
I hate myself for allowing these feelings to overwhelm me

Count down from 10 and make a wish
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
I wish it was me
Damn! It didn't work again



Copyright © 06/09/2002 Joseph F Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

Valentine's Day Piercing
I wish I could say
That it is just an ordinary day
So I wouldn't have to hurt
So I wouldn't have to feel this way

I wish I could die
Or forget how to feel and how to cry
Cupid's pierced my heart again
Forced me to fall for another friend

I don't want to know
How golden and fun your new currents flow
I don't want to meet the lucky one
Who has stolen my wishes and won

Won your heart instead
He makes me wish I'm already dead
But all my wishes were swept away
My pierced heart bleeds this Valentine's Day




Copyright © 02/08/2002 Joseph F Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

VegetarianSpam
You send me forwards in e-mail
Forwards begging me to fail
For I won't send them to my friends
They'll meet only with recycled ends

Making wishes is a waste of time
Even ten seconds would be a crime
But since I know it won't come true
Is it a crime to wish what I wished with you?

So next time you decide to send wishes my way
Consider what I wish for each and every day
Don't bother forwarding anymore to me
I know they don't come true, 'cos you're not here with me



Copyright © 11/09/2001 Joseph F Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

Seasons Fall
Each night underneath the moon
Imagining your hand holding mine
Every sublime summer afternoon
Walking together in the sunshine

I want to see the color of your skies
After a breeze makes the clouds depart
Skies I see in your wide blue open eyes
Reflected back from within your heart

The flame within the orange orb
This candle waits for the birthday cake
Burning brighter than fireworks in the Park
On Tuesdays hot summer night by the lake

The hollow headed monster rides once more
Headless maybe, but not nearly a heartless soul
The Halloween Knight torched the sleeping lore
To write of love burried deep in his firey hole

Every cold, rainy morning
I want to hold you and entwine
This Ogre's dream you are adorning
Wrapped tightly together, we combine

In a Winter night's snowfall
The snow reflects the ambiant light
Listen, You can hear them fall
The beats of my heart, in the quiet night

Each innocent thought I think of you
Betrays me and I want your raw desire
Every time you speak I see your lips
And taste my lonely heart's raging fire

I've been looking back into the past
To find the love hidden forever after
Been listening for whispers at speeds too fast
To hear you cry the sound of passions laughter

I can't write words with passion enough
To express feelings moving within my heart
Surging with softness pretending to be tough
All the while knowing it's time for us to part

Copyright © 10/31/2002 JFJ
JJ Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

I Saw Your Smile Today
Today I saw your figure through the glass

I saw your eyes when you turned to see who was there

I saw your smile and could not keep mine from peaking

From behind the frown I have worn since the last time I saw

Your figure, your eyes, your smile.

Through the glass, I saw you today


Copyright © 10/14/2003 JFJ
JJ Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

Does She Think Of Me?
I wonder does she think of me,
Does she ever ask herself what became of me?
Is there never a time when I cross her mind?
When I've put forth my heart with love so totally blind
I cannot shake her face from in front of all before my eyes
I would sell my soul to replace this awful truth with the clarity of lies
Does she recall when I was less a fool pretending to be a friend
While my heart lied to hide the feelings it constantly bled?
Now I am alone, more alone than I had ever known
anyone could ever be, could ever feel completely unfree
I'm sitting here in silence wondering, does she think of me?


Copyright © 10/14/2003 JFJ
Joseph Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

The Great Unknown
Some people reach inside themselves
To learn the great unknown
Still others crawl inside their shells
Not wishing to be shown

I want to turn my insides out
And solve the riddle soon
I wish to know what life's about
Before I reach my tomb

A lifetime is so short
And so what of our souls?
Do we stand before God in court
Facing a fate foretold?

Existence hangs upon a thread
Which dangles endlessly
So what will happen when I'm dead
If I don't hold the key?

It Won't be long until he's here
I have no time to waste
Will I accept Christ as Savior
Before by God I'm faced?



Copyright © 12/24/1982 JFJ
JJ Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

A Question Of Faith
I'm a man constantly in search of an answer
And the question is one I'm not even sure can be asked
At least not by those who cling to life as their eternal dream
And I wonder, am I worthy of the answer while living the dream?

To know the answer would leave my soul defenseless
And so would being trapped in the shadow of doubt
The paradox within my soul is a question of faith
But for the sins I've embraced, I question my fate

It may be true that more than one truth exists
And that each and every person sees their own
But after this life on Earth is over and done
Is that still true, or is there only one?



Copyright © 02/22/1985 JFJ
JJ Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

Have You Heard?
I believe my favorite word is Faith
No other thing have I sought every day of my life
It continues to elude me
I want to find it, to embrace it

I've prayed for Faith but I know not to whom
No one has ever answered me, still I try to be heard
Sometimes outloud when I'm alone
Now and then in a crowd quietly

Will I ever learn the words true meaning?
In all my life I have never had Faith in anyone
Not in myself, not in Jesus
Not in the prayers I've prayed to him

No other word crosses my thoughts more often
Not even love has filled my soul with so much desire
Desire to know, to know Faith
But to know it, is not Faith at all


Copyright © 06/06/1999 JFJ
JJ Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com

TOUCH
God please touch the world and heal it with your love
If I was you it's what I would do
Touch every child sick with a cold
Touch every young one born with defects
A nasty word to say they are less than the rest
Touch children born without love in their lives
Born without food and without hope
Touch them because I can't heal them
To lay your hands on all that is broken
All that is not pure in those too young to be impure
If I was you it's what I would do
Touch little Ro-Ro and make Autism vanish from the world
Touch all the boys and girls who cannot hear your voice
Who cannot see your light or understand your words
And even those who can, simply because they are innocent
Because they are simple and because they are yours
Heal every broken bone and every broken heart
Because someday they will be like me
Someday they will have given up
Given up hope, if they ever had any
Given up on love knowing it will never come
If I could heal them I would give up my life
If I was you it's what I would do


Copyright © 05/27/2002 JFJ
JJ Johnson
wz0zzz@yahoo.com