Tony Haynes

“A Priest And A Rabbi Have Lunch”

A chance encounter…

Prompted a Priest and a
Rabbi to have lunch one day
It was kosher & cordial as they munched away
Exchanging ideas and subjects tossed
Starting with the Inquisition
Then ending with the Holocaust

& The Church’s position regarding lawsuits against Priests

And Israel’s transition in a fragile Middle East

Rabbi and Priest
As you would guess
Both had strong convictions
But agreed it is best
If we as a people…

Have courage to forgive
Addressing
Vulnerability we could
Evolve to live & let live

Lunch brought food for spirit
Under mutual respect
Now when lunch was over – Both men reached for the check
Covered the other’s meal, a tip and then their own
Heading out in one direction…

…To show us what they’d been shown

"I Love A Blank Sheet Of Paper And A Pen"

I love a blank sheet of paper and a pen
You never know what will happen when they meet
They make magic as the pen fills words in on the sheet

The blank blankets my thoughts and point blank
I have a muse to thank
Though my penmanship is like my relationships
Kind of messy at first
I get easier to read by my second verse

Because creative is as creativity does
And being made in the Creator's image
I take my was to is and my is to what has been
I jot it down, erase it and re-write it all again
I love a blank sheet of paper and a pen

“Your Great Escape”

T o escape, one must first
E ndure capture
S uffer for a season
T hen be caught up
I n the rapture
M ay your great escape
O n this planet be adieu
N ot from death or life but from
Y ou in the way of you

“You & What Army”

You & what army, riddle me this
Or belittle the twist if you choose
Useless, nothing can harm me

& baby I can’t lose with the stuff I use

Weapons can swarm me
Haphazardly snipe
As a dastardly type is amused
The snake charmer can’t charm me…

…I can’t be rattled nor saddled with blues

A dissonant sound in my ear won’t alarm me
Renegade thoughts they too fail to hear it
Mobilize
You & your army…

…It’ll take more than that to kill my spirit

From my book "This Has Everything To Do With My Life"

“Joined, United, Stuck Together & Bound”

J oined at the hip
U nited in a Vulcan grip
S tuck together by much more than glue
T ruly this is Me & You

B ound for glory
E xpanding in our category
C omfortable with
A ll or even nothing too
U n-swayed by worst & best
S urely we are blessed
E ach moment to be found…

…Joined, United, Stuck Together & Bound

“Sadness Has Your Name On It”

My sadness has a first name
It is Y-O-U my love
Sadness has a last name
Every letter spells you too my love
Rewritten by guess who my love?
You are my sadness – you lay claim on it
Sadness has your name on it

Contradict this if you can
Oh my love, erase it
My existence was not
Planned to embrace it
And yet the life I’ve adapted to
Named my sadness after you
I would that it be known by any name
Other than yours
Named after metaphors…

…Or a sandless shore conquistadors explored
And as a reward found no shame on it
You are the sadness that pushed me overboard
So what else could I do but write your name on it?

"I Am As Beautiful As My Thoughts"

I am as beautiful as my thoughts
This is how it's supposed to be -
Reflect outward what i feel within
Act accordingly.
My thoughts make me beautiful
I think I have a pretty mind
Maybe not a super specimen
But its one that suits me fine.
A conversation is my runway
I sometimes find me going rogue
Talking myself into quiet time
When silent doubt is not in vogue.
I am as beautiful as my thoughts
And I don't need a make over
All I really have to do
Is let the love in me take over
And I'll be as thought
And as seeds of confidence sprout
I will consider my garden
Beautiful inside and out

WON Spelled Backwards Is NOW"

N ow is the time to fulfill your solemn vow
O ne day is today
W on spelled backwards is now

I t could be greater later
S till it could be better somehow

T o look at life
H ere in the present
E xcited about the right now

T o procrastinate is a sure way to lose
I mmediately forward your whole self
M ust plow
E nthused by the privilege of knowing…
.
…Won spelled backwards is now

And he said, "I'm not perfect, but I'm close." Then she pushed him over the edge, and that's when he fell and landed in the arms of perfection.

“When Dr. Love Walks Out”

Symptoms of a society
Evaporating before our
Very eyes weren’t
Enough to lure the pure in heart to
Negotiate a cure

Instead the symptomatic
Synthesized a pain too disdainful to endure

Causing the presence
Of immunity to be prescribed
More medicine of doubt
Persistent with a legacy
Left to die when Dr. Love walks out
Each symptom treated early
Tends to heal an ailing world of all
Its gloom
One hug, a smile, one
Noble thought…

…And Dr. Love is right back in the room