Shared Strength

A life is a vessel Like the ships that enter safe harbor A unique personality each their own Fiction more interesting than fact For small boys on the shore We throw rocks Same shores as we always have Splash, in all our silly games Killing time with no winner Cold hands on cold rocks We know the facts Those trivial facts of life This harbor is our birth right And in death shall be the same The shores have gravity We talk a lot Stick ball in the big leagues Adventures over warm seas Take away the winter chill As we dare believe The horn blows Quitting time for the laborer A fleeting joy for those few souls Who used to be called shore boys Who we just call Dad   The smell is ripe We hate the pungent odor They say a scent of money Success brings a family pay For a fortunate few We wander home The row houses lined straight Until we each reach our own And soon I walk all alone Holes in my shoes It smells the same But the house feels different Head down and eating slow Not a word is spok...

The day drifts steadily to night A valley of sun drenched grass A large sun dial of daily fight To stand and see it come to pass  The crickets serenade the dew And a finch sings favorite song A welcoming sounds for a few After quiet night sans a throng A grove of trees standing guard As the sun reaches over mid day The quiet sentinels of this yard The palace of respite and shade The frogs croak their farewell As the sky turns an amber hue The owl hoots and all is well For the life before day anew A lonely valley I might say Had not seen magic wonder Of things of home and play For those we not oft ponder Nicholas Campos - November 2024

I cry to the winds of change  Asking for gentle relief To ebb the flowing tide To change the river's course   I cry to the winds of change Gratitude for good fortune To fly without wings And live above the rains   When the winds flow in favor I feel heard and with you When the winds turn wrong Abandoned and alone I walk   In my wisdom I am sure A proper course evermore That I a God for just a day Could proper justice place I cry to the winds of change Just a moment to be heard In silence they did yield A world completely still I shared my facts and figures A quest of right and wrong Change course I implore My routes a truer way The breeze blew gently by Resting passions tongue Ruffling a branch nearby A falling leaf in open hand Then came gentle whisper I have crossed the seas And moved the clouds To make my way to you I have known you all along Spinning freely as a child Throwing leaves in the air No matter the way they go The moment new eyes met I touched her flowi...

There is a devil that lives inside me A devil that only I can see It haunts my thoughts reminding me Of what I can't seem to be I hide, I run and I work the best course Knowing not its source I blame my parents, friends and choices Anything to quiet noises I run rather afar then grow bored still Unable to find the will Trying to plod along like so many before Comes as such a chore I fight back, work and find success anew Satisfying all but you To give up and float often seems rather nice A grave danger in that vice So I carefully plod along in secrets light In this life's eternal fight Hiding in plain sight is what I must do From all but just a few Until I find the true success ever more And earn a rest in store In time I see the world as it really truly is And finally get to the gist That nobody gets to walk this life alone With no devil known As peace begins to fill my battered soul I drink far past full I feel fat, happy, warm and without worry In life's not final story ...

Oh the trails of big misery They pull me ever forward Purple wildflower meadows Blankets of boggy grasslands Rocks, logs and glacial creeks Rising firs and pines touch sky Birds and squirrels interplay Passing through morning's dew  The trail an ever steady incline   Brings about a scene change I look around at trees top Amongst them in the sky blue Whats taken them years to know I have now found in a few hours Canopy below the rocks emerge Red, void, open like a planet new  Exposed left, right and center Once blanketed by snow and ice Then by howling wind and rain  Now exposed and sun drenched The extremes are not inviting Except the hawk soaring above Boots feel heavy pack tight too I look back and see the world Forward all I can see is you Snowy white and truly massive A step from jagged rock to ice The glacier a blank canvas anew So white that it illuminates all Over ground not seen by man  The ice is hard with modest slope Crackling softly under heavy ...

The small boy grows innocent and free He roams without need for property Life is an adventure with bags packed Only for that which fits in an old sack Battles waged and deserts explored Tropical jungles and nations implored Indian wars and robbers on the train Secret agents and sports highest fame The boy hasn't much, that is understood Only a day dream in a neighborhood The parents see the dirt and the grime Dirty face and fingernails all the time  What will come of the boy they say Certain to fall behind along the way For school brings no joy or amusement Just a cage with walls of confinement For some to learn is to physically do To touch, feel, try and fail until true No heed given to failure's insecurity To dream again of a new opportunity The world is hard on a dreaming soul To conform would be best he is oft told His dreams fade under obedience praises To keep up with Jones' and enter rat races Responsibility weighs heavy on a mind Through fights with self to avoid a ...

On the trail of life there are no u-turns It neither speeds up nor slows down It simply plods along in the mundane Until moments of joy and sorrow come And awaken it's true fleeting nature That life is certainly not everlasting   I look out from the mountain climbed And see another mountain yet to go Those down below, I think of them And find my own trials recounted "Don't give up" I silently whisper A rally cry as much to me as another I see those who come out of nowhere Seemingly starting where I am now In them, I see confusion and energy Robbed of pain and ensnared by glory Yet, I feel a familiar tinge of jealousy The vantage, the energy nie the pain Is to achieve without achievement all in vein or is it success all the same? In the distance those who passed by There steady plod faster than mine A mirage of my own imperfection A constant diet of what I still lack It is that criticism laid upon oneself It cuts the deepest and most perfectly I find myself gently into...

I am older now and so are you Time has it's price that is true In the beginning, I held you close Marvelously you from nose to toes My baby boy with eyes so large Fear and worry to be in charge How can I ever truly worthy be? And bridge a gap too wide for me Soft little hands faith and trust No worry, no concern, no test At one, I got sick and lost a job Packing in the garage as I sob You danced to the music so free Just Darius Rucker, you and me We moved back North together So young you wouldn't remember It was Winter and the chapter dark But it was you who struck a spark We walked each day and talked A stroll passed all the cars parked You heard it all, the pain and worry During this season of melancholy Because of you, I went forth bravely With legs shaking and voice gravely I found my footing and so did you Walking, speaking to name a few Your siblings lives a little different Since you taught me to be a parent To see you grow and become a man Is to see that perhaps there i...

The light grows brighter still So bright that I close my eyes It's comfort cuts morning's chill Quietly I sit and breathe a sigh Illuminating eyes tightly closed A sphere of dull orange hew I see nothing, I would suppose Might say, I see everything too The blue jay calls from the post The chickens cackle from behind A bee buzzes around its quiet host The creek ripples a steady grind My thoughts creep ever backward Distracting effort to make known To turn my attention ever outward But today I am not overly prone I sit the noise rises ever more No longer a threat or eerie foe Allowed to sit at nature's door A gentle gift only it can bestow   Nick Campos -  May 2024

The creek flows by Like a moment with you. To capture I do try Until I see a ripple anew. Nick Campos - May 2024

Their names on a screen up high, Perhaps for just a moment in time. The pins balanced tall before them, Street shoes together below a seat. From an onlookers watchful eye, This night was not a planned affair. Perhaps realities spontaneous escape, From a life of two becoming three. Her countenance weighing heavy, As she rests her hand on the bump. He stands ball in hand and smiles, A reminder that they are still kids. Two imperfect gutter balls roll by, She matches with two of her own. They sit by each other and laugh, Comedic beauty of life's failures. She breaths lighter and watches, A ball rolled beautifully along. Smack the pins fly and many fall, Another ball falls whats remains. She walks tall back to her seat, A little joy releasing the shadows. As balls roll by they do improve, In score, hope, love and attitude. They know not that this is life, Improving steady as days roll by. The final score will not ever matter, Rather the unity in highs and lows. With someone to live, la...

Alone sitting in his chair Alone working in his garden Alone sitting at his table Alone with faded memory He stops and thinks of you He longs for little darling He gave you what he had He questions, was it enough? The world moves ever faster The clock is no friend at all The last time I stopped by The next time will be soon A memory is a funny thing A remembrance incomplete A stick in the spoke of life A hole that needs a patch So we live our separation So busy in distraction So alone with just a memory So afraid to just say the need. Nick Campos - May 2024

A little girl grows amongst the Mothers. The one of blood and others of choice. She watches, learns and discovers That which it takes to love another. With age comes added pressures, In station, appearance and worth. Outlandish contradictions of value angle to diminish a simple life. To be unique a flaw, to love a weakness To be kind naivety, to follow a virtue. A wandering train without direction, Each car the same, ever following. These are the pressures cast upon, a growing girl in an unfriendly world. It does pass for those who persevere, leaving behind wisdom's understanding, A first test many a Mother endures, as the price of rejecting uniformity. Her arms grow wide, a heart wider still, Her value on virtue, love, acceptance. She stands a mother among the daughters Some of blood and others of choice They see not the scars and bruises, That created the woman before them. They relate not to her journey past, And must too the gauntlet pass. A familial story as old as time, Of a ...

To know a love unspoken; That speaks the words that a  mouth cannot utter; That hears a language sans a sound; To feel and embrace the emotions, the push and pull of a physical  melody;  The passion and the faith, the trust and the subtle touch;   A love worth waiting for, not  in search, rather in the perfecting  nature of imperfection;  To love is to give in; To give in is to believe; To believe as a child believes, heart, soul and free; And should this quest fall short, be grateful still and believe a new;  And share again a love undaunted and know again a love unspoken.    Nick Campos - April 2024  

Her hair was dark and curly, a black skirt and blue blouse When her eyes first met mine, it was Fall and felt like Spring Too young to know much, yet seemed to know then what I do now. In a language of connected souls, connection in a gentle quiet way The world around had its voice, loud, crude and full of opinion Almost enough to be overpowered, take possession of heart's choice To greet your love is patience, as to care for a struck match in the wind Not without question or doubt, but in spite of the odds, fully focused To know your love is learning, the bumps and bruises that make you. Seeing the failure, pain and broken pieces, an eventual perfect picture To know your love is forgiveness, for the broken road I have traveled Having faith and strength to become, the man that you need me to be To know your love is power, to find my strength in your eyes gaze Looking deep inside them in weakness, a well source of perseverance To know you is to know myself, the version that I always...

The bus rolls down the road Yellow and bright Carrying it's regular load Quite the sight   Up the hill past the quarry Granite mine The corner we found Lucky Oak and pine   Left along the concrete creek Fenced drive Scenes are clear in child speak Oak divide   An early stop I want to follow Shortcut route Through the creek and hallow Second thought   Around a corner over a bridge Turtle spot Up the hill and atop the ridge Navas stop   Often a group today only me Walking alone The bus rolls until I can't see Almost home   Our yard hose distracts my plan Swing it wide It wraps me round and round Changing tide   I awake in blood on the ground Sprinkler head A helicopter is circling high Must've Sped   Mom off the porch and running Standing wobbly My judgement to her, astonishing  Hands bloody   Old Ford driving to the doctor Apply pressure A few stitches are the answer Eyebrow suture   The helicopter lands the same Hurried pace Time ca...

The wind it howls, oh, the wind it howls. Through the dead trees, oh, through the trees. Not a leaf above me, I have no company.   I'm dry as a bone, oh, I am dry as a bone. Can't believe my eyes, oh my lying eyes. Not a sight to see, I have no company.   The sky grows dark, oh, the sky grows dark. The bark growing black, oh, the bark is black. Not a prayer to levee, I have no company.   Her voice I hear, oh, her voice I hear. Love is a fading echo, oh, a dead tree echo. Not a reason to plea, I have no company.   The stone is hard, oh, the stone is hard. A grassy home, oh, a dead tree home. Not a place to flee, I have no company.   Oh, It is not a season to be. I have no company. No company.   Nick Campos March 2024

When the chips are down and there is no on around. Staring at the empty shelves Oh the lies we tell ourselves. As we await the bye and bye.   When our ship comes home and we conquer the throne. The person everybody sells Oh the lies we tell ourselves. As we await the bye and bye.   Looking down on the jokes No account worthless blokes. Their plight worst than hell's Oh the lies we tell ourselves. As we await the bye and bye.   The limelight fades in a flash but want of praise like a rash. One can't scratch themselves Oh the lies we tell ourselves. As we await the bye and bye.   The hourglass flows for all and soon the season is Fall. No time to ponder on realms Oh the lies we tell ourselves. As we await the bye and bye.   The sun fades dark and bitter bringing with it lonely Winter. A poker face hides all tells Oh the lies we tell ourselves. As we await the bye and bye.   Nick Campos  -  March 2024  

Bounce, Bounce, Bounce dribbling down the road Onto the single lane road, I know this path by heart A small hill, the oaks, the swing hanging in the tree The miners lettuce, acorns nestled along the way Fields of star thistle in the sun drenched fields The hill crests and I pass the spot of mourning Visions of my mother sobbing over the dead The squirrel went right and then came back left A fitting burial required a shovel and a school tardy I see the tree where we hide out from the Indians Bounce, Bounce, Bounce dribbling down the road Down the small hill past the thicket on the right Adjacent a rope swing that has broken bones I see the speed bump, where my arm fractured A great lesson on small sticks and roller blades The day is warm, but it will soon be very hot We don't give it thought it's all we really know I pass the dog kennel where two dogs live, boxers Noses pressed to the links as they know me well Bounce, Bounce, Bounce dribbling down the road A small worn path at ...

The kindest thing never said I see you for you alone Purple hair, tattoo and all The toll of the creative battle   The kindest thing never said Thank you for seeing me Failures, mistakes and all And choosing me anyway   The kindest thing never said I will sit with you today Aging, loneliness and all  A life coming to a slow close The kindest thing never said I hear your point of view Different, faults and all Broken roads move us along The kindest thing never said Is not much really to do Small, meek and all Just takes the time to see The kindest thing never said Is sometimes not a word Mean, hateful and all In silence we hear his voice   Nicholas Campos - March 2024          

A bottle of pills Speak the words left unsaid A needled vein The story comes to an end A child is born The pride of Mom and Dad A tooth is lost The pillow of make believe A friend is made Everything is going just fine A story time The pillow shakes in laughter   A broken plate The door slams closed tight A home broken The pillow drowns the sounds A friend is lost Nobody seems to understand A birthday past The pillow the only real friend A choice is made Everything is out of control A first time The pillow silently watches A thought of hope Does it really matter anyway A child falls The pillow catches it all A life lost Long before the bitter end A call for help The pillow hears the cries A bottle of pills Speak the words left unsaid A needled vein The story comes to an end   A pillow gone Lying alone in the garbage A lid is shut The pillow is not a real friend Nicholas Campos - March 2024

Some see the darkness  The violence and the pain Giving anger a voice. Others see rainbows The beauty and the goodness Naivety a choice. Most see confusion The critical state we're in Deciphering noise. Who can I believe? With so much information Where is the wisdom? Day by day I go Watching people fall behind Focus on my own The system fractures Families break at the seems Broke capitalism Gone is pure faith Replaced by bitterness Rage against society Hate thy dumb neighbor Watch news and believe it all Negativity   Both sides always wrong Walk like pigs to a slaughter Die wrong being right   Why must we all lose Fight the stupid fight of fools Our own prideful might   Till the bitter end Each other is all we have Only friend in sight   Faith the recipe Kindness the only key unlocks Hearts of you and me   Nicholas Campos - March 2024

  My precious little bean A flower in her hair Eyes closed tight I dream A future bright and fair Her star shines bright Intelligent and kind Her beauty is a sight But pales to her mind At first I held her close Her blue eyes beamed Joy from head to toes Pure love it seamed. As she grew I did too Step by anxious step As parents often do Following in footstep.   Momma's little girl Daddy's little darling Gandma's little pearl Papa's always guarding   Tough she proved to be Challenges in time Where no match you see To her focused climb.   A smile lights the world And the quickest of wit Confidence to be bold And the grace to just sit.   A heart of fine lace To share God's kindness A sweet loving face Best not gaffed as weakness.   A life all her own We watch with esteem Into dreams unknown There goes our little Bean   My precious little bean A flower in her hair Eyes closed tight I dream A future bright and fair   Nicholas Campos - March 2024  ...

There is a hole in Papa's ears where all the words go. Where they compete with all the headlines of the day. The closer that I get, the farther away I seem to be. Cause there's a hole in Papa's ears where all the words go. We don't talk much anymore, I don't have much to say. Hell, he couldn't begin to understand me anyway. So we pass on by locking eyes with the shadow on the wall. Cause there's a hole in Papa's ears where all the words go.   We live in different worlds and we talk a little more. Little more than the weather or what's coming up today. And it comes to me that more than occasionally. That even I can make the headlines of the day.   Now a father of my own kids screaming in the lawn. I try to lean back and relax after a full day's run.  But the thoughts fly by and echo through the pines. And I can't help but think of the hole in Papa's ears   I visit Papa every Tuesday afternoon in the home. His sunken shadow drapes the wall ...

What is death but a question oft pondered Where do we go and will we meet again What about the things I know What about the things I love We ask these questions through all ages A search not for answers but control Death the greatest unknown, beautifully so It's unpredictability displays true equality The question properly pondered rather Is the question of what is life truly Divinely purposed or a great accident You are here, I am here and we are here   I see sadness in great wealth and blight I see happiness in health and terrible sickness I see kindness and love in peace and war Perhaps, we are as unpredictable as death What is life I ask the blank page before me The answer seems clear in my minds eye To balance the you, the we and the I While only seeking change from me To give freely is not necessarily charity To give from money or some living trust But give rather the heart in word and deed Time and time again without expectation To change without expecting the change To free...

Mr. Toad's Road Around we go on Mr. Toads' road Left and right through hairpin turns Our destination, the place we began We will arrive a few minutes older But mentally, I am not quite so sure  With each turn I see the joy and wonder The laughter of childhood imagination Seeing reality through a child's lens  Has me contemplating the child inside Crowing like Pan, against adulthood   Around we go, like so many before  I can feel the urge inside to just let go To be a kid, free to be free of worry  This is her moment, This is my moment This is our moment of pure imagination Soon the world will call and I must go To continue my march back to the beginning My final destination is the place we all began But perhaps, I will take a dream or two with me To treasure and guide me along the way To look at the world as a kaleidoscope of color And not be troubled to try and make sense of it Even as tender, precious moments fade in time Against the dulling and constant strok...