Nightmare Thursday

You were just a ripple on the map of life

A wave inside of her, inside of me

I already knew you

Tied my heart strings around you

I already loved you

 

I took pictures in my head

Of you between the two of us

Building castles and tree houses

Doing what fathers do with sons

Until my nightmare Thursday

 

If only I had known

That it was not to be

Oh baby baby

How she wanted to cut

Me from you

And you from me

‘hurts so deep

Oh baby baby

‘hurts so deep

 

Wanted to discover you last Thursday

Just one of us, should have been two

To welcome you into this world

Was turned away inches from you

I begged and begged to just hold you

It was my worst nightmare Thursday

 

If only I had known

My love, my life, my son

Oh baby baby

Would not see you, would not touch you

How could her mother’s heart cut

Me from you

And you from me

‘hurts so deep

Oh baby baby

‘hurts so deep

 

How many more nightmare Thursdays

Will I have to survive

Before our eyes meet

And I can hold you tenderly

As a father would a son, my baby

 

If only she had known

All the love I have for you

Oh baby baby

If only she could see

Oh baby baby

How deep she hurt me

How deep she hurt you

Oh baby baby

 

How many more nightmare Thursday

Will I have to survive

To build sand castles and tree houses

Just to see you, just to hug you

Oh baby baby

How many more nightmare Thursday

Oh baby baby

 

© 2006 Isabelle Gravenstein  All Rights Reserved

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Thank You

A whisper in the night

Threw down my cover

And asked me to go out

To stare at the deep blue sky

 

It is my reflection I can see

A voice asks me to look closely

And make a true inventory

Kneeling down, I start counting

 

The day when I first arrived

I want to say thank you

Without it I would not have known

The beauty that human could be

 

The time when I have loved

I want to say thank you

Without it I would not have tasted

The nicest part of heaven

 

The time when I was hurt

I want to say thank you

Without it I would not have tested

The greatness of my forgiveness

 

The time when I was mean

I want to say thank you

That someone wiser than me

Saw the wisdom and beauty in me

 

And the time when I did hate

I want to say thank you

That I was struck with love

And not with a return in kind

 

For all of these I said thank you

As I was counting under the dark blue sky

All the blessings of my life

For all of these… and more

I said thank you

As I was looking very closely

Thank you thank you

  © 2006 Isabelle Gravenstein  All Rights Reserved

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Don’t try to fix me

My small broken parts

Scattered to the four winds

Across untold centuries

Make up my history

 

Don’t try to fix me

Just let me be

For others to see

What life can be

 

No one told me showed me

How to do be or have

I believe I can, all of these

And more to be conceived

So please…

 

Don’t try to fix me

Just let me be

For others to see

What life can be

 

All is well truly

You may not agree fully

With my life, my views and me

And all that I can be

So please…

 

Don’t try to fix me

Just let me be

For others to see

What life can be

 

All is perfect really

If you try to see past me

My history through centuries

You would know for sure

That there is no need

 

To  try to fix me

So please don’t

try to fix me

Just let me be

For others to see

What life can be

 

 © 2006 Isabelle Gravenstein  All Rights Reserved

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Let me visit Heaven

I have travelled so far

And so long nearly forever

My weary feet need to stop

My wondering heart needs to ask

 

The meaning of the journey

The answers I did not receive

The paths that I have chosen

Have led me far away from home

 

I need to know today

It is a question of life

And non-life

For me myself and them

Let me visit heaven

Just a moment even a second

Let me remember

The beauty of my home

Just for a moment even a second

Let me feel heaven

And the power of my love

 

My journey is continuing

The new meaning of my life

Like a shooting star in the night

Lights the way I need to go

For me myself and them

And the millions like me

Who did not, could not, would not

 

Let me visit heaven

For them I need to know

It is a question of life

And non-life

For me myself and them

Let me visit heaven

Just a moment even a second

Let me remember

The beauty of my home

Just for a moment even a second

Let me feel my heaven

And the power of my love

For me myself and them

 

 © 2006 Isabelle Gravenstein  All Rights Reserved

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See if I care!

For the times you took me for a ride

And made me eat my cold old pride

For the times you hugged me then kicked me

Out of your bed and out of your head

 

So Baby, next time…When you do all of this  ohohoh

Next time…All I can think is this

 

See if I care

See how much I don’t care

If you stay or if you leave…me

If you love or if you hate …me

 

So Baby, next time…  See if I care…Next time

 

 

999 called me out of the blue

Told me to drive or fly if I could

That only one thread kept you here alive

And I ran, praying that you would survive

 

So Baby,  next time…When you do all of this ohohoh

Next time…All I can think is this…

 

How much I care

How very much I care

That you stay rather than leave…me

That you love rather than hate….me

 

 

So Baby, next time….See how I care…Next time…

Oh Baby next Time…But will there be a…Next time…

 

I want you to take me for a ride

And make me eat my cold old pride

I want you to hug me then keep me

Beside you in your bed,  in your head

 

So baby, next time… When you do all of this…ohohoh

Oh Baby,  next Time…All I can think is this

 

See how I care

See how very much I care

See how I love you

See how very much I love you

 

Copyright ©  2008 Isabelle Gravenstein  All rights

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What will you say?

What will you say

When you are asked

How you have lived your life

Will you be crying

And wishing to come back

For one moment or maybe two

And make it just a little better

 

What will you say

When the wind was blowing

And they were crying softly

You turned your pretty head

Away from it all and just went

Your merry way just pretending

 

What will you say

About the brightness of your life

The valleys of your empty laughter

Eating from the banquet of life

While they were trying so hard

To just understand a little

Standing out looking in

 

And what will you say

When you are told

It was too little

And now it is too late

And no begging

And no crying

Will change a thing

To the banquet of life that you ate

While they were trying so hard

To just understand a little

From the outside looking in

 

What will you say

When you are asked

How you have lived your life

How you have lived your life

 

Will you be crying

Will you be begging

What will you say

Too little …too late

What will you say

….too little ….too late

 ©  2008 Isabelle Gravenstein  All rights reserved

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The Tears of God

Did you ever wonder

When the black cotton clouds

Burst their banks in your heart

Why the sky started to cry

 

Did you ever know

When you looked the other way

And left them wander the streets

That the heavens started to weep

 

And that perhaps  Ohh just perhaps

 

It isn’t a storm that is rolling in

It isn’t just rain that is falling down

But the tears of God

Oh yes

the tears of God

 

Did you ever think

That it  was not important

That you had only you in your head

Refusing to  make a difference

 

Did you really believe

That this world is all about you

That no one counts for much

In what you  say and what you do

 

But perhaps Ohh just perhaps

 

It isn’t a storm that is rolling in

It isn’t just rain that is falling down

But the tears of God

Oh yes

the tears of God

 

Did you ever wonder

Did you ever know

Did you ever think or even believe

That perhaps

Ohh yes

Just perhaps

It isn’t just rain that is falling down

But the tears of God

Ohh yes

The tears of God falling down

The tears of God

Ohh yes

the tears of God falling down

 

© 2008 Isabelle Gravenstein  All Rights Reserved

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Stop Thinking

Stop thinking about tomorrow

‘cos tomorrow is so far away

Start thinking about today

‘cos today has come n’ is waiting

One heartbeat at a time

One tenderness so very fine

One smile or two that are mine

 

Stop thinking about you all the way through

‘cos you are only one and never more

Start thinking about me, us and them

‘cos we are many and we’re lonely

And we need the stars in your eyes

And the fires of your smiles

And the warm blanket of your arms

 

Stop thinking to make and do and have

‘cos life’s full enough without some more

Start breathing the love in the air

‘cos that ‘s all you’ll ever have

A little time to dance with life

A few moments to know my heart

And 3 minutes to feel my love

 

Stop thinking and start living

‘cos today has come and is waiting

One heartbeat at a time

One tenderness so very fine

One smile or two that are mine

…and 3 minutes to feel my love

…one smile or two that are mine

…and 3 minutes to feel my love

…3 minutes to feel my love

 

 © 2008 Isabelle Gravenstein All rights reserved

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When my Country is calling

A letter came today

My country is calling me

Far far away

My woman shakes her head

No no slowly she says

 

She does not understand

The laws of the guns

And the people who wrote the letter

No no slowly she says

I must not go

Far far away

 

When my country is calling

I have no power to say no no

I have no power to say no no

When my country is calling

 

I have no power to decide

I hug her and we kiss

No no slowly she says

She knows it might be

The last hug the last tears

That we share in this world

 

The sun beats the sand

Melts my feet burns my eyes

I hear my woman say no no

Slowly as I lift my gun…and shoot

I remember how she did not understand

The law of the guns and the people like me

No no she said slowly

 

When my country is calling

I have no power to say no no

I have no power to say no no

When my country is calling

 

I cannot look at the body

But I make myself

I need to understand

The sense behind the bullet

I can hear her say no no                                                                        

As I look at the young boy

An angel that I made fall

A small boy beaten by the gun…and me

 

I kneel down and cry no no

Slowly it makes no sense at all

I carry the fallen angel tenderly

I say sorry sorry  gently

And pray for his place in heaven

And I cry and cry ‘no more’ no no

And never again

No no but…

 

When my country is calling

I have no power to say no no

I have no power to say no no

When my country is calling

 

 © 2006 Isabelle Gravenstein  All Rights Reserved

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‘Be It’

It is no good

No good at all

To raise the words

And cast the blame

On all the ills

Into this world

That we invited

We have tied our hands

Imprisoned our souls

Blinded our hearts

And we cry no more

But we don’t know how

And we pray no more

But we don’t know how

Along came a child

And showed us how easy

How easy it can be

To find the how

If we look at the now

Along came a child

And told us to just …be

Be… the peace that we seek

Be… the love that we want to feel

Be… the forgiveness that we need

Along came a child

And laughed at how easy

It all really is, so easy

Be … he told us

Just watch how I do it

Be… the dream that you paint

Be… the plans that you draw

Be… the hope that you hold

Just be… he told us

And he laughed at how easy

It all really is, so easy

To just be…to just be

And he laughed at how easy

It all really is, so easy

To just be …to just be

© 2006 Isabelle Gravenstein  All Rights Reserved

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