For those of you that read my book, Know Your Enemy, A Guidebook for Your Cancer Journey, you may recall that I said I believed the book was written through me and I was merely the conduit to get a message of hope to first-time cancer patients and caregivers.

Well, I would say the same thing about these additional works. These writings represent a thirty year effort to capture special moments in time through the use of short stories written in the form of poetry and song lyrics.

SIDE ONE

The Stingray and the Cobra:

“The Stingray and the Cobra” was written in 2019. It is a classic muscle car song about two famous 1960s sports cars – the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the Shelby Cobra. It is a tribute to 1960 car songs made famous by the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and others. …READ MORE

A Better Way:

“A Better Way” was written in 2019 about the inequities confronting hard working Americans. As the piece states…”Listen to me, can you hear what I say…Man there’s got to be a better way.” …READ MORE

The One:

“The One” is a story about wanting to call someone special to let them know you are thinking about them. Written in 1994 in one brief sitting, this piece highlights a hopefulness and optimism associated with the beginning of a new relationship. …READ MORE

Wild and Free:

“Wild and Free” was written in 2019 about a chance encounter with a free spirit, as the first lines state, “Crossed paths with a spirit, wild and free” and the lifestyle observations and impact it had on me. …READ MORE

Turn It Up:

“Turn It Up” was written an an envisioned follow-up to Nickelback’s hit single “Rockstar”. It’s about a make-believe band that has only one song, with meaningless words, and all they want to do is play it over and over again for their adoring fans. …READ MORE

In My Shoes:

“In My Shoes” was written in 2019. This song highlights that everyone in life is confronted with personal or professional challenges. The issue(s) may appear inconsequential to others. However, until you are the one in-the-shoes of this individual, you really have no idea the impact it is having on their life.

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Ticking Time Bomb:

This song was written as a light-hearted version of a new relationship gone terribly wrong, real fast. …READ MORE

Lilly:

I was watching a good friend’s sweet female Golden Retriever, Lilly, and thought it would be fitting to try and write a piece for this special girl. This one’s for you, Lilly! …READ MORE

The Rain Song:

The “Rain Song” was started as a working draft in the 1990-91 time frame and revised in 2019. The intro lines capture the deep sadness that comes with a break-up… “Your final act, not a sign or a clue, oh rain won’t you, wash away these blues.” …READ MORE

Set You Free:

“Set You Free” was written in 1990-91 time frame. This song attempts to capture the pain associated with the loss of a loved one and was influenced by the poem with the similar name. …READ MORE

Big Brother:

“Big Brother” was written in January 2021 to reflect the privacy issues of the day. It was also influenced by the Eagles 1970’s classic rock song “On the Border.” Remember, someone is always watching you. …READ MORE

The Pied Piper of Many Streams:

“The Pied Piper of Many Streams” was written in 2013 as an ode to a very special friend that is one of the brightest and most giving individuals I have ever met. Dr. Matt turned me on to poetry and writing in the late 80’s and it is a special bond that we share to this day. These lines, I think, best describe my special friend…“This free-spirit that I speak, part rock star and Renaissance man, lives life with a passion, helping everyone he can”. …READ MORE

A Second Chance:

Most of us have had a first encounter that didn’t go as we would have hoped or planned. This leads to the creation of a first impression that may not be an accurate representation of the person, place or thing. “A Second Chance” was written in 2019, is a personal appeal for a “mulligan” in golf terms, or another opportunity to make a more realistic and favorable first impression. …READ MORE

A Girl Like You:

“A Girl Like You” was written in 2019 and is supposed to be a classic boy meets girl rock & roll relationship song. …READ MORE

There 4 U:

“There 4 U” was written in 2019 to provide support and hope during these difficult times. Note, the helping hand and positive outlook voiced in the following lyrics, “No matter what, why or when…I can help repair, fix or mend.” …READ MORE

Do You Know You are Beautiful:

Most of us have experienced a jaw-dropping encounter with another person. What was special about this experience to me was seeing this individual, who was a common fixture in my sphere, in a different light for the first time. It literally stopped me in my tracks and I said to myself… “Do You Know You are Beautiful?” The piece wrote itself with ease from there, with a little added poetic license to make it a boy-meets-girl happy ending. …READ MORE

Yesterday’s News:

“Yesterday’s News” was written in the summer of 1991-92. I was at a Guns N’ Roses concert in Hershey, PA and there was a two-hour delay before the band took the stage. During that downtime, I thought about trying to write a song with a catch-phrase title like The Beatles did, e.g., “Let It Be”. So I came up with the phrase “Yesterday’s News” and had the piece mostly written in my head before Axl and the boys took the stage. …READ MORE

Corporation Blues:

“Corporation Blues” was created based on real life experience while working at one of the world’s largest and leading technology companies. For those feeling frustrated and disillusioned with the whole idea of the “corporate rate race” this introspective of Corporate America is for you! …READ MORE

Sun Shine Down on Me:

“Sun Shine Down on Me” is about taking a little day trip in your mind to meet the person of your dreams. The ending for this piece reverts back to the hopeful and optimistic view of life and relationships. …READ MORE

The Healer:

“The Healer” was written about two special women that I crossed paths with in 2019. These women have the special gift of divine healing. They helped me over the last five years to accelerate the healing process in my life. …READ MORE

Dandelion:

“Dandelion”, which is still a working title, was written in 1990-91 time frame. I was thinking about the saying “If you love someone, set them free” piece. This was my attempt to write about the idea that you can’t hold onto something that you don’t have. This was also the first piece that had a more melancholy feel to it. …READ MORE

I No Longer Know You:

“I No Longer Know You” is a break-up song featuring a combative and hostile ending to a relationship. Note the tip of the cap to The Who in the last line. …READ MORE

Oh, Lord Help Me:

“Oh, Lord Help Me” was written in 1990-91 time frame. This Song was written with George Harrison’s religious curiosity in mind about an individual seeking guidance and direction at crucial times in this journey called life. …READ MORE

I Can’t Take it Anymore:

“I Can’t Take It Anymore” was originally written in 1992 in response to the Rodney King LA riots. When I re-read the lyrics in the summer of 2020, it felt like it was an editorial on the events of the day…it appears some things never change. …READ MORE

You Changed and it Wasn’t Me:

“You Changed and It Wasn’t Me” was written in 1990–91 time frame and revised in 2019. This song is about someone changing in a relationship and being called out for the change. …READ MORE

Laughing:

“Laughing” was written in 1990/91 timeframe. This piece points out that the joke may actually be on the person laughing and not the person they are laughing at. …READ MORE

Smile Away:

I wrote the first version of “Smile Away” in the 1989-90 time frame and recently pulled it out and re-worked it. This piece has a can-do that life that things are going to get better. The goal was to try and write a piece that readers would have a hard time getting through without smiling. …READ MORE

Dreaming:

“Dreaming” was written in 2019 as a lullaby, a song to give you a peaceful night’s sleep. …READ MORE

A Caretaker’s Creed:

A “Caretaker’s Creed” was written in May 2017 for the buyers of my house in New Cumberland PA. It represents the beginning of a new and exciting chapter, for the new owners, and the end of a memorable phase of my life…and subsequent new beginning or next phase of my life. The piece places high reverence on what it means to own a physical property and how through your stewardship and love the physical entity transitions from a house to a home. …READ MORE

Earth Day:

“Earth Day” was written in Portland, Oregon on Earth Day, April 22, 1990. I was attending an IBM training class. After class, I went back to the hotel room and turned on the TV and watched the Portland Earth Day ceremony. After watching the ceremony, I sat down and drafted my take on the importance of Earth Day. …READ MORE

My Special Friend:

This was the first from-the-heart piece I felt compelled to write and share with someone. This was written in Atlanta, Georgia in 1989 for a Midwestern IBM colleague from the Windy City. This piece reflects the raw emotion and glass-half-full view of the world that has remained consistent throughout the thirty plus years of work included on this website. …READ MORE

Next Time Around:

The song is about the regret of a missed opportunity for a relationship with someone special. It ends with a subtle change that provides a little hope and cause for optimism that one day, maybe in a future time or life, they will cross paths again. …READ MORE

Persevere:

“Persevere” was written to try and provide comfort and hope to a friend that was experiencing family, personal health and professional challenges in the late 1980’s. Again, note that the view is “times may be tough but you can make it through” and things will eventually get better. This piece has a similar feel to me as The Beatles “Getting Better” from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
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Searching:

“Searching” was written in 1990/91 timeframe to show that while individuals may feel that they are traveling through life without direction, all they really need to do is tune and listen to their inner voice. …READ MORE

The Chosen Few:

In my book, Know Your Enemy, I told the story about how blessed I felt to have the love and support of friends and family members during one of the most grueling periods in my life. Their genuine acts of kindness and compassion reinforced my belief in the goodness of others and the notion of having a greater purpose in life. I wrote this piece in 2012 to express my gratitude to my special group of friends. …READ MORE

Time:

I realized early in the cancer journeys with my mother, Maxine, and wife, Alyson, that time is precious and finite. Our time on this earth is fleeting, often said to go by at the “blink of an eye.” These experiences caused me to reassess the value that I placed on time and what I really considered to be my priorities in life. And that led me to write this piece titled “Time” in 2017. The intent was to encourage others to think about how would their life and decisions change if they knew the end was near? …READ MORE

You are Me & I am You:

“You are Me & I am You” was inspired by George Harrison’s song “I Me Mine”, from the Let It Be album. The phrase You are Me & I am You popped into my head, I wrote it down and the rest of the words just flowed from there. Again, the common themes are hope and optimism associated with a good relationship. …READ MORE