Hey, Coach! Revolutionary IMprov Free Verse Poem

What if,
instead of losing
weight,
I want to grow more
greatness?

What if,/
instead of trimming
my figure,
I want to expand
the world’s knowledge
and insight?

Who will be
my coach,
my trainer,
getting in my face,
screaming at me,
“Once more.
Once more!
You got this.
You got this!
Push it.
Push it!”

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I Am No Longer Unclean (I Hope) — Revolutionary ConTEXTing Free Verse Poem

Those who I worked with,
Prayed with,
Laughed with,
Helped,
Was helped by,
Taught,
Was taught by,
Mourned with,
Loved
And was, I thought,
Loved by;
Those who I Disappointed
And walked away from,
Now treat me,
As I return,
Like a leper.
As though my filth
Is still there.
As though
I will somehow
Taint and soul soil them/
With my past,
Instead of lift them
With my future,
With the possibility
Brought about by the Reason
We’ve worshipped together before.

I am surprised
To have to say,
Again,
I’m sorry.

I’m shocked
That after decades
Of talking in councils
And classes,
Around campfires
And sports fields,
And sitting down at BBQ
And Thai and other meat,
That we can’t
Now meet;
That when they see me,
They have nothing to say
To me.
That their lives,
And their children,
No longer matter
To me
Who spent
thousands of hours
On.

Perhaps I
And mine
Never mattered
To them.

Should they leap
To embrace me
And welcome me
And my return?
Is that selfish?
Do I expect
Too much?
Why not?
I would.

But maybe it’s true:
You can’t return
No matter how cleansed
You’ve become.

Thoughts on Self-Esteem CPR — Revolutionary Improv Haiku

Clarity Point Coaching life coach Kimberly Giles gave a “Self-Esteem CPR presentation June 14, 2012. During the evening, I took “notes” (and exposed my thoughts, feelings, and learnings) in the form of Haiku and other poetry.

8:20 pm: A Godly If-Then
IF God is love and/
IF I am God’s child, THEN I/
am divine love, too.

8:25 pm: How To Love Others
When I do not need/
outside validation, I/
start to love others.

8:30 pm: Loving Vs. Fearing
Being a force for/
Love is more fun than trem’bling/
in fear. Be loving.

8:33 pm: Dancing Topless Along I-15
Smiling faces say:/
My dancing, top down, on the/
freeway brings them joy.

8:35 pm: Test versus Classroom
Life is not a test,/
a pass-fail. It’s a classroom/
where we learn and grow.

8:40 pm: What The Angel Really Meant
“Fear not” didn’t mean/
“Don’t fear me”, but “Don’t/
be scared: Christ is Savior.”

8:43 pm: What I Should Be Doing
At some aged’ point,/
I must give advice and help,/
not just grab and take.

8:45: What My Earth Life’s Journey Doesn’t Make Me
My drive ‘cross Texas –/
long, hot, dusty, stretching — did/
not make me Texan.

8:48 pm: When I Learned I Don’t Fear
At last, in a pink/
and green chapel, I fin’lly/
learned that I’ve no fear!

8:50 pm: My Perfect Life Journey
My life, no matter/
what others may say, is MY/
perfect life journey.

8:53 pm: What To Do About Bad Behavior
All bad behaviors/
are pleas for validation,/
based on fear. Give Love.

8:55 pm: I Have No Fear. Now What?
I have, now, no fear./
I trust Him. Now it’s my turn./
I should love, always.

8:59 pm: Where And What I Can Shine
I can shine my light/
in a dark room, but I can’t/
shine the opposite.

9:04 pm: Thank You, Coach
She gave me the gift/
to see my goodness, so I/
wrote her my gift back.

9:12 pm: Feeding Your Soul Diet
Feeding your soul does/
not ever fill you up nor/
make you overweight.

Sometimes Demonized Coaches Need Angelic Coaching: A Revolutionary IMprov Poem

She sits alone.
Stares at the phone:
New, unbidden demons
unleashed in her home.

A couple of calls!
That’s all
it took.
And her world was shook.

Then,
through another medium,
she hears new, angelic voices,
again:

“You’ve opened my sight!”
“You’re changing my me.”
“You were right!”
“Thanks to you, I see
freely!”

And the demons fade,
and aren’t even as much,
as drying dew in the glade,
due to the lives she’s touched.

Kidless Father’s Day: A Revolutionary IMprov Email Poem and Video

A YouTube Posting Asked the Question (on Father’s Day): “What if you don’t have a father?”. So.. I asked, what if you’re a father whose kids ignore you? (you can see the YouTube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dNQW2QUVlI)
What about Kidless Father’s Day?

Everyone talks about Father-less Day.
Maybe your dad’s died
or gone away.
Maybe he’s a deadbeat
out on some street.

Maybe he drank so much
you had no food to eat.
Or maybe, through some tragedy, sad,
you just ended up
with no Dad.

But what of the Dads
who toiled and sweated,
but their kids got mad,
so the Dad’s get forgetted?

(You can tell I read
a lot of Dr. Seuss!
It’s stuck in my head!
I can’t shake it loose!)

The dads who were
always there for events
whether far, or near,
they always drove, and went?

What of the dads who
worked every day?
And with their own hard labor
eased your way?

Put a roof over your head,
shoes on your feet,
made sure you were fed,
with good stuff to eat.

Basically those super dads who,
(as best they could)
tried really hard to
make your life good?

Then, somewhere in their life’s a mistake.
They didn’t beat you, your sibs or mom,
no eye blackened, no bones break.
BUT they did something dumb.

And you leave.
Though they’re a mile away,
they grieve,
’cause you’ve got nothing to say.

Nothing to say
to the guy who, for years,
coached you, read to you,
loved away your tears.

Who knows he made
a huge mistake.
One that caused
his kids’ hearts to break.

But that was years ago,
and though the achings’ not through,
and the healing is slow,
despite all he can do,

You’ll not forgive him,
not give him a smile,
even on “his” day,
though it’s been quite a while.

Sure, he should be punished!
And when you are through,
you can ask yourself,
“what good did it do?”

Yes, it made him cry,
made him sad.
Because he knew why.
But did it make you glad?

Those of you who
are punishing your dad,
you need to know,
yeah, you’ve made your dad sad.

You need to hear
though Father(less) Day is bad luck
a kidless Father’s Day
REALLY SUCKS!

But now that you’ve slammed your Pop,
When are you finally going to stop?

Soccer Come To Meeting Call: Revolutionary Email Poem

In 1999 I coached two soccer teams: The Tarantulas (boys) and da Blues. This poem, found recently, was on my email inviting the parents and kids to a pre-season meeting.

What’s the word?!?
Haven’t you heard?
Spring’s in the air!
There’s mud everywhere!
So heed the call
to kick the ball.

(This is my greetin’
to invite you to a meetin’).