Quenching the Fires of Los Angeles by Michael Doyle
I saw a wise old hippy on the stage Singing about clouds as she turned the page Staring out with love at the approach of death She sang her heart to her last breath
It seemed like a show of rare courage Keeping time with her cane to encourage All of us to live our lives as meant to be Or at least, that's how it seemed to me
Reduced to ash and rubble, burned down by fire Blessings kept down to the rusty wire We joined hands to fight this thing Fleeing from our losses with all we could bring
Doors that stand as gateways to love We press on with our faith in the above It's a special trace, in a sense of sadness We stand firm in all of this madness
We're going to rebuild our graceless city We'll shine it up into something new and pretty Our hearts are filled with its living memories As we fight shoulder to shoulder with our families
(c) January 31, 2025 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“We lay it down as a fundamental, that laws, to be just, must give a reciprocation of right; that, without this, they are mere arbitrary rules of conduct, founded in force, and not in conscience.” – Thomas Jefferson (1782)
I thought myself an eagle And built me a nest in solitude Above where I could watch beauty And very few might intrude
The disappointments I've known Have dried up my springs of hope I retreat to that comfort shown And survive by learning to cope
Music is a refuge between the notes Being inside myself is what I own Where imagination is better than rote And all my private sins I might atone
There is something in the discovery In these times that my soul walks Searching for all that is life's beauty And the wordless words that talk
Revealing secrets that offer their surprise Waffled in moments needing a decision It's not an absence of love in my steady eyes But the need for studied precision
It is a leap of faith to make a connection And at times, my faith feels shattered and broken It's not a defect to wait for the right direction But the complement to my love quietly spoken
In this hypertensive world, we are pulled apart As would-be travelers set out on life's journey I sometimes seek shelter deep within my heart Hoping against all hope for a bit of beauty
(c) January 30, 2025 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“Religion is of general and public concern, and on its support depend, in great measure, the peace and good order of government, the safety and happiness of the people. By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty.” – Samuel Chase, Runkel v. Winemiller (1799)
(It seems to go without saying that the principles of religious liberty has since this decision greatly expanded the doctrine of equal footing to other belief systems, too.)
In different times How might it end? Could it have been We might have been good friends?
Your job and mine Here on the frontline It's a killing job to be done Yet, you are somebody's son
There is the truth of why we fight Mostly, it hasn't been about wrong or right It's more about doing as told But doesn't this killing business get old?
A string quartet plays its shame Good guys, bad guys; it's just a name We clean the rubble out of the courtyard As life becomes death and hits us hard
It's a heck of a way to die Jumping into glory without the question why Beware of enemy territory At least that's the moral of my story
(c) January 29, 2025 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
