Brought in chains on oakwood ships
From the land of scorching sun
Grief and fear of lashing whips
Our fate was quickly spun

You owned our lives
With guns and knives
Thorns of cotton bolls
Piercing our souls
Dark, as our ebony skin

Well, one day you said we’re free
To leave our shackles and our past
Then white knights and lynch mobs’ glee
Wouldn’t let that freedom last

We headed north
To try rebirth
We travelled west
To find some rest
With hope for a new start

CHORUS: How many years will it take you
To see you and I are the same?
How many dreams will be broken
Before all your demons are tamed
Oh, oh, oh, we all pray to one God
Oh, oh, oh, we all need to love

Wages earned were half the whites’
Yet our rents were twice as high
And if we sought to make it right
We were told to leave, goodbye

If there’s no segregation,
Give us the education
That your sons and daughters get
And you’ll see we’re not a threat

You can’t even walk down the street
You can’t wear a hooded sweatshirt
Without being questioned or worse
If you are a black man

CHORUS: How many years will it take you …

Copyright 2013

© 2014

Blue snow
Trails of diamonds shimmer
In the sunny afternoon’s bright glow
Clear skies
Through the forest lacework
I can see them in your eyes

Walking together on a midwinter day
Warm breath in the crisp air
Footsteps crunch, our secrets shared
Getting to know your mind …and your subtle ways

Blue snow
Chickadees are calling
Maple shadows sprawling in long rows
Cold lingers
Scented hemlock droplets
From the rough bark on our fingers

We leave behind our sorrows
Littered sidewalks, murky boardrooms
To find a new tomorrow
To build again our self-esteem
On this blue snow

Blue snow
Paint the pristine canvas
Silver frost on your window
Clear skies
Birds above are gliding
Pirouettes reflected in your eyes

Standing together by an icy lake
Your soft skin against mine
Your sweet mouth tasting like mulled wine
Our senses awake
On this blue snow

Blue snow…

Steady achievements, high reputation
Almost Olympian place
Almighty leader stirs admiration
Perpetual grin on his face
How does he govern so smoothly?
What is the price of success?
Rumors of anguish, concealed duress

Some have been threatened, others rewarded
For things they could never have done
Some have been flattered, others were scolded
And some were just quietly gone
Why doesn’t anyone speak out?
Has treachery taken its toll?
Then you rise above and reveal your soul

CHORUS:
Whistleblower, shattering the silence
Whistleblower, bold enough to fight
Whistleblower, bruising for the truth
Whistleblower, doing what is right

Cowards are quiet, feelings disguised
Conscience is frozen, still
Everyone’s busy, shielded with lies
Money corrupting their will
Why doesn’t anyone speak out?
Has treachery taken its toll?
Then you rise above and reveal your soul

CHORUS: Whistleblower, shattering the silence

BRIDGE: You’re willing to sacrifice yourself
Persistent, you’ve dug up the dirt
And now you’re bidding us farewell
You know nothing can hurt
Your brave heart

CHORUS: Whistleblower, shattering the silence …

© 2013

Yet another dusk is falling down on time
Like an endless canvas, a hopeless paradigm
Candle flickers cast our shadows on empty walls
Could this be the only life I’ll ever know?
I’m living in the dark

Down by the water streets shimmer in yellow and white
The valley power shows its might at night
There lives a girl I think of every day
In a better world so near, so far away
I’m living in the dark

CHORUS:
I’m going down tonight
Guided by the bright lights
Fluttering to her
Like the last moth of summer
Her bluest eyes
Shine as I pass by
Yet I know…She’ll never be mine

November days march in and bring more gloom
My folks work by the fire, under young moon
In tattered clothes I walk through early snow
To watch the wealthy city’s joyful glow
I’m living in the dark

CHORUS:
I’m going down tonight…
…she’ll never be mine

I’ve come too close
My wings — burnt by her words
Unfolding rose
Her thorns make my love seem absurd
So I know…she’ll never be mine
Yes, I know…she’ll never be mine

© 2011

(For Anne Spencer)

Feet are tired, too much walking
‘Bout ten thousand miles or more
Down many roads, some less traveled
Some I’ve traveled down before

Seen the stone gray skies of autumn
Shivered through the winters cold
Now in newborn green of springtime
I feel young though I am old

CHORUS: Moving on, new adventures
Feeling strong, beyond measure
Inch by inch, growing tall
Reaching high, touching all
Life’s a proving ground for what is still to come

I have climbed the steepest mountains
And I swam in rivers deep
Every night I sang a story
As my daughter fell asleep

In times of trouble
I shed my share of tears
Now I am smiling
Across those fruitful years

Looks like I’ll be leavin’ early
Final moon is coming near
Though my drum is growing quiet
Its steady beat will persevere

CHORUS: Moving on …

Blaise Glander 12-01-2010 and Luti (2011)
© 2011

In a vibrant city by the lazy river
Rugged wheat and corn fields swaying all around
Early Sunday morning, one more girl delivered
Her mama labored steady, soon they were home bound

She grew up in a household
Where fights poured out disgrace
Jealousy and tears untold
She missed a warm embrace
She was their baby
She was a willow in the wind

Coral lips, big almond eyes, she was a beauty
Witnessing her family being torn apart
To fly away she wanted, to walk out on her duties
Dreaming of a tender, loving heart

Her apple blossom ripped away
By a long-time family friend
In a moment trust betrayed
Bringing childhood to an end
We called her ‘Baby’
She was a willow in the wind

She started a new chapter when she was twenty-seven
Marrying a handsome, hardy man
Deep brown eyes, moustache bold, seemed like heaven
They moved into a cottage on her father’s land

She longed to bear the fruits at last
For they loved each other so
The earth was barren, few seeds cast
He felt guilty, weak … and low
She was his ‘Baby’
She was a willow in the wind

Searching for salvation, wanting to feel better
He began to reach for just a drink or two
Chardonnay or whiskey, it didn’t really matter
Shame was slowly drowning out her words so true

The marriage or the glass!”
The line drawn in the sand
They found him in the grass
Still … with the rifle in his hands
He called her ‘Baby’
She was a willow in the wind

Summer floods, icy storms
Water crumbles the steep banks
Peaceful smile, standing strong
She greets the dawn and she gives thanks
For another day
Like a willow in the wind

© 2013

Your chestnut eyes and mournful smile
Greet me in my dreams
Although many years have passed
Like yesterday it seems

Sitting closely by the canvas
I would watch your paintbrush dart — and dwell
Turning palette into life

In the zenith of July
In the clasp of sultry air
Young apprentice of your skill
Of your feelings unaware

Like a hero from our folktales
Sound and wise, devoted friend
You wrote me “to live is to love”

CHORUS:
Just one kiss
You have asked me for
Just one kiss
That I could not give

No one would know your secret
Not family, nor your fans
In that place you’d never be welcome
To show them your weary heart…deep inside

I have entered a new world
Through the doors you’ve opened up for me
Walking on a mountain trail
I remember the moment, on a balmy eve

When you looked straight in my eyes
And quietly said
“There’s one thing I would like to ask”

CHORUS: Just one kiss …

© 2013

When I met you for the first time
In your eyes I saw a hint of mystery
Then your bright smile made me shine
All my worries were history

Dark long hair and a thin white dress
Your graceful bare feet walking softly in the sand
All I wanted was your caress
And to gently hold your hand

Chorus:
I still recall the day our love was born
A miracle surrounded by rosehips
So many times it carried us through storms
And now, the lovers’ love is still between our lips

As we join inside a temple dome
Where candle flames are lit and fragrance fills the air
From the high vaults angels roam
Honoring the passionate joy we share

Lovers’ love breaks down ocean waves
It fears no wolves, it has no shame, it’s all around
Once you find it you will feel as brave
You will revel in its silent sounds

Chorus: I still recall the day our love was born…

You once loved listening to bedtime stories
Games with kids and Sunday meals
With grandma’s special apple pie
But this is something very different
A power that invigorates,
A force that helps you reach the sky
June rainbow? Or wings of dove?
You know that’s a miracle of love!

I know that love is miracle (between our lips)
Remember, love is a miracle (sing me a love song)
We know that love is a miracle (whisper the love words)
Love is a, love is a miracle
Nurture it every day!
Love is a miracle between our lips…

© 1987

A little boy behind the walls he built
In his fortress all alone
For he had learned to trust no one
Sometimes silent like a stone

A little boy takes his time to answer
Caught off guard minces his words
The gates seem closed, the moat so wide
And I wonder if he’s heard
What I said
And what I said was

Chorus: New tongues you will learn
Should make your life smooth
Your star brightly burns
So don’t fear the truth
Your beautiful face
A legible chart
No matter the place
Speak right from your heart

A little boy opens the window
And the wood thrush song flows in
He looks outside with smiling eyes
Will the healing soon begin?

Little boy, you’re almost a grown man now
And your flight is coming near
With opened mind and wings spread wide
Yet I wonder if you hear
What I say
And what I say is

Chorus: New tongues … …

I’m trying to reach you
Trying to teach you
To let love in
And speak from your heart
Speak from you heart
Speak right from your heart
Speak from your heart

© 2014

© 2014

If I could make a different world
Lakes and rivers would be clean, clear, cuddling the banks
Fragrant meadows flecked with birds
Replacing all abandoned, naked strip-mined land

If I made changes that could last
Guns would shine in museums as relics from the past
And every child could go to school
No girl would sell herself to feed her family at home

CHORUS: Come with me,
Never turn around and hold my hand tight
Can’t you see
We can change our plight

Politicians spewing lies
Ten thousand souls on concrete floors, dull, waiting for the knife
While someone’s hungry baby cries
Gluttons gorge themselves in castles, oblivious to strife

CHORUS: Come with me…

No matter what color you are
No matter how you pray
Bring all your original minds
And let us gather today
To decide on better ways

If I could make a different world
Lakes and rivers would be clean, clear, cuddling the banks
If I made changes that could last
Guns would shine in museums as relics from the past

CHORUS: Come with me … (2x)

If I could make a different world