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Poems, Song Lyrics, & Short Stories 

Poems:

That's the Price You Pay
by Roger E. Bissell
1976 

If freedom has a bitter taste
From all the facts you finally faced,
And all the years that went to waste,
Then that's the price you pay.

And if it seems too great a cost
For all the losing dice you tossed
And all the precious time you lost,
Then that's the price you pay.

The good times never seem to last.
You're haunted by a chance you passed.
Tomorrow seems to come too fast.
Yes, that's the price you pay .

Illumination
by Roger E. Bissell
1989

In the darkness of the night,
As I formulate my messages
And prepare to send them to you,
I remember your shining eyes,
I see again your glowing smile,
And they provide the light
By which I am able to see
What I want to say.

My Spirit's Home
by Roger E. Bissell
1989


Like a beacon in the night,
The sparks from your soul send out their light
And help me not to lose the sight
Of my spirit's home.

Brighter than a sunlit day,
The sparks from your soul wipe out the gray
And help me not to lose the way
Back to my spirit's home.

A Kinder, Gentler Friendship
by Roger E. Bissell
1989


As I look into the private sector of your soul,
A thousand twinkling points of light let me know
That my hungry spirit will never again have to wonder
Where its next meal is coming from.

How to Win a Man
by Roger E. Bissell
1989


The way to a man's love
Is through his deepest values.

Theist's Delusion
by Roger E. Bissell
1995


Because the natural world is just a sludgy sort of Parmenidean One,
Full of Prime Matter, base and mean,
There could be nothing new under the sun,
Did not our Dear Heavenly Father deign to supervene.

(This whimsical little poem was inspired by John J. Haldane's essay, "The Mystery of Emergence," published a few years back in Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society.)

A Haiku for Al-Qaeda
by Roger E. Bissell
2006

Ultimate owie!

Our smart bombs went ker-powie

On Al-Zarqawi!


Song Lyrics:

Once in Every Lifetime
by Roger E. Bissell
1978


Once in ev'ry lifetime, someone comes along,
Someone who makes love a song that knows no ending.

Someone you're at home with, someone who is real,
Shows you how she really feels without pretending.

Arms to lose yourself in, when the day's been long.
Hands to help you find the way, when ev'rything's gone wrong.

So, when you find your someone, never let her go.
Let her know she's the one you've waited for.

Unhooked
by Roger E. Bissell
1982


Go on your merry way. How was I to know
You would ever say you had to leave?
You and I are dead. Never did believe
All those things you said, like "Forever."
Never did ring true, when you told me "I love you."
But always thought that we'd work out somehow.

Guess that I was wrong. Obviously we're through.
We just don't belong to each other now.
Guess it's time to go on our sep'rate ways.
Now it all must end.
Now you'll never know you were my best friend.

Go, if you really must. But you ought to know
You were more than just a pretty face.
You and I were good. How can I retrace
All the steps we took down life's hallways?
Always kept in mind that true love is hard to find.
But never entertained the thought that we'd ever come unhooked.

Guess that I was wrong. Obviously we're through.
We just don't belong to each other now.
Guess it's time to go on our sep'rate ways.
Now it all must end.
Now you'll never know you were my best friend.

Letting Go
by Roger E. Bissell
1989


Here's you, there's me.
We two can't be.
Not here, not there.
No love to share.

Letting go now,
Hardly knew how,
'Til the moment
When I saw clearly.

Here's me, there's you.
No us, we're through.
Not here, not there.
Not anywhere.

Heartache mending,
Nearly ending.
Now it's time for parting.
New life starting.

Short Stories