Poetry by Scot EHRHARDT - Email Comments to Xbomber00@aol.com - Poetry - http://maxpages.com/nichola/Scot

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR 11/20/98
--dedicated to Liz Bolger and family

When the struggle of life becomes too much
And the weight you cannot bear,
When you cry to sleep and scream at God
But God just isn't there,
Just look behind, and you will find
You won't suffer in solitude.
I'll be right there, my arms spread wide,
I'll share the burden with you.
I sounding board, my ears for you,
A cup for tears outpoured,
A smile to cheer, big eyes to warm,
Cause, hey, that's what we're for.
And when times are troubled and the road is rough,
And you feel you're in quicksand,
Whenever you start to slip and fall,
I've already got your hand.
No matter what comes, I'll be you friend,
Someone to rely on.
And when there's nothing I can say or do,
I'll be a shoulder to cry on.

A little mix between freehand and conventional, for a Christmas present.

NON-REFUNDABLE 12/19/98

Don't think it insincere,
No presents with ribbons under the tree.
It's all so superficial.
Much deeper I hoped, the present from me.
Sure, Christmas has meaning.
But not the gifts that are thrown on the shelf.
I only have so much,
So the gift I am giving is the gift of myself.
I want to be with you,
In the times you succeed, and times of defeat.
Isn't it funny--
The most meaningful gifts come without a receipt.

TRUE SELF 12/21/98

Somewhere inside ourselves
A true self waits to be free.
But when is the time to grow up,
And we're let loose on society?
And who say's we're grown up-
Is it only inside ourselves?
Or will be be rejected,
If our true self never was?
When too many problems arise,
Not enough hours in the day,
And you don't know who you are,
Childhood drifts away.
I can only look back and sigh,
Gradeschool friends released.
Where is my true self found,
Where's my inner peace?
Find people who understand,
Not the latest trends.
True self only emerges,
When you can find true friends.
You'll learn more about yourself
By talking with a friend.
Only now you'll realize,
Your true self has always been.

After the third girl from my grade-school became pregnant, I decided to write
this.

LOVE? 12/30/98

Prostitution is accepted, abortion clinics cram,
No one cares about each other, no one gives a damn
Love is nonexistant, sex a meaningless game
And neither understands the root of all their pain.
But maybe in another world
Another time
Another place
Maybe love is something deeper
Than another pretty face.

After watching a law show dealing with nazi hate crimes, I felt compelled to write this.

WRONG ANSWER 1/6/99

Does it make you feel like a bigger man--
Putting yourself above someone else?
Why do you hate me?
Why do you hate everyone?
Don't act so proud of yourself,
Intolerable of someone different.
But we're all different.
Be it black, Jew, or crippled,
Homosexual goth, or LD.
Why can't you accept me?
Or can't you accept you.
Hatred is not the answer.
You're scared.
Scared of someone unlike you.
But you are not the standard.
You are not the touchtone of humanity.
You're scared.
You have to be.

A ballad-like reflection of an X dance, the screen refers to a giant movie
screen they showed pictures up on, and while slowdancing, I saw us on the
screen.

THE MUSIC WITHIN 1/25/99

The music plays, my heart beat race.
And through the wisps of my hair, I can see her shining face.
I looked in her eyes. She looked in mine.
As we hold each other, her embrace seems to stops time.
The warmth of her face. No need to speak,
As her silky hair brushes against my cheek.
And I look upon the screen above
To see me and the one I'm thinking of.
I close my eyes and sigh with a grin
And continue to sway to the music within.
Oh, to savour the moment, but time passes my friend.
God, how I wish that night never end.
When I recall the feeling, a smile I can't hide.
And though all the songs eventually died,
Songs don't have to fade, life can only begin
As long as you hear the music within.
And I look upon the screen above
To see me and the one I'm thinking of.
I close my eyes and sigh with a grin
And continue to sway to the music within.

IS THIS THE END? 1/28/99

Don't ask about the frown.
World turned upside-down.
It's just a heart, that broke apart,
A hope that's starting to drown.

3 Months I wished we might.
Can't things turn out right?
Was it me, or not meant to be?
The world doesn't seem as bright.

God, I always wished
It wouldn't turn out like this.
3 months I try, and with a sigh,
I leave without a kiss.

ANGELS 2/25/99

-dedicated to Emily Voelmecke, Eilleen McGrath, and
all the other people who helped me back on my feet Just wanted to say thanx in the best possible way.

All my hopes collapsed,
I can't stand looking back.
No exit to this maze,
Life's a cul-de-sac.
To restore a broken mirror,
Is futile, so it seems
To find and piece together
Bits of shattered dreams.
When every attempt is a failure,
Is it even worth trying for?
In a superficial world,
I desire something more.
So I stumble through empty streets,
I hand my head and sigh,
As twinkling specks descend,
From the dreary, moonless sky.
The glowing figures land.
The streets, in the dark of night
Don't look quite as frightening,
In their ever-present light.
I see at once they're angels,
I recall from tales of old,
The warmth of every smile,
Their garmets trimmed in gold.
And piece by piece the mirror
Begins to take its shape.
A hopeless task completed,
An endless maze escaped.
'Cause whenever I'm trapped in despair,
Can't seem to stay on my feet,
At the moment I lose all control,
The angels carry me.
And how many times without them,
Would I have fallen through?
I know I believe in angels,
Because one of them is you.

They say time is the best healer, and it looks to be true. I'm feeling a lot
better, ready for the next adventure of life.

MOVING ON 3/9/99

The sun peeks over the hills of green,
And I pause a moment to view the scene.
The next adventure is round the bends,
Another pops up as the last one ends.
The last fiasco I recall with a smile,
'Cause I know in my heart it was all worthwhile.
I'd do it again if I had the chance-
The exhausing lock-in, the "velvet dance".
And I laugh to myself at the times I've had.
Life's too short to always be sad.
So I look ahead to what life may bring,
If there's one thing I've learned, expect anything.
But you just can't worry, what comes about.
Things have a way of working out.
And with hopeful eyes I continue on,
Heading toward that promising dawn.

QUESTIONS 3/12

God gave us life.
Why?
Do we find God through religion,
Or did we invent religion to find God?
Who is God?
What is Life?
For God to create, he must have had a need. An emptiness.
But God is not empty.
Religion is our method of fitting God in our simple minds.
But God is not simple.
God is the ever-present being who created us.
But God is not a being.
And what is Life?
Life is breathing, thinking, dying.
Life is love, Life is setbacks, deadlines, disappointments.
Life is exploration, Life is discovery, realization, and satisfaction.
Life is the quest to be complete.
To be like God.
But God is not alive...
...........Or is he?

A poem I wrote from all the McAuley HS seniors doing their last production in
theater, The Wizard of Oz.

BREAK A LEG 3/18
-dedicated to the McAuley seniors

It's hard to say goodbye.
All the times we've had-
To leave them all behind,
It's human to be sad.
Make every moment count.
Believe, and never doubt.
'Cause when the curtains open-
That's what life's about.
Moving on is tough,
All the hugs and sighs.
We go our seperate ways,
But friendship never dies.
These are the days to remember,
The emotions to the applause
So break a leg, and smile,
When you enter the Land of Oz.

IMAGE 3/24

The image remains as sharp as a knife,
The day I'd remember for the rest of my life.
I was walking home in the summer's heat,
When I saw a footprint upon the street.
But something was odd, this track was not mud,
This print was made by human blood.
My stomach turned and my thoughts ran,
I had to help this wounded man.
I followed te path, and on it led,
Until I found the man who bled.
Sorrounded by guards and a riotous crowd,
I went as far as I was allowed,
Weaving my way though the threats and jeers,
My eyes clouded with angry tears.
I saw the agony in his face
As he struggled to keep the soldiers' pace.
His feet were cut and left behind
The prints of blood carved in my mind.
His face and neck were streamed with red,
From the ring of thorns jammed on his head.
A wooden cross he dragged along,
I wondered what this man did wrong.
His legs trembled, he dropped to a knee,
Then was crushed by the weight of the tree.
The soldiers cursed and prodded him on.
Just how far had this man gone?
His destination I could see,
The lonely hill of Calvary.
And I hadn't noticed until this time,
That no one mentioned his mortal crime.
So I asked a witness, only to find,
This was the man who had healed the blind.
Jesus, his name, the carpenter's son,
Thought to be the annointed one.
Sent to free us from our sin,
So to heaven, we could enter in.
A cry rang out from the tortured man
As a spike was driven through his hand.
The blood trickled forth, and stained the wood,
But he silenced his anger as best he could.
Then nails were driven through his feet,
The scent of blood-- bittersweet.
My nose took in the tainted air,
I wince in disgust, the soldiers swear.
Nearly an hour had passed by
When they raised the cross up to the sky.
He hung from the rood in his languid state,
Enduring his punishment of cruelty and hate.
But he looked down with tenderness,
To the guards whom he addressed:
"My fight with death has just begun,
May God forgive what you have done."
I searched for words, but was at a loss,
Gazing up at the wooden cross.
His head bowed down with one last sigh,
So full of sadness, I couldn't cry.
And the sky turned black upon that day,
Freedom, what a price to pay.
I retraced his steps, numbed with pain,
Yet I had a feeling I'd see him again.

You were such a good friend to me when I wasn't even trying. Thanx for still
being there, I'm sorry I wasn't. I was just listening to a Jimmy Hendrix,
and this idea came to mind. Friendship means so much more than anything else.
THANX

NO END IN SIGHT 4/4/99

--dedicated to Jeannette Dehmer

I built my castle in a single night
For my emotions to reside.
But I didn't expect to ever be
A prisoner inside.
So entrapped in my own thoughts,
I never tried to see.
I apologize for not asking
What you wanted from me.
I'm sorry that I fell in love--
Too in love to care.
And when things broke, I walked away,
But you, my friend, stayed there.
I was content to sit and watch
The flowers of friendship wilt.
The bridge I burned in my apathy,
You selflessly rebuilt.
Your gentle presence reminded me,
Before I hit the ground,
To overlook the loss I've had,
And thank God for what I've found.
I lost my hopes in a future with you
On one fateful night.
But I saw your smiling face and knew
There was no end in sight.
My castle of love was washed away,
I no longer hold your hand.
But the shores of friendship mean so much more
Than my castle made from sand.

A poem I wrote after watching "Saving Private Ryan", and the discussion with
Dave and Kira. What can one person do to change the world?

ONE MAN 4/18/99

What difference can you possibly make?
You can't change the world.
Why bother?
For what can one candle do in a world of darkness?
How can a fleeting smile repair centuries of hate?
How can a single poem mend the hearts of all the despairing?
The quest of one man is futile.
Why is anything worth trying?
But if every candle was negligable, the world would cease to glow.
If smiles were unimportant, laughter could not heal the soul.
And if poems were useless, hearts could not be touched.
Perhaps one man cannot change the world,
But every "one man" together is the world.
A single puzzle piece means nothing,
But with one missing piece, it can never be complete.
Because every candle lighted makes the world a bit warmer.
If all the enemies smiled, the wall of hatred would crumble.
And if every person wrote a poem, there just may be enough hope for us all.

It's hard to let go of people you love so much.
UPROOTED 5/13
All the years I've searched.
Took sixteen years to find.
The most wonderful people ever made--
Funny, complex, and kind.

The effect you've had is amazing,
I wonder if you see
How you've shaped the ball of clay,
And made a man of me.

Now time is of the essense.
I have to cherish each day.
'Cause I'll never know just what I have,
Until you move away.

And after sixteen years,
I love every single one.
I hold you tight, but still I know,
You have your race to run.

So I sit with pen in hand,
But no matter what I say,
The finest verse cannot stop time,
I cannot make you stay.

You're suddenly uprooted,
I just watch on and sigh.
I can't accept I'm losing you.
I refuse to say goodbye.

But this is not about me.
My prayers and wishes I give.
Confront the future and don't look back,
You have your life to live.

But please, stay in touch.
It doesn't matter how.
You've warmed my heart and touched my soul,
Please don't leave me now.

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Page Updated Mon May 17, 1999 4:58am EDT