The Slow Economic Bleeding Takes Its Toll

So many small towns
Desperate
Down on their luck
Fallen, and
unable to get back up
No way to revive opportunity

I’ve seen their faces…
all those workers, young and old
losing it all, including their dreams
More than they ever imagined–
gone, like a vanishing ghost
leaving them cold and empty

Times have been tougher
like the Great Depression
but the slow economic bleeding
is taking its toll everywhere
Hope is still out there, but
wrapped in unfamiliar clothes

ALL I HAVE TO GIVE

You're the first thing I think of
Each morning when I rise.
You're the last thing I think of
Each night when I close my eyes.

You're in each thought I have
And every breath I take.
My feelings are growing stronger
With every move I make.

I want to prove I love you
But that's the hardest part.
So, I'm giving all I have to give
To you... I give my heart.