Given Scenes Like Aleppo

What was the stroke of luck,
That put me in this place?
Complaining it's too hot with ice outside,
Privileged sex and race.

First world woes, like what's the meaning of life,
Though, the question still stands,
When ev'ry hospital and school's been bombed,
Only a Death Road as an escape plan,

It's trite to be grateful for all you have,
Ev'rything's rel'tive, right?
The breath in my lung's a glorious thing,
In a war-torn, bleak blight,

So reject it,
Refuse to live in peace,
Until all people can reject it, too,
With the cool arrogance of the elite.

Is This The End?

I hes'tate to write this,
Got other things to do,
Also, if I am honest with myself,
I am afraid of you,

A fear that was ne'er part of my being,
Nor do I wish it were,
Once, I was accused of being shameless,
My proudest moment living in the world,

But a long life is measured by changes,
Not years that have gone by,
Hoping you end up back where you started,
S'that as born, you will die.

Your truest self,
Ere the Earth friended you,
Gave you life, yes, then the killing began,
That you forget what it is you must do.

Aching Back

Had to sneak this one in,
Just like ev'rything else,
If this mantra does not repair it all,
I just might hurt myself,

Unintentionally! Don't get me wrong,
Just have to find one's groove,
If you're not finding your bliss where you are,
Just pack up your things, close your eyes, and move,

Then you will find yourself in someplace new,
That's existence's gift,
Like panning for gold, you ain't catching none,
Find a new place to sift.

That's all there is,
Unless beating dead horses,
Is what in your heart's what you're meant to do,
Then you're lucky to know what your course is.

Animals

There's no human being,
You could call animal,
Just like no animal's not worth respect,
Ever since man's great fall,

It's a wonder chains were e'er invented,
Who came up with that first?
What need to keep another living thing?
An event born with the notion of cursed,

And all the evil that comes with that view,
Blah, blah, yadda, yadda,
If you want to treat others with respect,
Then, well, you just oughta.

It's that easy,
It's called live and let live</>.
Then you can heal and accept your own fate,
As one with as much freedom as you give.

What You See

Take a look at yourself,
What you see's what you get,
What you get's what you accept in yourself,
What you accept's correct,

The paradox is what you see mayn't be,
What it is that you want,
But what you think others get when they see,
Which they then assume is you, but it's not,

If you'd see what you get, which you do not,
What kind of life is that?
The kind where your eyes see not what there is,
That's illusion, not fact.

That don't feel good,
You know what you're doing,
You're relenting on being your true self,
That's the last thing you should be eschewing.

Serenity Now

Things are e'er what they are,
Despite how you may hope,
Yes, they may change, but in a thousand ways,
The way which you want? Nope,

Or rather, it is not impossible,
That's life's magicalness,
But no alterations can ever pass,
'Less you practice radical acceptance,

Not talking 'bout the Serenity Prayer,
'Least, I hadn't planned to,
But, really, if God were alive today,
He'd probably slap you,

And say, "wake up!
"Do you think you're dreaming?
Stop dying, wishing things were different,
And live facing the way they are seeming."

Running

If this is putting off,
I don't want to be right,
The movement of ev'ry limb that I see,
'Skey to locks out of sight,

Existing in another dimension,
Just theoretical,
Putting into question your sensations,
Whether it is there need not be settled,

You must take that taste with a grain of salt,
Feelings, too, are suspect,
They'll only help you with the chimera,
Of all that you expect,

But it's not there,
It's on the horizon,
A backdrop, for sure, sunlight on your dreams,
But it is not in the world your eye's in.

Off The Freight Train

In the nineteen fifties,
Entered into New York,
A young man wishing just to play guitar,
That music they called folk,

Because it told stories and captured hearts,
So what, it didn't sell?
You sing your soul, get paid if you're lucky,
Happy if you play well,

E'er in front of people or not at all,
Else there was no feelin',
He'd meet his idols and they'd ask his name,
He'd reply, 'Bob Dylan',

The song was his,
They'd always ask to hear,
It was obvious to all he had it,
That's his reward for conquering his fear.

The Music

You are music to me,
Carrying me through time,
Your calm tempo replacing the seconds,
Mundane becomes sublime,

The sounds of the street organize themselves,
Like they were meant to be,
Oh, would that all the world just understood,
That in the cacophony's harmony,

But the melody comes from in not out,
The peace must be in you,
Only then you see the dance of others,
And so, too, their world view,

Is it the same?
But it don't mean a thing,
Once everyone's dancing to their own beat,
All your body will wish to do is sing.

A Heart's Test

The single stage pump drones,
'Til its work's met by flesh,
A membrane layered on a blood jet stream,
Packaged in the man, Pietch,

If the world were diff'rent, so'd the readings,
So, too, expectations,
Three hundred years, now, this force has been known,
The heart's not just the source of affections,

The machine stops now, the retreat's slow hiss,
The reading's what it is,
A moment in time, 'mongst infinite more,
Each a correlative,

But, yet, alone,
Is ev'rything function?
What 'bout those ev'nings side-by-side in bed,
When our blood feels like they're beating as one?

Blacksmith Hands

I don't know these people,
Eyes wide, skin clean and fresh,
Not constrained by their lack of cash in hand,
They face a diff'rent test,

Minds focus all day on unhuman things,
In that, we are the same,
Put them in a tower and knock it down,
It wouldn't alter the rules of the game,

Maybe it is just their colorful socks,
A whimsy I don't know,
That despite there is no point to it all,
We're still in one big show,

That's the secret,
You can't control outside,
But create your own world to exist in,
And what's out's in's what's there until you've died.

Advice

How else can you react,
Than how it is you've learned,
From those that came before and should have known,
The risks around the turns?

The disappointments and let-downs in life,
As if they didn't know,
They weren't taught to deal with them, too,
For that, d'you know how far back you must go?

The kicker is there is no point in time,
That knowledge don't exist,
Sure there are books with an answer of sorts,
Brandished by fanatics,

You don't need that,
The answer's inside you,
You're as fresh as the first daisy, ever,
And that one learned how to live as it grew.

Say Anything

Speaking implies notion,
Like you mean what you say,
But until you get out your dying words,
Your thoughts are not betrayed,

Even then, unless you are not alive,
There's e'er another side,
If you were able to call from the dead,
You'd have some new message from the inside,

Imagine you could have said everything,
Just paste it on your head,
Ne'er a syllable needed afterward,
Except please pass the bread,

P'haps I love you,
Just 'cause it's nice to hear,
Just be careful, for the more that you say,
The more you'll have to say to be made clear.

UP

I just did a chin-up,
It's something about health,
An elusive state of body and mind,
Nigh important as wealth,

With chin-ups it's all about quantity,
Just like money, in fact,
Could it be that if I get big enough,
I will gain what I ever felt I lacked?

If I pump to the size of a mammoth,
My woes could go away,
Forget working hard for good day's wage,
Muscles will forge the way,

Just need practice,
More than five at a time,
Then I will have ev'rything that I want,
All the comfort without spending a dime.

He's Been Through Worse

Sitting on a bench,
A man in peach shorts,
Masked for a moment by a police car,
Neck not slightly torqued,

His hand raises his smoke while his eyes on phone,
Did he work any less,
Wake up later, follow a diff'rent code,
Than the guy who just passed in the Lexus?

Will he sit there all day, thinking the same?
We all just do our best,
With what we have been given and e'er have,
We're not living a test,

It is called life,
Mysterious and grand,
I'll stop musing on the one on the bench,
One's own is hard enough to understand.

Night Visions

There is a light o'er there,
Like a computer screen,
Backlit by millions diode pixels,
Like nothing I've e'er seen,

It's a glow so faint, it is only clear,
If I turn my phone off,
Yet the black break in between tells me that,
There's a true glow and one that's a knock-off,

It's only 'cause I know I'm on a lake,
I see it for its truth,
The ev'ning moon's reflection off the lake,
Memories of my youth,

In simpler times,
When I couldn't write this,
In situ, with the screen brightness turned low,
So my eyes can report back on this bliss.

No Sound

When it's quiet like this,
Crickets the only sound,
I then hear the constant buzz in my ears,
Like some white noise rebound,

So loud I almost miss the splash of fish,
Eating a midnight snack,
What noise my daily life must be filled with,
That my ears reverberate with its lack,

How long it will take to recalibrate,
To what nature had planned,
Is not something that I can calculate,
But surely I'll be damned,

If I find out,
For then I'd have to flee,
The only world I've known my entire life,
Where I'm surrounded by my family.

On The Shore

Trees are growing from rocks,
Butt up against the shore,
The water bugs play some mass game of tag,
Fish ain't biting no more,

This land's scarce changed in a millennia,
'Cept for the odd cottage,
It would take a city's with of humans,
To make nature get the fuck out of Dodge,

But that's just 'cause it's a provincial park,
Only 'cause it's no worth,
It is the same with hireability,
And the city of Perth,

You're in the wake,
Or you are moved by it,
Either way you have to be in water,
If you say you are not I won't buy it.

Uhm, I'm Still Here

Just because I'm a ghost,
Doesn't mean I read minds,
If you don't tell me you're thinking of me,
I will think you unkind,

Won't show you the path to a better life,
You better bet I could,
Telepathy, no, fortune telling, yes,
We see in four dimensions pretty good,

Other than that, things are mostly the same,
Old mind different suit,
It's against the rules to communicate,
But so was stealing loot,

And I did that,
Many other things, too,
So give me a sign you miss me a bit,
I'll break an ethereal law for you.

Love (the imperative)

May love never leave you,
No matter where it goes,
Attached to things that are not worth your time,
Blinded by fleeting throes,

Or clinging to someone who's not worthy,
At least the feeling's there,
Not roaming outside you with all hope lost,
Chasing dreams long disappeared in thin air,

Better you love TV or, worse, a dog,
Go spend it on handbags,
Shower your adoration on false gods,
Rather you live in rags,

Than lose all love,
Instead, destroy coffee,
Just trying to think of the most absurd,
So you apprec'ate love's necessity.

Welcome to the World

Why you need two handbags,
I'd love to understand,
Perhaps you fill them with what's fallen out,
When your front door is slammed,

Like a closet that's bursting to the seams,
With everything you need,
A water bottle thirteen months half full,
Old cassette tapes and books you'll never read,

Things you couldn't sell when the system dies,
When you need to leave home,
Your world becomes oh such a diff'rent place,
Unwanted and unknown,

But yet, it's there,
Like you were born that day,
Just handed to you, like that's how it is,
And it couldn't be any other way.

The Stripper

It's about the moment,

Just unpredictable,

Influenced by so many unknown facts,

Couldn't count if able,

But there is ne'er a doubt when I'm with you,

Is't a trick of the mind?

You can make yourself believe something, y'know?

Ref'rence Jesus' last words when he died,

Think about your faith in the weatherman,

Where percentage is truth,

You think you will wake up in the morning,

For real'lty stays aloof,

But not right here,

Looking into your eyes,

The moment's only the realization,

That we should fear naught hellos or good-byes.

Too Tired

There is too much to do,
To think of what you love,
Food won't knock on your door, jump on your plate,
What are you thinking of?

That which inspires you can only exist,
With unoccupied minds,
That is why art has basically been dead,
Since the ancient Egyptians have all died,

It is not so much the need to survive,
That's just a piddly thing,
Hunger begs you to shout out to the world,
What your heart is singing,

It's other stuff,
Beyond the fork and knife,
Work begets cash, begets shopping, then what?
We're so removed from living, where is life?

You're Still Alive

Life's a series of change,
Like the growth of children,
If you see them ev'ryday, they're the same,
Ultimate ends hidden,

But wake up one morning and years have passed,
Oh, where did the time go?
No chance to amend the path they'd taken,
Bigger than you or the life that you've known.

Did they watch themselves transform to grown-ups?
Else, time travel's their trip,
Time all wasted by letting it pass by,
Shooting it from the hip,

No questions first,
Like, what the fuck is this?
If asked to recreate the world from scratch,
Do you even know what it is you'd wish?

In Exile

You feeling your body,
From the inside or out?
Do you feel the breeze caressing your skin,
Washing away all doubt,

Or is it slightly quenching the furnace,
Burning hot in your heart,
Screaming to be moved to a safer place,
Whether in its current body or not?

Do your eyes see the beauty all around,
Aching to ease your pain?
Just close them now and tell me what you see,
Isn't the problem plain?

You are burnt out,
The reason ain't no thing,
You must return to your natural state,
When your actions came before your knowing.

Good Night

Meet you at the castle,
The one made out of clouds,
At the drawbridge, you all dressed in purple,
My sweet, go to sleep, now,

We can always close our eyes and meet there,
If nowhere else there is,
With its soft moat and big fluffy turrets,
It will always be a safe place for us,

But its doors are closed when we are awake,
Until then we must live,
Facing the harshness of stone and mortar,
You have all I can give,

Up 'til I die,
Then beyond that sure day,
Queen of intoxication, I love you,
I will e'er be there, wherever you lay.

Find Yourself

Fear makes you do strange things,
Like turn into a child,
Throw away the years meant to make you strong,
When tame overcomes wild,

Except the adult doesn't leave your skin,
He's left to deal with it,
Now, you only have yourself to turn to,
Frozen to your place in a panicked  fit.

'Fore you know it, you have lost all control,
Seeking it around you,
But those eyes wouldn't recognize reason,
If it was all they viewed.

Look at yourself,
From both sides of the frame,
The child will tell you what your heart desires,
But wanting and having are not the same.

City Crickets

Listen, do you hear that?
Do not utter a peep,
Just the whisper of the AC unit,
The city is asleep,

The glow of office buildings through the blinds,
Replace the stars behind,
Constellations if I choose to read them,
Guiding the actions of all human kind,

It is the witching hour, before the rush,
After the night owl's flight,
Nary a car treading the downtown streets,
Twixt drunken and work fights,

And dark and light,
Though really, which is which?
Drunk on living, sober until work comes,
The poor forever the prey of the rich.

Finally

The sun is now shining,
And, oh, what it reveals,
Sandy beaches lapped by cool, salty waves,
Pierced by a hundred keels,

A breeze cleaned by miles of ocean water,
Breathed in, clearing the mind,
To rest on questions best considered when,
Sitting in clothes long hardened by the brine,

Encroaching on no one, feet in the sand,
Plenty for everyone,
If greed could only be given its place,
That's the realization,

That we're all here,
Whatever the system,
Surely amidst the vastness of this Earth,
There is a place for ev'ryone's passion.

Meteor Shower

We weren't sure we saw't,
The light plays tricks on you,
Sometimes you want something so very bad,
You see what you want to,

A subtle streak across the nighttime sky,
Perhaps a star imprint,
Million-old light traveling to our eyes,
Reflected back, now a meteor's glint,

Reinforced by the cries of my partners,
I've seen one if you did,
Without the ben'fit of instant replay,
It's a runaway bid,

We want to win,
Even before we do,
Suddenly the sky is filled with comets,
And I'm flying in among them with you.

On This Truck

Want to understand strength?
Look at that truck's backside,
Chassis built like a metal I-beam house,
Four thick monstrous wheels wide,

We could stand on it together, hands clasped,
The springs wouldn't feel us,
Turn faces up to the sun as it rolls,
Noses never touch the choking exhaust,

If we are hit, we would never know it,
We would just plow on through,
To wherever that behemoth takes us,
Earth on Earth, me and you,

Until we stop,
To top it up again,
We'd deign to place our feet back on the ground,
Risking this world's inevitable pain.

Your Deep Web

I want to penetrate,
Through into your deep web,
Under the the words I get back with queries,
That you've easily said,

Past connections you've made to memories,
Simple enough to find,
Silumacra forever changing form,
Masking undigested conflicts behind,

Further past, to things only you can name,
Though you never yet have,
The undercurrent shaping your surface,
Trickiest to get at,

Because it's you,
A site wholly unique,
Bringing to light what truly turns your crank,
If I was but such a capable geek.

What Get's You Down

In your darkest moments,
What is it that you fear?
Could it be the future's uncertainty,
Things loved that disappear,

Or p'haps lack of confidence in yourself-
It's a big scary world-
Intimidated by what others think,
E'en if their actual thoughts are unfurled,

Or'you concerned 'bout the fate of loved ones,
(You've got to let them go),
Or's it that things haven't gone as they should,
Despite having thought so?

Ha, well guess what?
Welcome ye to the club,
There's not a king that hasn't felt the same,
Nor a lioness protecting her cub.

Love The Wind

There's happy in the breeze,
Gentle, soothing caress,
A fluttering sound soft against your ear,
Contours pressed 'gainst your dress,

The cool is refreshing, but not too cold,
Just enough to be woke,
The kind of wind, if it goes long enough,
Will make you believe it's all just a joke

As you lie there with sun against your face,
Heat of sadness far 'way,
If air could cleanse you of anxiety,
There'd be piles where you lay,

Then it would go,
Picked up by the odd gust,
That is, if this breeze could last long enough,
For you've a patina of anxious rust.

To Write A Song's Not Easy

Don't try to write a song,
If you are serious,
You'll just want to say everything at once,
Which will sound obnoxious,

But don't treat it as if it means nothing,
Your words must have meaning,
A babe can tell when you're not invested,
Like being fed sawdust after weaning,

You have to find the song waiting inside,
Knowing it's important,
Should flow out of you as if from somewhere,
Delivered, but not sent,

It simply is,
A slice outside of time,
Maybe it's praising a beautiful day,
Yet, revealing inner beauty, sublime.

Gotta Fly

There is no time for this,
The story of my life,
A plane is waiting to take me away,
Back to heartbreak and strife,

Into the sky and far above the clouds,
Oh the photos I've took,
I've jumped into them so many times now,
I can point out to you my fav'rite nooks,

If I could take you there to breathe them in,
I know you'd fine'ly see,
Why of all of the things that I desire,
The most is to be free,

'Cause that is me,
That's what I want to leave,
You can fly so high that when you look down,
To see your goal, all you need do's believe

On The shelf

It's a little vessel,
Would be a good child's thing,
A canopic jar the size of your thumb,
Engraved with birds flying,

The top spins off and it's very well made,
The metal's cold to touch,
If you smoke weed it'd be perfect for that,
You'd hardly see it sitting in a hutch,

But mom didn't smoke, and she's in there too,
At least a part of her,
Not that I cannot be apart from her,
She'd certainly concur,

It's just for now,
Until she's in a tree,
Sucked up by roots from the soil she's mixed in,
Then that jar could be used to hold your weed.

Into You

You've been gone for so long,
Still, you have never left,
How can someone who has such influence,
Yet still be so bereft?

May you, too, never leave the planet earth,
Even after you've died,
Your scent will never leave my memory,
Nor may your love for life e'er be belied,

May it wipe away any hint of pain,
Life is too short for that,
Rather the comfort of your sweet embrace,
More than words can redact,

More than all things,
If you were but the world,
I'd dig into you 'til I've reached your core,
A joy in which I'd forever be curled.

Outlook

How far away's success?
Only you can know that,
For, like the theory of relativ'ty,
You create your own facts,

You bend them like light in the universe,
Then it is really bent,
That is how you can live in a palace,
When it is really a cramped tenement,

Or use the coffee shop's bathroom to bathe,
Smile while you brush your teeth,
Because anyone who feels successful,
Is successful to me,

But if you don't,
Well, you may never be,
Success needs parameters to exist.
The perception precedes reality.

The Force

These fingers obey me,
Or wait, that's not quite true,
They're a part of me, whoever that is,
Doing as I would do,

It's the difference between sending signals,
From a boss to a slave,
The one using the other for a task,
Unthoughtful until the one misbehaves,

Versus the instantaneous actions,
Expressed without a thought,
The signal originating nowhere,
Always already sought,

That's you and me,
Yes, your fingers right there,
The whole world should run without needing think,
But our preoccupied minds wouldn't dare.

A Little Rain

The rain fell, yesterday,
Not as hard as on you,
My clothes hardly even got wet at all,
Despite what I did do,

Laying on my back in an open space,
I felt the wetness, sure,
But it only lasted a few minutes,
And I was dry again in e'en fewer,

But you, you looked like you had been swimming,
Drenched from noggin to toe,
Even though we were out there together,
Still, you refused to go,

You said, that's life,
A little rain must fall,
It is not it's fault that for some humans,
It's a drizzle and for others a squall.

Good Bye

This one will not be sad,
I've a leaning towards that,
Which perhaps has an influence on me,
And those I interact,

So, please rejoice in the cold, humid day,
The clouds a deep, blue-grey,
So much to be thankfully not dreading,
May the universe keep all threats at bay,

There's lots to do other than existing,
Not twenty-four hours worth,
Oh, the freedom in the hours that are left,
The absence of a curse.

That doesn't rhyme,
No need to in this one,
'Sides, it's time to leave this moment behind,
There is no time for this circumlocution.

Any Time

You must do everything,
Like the last thing you'll do,
Then you'll know what is truly important,
It may be something new,

Something thought of as inconsequential,
To everybody else,
But really, who is anyone to say,
What should define anyone else's self?

It may be you will open up their eyes,
To their own imper'tive,
Honesty is what we're talking 'bout here,
The only way to live,

'Cause if you don't,
You breed dishonesty,
With no examples for others to know,
The meaning of life 'fore reach forty.

Sitting By The Highway

I sat by the highway,
Constant rumble of cars,
Tried to see the humanity in each,
But they were fast too far,

Hundreds of souls I'll never see again,
Moving within their lives,
Never to know I was looking at them,
Prob'ly not caring if they did realize,

They call it attention economics,
There's too much wanting eyes,
With a limited amount there to see,
Y'know what loneliness buys,

Nothing at all,
Like cars barreling by,
F'only I could be the destination,
Without the drivers understanding why.

Where You Are

When you're at your lowest,
Whatever that may mean,
Do you imagine things will get better,
If you act differently?

Or do you wait for the bad luck to pass,
Then wait for the next wave,
To carry you closer to a safe shore,
Until you try to wade back in again?

Maybe you've known nothing other than falling,
So expect nothing more,
Or got the world on a gold, fucking tray,
Jam-packed with open doors.

The key thing is,
If you don't know which you are,
You won't know what action you need to take,
Although any will take you just as far.

You Can't Have It All

Which do you believe in?
The real'ty you see?
Where things can change at the drop of a hat,
For there's no unity,

One must be prepared for revolution,
The rug could e'er be pulled,
'Less you don't mind jumping, one to th'other,
Then all connections of heart must be dulled,

Or p'haps you have faith in another force,
Those things you cannot see,
Grounded, instead, in the heart's connections,
To face adversity,

Rev'lutions, still,
That's e'er a certainty,
But what's real's only clothed by sensation,
So, you're still dulling a propensity.

Summary Of Trump's RNC Address

I watched Trump's speech last night,
Ok, I watched his hair,
But then, when I closed my eyes and listened,
I saw the rhetoric fly through the air,

He spit random statistics that ain't true,
Then burned his own straw man,
Painting a peaceful and calm middle east,
Unfurled by an incompetent Clinton,

Describing terrorists and murderers,
Flowing o'er the border,
Police under threat by vi'lent someones,
Then bewailed lost order.

He riled up pride,
Fascist nash'nalism,
The world must fear America again,
And the one person to do it is him.

Take It

I shred this document,
As if it never was,
Like the info hanging in its pages,
Is all it ever does,

Like the words weren't spit from a machine,
Fed from a computer,
That saved it as fingers typed in the words,
Copying forms in which I did enter,

Info now owned by a firm I don't know,
With loyalties fleeting,
That could say, if the government wanted,
Here y'go, happy reading,

While here I am,
Wasting my precious time,
On the chance someone will pick through my trash,
To steal info that is not even mine.

Saving Time

There's no time like the now,
'Fact, there's no time at all,
Which is good for those who have wasted it,
If you can take their gall,

For the rest of us, where has it all gone?!
I think that I can guess:
Into worrying about it passing,
Advising others how to waste it less,

Sleeping, working, watching the evening news,
Should I continue on?
The only thing I couldn't add to it,
Would be fornication,

Well, there're others,
Like what I'm doing now,
For this process takes me outside of time,
A gift with which may you all be endowed.

Catching The Wave

The waves come as they come,
You'll never know from shore,
Just the riling surface seeming random,
Clothing a hidden core,

Wading into that mass is something else,
A spec entering space,
Do you stand up against the crushing force,
Or do you dive through it like a blade,

As you make your way in towards that spot,
Where you're pulled from under,
Now privy to the water's full motion,
Releasing that wonder?

Then there's the wave,
The one you're waiting for,
Enveloping you as if you're flying,
It picks you up and brings you back to shore.

No More Conflict

They're divisions all 'round,
Clash of ideol'gies,
Blacks against whites in the United States,
Oppressed 'gainst author'ty,

Women in India of lower castes,
Raped with impunity,
Even with new strict laws to protect them,
Who will help these oppressed 'gainst author'ty?

It won't be those without any money,
Not individ'ally,
Without pow'r of solidar'ty they're just,
Oppressed 'gainst author'ty,

It's frustrating,
You're born into this life,
Brought up to believe we're all different,
That one's comfort should be another's strife.

Slowing Down

I just want this over,
Then get to other things,
Yet, the speed it goes, leaves qual'ty in throes,
So it loses meaning,

Then I think, "Why did I do it at all?"
Which I ne'er want to think.
Ev'ry moment of this life is precious,
You never know when you' re on the cliff's brink,

Oblivious, looking at your phone's screen,
Stepping to your demise,
How can you be sure where you want to go,
If you won't use your eyes?

Just look around,
Stop looking inside you,
Recognize all the places you can go,
Before you decide what you want to do.

On Our Way Down The Alley

I told my kids today,
I took our neighborhood,
Raised it and placed it in a garbage can,
As th'ree of us walked through't,

You can see the sky 'cause the lid is off,
Tunnels go through the walls,
Which you can't see because they are painted,
Why I did it, I just couldn't recall,

Yes, we have garbage trucks picking up trash,
Ironic, sure I know,
Some of it falls from the sky up above,
That giant people throw,

Because we're trash,
At least we are to them,
But, my children, you are treasures to me.
How is that for one of life's hard lessons?

Must Flee

Even with the comforts,
Of this warm, empty bed,
The protection of these walls around me,
Showered from toes to head,

This body still working as bodies should,
No abnormal defects,
The complaints all due to improper care,
That the mind occasionally deflects,

With the safety I get as a white male,
The king of this jungle,
There's still a fear of what l might incur,
With one little bungle,

But such is life,
There's no guarantee,
E'en if things aren't going as planned,
Or they are, you must be ready to flee.

My Safe Space

The television's on,
Commercials run, so mute,
I see a plea to stop throwing out food,
Then girls of ill-repute,

I'm rushing, for what if I miss a scene?
So the sound is back on,
I prefer to be fed entertainment,
As opposed to mental stimulation,

E'en now I've abs'lutely nothing to say,
Wait, the show is back on,
Someone was shamed for not feeding the poor,
South Park is really fun.

Now he's freaking!
Sorry, I have to go,
I'm actually feeling anxiety,
E'en though I hardly ever watch this show.

Is It Cold In Here?

There's coldness all around,
But, where's it coming from?
I've already reset the thermostat,
Up to Thermal Fusion,

People are melting on all sides of me,
All's left's bubbling puddles,
Still, I'm unfazed as I watch it happen,
Their looks of surprise I'm standing, subtle.

They may be scared of the power I yield,
The way I stand the heat,
Or've I become in their eyes less human?
A soulless piece of meat.

Do I care which?
I like the temperature,
But would I prefer not to be so cold?
Being who I am, I am not too sure.

Time To Go

W'all want to be happy,
To find that magic switch,
With drugs, love, charity, sport, even pain,
But then, there's just one hitch,

The key is different for everyone,
Shit, it might even change,
So, you could figure out your joy one day,
Then the same technique could leave you with mange,

And don't tell me eternal happiness,
Means nothing without woe,
Like the drug user who overdoses,
You'll be happy to go,

Fuck, you'll die glad!
Isn't that the secret?
So what if you're twenty or ninety-three?
Let it go when you no longer seek it.

Anxiety In The Pit Of Your Stomach

No one cares what you do,
When it don't touch their life,
For then, you may as well not e'en exist,
A survival device,

The world is too large to take it all in,
Unless it is reduced,
To simply a projection of your mind,
Lest personal intentions get confused,

Lest you start thinking what it would be like,
In someone else's shoes,
That's a Pandora's box you'll never close,
With very much to lose,

Like who you are,
Or, who you are right now,
With the risk that you'll ope' up all new worlds,
Become depressed and not even know how.

The Cage

You're not defined by me,
Nor by anyone else,
That is a power that doesn't exist,
Except within yourself,

It feels kind of silly to e'en say it,
Maybe that's not the point,
What else can you be except what you are?
A convict in the joint,

In so long, you wouldn't know how to live,
If someone set you free,
Which they cannot for your cage is your own,
And cannot be opened with any key,

You can't get out,
But you can stretch it out,
Hopefully enough to suck others in,
To then show them what you are all about.

Lucky You

There's something to be said,
'Bout sticking to your guns,
E'en in the face of the miraculous,
Brilliant like the sun,

When nothing will change who it is you are,
'Cept thankful you're alive,
To continue the way you've been living,
Thankful for all of the bees in your hive,

Who all support the way that you're living,
Like you support their's too,
And everyone gets to stay just the same,
So therefore so do you.

Yes you lose things,
Doesn't everyone?
Them, the comfort of not having to change,
You, the chance to expand your horizons,

Calm Down

You have to let it go,

T'see what it really is,

As if it is not any part of you,

Nor very serious,

Like its outcome won't determine your path,

For then you'll understand,

It's in the same class as the butterfly,

Now flapping its wings in a distant land,

The actions of others will be relit,

You'll settle in their shoes,

Understand how they ended up where they're,

Extinguishing your fuse,

Then you'll have peace,

For it will be all 'round,

It's not 'bout holding on to what you have,

It's seeing what you need's already found.

A Second

I did this already,
I completely forgot,
There was a flight and car rental between,
Also, three hours bought,

Outside of time for five hours, you see,
And this is what you get,
Could it be things changed and I'm not aware,
Housed in a time-travelling, space-warp jet?

Is the world better than when I took off?
Wouldn't know how to tell,
If you started off in a hellish world,
Chances are it's still hell,

That's perspective,
What makes you really you,
If you like it, then stay just as you are,
If you change it, then you'll be changing, too.

Your Worth

Where's your worth located?
In the values you've learned,
From the experience of past ages,
Touting the taciturn?

Is it in the opinions of others,
You choose to be around,
They molding you with their expectations,
You celebrating not being put down?

Perhaps you take pride in keeping your word,
No matter the outcome,
Or have faith in the council of your heart,
Despite all opinion.

Maybe it's all,
With one goal in your mind,
You choose the tool you need to achieve it,
So that your worth lives in a future time.

Disrupted

You are so succulent,
Veins bursting below flesh,
Still, were I to embrace you as I'd like,
Your thorns would make a mess,

Planted as you are, no desire to move,
Except to drag things in,
What more should you want when all's brought to you?
Sounds to me like the perfect existence,

One which you deserve, since you did not pick,
The pot in which you grow,
So sit there, eat, breathe and love as you will,
Until I  stub my toe,

And then look out,
Your life's no longer yours,
Thorns be damned, I'll rip your flesh, steal your juice,
Do you take it, or engage in a war?

How To Make Friends

Don't try to live a lie,
No one will like you for't,
Same goes for telling the truth all the time,
A life you should not court,

Best you should mingle a little of each,
Spread 'mongst everyone,
So you are free to tell them what they want,
With no compromise to your narration,

Then I don't think it matters what you do,
Shit on flags, smack babies,
You just paint them in colors people'll love,
Fuck, could give them scabies,

They'd still love you,
Words are stronger than acts,
That's why the most notorious villains,
Rule nations and win trophies, that's a fact.

Why You Hurt

This cat just screeched and hissed,
Threatening another,
Violence as real as two men in a brawl,
Some misspoke, careless word,

Or bloodshed between soldiers in the field,
The sentiment's the same,
Anger at something outside of yourself,
Reduced to an object without a name,

But more than that, for who cares about things?
You can only hurt life,
Life all removed from what you understand,
But can still feel the knife,

So, so do you,
You're hurting yourself, see?
It's the pain you imagine th'other feels,
Giving meaning to your reality.

Why Did You Do That?

You can think things happen,
Specifically for you,
A changing red light, sudden ceasing rain,
A distant country's coup,

But what if the un'verse don't work that way?
Things are just happening,
Instead, you're placed in a specific time,
That's most in line with your state of being.

Or not, there's lots of people who don't fit,
Like they just have bad luck,
Or perhaps they had it even before,
Their mom and dad did fuck,

If they e'er did,
I wasn't there to see,
Maybe you were dropped down by aliens,
Pushed out the nest to find your destiny.

It's A New Day

Can the world ever change!
From one day t'another,
Oh, you thought I was lamenting gov'ment,
It's eternal torpor,

But, what about those moments you feel lost?
What? That is now your call?
All you thought you were's suddenly at risk,
With no back-up you upon which to fall?

Well, just like the weather in Newfoundland,
You just wait five minutes,
The clothes of the world are ever-changing,
And everything in it,

Just like you are,
You don't want to stay th'same!
Why choose t'fit one life into your one life?
The point's to leave diff'rent then how you came.

Walking By

Guy's rousing on the street,
Sleeping bag on cardboard,
Woken by morning traffic driving by,
No room in which to hoard,

Never have I woken up on concrete,
Cold fries left by my head,
Probably no meetings scheduled that day,
No mortgage on the place where I just lied,

Still, I'd have to watch the people walk by,
Though they hardly see me,
Not much different for anybody,
In this society,

So, which is free?
Silly question, I know,
So obvious I have syll'bles to spare,
'Fonly time was as'vailable, also.

Take It Back

Oh day, please do not start,
Yest'day wasn't so bad,
Worst part was thinking about this morning,
Oh, how good it I had,

Time defined by not being where I'm now,
Still, moving t'wards a death,
What cru'lty of the structure of this all,
I can't just stay with my children in bed,

Pick my moment, as the last in my life,
A kind of reverse hell,
Has it already passed or yet to come?
Well, only time can tell,

Then it's too late,
Lying, waiting to die,
Wishing you'd known more when the moment went,
Either way, all the best ones would slip by.

Number Two

Finished another one,
It is one of a kind,
May be hard to guess if you read them both,
They came from the same mind,

Still, they share the same questions I e'er ask,
Packaged differently,
S'if they have nothing in common at all,
From diametric'lly opposed real'ties.

Then there's the style must be identical,
Though it's hard f'me to say,
Like children from the same womb may conflict,
They're the same shade of grey,

'Sides, it's just cool,
Once, I'd ne'er even guess,
So much could come out of this brain of mine,
This isn't even the end, I confess.

Do This

There's a truck that shrieked by,
Much faster than it should,
The driver must have an emergency,
Lest, I don't think he would,

The signs most clearly state a slower speed,
And though, yes, who needs laws?
Does it really matter how fast I drive,
If I've got quick reflexes and sure paws?

Isn't the limit just to write tickets,
Or find someone at fault?
We'd probably save a billion bucks a year,
Not checking speeds at all.

This tongue in cheek?
Well, it was meant to be,
But, now I wonder what laws we would miss,
If they weren't passed on through history.

The Fast Life

Like spiders 'cross the sky,*
Folks exploding with life,
It's better to burn out than fade away,^
It will shorten your strife,

Not that you have to die 'fore you get old,#
Don't matter anyway,
You miss just as much dying at ninety,
As you would leaving earth as a baby,

Which is to say that you would miss nothing,
For nothing e'er changes,
Unless by force of the remarkable,
Who don't live by ranges,

That implies time,
And you can't afford it,
That's the diff'rence 'tween those who live and die,
The first use time, th'others simply hoard it.

*Jack Kerouac, ^Neil Young, #Pete Townsend

Before The Game

My son's taking a nap,
Told him I'd write 'bout it,
An underground garage, in the back seat,
Will he sleep? I doubt it,

In fact, it's now seven hours later,
He didn't want to sleep,
I smiled at him and said it was okay,
So then other things did our bodies reap,

Like a chat over hot dogs on the curb,
Musing o'er sc'narios,
Like Jays losing jobs 'fwe don't buy that cap,
Then poutine or 'za, yo?

They were good times,
So then, what did he learn?
When you sleep you don't know what you might miss,
And that, after all, his dad's not that stern.

As She Lay Dying

About this time last year,
Almost to the minute,
My hand rested on a dying body,
With no life-will in it,

She was peppered with growths from head to toe,
Up against pain killers,
No doctor'd e'en pretend there was a cure,
And no one had to bother to tell her,

It was already days she'd stopped talking,
Her thoughts were a closed book,
Ironic, she e'er wanted to write one,
Now no one got to look.

Then she just died,
Mine was one of three hands,
No need to explain why she moved inward,
 To experience death, you've just one chance.

A Fast One

Just choose any moment,
The one happening, now,
Wait, the one happening now, no wait now,
Okay, I don't know how,

But imagine you could grab one like that,
Unpack it like a boss,
The nick of a razor, lift of your lids,
Your despair at the moment of great loss,

All these things are just you experiencing,
Even in a fist-fight,
Spread them out and it seems you're not alone,
That is the human plight.

Are we alone,
Or are there aliens?
Space invaders infiltrating our lives.
Knowing would help guide how your behaivin'.

It Will Pass

All things end, event'ly,
That is life's saving grace,
When you're feeling you can't take anymore,
You can't keep up the pace,

That your body will fail under the weight,
If you find no release,
That if you let it crush you, that's the end,
You'll fall to the level of lazy beasts,

Like you've been born again with no future,
Simply awaiting death.
What? You've never experienced such stress?
Probably for the best,

No person should,
E'en though most people do,
There's a structure we've built that must stay up,
Despite what keeping it up does to you.

Getting Through It

It is all relative,
The pressures on one's life,
Expectations, demands, disappointments,
They all cut like a knife,

And just like a cut, you must tend to them,
'Th'wise, they will just fester,
Your body is made to heal all its wounds,
And of those of the mind I'm no less sure,

Perspective is the first balm to apply,
You're not the first or last,
Of the people you'll never hear of,
Who've been cut in the past,

Then keep it safe,
No one need know it's there,
Most of the time it's the last one standing,
Who has managed to put on the best airs.

That Hunger

Hunger's coursing through me,
Beyond physical needs,
You know, your heart yells at you to be true,
For truth's on which it feeds,

The truth we all recognize at birth,
Before our eyes can see,
That all before have tried to fill the space,
Where only the truth can truly be free,

All we are taught is designed to hide it,
For truth always means change,
Stagnation may as well be a desert,
Without its life's great range,

Only the sun,
Blinding you like a babe,
Forced to drink from the one watering hole,
Placed under the one spot set up with shade.

Where Are You Going?

What's your expectation,
As you walk down the street,
You don't get run down by a drunk driver,
Concrete stays under feet,

The place you're going to is still standing,
There hasn't been a coup,
That no matter how far you travel to,
You will find someone waiting to love you,

You won't get scooped up in revolution,
Never do anything,
Live out your dreams just as a memory,
'Fore you started walking?

What if you stopped,
Came face to face with fate,
Saying you've gone in the wrong direction,
Would you just shake your head and say, 'too late'?

We In The West

I know you'd like to help,
There's a lot that is fucked,
A woman was just tortured and then killed,
For refusing wedlock.

Can anything good come from such culture?
News doesn't cover much,
Hard to believe anyone could do that,
Or that most people wouldn't think it sucks.

We where it's free can't do much anyway,
Living's too expensive,
By the time work's done and the bills are paid,
No time or cash to give,

'Least we're not them,
No vi'lence need we fear,
Just do what you're told and you'll be alright,
Won't even notice if you're a good gear.

The Words That Come Out Of Your Mouth

A nugget in your head,
Born like an amoeboid,
Stretching out to feed its curios'ty,
From your brain's wondrous void,

No different than what's born in others,
Except when it grows legs,
Crawls tentatively to your mind's surface,
Changing shape, adapting to the new digs,

It grows until free of your influence,
Has a mind of its own,
Still dependent on your voice to be heard,
By thoughts others have grown,

But no one hears,
Their own beasts are too much,
Even though they're all born of the same void,
And so exist in the same brain, as such.

Live On

Each day, y'have to go on,
E'en if your life has changed,
You've lost all your friends, your job, loved ones,
Not ended, rearranged,

You have to hold onto what you know's real,
The things you've created,
The air leaving your lungs, joining the earth,
Those things you have not believed, breath bated,

But don't let too much time pass, mulling these,
You'll become memories,
Stop time as it continues all around,
What is real will then flee,

You'll disappear,
You'll witness your demise,
Learn how little others considered you,
Like seeing your funeral with your'n eyes.

Chicken or Egg

Chicken or the egg, first?
Why is that the question?
It doesn't help sort out the bad egg,
Before its conception,

It doesn't explain the chicken gone wrong,
Born of the perfect egg,
Frankly, chickens all look the same to me,
'Less it's left the brood's, on the street and begs,

Or it's running free range while the rest's cooped,
Wouldn't that be a coup?
E'en if it knew its perfect upbringing,
Still, the egg gives no clue.

How about you?
Did you incubate well?
You kind and giving in your fledgling years?
Chicken or egg? Either can go to hell.

This Time, You Can Read It

I'm amazed ev'rytime,
My credit card's working,
Why should an asshole like me have credit?
Wait, because I'm working,

I've been working ev'ry day for a few years,
And I'm not complaining,
It's just what people do as part of life,
E'en when others' complaints are raining,

Because it's a given,
Living involves doing some working,
Even for your loved ones,
And that living should involve no irking,

It just should be,
It's not a fucking chore,
If you don't think I'm not talking to you,
You don't get how you represent your soul.

Waiting For The Bridge

I'm waiting for a boat,
Memories from my youth,
The bridge goes up, keeping me from my goal,
'Fore I lost my first tooth,

This one looks like it may be from Russia,
There's an app for that now,
Just like all the things in life you can know,
It's not about learning, but knowing how,

But the kids are still stoked by the ship's size,
Well, the grown-ups are, too,
How can something that big actu'lly still float?!
You'd think the damn thing flew.

There goes the horn,
The bridge is going down,
This wait will soon escape my memory,
Along with the reason it was profound.

Check Out

You took too long punching,
The numbers on the pad,
Because there is something inside your brain,
That also made you sad,

And anxious, too, my god you could feel it,
So much not going f'you,
Then the cashier announces to the line,
There's another cash open by aisle two,

Fuck, now you're the center of attention!
You never wanted that,
The guy behind me was mumbling curses,
When you left your wallet,

But I was cool,
Where did I have to be?
Leaving you behind to make you feel worse?
What kind of challenged dick would that make me?

Welcome Back

Look back to where you walked,
Just a few steps ago,
A trillion more touched the same soil before,
To points we'll never know,

Places, like people, that have come and gone,
Erased from history,
Blip upon blip among blips upon blips,
Beings who saw the world differently.

Forget space, look at time to know your worth,
Adjust for total span,
On that line it's hard to be e'en a dot,
Pixels would be too grand,

Just like you are,
Strutting like you're the first,
The thoughts that you treasure are old, old ground,
A beaten path, a trillion times traversed.

Welcome

What do you want to do?
The world is your oyster,
There's absolutely nothing in your way,
That you can't just ignore,

When you were born, you were an empty slate,
Fed by your five senses,
So enthralled by the possibilities,
You didn't care they were building fences,

For what could a barrier do to you?
You ne'er saw one before,
You could walk through it as far as you knew,
Besides, you could just soar,

Up to the sun,
There's no wax on your wings
'Less you think there's reason to be restrained,
You should be able to do anything.

The Spark

What starts revolution?
No one can really say.
It's hard to move the complacent masses,
That's how they're kept at bay,

But at just the right time, in the right place,
Neither of which be planned,
Someone stays seated or gets maced by cops,
Sparking the complacent to take a stand,

Somehow the notion of status quo shifts,
Or what's real's plain to see,
That despite what the rulers have told them,
How things are, need not be.

But what's the key,
That will open our minds?
Is it a tipping point of oppression,
Or th'rev'lutionary bent of mankind?

What's Next?

A tune just caught my ear,
While my mind was open,
'All the broken hearts in the world still beat'*,
A cry in the ocean,

And what of the ones that are yet untouched,
Is it their time will come?
As much a part of life as growing hair,
Or befriending then betraying someone.

That is the shame when the innocent die,
They ne'er got to be shunned,
Felt the sorrow of unrequited love,
Or incarceration,

Then there is us,
Is the journey e'er done?
A life spent getting the innocence back,
We're a scale model of evolution.

*Ingrid Michaelson

That Crack

That crack in the ceiling,
Makes me question my walls,
They may not be set on hard enough ground,
Causing the house to fall,

I actually know nothing about it,
I'm not an engineer,
I'm short of the dedication to math,
And the creativity wrapped in fear.

I'm pretty sure it means nothing at all,
My gut is never wrong,
Sure, sometimes it gets upset with my food,
For, for my'eart it does long.

But that is love,
It's a magnetic field.
They're produced absolutely anywhere,
Elemental particles choose to feel.

The Thaw

The air is cold today,
Just like other things, too,
Your feet pressing up against my warm calves,
My heart assessing you,

The bodies of flies wrapped in spider's web,
Making my daughter squirm,
Her feet crushing insects she'll never know
As she begs me not to fix hook with worm,

The stares of strangers I pass on the street,
We've all been trained this way,
The unheeded cries of your soul's desires,
Slain for this land we've laid,

That can't be changed,
Unless you too are cold,
Resisting the cries of the souls nearest,
Who, too, are just doing what they were told.

Speak

Hard not to say something,
Despite what you are told,
Observe from the heart and you're called a child,
No compassion, you're old,

See both sides, and you're a politician,
Take a side, you're bias,
Embrace desires that fulfill you, selfish,
Defend society's structure, pious,

Yell from the depths of sorrow, you've lost touch,
Can't you see other's pain?
Speak only to yourself, there's something wrong,
Tweaks needed for your brain,

Even this here,
Don't think it is exempt,
The observations of a voice unknown?
Its lies with pity, its truths with contempt.

Jazz, Man

Just follow the jazz, man,
There's no thinking in there,
Just a moment timelessly repeated,
'Midst a frantic, fresh blare,

There are no troubles hiding in that space,
Wanting to adjust you,
You'll be twisted, turned, spun, and razzmatazzed,
A soul-prancing escape without the blues,

Those are your feet tapping and head bobbing,
The world's not collapsing,
Or if it was, you'd never notice it,
That groove's so entrancing,

May't be with you,
Until your teeth fall out,
Equality sweeps across the nation,
While your heart collapses from rocking out.

Avoiding

Got up before the kids,
But I've got more to do,
Before I'm allowed to go to my job,
'Cause I already grew.

I wanted to be ready 'fore they woke,
We've a schedule to keep,
It will still be fun, or what is the point,
Of getting into anything too deep?

Sure, we'll also watch TV together,
That is fun too, you know.
How can a mind be prepared for the day,
Without dipping its toe,

T'get used to it, 
Stead of jumping right in?
Do that once, you learn it's not worth the shock.
You may as well jump into the ocean.

Afar

There's a haze in my brain,
You know what I mean, right?
The world passes you by, tears, woes and smiles,
Amazing, out of sight,

Magical, you stop and think about it,
As observer, not you,
All happening while haziness persists,
Independently of the things you do,

Then you jump out of your mind's dull cobwebs,
Raise your arms, scream out loud,
Everybody stops to see what you want,
And you're instantly cowed,

You're not you, now,
Do you know who you are?
Oh my god, now you're other ones,
No longer can you observe from afar.

Soreness

I don't know what to say,
I don't know what to say,
In the stillness of my heart there is peace,
So, for what can I pray?

To withstand the salvo of life's attacks?
No one is safe from that,
E'en the one poolside, no money worries,
Does not live outside of this basic fact,

That one must live among other people,
Completely separate,
We're all here to experience ourselves,
To live and then to let,

We have no claim,
No matter what came 'fore,
In the context of love for your fellows,
On the journey reserved for ev'ry soul.

New Territory

What's the warrior code,

When life's started anew,

Scents now mingled with one-time enemies,

Not all sure of the feud?

The former laws meant to protect the clan,

Might be of an old way,

If history teaches us anything,

It's what's good once mayn't be right today,

'Cept, of course, that you do unto others,

As you'd want done yourself,

Which begs the question, what is it you want?

It's same as someone else?

It may not be,

There're fighters and menders,

What's good for the goose won't fill your belly,

Sometimes the cure isn't always tender. 

Trudging Through Murkiness

The light is much too close,
It darkens my vision,
Puts into questions the routes I've taken,
To this situation,

From a marker that was no starting point,
To an undefined end,
Guided by instinct and loved ones' words,
Each step fueled by different intentions,

It didn't need to culminate to this,
Nor to anything else,
Is the goal to help others find their end,
Or to find it yourself?

Can you do both?
By example, maybe,
Which means guiding will only make a guide,
Leading one down the path of the guidee.

See

I see in my vision,
Small moving points of light,
They flit here and there, a thousand of them,
If I look at them right,

Otherwise I can see only the sky,
Clouds, birds, towers and planes,
Back again and I notice hazy streaks,
Like a falling ooze I just cannot name,

Which of these visions turn out to be real?
Which should guide my actions?
Neither are in a world that I can touch,
Or know in some fashion,

But I must act,
As each person 'fore me,
Their existence mattering just as thoughts,
Pale copies of what they themselves did see.

Stand Up

You can stand up one time,
You'll be struck down with pain,
Just like insurance comp'nies e'er say no,
Your first attempt to claim,

Most will remain down, a law of nature,
But you may rise again,
Standing, you'll see others if you look hard,
Trounced from masters and slaves with cries of shame,

Are you the one with enough self-belief,
Even should you be maimed,
To howl that what you believe's true for you,
That your god is your name?

For then they'll see,
That you will not be tamed,
This is how all realities are born,
The road for all revolution's the same.

Not For Mom

Just 'cause it's Mother's Day,
This isn't about her,
She's not alive no more, so what's the point?
She is not of this world.

Though she's in my thoughts in ev'ry moment,
Isn't everyone?
We're all a product of interaction,
Informed by observing our reactions.

Like mom would say, you must follow your heart.
Well, there I go again!
Placing her words as the measure of all,
Like they were true wisdom.

I think they were,
Honesty person'fied,
Oh please may I face life with the same grace,
As mom did right up to the day she died.

The Dark Forest

I tried to face outside,
Naked as a newborn,
The elements attacked my skin and eyes,
Leaving flesh and mind torn,

I woke up with the sun upon my face,
Blood, now, my body's clothes,
Dark in spots by leaves and mountains shadows,
'Round me sounds of animals no one knows,

They walk with me in the forest's dark depths,
Poised to pounce then vanish,
Struck with the same wounds, addled as I am,
Searching for a safe niche,

But there is none,
Not if you're still living,
The more protected, the less in the world,
No understanding without misgiving.

The Gap

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock,
Good bye forever more,
Unreplaceable as a child's first words,
Or the evening's last pour,

Hold back all you want, it's still taking time,
You fall until impact,
Terminal velocity's never reached,
Your imagination is never hacked,

Your disabilities are obvious,
In the right company,
But come play with me and my little friend,
Where the sky's e'er sunny,

Time will still pass,
Naught will ever stop that,
Tick tock goes the clock, steady as your heart,
That yearns for the moment you're born to have.

These Sounds

Wish I knew that bird call,
Like I know that humming,
Or the periodic flush caused by leaks,
And my fingers drumming,

My own call, though the message is in words,
Spit out upon the screen,
Like the pweers float messages on the wind,
Then I cut my nails as, too, the beak preens.

Its mortal danger's that it won't be heard,
Some things we've in common,
Too, breath, love, sorrow, creation, thoughts, fear.
Oh, and procreation,

Th'eternal call,
Bird calls to the unknown,
Each offspring an echo of the desire,
To prove to ourselves that we're not alone.

The Ultimate Goal

Karl Ove stopped writing,
His brain did not want to,
But the body can have another mind,
Simply opposing you,

Whether everything's simply in your thoughts,
The distinction remains,
The two components must work together,
As if their ultimate goal is the same,

So what does that mean when you're facing life?
Sadly, it don't mean much,
For both of them have to face the outside,
Which has its mind, as such,

Good luck with that,
Melding the three as one,
The trinity that yields utopia,
The dream of every revolution.

Dreams are Dreams

Careful what you wish for,
Dreams rarely do come true,
For they are formed in the world of your mind,
That's created by you,

Like a mirror you can only reflect,
But just outside the frame,
Are complicated weaves of real'ty,
Inside which those images are contained.

Which is proof the world's not in your head,
It's in other heads, too,
All with their own way of reflecting yours,
With dreams that ne'er came true,

But it's alright,
One day you will just die,
Like billions of people died before you,
Unbounded by their mind's reflected light.

The Pain

What is it like to hurt,
Beyond your abil'ty,
To control the fact that it's happening,
Despite that you are free,

Outside of the protection of the norm,
Condoned by all around,
Like the politician behind one cause,
At the expense of all others around,

Where there's no def'nition for what you do,
On the side of the good,
For it disrupts the natural order,
That's so far understood?

It is not fun,
The hurt's the borderline,
Community's meant to yield the good life,
Within the bound'ries it condones as fine.

For My Children

Where's revolution start?
It begins in your heart,
With the realization that you are free,
The same feeling as art,

Then you look around for similar eyes,
Glowing, that understand,
Each individual has just one chance,
To express their unique type of human,

In such an honest way to speak to all,
Who're open to the truth,
That true freedom needs soul and socie'ty,
Living under one roof,

Example f'all,
Not selfish or selfless,
But a marriage ensuring love for all,
For my children, this is for which I wish.

Time For Revolution

Want a revolution?
Well, it is hard to plan,
Mostly you have to be prepared to act,
As does ev'ry human,

Moved by the injustice of the system,
Real, but still hard to see,
How do you fight against all that you've known,
When there's no examples from history?

You have to believe you're not free to be,
With others screaming, 'yes'!
There's no system where everyone's happy,
But for sure, more than less.

Is that the case?
Is it time for a change?
'Til satisfaction hits an all-time low,
We'll never know the limit of that range.

Alone

Sitting in underwear,
Slight tremor on the side,
Planes, boats, cars all equidistant from me,
Still, far enough to hide,

This is a moment outside of real life,
Where others still exist,
You can't escape into yourself out there,
The way my mother did at the hospice,

When I asked her how she was feeling, then,
She said she's letting go,
Of the world, her husband and children, too,
TMI? I don't know.

I read to her,
A book called The Dinner,
'Til she silently waved for me to stop,
I laughed the last laugh of the remainer.

Dreams

This plane is very full,
But not as I had dreamt,
When I was near the back contemplating,
There's no overhead vent,

Instead there was no roof where I had sat,
Just clouds in a blue sky,
We were plummeting down towards the earth,
Random thoughts in my head just floating by,

But none of them were about what I'd done,
Life isn't about that,
It's about contemplation on the fact,
That you can ne'er look back.

Only ahead,
To where you're heading to,
E'en if it's to watch the fast moving ground,
Waiting to receive and decompose you.

Good Morning

There's so much suffering,
Is that the point of life?
Some have proposed that it is in fact that,
So learn to enjoy strife,

It is not that difficult to achieve,
The material's there,
Just ignore the things that tempt happiness,
For that illusion is meant to impair,

To insulate you from your true feelings,
That smile's only a mask,
Anyone'll tell you the way that it is,
You only have to ask,

It's all a sham,
Whether happy or sad,
Those are just words deficient to the task,
Of expressing the exper'ence you've had.

Surroundings

The red's faded to black,
The pain is still the same,
Somewhere there's honey that's sweeter than this,
I can't recall the name,

Bitterness stains my mouth like acrid waste,
P'haps a forever thing,
Until this body decays to the ground,
And its actions only a memory,

A door has been shut tight against entry,
Legs sleeping anyway,
If the sun stays in the sky long enough,
I may get out today,

Into the world,
At least what's left of it,
After the destruction of so much love,
Outside's rough when there's nothing to covet.

The Gash

Blood's pouring from my hand,
Well, 'pouring's not quite right,
The cut is so, that what will come will come,
Like rainfall in a blight,

It quickly seeps into the dry, bare earth,
Like it was never there,
Except for those few minutes when it's dark,
Here red, around the jagged, whitish tear.

I could clean it now, and bandage it up,
Pretend it never was,
But what of the act that led to this wound?
That should never be lost,

That will e'er be,
A lesson from the past,
So that I can weigh the consequences,
Should the act's rewards supersede the gash.

Working Up

What is this world's power?
It can stop you from things,
That should just be a matter of one's course,
A natural extension of living.

Why should one moment be wasted wond'ring,
What the fallout will be,
Of attempting to achieve what you want,
It all still seems a bit childish to me,

Which you may think is childish in itself,
Dreams of a naive youth,
P'haps one needs to relive these thoughts each time,
So impulses are soothed,

Decisions made,
Thoughtfully, truth inside,
Growing up's not about what's expected,
But making sure what you do's bonafide.

Is The Rain Falling?

He ended up on top,
By publishing his flaws,
Details from moments buried in the past,
Stretching liter'ture's laws,

Still, there was a confidence in his shame,
Sure of what he wanted,
Naturally retreating to the pen,
When his deficiencies were most flaunted.

Two chairs in the wind? Does that say it all?
It's something to unpack,
But, it is the simplest that most attracts,
Born of an innate knack,

Depth where there's none,
That's the most open text,
The one who gets drunk until he blacks out,
He who cums, miles from arriving at sex.

Not Free

How dare you look at me,
Stuffing your lazy maw,
You see me everyday and still forget.
A small taste of your flaws,

Ne'er before have my shoulders felt so tense,
With you behind so close,
Pretending to look at everything but,
What it is I do each day. You are gross.

Is that a mug to your lips or a cam'ra?
You have someone to call?
Don't look at my fingers counting syll'bles,
I'm not writing The Fall,

I'm killing you,
Or trying with my mind,
Still, I stopped perusing my profile page,
So you wouldn't think I'm wasting my time.

Onto The Next

It's finally finished,
It is true what they say,
That things seem like shit when you're done with them,
You want to slay and flay,

Chop into pieces and grind up like meat,
Encase in intestines,
Put on the queue, veg'tarian or not,
Just mask the carnage with glasses of wine,

Soon it will come out from the other end,
Decay into the ground,
Then p'haps you can be proud of it again,
Until the flushing sound,

Then onto new,
'Finish' wasn't your goal,
It's the process that should motivate you,
That's the whole point and nature of the soul.

In A Hole In The Wall

This bar counter is smooth,

Clear coat over long grains,

Chipped and dirty wainscoting beside me,

They may's well be the same,

If the lights weren't down you'd see it all,

The dust bunnies on wires,

Into junction boxes that lead nowhere,

Liquor lined up lighted colors like fires,

Eve'ry drink muting remaining contrasts,

Blurs of bats, copper pans,

Old, torn ads for long forgotten products,

Wait, that's next Friday's band,

Then I see me,

In the tap's manifold,

Stretched out, squished, barely recognizable,

Appears I'm in the right place, when all's told. 

Good-bye Whisker

I have no sympathy,
For that lone shorn whisker,
Hewn down with its thousands of brothers,
Can't say that I'll miss her,

Could I have told her apart 'mong the throngs,
As they fell down so far,
Enveloped in drops destined for the drain,
Or embedded stubbornly in the bar?

Would she still be the same apart from me,
In some box on a shelf,
Alone when she should be part of a beard?
Could she have any self?

If alive, yes,
Alive, we all have hope,
If she changed her def'nition of alive,
She could thrive in that box than simply cope.

Eyes of a Child

There is peace with a child,
When all around's chaos,
Like her, you can ignore the world around,
From where to which you crossed,

Everything becomes a show to observe,
Nothing to do with you,
All you care about's within an arm's length,
History so short, there's nothing to rue,

Just the beat of music, your bouncing rump,
Happiness all around,
A face that is silly only out there,
Here, no need to expound,

What is just is,
There is no tomorrow,
Not 'nough history for embarrassment,
Or expectations to make you feel low.

One Day

Hello, nice to meet you,
Fancy meeting you here,
When my life, until now, was quite content,
'Cept meeting other peers,

Chances are we will never talk again,
Both relief and a shame,
Of all the things I could be doing now,
For this diversion I've myself to blame,

But, value can be found surprisingly,
You didn't know you'd need,
Life is so short, it is no mean feat,
Deciding the good deed,

Turns out you were,
For reasons need not said,
You're out there hidden but part of my life,
P'haps wishing it'd be better I were dead.

If Only

It's easy to be sad,
Looking at a fast car,
Or those with cash they can afford to lose,
Or your half-full change jar,

Then you comfort yourself with those who're worse,
Who're sleeping on the streets,
Or growing up amid violence and fear,
'Round the corner, not just the Middle East,

So you wonder if the point's to be glad,
That you are not worse off,
Or should you be indignant others thrive,
You below, they aloft?

Or live right now?
Acknowledge lives differ.
Somehow I feel we'd focus on real truth,
If we lived in a more equal structure.

Waking Up

D'you remember your dreams?
No, Not talking 'bout those ones,
The ones that seem so real when you're in them,
Such hard recollections,

When just everything seems possible,
Magical, unreal,
Even flying is within your powers,
When not even pain is something you feel,

They're still there in the jungles of your mind,
Where you've hidden them deep,
Protecting them from your disb'lieving mind,
Yet still wanting to keep,

Because they're real,
Realer than you can know,
Until one day you can make them come true,
Will they then still actu'lly be dreams? No.

Hungry

Nothing's e'er what you want,
That'd be a perfect world,
You know, where what you imagine comes true,
As if the earth's your pearl,

Which it is, right? That is what they told you,
'Fore you were all grown up,
Then all you could do was say the same thing,
When approached by enthusiastic pups,

Not that you have no control o'er your life,
There're lots of examples,
Of those who've broken the mold given them,
You may be a sample,

But there are few,
That's what structure demands,
The universe cannot be different,
And few feel they have been dealt a fair hand.

"So Good To See You"

"What have you been doing?"
"Where have you been, lately?"
"I'm very interested in your goals"
"Where will your tales take me?"

"If you knew truly where I've actu'lly been,
"I'm not sure what you'd do,
"There are things that should ne'er be related,
"For it would misrepresent me and you,"

"If it can be thought, then it is human,
"Isn't that what you said?"
"There should be no fear of what's in your mind,
"If that's the path you've laid."

"War is what's hid,"
"Isn't peace what you want?"
"P'haps it's enough to know there's the unseen,
"It is because you pried that we have fought."

Do You Believe?

I asked mom for a sign,
By the way, she is dead,
To tell me that I had done the right thing,
Despite what had been said,

Lilliana was her name when alive,
A short few months ago,
More spirit than flesh, if anyone is,
E'en dad believes she may be a ghost,

A little later I went to buy shoes,
It wasn't my plan, y'see,
But circumstances led me to Winner's,
For I had soaking feet,

The shoes I found,
Had no price sticker, yet,
A half hour after I  asked for that sign,
The cashier called, "Lilliana, price check".

Tag Me

I wish I could tag you,
So there would be no doubt,
That should anyone find you in their search,
They'll feel they found you out,

Like you were what they were e'er looking for,
As proof that they exist,
There's nothing like finding someone agrees,
To kill that feeling there's something you've missed,

To give hope that there's a community,
To which you do belong,
Not large, in this global village it's just,
About a million strong,

That's one good thing,
With o'erpopulation,
With the 'I' being the only real thing,
There's no shortage of self-confirmation.

Oh, My Heart

She fainted from sadness,
Just like her mother did,
Leading up to the moment she passed away,
That 's what her auntie said,

Her grandfather never wrote back to her,
At least, that's what she thought,
Until she found her letters in the drawer,
What a cruel lesson that girl was taught.

She had only just learned to be glad,
Living in Germany,
With her aunt and her best friend, Kiara,
Oh, poor tragic Heidi!

Your heart's so good,
Now grandfather's moving,
Never having received a word from you,
He thought not waiting for you behooving.

Aches

People come and they go,
Isn't that how life is?
Death's just a form of not being around,
One more of those vices,

Like needing to be where the action is,
Because it's in your bones,
Like a cancer, you can't get rid of it,
It lives just like anything else that's known,

Like your long-lost friends in other countries,
Existing. not with you,
If you spent your life trying to find them,
You have stopped living, too,

Wait is that true?
My mind's hugged by the flu,
Which is a living being in itself,
Attempting to communicate with you.

Wandering

Making a decision,
Is a very good thing,
It shows the world you are your own person,
Despite everything.

Like the fact that it was prepared for you,
So you don't have to ask,
You could get away with just coasting through,
Completing all the pre-established tasks,

That's certainly a plain where you could live,
No one would fault you that,
You would be living in great company,
The major'ty, in fact,

And you'd be loved,
There's nothing wrong with that,
Whether by the system or your instinct,
We all want to have been significant.

The Mom Project

Mom said she wanted peace,
For herself and the earth,
For all to forgive themselves and others,
To know purpose from birth,

That is the question that always returned,
"What am I meant to do?"
She wrote constantly about that, and yet,
She also questioned her writing's purview,

Didn't know she expressed all of our thoughts,
In ways that would touch hearts,
Show one how to be honest with oneself,
'Fore this world she departs,

She even wrote,
Dreamed she was a writer,
If I could just share her thoughts with the world,
Peace may yet shine through a little brighter.

Score

If you have emotions,
That you cannot hold back,
In the throes of a struggle you are in,
Battling among flack,

Called upon to step up to the challenge,
While holding back the tears,
Eyes watching for the tipping point of pain,
Aware it could all collapse with your fears,

How can you pull it out victorious,
Despite your body's wont,
Turning the debilitation to strength,
Overcoming the haunt?

Just carry on,
That is all you can do,
Who you're is what you are for a reason,
No one in the world can do it like you.

Tech Script

I'm using a stylus,
It has been a long time,
Not since I used to have a Palm Pilot,
In nineteen-ninety nine,

You had to learn something called "Graffiti",
A different way to write,
It worked well, but guess it didn't catch on,
Now I'm not quite getting my cursive right,

But Windows can still read my chicken scratch,
Better than I can make,
J guesstechnology must mold to us, [sic]
Can you guess my mistake?

I've gotten old,
Least in computer years,
And let's be honest, they'll just get quicker,
If I stop writing, does anyone hear?

Heidi

Heidi's all alone, now,
Well, she's with the ogre,
Nothing seems to bring her down in this world,
His anger can't dog her,

She hopes and wishes, eyes e'er on morrow,
Everything will be fine,
With no particular expectations,
Or awareness of the passing of time,

'Fore you know it, she's chasing butterflies,
Animals are her friends,
The frustration of those around her wane,
For joy's always the end,

That's how we're made,
Happiness is our goal,
That is when time and space just disappear,
And should be our guide when seeking our role.

The Dream

People work very hard,
All around this planet,
All of them receive different rewards,
Most of them can't stand it,

For our dreams oft surpass reality,
'Cause it is based on luck,
Which also is defined as randomness,
It really, truly doesn't give a fuck,

Then, as Jim Carey says, we play it safe,
Working at a sure thing,
But, again, chance is the rule on this earth,
What's guaranteed? Nothing.

Well, there is you,
For as long as you live,
You will be there through the good and the bad,
For that, what reality wouldn't give. 

Communication

That communication,
Travelling through the air,
Has been translated at least seven times,
'Fore it's received out there.

First you have to have an experience,
That you give meaning to,
Transpose it to a describable form,
Then to words understood by more than you,

These words typed, then become zeros and ones,
Technologie's language,
Changed back to words for the recip'ent's eyes,
Who create a package,

In their own words,
Now meaningful to them,
An experience wholly personal.
So, what are the chances of connection?

Carson for Trump

Trump said child molester,
When speaking of Carson,
That his path'logical temper's as bad,
The treatment as far-flung.

Carson drops out and now endorses Trump,
Now you ask, "can that be?",
According to that black neurosurgeon,
There's a different Donald you do not see,

Who cares very deeply for Amer'ca,
Intelligent, to boot,
Politics calls for the gong show debates,
How can this, you refute?

You'll never know,
Unless you vote him in,
Though, you'll still ne'er see that admir'ble side,
To be effective, he'll keep it hidden.

Do It Yourself

Sometimes you just have to,
Do a thing on your own,
Assuming you believe in it enough,
Worked 'til you had sore bones,

Lost yourself in it 'cause you loved it so,
For you know what love does,
It taps you into universal truth,
Reminding everyone what they once was,

No one person can see it but by chance,
Then once it's put out there,
Like dominoes, that truth's revealed to all,
A thought you never dare,

For then you'd die,
Becoming someone new,
Well, become what you once were then forgot,
When there was nothing real you could not do.

Hello Again

I know it's been a while,
It will be a while, still,
Things need to be gone over two more times,
With lots of stuff infilled,

 Besides, if there're things that you don't do oft,
Try to do it again,
It's like starting over, which ain't that bad,
Kind of like living re-evolution,

Also informed by what you were doing,
That you take to the end,
Something different, but you know what they say,
Everything's connected,

Kind of like life,
Well, exactly act'lly,
Thank god it's so many, so many years,
Like lifetimes to try make it perfectly.

Okay?

Why do we divide time?
I don't mean into hours,
But partitioned into categories,
Handing it such power.

If one is asked to work during free time,
Well, it's right to complain,
Or relieve oneself sexu'lly at work,
Not good examples, but still, just sayin',

Let's say you want to sleep while all's awake,
You're called, like, a 'night owl',
Or, it's a half hour after your train's left,
The conductor cries foul,

What I'm saying,
If not already clear,
Is the times chosen to do things by all,
Are a big pain in my posterior.

Your Last Seven

Once upon a chairlift,
The question had been asked,
What can one get done in seven minutes,
If someone was so tasked?

One could run, I think, one point three-six clicks,
If my memory's right,
Too, but for an added bit, play 'Hey Jude',
A duration both eternal and tight,

A set span that's fleeting, but what if changed,
To last seven on earth?
It would seem like an impossible ask,
Pregnant with Heimdall's girth,

What would you do?
Reach out or reach within?
My mom let go of truly ev'rything,
So not to miss death's true envelopment.

Ode to a Grapefruit

I just ate a grapefruit,
Them's bitter little guys!
Actually, quite bigger than an orange,
And healthier than fries,

And than oranges, if you go by myths.
Yes, I could google it,
But eating one makes me feel so healthy,
I'd rather not know and bamboozle it,

For health is all in the mind, isn't it?
Laughter's the medicine,
If I think grapefruit will cure all my ills,
Don't kill the illusion,

For you'd kill me,
You don't want that, do you?
Wait, don't answer in case your mind's stronger.
Why's my skin turning this deathly pale hue?

Tension

There's a pain in my back,
Kind of close to the neck,
Like tiny bones have simply been misplaced,
An ossiclar car wreck,

Somehow the muscles will sort it all out,
It's their fault anyway,
They tensed up as if they could change my world,
When their relaxation would make me gay,

Who do they think they are acting like that?
Don't need them to tell me,
When life's circumstances are causing stress,
They're adding to it, geeze.

Or me to them,
I'm sure they're just the same,
Thinking, "will he just get it together,
"Do us a favor and relax his brain?"

Road to Success

Pliers in my pocket,
Lunch bag is in my hand,
Steal toes aren't warm, but they are required,
Or there is reprimand,

There's still much to learn, about what I do,
Both by me and the world,
Twenty years hence, things will be discovered,
About the toxicity I've unfurled,

But we can only go by best methods,
Based on demand and dough,
If both of those are high, we can afford,
To care 'bout what we sow,

So we look good,
And not get boycotted,
Oh, to grow so large that that's a concern,
All I want I'd have already bought it.

The Inconceivable Experience of the Great War

Deep down in the trenches,
Lives, every one of them,
On hold, but unable to shut their minds,
To their homeward visions.

The stench of death infused in the wet mud,
Wet with blood, not water,
Bonds stronger than any at work or school,
Forged quickly and speedily made fodder,

Bodies returned to the earth unfinished,
A whole generation,
Either gone or forever affected,
Beyond their prediction,

So beyond yours,
This life is too ingrained,
Until asked to defend it with our lives,
So our children don't think we lived in vain.

Bobble

I am a bobble head,
Skull, ill-proportionate,
Stuck in the same position all the time,
We're all in the same lot,

Only moving when we're nudged to do so,
Then only look around,
Give a nod back to the inspecting eyes,
Placated by the little movement they found.

They have to give our hefty heads a shake,
Or we're just left to think,
'Bout how most of the time we're up on shelves,
Contemplating the brink,

We all don't fall,
But those that do tip o'er,
Their heads will pop off little cheap spring,
Revealing what we all are at the core.