Joan Didion

Her work had been described,
By one who knew her well,
As explorations into her feelings,
Before she could e'en tell,

A journalist first, in time if not mind,
She looked in from outside,
Searching for those gold moments that revealed,
What humanity would never confide,

Including the grief she could not ignore,
As her loved ones both left,
Until she wrote through the pain that she felt,
She would not be bereft,

Though now she's not,
Others must be for her,
Joan Didion, I will soon read your works,
To understand life's meaning through your words.

Change

Change isn't always good,
But it is always good,
Without it there could be nothing without,
That you could ever could,

Suspension would not even be a word,
Nor would any other,
No space to fill with who you think you are,
Or other people pushing back either,

There would be nothing, are you hearing this?
Maybe that's what you want,
You're so tired of fights for your existence,
You're ready to give up.

But what of me?
Don't care if I'm around>
It has not been easy for me either,
But I still have hope that I will be found.

While I'm Thinking About It

What I should be doing,
Is expressing myself,
Not just in traditional mediums,
Like through books on a shelf,

But in every movement that I accomplish,
From eating to walking,
So that truth is so much a part of me,
No thought is required when I am talking,

It's at once clear to whoever listens,
That what they hear is brave,
For who's not feared for the life of their soul,
Faced with leaving the cave?

Certainly me,
Each time I think to think,
I can't get past the desire to be me,
'stead, I meekly hold myself at the brink.

Bye Bye Happiness

If you think you're happy,
Just wait a few minutes,
Let your mind traverse your circumstances,
Your mood changed didn't it?

It is nothing to do with who you are,
You can do anything,
A world made up of only you would thrive,
At least that is what you should be thinking,

If not, then you may have gone down too far,
To layers not needed,
Where who you are's too bound with the outside,
You've dug, then repeated,

The same mistakes,
Made by all the depressed,
Hitching your happiness to circumstance,
Then releasing claim to your uniqueness.

The Nature of Magic

What really is magic,
Beyond staged illusion,
The kind that leaves you wondering, at times,
If minds can cause motion?

When you wish for something and it comes true,
You have a choice to make,
Was that an event of coincidence,
Or did your thoughts invade and infiltrate?

Or put another way, find a new way,
To understand this life,
Not like we were thrust in as aliens,
As if we are a knife,

But like a rose,
If they're one with nature,
Like everything's made of the same preons,
Connected as death and taxes are sure.

What Will We Be?

Can one see farther than,
The end of a project,
When what you wanted to create is done?
How few of us project,

To the days when what we made's long forgot,
But what was made remains,
Not of nature but embedded in it,
An epoch soon just an underground vein,

Defined as a thin layer of plastics,
Our name, Anthropocene,
A glitch in the stitch of this planet's time,
Like a shameful bad scene,

We all have those,
I can think of a few.
Will we live to bemoan or die before,
We can survive having thought life anew?

Get It Done

Why is it when I'm free,
All those things I must do,
Become chores I want to never complete,
Though they will feel good to?

The question doesn't need to be answered,
We all know how this goes,
Fear of completing something that will help,
Why so many don't want success, who knows?

Oops, another question, as if you'd know,
I should get back to things,
But first I will finish asking questions
What could I be thinking?!

What did I say?
Something distracted me,
Whatever I had to do I forgot,
Suddenly, I feel refreshingly free.

Too Many Days

It's about a feeling,
The one that we all want,
A recognition that we are unique
Oh my god, I just can't,

Sometimes it's just about finding the end,
As fast one's able,
Push through the vindictive, jealous comments,
Live through attempts to make you unstable,

There is no one looking out for your self,
Until you can help them,
Except parents who see you as their chance,
At their own redemption,

For their failures,
You better get it right,
For out of everyone in the world,
They are the only ones who sees your might

No More Future

You can just know the past,
There's nothing else to see,
What comes now exists once you have seen it,
What comes will never be,

Yet it all appears to be just one thing,
Making up what you know,
Oh, had I left the future to itself,
I may have known what direction to go,

Instead I confused what I saw coming,
With what would come to pass,
Then when what came became not what I thought,
I had an awful past,

Which I can't change,
Because it's all I know,
From now on I declare there's no future,
Except as I thought of one time ago.

To Foster

He moved to the east end,
The story of his life,
From the streets in the Carribbean Sea,
Filled with hunger and strife,

Taken to find a better existence,
Into a family's arms,
From the belly of a cargo airplane,
Each new sound eliciting stressed alarm,

Pried from the small crate he had travelled in,
Carried up to the car,
He is so gentle he shied from the cats,
The walks never got far,

Then he was gone,
Off to another home,
Banks showed us the dog he was meant to be,
Hid while circumstances forced him to roam.

What This All Means

This is not the same thing,
As all the other ones,
This uses different words on each line,
For the same conclusion,

It's like when they say, all roads lead to Rome,
What comes out from my heart,
Creates a trail of thoughts that hold the key,
To the true message I wish to impart,

Not that I know wuite what that missive is,
I've not read all of them,
I'm sure it's a mixture of the sceptic,
With a hopeful vision,

Of what will be,
E'en having read the news,
Yes, reality could all be a dream,
But aren't dreams the things that inspire you?

The Inevitable

The light there is blinking,
Marking time on its own,
Until I sit down to turn on the thing,
It is, then, not alone,

It extends from my fingers, it is me,
Until I disconnect,
Manufactured in some far factory,
By people and machines I've never met.

Remember you will never interfere,
With this cycle of life,
We've already shot our scraps into space,
Trash spread out in our path,

That's how we roll,
Surprised where this has gone?
If you let your eyes see what's around you,
You'll see the result of evolution.

Hope on a Wing

What will the future bring?
You really asking me?!
There's ne'er been a person in history,
Who could answer that plea?

Queens have been dethroned, peasants come to rule,
Neither saw it coming,
Pick the most successful person today,
They could die 'fore they see their next morning,

What is true is that very few people,
Found success lying down,
However you define it, luck is made,
With sweat from your brow,

Or maybe not,
I only know right now,
Perhaps the next moment will prove to me,
That the world is not what I think, somehow.

You Got It!

I try to remember,
What I wanted to be,
Where I wanted to end up in this life,
The things I wished to see,

What I wanted my mind to have consumed,
What I wanted to keep,
How I thought I could live among others,
While my awareness of them was asleep,

How I got through so many, many years,
Still asking these questions,
As all around people have the answers,
Though, that is a fiction,

Nobody does,
That's really not the aim,
Whether you think you have it figured out,
The puzzles you have to conquer's the same.

Tired

This is all that I have,
But maybe it's enough,
It's proved you can only get what you've got,
Living your life is tough,

Not because you don't get what you deserve,
But because you don't know,
What it is it thinks you should get at all,
If you knew, I think you'd be good to go,

Oh the stress of not knowing your ending!
Until when should you plan?
Then plan again for those you chose to birth,
Because you are human,

It's so tiring,
I'm not the first to say,
Born with no choice of where you've ended up,
Oh god, why did you design life this way?

Not Trying

You just never know where,
It is your life will end,
For some, they can thrive in this adventure,
Whether they lose or win,

The prospect of not knowing anything,
For others, causes stress,
Still, many manage to control enough,
That the scenario they get's the best,

In neither case, nor in the endless more,
Is one the best suited,
For everyone, but maybe just for one,
Unless they refute it,

For something else,
Like constant suffering,
Many choose to be beat down by this life,
While others can't win despite hard sweating.

Know Thyself

Do you have the keys, yet,
That opens up all doors,
Tucked away safely in your back pocket,
Wrapped around your heart's core,

Making you the person you want to be,
Hence, making you yourself,
Bringing to you the opportunities,
Suited for absolutely no one else,

Filling you withe even more ecstasy,
Than winning lotteries,
Because you get what you would have to buy,
Without needing money?

Know what I mean?
It's not an outside thing,
Know thyself and you know all you need to,
To unlock the door to your everything,

The Seer

To find out the future,
You only need to view,
What ii is happening in your present,
To ascertain a clue,

You'll ne'er feel differently about it,
Than you already do,
Just getting something you want's not the key,
To becoming a totally new you,

Then again, maybe it's a catalyst,
But first you must become,
A person who reflects on who they are,
You seeing a pattern?

Well, if you dont,
Try reading this again,
If the next time you find a diff'rent message,
Then your trip to the future just began.

Thinking Big

It's not about the past,
Or e'en learning from it,
At least, that is not the entire story,
To making life more fit,

Like having a song stuck inside your head,
While you're trying to think,
You must find a path to a state of mind,
In which that melody becomes extinct,

Flying high and then swooping down to the ground,
Integrating them both,
Not changing who you are as a person,
But expanding your growth,

Becoming big,
While others remain small,
If you e'er wondered how people succeed,
It's by thinking big, that really is all.

Restless Nights

Crying in the kitchen,
No sleep for me, tonight,
My head's as cloudy as a don't know what,
Brain is not working right,

If I could manage every day like this,
It wouldn't be so bad,
Though one day I would get so used to it,
All my disappointments would come right back,

The clouds would cease being a distraction,
The real world would return,
The fears, anxiety, and fitful nights,
As if I never learned,

But then, who does?
No matter the redos,
All anyone wants is to stay the same,
While still having all their dreams come true.

Before I Go

Looking back at those days,
Space tourist billionaires,
It's obvious now they were preparing,
For when the earth lost air,

For when the food supply chain simply died,
Its fragility known,
Maybe not felt by the rich right away,
Though advised to stockpile food in their home,

Prepare to go to the only safe place,
Once seen as just a dream,
Better to survive in a small capsule,
Than among the unclean,

Who want your blood,
If just for sustenance,
If you're not fighting to distribute wealth,
You're scheming how to keep your possessions.

Enough Already

You have to change your life,
Yeah, I'm talking to you,
How else can you know what it's all about,
If this is all you do?

Walking about on the same old pathways,
Saying the same old things,
Expecting that somehow the scenery,
Will magically turn into something,

Other than what it has been everyday,
Simply by wishing it,
That, my friend, is something called dillusion,
God, how I have milked it,

Well, no longer!
Yes, I'm talking to me,
I talk to myself so much, people stare,
It's an old song with an old melody.

Covers

I have heard what they say,
With intense eloquence,
No effort beyond surrendor to pain,
With added transparence,

Would I but could escape to that domain,
Like I am doing now,
To hear myself is a broken record,
Will any more skips even be allowed,

Before this heart breaks and I am no more,
It happens to the best,
The worst also die with as much fanfair,
Which is to mean, much less,

Meaning nothing,
Naught taking away naught,
So much produced, nothing to show for it,
It's a deadly sin to even be sought.

Who You Are

People do come and go,
From your life and from theirs
What is left is how they behaved in both,
With your personal shares,

As such, there could be millions of versions,
Of the person they were,
Begging the question, if you could see you,
From all those views, how much would they concur,

To what you think you portray to the world?
Remember, you'll forget,
Ninety percent of the things that you've done,
Far less what you regret.

You are hated,
No one avoids that pit,
Your birth may have been cause for hate for some,
But that's a smidgeon of your true assets.

It's Not What You Think

It is getting harder,
It won't be very long,
Then one day I will think it's hard, again,
But I might then be wrong,

It's not like a stick that you can measure,
Though I'm sure that you've tried,
These things in the end are all relative,
Though it might feel like it is petrified,

Just live one day at a time and you'll see,
What you don't understand,
The world is built on what you think it is,
As delicate as sand,

In a balloon,
Please don't get it twisted,
Just think about your times of frustration,
Then just convince yourself that you missed it.

What Else Do You Have to Do?

Manifest destiny,
No, don't get me confused,
Not expansionist dreams of the U.S,
Though that's how it's been used,

Think of it as a direct order,
You know, make your own luck,
Greb every opportunity you see,
Until you become exhausted as fuck,

Then look at your resulting memories,
Of those, which ones were good,
What was the essense of what you had done,
That's what should be pursued,

It's called research,
It will take you some time,
Some people will say it is not worth it,
While they're wasting away towing the line.

Your Life

There's no more time for sad,
Come, put away the whine,
Nothing has ever been gained in this world,
The way you sit and pine,

Well, maybe there is a baby somewhere,
Getting its mum's num nums,
Learning what you've been doing all your life,
At the teat of the nearest occasion.

How does it feel to constantly consume,
While never producing,
Tasting only ever the most basic,
Form of your bread, daily?

I bet it's fine,
I'm sure you need no more,
And why should one be forced to want something,
Beyond what they have been born and raised for?

Know Your Destiny

When everything happens,
It is on a schedule,
I don't pretend to know who creates it,
Or following what rules,

You might think they're against you directly,
Else, why the life you've got?
Despite the sweat and tears and risks taken,
You've tried so hard to get to get where you're not,

But what if this is all part of the tale,
Written for you by them,
'After years of struggle, she beats the odds,
And gets that promotion.'

Wait, stop right there,
That's what you're fighting for?
I think you are going against the script,
Try striving for what defines who you are.

Doggone

The dog who's been a stray,
Scavenging for its food,
Is no less capable of feeling love,
As any other could,

It's not a nature or nurture issue,
It is reality,
To survive, I have to connect with you,
You will die if you don't connect with me,

Do not confuse my statement with a threat,
You'll know when I've done that,
Our connection, then, will be different,
But still a needed fact,

Or you know what?
We may not meet again,
With neither love nor hate, you disappear,
Indifference leads to oblivion.

Find Out Why

What will make you feel good,
Can you even tell me?
You may have done it and not realized it,
Or you have yet to see,

Which would be sad, because why we are here,
I don't pretend to know,
But to miss out on the greatest feeling,
Seems a shame when come and then just go,

Sure, maybe I'm being superfluous,
What you don't know, don't hurt,
Whatever your experience entails,
Is what you have to work-

Wait, that's bullshit,
You can encounter more,
Push yourself, before you're put in the ground,
To find out what the fuck you're living for.

It's All In Your Mind

Yes, you can change the world,
You encounter each day,
It is called changing your own perspective,
So that you are not fey,

But, you say, that doesn't change anything,
My job still oppresses,
People in my life try to repress me,
"Perspective" won't redress,

What you're saying is for me to step down,
Accept my plight in life,
Like saying that everything is okay,
Will erase all my strife.

Well, yes and no,
Maybe what you will find,
Is that not all is as bad as you think,
And new outlook may shift others' minds.

Forget It

If you are not happy,
Can't imagine being,
Feel like your life's path leads only one place,
You're thinking of leaving,

You are in the company of many,
Maybe majority,
This is part of the human condition,
Almost impossible to remedy,

Think of all the conditions that must change,
For your sadness to leave,
Now anticipate even if they did,
You'd still reason to grieve,

'Cause happiness,
Comes from inside, not out,
If you can't find it now you never will,
A new reason to make you sad, no doubt.

How To Be Happy

Take each moment you've had,
Lay them along two lines,
On one, place those ranging from happiness,
To utterly sublime,

On the other line you can place the rest,
Including this one, now :)
Don't be depressed that it's so much longer,
Or that there's no time to even them out,

Now draw a red line across both the ends,
You've just reset the clock,
Do you think that 'happy' will now win the race,
That you've had such a shock?

My guess is no,
Is that what you e'en want?
The long line doesn't mean you're mostly sad,
If you want happiness most times, you can't.

My Relevance

Does it really matter,
Where the message comes from,
If it is applicable to your life,
Causing jubilation?

It could be a billboard for insurance,
A dead bug on the floor,
Thousands of protesters being shot down,
Shouting that they won't be sad anymore,

Maybe it's words of a white privileged male,
No shortage of those 'round,
Assuming everyone is different,
E'en there truth can be found.

Or maybe not,
Is the writer the word?
If there was room to argue for myself,
Would the room need be bigger than the world?

Not Creepy

I wrote my mom today,
Six years passed from this earth,
So much time has passed since I talked to her,
She may have been rebirthed,

If ever she could hear me after death,
Maybe now it's too late,
She could be in the arms of a new mom,
Grow up someone to whom I can't relate,

Still, there is the one who washed out my mouth,
For I can't remember,
No new person can ever erase that,
As long as I see her,

As she once was,
Loving, profound, and wise,
Mom, sorry it's been so long since I wrote,
You should be more of a part of my life.

Believe This

It's really happening,
All my dreams coming true,
That's what you have to tell yourself, today,
To become the best you,

Soon, you will find the universe helping,
A call from an old friend,
Begging for your help on a tough project,
That only you could possibly help tend,

The compensation exceed your dreams,
Enough you could retire,
If more opportunities didn't come,
Appeasing your desires,

Think about it,
Just believing it's true,
Made reality that which you desire,
Now you know the secret to the best you.

This Is Not The Time

It's too late past my time,
This is meant for morning,
These words should have been written long ago,
Or the future coming,

But sometimes you have to go far away,
To see back where you're from,
Learn new ways to understand who you are,
Thus you'll change other people's perception,

Isn't that what everybody wants?
Control over their lives,
I swear if another person says that,
I will break out in hives,

For I said that,
For now and ever more,
At a time when I'm wont to say nothing,
To now express a profound thing of lore.

Don't Read This If You're Happy

You'll never change, my friend,
Change requires stagnation,
Which needs things to stay the same for a time,
Which we know is a fiction,

Nothing is the same from moment to next,
Just think about you now,
As you've read these words your thoughts tagged along,
If you can find your past self, tell me how,

But, you say, you're contradicting line one,
I'll always ever change!
So to change, then, you'll have to stay the same,
I guess you got me, dang,

So stay the same,
If you dare, or wish to change,
I'm sure you love everything 'bout your life,
Yet you're reading this, which I think is strange.

Your Power

Nothing's going to change,
Just like nothing has, yet,
All you can do is change your perspective,
That sounds morose, I bet,

That we are just apendages in life,
(For more, please see Deleuze),
Observing the happenings of the world,
Regardless of what you think's win or lose,

But don't feel that this leaves you powerless,
We're all in the same boat,
It's not like there is a puppet master,
Denying us our vote,

That's metaphor,
Votes ARE being revoked,
But there's more than one way to skin a cat,
One's suppressive law is another's joke.

Perception Used

It's easy to forget,
'Cause it's hard to believe,
That life can be more than what it demands,
Via society,

You may not believe that all things happen,
For an unkown reason,
Or that all things come to you when it's best,
For the story of your evolution,

That opportunity don't seem that way,
When it's first presented,
Not e'en when it is presented again,
Or when your life's ended,

Which could be right,
But which helps you best cope:
Resigning to a life devoid of hope,
Or living as if each choice brings new hope?

Sitting By That Tree

I was going to say,
I thought the wind stronger,
On that day with my kids at the hospice,
Visiting my mother,

But as I sit here not far from her tree,
Where ashes I buried,
The wind picks up as if I conjured it,
For it to help escort my memories,

Watching the leaves dance in myriad ways,
The wind never scared her,
Now it’s all I have when I’m feeling lost,
In this very small world,

Unless you know,
Where your life most will thrive,
It’s easy to be safe under a thumb,
‘Til a life you love’s no longer alive.

Stay True To Your Dreams

I can't remember dreams,
At least, not from last night,
Or those I had when I was very small,
When everything seemed right,

I guess I'm blessed to have had even that,
Though that it now seems gone,
Is less an effect of society,
Than my own practiced lack of conviction,

Born of upbringing, that can't be denied,
But then one does grow up,
You can shed those lessons of detriment,
Get yourself a prenup,

For your career,
Demand that you stay true,
Write in your dreams as a priority,
Never forget what's important to you.

A Fine Line

Squishing rhythm joins us,
A faint line to survive,
Should it snap, its barely present tether,
Our love may lose its life,

A boulder, immoveable, eternal,
Needs just the ground to fail,
Then who can stop its rolling, giant mass,
What sad damage will its descent entail?

Or is there a strength greater than e'en that,
Born with a professed love,
To touch such force with that faintest of lines,
To pull it back above?

That you should learn!
Such magic's powerful,
Then neither storm nor your own weak failure,
Could deny you the strength needed to pull.

Why This?

There will come a moment,
When you look on your life,
You think you've lost the opportunity,
To retire without strife,

The hopes and dreams you thought would be enough,
Did not transpire at all,
Despite all the visualization,
The universe chose to ignore tour call,

While you have to watch the fortunate ones.
Suck on their silver spoons,
Or the entrapeneurs rolling in cash,
While you wallow in ruins.

Why's that, you think?
Some soar while most just sink,
Could it be the universe doesn't care,
For what your mind desires, you little dink?

Too Much Little Time

There is a lot to do,
And life is pretty short,
Immediate tasks to keep up your life,
As the man did exhort,

Then there are the things that will contribute,
To what you want to be,
Things you have no experience doing,
So you also need to do some training,

You also have responsibilities,
To others in your sphere,
To love, to feed, to enjoy some time with,
To dampen your great fear,

Of breaking down,
Under all there's to do,
For in the end, there's only the moment,
Which has no time built in to care for you.

A Lazy End

Look at how you handled,
That dead-end contention,
Where nothing you say's taken as a truth,
But as confrontation,

An opportunity to derail you,
Why do you even try?
If you don't, things may change in the other,
Then you would let a chance at peace go by,

But that won't happen, not 'cause folks don't change,
Because this one ne'er will,
Still, live dogs better off than dead lions,
Not suggesting you kill,

But open up,
Embrace that which hates you,
If the knife passes your ribs, p'haps your blood,
Will have been shed annointing something new.

Freedom of Passion

You should try something new,
Or maybe you should not,
It may not be worth the anxiety,
To leave what you've been taught,

Familiarity breeds contempt, sure,
But just 'cause you're afraid,
Of the unknown, which is reasonable,
Because it is all about getting paid,

If it wasn't, then all sayings would change,
Joy makes the world go 'round,
Another day, another chance at love,
Get some bang for what's found,

I must admit,
For now, that's all I got,
Without money I could afford to be,
Another day older, deeper in thought,

Never Wake

You know when you wake up,
From sleep, not illusion,
You don't know where you are for a moment,
Your dreams an effusion,

You're in a state of possibility,
Your mind, completely free,
Where it goes when it has no direction,
Is a clue to your true identity,

But here is the thing the 'man' tries to hide,
Deep down we're all the same,
Put in that spot you see a horizon,
Of future's with no pain,

Nothing to fear,
But threats of fear, itself,
Never be so awake that you can't sleep,
It's the way to protect your mental health.

You're Choice

The regrets in your life,
(They're there, if you don't know),
Can either haunt you as what could have been,
That you'll never let go,

That might just be the way you operate,
Though there's another way,
Again, only if you're interested,
That is the investment that you must pay,

The reward being greater happiness,
If that's even your thing,
Probably more success than you have had,
Which can be frightening.

If it is not,
Then all you have to do,
Is see each mistake as a step along,
A path that is leading to the best you.

The Soothsayer

There's no way of knowing,
Though you can likely guess,
Not that the odds of you being correct,
Are any more or less,

Oh, sure, you can make lots of predictions,
That surely will come true,
Like what will happen in the next moment,
That's completely orchestrated by you,

Then the times you're wrong won't matter as much,
Thou much more important,
The key is the illusion of wisdom,
To the unobservant,

For what you want,
Which is most likely cash,
Based on what you say will surely happen,
After you're dead and gone and turned to ash.

Maybe Try It?

You can keep on playing,
Spread out your attention,
Maybe the world will value that more, soon,
Than specialization,

Then you can hone your skills across sectors,
Value width over height,
Explore connections between diff'rent skills,
So that workers of the world can unite,

Create value systems based on passion,
Not stakeholder profits,
Uh oh, someone just yelled out communist,
Must be coincidence,

Seriously,
Let's topple this regime,
Start something new, just to convince ourselves,
It can't be more fair for human beings.

All For The Best

P'haps it's all for the best,
Everything that happens,
Good or bad, expected and surprises,
The fall-out of this lens,

Is what people deride as complacent,
Meek and subservient,
A perfect garden for dictatorship,
Given just the ideal environment,

This assume's there's those taking advantage,
Of other's naivete, Which in this scenario they can't help,
It's meant to be that way,

Which means there's poor,
War and atrocities,
If this is all happening for the best.
I don't want how it is supposed to be.

A Live Dog

You must not forget this!
When in your darkest hours,
In the midst of this life that you must live,
While your loved one cowers,

In the distance is your ultimate goal,
May it ne'er be achieved,
That which when it is won deletes elan,
Which when it misses your grasp leaves you peeved,

It is that which will raise you from despair,
Ecclesiastes said,
No, I've not biblical affilyations,
You're not better off dead,

You've ever hope,
That things will get better,
Just give the world what only you've to give,
This seed planted you may yet still get 'er.

Getting Ahead

I have a history,
It is what defines me,
It's the first thing that people ask about,
Or assume natur'lly,

I am judged against it in all I do,
In this, I'm not unique,
It's how society organizes,
Keeping people in their natural clique,

Within which they're further categorized,
To keep the structure hole,
Yes, there are opportunities to rise,
Should there exist a hole,

Close 'nough to fill,
Can't leap to CEO,
That's a few thousand holes removed from me,
Each one a precarious stepping stone.

This Morning

She is petting Astrid,
Hand's stroking her soft fur,
The vent is loud, the morning's just started,
The bed's warm next to her,

We will get up with enough time for us,
Stretch, walk, read, maybe lay,
Our breakfast dishes sit between us, now,
It was my turn to prepare it today,

There is the moment and what lay ahead,
Both in hours and in years,
If I can count on this for both of those,
I won't have much to fear,

But then I sneeze,
Scare Astrid off the bed,
I worry it's a sign of things to come,
Until she returns and I pet her head,

Lesson's Learned

Do you know that lesson?
The one you've learned before?
The one you promised yourself that you would,
Ne'er need learn evermore,

The one that took many years to realize,
After years of distress,
Reacting to the same situation,
With the same unproductive blindness,

The one that taught you, you have the controle,
Over your responses,
That nothing good ever comes from conflict,
With vengeful narcissists?

You know the one,
The one you just forgot!
I guess sometimes you have to test world,
To verify it's still the one you got.

Accommodations

It's not about lying,
Or manipulation,
It's about know how to navigate,
Any situation,

For the truth that you live might contradict,
That of somebody else,
So until one of you adjusts themselves,
You will only be talking to yourself,

But don't forget you are deviating,
From who you truly are,
Instead, seek out those with the same outlook,
So you don't wander far,

Or maybe do,
If you have that much strength,
The point is not living a life of lies,
But to try spreading your truth a great length.

Getting Your Head Around It

There is a lot of work,
Required to do this task,
The key will be figuring out what stays,
Then out what must be cast,

Also diving in with a good attitude,
Then knowing when to rise,
Shedding off the doubts that might want to stay,
Or for the next trip they'll obscure your eyes,

Then flying high to see the big picture,
Connect the dots again,
If anything you are an observer,
Of bodies less organs,

But stay focused,
There's too much to detail,
Somehow the universal attributes,
Must be the highly specialized ship's sail.

Time To Bask

They say good things happen,
To those people who wait,
Something always seems to take forever,
Until it actuates,

Then all the years you've been waiting for it,
Seem a blip in the tale,
Your mind redraws the lines of history,
Until the waiting days are barely there,

Except, of course, we're never satisfied,
So waiting starts again,
Time slows as you wait for the next great thing,
From your new position,

Or maybe not,
Perhaps you'll break the chain,
Allow success to be a constant state,
Regardless of what else you could attain.

Come Here, Fate

It has happened one time,
They say do not tempt fate,
What if it's changed its tune over the years,
And no one marked the date,

And we could be getting all that we want,
Simply through brazeness?
True, not a great colour on most people,
And on myself, I'd say, typically less,

And not to put at risk other success,
For the attempt at more,
But if life isn't about taking risk,
Then what the hell's it for?

So here we go,
The next phase of the plan,
To have a breeze room of my very own,
Is to have another meteor land [eek].

What Should Have Been

Yes, things could be much worse,
First world problems, for sure,
Of course, government's best repressive tool,
Is creating false wars,

Poorer against poor, this colour and that,
Imaginary lines,
What is best for one should be best for all,
So let us leave comparisons behind,

First there's respect and opportunity,
Dole that to everyone,
Let them do what they will with what they have,
Without a restriction,

May be too late,
With pollution at all,
If it was to be done, it would be done,
This ain't a revolutionary call.

When It Comes

The time you spend waiting,
For what you know will come,
Is torturous no matter what it is,
Unwanted or welcome,

The reason for the first is obvious,
But why dread what you want?
Don't tell me because it might not happen,
Such a life lived such is the most pungent,

Every moment's uncertain as the last,
It's what happens that counts,
If you know something's going to happen,
Your life's not worth an ounce,

Just take it slow,
Savor every moment,
Then when what happens eventu'lly does,
You'll live it instead of expecting it. 

Why Change?

Why's it always the case,
When something good happens,
It takes no time to see it in a light,
That forever dampens,

What first made you smile, thinking about it,
Like good things just can't last,
Like you've bought something and now that you're home,
There is a question you forgot to ask,

No that it was there when you shook on price,
Time must still unveil things,
Which it can't do if it can't move at all,
'Cause you keep on staying,

Where you are at,
Which is fine for most folk,
Why tempt the universe when things ain't bad,
For the small chance you dreams may be awoke?

Go For A Dip

I am going swimming,
Not that I want to go,
For any pleasure I think I might get,
I don't already know,

The anxiety before going in,
The rush of frigid cold,
Wondering why I'm here, once I am in,
Feeling as timid as a five-year-old,

Looking around, wondering when it's fine,
When I can come back out,
As if a length of time makes it worth it,
God, what's this all about?

Is this normal?
Denial of the facts,
Withstanding things you would prefer to not,
Because that is the way you're told to act?

In Need

You can work much harder,
There's no denying that,
With dreams of not having to work at all,
What an odd way to act,

Doing the opposite of what you want,
To attain what you want,
Yes, understanding it's about money,
About having a freedom you can flaunt,

So that others can also want it, too,
Compounding your freedom,
In relation to those without the cash,
To go on vacation,

I get it right?
Or is it only me?
I haven't starved in forty-seven years,
Yet I am tortured by inequity.

That Meteor

I need a meteor,
To fall upon my life,
When left to my own devices, I find,
I accept all the strife,

Everyone around me just carries on,
As if it's all planned out,
Like we are all cogs in a great machine,
Yet cursed with these feelings of fear and doubt,

Of what's to come, though it can't be changed,
Unless it's dismantled,
Struck by a fire ball, cogs scattered afar,
To be reassembled.

But then, by whom?
That, I will never say,
May I find myself in a better place,
After that meteor descends one day.

Prime Assumptions

It don't really matter,
When thinking of the past,
That it couldn't have been thought of at all,
Without the net Kant cast,

The conditions could have been anything,
That's the important part,
Unless you want to run headlong down paths,
Leaving behind conciousness's true art,

Which is seeing reality's nature,
That though one can believe,
In the prime assumptions they are making,
That is a choice to cleave,

Your world in two,
Then again and again,
Which is fine if your thoughts are tempered by,
The knowledge you start with an assumption.

What's Past

Once you have seen something,
It then truly exists,
It lives in time past as a memory,
It's nothing until this,

There's no potential of its being found,
Show me the proof of that,
Only when it's painted by perception,
Is there any it of which to make fact,

Nor are there any a priori things,
Waiting to capture it,
Experience is still the only thing,
Humans can e'er posit,

But that is good!
These objects of our lives,
Should change everyday as we change ourselves,
Into better people informed by time.

The Past Is Real

The more I think 'bout it,
The past is all that's real,
It's got a subject and a perception,
Wrapped up in what you feel,

Forget the present, sure, you say it's raw,
But without what has passed,
The world's a jumble of experience,
Uninformed by anything that can last,

The future's nothing but the hope of change,
That never does arrive,
For it goes through the mill of the present,
Over to the past's side,

So there you go,
It's true, the past is past,
But it still changes with the pass of time,
Yet is also the only thing that lasts.

To Read or Write

Millennia ago,
If you could read and did,
As a percentage, based on what there was,
You might get eighty read,

I'm no historian, and that's a guess,
But then, look at today,
In fact, look at the time you started this,
For millions more would have written their say,

You could read three lifetimes and not get close,
How do you even choose?
Stick to the classic old white guys of past?
Or strictly something new?

Or do you write?
Not sure the difference,
For joy, opinion, or facts of the world,
I am not sure any of it makes sense.

Run For It

You wonder if time's past,
Too fast to get it back,
Too late to do all the things that you thought,
Were your natural knack,

Instead you sit and contemplate your life,
As what has led you here,
You have walked the same since you first learned how,
Yet what you've walked towards has not come near,

The time has past to learn a new approach,
No new tricks for this dog,
Either the world must catch up with your ways,
Or you must learn to jog,

Or quit searching,
There is no trick to it,
You are who you are, before you can run,
Just practice at making yourself fit.

Just Accept It

The spiral has started,
You see it in their eyes,
The respect, the hope, the trust's disappeared,
You're sure you've just heard lies,

But what else out there is it that you want,
Unlike what you have now?
Either you make the world, or it makes you,
Which implies that it can't change, anyhow,

There's no special trick others have found out,
What you see's what you get,
You might have to just become satisfied
With your sadness and debt,

But don't be sad,
Now you're finally free,
Accepting that you'll ne'er get past your bars,
Makes you appreciate what's at your feet.

Brain Unhealth

My mind's getting lazy,
There's nothing more to say,
Except I've got to trudge through this poem,
Since I missed yesterday,

I'm at the lowest denominator,
Talking about myself,
In such language that it is obvious,
Rather than utilizing something else,

Just pushing my fingers to push the keys,
While fog surrounds my brain,
Is this some degenerative disease,
Medicine's yet to name,

Or have I hit,
Some limit to my thought,
Now my consciousness has had to reset,
So my computational strength is shot?

Your Chances

Oh how the days differ,
When life is uncertain,
Natural instincts try to clear the skies,
Of depression's curtain,

While circumstances around you e'er change,
Yet, they still stay the same,
Distract enough to keep you too busy,
To focus on the real cause of your pain,

Then you step back and observe world events,
Too far to affect you,
Except guilt over how you deal with life,
With most worse off than you,

But that's the point,
You deserve more than this,
Anyone would gladly change lives with you,
Then succeed with none of your excuses.

Waves of Torment

My dreams give me nightmares,
Preoccupy my soul,
Fill my feet with lead, my head with a fog,
Leave my heart with a hole,

Darken the skies, though the sun shines forth bright,
With clouds of stagnant brains,
Casting everyone in a dirge of gloom,
Blackness spilling from my eyes, uncontained,

Avert them from the truth begging freedom,
Amidst this holy terror,
Enwrapped by binds with knots so entangled,
They've encircled my core,

Then I wake up,
Though sleeping I was not,
The patina of gloom is scraped away,
Drained, I sleep now my demons have been fought.

It's Easy!

Just be happy, each day,
Regardless of your state,
Whether struggling with an oppressive job,
Or disappointing dates,

Maybe you don't live in the place you want,
Your looks are not ideal,
Battling with self-identification,
While nobody seems to care how you feel,

You have been abused since you were a child,
First parents, now partner,
Don't know if you're going to eat today,
Or die by police fire,

Perhaps there's war,
Forcing you to borders,
No matter the hard times inflicting you,
Just smile away your temporal concerns :)

For Rich Or Poor

Your worth's tied to your wealth,
The first thing people see,
If you look poor or you look filthy rich,
You may as well as be,

It gives you freedom, it makes you happy,
If someone says it don't,
They're either very poor or filthy rich,
One can't be happy, the other one won't,

Money is how everything is valued,
From food to affection,
If you disagree, have a dinner date,
At the Olive Garden.

You can do it,
But only with someone,
That can appreciate your reasoning,
Who is the same economic station.

Grey Matter

Shouldn't it all be grey,
No matter the topic?
Seeing things so close you lose the big scene,
Could be called myopic.

You see a small collection of data,
You find the truth in it,
Defend that truth against all other facts,
As if there's no other need for input,

But take a step back to see more details,
My god, lo and behold,
That truth you brandish makes up a pattern,
A new story's been told,

Of unity,
Of truth in perspective,
It is not the facts that are true or right,
But the fact they are interconnective.

Pets

I see, now I get it,
This obsession with pets,
'til now I've limited my thoughts on it,
To the trouble you get,

I have compared the early morning walks,
Picking up their feces,
With the momentary joy of petting,
Other people's dogs at the park, one sees,

That's like comparing the joy of one's child,
With a cute insta pic,
The obsession with pets is connection,
What makes strong hearts tick,

Without the guff,
Of teenage rebellion,
We humans survive on relationships,
Pets fulfill a need of our emotions.

Don't Care

Sometimes you just can't care,
Like, you could, but then why?
There's too much int'rest by too many folks,
Obsessed with their own lives,

It's like having to swat away fly clouds,
That stay aimed at your head,
There's so much you want to do for yourself,
But you curl up on the hard ground, instead,

You wait, thinking the insects will leave you,
While your life wastes away,
Sometimes you get up, try swatting again,
God, you can't live that way,

But you have to,
No one's going to change,
You could join them and torture other souls,
At least, then, it's not you that is enraged.

Relative Poverty

Can someone please tell me,
The secret to it all?
Not to sound like an old, broken record,
But I've again been stalled,

Stalled by the world's unchanging ruthlessness,
Is that hyperbolic?
I just want someone to give me money,
Without needing to do something for it,

I know, I'm far better off than many,
But, far worse than others,
Relativity's no theory these days,
For the ones who govern,

They must watch out,
If even I'm upset,
Just give me a house to live by the beach,
Leave out the debilitating debt.

None

Let me take five minutes,
Of total thoughtless time,
Mind completely disengaged from it all,
Nothing around is mine,

Not the cat pouncing on flying insects,
Nor the keys 'neath my hands,
The helicopter hovering nearby,
Or the birds singing as much as they can,

Air conditioners humming round the bend,
The dark bruise on my arm,
It's hard to focus on only one thing,
Without doing me harm,

Before time's up,
Lest I need start again,
To give my mind the rest it does deserve,
From its usual harmful distractions.

Power and Fear

You can expect something,
That something can happen,
Depending on what it is, you may fee,
Extreme jubilation,

For it's not everyday you get it right,
If you think about it,
For the number of times we get it wrong,
It's odd that more of us simply don't quit,

That's why so many people cling to rules,
Just for some peace of mind,
Others like to make them, and keep them there,
By not being quite kind,

Through oppression,
Is power about fear,
Of the unpredicability of,
Life by the ones who hold their freedom most dear?

Unfettered

You want to free yourself,
Without someone seeing,
You live you're life as if you are content,
With your state of being,

But when you think nobody is looking,
You struggle 'gainst your binds,
Pulling and stretching despite any pain,
To leave the feeling tameness behind,

To do what you do, but do as yourself,
All danger and risk yours,
Others see you as somebody else's,
That's what the anger's for,

Despite the love,
You ultimately feel,
For those protecting you for your own good,
Not knowing how hard it's for you to kneel.

Cliques

Cliques are not exclusive,
To particular folks,
Only the words they speak and clothes they wear,
Their behavior and hopes,

Anyone can present themselves to join,
Just like an interview,
Say the right things in just the correct way,
You crack the code and they will accept you,

But like the psychopath who lives with use,
It is all just an act,
No one can know anyone so deeply,
To truly ever hack,

What they're thinking,
At least very few can,
If that was a common ability,
Cliques would never have been an invention.

Interaction

I want to know you more,
Get past your skin and bones,
Interact with the deepest parts of you,
You wish were left along,

Sitting, festering, in deep dark corners,
I have those places, too,
Let's interact 'til our innards entwine,
The dust brushed off and the light shining through,

Then others can see those places, as well,
Learn they won't burn away,
Feel the joy of letting them loose outside,
Where only love can play,

I wan't to live,
More than just stay alive,
Find proof what I feel's not in solitude,
Show my darkness there is no place to hide.

For What?

What's to happen to you,
Once you see you're self-truth,
All the reasons you have tried and you've failed,
Each time you cut your tooth,

When you looked back and couldn't understand,
You could have done it all,
The jobs, the loves, the risky adventures,
You thought were not worth the potential fall,

When you, instead, opted for the next time,
That vague chance built on hope,
Dangling from a ledge, telling rescuers,
"I'll wait for closer ropes."?

Where are they now,
As fingers lose their grip?
You spent all that time, face against a wall,
Hope beyond hope your fingers wouldn't slip.

How You Choose

Living is not easy,
You're learning on the fly,
There is no manual embraced by all,
For some, many have died,

It starts ending the moment you are born,
No clue what's left in days,
You can treat it with complete nonchalance,
Say, it's best to burn out than fade away,

Or you could play it safe for your loved ones,
God pray that you have some,
P'haps you'll tackle it like a conquerer,
Amassing possessions,

Which way you go,
Needs be figured out, dear,
You don't have the time to deliberate,
Unless you choose you like to live in fear.

Look Around

Have you looked around you?
Like, really looked around,
Head up, mind quiet, eyes searching deeply,
For what's there to be found,

A chip on a brick, books on window sills,
A bird's nest on the ground,
Intricate descriptions in a poem,
Then close your eyes for touch, taste, feel and sound,

You will find a new world waiting for you,
Well, new is not the word,
A neglected landscape e'er always there, With secrets to be heard,

To change your life,
All you've left do is strive,
Turn off the autopilot that's your life,
Hands on wheel, foot on the pedal, now drive.

Keeping Real

Oh, how the times can change,
From one day to the next,
The optimism brandished on Friday,
By Monday can be nixed,

The harsh realities of what there is,
Versus the things you want,
Will never be reconciled together,
Unless you are happy with what you've got,

Which is no closer to your ideal life,
Than if you had billions,
Four steps are the same as a million miles,
To lives utopian,

But you can strive,
Like the best of us do,
Break out of a restricted existence,
Embrace the deep thinking innate in you.

What's Past

How do you fix the past,
The mistakes that you've made,
Mispoken words, unintended offence,
Social debts left unpaid?

It is true that time will stop for no one,
What is past, yes it passed,
But past events are part of a big tale,
Done with the final bowing of the cast,

Until then what's past cannot yet be judged,
What you've yet done applies,
In truth, it's actions that stop for no one,
The past always belies,

Which is its strength,
A strength you can embrace,
A wrong you have committed must still stand,
The test of the actions still to take place.

Free Them

Everyone's traveling,
Whether aware or not,
Being stuck in the same job all your life,
Is a round-the-world jaunt,

Sleeping with pictures of far of places,
Plastering your bedroom,
Sitting on a curb amidst violence,
In a village you won't be leaving soon,

Locked up for the crime of being born you,
Afraid to leave your home,
There is no human condition that's not,
A tale of one who roams,

Are minds are free,
Travel is in the mind,
Still, it makes it all the more saddening,
That such conditions inflict humankind.

What's Holding You Back?

You have a certain life,
You've been building so long,
Everything you see's your own creation,
Am I getting that wrong?

Do you instead wish for the day you're free,
To make it what you want?
What are the tethers keeping your hands tied,
So that what you want to do, you now can'?

Is it the past that has been etched in stone?
The weakness grown in you?
The details of the lives surrounding you,
That restrict what you can do?

Or is it you?
I don't know either way,
But laid out before you in this menu,
If you had to choose, which is it, you'd say?

Air Gapping

Sometimes connections hurt,
You've no control o'er them,
You can't predict actions or reactions,
Of another human,

When it's you, it's easy to repress things,
Not say what's on your mind,
Once something's out there, it can't be ignored,
You're either fighting or deemed unkind,

So, you can air gap and never connect,
Then you'll never be wrong,
Or take another tack, don't stop yourself,
From singing your heart's song,

You may be shocked,
By what you can acheive,
Putting your self out there for all to see,
While embracing songs from those who reprieve.

Grately

What am I grateful for?
Sometimes it's not easy,
Those moments it seems like there's no future,
Fill and eternity,

Breaking through malaise out into the light,
Requires letting go,
While also feeling you're being a chump,
'Cause you're being screwed more than you can know,

So, ask yourself, will you fight the system,
That makes you feel this way?
If not, then will you resent everything,
Sleep and wallow away?

Or will you stand,
Make the best of your lot?
TBH, none of these make me feel great,
Until I feel grateful for what I've got.

Physical Limits

We don't know everything, Yet lots we can predict,
Of how things behave when we interact,
Using mathematics,

Like if I hit billiard ball here,
Where it will find itself,
Or if a minute particle is here,
Does it help make up a human or bookshelf?

Still like our own lives, there are e'er limits,
To the knowledge there be,
We don't know what we know of those things,
We can't actually see,

Sure, we can guess,
Like, multi-universe,
Then say that we've just not figured it, yet,
But, there's always something still yet unearthed.

Zoom In then Out

How can you get deeper,
When you've not dug before?
Taking the facts then rearranging them,
As an eagle does soar,

Swooping down to rearrange them once more,
What do you hope to see?
Between experience and reasoning,
The hope's you'll find an unyet found meaning,

This will cause connections within your brain,
To increase and strengthen,
Awarding you greater powers of flight,
To do it all again,

Even better,
Then the sky's the limit,
To your new power to envision things,
As more than just the parts that compose it.

SangWenhua

I am not a sun si,
If you want to be free,
I'll let you go no matter how happy,
Your sulkiness makes me,

Aimlessness can certainly be a badge,
It's nothing new for teens,
Not sure it's different from being Goth,
Or maybe in the Seattle grunge scene,

Then you grow out of it and chances are,
The root of your ennui,
Is a desire to have a goal to reach,
In lived reality,

Just like Lelush!
He wanted off TV,
Which led to fame and hopefully money,
You don't get what you want, but what you need.

Rejuvination

You have lived a long time,
No matter what's your age,
The phenomenon of your consciousness,
Can't be measured by stage,

Living in the world with all your knowledge,
Even if it's one thing,
Plus the ability to take steps back,
And consider it amont everything,

Belies an eternity in your soul,
That cannot be altered,
That moment you've just had, you'll have again,
Despite the passing hours,

So, welcome back,
To the place you've ne'er been,
Where old and new are just designations,
What you see's always already been seen.

Privilege

Privileged to work from home?
Some folks would disagree,
Say that the strain is bad for mental health,
Lacking face-to-face comaraderie,

They might point to the need for extra room,
Equipment and bandwidth,
People don't understand the sacrifice,
Finding so much space in your residence,

Others admit, yes it is pretty sweet,
But one day it will end,
Is the joy worth the pain of returning,
To the office again?

That's not the point,
If I might be so bold,
Remove your concerns from the equation
Think of those who never got to go home.

Brain Science

Question all that you see,
This is good for your brain,
Strengthening connections between the parts,
That I can't really name,

On one side are the facts that you consume,
Through all of your senses,
Then scoured through by the other side that keeps,
Filing these things away by consensus,

If you know what I'm talking about, well,
You know more than I do,
All I know's that for my own piece of mind,
I should be asking you,

How do you feel,
After this exercise?
Was there a wave of norepinephrine,
That washed o'er your brain and opened your eyes?

Be Grateful

What are you thankful for?
Not always, but today,
What little nugget can you grasp on to,
That got you through the day?

This is an exercise to help your brain,
To strengthen and excel,
As you build up the list, the hope's you'll find,
You're thankful for things you can't even tell,

Then the thankful things will start to build up,
Like the universe adds,
Maybe not that, tbh, I don't know,
Sounds kind of like a fad,

Or so they hope,
I mean the government,
Happiness is the curse of all rulers,
When it comes from personal contentment.

Perspective

I've received the vaccine,
For me, that's a big deal,
Tell that to some people in the U.S.,
They'll tell you how they feel,

Like surprise that it's taken me so long,
They got jabbed long ago,
One forgets that country's so very rich,
When they push any button, off they go,

But here in the country where I reside,
We're better off than most,
The disparity between rich and poor,
Is truth from coast to coast,

So there are some,
Who may never be safe,
While here I lie fearing I'll have to go,
Back to the commuting from a home office.

Half-Assed

Hold on to those moments,
Of content and delight,
Proof that you have the capability,
In times of doom and fright,

The brain is able to be a tool,
Of shelter in a gale,
Not to ignore the pounding wind and rain,
But provide an extra hammer and nail,

I know it's hard to see the value now,
With water rising up,
Get through this storm then take a look around,
For you may find a cup,

Scoop up water,
Only about halfway,
That's halfway to full, not halfway empty,
I know it's lame, but that's all I've to say.

Change

Is there a change coming?
Would you know what that means?
You might be sleeping and circumstances,
Only change in your dreams,

But who you're inside and your reactions,
Might be eternal things,
So change only becomes a distraction,
To know about your internal workings,

When maybe constancy is the real key,
To unlocking the truth,
Setting the scene for you to fin'lly be,
Authentically you.

But how, you ask?
That was your first misstep,
Just let the world around you settle down,
Then observe the moving parts that are left.

What If?

If you had the chance to,
Run out into the streets,
Maskless, free, right onto an aeroplan,
Into cafes for meets,

Into the arms of a long-unseen friend,
Just like the good old days,
Back and forth each day into an office,
Smooshed up together like sardines on trains,

In clothes you've not worn for seven days straight,
Midst a thirty day run,
Day drinking the hell out of the weekdays,
Like a world champion?

If you'd that chance,
What would you pay for it?
Undistracted from life's first world problems,
Of tweaking until you get the right fit.

What About Me?

There is not much to say,
People cannot go out,
Except for strictly survival reasons,
Or church for the devout,

Spots in the world are outdoing others,
The sun is shining bright,
While I'm sitting here sad, in my bed,
Wondering if the corona will bight,

Nobody can know the devastation,
That is inflicting me,
Sometimes it's hard to make a hardy meal,
From the shelves of my fully stocked pantry,

But that's not all,
My internet's a gong show,
I've called Rogers so much i've given up,
When I'll drop a zoom call, I just don't know!

The Cold War

I guess they're both so large,
They deserve attention,
Two countries rich in military stock,
Now creating tension,

Some say not over the Ukraine at all,
But uber posturing,
Biden 'blinked' in response to troups sent in,
Sometimes you have to go with the sure thing,

Between a pandemic still going strong,
Cops shooting black people,
Thousands of children kept from their parents,
Plus the climate ordeal,

There's so much more,
But isn't that just life?
Start counting the challenges that you have,
I'm sure many things will make you blink twice.

Heard Immunity?

Is it time to return,
Past preoccupations,
To the forefront, in front of Covid fears,
Over this past annum?

Countries are now claiming immunity,
With mass vaccinations,
The richest ones, who will soon demand that,
There must be a passport for anyone,

Who wants to travel across their border,
So much for unity,
All this common threat to humans has shown,
Is inequality,

Those with money,
Person or government,
Will take care of themselves, then when secure,
Share enough to stay superincumbent.

Behind Her Eyes

What is loving someone?
What's being loved by them?
Common thought often lends the opinion,
That it is translucence,

That what you are and the world that you see,
Aren't dreams you proffer,
Two lives lived, but as one experience,
The comfort of knowing there are others,

But what is a person completely nude,
But like everyone else,
The fashion of hiding specific parts,
Is the meaning of self,

And so is love,
Knowing the other hides,
All but what they know brings you the most joy,
What's left's what they know should be kept inside.

Chin Up

On the Ganges river,
Millions gather to bathe,
They'll free themselves from reincarnation,
By running to their grave,

Along with Daunte Wright in the North's Star,
Who knows what happened there?
Stopped for air fresheners on his mirror,
Then shot while Chauvin's trial's still laid bare,

Meanwhile, Somalia faces famine,
From locusts and no rain,
I swear the good news is harder to find,
Laid down beside this pain,

There is one thing,
The human aptitude,
Despite inequities surrounding them,
To still keep up a hopeful attitude.

Growth

You are a potted plant,
Soil rich and nourishing,
For as long as it's watered by others,
Who you will never see,

AS long as the sun is allowed to shine,
The curtains drawn aside,
You will continue to grow in your pot,
Never thinking that anybody lied,

Not questioning your own limitations,
To leave behind your roots,
Maybe you're transplanted or rotated,
Or develop new shoots,

You change so much,
But you are still a plant,
Nowhere to go, while your caretakers flit,
Wondering when your big chance will land.

I'm He/Him

My kids have a gender,
I have a gender, too,
I don't know about the cats I live with,
They don't give me a clue,

But what a wondrous world that we live in!
This thing, humanity,
To create roles for sex o'er centuries,
Then acknowledge this ain't how it need be,

Anything that blurs the lines between us, Is a-ok with me,
They were all manufactured, anyway,
To find identity,

But, here we are!
Comfortable in skin,
That houses all sorts of different minds,
With different preferences in humans.

The Satan Shoe

I can't read one report,
About the Satan shoes,
Sounds like Lil Nas X put some human blood...
Sorry, that is my cue,

To put the notion right out of my head,
Not that I disagree,
Sounds like he's got crazy amounts of press,
Though, I don't know of his celebrity,

The problem is blood just makes me naseous.
Oops, here it comes, again...
Nike has stopped the shoe, but not the race,
Of his reputation,

To the front page,
Making me feel alone,
I used to fear my heels would burst with blood,
This whole topic cuts too close to the bone.

April Fool's!

How could I trick you best,
On this April Fools day?
Pretend the world's been hit by a disease,
That it can't keep at bay?

Say Hong Kong protestors have all been jailed,
For their remaining lives?
Those both seem too farfetched to catch you with,
It would be mean to convince you, besides.

Maybe that Derek Chauvin got let go,
Unlike Floyd, his victim,
That Burma's burning 'cause its government's,
Against its citizens?

Perhaps I'll say,
The air is clean, today,
Everyone's decided we're all equal,
How's that for a trick on April Fool's Day?

One Belt, One Road

A belt keeps your pants up,
May constrict your bowels,
Black and wide looks nice with some slacks with stripes,
Strapping will produce howls,

A road will get you through some rough terrain,
Open up worlds once closed,
Military boots get farther on one,
So are owned by the country with the most,

From Xian to Venice and then back again,
Plus stops along the way,
The pages from colonization past,
May have something to say,

That I've not read,
P'haps enough time has passed,
The West had ample chance to make things right,
The more things change the more they hold on fast.

Happy Truth!

Live the life that you want,
It should then come to you,
Searching for things only leads to searching,
That's all you'll ever do,

But act as if what you want's what you have,
Then you've already won,
Maybe your true desires will find their way,
Through circumstance into your possession,

Then when you find yourself on your deathbed,
With none of what you'd hoped,
You'll have no regrets for wasting your life,
Coiling an endless rope,

'Cause that's the thing,
No matter what you do,
You'll never have what you want in your life,
I just didn't want to make you feel blue.

One State's Oppression

Burma's in a crisis,
It has been for a while,
The daily life of too many folks there's,
Tantamount to exile,

From what it should be to be free humans,
To spout off narrowly,
Be able to run to the arms of life,
Not choose twixt death and fleeing fearfully,

Perhaps there's a joy in fighting for life,
Standing 'gainst oppression,
Watching the death of loved ones far too young,
Extreme sports ten point one,

Though I doubt it,
Without firsthand knowledge,
I'll go out on a limb and say out loud,
Fear for one's life's never a privilege.

As The World Turns

You can just imagine,
Any terrible thing,
Horrors you wouldn't wish on anyone,
If you had an inkling,

Of what many would call humanity,
But I am not too sure,
Based on acts many are capable of,
Seems our potential goes beyond nature,

Individuals shooting down strangers,
Unprovoked everyday,
Governments repressing its citizens,
Feigning democracy,

Then there is me,
Collectively, I mean,
A part of the sum of this deadly race,
Doing nothing to change this horrid scene.

Down

Life is filled with endings,
It could be anything,
Someone you love dies right in front of you,
Then just keeps on walking,

Your world view becomes annihilated,
For it gets no respect,
You must decide to search new surroundings,
Or kill the person who lives in your head,

Perhaps you ended something long ago,
Withou e'en realizing,
Too far back to turn around to get it,
Too old for realizing,

It's not too late,
Time's end will never come,
If beginnings replace disappointments,
Rebirth will always follow destruction.<\blockquote>

Anna

She is not regretful,
How can she be, so young?
Her mistakes were as stupid at her age,
As mostly everyone,

Instead of spending the night with someone,
That she just met night,
She asked for money from the powerful,
But they could afford it, anyway, right?

She wanted to start an art foundation,
That's not fabrication,
Says she'll use her fame beneficently,
No that she's matured some,

The fake heiress!
Though NOT a socialite,
Certainly, someone who's lived more than most,
Surely, more brazenly than many might.

Ode To The Mariner

There are people thriving,
Have and always will be,
If history and present state of things,
Name perpetuity,

The albatross was slain cent'ries ago,
But killed e'en before that,
What world of ghostly apparitions could,
Exist, but one in which a god does act?

Who decides chaos should just run its course,
Like multiplying cells,
Let them believe after death, not on earth,
Reside heaven and hell.

Then rain might fall,
Black lips turned red from black,
Still, souls must suffer lest living be free,
Of dreams of worlds where suffering does lack.

Don't Change

Life's not about control,
Of yourself or others,
Both have agency behond your purview,
Between one another,

Nor can you sway the events of the world,
Or of your daily life,
Try changing one and you change the other,
In ways you wouldn't have done otherwise,

Also, don't even try to change nothing,
That's a losing battle,
Like trying to turn left, riding a horse,
When you're just the saddle,

But don't assume,
You still don't affect change,
Just by simply existing on this earth,
To make room, things had to be rearranged.

Navalny's Cat

Who knows what to believe,
Concerning Navalny,
Stripped of the sheild, "prisoner of concience",
By non-gov Amnesty,

Reputations can be a pendulum,
In this new world of memes,
It is not so much what is someone's truth,
But which of them's given the most esteem.

Did he record nationalistic rants?
That is what we've been told,
They're probably available on line,
IF my time were less gold,

Instead, I read,
The world's latest headlines,
Dig deeper sometimes in the article,
To know where on the pendulum's arch I'm.

The Desert Memes

How you get it out there,
Is as hard as the what,
This world is as fluid as a river,
With the flood gates wide shut,

Nobody knows what they want anymore,
Says the frustrated ones,
While others ride the wave of influence,
To fifteen minutes of online income,

While more others know nothing about it,
The internet's a dream,
Where the only true reality is,
What does IRL mean?

I really lack,
Any capacity,
To understand how to connect at all,
Amid these endless possiblities.

Meditate On It

Everything gets better,
At the same time gets worse,
No change strikes everybody equally,
It is blessing or curse,

Which it is, is determined diff'rently,
Depending who you are,
Your confidence, upbringing, attitude,
Whether you have payments left on your car.

Me, I never expect the good to last,
Nor bad, for that matter,
Change is what reality's most known for,
That, and some god's laughter.

Take a moment,
Clear your mind of all thought,
This is the only place that will not change,
Where you can go when you are feeling fraught.

Check In

Life has continued on,
The garbage is picked up,
There may be more empties for scavengers,
But still, no half-full cup,

Memories are slowly being replaced,
With time in quarantine,
For those lucky enough to have a home,
But for many, things are much like they've been,

While others thrive like they've never before,
And before, thrive they did,
It's like the tap of magnification,
Has been ripped right open,

If you were poor,
Boy, aren't you poor, now?
That's the way capitalism survives,
When ninety-nine percent can't figure how.

Getting Ahead

If you've rigidity,
Leading to this moment,
Now you think the world will open for you,
To pay you recompense,

For a new horizon you've opened up,
Due to you're awesomeness
Remember nothing in this world is gained,
Without some major monotonousness,

For you must be understood to succeed,
Which is not that easy,
Not only the thousands of languages,
But personality,

Plus selfishness,
Don't forget jealousy
Getting ahead avoiding crushing toes,
Is harder than knowing your destiny.

Know Other Selves

The key's to know thyself,
What motivates your soul,
Not so much to know what you should do next,
Instead, to be a mole,

Into the motivations of others,
It's called reading people,
To know thyself is to appreciate,
That everyone, ultimately's simple,

Sure, there's complexity on the surface,
Like roiling ocean waves,
Those are fleeting responses to weather,
Nothing they want to save,

Think of yourself,
The things you would die for,
That relationship's what makes us human,
Everything else is layered on that core.

A Dream Come True

Sometimes it just happens,
A magical moment,
Like you've always wished would happen to you,
Like it was heaven-sent,

So, you step back as if you aren't there,
Enjoying the glory,
Which lives only because you didn't do,
Exactly what you're doing currently,

That is when you learn life's contradiction,
That dreams really come true,
But only when you let them just become,
While ignoring them, too,

Or they just go,
Like they were never there,
Instead, some vague memory of your life,
As you have never even dreamed to dare.

Be Vigilant

The new strains are growing,
More infectious, harsher,
The kind we were happy Covid wasn't,
Wen this started, last year,

Before the protests against mask-wearing,
Then conspiracy claims,
Though if this was the illuminati,
I can't even begin to guess their aims,

So twelve months of practice at being safe,
Don't think we've learned a lot,
If the nose above that mask's any clue,
Or the headache I've got,

So, strap in tight,
By that, I mean your mask,
Vaccines only work against what is known,
Nothing is known until it has attacked.

We, The Damned

There's too much to catch up,
Though nothing's really changed,
War persists, though fronts have slightly shifted,
Some leaders rearranged,

The poor are still poor, the rich much richer,
The irony remains,
That rather than fixing disparity,
Most wish they and the wealthy were the same,

It's true, aliens seem to be closer,
Seems they were never far,
Word is they don't want much to do with us,
Our poverty and war,

But who are they?
Is their past so sublime?
Questions that same more of the questioner,
Answering why they think we're so behind

The More Things Change

Is it getting closer?br> It seems late, already,
Not to be a harbinger of despair,
But where's Covid for me?

The safety of isolation's just fine,
With death at your doorstep,
When it's out visiting other people,
Privileged indignance is what you get,

I won't be happy until I can wheeze,
Through a ventilator,
"I did all I could to protect myself,
"What has it all been for?"

I just don't know,
But then, I never did,
The same old armchair philosophizing,
Kept prosperity from me like the plague.

Thousands Imprisoned

I am a prisoner,
Within my own country,
Not because of an act against someone
But wishing to be free,

Those are the sentiments of some Russians,
Who protested Putin,
Who ironically are now in jail,
What a cunundrum they have been put in,

Just for being born within some borders,
That have and will still change,
Police in black sent to beat them with clubs,
Life behind serpeant fangs,

So close, yet far,
What does true freedom mean?
If you have never uttered that question,
My guess is that you're not a human being.

Fear Life

Be on the precipice,
Whatever that might mean,
Unless you're teetering on the cliff's edge,
True life is never seen,

Beyond the safety of the sturdy ground,
Where footfalls waver not,
Where falling means you can get up again,
Despaite what others on the edge had thought

Those reporting on sights fear denies most,
While lauding from afar,
Either from the squalor in which their trapped,
Because life can be harsh,

Or luxury,
For a few do get that,
Who would never, though could, face the abyss,
But then, might lose it all when they come back.

Well, It Might Be Too Much

A month and new year's not,
Enough to erase it,
So I may as well write another one,
To finally admit,

What's been lying underneath all along,
Refusing any truth,
Coursing through the veins of every person,
With their dinner wine and dessert vermouth,

The imbued fear meant for the nth factor,
That might up and revolt,
Even though everyone knows they're the first,
To unfasten the bolts.

So why bother,
When good outweighs the bad?
You can't imagine what we could create,
With no restrictions on what we could have.