Women's March on Washington: Toronto

White's End of Protest,
Says marches just don't work,
A new kind of resistance must be found,
To the tyrant that lurks,

There's value in thinking outside the box,
That's where true vision's found,
Micah says activism can't rely,
On public demonstrations in downtown,

We must move to the fringes of cities,
Slowly work our way in,
'Fore the powers that be know what hit them,
We've got revolution!

I hear his words,
Let's also not dismiss,
The unifying power of the scene,
Of thousands marching against unfairness.

Your Bliss

There's a sweet spot in life,
Everyone gets a glimpse,
All the powers that be work for you,
P'haps not seen, or not since,

Most of the time, it is just a feeling,
You know it is out there,
You could spend a life trying to reach it,
Or just be in it, breathing it like air,

It could be among others, or alone,
Outside or inside you,
Its form is formed by the form that you are,
The form which you strive to.

That we all do,
I hope that you find yours,
Countries have been formed this goal in mind,
So sought after, it often leads to wars.

The Frustration

What's the use in trying,
When it's out of your hands?
I swear sometimes it's like another world,
Where all of this shit lands.

It's nothing to do with what's in a mind,
But what that mind conspires,
Then what it puts into reality,
Then whether they can find any buyers.

After that, its arena's obvious,
No need to fuck around,
Stick to what you know and let the rest lie,
You are on your own, now.

You always were,
Remember that thing birth?
You started life alone and in the dark,
Now you're avoiding that for all it's worth.

To The Rich

The problem with the rich,
Is how they treat their wealth,
Instead of a comfort against hunger,
They devour to poor health,

Instead of keeping dry under a roof,
Sufficient for the task,
Gargantuan homes beyond any need,
Cast shadows o'er those who daren't e'en ask,

They drive past rusted heaps stopped by police,
For crimes of poverty,
When a slice of their cash would give them life,
Free from all injury,

Ain't that the goal?
A chance for everyone?
All luxury does is keep us apart,
And encourage unfair distribution.

The Man

The music was so loud,
His fucks couldn't be heard,
Or his cunts, shits, mother-fuckers, and clits,
Or wisest of his words,

He strolled from that garage to the basement,
A two-four in each hand,
Manifested from the check he just got,
He is a simple, and yet complex man,

He swigs a beer and then swings a hammer,
Both will be pounded down,
He gets up and the day better watch out,
Darrel's coming to town.

You can't stop him,
You think he'd stop himself,
Some people defy what the man says do,
And builds a pedestal, no fucking shelf.

Reach Her

The good offset the bad,
Though't it's outside the law,
The government did what it always does,
Made it like no one saw,

All the sychophants got their promotions,
Acts being status quo,
But he who tipped the scales will never rise,
There was really nowhere else he could go,

But unlike most who simply disappear,
Some people are too big,
They operate so far outside the norm,
They've ne'er taken a swig,

Of the Kool-Aid,
It'll ne'er make them rich,
They won't even be marked by history,
'Cause they don't live for those by whom it's writ.

To Be You

Don't matter what you do,

There're be consequences,
Maybe good or bad or probably both,
Both side of the fences,

The side you're on may not be where you stood,
Nor may't be where you end,
The question's do you know how you got there?
Do you know your final destination?

That's the only way to stand the salvo,
No matter what you do,
Better people have succumbed to the fire,
More sure of things than you,

So let me help,
I think I know the key,
It has to do with knowing who you are,
And being you with no apologies.

A Way To Live

One must e'er have patience,
To live outside oneself,
The chance to observe what others might do,
While you maintain your stealth,

There then arises opportunities,
Too many to take in,
Don't try to paint the world in your image,
'Stead, traverse the paths others others are raking,

Then you can keep your eyes peeled for a chance,
Of spying something new,
A thing through the trees of great awesomeness,
Made 'specially for you.

Thanks to patience,
And that yourself you know,
Now you can blaze a trail no one foresaw,
That they will follow with their rakes in tow.

Each Day

Each day is a new day,
Still, informed by the last,
One day closer to the one coming up,
Jam-packed with daily tasks,

Each day promises opportunities,
Informed by yesterday,
Possibly conflicting with tomorrow,
Or commitments you can't just sweep away,

Each day is the first day of a new life,
Discarding all before,
Severing bonds and rejecting the past,
An awful, inner war.

Each day must come,
Can pass as nothing new,
Nor pose a threat to what you've built before,
If you actually don't want it to.

Keep Your Eyes Open

I saw four ones, today,
At two different times,
So I noticed my thoughts just preceding,
Like dear old mom of mine.

There is a world, if you are open to't,
(And why wouldn't you be?),
That is speaking to you all of the time,
Judging your thinking and activities,

The best kind of score is multiple ones,
Though, I cannot be sure,
If my internal clock e'er knows the time,
And lo, my thought's deemed pure!

There's always this,
It's ne'er wrong to reflect,
You will then ask if you are living right,
So, bring on every one I can get!

The Way Around It

If the stars would align,
To bring peace to this world,
Would it burst forth from within all of us,
Or from without be curled,

Like a wire wrapped around an iron rod,
With love the battery,
Drawing our selfish hearts to the good pole,
To acknowledge the simple real'ty,

That working together, all benefit,
No one is left behind,
What we've built means no one must live hungry,
The fire of the unkind,

Or could it be,
The good will become bad,
As the stars align, the planets unseat,
So we are left with what we ever had.

The Big Cheese

Let time not rule progress,
Like it is wont to, now,
Preferring gibberish and rhetoric,
And an insincere bow,

Running on like a jaguar eating meat,
Or two children on fire,
Sopping up the mass leavings of the cops,
Hoisting upon their shoulders great liars,

Grinding through its mincer the freshest herbs,
Mixing them with poison,
Slathering the mush on the feet of queens,
As sun does the ocean,

Then calls it art.
Anyone understand?!
There is work to be done on time for pay,
Lest Communism takes over this land.

Your Great Work

How often must you fail,
T'accept it's not your time?
That, p'haps it's better to do what you do,
And let lying dogs lie,

Spend your free hours on this earth at peace,
Expect no more from it,
E'en altruistic goals may be ill-planned,
If prospect's from the summit's to plummet,

If it guarantees one life's not well-lived,
Namely, the one you've got,
And there's no promise for the other ones,
Benefiting or not,

It's all your choice,
To be or not to be,
Ideally, the two goals will correspond,
So you need not claim your morality.

Hope

There're a few kinds of hope,
Fleeting, drowned in despair,
No clear vision what salvation could be,
Hands grasp blindly for air,

Obliterating a different kind,
Born of a calmer mind,
Still not grasping for something possible,
In the real'ty of your daily grind,

Denying still another, more useful,
Acknowledging what's real,
Seeing the potential of given paths,
Choosing by appeal.

Still no promise,
Life offers no such thing,
But hope for something that is possible,
You open the door for the unforeseen.

Doing

There's something 'bout doing,
Leaves no room for mistakes,
With clear mind and determined objectives,
Regarding what you make,

It requires intimate knowledge of you,
Deepest fears, unnamed dreams,
Limitations of your flesh and spirit,
The root of your idiosyncrasies,

Then your true nature will be free to roam,
No need to monitor,
You have to focus on the task at hand,
'Cause that's what it's all for,

The truth of it,
In face of enemies,
Once you are passed all the indecision,
You may overcome the controversies.

Off The Couch

Imagine, if you will,
Living under pure trust,
In another person's promise to you,
To e'er do what he must,

To face the world's challenges together,
Become stronger than ones,
Who must live with nothing but what they have,
Like an animal, without emotions,

Now then, take that trust and strip it clean,
To what's inside of you,
Did you leave any for your own self-worth?
What if it all fell through?

All around you,
Circumstances just change,
Do you become the emotionless beast,
Has betrayal destroyed all of your range?

Letting Go

I need a new passport,
Got to get out of here,
This country doesn't suit my temperament,
Or my joy de vivre,

Or, let's face it, any desire for change,
And really, why should it?
There's far less killing of its citizens,
Than the lion's share of world governments,

Most people don't really have it that bad,
At least that's what we're told,
Living well don't need to mean living large,
Only not being sold,

And having hope,
Left off the question mark,
We must inspire each other ev'ryday,
Only the dead can survive in the dark.

Early Morning Jump

There's no point in writing,
If not to effect change,
Like all other acts in this goddamn world,
Except we're talking brains,

Brains that decide how to treat the homeless,
Based on how they got there,
You don't have to give change if you don't want,
It's about respect, not making it fair,

Brains that pass on their knowledge to the kids,
No matter how fucked up,
It's not a bad thing until someone's hurt,
And no one gives a fuck.

But, who am I?
Not perfect, that's for sure,
Like I've been saying over twenty years,
What can I do that will make me feel pure?

Lying

You'll never be closer,
To death than you are now,
Fearing it's fearing a part of yourself,
Of all things, this I vow,

So focus on that for a little while,
Does it inform your life?
One moment you're here and the next you're not,
Might give you a new outlook on your strife,

But, you say, such observations are trite,
Life, you must still endure,
The pain, struggle, deceit and oppression,
Of all things, this is sure,

It will not end,
Until the day it does,
It doesn't have to be as bad as that,
Just live, let live and beware of the fuzz.

A New Year Wish

'Most forgot to do this,
And now don't have much time,
The world around will be waking up soon,
Then no longer be mine,

I'm not saying it's a resolution,
Just trying to be me,
No regrets or bitter feelings abound,
We're all trying to authentic'lly be,

For once you are, so might ev'ryone else,
Like cars stopping at once,
On the highway, all of them as one mind,
No one calling anyone else a cunt,

'Cause that's not nice,
In any circumstance.
Can't everybody just get along?
Let's give two thousand, seventeen a chance.

A New Year

A part of my absence,
Despite telling myself,
That I am dedicated to The Fall,
To put Waths on the shelf,

Was more than freeing up the time to write,
Fear was driving me, too,
Well, this is a new year, and fear be damned,
It will no longer tell me what to do,

There's a place for it or it would not be,
I won't deny its use,
But it must spring up from the soul's instinct,
Not in light of abuse,

Or what might be,
No one can answer that,
Only the things one wishes there might be,
Are worthy of affecting how you act.

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.