Did Something Happen?

What's in the news, today?
Cannot think what happened,
Seems like the same thing in the BBC's,
Continental sections,

Africa doesn't have much going on,
I guess it's all okay,
Asia seems charmed, at least in India, Seems Australia no longer has dismay,
Europe, may have taken a break from war,

It's only respectful,
Latin America - wait, no Brits there,
Mid East's depressing still,

And the U.S.?
How 'bout you take a guess,?
It's hyperbole, but you get the point,
When it's propoganda, it is newsless.

The Day's Sum-up

Bannon's been indicted,
Mada Masr's been charged,
Pakistan is under water once more,
It's just a drop, so far,

A queen just died, but her riches remain,
Truss once wanted her gone,
But there's a deal only the elite know,
That means to play she's got to play along,

Cornel and Briahna stated it well,
It's about truth not words,
Maybe they'd shake their heads at that trite line,
But I've not room for more,

Neither do they,
Dare I say you don't, too,
Each generation fears they'll be the last,
I fear to say we're not, might not be true.

What To Read

Hard to know where to start,
Jokes about private planes,
Pakistanis fighting cosmic flooding,
Putin passing the blame,

They are all different, and yet they're the same,
They're from the BBC,
I could get alt news from other sources,
Then there would be no time to write for me,

Or none of the volunteer work I do,
That last line's a lie, sir,
Unless you count writing what no one reads,
Then I'm the front-runner.

Then there is you,
Do you think this is news,
Or are you looking for an opinion,
That doesn't drown you in world-weary blues?

How To Fix it All

I don't know what to say,
'bout Chile's decision,
To vote against Boric's proposed changes,
To their constitution,

I mean, I get it, as my good friend said,
They're wary of mass change,
They have revolutionized from both sides,
Experience taught them it must be reined,

From the eighteen hundreds, defeating Spain,
Then despot Ibanez,
Some democracy before Pinochet,
Is this too noncomplex?

How about this?
Equality'd reign true,
If everyone just loved one another.
But that's something humans will never do.

Art Should Offend

I'm afraid to write this,
Which means I should, some how,
Aft' listening to the Zinntennial,
On Democracy Now,

About the historian, Howard Zinn,
A world war two bomber,
Wrote A People's Hist'ry of the U.S.,
To call him pro-war'd be a misnomer.

Then there is an artist in Australia,
Who took down his mural,
(A Russian and Ukraine soldier hugging),
Due to public furore,

Why'm I afraid?
I guess I don't agree.
Since when should art aim not to give offence?
Thank god no one actually reads me.

Trump or Biden?

Who'll save America?
Trump has claimed the slogan,
In Florida, days after Biden's speech,
Against Republicans,

Who believe twenty-twenty was stolen,
Regardless of hindsight,
There's not proof, it seems of insurrection,
The primaries will confirm who is right,

Unless the elections are rigged again,
That is, against MAGA,
Don't get me wrong, both sides have good people,
The bad ones hadn't saw,

What was coming,
It's not about leaders,
When the system only gives bad choices,
What's popular will always seem absurd.

The Key To Success

I cannot imagine,
What it's like to achieve,
Accomplishments like Serena Williams,
Nor should that be my dream,

It's not e'en that I should seek out heroes,
Who look more like I do,
I'd rather celebrate their life's journey,
Then use them as a calibration tool,

Like what is my version of their success?
Would it make me happy?
Is there something 'bout this conversation,
That keeps me from rhyming?

Or's that the point?
They are wholly unique,
Not because they excel at what they do,
But what they searched for only they can seek.

The Secret Podcast

Listened to this podcast, 
With guest, yikes, I can't say,
A discussion about ev'ry president,
Of the United States,

From Washington all the way to Biden,
The people, not their feats,
It never hurts to get new perspectives,
No matter what one's been known to beat,

But did it tell me something I don't know,
Other than anecdotes?
For a moment I thought, 'Is Trump that bad?',
'Should Dole have won the vote?'

Does it matter?
Presidents just preside,
Maybe they do reflect the people's will,
Less leader, more a unique look inside.

The Next Empire

I don't know history,
There is too much info,
Not to mention it grows every moment,
Oops, another war goes,

But America is still very young,
Yet old for an empire,
It spends more on war than any country,
While its economy's in a spiral,

At least if you look at what others have,
Well, elite, not people,
Let's hope there's a new structure for our kids,
That is much more equal.

What was my point?
Oh, the world is changing,
Look at a map evolve from before us,
We've not much time before the next crowning.

The True News Source

Where do I get my news?
The BBC mostly,
I cycle through all of the world sections,
From Asia to Mid East,

Africa, Americas, Australia,
That last one shouldn't be,
Hold on, it shouldn't be a section of its own,
I don't mean it shouldn't be a country,

Or a continent, let's not get off track,
I check out Bad Faith, too,
Sometimes I'll jump to Fox or Aljazeera
To get a different view,

But, they're the same,
What I mean's, they just wave,
At the same void that we all dance around,
Because the truth's not something one can say.

The Real Conspiracy

Even before Covid,
The world was melting down,
I don't know what a conspiracy is,
But timing is profound,

Climate took a backseat for two years,
Really, at the nexus,
I remember thinking in naught eighteen,
Right now, there should be no other focus,

Well, sure, there were more immediate threats,
To others, like famine,
Local's what concerns, and my biggest threat,
Was oil industry's sins,

Now they're forgot,
With the Inflation Act,
I won't get into that conspiracy,
There sure is not enough room here for that.

Climate Crisis Intro

Said lots about climate,
I'm not the only one,
Thankfully, where I live is not hard hit,
Unlike other nations,

But Canada's honeymoon will be short,
Maybe before the droughts,
We laud our friendship with America,
But our wealth of water puts that at risk,

Not to mention that global climate woes,
Destroys economies,
Just like the internet connects us all,
It's an analogy,

I know, I know,
I've said naught new,
The fact is it has all been said before,
Next time I will purport different views.

Substack Intro

What I know's limited,
By what I've on my lap,
Connected to the worldwide internet,
Filtered by many caps,

First by my status in society,
Not high, but sadly high,
Born in a country, relatively free,
Privileged, for now, being born a white guy,

Plus the internet's fallen short of goals,
Like being truly free,
For how can you know what is really true,
With no reality?

But what I know's,
Opinion's never wrong,
If used as an investigative tool,
To figure out how to all get along.

The Range

Life has its ups and downs,
Would most people say that?
It's sure that if you have all that you need,
That's going to be fact,

Humans can do a lot animals can't,
Staying happy's not one,
Not that I'm an expert on earthling minds,
But people are good at self-destruction,

I susptect, too, that if you're destitute,
Had no luck or prospects,
Held down from birth by money and by caste,
You've smiled despite the hex.

So, why is that,
Assuming that I'm right?
What's wrong with feeling happy all the time,
And why find light within the darkest night?

To Write

This is just for writing,
Like many writers say,
To write you must write and make sure you write,
Every single day,

It doesn't matter what you write at all,
Just that you write at all,
Though it's your right to write what you want to,
You might write what is called exceptional,

That is if you feel writing is a rite,
I had to fit that in,
To write should have a religious aspect,
Outside of ambition,

So I've written,
Now there's no more to do,
Until I realize I haven't written,
The last thought I didn't write down for you.

Trite Life

What is really different,
From your day yesterday,
That your perspective on life has reversed,
From hopeful to dismay?

There are infinite factors in your life,
Within its unity,
Making any one by comparison,
Ineligible for priority.

What a load of crap, I hear you saying,
That is bad math gone wrong,
Tell that to my overdrawn bank account,
It sings a mismatched song.

Maybe you're right,
Wait, what just happened here,
Shows how we're at the whim of destiny,
Or whatever you call life's sudden veers.

The Way to Think

There is an attitude,
Experienced before,
A naïve feeling of optimism,
While nothing is in store,

You could liken it to the Tarot's Fool,
Or Kierkegaard's Faith Knight,
A self-awareness that nothing's deserved,
But somehow knowing each step taken's right,

Let's not get caught up in definitions,
Mystic or Danish fans,
The point is within the moments lived thus,
Your life feels happenstance,

Well, not just feels,
In my experience,
The greatest chance of opportunity
Is generated by this mental stance.

Morning Time in the Laurentians

The air's cold on my skin,
The sun is shining bright,
The shimmer on the water may be bugs,
Or a summer breeze, light,

The sough through the trees is releasing rain,
Having fell yesterday,
I can't decifer whose bird call is whose,
Nor how my future debts will all be paid,

The journey ahead is long and winding,
Gravel will shoot from tires,
To buy a coffee made by steady hands,
Available for hire,

But otherwise,
Who knows what they would do,
Assuming society cared for them,
So survival was not a concern, too.

Getting Better

I found myself someplace,
I don't want to admit,
For years where I was not allowed to strive,
Or did not even fit,

While I was convinced it was all on me,
If I could figure out,
What it was that I kept on doing wrong,
Putting my own abilities in doubt,

Until it all culminated one day,
Into a perfect storm,
I realized I would not get what I want,
Which had become the norm,

But I'm not mad,
I don't blame anyone,
I've come out stronger and more sure of things,
I chack it up to my evolution.

This Is Not A Dream

Ever have a good dream,
Where there's lots of people,
You're happy and you really don't know why,
So much you can't keep still,

Then you realize that you are in a dream,
Which makes you happier,
You fly around the room because you can,
For you're completely void of any fear,

Then you wake up remembering it all,
Knowing it meant something,
Like it's saying you are on the right track,
Both in life and thinking?

What, you haven't?
Then let me tell you how,
All that is keeping you from that feeling,
Is not having read this Wath until now.

Day On The Lake

I saw my first beaver,
Break the surface of glass,
My movements so slow, like I wasn't there,
It continued to pass,

Then clusters of bugs shimmered on it, too,
As I glided through them,
Collections of pixels ne'er to return,
In exactly that configuration,

I immersed myself as deep as I could,
Silk soft tendrils touched feet,
Nothing to save me should they choose to grasp,
I'd not call that defeat,

P'haps surrender,
To what I'm already,
If the universe fell in on itself,
Would you call that some kind of victory?

Other Things

That it has been a while,
Since a post's come up here,
Is not a sign of productivity,
But of location, dear,

P'haps the tagline should have a caveat,
That life exists elsewhere,
No just the ones and ohs that make this screen,
But what some people may still call out there,

Where one's life intersects with just a few,
Not with no one, like this,
The breeding ground for possible content,
Most of which you will miss,

'Cause it's not here,
Much of it's not written,
Also, many Waths exist not here, too,
Sorry if you thought this was my mission.

Tragic Time

TIme has gone so slowly,
And yet, it's gone so fast,
The wait for tomorrow is torturous,
I've lost grasp of the past,

I cry for each moment for it is gone,
One step closer to death,
But first I must endure this loneliness,
That promises respite I never get,

Amidst this all are those that mill around,
Winning and losing, too,
Ecstatic faces that will learn time's wrath,
Then turn dark shades of blue.

It's not all bad,
It's not all good, either,
There is no difference between two moments,
We make them so to create a future.

Successful Fear

It's hard not to wonder,
Well, I better not say,
Who knows the eyes that will be reading this,
My mind's already stayed,

This has beeb the struggle since I was young,
As long as I'm alone,
The thoughts will flow like a running river,
Then sense an audience, it's blocked by stones,

Sometimes I think it is the universe,
That knows best what I need,
Just enough friends and cash to get me through,
That's what being rich means.

Yet there's a trade,
There is no loss to fear,
But you must keep faith that all will turn right,
And that when you speak nobody will hear.

World Truth 1

The sun's shining on me,
Thank goodness for the clouds,
Small mercies in this age of climate change,
Are all that are allowed,

I'm not even in the depths of the hell,
Many people are in,
Japan, India, Australia, Utah,
Are just a few living in an oven,

Then there are drought-ridden wastelands about,
Too many to name here,
Tornados, hurricanes, floods, you name it,
It's not too wild to fear,

And we're in it,
Well, we're far from the cap,
Woe our children and those that come after,
If the human race gets as far as that.

No Answer

It's really happening,
Though you do not know what,
A slow burn to something incredible,
If you don't fuck it up,

One mis-step will lead you down the wrong path,
If you've not already,
Without omnipotent vision of it,
The only proof will exist when you die,

Make no mistake that it was possible,
There's many examples,
Both of unbelievable success,
And destructive stumbles,

Which will be you?
Traverse the middle road?
You'll never know which step will take you there,
For the road to success is never showed.

Don't Speak Your Mind

I'm not going to say,
What's really on my mind,
Thoughts are so removed from reality,
They are not even mine,

They are like a playground in a school yard,
You've heard what goes on there,
Meanness and absurdity at recess,
Morbid acts at night one would not dare,

But run those thoughts to the physical realm,
Filtered by your organs,
They have the chance at being translated,
So they do not offend.

Are they the same?
You don't want them to be,
You want the best of you to be expressed,
And hope the worst stays deep in your psyche.

Start to Die

On the cusp of the ring,
We're safe from the death heat,
Where they thought things would be safe from melting,
As they relished their feats,

The irony combusted as they built,
Now we all pay the price,
Us, amidst gails that pull down massive trees,
While we take shelter from golf balls of ice,

There was a time when time appeared so slow,
Geological age,
But what's passed is no proof of what's to come,
Ask anyone that's caged,

Is this too dire?
There's been crises before
We've e'er seemed to dodge, though with casualties,
Maybe there are no chances anymore.

Dizzy

No one loves everyone,
No matter what they say,
Everyone has at least someone in life,
Who's not their fan, today,

Who might change their mind soon, but not before,
They're replaced by someone,
Even the most loved person in this life,
Is some individual's non-person,

For how else do you think we've got so far,
With cars, phones, and climate?
If humans shared no animosity,
We'd be done with all that,

So, viva hate!
Let's sing it to the sky,
At least where we think that it is hiding,
Past the smog, smoke, and mushroom clouds so high.

Keeping Us Down

Some people have it good,
Though they didn't always,
Most had some advantage to get them there,
Of course, they'll never say,

Instead they will pass on words of wisdom,
From their experience,
As if the doors open for them ain't closed,
For the vast majority of humans,

We cannot all be living the good life,
The world could not sustain,
It might seem all but you have succeeded,
But that's part of the game,

To keep us down,
There, I've said it out loud,
The government and oligarchs all know,
Hope is the opium that calms the crowd.

Live and Learn

You must temper yourself,
Do not come in so hot,
Excitement is no excuse for rudeness,
Good intentions or not,

You must not now be tortured by regret,
The past is for learning,
You've never done what you're about to do,
Even each breath is a unique journey,

As is the witnessing it by others,
Each everything is new,
There's ne'er been a moment in history,
You are about to do,

So, please take care,
Art's not a mindless thing,
It's informed by everything that you've done,
What you've learned, and the hope for harmony.

Mode

You must be complacent,
Some proportion of time,
To not deny you a spectrum of modes,
Possible for your mind,

"Wait, that's going down a slippery slope!
Why not, too, be obscene?
You want to experience all there is,
Try making promises you'll never mean."

I understand the point you are making,
My devil's advocate,
'Let's abstain from anything that may hurt,
Another's complacence.'

I'm feeling mean,
Maybe solipsistic,
A mode that allows me to ignore you,
Not a path I would naturally pick.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

I've been reading Greenlights,
Want to write one as well,
Describing experience as the past,
But constantly unveiled.

McConaughey has a different concept,
With more prescriptive views,
Though he says it is not a self-help book,
He certainly believes what you should do,

Which some may claim is based on his privilege,
We all come from somewhere,
This isn't a review, but if you ask,
His options were unfair.

Compared to who?
Why, the ones behind him,
The ones in front, well, we each all have both,
It's our choice which is our motivation.

I Never Know

There must be other ways,
To express what I feel,
Odd thing is I think I have tried them all,
Lest there's any concealed,

Either I don't know where to start or end,
Like the world's closed to me,
I do not know what I want to express,
Until I place my fingers on these keys,

That sentiment does not quite hit the nail,
For if you were to ask,
Where these thoughts are going to lead me to,
I would just straight up laugh,

'Cause that's the fun,
It's a journey for me,
Until I write the last word of a Wath,
The ending is always a mystery.

Be Bold

Sometimes you must be bold,
The rest of the time, too,
Even when you are being cowering,
You must have attitude,

People will say that you must know your place,
Well, that's completely true,
How else will you know where to thrust your sword?
You must be bold, but recognize the cues,

That's why living well is the best revenge,
Lost on all but a few,
The last laugh's the one that lasts the longest,
Let it not be for you,

Let it be yours,
That drops the other shoe,
Now you have everything you need to win,
You cannot complain that you never knew.

The Drag Race

You have to throw the net,
In pools shallow and deep,
Opportunity comes to those willing,
To take uncertain leaps,

You know the trodden path will grow no grass,
It's never greener there,
But roll the dice enough times you're ensured,
That you'll eventually roll a pair,

Isn't it more fulfilling to do that,
Than following the path,
Mixed metaphors do not erase the fact,
The chances that you hath,

As do us all,
You've just to find your drag,
Be yourself to your most flamboyant self,
Again, I have given that dog a wag.

What Is a Wath?

If you are not anxious,
At least some of the time,
It is like the equivalent of,
Living without enzymes,

There are perceptions you need to break down,
That build up in your brain,
Taking up room, like fat under your skin,
Your body will never use to sustain,

They're puzzles to what makes you who you are,
Created to be solved,
The pieces then there to be rearranged,
Or you could say, resolved.

Did you get that?
I almost didn't, too,
I hope I don't have to also point out,
How this Wath's also a puzzle for you.

Remember

If you think back a year,
On this here very day,
Do you remember what you were doing,
I wonder what you'd say,

If you knew I knew the answer to that,
I'm not talking 'bout you,
I have documentation of my life,
All the way back to two thousand and two,

Even farther, if I don't want to rhyme,
That's the value of truth,
I can't say I've changed much over twelve months,
Except for fading youth,

I know, I know,
That was gone long ago,
The point is my memory's not that good,
So these Waths help me remember my woes.

Musk Dreams

Oh mother, I can feel,
But nowhere like I should,
I used to think the world was there to take,
With the right attitude,

What I forgot's I'm not the only one,
With dreams worth fighting for,
Not that I really tried to fight at all,
If I had known, sure, I would have tried more,

Instead, I put faith in the universe,
(I hope it's not list'ning),
Truth be told, I can't say life's that bad,
So, I'm not complaining,

You, hear that world?!
Yes, I am satisfied,
I want for not and have love all around,
Consider all future dreams duly tried.

We Are All Animals

We are all animals,
Despite what we believe,
There are just so many so far removed,
Our minds cannot conceive,

But surely you can relate to an ape,
Lying by their loved one,
No thoughts but comfort and intimacy,
All threats safely a distant conclusion,

Now be the ape and relate to lions,
Basking in the hot sun,
The lion relates to another beast,
And so on, and so on.

You see my point,
But you do not agree?
I think I have said all that I can say,
I guess you just cannot relate to me.

Who Do You Live For?

You have to keep the faith,
It will not be easy,
Every moment provides another test,
To your resiliency,

And you will not always be rewarded,
Or so it may not seem,
Disappointment today may be a step,
To an unbelievable victory,

It may also be a step off a cliff,
I'm not a soothsayer,
The question is how do you want to live,
And what is living for?

Is it for you,
Or for those that you love?
That last question's not a non sequitor,
What will your choice of life make them think of?

Who

Try On Your Own Shoes

Life has its ups and downs,
We have all heard that said,
Whether you're me fighting no confidence,
Despite being ahead,

Or someone else, well, you would have to be,
You cannot wear my shoes,
No matter the wisdom of vast cultures,
You paint every experience with you,

But that doesn't mean that your shoes are on,
Not left in the closet,
So many lives are lived without a clue,
Of who really owns it,

So take a look,
Investigate each stitch,
Once you realize how unique your shoes are,
You'll understand why we could never switch.

Try or Not

Don't back off on your dreams,
Not that you will succeed,
You will not know which way things might have gone,
If you just let life lead,

Which isn't really a terrible thing,
Gosh, you have got this far,
Which is to say you've been carried along,
Without the bother of raising the bar,

So who cares what else you might want to do,
That requires will and strength,
Resulting in a feeling you can't get,
On the lazy stream's length?

You answer that,
I'll take chances again,
I may have not got far the first time round,
But I want to know what it's like to win.

Where We Will Be

Fingers tapping the keys,
My eyes are telling me,
As are the nerve endings in my digits,
And the words on the screen,

My right thumb's sore from the iphone home key,
Hence, they changed the design,
Woe we with the older generation,
We're both sooner to die,

Not getting to finally link our brains,
Like digital fingers,
We'll have to seek for consciousness elswhere,
Maybe in the liver,

Or in the cloud,
Where our mind-drones will be,
Taking selfies from hundreds of feet up,
Circumventing my eyes so I can see.

Change And Living

You can't just get bigger,
Without expecting change,
Pains in your bones, clothes no longer fitting,
Perspectives rearranged,

The world gets a little smaller as well,
So there's less room to move,
At the same time it sees you differently,
So now you have something different to prove,

But how do you manage this and still live?
You've other things to do,
What you are missing is that change is life,
Dealing with it is you,

Nothing changes,
No matter what your size,
Each moment's a birth into something new,
Living is your place in it recognized.

Here's What You Do

Sometimes there is so much,
It really overwhelms,
You try to make a list, but that takes time,
There's no one at the helm,

So you attempt to eat that elephant,
There's too many bites left,
The fire hose is real, turned on full blast,
Now you're not only stressed but very wet,

The time you're taking thinking about it,
Has now increased your tasks,
If asking for help wouldn't add more time,
You certainly would ask,

Then the day's gone,
There's nothing you have done,
While all around you people shake their heads.
Sorry, I'm offering no solution.

Listen

The universe whispers,
Clues to what you should do,
It speaks through the mouths of those around you,
Residing in their zoo,

On the screens in your hand and in your bed,
Even in nighttime dreams,
You'll know you've heard them when your stomach says,
"Nothing around me is quite what it seems,"

Like they are all talking to each other,
But, for your benefit,
Repeating the same things in their language,
Until you notice it,

Then you must act,
Do honour to the call,
Or the universe may stop whispering,
Which is the heart-breaking start of the fall.

Time's a Cheater

The furnace is soughing,
Lights blink on the router,
My eyes are gummy from night's adhesive,
As I lie beside her,

My fingeres glowing, though the brightness low,
My bowl empty beside,
There are still ten sips left inside my mug,
Though much heat's left the black liquid inside,

The day will go as fast as yesterday,
As it will go as slow,
Never giving back any of the time,
Unless my mind does so,

With memory,
But that's simply a cheat,
Something's always happened when I come back,
Some could have memory I'll never meet.

History's Past

Just because time has passed,
Doesn't mean that it died,
It exists in the form of consequence,
In everybody's mind,

It may be different for different people,
Some happy and some sad,
Some visiting its grave every day,
Obsessed not with what they have but they had,

While for others nothing's ever happened,
They've to worry about,
Which is better really depends on what,
Better's for them, no doubt.

What about you,
Do you embrace your past?
That question's already your history,
So, you can forget that I even asked.

Your Next Move

It is almost over,
Then the new one begins,
It is already hard to remember,
This move's evolution,

It had something to do with happiness,
And following your dreams,
That change isn't alway something that's good,
But good is always what change really means,

That it is better to risk your own life,
Than save it for others,
To use to change the quality of theirs,
An old story, for sure.

But why for you?
The fear of not winning?
It comes down to if you just want to live,
Or want to live like life is worth living.

I Wanna Go Back In Time

What's it take to journey,
Back to when you were young,
When you could never imagine your life,
Past the next occasion,

Perhaps an hypnotism you can take,
To anywhere you want,
Within the perceptions that will be stored,
In the mind castle now in construction,

Or maybe there is really a machine,
That could carry you back,
Reality is stranger than fiction,
We've all read books like that,

But could it be,
Because time's never still,
There's nothing not already in the past,
So any thought's already time travel?

Tethered To The Machine

The trick's not to move it,
Stay absolutely still,
Do what you have to do then close it up,
If you don't, then it will,

It's trying to teach you to not rely,
On things that are not you,
Other people, work, and technology,
Can both help you and also help you shirk,

If all of this disappeared tomorrow,
What do you think you'll be,
Satisfied being alone in this world,
Or wishing for TV?

Or internet,
You know what I'm saying,
How frustrated are you when the cord moves,
And your computer's closed before saving?

Welcome To The World

Will today be the day,
When everything resets,
When there is nothing left like yesterday,
To quite the same extent,

As if each morning is completely new,
New possibilities,
Based on atom configuration,
That make the landscape of reality,

Like each moment provides something unique,
In an extreme manner,
So that, if you think about it, you're new,
Every moment offered?

Think about it,
Maybe trite, but it's true,
You are always already being born,
Into a possibility brand new.

Choice Number One

Will everything be right,
Or all go down the drain?
This is a question you must ask yourself,
With each moment obtained,

Like the conception of mindful eating,
Be aware of each bite,
Savor the flavors you usually miss,
Scarfing it all down before your next fight.

But you say there's a risk in the moment,
Of being undermined,
While you're enjoying life's constant gift,
There's knives plunged in your spine.

So ask yourself,
There is no right answer,
Would you rather enjoy fewer moments,
Or spend more in anxiety and fear?

The Time, It is A'Changing

The anticipation,
Of a change in your life,
In itself is a form of stagnation,
Less elan and more strife,

When what if else you treated each moment,
As the change that it is,
Each molecule different than what was,
Before you started reading this treatise?

Subtle changes, I will not give you that,
Instead, a wholesale change,
P'haps even regret at losing yourself,
To time's new rearrange.

Then again, still,
It's hard to keep abreast,
You'll never be again who you once were,
But can embrace this new one as the best.

While On Hold

As I wait on this call,
The music oscillates,
But not too much before the voice comes on,
Regretful for the wait,

I may want to call back later, it says,
The wait time will be long,
There is a high volume of inquiries,
In this time of Covid, back to the song,

But I've already invested so much,
As I lie here in bed,
With no indication of the wait time,
I am now committed,

So much of my life,
I'll never see again,
At least what I'm about to write will live,
Wait! I've just been put on with the agent.

Where To Go

Decisions must be made,
Even if it's not you,
The question is are you happy with that,
And if so, left to who?

Or do you want to own the path you take,
No matter where it lands,
Commit to no regret in retrospect,
Instead, look ahead to where next you can,

Then weave your past into future success,
Foresight or learned lessons,
No matter what you are you'll always be,
What you are in the end,

What will that be?
Don't tell me you don't know,
Or give up all claim to being human,
Then decision makers pick your next road.

Wake Up

Time's not passing slower,
It's not faster, either,
Though many, I'm sure, would argue with tme,
On what I just averred,

Some will say that it's definitely slow,
Or unbearably fast,
In both cases they'll have circumstances,
That they direly wish will or will not last,

I'll not say they should live in the moment,
Or should forget the past,
Dissuade them from imagining futures,
Where they wish to be cast,

Also, don't think,
It's now the present's time,
As you float in this ocean we call life,
Jump out and try the frigid, savage brine.

No Surprises

Who knows what will happen,
No matter what you do,
Maintain the status quo you always have,
'Cause it's easy to do,

Or make a change with no plan for next steps,
That seems a bit extreme,
I'm sure you'll find some kind of middle road,
Wih change guided into something foreseen,

Becaus no matter what plan that you make,
The results won't falter,
That is the nature of reality,
No surprises occur,

So off you go,
With each step confident,
Just be prepared to say the route you take,
Is exactly where you meant to have went.

What To Do.

Is my heart now weakened,
By choices that I've made?
No blaming those who asked me to do what,
Left me sick and waylaid,

Nothing can make you do what you don't want,
Even if you commit,
There's a notion that what you say today,
In the future's new world will still exist,

Despite the same words meaning something else,
Like selling damaged goods,
Then refusing to provide a refund,
As if you should have knew.

But how could you?!
Getting too personal?
You want to know the actions to follow,
Ask your gut, then chase the sound of its call.

Have Confidence

Can you even do it,
What you say that you can,
To some degree you must believe in you,
Like all other humans,

That you're as capable as anyone,
If you're given the chance,
Question is, are you confident enough?
Or maybe is your confidence enough?

Could your potential already be capped,
Or maybe it's stunted,
By so many years of being mistaught,
Your talent is shunted,

No, stop right there,
Don't get in your own head,
Anyone will tell you we are all fucked,
It's those who embrace that who get ahead.

Should I Not Jab

Though I'm cloudy headed,
From being infected,
I wonder what would have happened without,
The jabs I accepted,

I'll never know, but if my head's a clue,
I wouldn't have faired well,
The fever, cough, and general fatigue,
If much worse could have meant the hospital,

I know, I know, it's all conspiracy,
Plus my right to be free,
It's nothing to do with those who must deal,
With the minority,

Who just don't care,
About none but their own,
Who think that rights are the right to a world,
Where rights are theirs and only theirs alone.

Both Side Now

The calm before the storm,
Is itself a storm, too,
That has its calm, which is also a storm,
All way back to the womb,

Not unlike the glass that is half empty,
Or the one that's half full,
You can't deny there is a glass at all,
Nor in either case can't you take a pull,

That is the beauty of this thing called life,
Not what some people see,
But that all of us can see everything,
That's what's called being free,

Then you can be,
Any side of the coin,
Without worrying if it's the right choice,
Or caring exactly where you're going.

Making Change

Change is not always good,
But, it is always great,
Like trying a path you've never been on,
Before it gets too late,

To see if there is something you might like,
You didn't know exists,
We're plopped on earth with no experience,
How would we ever know what we have missed?

Even the things that we are told about,
Always fall short with words,
Until you have felt its reality,
It's just a think you've heard,

Like everything,
Don't knock it 'til you've tried,
For if life isn't about trying things,
No one would have regrets before they died.

No Turning Back

There are some things you do,
That you cannot take back,
You force the hand of your reality,
To attempt a new tack,

Not knowing what is on the horizon,
Knowing what you had left,
Testing your resolve by considering,
Going back, finding you are not bereft,

For what other gauge do you have to judge,
But the truth in your heart?
If only you had been first preprogrammed,
To do that from the start,

Or had you been,
Then somehow lost your way,
Now you are older and are reminded,
You're all you have at the end of the day.

Do The Math

All your days are numbered,
Just no one knows the math,
It's up to you to decide the value,
Every sum will have,

You may flit away what you should embrace,
Opting for what's given,
Which, guaranteed, will not be made for you,
Or intended for your greatest living,

Try to add up what means the most to you,
That's the real formula,
That guides the way to life's satisfaction,
You think that's lame, don't ya?

Maybe it is,
Depending where you start,
You see, mathematics needs presumptions,
Is yours based on materials or heart?

What now?

What more can I tell you,
You don't already know,
Tucked somewhere in a different language,
Exclusively your own,

That phrase happily hit upon, wrote Hume,
Or so I paraphrase,
That shows deep down we are really the same,
That all argument's a distracting haze?

I wonder what would happen at that point,
Maybe we'd fall in love,
Or perhaps we would see where we diverge,
That truth is not enough,

To bridge the gap,
For you are an asshole,
Knowing that without doubt doesn't change things,
It digs me deeper down depression's hole.

Moving On

There's so many reasons,
You're given not to do,
What something in your gut is telling you,
What you know must be true,

Yet you have spent so much time in the world,
Taken by worldly things,
To go against worldy advice irks you,
So that you argue with your own feelings,

Remember the world only thinks of it,
Its survival, not yours,
It will be there long after you are dead,
Nor will it have felt sore,

For losing you,
So why care what it needs?
Do what your body tells you, you must do,
You've got one life to show how one succeeds.

Where You Want

Is it really the time?
Nobody really knows,
Just like you can't say if you'll stay alive,
Today or tomorrow,

Trite, you say, the anthem of the fearful,
With no self confidence,
As if the fifty people in your world,
Make up the sum of your only options,

Like the thousands within walking distance,
Live on another earth,
Or the millions within the same border,
Are outside of your girth.

It's all a lie,
Someone is telling you,
Could be they are trying to hold you back,
Question for you is why would they want to?

Quick Respite

Maybe I wil feel better,
After these sixteen lines,
The navigation through my current thoughts,
Will leave the stress behind,

Forgotten for however long it takes,
Though I can't take all day,
I could never run fast or far enough,
To keep life's artificial jobs away,

Doing things I would never choose myself,
Or that mean anything,
Becoming critical while people starve,
Wishing they had something,

Like what I have,
While I wish for a dream,
Of a life where I can do what I want.
Now let the stress catch up, I've done sixteen.

Good Night

Laying awake at night,
Wishing you were asleep,
Knowing the next day will be harder still,
That's the hours we all keep,

You can't just live your life by your own time,
It's like we're all one form,
We're so intertwined as a species now,
Our butterfly wings cause global wind storms,

Or else we're so small we make no difference,
So get no benefits,
If no one sees you, you cannot get paid,
Which is the end of it.

Does this make sense?
My mind's too over-tired,
I thought writing this might get me going,
Instead, I'm thinking I might just retire.

By The Light Of A Candle

Your life is a slow burn,
A wick amidst great wax,
You'll not get to the end any faster,
You may as well relax,

As the wick shortens, you will see it all,
Then all of it will pass,
The only way to stop's to extinguish,
Which has been the choice of some in the past,

But what becomes of what was to be left,
As the hot wax cools down,
Intertwined with what was to be a part,
Of candles lit around?

Can candles change,
What they started to be?
Will yours disappear like it never was,
If you have seen all you would like to see.

Make War

When I see a soldier,
Head crouched with gun in hand,
Stealthily walking with comrades in tow,
Sweeping across the land,

I understand they have a job to do,
Without jobs, what are we?
Then again, without others to stomp on,
Some people are prone to ask the same thing,

In my wildest of imagination,
Making guns is not there,
Pointing them at, then shooting my neighbour,
I'm sorry, I'd not dare.

I hear your voice,
"You fucking privileged twit",
I just wish you were as privileged as me,
P'haps inequality makes war legit!

Life Transplant

It does look like a hoof,
Though, nobody has said,
A replacement for a limb that gave up,
Age preferring my bed,

Meanwhile a man is given a pig heart,
Hid, so easy to take,
If he was told he needed the snout, too,
Would the decision be easy to make?

At least in death he wouldn't hear the jeers,
Living isn't worth pain,
The only reason I fight for my life,
Is to be rich one day,

And show them all,
Even using a cane,
Money is like a whole body transplant,
No one sees the defects the cash replaced.

Happy Change

There's not much more to say,
Actions speak much louder,
Blowing up one's life's always discouraged,
No one likes the powder,

That settles on them once you've changed your life,
They're not up for such things,
So they make change sound like a dangerous route,
Which, guess what, they're not technically lying,

Change can be bad, but it is always good,
For nothing is perfect,
You can't see what's binding you from inside,
Only as you reflect,

On where you were,
Before you blew things up,
Then those around you will also reflect,
As they consequently dust themselves off.

What Might Be

I have been here before,
Standing at a threshold,
My body wanting to step through the door,
Towards moments untold,

Heart feeling I'm threatening its demise,
For instigating change,
That is when I step back into the room,
For what is known, yet is causing me pain,

Not a condition unkown to a few,
More like a pandemic,
Even though sometimes the grass is greener,
We all would rather stick,

With what is safe,
Compared to what might be,
Even though we all know that what might be,
Could be the fulfillment of all our dreams.

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.