Played

The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe.
For the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was wood he was one of them.

West Asian Fable

If you must elect an axe
At least pick one with strings
(Just make sure they aren’t controlled
By any puppeteers)
I’ve had enough of all these hacks
We need a soul that sings
Or else we will be pigeonholed
Forever ruled by fears.

Formulaic

I think I’ll have a chemical stick
And then I’ll drink some too
The bubbly toxins nice and thick
Almost enough to chew

I took the time to jumbo size
My garbage wrapped in red
But when will we all realize
Just what we’re being fed?

Glaring

I feel even more
Disconnected than before
Their endless lies the dullest roar

And watch the sunlight cease
As darkened clouds increase
Obscuring any chance for peace

To grace the souls that pray
For truth to light the way
And dissipate the stifling gray

Then suddenly I’m struck
By a brilliant beam that snuck
Through the clouds, a sign of luck?

Exorbitant

It’s time for evil to flourish
The wicked are smirking with glee.
Their one imperative?
A nonsense narrative
Convincing the crass and boorish
To fetter the land of the free.

The future looks bleak for dissidents
That like to think their own thoughts
If you don’t agree rapidly
The censors will happily
Delete your entire existence--
Inclusiveness has a high cost.

Uneven

The only cult I’ve seen
Are the Maniacs of Mean
And leftward is the only way
These agitators lean

They’re on a spiteful spree
Demanding all for free
Except for those that don’t obey
Like maybe you and me

We shouldn’t have to fight
But programmed drones incite
Then disavow the bloody fray
It simply isn’t right.

Sappy

When you live your life untapped
Your essence is forever trapped
And everyone will think you snapped
As tears begin to flow uncapped.

Deterrent

I know there’s more good in me than bad
It’s just that the bad can feel so good
But pursuit of pleasure will dampen a tad
When facing a fine in a hot neighborhood.

Next?

Does repetition prove that something’s true?
Not if it’s a never ending lie
But that’s what propagandists live to do
Make the facts your duty to deny
And those with clouded minds comply.

What happened to the land I knew
Where people fiercely questioned why,
Instead of asking over-polished phonies to
Decide the outrage they should ply?
The docile are the first to die.

Unforseen

I finally found clarity
Though it isn’t quite the kind
I sought when I began this whole regime
A semblance of sincerity
Is what I had in mind
But now I am invisible it seems.

Up In the Air

The crows caw
As winds howl
I set my jaw
And smooth my scowl--

Another year
To take a chance
Or bow to fear
Of circumstance

As banshee wind
And cacophonous crows
Remind me again--
No one knows.

Idolaters

Anyone they deify
You must deny
For anything they air
Is but a lie.

Take time to learn
How to discern
The evil fare
The righteous spurn.

Clickbait

Just one click and your life can be
So much better, try it and see
One little click is all it takes
To free yourself from smiling fakes

Depress that button and you’ll find
Less confusion in your mind
To search for truth you must be freed
A simple click is all you need

Are you sick of hearing what to think?
Are you tired of feeling ‘on the brink’?
Are you even remotely scared?
If your thumb won’t work – you’re ensnared.

Wizardry

A pond reflects the glimmer of the sky as evening falls
I see the new moon shimmer as creation coyly calls
To look behind the curtain made of iridescent hues
One mustn’t be too certain of those rosy-colored views.

Twelfth

Talk about a flash
Is that a faint mustache?
As yours gets darker mine is turning white
You really have grown
On everyone you’ve known
I’d say your future’s looking pretty bright!

Always try your best
Throughout the endless test
A chance is something you cannot recoup,
Each tick can be sublime
Just like that fateful time
We sat down to share a bowl of soup.