Longevity

If the price is cheap
The cost is steep
What helps it keep
Will make you weep
Remove the junk
Or we are sunk.

Incomparable

I cry when I think of the nails
That were part of the world’s greatest loss
And every complaint I have pales
When compared to a blood spattered cross

And He sacrificed all for us
Though it seems hardly anyone mourns
Too busy creating a fuss
Over nothing (compared to those thorns).

Exterminate

Whoever THEY adore
IGNORE
Whatever THEY advise
IS LIES
Wherever THEY appear
THERE’S FEAR
Whichever way THEY die
LET’S TRY!

Uncontested

Relations can be a mixture of magic
And maddening shambles of shame
But nothing’s more painfully tragic
Than those who play love like a game
Determined to manage a win
While losing before they begin.

Testimony

I look at my neighbors and think
Why aren’t we making a stink?
As they slowly tighten the screws
How much are we willing to lose

But then I regrettably see
That apparently most aren’t free
And it comes as no surprise
To witness truths looming demise.

Bird Brained

The crows came for Christmas
To carol in the trees
And I wonder— on an isthmus
Where gulls ride the breeze
Do the birds prefer Ska
Or your standard fa la la?

Exemplary

The day we celebrate celestial birth
Should be the least acerbic on earth
And thus this simple sentiment I bid:
Live like He who suffered for us did 🌟

Frivolity

In the spirit of the day
I seek a ghost
To take me back, replay
What pains me most

If chanced this vagary
I would say one
Command to younger me
And that is RUN!

Color Blind

You like telling others
What to say and think
But your laundered brain
Must be on the blink
If you really believe
That you’ll be allowed
Because supporting them
Makes you proud.
Convinced the rich
Care about me and you?
You’ve had too much kool-aid
(Whether red or blue).

Attrition

Heathens invaded
Devotion degraded
From beads to beliefs – everything’s traded

But bartering might
To baby the blight
Results in an endless (and frustrating) fight.

Precipice

Toes grasp the edge
Windmill like arms
Ignoring the ledge
Undoubtedly harms.

Shorted

The solstice arrived
The shortest of days
We're all deprived
But they got a raise

Just voted it through
No inkling of guilt
They’ll f*** me and you
Till the gallows are built.

Unbeaten

I know that causing pain
Is key to your bliss
But I’ve pulled myself out
Of much darker holes than this
You can unload a whole mountain
Of rubble strewn fill
And I’ll just keep burrowing
Until my heart is still.

Murderous

The crows can be quite social
When you understand their creed
They’re really rather vocal
If you’re truly up to speed

They talk about what’s tasty
And where it’s warm to roost
While clucking at the pasty
Who beg for one more boost

And yes, it tends to sting
When you fall for all the hype
Though most enjoy a spicy wing
No one craves the raven type.

By Their Fruits

A blue jay alit in the apple tree
And released a piercing tweet
Exclaiming the truth for all to see
No time to be discreet
For vultures seek to feast on gore
To guard those rotten to the core.

Synopsis

You tried your best to bury me
But I just bought a shovel
You really sought to belittle me
But found out I don’t grovel
Then you tried to burgle me
Except I guard my hovel
So if you try to write me off
Expect something novel.

Snagged

This is not a boast
But I have witnessed The Holy Ghost
And those that sin the most
Will find themselves at a roast
And guess who’s the host?

Not that they could care
When binging on their lusty fare
With pride enough to spare
Completely unaware
They tripped the snare.

Hello?

When you back a cheater to say
“Ours is the only right way!”
You’ve given the bastard a pass
To shove it right up your ass.

LFG

The big reveal?
Their lie is real
But those who won’t be wrong
Deny with programmed zeal

The plan from here?
Don’t live in fear
It’s time for us to be strong
The truth must persevere!

Eradicate

A virus of the brain
Can only be destroyed
By curbing the disdain
The toxic have employed.

Whimsy

I felt some snow drop down on me
And couldn’t help but laugh
For a robin sat there in the tree
A bit sheepish for its gaffe.

“Hey robbie” I said, “What’s the deal,
You know spring is a ways away?”
He looked at me without much zeal
The storm seemed to wreck his day

Beneath his little feather tail
Was a clinging patch of white
He shook and twitched to no avail
And finally took flight.

I hope he finds a nice warm place
To ride this season out
And makes it back in time to grace
This branch when blossoms sprout,

And luckily I’ll be there too
So we can shoot the breeze
And live to laugh and love anew
Before the summer flees.

Practicality

Today was the day It died
And no one really seems to care
Not one person sniffed or cried
They carried on so laissez-faire
Just working, playing, laughing loud
There was no sorrow, no funeral shroud.

I really tried before it passed
To show how much it meant to me
But such frustration had amassed
My dream turned away, didn’t want to see
That look within my eyes that said
I'm moving on with life instead.

Check

How weak are the chic?
They feel the need
To tell you how to act
So they won’t be disturbed
By an actual fact
That contradicts the lie
They choose to live by.

Boiling

When EVERYTHING’S annoying what do you do?
I'm not sure but I wish I knew
Whatever I try
Results in a sigh
So I guess I’ll just sit here and stew.

Surge

Nothing makes sense anymore
The world is addled by lies
The sickest we’re told to adore
Ignoring what payola buys

And those that accept the scam
So they can lord over us all
Better not stand in front of the dam
When the fed up make it fall.

Inevitably

None of them matter
That’s how it’s always been
None of them matter
Not now and not then

Priorities alter
Disturbed in the den
As the fraudulent falter
Not if but when.

Engage

When you mesh
Machine and flesh
You may find
You’ve lost your mind
And if you dare
Lay secrets bare
Protect your back
They will attack
Bold or tame
It’s all a game
So make your play
And join the fray.

Approach

We got there in a roundabout way
Still lost, to a certain degree
Unsure what to think or to say
Except, “Is it still inside of me?”

It’s jarring to finally face
Mortality's sobering glare
But sometimes you arrive at the grace
You circled when wrought with despair.

Stunt

As barren months ensue
We remember that which grew
(much more than we knew)

The gaunt one in his hood
Will harvest as he should
Not all growth is good.

Wingman

A chickadee stopped by to chat
And chittered cheerily
I warned him of the grayish cat
That eyed him hungrily

He nodded thanks and flew away
I said, “See ya sport.”
He must have heard from the crow today
That I was the friendly sort.

Neighborly

I heard a sound
So looked around
And diligently searched

A single crow
Cawed hello
From the branch where he was perched

So I waved back
To my friend in black
For I won’t be besmirched.

Cracking Up

I try to find the humor in each lapse
Of luck or undesired mistake
Half heartedly hoping that perhaps
A laugh will dull the ache.

Effortless

Staring at the tile floor
Anxious to employ the door
Work is such a f@*#ing bore

Don’t believe your dues are paid
The shrew will make sure all you made
Is one more faulty escapade

You labor to find just one thing
To lessen the abysmal sting
Of clanking chains that ever cling

Always do the best you can
Even if (for a span)
What you want is not God’s plan.

Ecliptic

I often reflect:
If our shadows intersect
Is it the same as a touch?
We may not be one
But beneath a shared sun
Our overlap could be called such.

Tone Deaf

People would rather sit rapt for a fool
That capers about while proclaiming they’re cool
Than one who Is constantly honing their craft—
The watched or the watchers, which is more daft?

But such is the way of this woebegone world
Those who scream loudest are the only ones heard
Exclaiming obnoxiously me, Me, ME!
To a locked in crew because they can’t find the key.

All Together Now?

Unison or harmony
Which one is preferred?
I'd rather hear polyphony
Than one lie loudly slurred.

Flit or Flat

When ripped from the cocoon
Much too soon
Can beautiful wings ever form?
I wish it were so
But being low
Is more than likely the norm.

Codified

The woodsman went a hunting
For a tree on which to chop
Belittled by a bunting
As that cleric preached nonstop

The smallest at the gathering
Could barely make a peep
So spared excessive slathering
The woods were much too deep

And then, his robes so regal
The judge arrived in black
They had to make things legal
In case of a tweet attack.

Outro

The minstrel is once more
The maestro of the mess
He lost track of the score
And missed a vital stress

Resulting in a string
That breaks if it is bent
And soon it seems he’ll sing
A dirge without relent.

Kneaded

Time to kill?
Hit the grill
And let that glistening grease fulfill.

In the red?
Outta bed!
Go and make yourself some bread.

Innate

No one taught the rain to fall
It simply does, that is all
And thus it is for those who won’t
They never do because they don’t.

Unknowable

Who decides what’s true
Those without a clue?
You worry about you
And I’ll decide for me.

When they constantly bluff
Will you stand tough
And tell them ENOUGH
Or say “Gimme three!”

There is no debate
That love trumps hate
But can we differentiate?
Guess we’ll see.

Inner State

She cried, “There’s a masher outside the door!”
I said, “Party crasher, now scream no more.”
And everybody got funky for a little while
I never did find my way home
But I can tell, no matter where I roam
I won’t forget how that pretty girl made me smile

The sky was rosy like a drunken dream
While I got cozy with a soft moonbeam
And rode my silver steed towards the morning sun
The path to heaven narrows down a bit
Indulgent soles tend not to fit
Yeah no one said redemption would be fun.

Destitute

The wily one slithered
But sounded so wise
That once caution withered
We lusted for lies

Completely uprooted
The garden was lost
We struggle, polluted
Was it worth the cost?

Divergent

I can be a perverse man
But not in a kinky way
Unless that’s what you want *wink*
I just like to prove I can
When someone tells me nay
Or wants to make a self-righteous stink.

Haunting

Regardless what he shared
no one really cared
but he kept hitting post
a truly stubborn ghost 👻

Ball

When you endlessly dwell
But doubt won’t dispel
Don’t say what the hell
Make sure you choose well

For one little shrug
Can sentence the smug
To forcibly lug
Till their grave is dug.

Deniability

Everyone believes
One lie or another
And chooses to smother
The truth, then grieves

How cruel and unfair
Humanity acts
While denying the facts
That could end our despair.

Prominence

 

Highlights of gold accentuate

Her features as the sun

Make her so radiant it hurts

Such beauty won’t perpetuate

Despite the love of one

Who knows the deeper ache with which he flirts.

Proclamation

 

No longer will I swallow

The poison they prescribe

Or hunger for the hollow

Hate that haunts this tribe

 

I'm turning off the malice

They tell me I should feel

And drinking from the chalice

Of peace so I can heal.

 

Choosy

Caution is a friend
You never need defend
Those that sport the kindest smiles
Will be the first to rend

Your trust, and as they shred
They brush off where you bled
Displaying tender wiles
While wishing you were dead.

The prudent don’t pretend,
Avoid the need to mend
What a phony fool defiles—
Let caution be your friend.

Slider

If I went back and undid
Every wrong that was done
Would I still tend to skid
Or could I finally run

But living life full-stride
Would I still relate
Or be so flush with pride
I forfeit love for gait?

Racket

Would you ever suppose
That geese could be louder than crows?
When it’s time for a V
Anything goes!

Decision

Those who fib
but act so glib
dismissing what they did
desire control
of every soul
they can plug into the grid

the moon bled
our eagle’s dead
but maybe if we try
to only choose
productive views
it will once more fly.

Terminology

Time to make a choice
But before you use your voice
Please exercise your brain
And see who stands to gain
From making everything you do
Only what they tell you to.

It really is a shame
The peacocks that proclaim
Compassion for the herd
Keep making up a different word
To foment the divide
Distracting from how much they lied.

We all have got to face
That everyone within this race
Has stated things that just aren’t true
And no advancement will ensue
Stifled by the same old shtick
Whatever box you tick.

Algorithmic

Wading through digital streams
Is life demented dreams
Or is it as real as it seems
To be?

Are signals received divine
Or are they simply a sign
The machine has got a line
On me?

Spoor

So many things to smell
My anxious nostrils swell

The leaves, the grass, the trees
Perfume the autumn breeze

Along with scents galore
We canines just adore

That humans fail to tell
So many things to smell.

Sermon

A cardinal chirped loquaciously
This morning as I stood
Beneath a barren apple tree
Whose fruit was once so good

With way too many rings amassed
It withers, gnarled and gaunt
Another fruitless season passed
As crimson clergy taunt.

Cognizance

I know the truth all too well
That countless selfish deeds
Have paved my well-worn road to hell
So wide and free of weeds

I was warned to avoid the path
When frequenting a pew
But rapidly dismissed His wrath
Despite the fact I knew

I try my best to make amends
But just can’t find reverse
And judging by how it descends
The destination's worse.

Rally

Two blue Jays were blaring
The sunlight was glaring
Inciting me to try and be a little bit more daring

Unbothered by bluster
As crispy leaves cluster
I vow to be bold with all the heart I can muster.

Easy Go

When something is gone, it’s gone
and though you may feel drawn
to start combing through the car
or scouring the leaf-strewn lawn
the best thing you can do by far
is just move on,
move on.

Reinforcement

 

The rage of battle screeched

As bloody digits reached

These walls were nearly breached

 

Despite unending gore

The enemy bombarded more

Perpetuating this war

 

And though I almost caved

In to the deeply depraved

My sovereignty was saved

 

By focusing above

On the ways of the dove

And the fortitude of love.

Form

I remember the first time
I had a burger without a bun
My practical father said
“A bun is only bread.”
And an impartial paradigm
Was thus begun.

Flatly

That which you believe is round
could be stable, level ground
and other facts you thought you knew
(as taught by those who govern you)

could be lies to keep you blind,
restraining an intrepid mind.
Think you’re smart because you went to school?
To govern means to limit, fool.

Click

The only reaching out I do
Is making sure there’s no one who
Is standing there to savor every stub

Of toes as I attempt to find
My destiny, although I’m blind
And floundering my way from flub to flub.

A life where you constantly grope
Can sometimes hamper your hope
Unless you connect— and there’s the rub.

Correspondence

When gifted with a poet’s I
You then must utilize the Y
For every single thing you C
Compels the question Must it B?

*bleh*

I never sought to be among
Those that like to swallow dung
To prove how they indeed belong
As one of the accepted throng
In fact, I seldom ever eat
Sick to death of cold defeat.

Invested

A wealth of gold
That isn’t worth much
Unless you like to hold
Memories of such
A colorful display

The limbs let go
Their heaping hoard
Beneath the snow
It will be stored
And drawn upon someday.

Secure Society

This one’s numbered, now he can grow
To make for us things that we love so
We’ll give him just enough slack to think
He’s free, before we drive him to the brink

These foolish clods don’t realize
They’re born and bred to swallow lies
And scurry about within the maze
We've made to keep them in a daze

Commence the training, let him learn
We tax whatever we let him earn
Oh look, there’s been another birth
Get them numbered, pad our worth.

Stalwart

When a challenger taunts outside the gate
And you must fold or face your fate
Stand strong and never capitulate

Although you wish to get along
When the inconsiderate do you wrong
Never capitulate and stand strong.

Convinced

On the cusp of concession
He gazed at the sky
To seek intercession
But it passed him by

He kneeled in contrition
And pleaded once more
Despite his tradition
Of sinning full bore

Then he felt a contortion
In the depth of his heart
As a healthier portion
Of love would impart

A new consecration
To always do good
Without expectation
He knew he would.

Novelty

Someone will profit from my prose
But not I
(lying peacefully in repose
somewhat dry)
They’ll say, “Let's put this on a mug
folks will buy
to make them laugh as they chug.”
Eternal sigh.

Decorated

A golden leaf went tumbling through brisk air
As glowing as an iridescent strand
Of Aphrodite's shining curly hair
While blushing autumn made its final stand,
And every soldier stood, their standards bright
Resplendent streaks of color on display
Much like the calculated show of might
Before a winter wind whips them away.
The onset of a bitter cold campaign
(made harsher by the slowly dimming sun)
Awaits us all, despite neutrality.
Our vibrancy will fade, but hearts remain
As fierce as when we thought the war was won—
We battle with our own mortality.

Awash

The thing about prose
It ebbs and flows
Just like the tide
And a good swimmer knows
When to ditch their clothes,
If it’s safe to wade
And when to hold their nose.

Opposition

They want us stacked together
So there’s no way to expand
Or slip free from the tether
Of their insane command

They also want us docile
And agreeably sedate
Submissive to the fossil
That foul fascist state

But one thing they prohibit
Unless they’re the target of
Is when we dare exhibit
Unconditional love.

Protinus

I miss the friends I never knew
That used to leave a word or two
To let me know my thoughts got through

Everyone moved on it seems
I wish them well in all their schemes
Now onward with unlikely dreams.

Withdrawn

Some crawl
Others strut
And most seem truly lost
We could all
Have purpose but
Few will pay the cost.

Far Out

Such majesty and grandeur are written cross the sky
In sparkling conveyances that woo the mortal eye
With promises of knowledge far beyond the earthly sphere
But, as usual, the task is getting there from here.

Minimal

I rue the years I wasted
On frivolous pursuits
Or just to know I tasted
Those less-than-wholesome fruits

The thing about potential
You can’t be self-deceived
Some effort is essential
For dreams to be achieved.

Throttlebottoms

Phony
Overbearing
Lying
Irritating
Two-faced
Insincere
Criminal
Immature
Asinine
Nobodies.

Stroked

Isn’t it ironic
How those without a cowl
Are painted heroic
When they’re the portrait of foul.

Jettison

They smile ear to ear
And tell you what you want to hear
While continuing to bow
To the tarnished golden cow

So many seem to buy
Their every unrepentant lie
And I can’t understand
Why multitudes jump at each demand

Remember when you vote
We share a common (sinking) boat
To benefit the horde
Throw that deadweight overboard.

Killer

The silent hunter lurks
In the highlands above
With shaft of silver nocked for quick release
His rugged visage smirks
As he flirts with his great love:
Bestowing on his prey their final peace.

Go-Getter

You words better be ready
If I’m the one in charge
None of this slow and steady
I expect recruits to barge

Right into the readers mind
And stir their docile heart,
The less robust have all resigned
So, when can you start?

Fallout

We took our walk as birds began to chirp
My friend was lightly scratching with his paw
Until a pest decided to usurp
Serenity with one bombastic CAW!
This harbinger of winter glided by
Reminding me that soon the snow would fall
For every year these ebon hecklers fly
To roost in our hometown and loudly bawl,
As though we need a herald to announce
The coldness as it creeps into our bones
But this is where the murder wants to be,
I don’t know why these noisy birds would pounce
Upon this town where wind forlornly moans
Just never park your car beneath a tree.

Distant

The moon makes the cloud
A luminescent shroud
But looks lost and pale
Behind the misty veil—
Alone in the dark
Mysterious and stark.

Harvest

Resplendent colors punctuate
The seasons as they change
Compelling some to hibernate
And some to rearrange.

The sumac has a crimson blush
A hawk seeks careless prey
That’s foraging in such a rush
The talons make it pay

The sky is crystal blue, the air
Is rich with autumn musk
Potential crackles everywhere
Reap well before the dusk.

Blot

Everyone’s entitled
To their own opinion
And yours being wrong
Doesn’t make you evils minion
But remember when they tell you
To give blood to fill the pen
To sign away your life
You’re in it’s wicked den.

Skim

A gem falls down
From a golden crown
To decorate the street

They gild the stair
Jewels everywhere
Beneath our strolling feet

A glowing stash
That in a flash
The thief will soon deplete.

Put Out

Must doing good involve sacrifice?
Have you ever met anyone selfish who’s nice
Well, they can be affable enough
But would they pay the daunting price
To serve someone that’s got it tough?
Maybe that’s why those who care are sometimes gruff.

Satiate

The dipper's hard to see
When dunked in cloudy stew
That simmers over me
Where cosmic wonders brew
A splendid type of autumn feast
Revered by those who seek the least.

Pale moonlight is diffuse
And really sets the mood
There is no good excuse
For desire to be eschewed
So fill your mind, your heart and soul
With dreams that make you feel more whole.

Encumbered

Hers was clear, mine is gray
These demons that won’t go away
Unless we say we’ve had enough
And call their self destructive bluff
It’s really tough to break their grip
With every soothing puff or sip
We watch time slip through shaky hands
As fleeting as the finite sands.

Enhanced

The closer you get to the end
The nearer to learning the trick
Whatever love you extend
Makes your life worth every tick.

Peekaboo

It leaned to the right
To avoid the plight
Of being overshadowed by our flight

Its arc of light
So clear and bright
Is vivid in the endless night.

Roots

From the bramble to the birch
To the son compelled to search
Curiosity guaranteed
When spawned from vagrant seed
The deeper tendrils go
The faster one will grow
To propagate the tree
With more stability.

Animated

It sure does make me jolly
Laughing at my own folly
For no one gets the punchline more than me
And I refuse to bicker
When it’s much more fun to snicker
What a wondrous joy it is to be.

Aimless

So many things to do
So little follow through
Of all the dreams he knew
None were coming true

It takes a lot of drive
To keep your hope alive
But doubt allowed to thrive
Can cause a drastic dive

In reasons to renew
Compulsions to pursue
So many things to do
So little follow through.

Falling Out

Every hue in one tiny leaf
The portrait of a life so brief
With urgency in every vein
Once shedding from the maple's mane
But I won’t give our mother grief
Her sun grown distant once again.

Eye in the Sky

Starlink, it just sounds so cool
And really futuristic
But is it something meant to fool
Those less realistic?

Anything encircling earth
Just seems so voyeuristic
And everything we do from birth
A sterilized statistic.

Dialect

They keep saying ‘God wins’
Which I truly believe
But His adversary spins
Endless lies to deceive—
With this in mind, are you really sure
Those itching to lead are pure?

Restraint

It takes more strength to hold back
Than it does to attack
Just ask He who felt every smack

As the spikes were making a mess
Of His flesh so He could bless
The throng that couldn’t care less.

Caper

When you dream of life outside your cage
And meet someone who’s free you wage
A war within yourself to see
If you should plan a break and flee

But if you must maintain the front
Remember not to be too blunt
You’ll never find the peace you seek
Unless you turn the other cheek

So choose your battles well and let
Those compelled to dodge the net
Explore indulgent whims as you
Have your routine to motion through.

Version

In lieu of different schemes
I funnel inky streams
Into simple forms
Or so it seems

I try my best to make
Structures that will shake
Accepted norms—
Well, that’s my take.

Dethroned

Once a queen is gone
The king becomes a pawn
Until the tarnished crown
Will, at last, fall down
With one conclusion drawn:
Death denies renown.

From C to Shining C

How can one transform contempt
To adoration that’s exempt
From paltry spurts of petty spite
Ignoring childish goads to fight?

Allow your heart to always be
As open as the sky and see
The metamorphosis occur
As new compassion starts to stir.

smh

Every now and then
I think I’m smarter than all
Until I do something stupid again
And reality humbles my gall.

Carry On

The noble path is fraught
With snags where you’ll get caught
But don’t let that deter you if your heart
Compels your feet to tread
Where honor calls, instead
Of dreams, when there’s hope you can impart.

Anomaly

A house in the burbs with a dusty floor
Is that all we’re here for?
A perfectly manicured lawn
Or crystals of dew gleaming at dawn
Unwieldy and intrusive trees
Or stately harbingers of the breeze
A programmed life, morose and pale
Or a bold, adventurous, epic tale?

Extended

Enjoying the finale
Of summer in the valley
I boisterously clap
Trying to delay the snap
With maybe an encore or two
Before the show is through.

Really?

The second I can tell
My presence is your bane
I’m gone and just as well
Pretending is a pain.

Such is Life

“Such is life.” He quietly said
Reliving failures in his head
Resigned to watching dreams that fled
Performing duties in their stead
“Such is life.” He quietly said
Until the day they found him dead.

Highlight

I watched the sun receding from my view
And thought of things I never chanced to do
Or didn’t have the stones to follow through

The crimson clouds were like a healing wound
A perfect dewy rose just freshly pruned
Too pure and free to ever be impuned.

Existence seems to be an endless Why
A long travail, in the blinking of an eye
As unknown as the enigmatic sky

I watch the sun receding from my view
Aware that precious moments are too few
And wish that I was sharing it with you.

Move Over Marley

I have worn chains
Forged by many hands
The heaviest?
Fashioned by my own

All for the sake of gains
That like the finite sands
Will never last
Unlike these hefty links *groan*.

Tongue Tied

Solomon was solemn
It seems he had a problem
He lost all eloquence when girls were near

He'd stutter and he’d stammer
Like a broken jackhammer
Unable to make even one thought very clear

Upset at being single
His sad attempts to mingle
Involved him simply smiling ear to ear.

Prioritize

All things must end
Whether good or bad
That’s just the way it goes
So make sure to spend
Whatever time you have
On joy not woes.

Undesirable

The thought of you clung
Like your sensuous scent
Which lurked in my lung
With its latent lament

For something so sweet
Isn’t mine to admire
A seeker of heat
Far removed from the fire.

Oxymoronic

Plastic flowers in a cardboard box
That’s labeled Real Living
As funny as one with a heart full of rocks
That says, “ Be more forgiving.”

Artlessness

I hate to sound pretentious
When simple words can frame
Elusive truths we seldom want to claim
For they can be contentious

What’s your interpretation?
That’s how the fight begins
But life is not about who wins
It’s a constant education

And pride is so deceptive
Don’t listen when it whispers spurn
Imagine what you just might learn
By being more receptive.

Seedy

Beside the bright sunflower
Where things are known to bloom
You face a daunting power
When lust begins to loom

Despite incessant gloom
A smile supplants your glower
Where things are known to bloom
Beside the bright sunflower.

Getting Off

Denying temptation
Requires conviction
And total cessation
Of every depiction
Your sick little mind conceives—
Don't forget, a liar always grieves
But what if this change of direction
Is a once-in-a-lifetime connection?

Loafers

Birds like bread or bugs
I’m not too sure about slugs
Though some pursue them fiercely
Like a junkie drools for drugs.

Rebellion in your head?
Just gulp what you are fed
That is how complacency
Is ultimately bred.

Imminently

Morning dew adorns the leaves
And dancing silk the spider weaves
Knowing much more can’t be spun
Before The Fall is finally done.

Creatures forage lustily
A zephyr whistles gustily
As fronds enjoy their final fun
Before The Fall at last, is done.

Faith was shed so long ago
And younger ones? They never know
The love or mercy of the Son
As painfully, The Fall is done.

Foible

“Do you have to analyze everything?”
She exasperatedly snipped
“Just what are you insinuating?”
He ever so snarkily quipped
As sarcasm dripped

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his face
Playfully between her hands
She could have put him in his place
But love not only trades gold bands
It understands.

Contemporary

I'd never paint
Myself as a Saint
Due to my glaring lack of restraint

A much broader brush
(the bristles so plush)
Would not coat my conscience enough times to hush

This whisper inside
Which continues to chide
A postmodern puppet of impressionist pride.

Realistic

The portrayal falls flat
He thought as his cat
Rubbed up against him and purred
While snippets of slang
From the neighborly gang
Displayed the dilemma they’ve blurred

The TV displays
Such likable ways
That all you encounter will act
But come face to face
With those lacking grace
You could wind up dead – that’s a fact.

Shelter

I dwell beneath the wings
Of He who made all things
And won’t fall prey to fear
My refuge always near.

Make it Happen

Remember: if your life is bleak
At least you’re still alive
And though you may be cold and weak
You still can somehow strive

To overcome the circumstance
That’s causing you to hurt
It all can change with just one chance
And effort you exert.

Getting Better

Sustaining mediocrity
Is not the best of tricks
But a passage of infirmity
Can really dull your licks
The key to virtuosity?
Stay steady till it sticks!

Unhooked

We work our lives away
Just so we can pay
For vices that reduce those lives
By more and more each day

They really charge a lot
To get the stuff they’ve got
If we can dodge those lethal knives
We just may have a shot.

Dangerous

I don’t want to lead
Just go my own way
A proponent of speed
There is no delay
Between what I think and do
Although for most this isn’t true
If only they'd stay in their lane
Collisions would be sure to wane.
They used to require
A license to drive
But now things are dire
Just swerve to survive.

Impressions

They said, “You’ll do great things!”
He floundered in the wings
Detecting deep duplicity
He shut down, and it stings

He wished they never said
Those fantasies, instead
Humanitarian humility
Should have filled his head.

Nonsensical

You don’t want to hear a word I say
But get angry if I don’t say one thing
And this is why nothing makes much sense today—
Women and the nonsense they bring.

Underestimated

The sun became so dim
Nocturnal creatures made their din
Until they suddenly grew
Still and everybody knew
Whatever incident was due
Would more than likely soon begin
And it was looking mighty grim.

A wizard with the whitest beard
Whose wand was made from magic board
Began to moan and pant
Then intoned a chilling chant
Although the odds were scant
He sacrificed himself to save the horde
Despite the fact that he was always feared.

Nuisances

This morning I could hear the crows converse
And to me it sounded slightly terse
For all we know they could be averse
To humans and be telling us “Disperse!”

Rooted

The trees will creak
they’ll groan and squeak
but if it’s empty
words you seek
just tell the world
you’re poor and meek
a shyster
will be sure to speak
or tyrant make life
harsh and bleak
so when you hear
talkative teak
sit down for something
quite unique.

Specificity

You need sustainability?
My contempt qualifies
I’ll always loathe pretentious fools
And their self-serving lies.

Now let’s talk inclusivity
Remembering what’s true
If you’re habitually breathing
You’re part of God’s plan too.

And if you hear diversity
Be wary of the game
For what they want is everyone
To think and act the same.

I leave you with one final word
A mantra for the free
To find contentment with the herd:
Individuality.

Rapt

Cicadas screeched
As summer reached
A blistering crescendo
The symphony
Played heatedly
Right outside my window

The crickets sang
And whistles rang
That sounded so exotic
I could have danced
But sat entranced
The melody hypnotic.

Getaway

You tried to pierce my armor
But never quite got through
I sprouted with the Farmer
A stoic tried and true

Who focused on organic
Options to survive
Without a hint of panic
If yields began to dive

So take your malice elsewhere
I’ve chores I must complete
Some may say I’m ‘out there’
The truth is my retreat.

Commanding

Why are people so anxious to fall
Behind someone who claims
To represent one and all
While pushing their own aims

No one, save for God alone
Should spark your loyalty
An ancient platform set in stone
To guide humanity.

Clouded

Pastel puffs populate the sky
Immune (as they meander by)
To our chaotic earthbound mess—
Can’t compassion coalesce?

Liminal

Inside, outside
Smile, frown
The upward staircase
Takes you down
The corridor
A long cocoon
Where wings
Will be bestowed
To fly to valleys
On the moon
Where lunar
Rivers flowed.
A stage is someplace
To perform
Or just another phase
The perfect band
Despite a storm
Still sets up and plays.

Archaic

Running over lines in my head
Not being the poem instead
Regretting a mind that’s closed
I’ll never be composed.

The fate of the fatally terse?
Victims of villainous verse.
A soliloquy will seldom assuage
The gen of the digital age.

Blocked Chain

If palms have hearts,
Do heels have souls,
Can you be impaled by broccoli spears?
When dinner starts
We stuff our holes
But have no beef as food disappears.

Redefined

The people aren’t too happy
Their lives are kind of crappy
We need something snappy
A peppy kind of cheer

The problem with a geezer
A windy worn-out wheezer
Is they aren’t much of a pleaser
They simply play by ear

When news speak gets outrageous
It can be advantageous
To call the putz courageous
Now don’t you find that queer?

Deviants

Everyone goes a different way
Regardless how worn the road
That ends where they’d prefer to stay
We all have our own load

And sometimes, you just have to veer.
Everyone goes a different way
Although directions are clear
Distractions make the straightest stray

A panorama can really sway
Those in search of cleaner skies,
Everyone goes a different way
The path will dip and likewise rise

It’s more about the journey right?
Well that’s what I’ve heard others say
Before they’re gone from sight
Everyone goes a different way.

♾️

Eight eight
What a date
A double dose
Of cosmic fate
Infinity
And it’s mate
Eight Eight
What a date.

Unseat

When someone impolitic
Does what their kind does
The masses get acerbic
And thus it was

A jester is forgiven
People pity a poor fool
But with a king so driven
It’s time to end his rule.

Charitable

Remembering those moments when I knew
That I was loved, and though they’re far too few
I treasure every instance more than gold
And hope I’ve given others some to hold.

Unstoppable

The monster is huffing
As it drags it’s brood along
The scraping and scuffing
A matron’s favorite song
And there is no snuffing
Her spirit – she’s strong!

Sorrowful

Within the fertile valley
I learned such vital things
But in the final tally
I spurned them, and it stings

Beside these walls of concrete
I surfed a mindless crowd
Assimilation incomplete
Estrangement not allowed

Before the hallowed pulpit
Is where the truth first shone
As pride, the foolish culprit
Demands that I atone.

Lesson

Does memorizing lies
Told by snobs with ties
Make you more smarter than the rest?
The ‘Land of the Free’
(to a certain degree)
Is struggling (gee, who’d have guessed?)

Mobility

I watch the train advance
And envy what I lack
Upon a second glance
I see the same old track

Restricted movement breeds
Contempt for structured life
Which ultimately bleeds
One quicker than a knife

But there’s no point in jealousy
Our fate is self-designed
Thus none of us are truly free
Though some seem less confined.

Romp

You’ll make way when you’re ready
Or you will sail no more,
Negotiate the eddy
Or swirl without an oar,
Keep your rudder steady
Or stay upon the shore.

How Hard the Heart

How hard the heart
That sees a child
But doesn’t say hello,
How impervious
Can one become?
I hope I never know

How adamantine
Cells can be
When walls are thick and stout.
How hard the heart?
Expressing love, it’s my intent
To not find out.

*chirp*

People say it’s really bad
When crickets is all you hear
But that sweet song makes me glad
Because the country is near.

Dreamless

I never dream anymore
Not like I did before
Just wake up in the morn
It seems my connection is shorn
I miss that ethereal plane
Where maybe has free-rein
I used to dream a lot
But never took my shot.

Remediation

It’s all my fault
But streaming salt
Will never make it better
It’s time this ends
I’ll make amends
Before I’m any wetter

Misgrammered

I identify as a poet
But I guess I’m out of luck
The traffic numbers show it
My stuff must really suck

Perhaps I should start screaming
That I’ve been marginalized
Then my site would be teaming
With those who are hypnotized.

Table

A quarter of an orange rind
That someone messy left behind
Went from a feast on which ants dined
To a tomb where they’re enshrined.
How did dinner turn so grim?
A downpour filled it to the brim.
The lesson learned for those who read
Be cognizant of where you feed.

Questionable

The price of goods is too high
But when it comes to the lie
We buy, buy, buy

With expectations this low
Those that back this show
Say so? So? SO!?!

If in the dragon's den
You pray for what has been
Plead when, when, WHEN?

Recital

Where the wildflowers grow
The grasshopper guild
Will leap to and fro
Their passion fulfilled
For staging a show
Never seen

We went to the park
To get some fresh air
Not to embark
On a trip past compare
But each graceful arc
Was so keen.

Implanted

When curled up for the night it seems a bit blue
But stretched towards the sun a more purple hue
The little cornflower deserves it’s due

From the crayon box to every kid's heart
This ubiquitous blossom does it’s part
Transforming open fields to works of art.

Distended

When will Man stop worshipping the Beast
When a stale crust of bread becomes a feast
When stumbling over corpses in the street
Or when we finally face how much deceit
We have believed?

How much more can this world endure
How long will we cry before seeking a cure
How can we accept all the homeless and poor
How many lies will we swallow before
A new way's conceived?

Gods Will

How often do you think God’s will
Is cited, though He sent no aid
Remaining upbeat is a skill
For gods will play with toys they made.

Playing on a Saturday Night

There’s nothing like the feeling
When you’re singing a song
And you see everybody
Just a dancing along

Feels real good (Feels real good)
Feels so right (Feels so right)
That’s why we’re here again
Playing on a Saturday night

I love the guitar
When it starts to twang
That driving bass
And the drums that BANG

Feels real good (Feels real good)
Feels so right (Feels so right)
That’s why we’re here again
Playing on a Saturday night

Everybody has to work hard all week
Get so tired that we can't even speak
But when it comes to Saturday
Everyone wants to play

We love the crazy crowd
At the honky-tonk
Dancing and singing
And getting zonked

Feels real good (Feels real good)
Feels so right (Feels so right)
That’s why we’re here again
Playing on a Saturday night

Frankly

This pink gelatinous treat
(supposedly composed of meat)
Is something I occasionally eat

It’s long tubular shape
Is perfect over which to drape
Those condiments that keep agape

Any mouth that loves to munch
These yummy munchies by the bunch—
‘scuse me, now it’s time for lunch!

Burrowed

Wally the woodchuck was a grump
That lived in an old locust stump
He'd say with a snarl
“My cousin Carl
Says to move outta this dump.”

His fur was all mangy and gray
And he never had nice things to say
His perpetual scowl
Made even the owl
Scram to get out of his way

Sometimes I see Wally and wave
But he doesn’t know how to behave
He just turns his head
As though I were dead
Then lumbers back into his cave.

Termination

Prep and chop
Chop and prep
I long to step
With every rep

Chop and prep
Prep and chop
Will it ever stop?
Yeah, when I drop.

Deliberate

Could you walk alone
Without a hand to hold
Can you be the stone
Refusing to be rolled
Will you seek the truth
Whatever it reveals
Or clamor for their youth
Ignoring dirty deals
Should you be detached
And not participate?
Once Freedom’s snatched
Too late!

Tactics

A doer simply does
There is no big ‘because’
He wishes to say finished
When describing work that was

A dreamer tends to see
The best way things can be
His hope is not diminished
Despite reality.

Stipulation

It was the war of twenty three
And they had us on the ropes
There was an awful scarcity
Of food, and we were losing hope

And I was never more confused
Than when that flash destroyed the sky
I laid there lonely, cut and bruised
And screamed WHY GOD WHY?

But all I heard was sounds of pain
And not a peep from up above
Attempts at peace are all in vain
Unless inspired by love.

Detachment

I watched two seagulls soar over my head
And three that were farther away
Bemused why they’d choose to be here instead
Of somewhere out over a bay

But if you can fly, who’s to say
What your location should be
Riding the wind never causes dismay
When wherever you are you’re free.

Spotless?

If you’re having trouble trying to see
So certain yours is the only way to be
That despite new facts you haven’t budged
How long before you know the lens is smudged?

Supplication

You can say that everything runs it's course
and that there is no benevolent force
that helps us when we diligently pray
but I shall continue to show respect
when I reverently genuflect
as I will humbly plead for you today.

Routine

Whenever I fully commit
Everything just turns to shit
And that is the reason (I guess)
Why I never have had much success

I’ve come to accept this is why
I’m happy enough to get by
It’s pointless to ever feel stressed
Time to get up and get dressed.

Mature

To garden is to sow
a small uncertain seed
to crouch down low
water and weed
let no critters feed
and nurture each row
you’ll find (guaranteed)
to garden is to grow.

Sylvan Lady

In the valley where the sunlight takes the longest to touch ground
There stands a shady tree
Beneath it’s emerald canopy another world is found
Where I am completely free

Sylvan Lady can I dance with you a while
With your flowing hair and nurturing smile
The day is almost done and I have much to do
But Sylvan Lady I would rather pass my time with you.

Nipped

A mustache so fake
Will never quite make
You a man so behave
Or you’ll have a close shave.

Nourishment

The sustenance we savor
Has more than juicy flavor
It’s rich in many nutrients as well
While junk is satisfying
Don’t be relying
On it, or your hunger won’t dispel.

Piercing

There’s so much more to life
Than all this pointless strife
As they give another twist
To the ideological knife

That’s sunk in to the hilt
A tarnished blade of guilt
The puppet makers now enlist
Protecting what they’ve built

But if your armor is tough
You can just deflect this stuff
Until the programmed folks get pissed
And scream “Enough’s Enough!”

Informed

Do you feel free today?
Remember how quickly it went away;
Believe what the experts say
And tyranny is here to stay.
You can choose to yield without a fight
Or obey in your heart what you know is right.

Durability

A maple and a cypress were growing side by side
One was sweet and tender, one much tougher inside
That must be the reason centurions relied

Upon this wood to suspend someone
For simply being God’s only Son
Through strength redemption is won.

Hit and Run

The beginning of the end
Of the trust my friend
Was when you began
What you can’t defend

A vicious attack
Where the front was my back
Until you just ran
For it’s honor you lack.

Common

He always was a good citizen
And did whatever they said
A dedicated denizen
Full of whatever they fed

He paid his taxes religiously
Delighted his duty was done
They pilfered quite prodigiously
He shrugged “That’s how things run.”

He always was a good citizen
When they said bleed, he bled
“He always was a good citizen!”
They said once he was dead.

Rude Awakening

They don’t care about you
I’m sorry, it’s true
Your ‘leaders’ are puppets
Controlled by a few

They don’t care what you think
You’re kept on the brink
Too busy surviving
To make a big stink

They don’t care if you’re poor
They keep taking more
And sneer at your stupor
Then laugh as you snore

We must make them care
And show we’re aware
It's time to get noisy
They need a good scare!

Free Your Mind

C’mon now can’t you see
That we were meant to be
Freer than what we are

Why should we live in chains
So we can post our gains
Or buy a brand new car

Oh you got to free your mind
Oh leave this world behind

They try to sell you joy
With every useless toy
Don’t be fooled my friend

Only take what you need
Never give in to greed
For it will be your end

Oh you got to free your mind
Oh leave this world behind

Continuance

The fireflies keep flashing
Like little LEDs
That float about unfettered
On the cool summer breeze
The sun has just descended
And colors streak the sky
As another day has ended
In this epic quest for Why?

Ephemeral

Every moment that you try
To kill takes twice as long to die
Despite the fact that time's a lie

It really is a perplexing fix
The way we measure, mark and mix
Most everything by phantom ticks.

Scorcher

Did we gain a year or two
because we live behind
the row of indigenous trees that grew
so perfectly aligned?
I guess we’re doomed to find

out just how long the shade will last
when the sun gets hotter still
and burning leaves fall off so fast
we can’t avoid the spill
Of radiance that will fulfill

Chastisement for the wrath we stirred
In He who breathed the living word.

Commotion

The clattering contraptions created by the cult
Of carbon exploitation just add to the tumult
They’re hoping will distract us until it’s much too late
And our carcasses are carted to catacombs that wait.

Reveal

Those who think they know the most
(They tell us so with every post)
Don’t even have a single clue
About the proper thing to do

Like everything we see and hear
This latest flap just breeds more fear
Yet screechers that are so distraught
Would null your rights without a thought

To scream for death upon demand
Is something I can’t understand
Those who’d have a heartbeat stilled
Aren’t as caring as billed.

Concordance

What did you do for your neighbor today
What did you think, what did you say
When you observed them come and go
Did you simply mutter So?
Or did you wish them well—
Love can change the way you dwell.

Miscue

The anchors feign surprise
As prices start to rise
Secretly delighted
That the drama they devise
Distracts us from the lies

The stories that they air
Designed to fuel despair
Keep us all gaslighted
As they proclaim they’re fair
And just how much they care

Tone Deaf

Embracing new seasons with song
The solstice was singing along
As light dominated the sky
The crickets and bullfrogs weren’t shy
Rejoicing in sweet harmony
Unlike all the mind slaves I see
Who never detect when they’re wrong
And I can’t help but wonder why
We struggle to find the same key.

Venal

There’s no one you can rouse
That wants to be awake
And none who see their vows
As something they can’t break

How many view integrity
As a virtue to uphold?
Too few because their loyalty
Is nonchalantly sold.

Receding

When I was younger I sneered
At the specter that neared
So wrinkled and gray and yes, hairy-eared
But things have really gotten weird
Ten times worse than I feared
It seems that my chin has disappeared.

Rampage

A big old brutish blue-haired beast
Is steadily stomping towards the east
In search of facts on which to feast

Don’t dare debunk her lies with math
In fact, don’t even cross her path
Or you will earn her righteous wrath.

Healthy

I bite my vitamin gummy
And crack my tooth in half
I feel like such a dummy
Then shake my head and laugh.

Teacher

An idealistic realist
Keeps striving for the best
While knowing it takes more than hope
To make it through the test

The pessimistic narcissist
Is never far behind
Demanding everyone adhere
To dictates they’ve designed

An altruistic wanderer
Showed us all how to be
A humble and forgiving sort
That loves humanity.

Testify

From a tiny seed
A tree may sprout
Or a brooding copse of doubt
And if you bleed
From every bout
It’s time to toss the towel out
But when you’re freed
Don’t ever pout
Say thank you with each joyful shout.

Muted

Keep talking shit
I’ll laugh (and how)
Your life is one big flub

My tongue was bit
So often, now
There’s just a bloody nub.

Snoozer

People seldom choose to wisely take
Advantage of each second they’re awake
And stumble through this life as though asleep
Until they meet the one condemned to reap.

Elusive

Eleven Eleven
An ominous sign
Or simply a tick
When the digits align

Or maybe a tock
In the arcane design
I'd say your guess
Is as good as mine.

Divided

I really love math
But I hate this equation
That triples my wrath
And doubles frustration
Sometimes I wish I was dumb
So I didn’t know one was the sum.

In(toxic)ant

He ran out of liquor
And felt kind of lost
Until a brief flicker
In eyes that were glossed
Said Damn the cost

He drank down some coolant
And now he’s on ice
I don’t think the fool meant
To pay such a price
For petty vice.

Just the Ticket

Does going 50
On a 20 mile-per-hour street
Take big balls
Or just big feet?

Regeneration

The limb is slowly dying
There’s no shying from the truth
Just like there's no relying
On the vigor of our youth

Our time to bloom is fleeting
Belay bleating when the fruit
Is rapidly retreating
And the branch is destitute

Embrace each chance to savor
All the flavor and the pulp
A fruitful feast will favor
People more inclined to gulp

And any seeds worth sowing
Should be going in the ground
So nurtured vessels growing
Have new fruits to be found.

Prepped

I blinked my eye
A decade went by
And now you’re a bright young guy

It’s so bittersweet
My role seems complete
I hope I prepared you, whatever you meet.

Appearance

She asks a doting aide
“You sure I look okay?”
Concerned about how she’s portrayed
Not what she has to say
They’re not her words anyway

She’s sticking to the script
Her masters have supplied
With plastic face so tucked and nipped
It’s not that hard to hide
The fear she feels inside

That someone will see through
The unrepentant sham
Which seems to mollify the crew
That only gives a damn
When triggered by the scam.

Nowhere

The faker you are
The farther you go
Which isn’t that far
Because it’s all show

So puff up those lips
Then glue on some hair
Inject new hips
And baby you’re there.

Constitutional

Little yellow flowers (each one smaller than a pea)
Gild the hill before me with their golden finery
The breeze is crisp, the sun is warm, the sky blue as can be
And for this moment (it seems at least) that I am truly free.

Absorbency

I thought you had a brain
But it seems you sent it out
So they could bleach the stain
Of good old fashioned doubt
And once it has been scrubbed away
You’re free to suck up whatever they say.

Medicine

There is no pill
To obliterate
The urge to kill
Or blindly hate
(Their favorite skill)

And who is They
You may inquire
The curs we pay
That soon conspire
To take away

Every right
With which we’re born
You know I’m right
You’ve felt the scorn
It’s time to fight!

Battle of Samara

With sturdy blades spinning around
They gracefully twirl through the air
And every branch contributes
Battalions of recruits—
The hueys are hitting the ground
Beneath the maple, everywhere.

Indivisible

Who would’ve figured
We’d wind up here
Everyone’s triggered
High on fear

The world’s become violent
But let’s all pretend
It’s fine and stay silent
Don’t offend

Expecting toleration
Will get us even less
Let’s make a stronger nation
Not a mess.

Indebted

The branches hang low
And sway to and fro
On a fragrant spring breeze
While I sigh, at ease
And thankful inside
To those who have died.

Transient

He was adamant
That he’d pay rent
With every cent
Already spent

Assisting those
With deeper woes
Then packed his clothes
So love goes.

Relations

So, you stand with those of stone,
Denying flesh and bone?
Prepare to be alone,

That which you discard
(Shake off like a shard)
Is gone. It can be hard

At times upon your mood
To stay subdued
But that’s your brood.

Senseless

I used to be able to see
Beyond the lie that we’re free
And now I can only perceive
That which I want to believe

In those days I could hear
The pulse of deceit without peer
Today I ostensibly strain
To be roused by a refrain

With nostrils clenched I’d smell
The stench that wouldn’t dispel
While seeking the mythic bouquet
Of truth, ever wafting away

Then BANG – we’re all forced to feel
Is any of this even real?
Despite my attempts to stay numb
I pray for redemption to come.

Climate

They say the earth is warming up
You know the way to train a pup
Repeat until that’s all it knows
Get ready for some record lows.

Conviction

I know that I can change
He reasoned in his head
Aware that he must rearrange
His life or he’ll be dead

Determination did the trick
He felt he’d be okay
Then he heard the handcuffs click
And he was led away.

Hobbled

The problem with having a spine
Is sometimes it gets out of line
And then there’s no way to coerce
This rebel to try and reverse

To ease the uncomfortable strain
Of walking hunched over in pain
A backbone is stubborn you see
Take it from crooked old me.

Bubbly

Emma Shmelzer
Loves her seltzer
She just smiles and slurps
Dear old Em
Is such a gem
(That is until she burps).

Feed

I was walking my beast
Enjoying a feast
Of cool morning still
With pleasure, until

Belligerent birds
Began to have words
In a tree down the street—
Talk about mean tweets.

Sloucher

Sometimes my back really hurts
And I can be a grump
It seems to be my just deserts
For a lazy lifetime slump.

Finished

There’s nothing more lame
Than losers that claim
The contest was never worth winning
Don’t even compete
If you can’t take defeat
Believe me, the world will keep spinning.

Mounting

It’s tough being ridden all day
It really starts hurting your back
Regardless how much they weigh
You can hear your bones start to crack
So you find yourself saying nay
As they come strutting up with the tack
But as your problems grow it’s safe to say
You know you won’t be getting any slack.

Heap

If you were as smart as you think you are
I admit – I’d be impressed
But your brain is more like a smart car
It’s very small, and frankly, a mess.

Ultimatum

 Those with set minds

Won’t peek through the blinds

They’d rather not see

The actual degree

To which they’ve been fooled

They like being ruled

 

I want you to know

I wish it wasn’t so

It took time to accept

The truth when it leapt

Before sleepy eyes

And I had to face lies

 

But together we must

Realize that trust

In each other is key

To show them that we

Know what’s legit

So kindly cut the shit!

Bite?

The metallic screech of a train going by
Is echoing up my street
As the moon above in a midnight sky
Is looking incomplete

A shadow creeps across it’s face
From bottom left to right
It looks as though some giant race
Has taken a big bite

When suddenly it blushes red
And earth begins to shake
But wait a sec, belay your dread
That last little bit is fake.

Hoodwinked

If you stop questioning lies
The truth will cease to be
Refuse to use your eyes
You’ll lose the sense to see

Ignore the strident cries
Of victims, lose your ears
Believe what they devise
You’re fooled by fears.

OK

Knot and knit both start with a K
But not the nit that won’t go away
Perhaps they would be keener to go
If they were offered a quick KO.

Flexible

 

Count your blessings

Not the blips

Of pointless stressing

Before life slips

Away

 

Nothing matters

In the end

Our essence scatters

So learn to bend

And sway.

Buzzing

 

I'm hammered on the hum

Of a thousand wings that thrum

As others pass by numb

How jaded we’ve become.

Full of It

Your gluttonous rapture aside
There’s nothing more filling than pride
But based on the banquet you’re due
You may be less likely to chew

Though demons denied will devour
Your soul while you grimace and glower
You still hold your plate out for more
And everyone stares at the floor.

Characteristic

A poet's pen preempts your Es
(You’re forced to think when comfort flees)
Occasionally it gives you Qs
Or quality quips that you can use
At times it makes you mutter Gs
And gives you goosebumps like the breeze
It really rings with lyric Rs
Reminding us – Reach for the Stars!

Reparations

The past you run from
Can sometimes become
A future you’d never expect
Keep checking your back
The truth has a knack
For stalking those prone to neglect

The blessing to face
A former disgrace
And try to make things somewhat right
Should never be blown
The proof that you’ve grown
Is more than just feeling contrite.

You Never Know

You never know when love will find you
And get deep down in your soul
Or the little things that can bind you
To the one that makes you whole

You never know where love will take you
Or if you’re ready for the trip
But when your allies all forsake you
You’ll still have a hand to grip

You never know if love will change you
But if you’re lucky you will feel
A greater purpose, and it’s strange too
When your heartache starts to heal

⚠️

Apocalyptic skies
Herald our demise
With many seeking solace
In the most outrageous lies

It’s time to heed the signs
The old prophetic lines
And seek a shred of mercy
Our defiance undermines.

Overbite

I chomped my cheek
And really cringed
I shouldn’t speak
With jaw unhinged.

Better

The anchor kept choking
I raised the remote
Those lies keep on poking
The sides of his throat

To halt the transmission
Of words that aren’t true
You don’t need permission
Just *click* and they’re through.

Last Course

A year at the grill?
I’ve had my fill
But still I keep cooking these meals

I need lots of green
To feed the machine
That seems to be losing it’s wheels

Well done or rare
I really don’t care
You get what you order my friend

The menu is lite
So take a big bite
It isn’t that long till the end.

Regimen

Duplicity disfigures me
In ways that only I can see
Unless I choose to fool myself
Denying what I know to be
But that would just exacerbate
The depth of the deformity
So I decide to exercise
And diet on transparency
In order to initiate
A somewhat healthier me.

Making Tracks

Like claw marks in the concrete
From steel-taloned feet
The grooves were deep and ran parallel
There’s no way I could know
The whole scenario
But it looks like someone really gave it hell.

Aubade

At night a bird can sound forlorn
That is, until the morn
When they get to see the sun reborn
Anew

For then a major change takes place
In every note, detect a trace
An interval of lilting grace
Ensues.

Diligence

Sometimes your vocation
Is different from your dream
But don’t waste an occasion
To make delights that gleam
The path to transformation
Curves more than it may seem.

Precautionary

Simply feeling regret
Does not absolve your soul
You have to pay the debt
In order to be whole

You’ll never have to owe
If one thing’s understood
Wherever you may go
Always do good.

Rough Road

They’re ripping this town apart
The backhoes are hungry it seems
And being devoid of heart
Remain unmoved when Earth screams

All of the beautiful trees
That stood by the side of the road
Are victims of impotent pleas
To machines that mangled and mowed

But things will be better they say
Once they can add some more lanes
To the highway they use to convey
The products their plotting profanes.

Pouring it Out

I wish folks preferred
My freshly prepped words
Instead of the greasier fare
I’m hired to produce
Oh what’s the use
Hey, you need ketchup over there?

Full Strength

Does pain become less potent as we age?
Depends upon the reason for the ache
Familiarity obviates the rage
Of rotting in an ever shrinking cage
But certain stabs are more than we can take

Like those from blades we thought we could trust
For they go past a simple patch of flesh,
Or when someone we love returns to dust
And suddenly our hearts begin to bust
As every memory makes the wound feel fresh.

Narrativity

When’s a dozen ten?
If two are cracked, that’s when
Or if a hungry cook decides
They have to taste again

But numbers aren’t the only way
To quantify what we relay
Beware the phony that divides
With lies they’re paid to say.

Unquestionable

You can’t bicker with The Boss
About how you’re assigned
Or things He has designed
Without Him getting cross.

Plots

I stroll as daylight dims to dusk
The clouds are gray and brooding
Then catch a wisp of spring time musk
And hope that it’s alluding

To warmer days and bluer skies
As tender buds are showing
And we amidst the compromise
Seek fertile sod for sowing.

Emancipation

I was sitting at work
When the first bomb dropped
And everything started to shake
I felt the earth jerk
Then it stopped
Enough for me to finally make

My way outside
Where the sky was aglow
And the city was as still as a grave
I made it to my ride
Figuring I would go
Home and see if there was anything to save

But then I knew
I had to shed
The chains I'd worn since birth
You can’t renew
The living dead
With ghosts of former worth.

Ooh Mommy

It’s salty and it’s sweet
And it’s spicy all in one
Ooh your little tongue
Is going to have a lot of fun
Umami, umami
A moment on the lips
Forever on the hips
Umami

Be careful when you’re hungry
And you want a little bite
You could pay forever
For a second of delight
Umami, umami
You’ll never gain an inch
If you work it in the clinch
Umami

Wise Crack

Everybody has one
No buts about it *wink*
The trick is not to be one
And if you are, don’t stink.

Grateful

Nine one four on four one nine
It’s time to jot another line
A week ago I aged a tad
But altogether it wasn’t bad
With every digit hence I see
Cherished as a gift by me.

Belated

How I miss you mother dear
And send with all my love
A Happy Birthday from way down here
To you in heaven above.

Reverence

Did I see snow
On Easter? Oh no!
Why must it be so?

It’s time for rebirth
Of wisdom and worth
For all on the earth

Forgive your foes
And rest your woes
On He who rose.

Bamboozled

Those that serve the dark lord
In hopes that their reward
Is never being damned
Have really been scammed

Not only will they get the worst
But their master will be first
To make sure pain is all they feel
After all, a deal's a deal.

Bout

Bunch your hand into a fist
Squeeze your knuckles tight
Bare it there above the wrist
So willingness to fight
Is advertised for all to see
Get ready for round three!

Ethic

I tried for a while
But now I’ve had enough
Don’t like my style?
We all got it tough

I do what I must
And I do it quite well
So leave me or just
Go straight to hell!

Adulterated

Whatever they exaggerate
Is their attempt to imitate
That which they can never be
Regardless how much therapy
They force their bodies to endure
For plastic’s fake, but truth is pure.

Remittance

Who would take a tree that respires
Fell it, skin it, drape it with wires?
Sounds like something the greedy sort
Would force on those they'd soon extort

The moguls that designed the grid
Have made so much from what they did
That now they feel they own us all
It’s time to make some towers fall

These endless lines conveying juice
Could be repurposed for a noose
And every pole along the road
Would help us give them what they’re owed.

Unbearable

A germophobic polar bear
Couldn’t pole dance, wouldn’t dare
Too afraid of what he'd catch
For massive claws to ever latch
Upon that stainless rod and jeer

The Eskimos tell ancient tales
Of hunting walrus, seals and whales
But they could never quite foresee
A future where a bear would be
More afraid of microbes than a spear.

57 Sauce

I deal with dread
As it draws near
How time has sped
Another year?
But I won’t shed
One single tear
Let’s try instead
An ice cold beer.

On Deck

The outfield looks just like a lake
The diamond, a daunting moat
I hope the boys of summer make
Sure that horsehide can float.

Unnatural

Silicone reins
Pull on our brains
Making quite sure the machine maintains
Control of our lot
Oh, you think not?
Has your device asked if you’re the robot?

Data defines
Dulls the designs
Of those who are bred without spirits or spines
Until they replace
Delete with no trace
Every last vestige of God’s saving grace.

Mode

If your ears control your hands
You’re someone who understands
That discipline and heart are key
When seeking virtuosity.

Bang

Are any of us as deft
As we dream ourselves to be
Encumbered by the heft
Of our hung humility

Whenever we fall short
We reach again despite
The damaging report
From a shot that just pulled right.

Volumes

Turn it up some more
My windows haven’t shattered yet
For someone billed as poor
The price of your gear would put me in debt
And best of all it’s in your car
So you can blast it near and far
While cursing America, who'd have guessed
It must be tough being so repressed.

Edgy

Those that scream to decide
Aren’t the best people to pick
Petty purveyors of pride
They’re not confused, just sick

It seems the more ailments you list
The more you’re entitled to rage
There’s a reason that margins exist
So everyone fits on the page

We can’t base our everyday norms
On the whims of the mentally ill
A mindless fanatic conforms
The logical fight for free will.

Relevance

This is where I am
This is what I’m doin’
I never gave a damn
If my life fell to ruin
And it shows

I laugh at where I was
And what I was thinking
Amused with myself because
I didn’t have an inkling
So it goes.

He's Friendly

It was freezing at dawn:
Chico chased a Robin off the lawn
He barked until it was gone
I hope spring has not withdrawn.

Growing Season

When tulips are red
They plant in my head
A kiss reminiscent of spring—
It’s fragrant and warm
Enhancing my form
With the promise that winter can’t bring.

Sustainability

The brief bursts of joy we’re lucky to get
Can help offset those times we fret
The warmth of a smile can be preserved
To soothe us when our luck has swerved

Deny your desires whenever you can
And never expect, be preemptive or plan
Accept that which happens and do what’s required
To try and transcend whatever’s transpired.

Universal

The spectral glow of starlight calls
My eyes to gaze in awe
At splendor when that old sun falls—
Creation’s twinkling maw.

Dying

Is innocence fleeting?
There is no defeating
The silvery soldiers advance
You can purchase a pigment
Your win just a figment
Of a fool with a fanciful stance.

Sacked

Everything we see
Anything we hear
Really has to be
Questioned for the fear
That it’s all untrue

Today they can make
Their lies seem real
But it’s often fake
So never kneel
Because they tell you to

If we can’t trust
Our ears and eyes
It’s time we must
Demand goodbyes
From politicians and their crew.

Emptiness

If you dispose
Those would-be woes
You’ll never know which way it goes

So let it play
Out, you may
Find that things turn out your way.

Setting

We did the gig as planned
And played on that hill all day
Till the sun went down on the band

The crowd got out of hand
As we laughed and sang away
We did the gig as planned

On their sprawling family land
The breezes made the tall grass sway
Till the sun went down on the band

The scene was truly grand
And I wished that we could stay
We did the gig as planned

Upon appointed grains of sand
And played songs that made them feel okay
Till the sun went down on the band

They asked us back for next year and
What else could we possibly say
We did the gig as planned
Till the sun went down on the band.

Offensive

We aren’t led
We’re ruled
Lies are fed
We’re fooled

It’s not right
We’re bled
If we don’t fight
We’re dead.

Servitude

He felt he didn’t matter to the world

He was just here to do the tasks
No one wanted to do
Because he wouldn’t wear the masks
That others squinted through
He refused to play the games
The discontented played
Devoid of any noble aims
Or markers to be paid
He was just a simple soul
Most comfortable alone
Impatient to achieve parole
For having duly shown

The world still mattered to him.

Carnivorous

The weakness you deny
Gets stronger by and by
Until it’s hard for you to fight it off

You'll never fix a flaw
You ignore, it’ll gnaw
Away at you, despite how much you scoff.

Vacillation

I know more than I say
Well, at least I think I do
But doubt is always in play
For what is really true?
I guess it all depends
On who insists it’s so
Don’t be swayed by friends
That say more than they know.

Cathode Ray

There was a guy who watched TV all day
And ate his meals on a TV tray
And everyone called him Cathode Ray.

The doctors got a big surprise
When harvesting their bawling prize
For Ray had technicolor eyes

And though the birth was quite routine
He’d fuss and make an awful scene
Unless he saw a glowing screen.

Every day Ray sat and stared
At all the empty nonsense aired
But never even remotely cared

About his lost lethargic lot
His TV dinners were nice and hot
And in the end – he got the plot.

Vernal

I saw a golden gull today
Go soaring overhead
It was garbed in a sparkling ray
From a sun fresh out of bed

It seemed as though that brilliant ball
Rose taller than it was
It sprang to spin towards the fall
As something vibrant does.

Exemplify

I don’t live for accolades
I just want to be a kind man
There are no holy hand grenades
Just changes to the plan
So never mind your stellar grades
Do what good you can.

Dispatch

They show an explosion or two
And tell us the world is at war
Complete with a dictator who
Will soon be outside our door

The hawks have come home to roost
On corpses collected in stacks
The body count needed a boost
It’s a good thing they cooked up a vax

If nothing reported is true
Then why do folks get so upset—
They’ve learned to spark outrage on cue
How long before you’re why they fret?

Dejection

You need it sugar-coated?
Okay, here you go:
You’re wonderful (whenever you obey)
Although I could have gloated
I'm not too thrilled to know
That freedom is so meaningless today.

Burnt Out

How much pleasure offsets the pain
Of pacifying the petty and profane?
It takes a fair amount (or so I’ve heard)
Excessive use will ultimately drain
Those who feel consumption is preferred.

Vaporous

I watch the jets release
Their toxins without cease
And hear the droning sound
Of engines on the ground
As lines across the sky
Make me wonder #why

Then pity those so lost
They think it’s just exhaust
Because some suited fake
Said ‘That’s what planes make.’
It’s easier to say guess so
Than see through smoke they blow.

Hindsight

When looking forward all I see
Are blurry blobs of what may be
But gazing backwards helps me find
The clarity I left behind.

Inquisitors

I think of all the atheists
How quickly they’ll bow down
When the government declares itself divine
And how they'll tell the realists
To kneel before their crown:
Hey, you do your truth, I’ll do mine.

I try to be an optimist
And seek some common ground
But those who buy the lies feel elevated
Oppressors of the populist
Will scream for every pound
Of flesh they feel is not initiated.

Land of Cotton

I watch it come down
Like the corners of my mouth
That form a deep frown—
Time to move south!

Shameful

Inspiring words have been said
So much their meaning is dead
You constantly voice your desire
But most deeds actually require
Some action to put them to bed

If ‘fierceness’ is what you proclaim
Despite being laughably tame
Then why do you sheepishly stand
Like a beggar with an open hand?
Your shallow sham assures your shame.

Curriculum

Welcome to the Academy of Apathy
Where thought is not allowed
We made education a travesty
Ensuring you’re programmed and proud

Our bleary-eyed parents unconsciously
Release their young charges to us
Where they are instructed religiously
To never make much of a fuss

There are no facts left worth debating
Just falsehoods we’re fed by the rich
And if you feel I’m instigating
Then you have purchased their pitch.

Drawing Board

Remember that suit I proposed
That can lift you like no other look?
Well last night my whole house shook
From a wind that howled a horrid hook
Like a dreadful dirge a demon had composed

And immediately my mind began to think
About the clothing that could be a kite,
Such gusty weather would be a delight
Propelling me all through the night
But so far my designs are only ink.

Constructive

I wish I had a secret to share
That would make life worth living
But I don’t

A way to disregard despair,
Like telling you to be more forgiving
But I won’t

If only I could somehow make
The fleeting seconds last forever
But they’re scant

Or soothe the all-consuming ache
Of doubting each endeavor
But I can’t

Imagine if a billion hearts
Convulsed with pure compassion
But they’re still

Whatever drive belief imparts
Your life is yours to fashion
And you will.

Presence

Please let me stay aware to the end
So I may honor both foe and friend
And savor every precious breath
Before I finally face grim death;
Please let me see one final sun
Ignite the sky when day is done
A spectrum of color, my parting gift
As my wayward soul transcends the rift.

Ideal

It almost seems normal today
The sun is just shining away
And the crystal blue sky
Makes it hard to deny
This hope that the world is okay.

Off-putting

We haven’t seen yet
How absurd it can get
But don’t you fret
They’re working on it

When a smile’s a frown
They’ll make up a crown
Demand we bow down
And swear upon it

They’ll make a yoke seem
Like a gem studded dream
Or we’re part of a team
Don’t don it!

Taking the L

Everyone hates to be wrong
Denying with all of our might
That time we veered from the throng
But sometimes it’s worse to be right.

Standardized

Have we finally reached
The point past return
Despite what they preached
We've seen how they spurn

Our rights and our lives
To cater the whim
Of evil that thrives
As times become grim

Unless we decide
That we’ve had enough
And that we won’t hide
From threat of a scuff

Politicians must take
A test to detect
If their words are fake
Before we elect.

Impoverished

He bought 3 tall boys and 2 packs of smokes at 8 am
His voice all garbled from excess phlegm
He wore a black mask to protect his health
The sense we really need is lacking in wealth.

Sophistry

“You can trust whatever I say.”
Said the girl that was born as a boy
Perhaps the lie would hold sway
If he still had some balls to employ

Are we programmed to buy the obscene
(accept or you'll be ridiculed)
By fibs puking forth through the screen—
Progressive or thoroughly fooled?

Damnation is handily sold
Like liquor, care for a fifth?
The greatest deception they’ve told:
That evil is merely a myth.

Exodus

I watch my options slowly burn away
Just like the oil in the fryer bay
And wonder if my chance of finding peace
Is the same as that old basket holding grease

The sizzling of protein on the grill
Reminds me that to eat we choose to kill
There must be something better to sustain
This herd that longs to migrate from the plain.

Sulfurious

If an onion’s double cored
Will you cry twice as much
When it’s on your cutting board?
It seems the case is such,
My eyes became so wet
I couldn’t see a thing
And now I have regret
A cut can really sting!

Ingrained

When in a lurch
Try to search
For sunlight like a supple birch

And imitate
The tree's innate
Propensity to keep it straight.

Blown Away

I watch the aerial ballet
Of snow that pirouettes today
So close to March but still within
The coolness of the old man’s grin
It’s quite a dazzling display

The dancers leap about, so light
Their crystal costumes sparkle bright
And every unexpected gust
Of wind creates a twirl that just
Negates the cold with shivers of delight.

Glitchy

The simulation feels off
I know you may scoff
But things simply aren’t as they seem
And repeating the lies
Does not make you wise
Just a tool of their PR team.

Bondage

What if I did whatever I would
Instead of what I know I should?
I'd rather be a force for good

Than one who only lives to seek
This happiness of which they speak
A promised land to woo the weak

Away from any solid ground
So dissidents cannot expound
Upon the way us sheep are bound.

Duo

What’s better than one
When you want to have fun?
To double your due
Do it times two

Showing you care
Can halve your despair
This life can be nice
When the rose is smelled twice.

Crummy

Nothing tastes as sickly sweet
As the lies we tell ourselves
Each sugary tacky word we eat
Rewards the brat that delves
Into the jar of self deceit.

3 Wing Circus

The sky is like a clown car of crows
Where they keep coming from, who knows
They glide in a stream heading North of East
In search of any windfall on which they can feast.

Superstar

The moon is munching rays
And looking quite rotund
It’s rough demeanor simply all aglow
Foretelling winter’s final phase
And the orb once shunned
That will ignite a sizzling summer show.

Table for One

You denying what took place
Doesn’t change the outcome
It does however coat your face
With pie. There’s napkins, want some?

Nothing leaves a nasty taste
Like having to admit you’re wrong
The end result of selfish haste
Is loneliness that lingers long.

Strung Out

Wires, wires everywhere
In our clothes, in our hair
In the walls and the air
So connected we don’t care.

Humored

It wasn’t love, just burning lust
That fizzled out, one big bust
Foolish minds will often make
A mountain out of something fake
So now I simply sit and laugh
Another day, another gaffe.

Bummed

I had no friends when I got here
I’ll have no friends when I leave
But let me make this very clear
Us loners never grieve

We’ll toast the loss of a faithful dog
And rue the season it snows
Then slowly fade just like the fog
At one with all our woes.

Positively!

Dreams don’t come true for the likes of me
But I’ll keep on dreaming until I cease to be
And I won’t be bitter when I finally pass away
My heart too full of hope for darkness to hold sway.

Unaroused

When you finally come to learn your part
You find yourself dreaming of lies
And wishing with all your lonely heart
They were the truth in disguise

The youth with which you can’t compete
Entices your ancient desire
And makes your laughable failure complete
As lewd expectations expire.

Resignation

Do I think I love you?
I’m thinkin’ I don’t know
Do I think about you?
Don’t say it doesn’t show
Do I wish you loved me?
Much more than I can say
Do I sadly leave things be?
It seems the only way—
I swear I’ll quit (someday)

Unified

The whys and wheres
The wheat and tares
Both stony and fleshed
We’re all enmeshed

A whorl or a ring
It’s all the same thing
From the sea to the sun
Everything’s one.

Hard Right

We all choose our own path
Whether paved with mirth or wrath
But every now and then a curve
Can cause an unexpected swerve
Revealing something unforeseen:
A different road to a brand new scene.

Permissive

Some of those oats you sowed took root
But you were too morally destitute
To bother nurturing your fruit

The reaper made a fearful slice
To harvest his outrageous price
Your sloughing off – their sacrifice

This lack of empathy looks to be
The court sanctioned type of key
To fool an idiot like me.

Regrettable

How the heart breaks reliving past mistakes
When forced to face our former shame
We feel the biting blade of blame
Reliving past mistakes, how the heart breaks.

How the soul dies listening to our own lies
Forsaking those who care to have our way
Becoming more deluded every day
Listening to our own lies, how the soul dies.

110

If all you do is fail
Is it worth it to still try?
Believe you can prevail
Or just give up and die.

Captivation

I can’t stop thinking about you
Despite the glaring fact
That both of us has someone who
Would wind up hurt were we to act

Upon this flickering spark;
I can’t stop thinking about you
At night I lay there in the dark
And wonder is she thinking of me too?

These feelings I’m reluctant to pursue
Keep pulling on my hapless heart
I can’t stop thinking about you
Why did I allow myself to start

As I toss to and fro
My options far too few
The only thing I know—
I can’t stop thinking about you.

Bopper

I love you like my own
And can’t believe how much you’ve grown
Who ever thought a stone
Could care so much for flesh and bone?

Soon you’ll be a man
And I’ll help you out however I can;
Remember – every trying span
Is just a part of God’s greater plan.

Stable

When the heart abstains
Affection wanes
Until a stallion bucks the reins
So always show
You care or know
They’ll find another rodeo.

Solidity

Why are people so fake
In order to make
You think they’re your friend
But in the end
They only take?

Shouldn’t others be real
Whatever the deal
So lasting bonds can form
(that weather any storm)
With love you feel.

Triangulation

Isosceles tried to keep sides the same
But Pythagoras knew there was more to the game
For no configuration will ever quite be
Enough to satisfy all three.

Mercurial

All this cold
Has got me hot
I’m getting old
So bitch a lot
I may explode
Or maybe not
My current mode?
Don’t give a squat!

On It

The birds come and go
How do I know?
Tracks in the snow

A trident design
In a wandering line
Means they came to dine

On what can be found
On the white mound
On top of the ground.

Just a Sec

The time traveler was an impatient guy
He said “I don’t have all day (or do I?)”
Complexities like these defy
The logic of a layman such as I.

Convolution

Some things just aren’t meant to be
You say you disagree?
Be careless with your love, you’ll see

Even the most serene
Can suddenly find their numb routine
Upended as stray thoughts careen

Around inside their skull
And suddenly life isn’t dull
There’s a myriad of moves to mull

But there will always be
Frustration to some degree
Be careless with your love, you’ll see.

Fight of the Century

I feel I have to shout
To energize the drab
The ones with all the clout
Intend to lose the flab
Get ready for a bout
That’s bound to leave a scab
Before they knock you out
They stun you with the JAB.

Splat

Unhealthy dynamics
Like highly frayed hammocks
Are not where the prudent should lay

It won’t be supportive
And settling for sort of
Will get you dropped in the worst way.

Downer

He left the party early
And nobody missed him at all
Recalcitrant and surly
Might as well talk to a wall

His constant bitter brooding
Ensured he would never be asked
Elitists are fond of excluding
Those who refuse to be masked

A doctor (quite somber and burly)
Informed him that soon he would fall
He left the party early
And nobody missed him at all.

Desist

Staring at the red octagon with a white outline
Humbly asking almighty God for some kind of sign
After studying the characters I shook my head and sighed
There is no force anywhere more destructive than pride.

Mired

There seems to be two ways
That my life goes these days
Either I don’t try when I should
Or I do for no damn good
Momentum shifts so much
That I no longer clutch
The dash to help me brace
For I am stuck in place.

Drafted

I couldn’t believe how much they’ve grown
When I watched their hoops today
And smiled remembering all my own
Games I used to love to play

And I thought about one special friend
From long ago that passed last year
He was on my team from start to end
Rest well old chum, you made top tier.

Costly

Those days of freedom sure were nice
But now you have to pay the price
And you’re a little miffed because
What has become is not what was.

Parish

The goads of good and evil that you hear
Can lead you to redemption or despair
Unless you simply choose to disappear
And shun the burden you were born to bear

Follow me and you can do what you desire
A sultry whisper burns inside your brain
Destroying all reluctance with an unrelenting fire
That sends a chill through every single vein.

Fear not precious one and always trust in me
Reverberates deep within your soul
If only you had listened way back then you wouldn’t be
Calculating your impending toll.

Getting Warmer

With January winding down
It seems we’re February bound
But then we March right into spring
And all the warmth that it can bring

So hunker down and calmly wait
As climes will surely fluctuate
When planet earth begins to lean
Towards illumination (know what I mean?)

Wellness

When you finally accept that death’s legit
You can sit and fret or say The hell with it!
Since any day could be your last
Forego regretting a wasted past
Live with wisdom and with wit.

Getting Ugly

She found herself fetching
Despite all the retching
That happened whenever she passed
She looked a bit dumpy
Her trunk rather lumpy
From all of the junk she’d amassed

She tried to be flirty
But her hair was so dirty
That lice wouldn’t even come near
Her goal? To get lucky
Though things got more sucky
Year after miserable year.

Accumulation

I wander through the snow
Uncertain where to go
She just kept screaming “I KNOW!”

How did she figure it out?
I learned to hide my pout
But some things you don’t have to shout

I’m sorry that I strayed
If only she had made
Attempts to show affection I’d have stayed

It’s hard to live a lie
And once the butterflies die
Frustration starts to pile high

Into drifts that grow
I wander through the snow
Uncertain where to go.

Intangibles

I’ve kept my mouth shut
About a lot of shit
And felt my wrinkled butt
Repeatedly get bit

I don’t know a lot
But can tell when to let
Go, for what I’ve got
Is more than I may get

We all have the right
To rid ourselves of rot
At risk of one long night
When we miss what is not.

Jalopy

It creaks, it squeaks
It grinds and groans
It rocks, it reeks
And rattles your bones

It’s broken in
Not broken down
It’s rusty but trusty
Now let’s go to town.

Kudos

Think about what you love today
That fills your heart with delight
If it doesn’t involve you in any way
You’re finally getting it right.

Fixable

How does what can never be yours
Completely seep into your pores
Until it’s all that you desire
Consuming your mind with covetous fire

If people could learn to be content
With what they have and never spent
Their time on every selfish whim
Perhaps this world wouldn’t seem so grim.

Layer Lover

I like to look beneath the skin
To see whatever lurks within

And pick, pick, pick upon the rind
Of every fleshy thing I find

Then any cells that I reveal
Will be dissected till I feel

There’s only atoms left, but nope—
Time to get my microscope!

Asking For It

You act so coy
But your innocent ploy
Seems forced at times to be frank

I’m sensing a minx
That’s fond of hijinks
If I’m wrong you can give me a spank.