Switch

Face to face with my silhouette
A shadow of regret
Confronts me in the mirror every night
Perhaps I could begin to see
A less reflective me
By properly utilizing the light.

Off-key

A bluebird sang from somewhere in the trees
I answered back, the whistles grouped in threes
It landed in a maple tall and stout
To see what I was all about
I think it contemplated jamming out
Until I scared it off with one big sneeze.

Recorded History

For those who think we've come so far—
Nothing’s really changed,
The thing is: most recordings are
Professionally arranged.

Touch Up

How much gray can I eliminate
Before I just exacerbate
The dissonance that seems to be
Debilitating me?

When dying, it’s best to be contrite
For maybe it will expedite
Release of your soul from this place
So you can grasp at grace.

At Odds

The game is played
Bets are made
Who commands the masquerade?

Believe the leads
And scripted deeds
You face defeat. The game proceeds.

Trying

Life’s a test
Just do your best
To fumble through futility fest

You’ll never buff
Out every scuff
But is trying to be a good person enough?

Probably not
What else you got?
At least you took some kind of a shot.

Petitioner

I pray every day God ends their reign
But some things must be, so it’s in vain
And as more of the truth is horrendously slain
I plead for the presence to simply stay sane.

Over It

Every now and then it hits me
And there’s nothing I can do
But ride it out until my little
Pissy mood is through

And though there’s much to keep me miffed
I have a trick that I employ—
To stop and take into account
The many blessings I enjoy.

Appetite Control

A cardinal, squirrel and a crow
Are all in the sumac tree
Eyeing stale bread from me
Waiting for the cat to go
It’s prowling somewhere on the lawn
Or every crumb would be long gone.

Buffaloed

The herds gather up with abandon
To pick the least obvious shill
Stampeded into a box canyon
Nicely set up for the kill

Resist the instinct to follow
If their lips are moving they lie
Impassioned by words that are hollow
The gullible gaggle and die.

Happy

Fifteen years ago I grieved
And felt increasingly lost
The system had belittled
Demoralized and whittled
Away what I believed
Caring wasn’t worth the cost

But then you came along
My exuberant little boy
And sparked regeneration
Of the wonder in creation
For love, when it is strong
Replaces pain with joy.

Tender Heart

 

A rough exterior hides

Your gentleness so well

That most believe you’re mean

 

But I think I can tell

From caring looks I’ve seen

How a loving soul resides

 

Somewhere in between

The protein that abides

Within that jagged shell.

 

Actual chicken tender served for an order during a huge pool tournament yesterday 🐔

Premonition

The gloomy skies begin to clear
As the star-studded veneer
Of the firmament coruscates on high

The universe remains unknown
Despite its implications shown
In hopeful glimpses, prompting one long sigh.

Support System

If I don’t do it
It don’t get done
Should I say Screw it
Turn tail and run?
There’s much more to it
I refuse to shun
And will get through it
Because The Son.

Broken

Outcomes I don’t prefer
Most rapidly occur
And things I wish to be
Never see reality

But I’m not a bitter man
Just part of a plan
More intricate than mine
Can’t buck the divine.