Civil

I thought I could find a solution
To counter the flawed institution
But nothing was quite good enough
To remedy their prostitution

And now I am simply existing
At times like a vessel that’s listing
Especially when whiteheads are rough
Though I do my best at resisting

There will be a great separation
And a possible fierce altercation
Yet if we just call out their bluff
We may still survive as a nation.

As Is

We all wear a mask
And our greatest task
Is learning it’s foolish to hide

The grand masquerade
Need never be played—
In truth we should always abide.

Undone

Once you get sweating
Your mind starts forgetting
I shouldn’t have waited
But now it’s back dated.

Clapper

She knew something was wrong
So paid the doc a call
And got the news she didn’t want to hear
Convinced she had to be strong
To have any chance at all
The fight began with friends and family near

The medicines she had to take
Would leave her feeling sick
But doggedly she weathered everything
Each queasy pang and fearsome ache
She found a way to lick
And now she gets to hear her victory ring.

Fur Sure

The cheeky one loves to play
The lucky one sleeps all day
The hyper one is quite a nut
The gentle one has a Buddha gut

Together they’re a wacky pack
But I would never give one back
We love each other, that’s enough
Especially when times are rough.

Already Free

When you look at me
With that twinkle in your eye
I get the funny feeling
That I’m not the only guy
I know I can’t prove it
And I doubt you’ll ever say
I’m not hanging round to find out
If you choose to have me stay

I said what I had to
Though I don’t believe you heard
So listen very closely
As I repeat my final words

But if you turn to answer
Don’t expect my company
Because I’m already gone
I’m already free

It’s really not surprising
That our partnership’s a bust
You never put much effort
Into building up my trust
You come and go and flirt away
With everyone you see
And now I’m off to find someone
That wants to be with me

Just So

I got nothing
He wearily said
Nothing… nothing… nothing
Rang in his head
But then one thought eased his despair
‘Poetry is Everywhere’.

Cheers

First, we shall begin
With media induced fear
Then cheat to get in
We won’t let them near
To question the phony
Ballots we make
While screaming BALONEY
Whatever their take
Our agents are trained
To lie with abandon
But trust has waned
They like someone named Brandon.

Spoke

When was the last time
Someone told you they care
Or you heard the pleasant chime
Of real affection there

Now I don’t know you
And you aren’t acquainted with me
But I assure you one thing’s true
I’m concerned wholeheartedly

That happiness is in your heart
And harmony is what you feel
When contemplating your own part
In the endless wheel – I said my spiel.

Topple

Go against the narrative
And you’ll be ostracized
By thugs whose lone imperative
Is the lie they’ve televised

But don’t start feeling impotent
Your power is phenomenal
Ignore each phony incident
And pray for the first domino.

Catalogue

A lackadaisical mailman brings
Our flashy little flyer
We’ll show you all the useless things
You really don’t require
And then when your desire stings
We’ll jack the prices higher
If greed is pulling on your strings
You will become a buyer.

Raise

I feel the darkness nearing
and the imminent collapse
of order, and it’s searing
each overwhelmed synapse
with smoldering shadows of chagrin
for no one sees the mess we’re in—

believing lies as truthful
condemning facts as hate
while poisoning the youthful
with pills so they’re sedate
if we don’t teach them loving ways
too soon we’ll face the final days.

Good Behavior

When I think of those with whom I’m at odds
I start having fantasies involving cattle prods
But then I feel bad and let kindness prevail
(besides, I don’t think I’d last too long in jail).

Memento

Today I chanced upon a sumac leaf
Among the scattered ingots on the ground
So red, it was almost beyond belief
Too beautiful to waste within a mound,
I plucked it from the sod and brought it back
To my domesticated domicile
And stuck it at the bottom of a stack
Of books to let it flatten for a while.
The changes seem to come more frequently
As every day is shorter than the last
And I know there is no way I can stall
That tell-tale splash of fleeting vibrancy
Which quickly fades, compelling me to stash
A colorful reminder of the fall.

Maximize

This lifetime trip
Is but a blip
A hiccup in the universe
The paradigm
That we call time
Means nothing to the void, but worse

It makes us think
A single blink
Expendable, there’s always more
When every breath
That we cheat death
Should mean much more than the one before.