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!