Modern Savings

Out and about
on a pilgrimage
to the retail cathedral
for eternal bargains I seek

I take the escalator
to the top floor
and find God marked down
on the clearance rack
desperately trying to be sold
to indifferent pilgrims
for a ridiculous price

Down by the food court
I see his boy Jesus
hanging with Allah
working the kiosk scene
offering up major savings
to harried consumers
who ain't buying
cause neither accepts credit

Out in the multi level parking lot
I buy a full length mirror
from a grungy vendor clad red
peddling product illegally
with his off the books mentality

As a special bonus 
for my valued patronage
the slick salesman
throws in a bag of apples
free of charge
or any moral obligations

When I get to my vehicle finally
a feeling of serenity settles over me
as my soul shopping cart is now full 
and the angels do rejoice

for the greater glory of our blessed economy

Show And Tell

We've reached
the crucial point
where the pain
of commencing
a truthful discourse
could not possibly be worse
than the hurt
from our current
slowly corrosive
silent denials
that are eroding
the foundation
of this relationship

So let's put aside
these pointless reservations

Lay our cards on the table
and play them out
as best we may

Gimme A Break

I often despise me
for all I'll never be
or never was
for that matter
but I must confess
I ain't the worst either

So I think today
I'll cut my sorry ass some slack

For in the end
I am who I am
and in this way too flawed finite life
that should be enough

Paper Mache Royalty

Buried deep in the abyss
of her ravenous
insatiable self esteem

I descend through layers
of festering past failures

Once a foothold is established
in the core of her self confidence
I commence to blast out
those embedded doubts
with a cliche barrage
of my best insincere bs
drawn from my well stocked supply
of innocuous bogus lines

Now that her ego
is boosted properly
she will realize finally
that she is way too good
for a lowly guy like me

So the current truth
liberated by my stroking lies
put the princess beyond my reach
though this patient minstrel
will be there to catch her
when she becomes a pauper again

Depreciation Appreciation

Please cease and desist
from your incessant persistence
of dredging up past indiscretions
from the cesspool of yesterday
we all once swam in
when we were young and dumb

Share with the skeptical congregation
the path you currently run
and more importantly
where you plan to be
once this fishing inquisition is done

For in our world of stained imperfections
allowances must be granted
for the dents and scratches
we accumulate over the years

The True Meaning of Halloween

I can't remember the last time I've so looked forward to Halloween(at least since the days I was a chocolate crazed kid)..Gonna be a blast laughing at all the nervous Nellies wringing their hands fretting about internet sensation Killer Klowns deviously infiltrating the bands of costumed trick or treaters. This lame tamed down holiday will be infused with some much needed tension this year

Mosh Pit Politics

The right man
ain't always the righteous man

The strong man
rarely is much on tolerance

The addiction 
to these contradictions
by our desperate for a hero
frustrated nation

begs the question

if this American democracy
is still the solution we want it to be ?

or maybe

just maybe

We finally see the inherent hypocrisy
streaming in our faces daily
under the tattered banner of freedom 

As the top shelf elite wring their hands

Pissing into a fire storm they don't understand

Even though deep down they know
they will be the first to go

With each news cycle day
Mother Media influence wanes

The beast their conflict journalism created
now beyond their power to contain

Even fear tactics tried and true
can not quell the frenzy
as growing masses
cheer the monster
pounding away at our gates

And to those of you
who still have no clue
how the Hell
the groundswell
for this freak show pitchman
grows like a populist tsunami

Just look in the mirror
and peel back that civilized
decaying rational facade

Embrace the monster you are

Put your fist through the glass

Smear your bloody hand on the wall

Give in to the inevitability of our fall

and most of all

SAVOR THE CHAOS 

Happy Anniversary

The private man am I
behind my many guises
Hugging shadows out of sight
Hyper allergic to the spotlight

The curse of the chronically shy
which of course is why
displays of public affection
never come easily

but today my heart runs free
on our glorious wedding anniversary
and I am wholly liberated to proclaim
for all who care to hear
my life upgrade that day
twenty three years ago
as we began the dance
of happily ever after
when me became forever we

I hope you will always know
how my love for you grows
even though I struggle so
to freely express
how my life would be a BIG ZERO
without you

Soooooo.....

I really really REALLY do love you

(Let's keep this between us, OK?)

Compromising Positions

Our little war

Blasting high volume

Constant conflicts

Big things

Little things

We clash over everything

Can we agree on the reality
that what's true for you
may not always be true for me?

This truth gap
creates uncertainty

Constant anxiety

Grinding insanity

So we need to meet

Proceed as adults

and compromise
away our frictions

Modern Realism

Ever feel overwhelmed
by the randomness of it all?

Events drifting in and out
on the currents of time
with no apparent reason or rhyme

Humanity always in react mode
collectively theorizing
in a futile attempt to make sense
of  the sporadic nature of chaos

Flying tattered kites
in a raging tornado

Never quite knowing
which way
the wind will be blowing

Destruction is the fate of man

So close your eyes

hold on tight 

and embrace your ignorance

for as long as you can

Desperately Seeking Completion

Fireworks show tonight
down by the steamy springs

Do you want to come?

You know the way
and I can show you how

Let's take that delicious path
where we can savor the sensuous blast  

An inhibition free destination
inhabited by natives who are willing 

Sharing endings guaranteed to be happy

Take me to Completion

Be my pleasure GPS

You won't regret the trip 
  

Welcome To Disconnect

Our base of operations
transmitting mixed messages
on a garbled frequency
in all directions

A contradiction symphony
wrapped in static
dancing in and out
of comprehension

Huddled around 
the ancient speaker long obsolete
we quickly realize
the answers we desperately seek
will not be shared today

So we turned off 
the flawed revelation
and let out a collective sigh

Cause our grand illusion
was now blown

There would be no savior

We are all on our own

Do Nothing Know It All

I never use to care
about the production
of disjointed thought
that flowed so easily
from my previously
clogged brain pores

The unsuspecting page
was simply there
to be filled
at this author's discretion
with zero regard
for form or substance

Though secretly envious was I
of talented writers displayed
on social media walls
who crafted language
with such soaring grace

Eventually I clumsily 
stumbled in and found my place
like a cave man amongst
cloud dwelling artists

Using blunt force technique
I found my voice
in a format formally
foreign to me 

Picking it up as I went 

Perhaps I learned too well

Cause today I suffer 
from the dreaded
analysis paralysis

Parsing words
in a sticky web 
of literary self critical

Unable to finish lines

Incomplete thoughts
litter my keyboard

The creative flow now dammed 
by boulders of process
and these damn standards
I formerly never had 

Peter Pan MIA

Far removed
from the playground anarchy
I walk by every day
on the way
to Big Boy Land

I seek a boost of energy
from the turmoil I envy
of kids running and jumping
every which way

Feelings of melancholy
descend upon me
as the shrieks of joy
fade in the distance

Imagination

Once so full
and unabashedly free

Dries up precariously
once we leave 
childhood games behind
to wear these chains
of adult responsibilities

So What Do You Think?

There use to be a time
when I was of a mind
to cast my influence
into the raging river
of public opinion

Such was my hubris
in powers of persuasion
with logical arguments
as the primary weapon
in my word arsenal

It did not take long
to realize this core premise
was flawed

Penetrating locked in minds
requires more than a quick wit
or clever repartee

People don't wanna budge
out of their comfortable
entrenched positions

So after many years
of banging my hard head
against inflexible walls
I finally saw the fallacy
of pointless debates

Now I let friends and foes alike
rant their pet philosophies unopposed

Biting my heavily scarred tongue
for the sake of keeping the peace

Consumerism Prison

Pay the infomercial man
as best you can

Tis well worth the price
to upgrade your bland life
with the latest hi tech gadgetry
that will eventually be
as obsolete as you

and your insecure

brand of humanity

Lose Lose Scenario

In this cynical
political environment
the numb electorate
no longer gives a flying fuck
about candidate morality

Ethics and politics
when the two are mixed
beget the ultimate oxymoron

Crooked is an accepted prerequisite

Embedded lies infect broken promises

The only ideology
is whatever brings victory  
with pre packaged homilies
designed to herd lazy ass consumers
to look up from their hand held devices
and march to the voting booth  

Long ago focus group wizards decreed
fear is the optimum way to succeed

When your product is not moving
demonize the other guy

The more grandiose the lie  
the best chance to grab
the market's fleeting attention

Media outlets you can buy
to do your bidding
with costly
but efficient negative ads

So as we begin
the serious phase
of the political cycle

Prepare for the shit to fly
like a monsoon from the sky

In this corner
the demagogue incompetent
dispensing fear and hate
from his crass reality show plate

Up against
the bought and paid for
ultimate insider

Her lips chapped
from excessive suckling
at the currency teat
of special interests 

At the end of this crooked road
those still with the stomach to vote
will have a poisonous choice to make

The viper or the snake

and then take a long shower afterward
to wash away the shame

Footprints In The Sand

As the the revolution unpeels 

Ugly truths are revealed

Former friends choose to repent
as they are led in chains
to the televised guillotine event

Welcome to disillusionment
as disingenuous corporate demons
clad in smug victory
hold out their slimy hands

"Join our lesser of two evils crusade"
they hiss cynically
to the numb prisoners
who really never had a chance
fighting armed only with idealism
against such an institutionally stacked deck

Comfortably Snug

At this point in time
tis way too late for me to be
anything other than I am

This truth affords me the luxury
of no longer having to give a damn
about living up to expectations
I never really embraced
in the first place

Once these dreams have been spent
it's time to go about
existing comfortably content

Slow it down

Pour a glass of wine

Find that perfect sunset

and settle in for the duration

Skipping The Slant

The lynch them first
ask questions later
flash mob
of micro public opinion
are polluting the stream
of social media consciousness again
with their unrelenting riled up ferocity

Quickly jumping to conclusions
that conveniently fit
an agenda ridden narrative

Their numbers swell rapidly
as hatred reposts virally
getting reported internationally
as contrived speculations
eventually mutate
into perceived fact

Til the value of truth itself
is reduced to a disposable commodity

Sold to the pliable masses
as fast cooked
easily digested
blended reality

Turning Point Dead Ahead

The cancer of hate
can not be erased
til all the healthy cells
who comprise the majority
band together
to eradicate the disease

In the end
the silent blue wall
must fall
and the good cops
gotta drive out
their murderous brethren

The cancer of hate
will never abate
til the millions of healthy cells
finally use their untapped strength
to obliterate their destructive elements

Only when good Muslims
stand together and fight
will the extremist terrorist minority
be driven into the sea

but for now

let us not allow

these rotten apples

to turn us bitter

against the suppressed forces of good

who silently abhor

the bloody stains on their names

Nest Break

So now you say defiantly
you wanna be free

Take full responsibility
for your life's course

Choking on my repressions you say?

These rules I lay cramp your style?

Fine and dandy

Cut loose you shall be

Just don't come crying to me

when you fall victim to enemies

from outside and within

Maybe then you will finally see

the need for the umbrella of security

our hard structure provides

Maybe then

when all your precious freedoms

come under attack

you'll wanna come back

to the secure prison

you seek to flee

to start your own

tenuous country

You'll be back

my wee eaglets

Speaking Up

Good morning God

Hope things are well on your end

Things sure could be better down here

but of course you already know that

being a super natural being and all

Of course we must own up to our faults

since you graciously gave us free will

but we can't seem to stop fucking up lately

Perhaps we're just in a slump

though we been trending down for quite awhile

So call this a prayer S.O.S if you must

We sure as Hell could use your help

to get back on the straight and narrow path

and hopefully make you proud of us someday

Walking The Flat Line

The man from Zero
is impervious to pain

This makes him torture proof
from the daily agonies of life

He can never feel loss
cause he has nothing to lose

No emotions to befuddle and confuse

No hurt can penetrate his nothingness 

No flashing signs of life inside the void

Now there are those
who pity this empty existence

So why do I envy him so?

See No Evil

Breathe through your mouth
as to not smell the stink

Power down your brain
so you don't overthink

and keep those eyes shut tight
to block out our daily blight

Embrace denial

For avoidance
of truth we deem ugly
is the new reality 
of the 21st Century

Messed Up

Reached without looking
and spilled my drink
as I cursed fate
which I blamed
for the error puddle
I did create

This mistake left a stain
on the world
that will remain
if I don't take the time
to do clean up
instead of waiting
for Nature to evaporate
the mess of the century

OK, maybe I exaggerate
though I do know
in many less enlightened cultures
a woman would be obligated
to mop up the tragedy
this clumsy male created

but alas, I live in modern times
where the girls are perfectly free
to ignore my needs and me

Now where does my queen keep the mop?

Friend Power

When those you love
feel the sting of defeat
like we all sometimes do
and their world
is bleeding loser's blue
love them even more

Because the pit of self doubt
is where we need friends
to help lift us out
and get our sorry asses
back in the game

Fire Storming

The raging inferno
we thought was out of range
is now dancing in our back yard

Our once mighty firewall
now lays tattered and charred
as the raging fire devours
the diminishing perimeter

Leaving us soon to be
victims of this tragedy
nowhere left to run

All because we procastinated

and stayed too long

Father Out

Daddy dear
never here

road trip
mercenary

parenting
in absentia

just a voice
on the line

Novelty fades
over time

postcards
tossed aside

Saint Mom
preached
how much
he loved us

from the
hymn book of
economic necessity

We grew up
because we had to

Moved out

and started
our own
shattered families

Daddy's
home now

Died alone

in his
hotel bed

the maid
found him dead

Gonna bury
our ghost Dad today 

along with all
his lost
yesterdays

The Greatest

During turbulent times
he was our dancing magnet

A new kind of athlete
who did so polarize
young and old

This transcendent soul
the powers that be
tried to bury

but eventually
the champ beat them all
inside the ring and out

til there was no doubt
this man was exactly
as self advertised

Float like a butterfly

Sting like a bee

The greatest force in sports history 

Rest in peace

Muhammad Ali

Making The Best

Enough with the somber
egocentrically inspired 
dark orgy of introspection

Cease living
in a reflective pool
and apply your current view
to the reality in front of you

It may not seem to be

the stuff of successful fantasy

but we can all agree

tis the only life we have

Gender Blender

Went to the mens room
for a quick pee

When quite unexpectantly
a she dude in a sequin dress
had the same action plan
in the urinal next to me

Could not contain my curiousity

I just had to sneak a quick peek
at the serpent mighty
rising from his thicket

Of course he caught my eyes
sizing up his privates

In my embarrassment
I muttered softly
"I'm not that kind of guy"

He hiked up his lace panties
and advised me and my homophobia

"Neither am I"  

We So Thorny

The risk we take
every day
when we arise
and venture forth
to make our solo play
with this chaotic society 
is very necessary
despite the high probability
of emotional pain
cause
if you don't ever hurt
you really ain't doing
life right

Everything Optional

Time to turn on
the scenario generator

Plug in the possibility equation 

Rev up rampant speculation

Scales will be provided
to weigh options

However no guarantees
will be rendered
that you will embrace
the final product produced

All we can do
is tip toe through
the minefield
of unforeseen
plot twists

Free Current

Swimming with electric fish
down a serene stream
of consciousness

Bouncing on bubbles
that can only exist
in this artificial environment

Mother Earth keeps spinning
as we dancing inhabitants
free float toward the sea
inhibitions dissipate completely

Time now increasingly irrelevant
which is a scary development
for crusty traditionalists
who insist we drop anchor
to hold onto the past

but the hooks won't hold
cause the current flows too strong
the future humming in the wires
for our arrogant brand of humanity

soon to be gone

Fall and Rise

Soldiers rejoice

War is over

Arise comrades
on both sides of the line
and forever exit
your blood stained trenches

Time to finally 
put away the big guns
and parade on home

Give Mom a big hug

Kiss the girl next door

and before
you lay your grateful head
on your greatly missed bed
say a silent prayer
for friends and foes
all equally dead

Honor those souls

who now sleep forever

beneath well manicured
carefully marked
plots of Earth

Waiting patiently
for the angels to play reveille 
so they may rise again
and forever forget
their scars of war 

Glorious Wetness

Stop running from the rain !!!


You ain't gonna melt

like that bitch of a witch

from that classic flick

who had it coming


but I digress...


Take the time

from your neatly pressed life 

to open wide...


Allow the drops

to bounce off

your parched tongue..


Treat your crusty self

to a full service soaking


and let yourself get

gloriously wet

Add caption

Step Up

Go or no go?

Yes or no?

Languishing over options

Considering consequences

Convene another meeting or two

A grand task force du jour
need be adjourned to ponder
every implication permutation

Is it any wonder
nothing ever gets done?

Well Greased Wheel

These turbulent days
the high road
is definitely
the less traveled trail

Loud and controversial
with a dash of naughty 
is where it's at

but

there is still something
to be said
for riding
the straight and narrow path

For while you'll never be
a front page troubled celebrity

you'll make it to the end

with your self respect intact

unbloodied and unscathed