The Book of Illusions

 

Turned on 

my reliable 

coping device
to sidestep this life
yet again

Drawn to dream slopes

Peaks capped in soft snow

Mirrored reflections

in the bluest lake

God ever did create 

Not ashamed to confess
this homage to serenity
is entirely

one hundred percent

an alcohol induced
illusion sanctuary

of repressed imagination

the cheap libations did liberate

You can't put a price tag

on this kind of needed freedom

Though many

of a puritanical bent

will deposit their two cents in

to launch me on a guilt trip

for abuse of spirits

The whole ancient

sin damnation rap

I long ago moved past

The Lord is way more tolerant

of the flaws in his creation

At least that's my convenient

semi pious interpretation

So leave your judgements
and shameless hypocrisy
in my packed Denial Lobby

and I'll say three Hail Mary's

as half ass penance

for my immortal soul

and your lame attempt

at heathen reclamation

Necessary Editing

 

To err is human

All part

of our flawed species

fuck up tradition

Blunders do happen

Though it's never a shrewd move
to arrogantly choose

doubling down
on mistakes you may have made

Don't compound the miscue  

Best to take the L

Absorb the hit

Deal with consequence
which bad as it may seem

won't be as shit
as staying on the current
ragged off the cliff destination

Post course correction

rip off that band aid
and air out the wound

Let the hardened scab breathe

Commence the healing process

And by all means..

LEARN FROM THE PAST !!!

Fly Through

 

Butterfly... Butterfly

Flower hopping jewels

My Summer time envy

Now only a memory

Buried in today's
barren landscape
where our garden 
used to be

We are all born to die

Destined to be
devoured by ravenous time

Stored in decaying memory

Butterfly... Butterfly

Did you ever realize
the seeping fragility
of this life?

Me neither

Dumb creatures are we

Living obliviously

So quickly it goes

Now it's too late

Too many missed opportunities

Now Death commences to strangle me

Making my last days agony

Damn these fucking regrets

Fuck these damn butterflies

Oblivious to their beauty

Now lying buried beneath
the frozen snow

Tech Waste Product

 

Gotta pay the price
if you choose to ride
over the watery impediment
that used to divide the populace
in ancient times

Our vehicle device

gets magically scanned

as our bank account

gets deducted

by the ever rising fee

to bridge this obstacle

of impassable fluidity

Meanwhile

the perpetually pissed troll

of limited intellect

and minimum

employment prospects
who formerly toiled
in a collection capacity
is now a bitter casualty

in the growing legions
of tech replacement obsolescence

Today he's just another asshole
spewing know it all venom 24/7
on the intellectual cesspool

that is the internet

social media outlet

formerly and forever

known as Twitter

Free Styling

 

Stick to the plan...

Stick to the plan...

The future demands
I stick to the blueprint
that Life did plan

School
Job
Wife
House
Kids
Retirement

Factors unforeseen
along the way
have stretched
my weary body
in all directions

As my life
continues to stray
from the script
it's becoming
much harder
to stay in character

Time for me
to finally
throw away
my best laid plans
and improvise
with Plan Z 

Rotten Karma

 

You voted for the clown

who has slowly drowned
all long held traditions

of national compassion 
in the slow cooker
of myopic fiscal restraint
to drown all charitable
Christian values

you pretend to represent

And in our complacency

we let you do it

which makes us just as guilty

of this death by collective stupidity

We just did not take

the jester threat seriously

Now that the safety net
has been severed
and the poor worse off than ever
our luck is in the toilet

We can't seem to catch a break

Losing now represents

the new normal

The beat goes on

Dark clouds have descended

Respect for us gone and ended

We are the object

of global pity and scorn

All this pain we share today

and the anguish yet to be

is Karma's wrath being served

History will record

America's fall was well deserved

with a collapse self inflicted

Truly a mega shit sandwich

Uplifting Spirits

 

They rolled out the red carpet
for the ghosts fixed in the mist
of faded remembrance

These souls entwined in silence
deserve their solar moment
beneath the spotlight of praise

to soak up some well deserved glory
for all those thankless days
they toiled in the fields
of gray anonymity

Without these

steady baseline types 

populating the median

who would we ever measure

those of heroic deeds against?

Corruption Crescendo

 

Humming along
to the catchy tune
that dominates today

It's so easy
to join the Chorus
in this popular refrain

"Everybody does it"
is the hidden hook
which reels us in
into the net
of connected rationalizations

Once Critical Mass is achieved
the bar of past morality
gets lowered conveniently
to accommodate our sins
guilt free of accountability

Contemplate
the dire consequence
of playing with Chaos
and his Satanic Symphony

Havoc is the recurring tune 
strummed by this devilish crew

So stay vigilant
about the murky friends you choose

They will lead you
into the Hellish Abyss
of Corruption
few souls ever climb out of 

Cumming and Going

 

Our mutual attraction
was quite the mutual distraction

I am not ashamed of confessing
that this lonely hearts dude
was quite smitten
with a lusty and willing angel
of maximum sensuality
I just met that night
now tasting the fruit 
of my swollen succulent loins 
taken often and willingly
in a sacred motel cathedral
on saturated sheets
adjacent to Heaven
right behind Route 69

Well worth the busted artery
and out with a bang life ending

for this smiling stiff of a guy

Light Torture

 

Mesmerized by the garish sky

That crimson sunrise does hypnotize

A Nature based paralysis
dispensed after an evening
of dimly lit lunar debauchery

Morning after visual sensitivity

is our painful penance
as these blood shot eyes
struggle with the transition
to the tyranny of extreme brightness

inflicted by our solar conscience

as faith based punishment

for the sin of being faithful

to our natural bodily urges

Begging to Differ

 

DAMN IT

My social anxiety
is such the source of embarrassment
to my friends and family

Always feeling compelled 

to explain
my anti social ways

As if I want them to

I wish they wouldn't

As if I am broken

I'm not you know

Just different

This should not be a crime

But it seems to be

Judge not lest ye be judged

Voice Over Easy

 

You know thy enemy

That sly insidious
vice whisperer extraordinaire 
of a persuasive bent
taking up residence 
in your easily influenced heads
that gets you to do
dirty deeds
Humanity knows
deep down
you should not
indulge in

These clever rationalizations
that sugar coat temptation
sure make them
eminently digestible

Say hello to Dr Satan

Purveyor of feel good prescriptions

And you certainly know
the Devil's alter ego

Whispering that feeling
buried in your heart
that tugs at your soul

That nagging doubt
when you do the mischief

I am your conscience

Defender of men's soul

Excavator of buried morality

You may say I am God

Your Grand Divineness 

The one flaw in my design
(at least the angels say so)
is the free choice

I installed in man eons ago

I beg to differ

My faith
in this product 
of my divine creation
remains eternally steadfast

As do my lofty expectations 

Abby Normal

 

The ambulance arrives

The distressed patient
is wheeled in
to the packed ER

Triage sorting applied

A quickie diagnosis is made

Bad case of Life Fatigue

Rest and relaxation prescribed

The relieved patient is released
though a bit disappointed
no medications dispensed

Proceeds straight to therapy

A little psycho analysis

The patient’s life is dissected

Past relations inspected

A breakthrough is made

The sickness is a Social disease

The virus is our twisted Society

The cure is the self realization
that none of us are “normal”

High Wire Tribe

 

Seeking balance

the performer of daring feats

keeps repositioning
using whatever she can grab
as a needed brake against gravity
which is the mortal enemy
of high wire acrobats
and flagrant exhibitionists
who foolishly insist
on performing without a net

in this safety first environment

And yet we secretly
admire their audacity

defying bland conventions

which keeps us voyeurs

forever grounded

Through Bloodshot Eyes

 

Misty with the butterfly tattoo

Travels light

Glides through this life
riding rainbows at night

Constantly suckling
the nectar of neon flowers
that line Pleasure Boulevard

The city is her playground
but the lifestyle exacts a price

Those Hellish morning afters 
take a heavy toll
on those who still 
cling to remnants of their souls

The truth of this future abyss
hangs over all creatures 

of the Party Tribe

The sun always rises

Burning away those
convenient denials
that darkness protects

As Misty once again
kneels before her porcelain throne
and purges the poisons accumulated
from the evening's debaucheries

Foggy reflections
yield to the reality
of the throbbing day

Her chemically compromised body
does not bounce back like it used to

One last self confession
seeps through her walls 
of hedonistic obsessions

In order to survive
she must someday
grow up

Fly away
and permanently leave
Never Never Land behind

That will be a sad day

Because adulthood
is such the grim grind

But at least she'll possess

in her memory bank

many gloriously fun stories

which is more

than most of us responsible

stay at home types can say

Desperately Seeking Moderation

 

Seeking a balanced perspective

she kept re-calibrating
her open minded opinions

on the issues of the day

Moderates like her
used to be the norm
before civil discourse
descended into pointless

tit for tat
gotcha combat politics
making common sense

somber reflection
considered traitorous
by foam at the mouth zealots
who today regrettably dominate

with their loud mouth

squeaky wheel ways 

To get back to being

a functional society

we desperately need

adults like she

back in the room

Seems to Be

 

Once the safeties were disabled
the Ghost of Acceleration came to me
in a dream

Or so it seems

The quasi apparition

whispered softly

I need not fear
the crash preordained

The dye is cast

Or so it seems

Shit happens

Embrace fate

Resistance is futile

The wall beckons

Or so it seems

Doubt is the true enemy

of all progress

that one day

will sprout from the ashes

of this catastrophe 

Illusory as that dream may be 

Time Bandit

 

Seeking balance 

the aging beauty queen

kept repositioning
on her wobbly unsteady pedestal
that like her has seen better days

Back in the flower of youth
this princess ruled from her throne
with demure ways
taking advantage of subservient
male admirers

jousting to win her favors

Of course these prospective

Prince Charmings

have all moved on

to chase flashier new models
now that her looks are long gone

Consumed by bitterness

she spits in the face

of the mirror image

looking back at this bitter relic

mocking all the failed attempts

of surgeries and miracle cosmetics

Time ALWAYS wins

Hopefully she will find acceptance

in the power of elastic

and become comfortable

in her own wrinkled skin

Ode to Justice

 

Immutable Justice
descends with great patience
even on those with the means
to delay inevitable accountability

Frustrating as this snail's pace may be
for those of us who play by the rules
Justice will be served eventually

Teamed with big sister Karma by her side
to collect stragglers who may sneak by
they form an airtight
net of liability
that catches all snake like strays

seeking to escape responsibility

For they are a joint task force
assigned by Fate
that makes things right
in this oft unjust existence

So trust the process

Believe in Justice

Dinosaur Footprints

 

Step right up

and get assimilated

into the New Normal

thought bucket

Just obey 

the carefully crafted

invisible blueprint

Unwritten as yet
but deep down we know
the new rules of engagement
now follow the cadence
of instant text blips

ChatGPT generated

The very concept
of human creativity
is suspect today
as our lazy tendency
to take the easy way
renders our existence
functionally obsolete

Who is to say 
if this poem
is really me
or a cyber facsimile?

Monster Mash

 

We take the daily beating

like men

Clean our bloodied faces

as best we can

Torture can become habit forming

if you let it

Truth be told

it's this powerless feeling

which hurts most

Waiting for Death

to strike down

our sickly tormentor

and free us from the pain

he inflicts so expertly

But when?

Having to rely on tragedy

used to make us feel guilty

back when we still possessed

a shred of humanity

long ago ripped from us

by the relentless beast

who stole our souls

So we awaken each morn

and check our news feeds

praying to find

word of the wicked witch's demise

What a celebration that will be

A glorious global holiday

(sigh)

I guess we are now monsters too

Peace Through Carnage

 

The Boom Boom Symphony

is music to the ears

of the power brokers that be

Hammer to anvil

is the common denominator

that equates

to our peace through strength

oxymoron world philosophy

As we launch the latest round

of heat seeking

collateral damaging

best tech weaponry

Sparks heat the foundry

for the replenishment cause

of Carnage Diplomacy

Sorry my hungry children

No free lunches today

And to you old timers

medically draining our society

with your numerous 

aches and pains

your healthcare

ain't gonna be

subsidized no more

SUCK IT UP BITCHES

SCREW YOUR CREEPING SOCIALISM

TIME FOR TOUGH LOVE PATRIOTISM

You cannon fodder peasants

with your bloated safety net

long overdue to be shredded

As this trickle down money

gets redistributed to our beloved

mass destruction merchants

These top of the line missiles

bringing peace to the oppressed

ain't gonna pay for themselves

Blind Deaf and Dumb

 

The latest spasm of violence
currently selling product
is yet another counter reaction
to the turning
of the tit for tat
pay back screw
sadly as prevalent today
as it was back in the Middle Ages 
when vengeful knights held sway
and stormed many a besieged castle

Death never takes a holiday

throughout our bloody string

of poorly conceived tragedy plays

Only the names and casualties change

though they too will get buried

and forgotten

when the next glorious crusade

stains diminishing human history

Our Lady of Justice Corrupted

 

Seeking balance
she keeps repositioning
to adjust her footing

for a semblance of stability

in this ever contentious
friction environment

Channeling through cycles
of compromise in varying degrees
commonly defined as diplomacy
by those of power leverage

who always demand
the truth debts be rendered

then timely paid

to the bearer of notes

only they hold

Exceptions will be made

Loop holes woven and rearranged

Every day

the well clad pilgrims pass

through the golden cathedral doors

at Our Lady of Justice Corrupted

they bought and paid for

Spinning Wheels

 

My equilibrium
has been skewing off center

for longer than I can remember

This internal displacement
really used to bother me

Not easy being dizzy perpetually
but I reconciled my misalignment
with a tilted world these days

so out of

balance
my personal vertigo

became permanently part
of the general community spin