A Twisted and Tangled Man

 

As the years roll by

acceleration is inevitable

as we descend the funnel

into the mortality's abyss

It also comes to pass

that people and things

we once experienced

drop off along the way

Some get replaced

Others reimagined

But erosion naturally happens

Way back in the previous century
my personal tactile therapy
was patiently
untangling my knotted
spiral phone cord

I always found this to be

a much needed mindless task

perfect for off loading

accumulated stress

Alas

maximized phone stretch
never seemed to last
as the forces of Twisted
quickly returned to limit
my connectivity reach

Tis the little

mind numbing trinkets like this

we so dearly miss

as I pop another Valium to forget

another casualty of progress

Rolling Desperate

 

I danced with Chance

on a table of stained felt

bought and paid for

by crashed dreams

Post wreckage
I hooked up with Epiphany

for a level setting session

(at least temporarily) 

Too late to save
my bank account

now depleted

The House had its way

with yet another hapless victim

skewered and defeated

The dice last night
which did not roll my way
were as loaded as me

There's a reason
the drinks are free

A Loser's Lament
wondering where
the money all went
as I plot
how and when
I can get back
to the no win game

Karma the Barber

 

The Betrayer of Trust
is an unflappable liar
devoid of any sense

of human repentance

Worse yet
they are habitually

perpetually incompetent

Busted at every turn

Throw them a towel
to soak up
those desperate alibis
surely to flow
to justify
their recently
divulged deceits

Be sure to check in
with their stable of enablers
who will creatively
blame society
for fostering 
the exposed liar victim

For where there is no attached
messy consequence
there is no shame

Immorality reigns

So take no pity
on the wounded party
lying in a bloody puddle
of cause and effect

Wag the Scapegoat

 

DAMN IT !!!

Forgot to take out the trash

Lost track of the days

Time mismanagement

an increasingly bad habit

of this life in retirement

My lovely wife of course

jumped at the chance

to take her old boy to task

for my erroneous ways

But much like our president
I tap danced

the dodge responsibility path
and blamed my senior moment gaffe
on fellow dinosaur Joe Biden

What my desperate deflection

lacked in rational credibility

it more than made up for

in current events

connective creativity

Though my pissed Mrs did not think so

Head Trippimg

 

Your desperation
is your own.........

As is mine........

Meticulously crafted
and cultivated 
from our core insecurities
we plucked from the vine
of a life misapplied...

Anxieties uniquely conceived
to custom fit our psychotic needs.....

Bring all your personalities
in for cranial adjustments
and we'll get you properly medicated
for the duration
of this long strange trip...//...>> 

True Independence

 

Ambivalence
is the New Politics

Not giving a shit
is the ultimate ambition
of we outside the lines Nihilists

It's the purest lifestyle path

More and more heading inevitable

For group cynicism is protective

A collective sanity prophylactic  

Breaking down happiness
to its core joyful elements

sans outside distractions

of far beyond our control

political and economic interactions

In Summation

 

Doing the invariable retrospective
on my waning lifespan
I comb through memories
seeking clarity

and soothing perspective
on the eternal questions

"Was it all worth it?"

Did my existence have any meaning?

Did my trek leave behind an impression?

Will my accomplishments

offset my mistakes

when I get graded for admission

(hopefully on a curve)

to that place called Heaven

I never really believed in

God I am so tired of this

unrelenting emptiness

"Fuck It" was my conclusion

As it so often is

Or was

I closed my heavy eyes

Rolled over
and commenced to die

Quietly

Alone

Just like always

Best Perceptions

 

I really could be interesting
with the proper framing
and well placed soft lighting

Of course
I will need a crack writing staff
to fluff and pump up
my quite mundane
real life back story

Topped off with a vigorous
personality makeover
to package me as desirable
with optimal product placement

All it takes

these cosmetic days

is a little perception boost

to spackle in my reality cracks

Skid Rowing

 

Those of minimal
financial means
always seem
to get crammed
into matchbox ghettos
on the harsh side of town

Tis all about control

Choking off all hope

and any dreams of prosperity

the inhabitants may aspire to

Using the cycle of poverty
as an economic hammer
to keep the oppressed residents

of Depression Town
perpetually down

Woe This Politico

 

People who knew me when

Some may have even been friends

Their consensus is:

I'm no fun anymore

My once light wit

today obsessed with politics

One of those zealot bores
pissing into the wind

from my high horse

teetering on a warped soap box

Blind to my hypocrisy

now that I have joined the lunacy

of the legions who bloviate

about our decaying democracy

Fixating on what I once mocked
and called out as bullshit

Now I'm every bit as pointless

as the hyperbolic

pearl clutching grannies

Now in direct

violation of the axiom
of crapping where I eat

Consider this the requiem

of an iconoclast

who no longer exists

Absorption happens😢

Drone On

 

We celebrated a great victory
over our hated enemy
fully by remote weaponry

The arrogant bully

sure got his comeuppance

from his former victim

Our spines arched in triumph
from patting ourselves on the back
for today we are the cutting edge
of death technology

The former military giant

taken apart by video game carnage

that they now know is painfully real

David slays Goliath
with a drone joystick

War will never be the same

Slava Ukraine

Release Program

 

My young incel friend Hank
took a ride on the Taboo Express

A trip taken many times by you and me

How and when he got off is a mystery
cause these things ain't discussed in polite society

He bumped into a blind man peddling batteries
who recently was granted his self release

"Did riding the Express cost you your sight!”
Hank cried, “Should I call the Morality Police?”

The blind man raised his calloused hand
and with a toothless grin proclaimed,

“Loving yourself should never be a crime
so let go of self induced guilt and shame”

The Hankster took those words to heart

Now he rides freely with a clear head

Never let hypocrites jerk you around
or make you feel ashamed 
about the very human need
to offload celibate tensions

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