Breaking It Down

 

Outside my current window
hangs a massive
solitary icicle
glistening in the sun
that today brings no warmth
but still produces 

a spectacular spotlight

On the tip
of this sparkling stalactite
is a steady drip drip
so very soothing and rhythmic

With each liquid emission
there is structure shrinkage
that I really relate to

in my current state 

of timeline reduction

This natural contraction

of time honored erosion

that carved out the canyons

and whittled down the pyramids

works on all organic

and inorganic designs

Can you feel

the Beautiful Recycle force

drip drip working on you?

Time Out

 

Time..

Time is our safe place

A secure vault of memory
deposited currency
where we can escape
this all too real reality

In the end 
the past is all we have
as the light begins to withdraw
and life closes our account
taking our allotted time with it

Dominating Melody

 

The beauty of my master mistress
whose razor thumb
I have taken up residence under
is the way she violently plucks
my heart strings
with her every command
that I willingly submit to
just on the off chance
she will grace my groveling presence
with her agony inducing affections

She's my First Lady of Pain

Within the Storm Wall

 

I was born in the storm
and died in the recoil

In that time gap between
commonly defined
as life and death
the truth too often
gets obfuscated
and eventually obliterated
by our personal cumulus shroud
of convenient self deceptions
that keeps the inherent
gloom of the day at bay

Happiness is all about

maintaining the illusion

of calm skies these turbulent days

Requiem For a Used Up Man

 

Back in the 20 Century

I was a useful tool

I was a husband

A father

A worker bee

Not so today anymore

Now I am more of a burden actually

Not even remotely cost effective

My revelation to you

for maximum mental health benefit:

It's much better to be useful

than useless

Fact Check Out

 

The spotlight cuts through the dim

Into it the salesman 
from yesterday swaggers in

Another slick pitch

fine tuned over time
to lure in the pigeons

But it's a different flock today

Fact checking his every pitch

real time on their hand held devices

Still our hero keeps dancing 

Though it's not easy selling
to skeptical consumers

who ain't buying

And when your financial existence

is based entirely on commission

this is a fatal condition 

for the well dressed dinosaur

who had no clue he was dying

So it went

for the salesman once great

Extinction by internet

was his inevitable fate

Hit and Myth

 

Through the dark forest
of enchantment history  
the hunter of mythology 
stalks his prey 
with the empirical precision
of a modern high tech predator

Oblivious target in sight 

Piercing red laser beam

Rifle blast shatters the serene

Unicorn drops in a heap

It's quivering carcass
gushing rainbow blood

An efficient termination
of what very well could be
a species extinction

Dragons weep
over their slain friend
and vow revenge
on all those
murderous cynics
who seek to snuff out
their very existence

Picture This

 

HEY LOOK !!

Another boo hoo comedy
playing on Stage Humanity

Get the money pic shot
before the moment leaves
and becomes subject
to unreliable memory

Post it as public affirmation
into the cybersphere
that you were there
and that you matter
in the grand scheme

Cause we all need
a little human validation
now and then

Though as passive spectators
we are not compelled
by posting laws unwritten
to ever do participation 
lest we too get stained
by the carnage of history
and risk losing the objectivity
of gawking silent voyeurs 
intent more with perfect focus
than any sense
of personal involvement 

in the tragedies 

looping on our flat screens

Out of the Cold

 

I was born in the storm

of an infernal creation

A lone pup on the cusp of frostbite

Listen up

my frozen bitches:

When you got no coat

shivering in the cold 

of yet another endless night
this harsh dance with consequence
should make a lasting impression
if you bother paying attention
to the eternal relationship
between cause and effect

It's rarely fair

So don't expect it to be

Injustice don't care

But it needs not always win

if we persevere

and take the hurricane head on

with the goal of making it better

a little bit each day

Sensible Props

 

Not gonna fall today

Gotta stay on my feet

Cause getting up 
is not as easy
as it used to be

Damage repairs would be extensive

Not to mention prohibitively expensive

So my life is now mainly preventative

A prisoner of common sense am I

Staying on my chained feet
waiting in line
with all the other practical prisoners

for the slop they dispense

on our tin plates 

Tears of the Gladiator

 

I've been threatened by better

Terrorized by real monsters

of devilish blood stained intent

Not even sure if you're serious
or just posturing 

like a pissed off poser

Now that you have my attention
I have activated force shield defenses
which will regrettably
repel penetration
of any meaningful communication

which could resolve our differences

Keeping up with this friction

is a now full time occupation

which causes me to pause

if we'll ever find the trust

required to lower our weapons

Spiritual Reorganization

 

So shaken is my faith
these contentious days
I am starting to believe
religion is all a pay for pray ruse

A stained glass shell game
designed to deceive and confuse
the desperate for answers masses
seeking spiritual truth
in this stay off my lawn existence

Maybe it's time for we pilgrims

to cut out the middle man

and go directly to the spiritual source

for the much needed support

our lost species needs

That's assuming

the disgusted Lord

has not abandoned

us chronic sinners

out of pious disappointment

Ode to Poetry

 

Poetry takes me to places

I could never go

and allows me the freedom

to say bold things

I would never say

face to face

in the real world

which has always

petrified me so 

Poetry is my vessel

that takes me

to a dream state

without the chains

of perceived judgments

which have always

petrified me so

Poetry has helped me realize

that perpetually being petrified

is really a foolish way to go

Poetry is therapy for my head

without the expensive meds

Poetry gives me the courage

and self confidence

to venture forth in a world

where I never fit in before

  

I really hope you like my poetry

awkward and off key lyrically 

as it may be

but it won't shatter me if you don't

cause I like my brain droppings

and am fine with myself too

The whole

"To thine own self be true"

pro self esteem rap application

Stuck Pages

 

The clock strikes midnight

as the soft chimes

serenade the darkness

No rest for me though

for a brain that just can't let go

of the spent events

that comprised the day

Time for a retrospective
of opportunities that slipped away

real and imagined
cause we don't do enough self reflection
he says sarcastically

Maybe if we spent half the time
focusing in a forwardly direction
as we do gazing back

and fixating on sources of regret
we'd have fewer past mistakes
over which to ruminate and fret

Falling Up

 

Life does seemingly

play senseless

like a warped top

spinning out of control

but if you can embrace

the messed up randomness

and slip into the proper 

it's all bullshit perspective

you may begin

to at least appreciate

the pure entertainment value

of this ridiculous

unscripted

off the rails production

So shed without reservation

the yoke of suffocating frustration

and find ironic contentment 

by making Chaos and Anarchy

your "We're All Fucked" buddies 

All Hype No Bite

 

Old Mother Seymour
went to the packed grocery store
to get her family some processed food

When she got there
the shelves were bare
as her kitchen cupboard

No milk, no bread, no batteries

Not even a bone for her dog Kyle

There was panic in the aisles!

Winter storm Fern was barreling toward us
(When did they start naming storms anyway?)

An unstoppable massive
churning vortex of chaos
excited meteorologists
have been tracking all week

Media frenzy was now in full force

Stay tuned after this commercial break
peddling tropical vacation destinations
and we will regale you with the latest projections

Our weekly blizzard of the century!

A category infinity storm of epic proportions

All computer models now cast a dire tale

Need to find a generator and toilet paper
at price gouging prices

Supply and demand, bitches

Anyway...

The day of dread
and monotony breaking anticipation 
arrives with just a spritz of a drizzle

THAT'S IT ???

Seems the imperfect storm blew out to sea
along with all the hype and shared calamity

Just another case of mistaken intensity

We now return
to our regularly scheduled
Winter's boredom 

Bent Perceptions

 

Everything about us
was off the record
in this out of bounds 

scandalous relationship

We eventually
both grew weary
of living a shadowy existence

What the Hell were we so afraid of?

Why must we defend our love?

So we mutually agreed
to drop the pursuit
of fake ass social respectability
and drown out the jealous whispers
with our joyous shrieks
of unbridled

stained sheet

in your face happiness

And guess what?

We ain't the freak show anymore

Society now is

How fucked up is that?

The Wreck of the SS US

 

When the in over his head Captain
finally became

totally unmoored mentally
the end of our once grand ship
became a tragic certainty

Twas especially true
since many in the delusional crew

of half witted sychophants
refused to accept the fact
that our taking on water craft
once thought to be
an unsinkable behemoth
was going down fast

Of course

most of the safe guard life rafts

from the previous

meticulous design

had been gutted recently

under the guise of cost efficiency

by that same wrecking crew

now boarding the few

closely guarded lifeboats

to ensure they survive

the catastrophe

their negligence did create

See all you soon to be casualties

at the bottom of the sea

With Disinterest

 

I don't do
complicated
complex
or confounding anymore

Not really into simple

straightforward

or smooth either 

Guess I'm not into anything

Do you find
my rampant apathy disappointing?

What are we going to do?

I have no clue either

I really don't care
and neither should you

It Ain't What It Is

 

Truth ain't made of steel

It never was really

Tis a pliable material
we easily bend 
to fit our current needs
of narrow self interest

A gloppy balm 
to soothe the stinging realities
from the daily friction
of abrasive conflicts

An application
of convenient definitions
to justify the rationalizations
of the orderly hypocrisies
that allows this limited species
to marginally function
within the shifting lines 
of communal propriety

Truth be told these days

True is false as often as not

When objective fact checks
are rigorously applied
to our versions of reality
we will find
so many of our sacred paradigms
are nothing more than lies
wrapped in cotton candy alibis
and shiny contrivances
that keeps this deluded society
snug at night
in comforting beds of thought conformity

Be the Blender

 

When life gets too heavy
and feels too damn real
close those weary eyes

Lay your head back

Spread out those limbs

Release all tensions

Float down a serene stream
of liberated consciousness

Shape shift and blend
into the natural environment

Be the free chameleon
only those who choose
to pay close attention
will ever see

Flock of Ostriches

 

Pay no attention
and give no passing mention
to the specter of apocalypse
looming over
our purposely oblivious heads

The current turbulence

is just a passing anomaly

Not gonna let

a little needless madness

spoil what has been

an epic long running party

Denial is our birthright
and the pursuit

of useful deflections
has served us well so far

throughout our glorious history

In fact by executive decree

all the danger signs
that the gloom and doom

pessimists obsess on
will soon be gone
along with them

and their downer philosophies

Party over country

Clay Footed Breed

 

Sinners gonna sin
cause this is what we do

Repeatedly

The flesh by design
is so frickin weak

This much you already knew

Temptations lurk at every turn

Hell bent on breaching
our paper mache facade of morality

I just pray
you ain't one of them stone throwing posers
tossing boulders of hypocrisy
down from your glass cathedral

Cause when you crash

off the straight and narrow path
and fall on your now exposed ass
oh how we
you previously condemned
are gonna laugh
at such a pious fraud
who truth be told

ain't no better than anyone

Welcome to Shame my friend 

All In the Spin

 

Children

Gather round

the electronic fire

Today we celebrate

for your digestive pleasure
our latest and greatest
mass circulated
outrage contrivance

Swallow and regurgitate
on all your outlets
this half baked nothing burger
and do not be deterred
by the eye rolls
or outsider murmurs
that this is just another
in a long line
of desperate bread and circuses
slop political deflections

These disgusting socialists

will never understand

the need for controlled messaging

of a more coordinated spin

Applied Force

 

We push the current envelope
cause it needs to be stretched

Sometimes the tight bitch rips

Shit does tend to happen

when force meets resistance

And when the status quo tears

from unwelcome over extension

it wasn't prepared for

they will push back harshly
with all the means
of repression that worked yesterday

No compromise

or even half ass negotiation

will be forthcoming

We patch any collateral damage
as best we can

from their counterattack 
and keep moving forward

toward our victorious destiny

Always and forever agitating

while taking the hits that come with

hard fought social progress

Slugs and Bugs

 

I do so prefer living under this rock
with all the slugs and bugs
your judgmental society

seeks to suppress

The conditions in this environment
are damp and cool
even in the most oppressive climate

Our hard cover exterior
offers protective shade
from the deadly effects
of the glaring spotlight
which brutally evaporates
and reduces to dust the existence
of us non conforming types
the outside world rejects

We just wanna exist in peace
though many of us suspect
those you deem beneath you
will still be around
long after your fragile
house of marked cards
burns to the ground 

Punishment Dispensers

 

The monster we executed today
deserved it surely
in keeping with
our historical Old Testament
eye for an eye mentality

We tell ourselves
retribution is justice
to make our collective sin
a little more palatable
as we rationalize away
our role as executioners
in this God forsaken society

Bury the beast we shall do

and the next one too

as violence gets perpetuated

and morbidly institutionalized

The Spill Overs

 

If the shoe fits
you don't gotta wear it

Just because the ending
may be neat and tidy

does not mean
you are required to buy in

to the scripted conclusion

Not every equation
ties out perfectly
or is even meant to
in this odd existence
where we messy fractions
are the normative rule
rather than the exception

Paper Mache Sword Play

 

The poets say
in their infinite wisdom
of convenient cliches

Love conquers all

Really?

Can love defeat disease?

Make cancer cells dissolve
with a heartfelt hug?

How about vanquishing cruelty?

Or crushing the pain of infidelity?

Does love possess
super hero qualities? 

I sure wish it did

What a better place
this grim world this would be

But as often
seems to be the case
the truth rarely
cooperates with our lofty dreams

For you see my bitter friends
while love can be a transient
joyfully magical experience
it's such a delicate flower

A beautiful ethereal 
cotton candy treat

Defenseless against 
the harsh breeze of reality

Love simply will never be
the concrete monument
of eternal permanency
we poetic weavers of fantasy
desire it to be

So embrace the sensation while it lasts

Mass Movement

 

The man with the gun
thinks he has leverage
and he does
for the moment at least

It's a foolish illusion
because ultimately
there are more of us
than bullets in his belt

When nothing to lose

critical mass gets reached

all fear of retribution

gets pushed to the side

and replaced

by courageous determination

Strength in motivated numbers
remains the doomsday weapon
the men pulling the strings

rightly fear most