Your Feckless SmileYour smile detached and flitted off. We search in the Luxembourg Garden, the Tuileries, the cafes along Boulevard Montparnasse. You fear it has adhered to German tourists or smeared the eloquent stained glass of Saint-Chapelle. I worry that it has disgraced itself drunk at an embassy party where the stuffing comes out of shirts. Why can’t you discipline it? To avoid frightening the world I never smile. No one expects my approval, no one invites me to galas where the champagne flows, no one greets me gladly in the street. My expression avoids extremes so I never have to explain them. Isn’t this why we live in Paris with the Seine in suicidal gloom the cathedral shelled by fire, terrorists gunning down their critics? No sunny Impressionist scenes for us. If you hadn’t loosed your smile we would be too anonymous to suffer existential angst, our bodies so secret that even naked we’d be invisible. The alerted gendarmery searches alleys, bistros, cafes, parking lots in the dusty yellow suburbs where rumors froth with lechery. Next time refrain from flirting with the world. It doesn’t flirt back but takes what it wants with a sneer, leaving its best friends toothless and sopping up muck through a straw. McQuillan’s Last Few Notes Winter thaw exhorts the river to rise and claim our whole village. We and the river got along for the last hundred years but political notions have shifted to the right of that white pine looming over the house where Bob McQuillan died while banging his piano. We still hear his last few notes tinkling like rats rattling trash at the landfill. The river sighs, dreaming of the Mississippi, the Nile, the Volga, the Amazon French-kissing the naked sea. We also have spiked our ambitions, settling for a pittance while stones crack open to release the ghosts fossilized at the planet’s birth. What happens when the universe goes blank in a fit of entropy? A painless erasure, we’re sure-- no more climate to muddle us, no more spirit to corral. We share our usual tall cup of coffee and plan a speechless day of chores, ending with moonlight smoothing every frozen surface. We agree that winter’s easy if expensive, fuel depletion and psychic distress managed the way we manage everything that ruffles our mossy coifs. McQuillan left no ghost to play his folky little compositions, but his final struck notes linger to domesticate the river’s flow. Non-Euclidean Figures |
John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in Sheepshead Review, Poetry Salzburg Review and Hollins Critic. Latest books, “Leaves On Pages” “Memory Outside The Head” and “Guest Of Myself” are available through Amazon. Work upcoming in Ellipsis, Blueline and International Poetry Review. |
PREDICTION AND BEYOND
I’m reading Rachel Carson
first in the book,
then on the news,
the rising ocean waters
and the constant forays
against barrier islands.
The latest barrage of hurricanes
is like one of her chapters,
with a sentence or two
for the swamped dunes,
the battered boardwalk,
and paragraphs galore
to salute the shoreline cottages
picked apart by wind.
I have a choice these days.
I can both read the future
and also live it.
Except it’s not my choice.
first in the book,
then on the news,
the rising ocean waters
and the constant forays
against barrier islands.
The latest barrage of hurricanes
is like one of her chapters,
with a sentence or two
for the swamped dunes,
the battered boardwalk,
and paragraphs galore
to salute the shoreline cottages
picked apart by wind.
I have a choice these days.
I can both read the future
and also live it.
Except it’s not my choice.
QUIVERING NOTES
Like a share of daily bread,
I exalt in your leavened sourdough body.
All this sex repossesses the sensual world.
groping toward heaven, breasts like flying buttresses
Ancient warmth fleeting in my chest.
I still hear what’s happening through that door ajar
down the hall.
Sounds give succor to the blind communicant,
a vernacular of blossoms, grunts like Gothic spires.
I once knew a woman who raised sleaze close to poetry.
Her love filled with dust. Yet her breath was an all-night wind.
She was really a network of lines that converged at a vanishing point.
Her kisses fell like a fine fragrant melancholy rain.
Bodies grow older and no longer know us.
That is all the fear in these quivering notes.
Rock the bed harder, hone my nerves to arrowheads.
All this for an ovum in sperm pond.
Here on the battlements of heat and delight,
I kill the background like so many cockroaches.
Even to the sweat-soaked, penetration has this strange air of old-world majesty.
Knowing our parents did it, we respect their posed faces more.
I have learned what old photographs have to do with me.
Framed in orgasm and love – they lighten failure’s load.
The room expands to encompass years.
Memories chill my foreskin.
Touch it – a childish wish in grownup hands.
Like scaffolding. Like tears.
I exalt in your leavened sourdough body.
All this sex repossesses the sensual world.
groping toward heaven, breasts like flying buttresses
Ancient warmth fleeting in my chest.
I still hear what’s happening through that door ajar
down the hall.
Sounds give succor to the blind communicant,
a vernacular of blossoms, grunts like Gothic spires.
I once knew a woman who raised sleaze close to poetry.
Her love filled with dust. Yet her breath was an all-night wind.
She was really a network of lines that converged at a vanishing point.
Her kisses fell like a fine fragrant melancholy rain.
Bodies grow older and no longer know us.
That is all the fear in these quivering notes.
Rock the bed harder, hone my nerves to arrowheads.
All this for an ovum in sperm pond.
Here on the battlements of heat and delight,
I kill the background like so many cockroaches.
Even to the sweat-soaked, penetration has this strange air of old-world majesty.
Knowing our parents did it, we respect their posed faces more.
I have learned what old photographs have to do with me.
Framed in orgasm and love – they lighten failure’s load.
The room expands to encompass years.
Memories chill my foreskin.
Touch it – a childish wish in grownup hands.
Like scaffolding. Like tears.
A 900 NUMBER
She made her living delivering phone sex.
Her looks were immaterial.
Her tongue, her throat, her voice –
those were the curves,
the siren eyes,
the dress tightened round the thigh
like a hangman’s rope.
Her kid tucked in, prayers said,
it was time to tell strangers stories
with more fantasy than fairy tales,
more insight into their weaknesses than God.
She wore her hair down,
a robe around her body,
and puffy pink slippers covering her feet.
Like a phony spiritualist,
she read straight from her client’s own script,
embellished with pants, sighs,
and a cry, loud enough for the intended ear,
but cupped with a hand,
so it wouldn’t wake the child.
The pay was okay.
The hours worked to her advantage.
And nobody knew what she did for a living.
Sure, she pitied the guys on the other end of the line.
And she once pitied herself
but that just didn’t pay enough.
Her looks were immaterial.
Her tongue, her throat, her voice –
those were the curves,
the siren eyes,
the dress tightened round the thigh
like a hangman’s rope.
Her kid tucked in, prayers said,
it was time to tell strangers stories
with more fantasy than fairy tales,
more insight into their weaknesses than God.
She wore her hair down,
a robe around her body,
and puffy pink slippers covering her feet.
Like a phony spiritualist,
she read straight from her client’s own script,
embellished with pants, sighs,
and a cry, loud enough for the intended ear,
but cupped with a hand,
so it wouldn’t wake the child.
The pay was okay.
The hours worked to her advantage.
And nobody knew what she did for a living.
Sure, she pitied the guys on the other end of the line.
And she once pitied herself
but that just didn’t pay enough.
THE SUPERHERO IN THE BAR
He drinks like a superhero,
a mutant whose powers
are mostly in the mind,
but who tangles with the supervillain
of whatever is on tap.
He doesn’t bother tackling weaklings
like karaoke or trivia.
Nor the other drinkers,
too human for the likes of him,
with all that sports talk,
and whining about local politicians.
And there’s men trying to pick up women.
And women trying to pick up men.
Maybe if they could pick up five at a time
they’d be in his league
but he figures they’ll all be
going home lonely tonight.
Meanwhile, the bad guy tries
a little of that head fuzz on him,
some wobble to the knees,
a few extra bubbles to his gut.
He stumbles, crashes to the floor.
Once again,
he saves the city from himself.
a mutant whose powers
are mostly in the mind,
but who tangles with the supervillain
of whatever is on tap.
He doesn’t bother tackling weaklings
like karaoke or trivia.
Nor the other drinkers,
too human for the likes of him,
with all that sports talk,
and whining about local politicians.
And there’s men trying to pick up women.
And women trying to pick up men.
Maybe if they could pick up five at a time
they’d be in his league
but he figures they’ll all be
going home lonely tonight.
Meanwhile, the bad guy tries
a little of that head fuzz on him,
some wobble to the knees,
a few extra bubbles to his gut.
He stumbles, crashes to the floor.
Once again,
he saves the city from himself.
ILL-ADVISED
Bound high above your head,
how should I not revert
when prayer's inner depths shudder,
insidious as a thorn,
into this wretched plunge,
into a tenderness that devours its own,
disrupts the night
joins two disparate things
like a wounded heart and a dark beast
Look, where pain goes
in a los that darkly clings,
moving through the unclear of my eyes,
my soul to something now gravity -
oh gladly I would if…
but one tongue only speaks.
Only this misery
do we echo, a place that won't let go.
that questions the image, the reflection.
Yet when your own
raises its hand – it sadly loses shine,
yet sarcasm needs to choose someone,
So simply consign. It stays with us,
stillness, a struggle; reading, stirs as if trapped.
Sweet song - things written down on paper, God.
this crack in time,
blindly chains the disparate together
so that this is where our blackness is.
Who knew what when?
Who, then, received the news?
world in ripples: you and me.
how should I not revert
when prayer's inner depths shudder,
insidious as a thorn,
into this wretched plunge,
into a tenderness that devours its own,
disrupts the night
joins two disparate things
like a wounded heart and a dark beast
Look, where pain goes
in a los that darkly clings,
moving through the unclear of my eyes,
my soul to something now gravity -
oh gladly I would if…
but one tongue only speaks.
Only this misery
do we echo, a place that won't let go.
that questions the image, the reflection.
Yet when your own
raises its hand – it sadly loses shine,
yet sarcasm needs to choose someone,
So simply consign. It stays with us,
stillness, a struggle; reading, stirs as if trapped.
Sweet song - things written down on paper, God.
this crack in time,
blindly chains the disparate together
so that this is where our blackness is.
Who knew what when?
Who, then, received the news?
world in ripples: you and me.
Raj Ratan Mala is a student at the Saint Xavier's School in India. She is a published author of a teenage fiction novel 'The Under18's Diary'. Her works have been featured in literary journals including "The Literary Yard" and "Knit a Tale". Her poems have also been publicized by some really famous Instagram pages dedicated to literature.
Her fascination for literature has helped her to perform highly in certain fields such as spoken word and orating. She is a well rounded individual who lives with dedication and passion.
Her fascination for literature has helped her to perform highly in certain fields such as spoken word and orating. She is a well rounded individual who lives with dedication and passion.
The ‘World Unseen’
I got awaken by the mellifluous twitter,
of a bunch of nightingales;
Perceived myself in a peculiar world ,
Trees with golden leaves , rivers of pearls,
That amiable silence unheard ,
Like the sleeping Matterhorn left undisturbed.
“Where am I?” , I queried to the wind,
“Isn’t this Heaven? This beauty is so unconfined...”
“Hailing thee to the world unseen.”
An angelic voice , fading in the wind so clean.
“The world unseen?” questioned I and turned ,
Encountered a beauty , my eyes wide and stunned
Eyes of crystal ,skin of milk,
Alluring lips , an angelic beauty dressed in while silk.
“Yes, the world unseen.”, said she and smiled
And I stared at her beauty with my curious eyes...
She held my dirty hands and said ,
“Will take thou beyond the skies.”
“Don’t go with her!”, cried someone with a sigh,
The silence broke disagreeably ,
“Hold me tight”, said she ,”We’ll soon be alright” ,
I got my cautiousness back between the painful cries.
Her crystal eyes now showed agony
That sweet laughter now turned so maniacal ,
Darkness spread ; she was sharpening my death in her hands ,her eyes so keen,
Whispered in my ears, “Darling , this is the world you left unseen.”
She moved her hands to my face and I scream’d
I closed my eyes and found myself lying on the ground
A splash of gore on my face I found...
‘Who saved my life?’ thought I and looked around.
“Trust comes with no beautiful smile.”
Said the beauty who saved my life
Her divine hands stroked my tears and closed my eyes .
I woke up again with the sound of my alarm clock ,
Found myself in my comfort pillows made me desperately calm ;
Destiny remains undefined, I don’t know my reach,
A dream taught me such a reality that books could never teach...
of a bunch of nightingales;
Perceived myself in a peculiar world ,
Trees with golden leaves , rivers of pearls,
That amiable silence unheard ,
Like the sleeping Matterhorn left undisturbed.
“Where am I?” , I queried to the wind,
“Isn’t this Heaven? This beauty is so unconfined...”
“Hailing thee to the world unseen.”
An angelic voice , fading in the wind so clean.
“The world unseen?” questioned I and turned ,
Encountered a beauty , my eyes wide and stunned
Eyes of crystal ,skin of milk,
Alluring lips , an angelic beauty dressed in while silk.
“Yes, the world unseen.”, said she and smiled
And I stared at her beauty with my curious eyes...
She held my dirty hands and said ,
“Will take thou beyond the skies.”
“Don’t go with her!”, cried someone with a sigh,
The silence broke disagreeably ,
“Hold me tight”, said she ,”We’ll soon be alright” ,
I got my cautiousness back between the painful cries.
Her crystal eyes now showed agony
That sweet laughter now turned so maniacal ,
Darkness spread ; she was sharpening my death in her hands ,her eyes so keen,
Whispered in my ears, “Darling , this is the world you left unseen.”
She moved her hands to my face and I scream’d
I closed my eyes and found myself lying on the ground
A splash of gore on my face I found...
‘Who saved my life?’ thought I and looked around.
“Trust comes with no beautiful smile.”
Said the beauty who saved my life
Her divine hands stroked my tears and closed my eyes .
I woke up again with the sound of my alarm clock ,
Found myself in my comfort pillows made me desperately calm ;
Destiny remains undefined, I don’t know my reach,
A dream taught me such a reality that books could never teach...
Originally from Silchar, Assam, Goirick B’s third book of poems, Wet Radio and other poems was published 2017. His poems have appeared in magazines like Berfrois, Café Dissensus, Raiot and Nether, among others. He is currently working on a collaborative volume of verses titled ‘The Nightwalkers’ along with Debarshi Mitra (Forthcoming from Writer’s Workshop, Kolkata).
<Recovery>
The night is the only weapon
To confront these viral times
When distance becomes the only elixir
And all touch forbidden.
Counting seconds
Memories
Forgotten tastes,
Fragrances.
Sidewalks,
Yellow broken brights,
All emotions erased
Or, are they?
The same old place
Same old faces
The same old anxiety pills
Only the has expression
Changed.
To confront these viral times
When distance becomes the only elixir
And all touch forbidden.
Counting seconds
Memories
Forgotten tastes,
Fragrances.
Sidewalks,
Yellow broken brights,
All emotions erased
Or, are they?
The same old place
Same old faces
The same old anxiety pills
Only the has expression
Changed.
<How to erase memories>
The short-lived once are the hardest
Comparing does not work
Whining is just me; fading out like time, evaporating
There is a thin line between possessiveness and the end
I examine the two ideas
Closely. Oversleeping, is a good advice
Oh fuck, someone stop that filthy music right now, fuckers!
My room is my universe
Coffee makes you restless,
Work is slow, so are our movements.
Count your hours until we can converse again
Comparing does not work
Whining is just me; fading out like time, evaporating
There is a thin line between possessiveness and the end
I examine the two ideas
Closely. Oversleeping, is a good advice
Oh fuck, someone stop that filthy music right now, fuckers!
My room is my universe
Coffee makes you restless,
Work is slow, so are our movements.
Count your hours until we can converse again
A disease for a disease
Sitting inside the glass chambers
They dream of genocides. The decree
Of the king is forever final.
The judges and the saviours
Will be hanged at the twilight.
The vicious ghosts of the writers
Must be invariably accoladed.
Their vices are carefully collected
Into separate potion vials.
Distilled drops of death
Drip into my colourless veins.
This addictive craving
For self-harm is self-explanatory.
My bare body for ages bounded by infectious, covetous
Constant human hammering, episodes
Of mass mental murder and cerebral loss, nasty hankerings.
Someone raise the seventh wall right now!
Liquids of all colours ooze out
Along with sharp beeps at different frequencies.
Filth is now the new elixir.
And all the subjects of the damned land
Have already paid their taxes and their tongues.
Silence has always been the only consensus.
Rage manifests itself into myriad essence
Of pain: sometimes familiar, sometimes insane.
Conformation traded for a last chance
At a choked existence.
Conversion, a morphine painkiller.
X-rays have given up and denied to scan
The end of this earth’s sanity.
And yet, they await
For an answer.
They dream of genocides. The decree
Of the king is forever final.
The judges and the saviours
Will be hanged at the twilight.
The vicious ghosts of the writers
Must be invariably accoladed.
Their vices are carefully collected
Into separate potion vials.
Distilled drops of death
Drip into my colourless veins.
This addictive craving
For self-harm is self-explanatory.
My bare body for ages bounded by infectious, covetous
Constant human hammering, episodes
Of mass mental murder and cerebral loss, nasty hankerings.
Someone raise the seventh wall right now!
Liquids of all colours ooze out
Along with sharp beeps at different frequencies.
Filth is now the new elixir.
And all the subjects of the damned land
Have already paid their taxes and their tongues.
Silence has always been the only consensus.
Rage manifests itself into myriad essence
Of pain: sometimes familiar, sometimes insane.
Conformation traded for a last chance
At a choked existence.
Conversion, a morphine painkiller.
X-rays have given up and denied to scan
The end of this earth’s sanity.
And yet, they await
For an answer.
Anomaly
To approach the state
Of containing no meaning,
The end of sound must
Begin; abstaining the speech
First, then the sighs or the moans
Now the minds must stop,
All anatomies disem-
Bodied; entities
Resolved to isolate or
Fade into silence
The drone of an aged
Old fan, text alerts, alarms,
Cars disappear; roads
Melt into rivers, disjoint
Monophonics in this age
When soliloquy
Becomes the only script, all
The codes and trials
Fail to connect us; no, don't
Blame it on our ignorance.
Of containing no meaning,
The end of sound must
Begin; abstaining the speech
First, then the sighs or the moans
Now the minds must stop,
All anatomies disem-
Bodied; entities
Resolved to isolate or
Fade into silence
The drone of an aged
Old fan, text alerts, alarms,
Cars disappear; roads
Melt into rivers, disjoint
Monophonics in this age
When soliloquy
Becomes the only script, all
The codes and trials
Fail to connect us; no, don't
Blame it on our ignorance.
A lockdown Self-portrait (2020)
My mouth is dry
I do not trust this existence
I don’t trust myself most
I am not here
Just Caged
Lonely in a crowded image
Only bones
Broken teeth
Skull
Nails
Parched toes
Bitten fingers
Bitten skin
Tramadol
Tastes like charcoal
And I smell like decomposed fast food,
Wastehills
My eyes now blur
Conglomerate visions
Anger from the past
Remorse
Failures
Dark circles
Fractured jawline
Melt into fluid
What is a good life?
Self-destructive dreams
Insecurities,
Uncertain self,
Future
Possessively
Possessed
By the present
A heart without any preservatives
Only a dark hole.
I do not trust this existence
I don’t trust myself most
I am not here
Just Caged
Lonely in a crowded image
Only bones
Broken teeth
Skull
Nails
Parched toes
Bitten fingers
Bitten skin
Tramadol
Tastes like charcoal
And I smell like decomposed fast food,
Wastehills
My eyes now blur
Conglomerate visions
Anger from the past
Remorse
Failures
Dark circles
Fractured jawline
Melt into fluid
What is a good life?
Self-destructive dreams
Insecurities,
Uncertain self,
Future
Possessively
Possessed
By the present
A heart without any preservatives
Only a dark hole.
NGOZI OLIVIA OSUOHA is a Nigerian poet/writer/thinker. A graduate of Estate Management with experience in Banking and Broadcasting. She has featured in over seventy international anthologies and has also published over two hundred and sixty poems/pieces in over twenty five countries. She has authored twenty three poetry books, and some of them are archived in the United States' Library of Congress. Some of her poems have been translated into and published in Arabic, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Polish, Farsi, Khloe, Macedonian, and other languages. She is also a tailor. Some of her poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net awards. |
MY GUARDIAN ANGEL
True love from above
Flying like a dove
Divine wings
Holy rings,
Spreading purity and trinity.
My real hero
Lifting me from zero
My pure strength
Guarding me at length.
Dependable and reliable
Capable and able,
Holding me down
Cleaning my gown.
My guardian angel
My golden apparel,
My Knight in shinning armour
My light in dark humour.
Lily in my valley
Family of my belly
My ally, my alloy, my envoy
Guiding me through the convoy.
Respectful, honest, decent
Godly, homely, humble
Lovely, lowly, my heart;
We can start any art.
Flying like a dove
Divine wings
Holy rings,
Spreading purity and trinity.
My real hero
Lifting me from zero
My pure strength
Guarding me at length.
Dependable and reliable
Capable and able,
Holding me down
Cleaning my gown.
My guardian angel
My golden apparel,
My Knight in shinning armour
My light in dark humour.
Lily in my valley
Family of my belly
My ally, my alloy, my envoy
Guiding me through the convoy.
Respectful, honest, decent
Godly, homely, humble
Lovely, lowly, my heart;
We can start any art.
AFTER THE WAR
Was it not yesterday that they struck
And got our corpses loaded in their truck
Dragged our lifeless bodies along valleys
And poured our wasted souls into gullies,
See them, parade in victory.
After the war, they never ceased
Rather they seized every opportunity to kill
Hear them till graves and shallow tombs
Annihilation, marginalization, extermination.
Soldiers, aids, uniforms in concord
A discourse and concourse
Envoy, convoy and voyage
Blood, flooding the carnage.
After the war, they held on
Horrors in pieces and bits
Terrors on nieces and kits
Watch, listen, hear them rage louder!
We rise, yes we do, the muse
For the rising sun only sets with nature
Rains, clouds, nights and days
Dews, mist, moist, fog, they all gear.
Blood rise in wells
As they ring like bells
Calling forth for peace
Singing songs of love
Writing books of unity
Saying words of progress
Gathering dust of justice
Yet after the war, the pogroms return.
Genocides, homicides, afflictions
Hate, hate upon hate
War, war after war
Call a dog a bad name
And have it publicly beheaded for festival.
In memory of those killed during the Biafran war
And got our corpses loaded in their truck
Dragged our lifeless bodies along valleys
And poured our wasted souls into gullies,
See them, parade in victory.
After the war, they never ceased
Rather they seized every opportunity to kill
Hear them till graves and shallow tombs
Annihilation, marginalization, extermination.
Soldiers, aids, uniforms in concord
A discourse and concourse
Envoy, convoy and voyage
Blood, flooding the carnage.
After the war, they held on
Horrors in pieces and bits
Terrors on nieces and kits
Watch, listen, hear them rage louder!
We rise, yes we do, the muse
For the rising sun only sets with nature
Rains, clouds, nights and days
Dews, mist, moist, fog, they all gear.
Blood rise in wells
As they ring like bells
Calling forth for peace
Singing songs of love
Writing books of unity
Saying words of progress
Gathering dust of justice
Yet after the war, the pogroms return.
Genocides, homicides, afflictions
Hate, hate upon hate
War, war after war
Call a dog a bad name
And have it publicly beheaded for festival.
In memory of those killed during the Biafran war
COVID THE PANDEMIC
Hellow covid the pandemic
You rose like a lion
To destroy our republic
But there is One, guarding Zion.
You soared and severed
Tearing and wearing apart
Even the most revered
Daunting and denting our hat
But there is One who for us had suffered.
Bye Covid, you were vivid
We saw you loud and clear
Bye Covid, you were stupid
We cannot love you like cupid.
Bye, go away, never return
Dwell in the innermost hell
Bye, in hell do burn
So in heaven we tell.
Get lost, get vanished
The vanquisher has ravaged your cell,
Bye Covid, the pandemic.
Covid, the pandemic
You were tragic,
And stole our comic.
You were hectic
And made us panic
Go away, and never return
Covid, the pandemic.
You rose like a lion
To destroy our republic
But there is One, guarding Zion.
You soared and severed
Tearing and wearing apart
Even the most revered
Daunting and denting our hat
But there is One who for us had suffered.
Bye Covid, you were vivid
We saw you loud and clear
Bye Covid, you were stupid
We cannot love you like cupid.
Bye, go away, never return
Dwell in the innermost hell
Bye, in hell do burn
So in heaven we tell.
Get lost, get vanished
The vanquisher has ravaged your cell,
Bye Covid, the pandemic.
Covid, the pandemic
You were tragic,
And stole our comic.
You were hectic
And made us panic
Go away, and never return
Covid, the pandemic.
THE RISE
We have to rise and shine
For we bear in us the light,
Light of the world.
We are light
The torch and the lamp bearer,
We share and care.
We rise, still we do
We have to, we need to
We breed light,
Let us light up the world.
Rise, rise the rise
Arise, shine, light, enlighten the dark world
Break the glass, shatter the ceiling
The glass ceiling, the wooden
Natural and manmade barriers.
Unconventional light shine, uncommon light glow
Fears rock, doubts roll,
Stigmas row, dogmas crow
Discrimination rage, segregation cage
Cultures mesmerize, traditions massacre
Religion blind, hate banish
Racism bury, rape kill
Violence truncate, violation rule
Laws quench, hunger and thirst advance.
Rise, dear women!
Step out, step up, step right
You are the rise
And the rising sun
Hope and beauty, glory and honour
Rise, shine your light!
Shatter the ceilings, all, all of them
Break the stereotypes, dance
Run the race, grace is enough
Brace up, fall in, fall out!
We have to rise and shine
For we bear in us the light,
Light of the world.
We are light
The torch and the lamp bearer,
We share and care.
We rise, still we do
We have to, we need to
We breed light,
Let us light up the world.
Rise, rise the rise
Arise, shine, light, enlighten the dark world
Break the glass, shatter the ceiling
The glass ceiling, the wooden
Natural and manmade barriers.
Unconventional light shine, uncommon light glow
Fears rock, doubts roll,
Stigmas row, dogmas crow
Discrimination rage, segregation cage
Cultures mesmerize, traditions massacre
Religion blind, hate banish
Racism bury, rape kill
Violence truncate, violation rule
Laws quench, hunger and thirst advance.
Rise, dear women!
Step out, step up, step right
You are the rise
And the rising sun
Hope and beauty, glory and honour
Rise, shine your light!
Shatter the ceilings, all, all of them
Break the stereotypes, dance
Run the race, grace is enough
Brace up, fall in, fall out!
IN-LAWS
Here is my piece for all
Concerning marriage,
No matter how blind your love
And how deep your feelings
Beware of where you go.
Culture, tradition, religion, tribe and race
Dreams, visions, beliefs, goals and passions
Ambitions, and aspirations,
Understanding, care, and affection
All these make or mar unions.
Parallel people dare not bond
Opposite believers cannot merge
Infatuations and fantasies
Dreams, daydreams and realities
These raise alarms.
Pretence does not last
Lies flop along the line
Deceit does more harm
Charms fade with time,
Beware of demons in angelic robes.
Masquerades, wolves in sheep's clothing
Robbers in watchmen's apparel
Pedophiles as guardians
These ruin homes.
Cheating, infidelity, excessive rage
Violence, abuse, misunderstanding
Mistreatment, distrust, disrespect
Slavery, bondage, overdependence
Laziness, carelessness, and gossip
No home survives these hurdles.
There is always a boundary
Within, is acceptable
Without, is unbearable
Marriage is not for kids.
Sex, change of status
Having children and license to born
Flashy rings and costly jewels
Flamboyance and luxury
The makeup and makeover
They all glitter but are not gold.
Marriage is for mutual interests
Never is it for parasites,
Give peace and get it back
Sow love and reap same
Plant care and harvest so
Cultivate home and enjoy such,
A word is enough for the wise.
Concerning marriage,
No matter how blind your love
And how deep your feelings
Beware of where you go.
Culture, tradition, religion, tribe and race
Dreams, visions, beliefs, goals and passions
Ambitions, and aspirations,
Understanding, care, and affection
All these make or mar unions.
Parallel people dare not bond
Opposite believers cannot merge
Infatuations and fantasies
Dreams, daydreams and realities
These raise alarms.
Pretence does not last
Lies flop along the line
Deceit does more harm
Charms fade with time,
Beware of demons in angelic robes.
Masquerades, wolves in sheep's clothing
Robbers in watchmen's apparel
Pedophiles as guardians
These ruin homes.
Cheating, infidelity, excessive rage
Violence, abuse, misunderstanding
Mistreatment, distrust, disrespect
Slavery, bondage, overdependence
Laziness, carelessness, and gossip
No home survives these hurdles.
There is always a boundary
Within, is acceptable
Without, is unbearable
Marriage is not for kids.
Sex, change of status
Having children and license to born
Flashy rings and costly jewels
Flamboyance and luxury
The makeup and makeover
They all glitter but are not gold.
Marriage is for mutual interests
Never is it for parasites,
Give peace and get it back
Sow love and reap same
Plant care and harvest so
Cultivate home and enjoy such,
A word is enough for the wise.
THERE IS GOD
I am afraid of life
Because it is a mystery
But I will make history.
I am afraid of friends
Because they are humans
But I will love them.
I am scared of tomorrow
Because it is unknown,
But I am hopeful.
I am troubled about the world
Because leaders are unfaithful,
And things change for worse
But there is God.
Because it is a mystery
But I will make history.
I am afraid of friends
Because they are humans
But I will love them.
I am scared of tomorrow
Because it is unknown,
But I am hopeful.
I am troubled about the world
Because leaders are unfaithful,
And things change for worse
But there is God.
FEAR
Fear is a hole
It makes nothing whole.
Fear is a rocket
It scars the pocket.
Fear is a game
It can bring shame.
Fear is a price
It can come thrice.
Fear is a grass
It can burn the mass.
Fear is complex
It can tower to the apex
And cause a reflex.
It makes nothing whole.
Fear is a rocket
It scars the pocket.
Fear is a game
It can bring shame.
Fear is a price
It can come thrice.
Fear is a grass
It can burn the mass.
Fear is complex
It can tower to the apex
And cause a reflex.
LOVE
Love is humble
It makes royal,
Love is marble
It remains loyal.
A game of heart
Drawing the art,
Linking the chart
Clearing the mart.
If you make it a gamble
It will crumble
And leave you in shamble.
If you make it a garden
It will harden
And grow vegetations.
Love is a platform
It can reform,
Killing the worm
And cankerworm.
It makes royal,
Love is marble
It remains loyal.
A game of heart
Drawing the art,
Linking the chart
Clearing the mart.
If you make it a gamble
It will crumble
And leave you in shamble.
If you make it a garden
It will harden
And grow vegetations.
Love is a platform
It can reform,
Killing the worm
And cankerworm.
HATE
A day of hate
Destroys a destiny,
A time of rage
Kills a destination.
Hate is a ladder
It gets one madder,
Hate never makes gladder
And it pops up the bladder.
Hate strangles dreams
And embitters streams,
Hate buries hope
And murders the scope.
Hate is an enemy
It smokes like the chimney,
And hits the kidney.
Hate is a cage
It does much damage,
And leaves many in bondage
Throwing others into the drainage.
Beware of love
Be kind, do not hate
Then you will not fear
Because there is God.
Destroys a destiny,
A time of rage
Kills a destination.
Hate is a ladder
It gets one madder,
Hate never makes gladder
And it pops up the bladder.
Hate strangles dreams
And embitters streams,
Hate buries hope
And murders the scope.
Hate is an enemy
It smokes like the chimney,
And hits the kidney.
Hate is a cage
It does much damage,
And leaves many in bondage
Throwing others into the drainage.
Beware of love
Be kind, do not hate
Then you will not fear
Because there is God.
MY COUNTRY
Come, cry for me
For I am troubled, so troubled
Come, cry with me
For I am in pain, so pained,
Painted, fainted, a dirty painting
A fainting that is draining me.
My country burns, burning in flames
My homeland mourns, mourning in shame
My fatherland is quaking
Quaking loud and aloud
Shaking the cloud and crowd.
Pray for me please, please I pray thee
My land bleeds in greed
Lives waste in hundreds
Tears overflow daily
Fears gather amidst
Nothing, nobody is safe,
Please pray for me, my people, and my country.
For I am troubled, so troubled
Come, cry with me
For I am in pain, so pained,
Painted, fainted, a dirty painting
A fainting that is draining me.
My country burns, burning in flames
My homeland mourns, mourning in shame
My fatherland is quaking
Quaking loud and aloud
Shaking the cloud and crowd.
Pray for me please, please I pray thee
My land bleeds in greed
Lives waste in hundreds
Tears overflow daily
Fears gather amidst
Nothing, nobody is safe,
Please pray for me, my people, and my country.
IN THE WINGS OF VIOLENCE
Hear the wind rage
See the rain raging
The thunder strikes
Lightning gives horror
My people are swept over.
In the wings of violence
My land encroaches to war
Fighting, killing, maiming, raping
Hear war sing freely to us.
In the wings of violence
I hear innocence moan,
In the wings of terror
I see generations groan
Look deep and yonder
Leadership is terrorism.
Religion has beheaded us
Politics has bewitched us
Hatred, falsehood, fallacy, dogmatism
Hey! I fear now and tomorrow!
See the rain raging
The thunder strikes
Lightning gives horror
My people are swept over.
In the wings of violence
My land encroaches to war
Fighting, killing, maiming, raping
Hear war sing freely to us.
In the wings of violence
I hear innocence moan,
In the wings of terror
I see generations groan
Look deep and yonder
Leadership is terrorism.
Religion has beheaded us
Politics has bewitched us
Hatred, falsehood, fallacy, dogmatism
Hey! I fear now and tomorrow!
COLD WAR
We are at war
We are barely alive
They pounce on us raw
We are halfway dead.
A cold war so loud
The world is busy
So busy that we are insignificant.
The world is on
On, ongoing with activities
The world is on its wings
As we oscillate on swings.
Leadership is no more fair
Friendship is now a nightmare
Partnership is cruelty
Relationship is wickedness,
The world looks the other way,
As we dive and plunge into the abyss
Head on collision with death.
A cold war, within and without
Gold, hold, sold, fold, told and untold.
We are barely alive
They pounce on us raw
We are halfway dead.
A cold war so loud
The world is busy
So busy that we are insignificant.
The world is on
On, ongoing with activities
The world is on its wings
As we oscillate on swings.
Leadership is no more fair
Friendship is now a nightmare
Partnership is cruelty
Relationship is wickedness,
The world looks the other way,
As we dive and plunge into the abyss
Head on collision with death.
A cold war, within and without
Gold, hold, sold, fold, told and untold.
OLD
I like being
Home alone with my teeth out
It’s your problem
If I resemble a pre-historic trout
You can unlike me
Always get out
I like looking back
And see what I have done
I like calling someone sometime
Young Lady or my son
I listen to these old songs
That you think are crap
I, on the other hand, even like rap
I have not home-owners insurance
I am a renter
I meet women
At the senior center
My car is a bus
My health is a bust
My coffee mate is Coffee Mate
The packs with the nice strips
I use to have coffee with my cat
But he jumped ship
It isn’t such a question of getting out there
I guess we all could use some fresh air
But life is so un-fair
I think I’ll stay in here
I have dodged many life hatchets
Keeping my head from the baskets
Still I could hang myself up
Like I would a pair of pants
I don’t think anyone would be interested
In the circumstance
Keep your eyes on my feet
And spy my last dance
Then again
This leads to this and this leads to that
I think all I need
Is a gimmie shelter cat.
Home alone with my teeth out
It’s your problem
If I resemble a pre-historic trout
You can unlike me
Always get out
I like looking back
And see what I have done
I like calling someone sometime
Young Lady or my son
I listen to these old songs
That you think are crap
I, on the other hand, even like rap
I have not home-owners insurance
I am a renter
I meet women
At the senior center
My car is a bus
My health is a bust
My coffee mate is Coffee Mate
The packs with the nice strips
I use to have coffee with my cat
But he jumped ship
It isn’t such a question of getting out there
I guess we all could use some fresh air
But life is so un-fair
I think I’ll stay in here
I have dodged many life hatchets
Keeping my head from the baskets
Still I could hang myself up
Like I would a pair of pants
I don’t think anyone would be interested
In the circumstance
Keep your eyes on my feet
And spy my last dance
Then again
This leads to this and this leads to that
I think all I need
Is a gimmie shelter cat.
DECISIONS DECISIONS
I can’t decide to get it over with
I can’t decide to get it under with
Either way, my brain is a shiv non-stop
What winds up on the floor
Starts at the top
I can’t decide between a gun or a mop
Decisions Decisions
Does it make a difference which way I turn?
It certainly won’t change the dim glow of my inner lantern
If it’s all already written, can I still editorialize on my own?
I have a few thoughts out on a short-term loan
My,” I surrender flag”, is being proudly flown
There is nothing wrong with a few bumps in the road
When you drop a few things to lighten your load
Decisions Decisions
Who do I listen to?
And who do I don’t?
My own voice is sometimes water-logged
Right now, it won’t float
Decisions Incisions
Sometimes I get on my knees
Lay my head on the bed
It is where I go to ask for things
That I could get for myself instead
But now and then we all need a hand
Even if the prescription is written in the sand
Decisions Decisions
While we drag our burdens
Aloud the grievances we voice
The best decisions we make
Are the ones where we have no choice
I can’t decide to get it under with
Either way, my brain is a shiv non-stop
What winds up on the floor
Starts at the top
I can’t decide between a gun or a mop
Decisions Decisions
Does it make a difference which way I turn?
It certainly won’t change the dim glow of my inner lantern
If it’s all already written, can I still editorialize on my own?
I have a few thoughts out on a short-term loan
My,” I surrender flag”, is being proudly flown
There is nothing wrong with a few bumps in the road
When you drop a few things to lighten your load
Decisions Decisions
Who do I listen to?
And who do I don’t?
My own voice is sometimes water-logged
Right now, it won’t float
Decisions Incisions
Sometimes I get on my knees
Lay my head on the bed
It is where I go to ask for things
That I could get for myself instead
But now and then we all need a hand
Even if the prescription is written in the sand
Decisions Decisions
While we drag our burdens
Aloud the grievances we voice
The best decisions we make
Are the ones where we have no choice
PEOPLE PERSON
I’m a people person
Till you close the curtain
I’ll be there for you for sure
Till I close the door
Out there I’m brave
In my room I’m afraid
It’s not me it’s you
Look what you made me do
I’m ok when someone is looking
When I’m not being watched
Nothing is cooking
You think I don’t know?
I don’t go with the flow
Trust me, I know
Outside I make the grade
Inside I’m a slave
But
With you all is possible
Without you mission impossible
But you will not be here for long
When you realize the meaning of my song
I’m a friend till the end
Till we reach the next bend
And
Why should I listen to your advice?
Read from your pages?
Look at you
No love for ages
So
Don’t tell me how you are different from me
You only show me what you want me to see
I’ll gladly admit I am weak
It’s your risk if you want to take a peek
My mountains are flat
And my roof is deep
You think you’re better than me?
I’ll be the first and last to agree
But
I’m a real nice guy
Till I turn away when you cry
I don’t think for a minute
All I do is spin it
I love the world and its glory
But I’m not part of its story
A history of my suicidal thoughts run deep
Heading
Towards a future of a good nights’ sleep
Here comes that rainy day feeling again
Keep it coming and I’ll say when
How did I get so ruined and corrupt?
Like everyone else
The baby steps add up
See you at the till
One day
Maybe you and I could share the bill
But
I think I like your style
I’m just not sure
If you’re the symptom or the cure
Leadership or fellowship
Neither one has been my trip
I’m a really nice man
As long as you stay off my land
Till you close the curtain
I’ll be there for you for sure
Till I close the door
Out there I’m brave
In my room I’m afraid
It’s not me it’s you
Look what you made me do
I’m ok when someone is looking
When I’m not being watched
Nothing is cooking
You think I don’t know?
I don’t go with the flow
Trust me, I know
Outside I make the grade
Inside I’m a slave
But
With you all is possible
Without you mission impossible
But you will not be here for long
When you realize the meaning of my song
I’m a friend till the end
Till we reach the next bend
And
Why should I listen to your advice?
Read from your pages?
Look at you
No love for ages
So
Don’t tell me how you are different from me
You only show me what you want me to see
I’ll gladly admit I am weak
It’s your risk if you want to take a peek
My mountains are flat
And my roof is deep
You think you’re better than me?
I’ll be the first and last to agree
But
I’m a real nice guy
Till I turn away when you cry
I don’t think for a minute
All I do is spin it
I love the world and its glory
But I’m not part of its story
A history of my suicidal thoughts run deep
Heading
Towards a future of a good nights’ sleep
Here comes that rainy day feeling again
Keep it coming and I’ll say when
How did I get so ruined and corrupt?
Like everyone else
The baby steps add up
See you at the till
One day
Maybe you and I could share the bill
But
I think I like your style
I’m just not sure
If you’re the symptom or the cure
Leadership or fellowship
Neither one has been my trip
I’m a really nice man
As long as you stay off my land
LIKE FLYING
A mean drunk some of the time
A body and mind of loveliness most of the time
Her love will never be mine
We all have our addictions
All are sublime
Some we kick
Most we can’t lick
Which is fine
She is mine
A beautiful person
With a heart hot as ice
Someone you would not want to mess with
Someone who does not think twice
The merit can wait
Until the right situation
Her
Love and hate
Come from the same plate
Yet
Time with her is like flying
Everything else is fast standing still
The pleasure and excitement
Of losing your will
You think you know someone, and you don’t
You think someone loves you, and they won’t
And even through
They are too good at being coy
While what is behind it is underemployed
Being with her is like flying
Everything else is grinding
A waterfall and a cloud of beauty
Tunes my moral compass
To its call of duty
But it does not remain long
Until another fresh tune comes along
Then there is this girl
Who is and isn’t
You never know
Her exact existence
Any contemporary woman
Knows vanity when she sees it
How far can you go with the racket they call,” Believe in it” ?
Yet
There is the way that she cares
And the way she never will
I can stare at her forever and a day
As she goes out without me to play
I’m going to lay down for a little bit
And everything will be ok
When I pick it up again, something will come my way
Man am I ever down
Different territory but the same old story
Man am I beat
Different address on the same one-way street
Man am I dead
No I’m not
I’ll begin again
You just wait till get my second wind
On my way
To return what I bought
Until I think
Of another afterthought
A lovely peachy person
All of the time
As long as the locations
Are only in my mind
A body and mind of loveliness most of the time
Her love will never be mine
We all have our addictions
All are sublime
Some we kick
Most we can’t lick
Which is fine
She is mine
A beautiful person
With a heart hot as ice
Someone you would not want to mess with
Someone who does not think twice
The merit can wait
Until the right situation
Her
Love and hate
Come from the same plate
Yet
Time with her is like flying
Everything else is fast standing still
The pleasure and excitement
Of losing your will
You think you know someone, and you don’t
You think someone loves you, and they won’t
And even through
They are too good at being coy
While what is behind it is underemployed
Being with her is like flying
Everything else is grinding
A waterfall and a cloud of beauty
Tunes my moral compass
To its call of duty
But it does not remain long
Until another fresh tune comes along
Then there is this girl
Who is and isn’t
You never know
Her exact existence
Any contemporary woman
Knows vanity when she sees it
How far can you go with the racket they call,” Believe in it” ?
Yet
There is the way that she cares
And the way she never will
I can stare at her forever and a day
As she goes out without me to play
I’m going to lay down for a little bit
And everything will be ok
When I pick it up again, something will come my way
Man am I ever down
Different territory but the same old story
Man am I beat
Different address on the same one-way street
Man am I dead
No I’m not
I’ll begin again
You just wait till get my second wind
On my way
To return what I bought
Until I think
Of another afterthought
A lovely peachy person
All of the time
As long as the locations
Are only in my mind
TRAGEDY
There is tragedy happening somewhere
It is closer than you think
There is a storm coming at you
Everything including the kitchen sink
It’s moving at the speed of death
Make sure you duck and do not blink
There is a firefight on your front lawn
Right under your very nose
Wait a few years until your next yawn
This one will not be quenched with your garden hose
There is a disaster looking at your neck
Void of respect
Creeping up without a sound
It has you in its crosshairs
Run do not turn around
You are being shoved by the land of fate
Holding it back forever
Still will be too late
There is a sun and moon that will not show
Jimmy’s mojo has even lost its glow
Singing and drinking solo
Call up that insurance salesman
Regarding that policy that cost you all that dough
He ain’t going to pay it out
He will not pick up the phone
Me? I am under the bed
My arms and back are smoldering
Looking for my old comic books
To ease the burden I have been shouldering
This time it is a world news disease
That has me and my earth
Brought to its knees
We are landing in a crevasse
Courtesy of our own device
This is not a guesswork
Don’t think twice
Cause it ain’t alright
It is closer than you think
There is a storm coming at you
Everything including the kitchen sink
It’s moving at the speed of death
Make sure you duck and do not blink
There is a firefight on your front lawn
Right under your very nose
Wait a few years until your next yawn
This one will not be quenched with your garden hose
There is a disaster looking at your neck
Void of respect
Creeping up without a sound
It has you in its crosshairs
Run do not turn around
You are being shoved by the land of fate
Holding it back forever
Still will be too late
There is a sun and moon that will not show
Jimmy’s mojo has even lost its glow
Singing and drinking solo
Call up that insurance salesman
Regarding that policy that cost you all that dough
He ain’t going to pay it out
He will not pick up the phone
Me? I am under the bed
My arms and back are smoldering
Looking for my old comic books
To ease the burden I have been shouldering
This time it is a world news disease
That has me and my earth
Brought to its knees
We are landing in a crevasse
Courtesy of our own device
This is not a guesswork
Don’t think twice
Cause it ain’t alright
EX FILES
I got a cat that’s dead
I got a girlfriend instead
Now I got a lumpier bed
An abundant woman
Short of brains and bread
She had a song inside her
No one could play
She had a dragon inside her
No one could slay
If the games you played with her
Did not not go her way
She would pick up her marbles
And call it a day
The bills she sent me I would gladly pay
After the tearful thanks
I still could not get her to stay
Sometimes you’re happy just to get what you can
As I realized with her you’re in a foreign land
Bereft of a passport
In either hand
She thinks she’s a fox
Instead of the toilet
She uses a litter box
When she gets sick
I take her to the Vet
Every other day
She throws away her cigarettes
I appreciate the effort
That she tries to replace my pet
Her being a human
Is my only regret
I already know
I never go with the flow
A drastic situation with nowhere to go
In my head town
All roads lead down
All my aims
Turn into reservations
All the motions That I file
Become hesitations at the bottom of the pile
Standing on the corner
Ringing a bell
The gutters and the sewers know me too well
Ringing that bell till end of my time
My love and charm turn on a dime
Did you know I never reap what I sew?
I thought so
Letting it out
When receiving the word
Sounds like the confessions
Of a Cuckoo bird
Steady as a weathervane
Forthright and uptight
In the wind and rain
It was a dark and stormy night
Letting it known
Wherever I am blown
I inhabit a dead zone
Have you ever had
An original thought?
Maybe a bright idea
And I mean something anything well lit
And if so
What did ye do with it?
Been in a million hard fistfights
All of them in my soft head
Not a lover nor a fighter
That’s what she said
May take on an imaginary friend
One that would surely make me sing
But the memory of the past
Is usually better than the present real thing
But then again and again
Here is the thing
Who ever knows?
What the future may bring
So stay far way, close, loose, and tight
Anything is possible
Anything can take flight
Rock with the punches
Roll with the knocks
Where the fuck, did I put that litter box?
I got a girlfriend instead
Now I got a lumpier bed
An abundant woman
Short of brains and bread
She had a song inside her
No one could play
She had a dragon inside her
No one could slay
If the games you played with her
Did not not go her way
She would pick up her marbles
And call it a day
The bills she sent me I would gladly pay
After the tearful thanks
I still could not get her to stay
Sometimes you’re happy just to get what you can
As I realized with her you’re in a foreign land
Bereft of a passport
In either hand
She thinks she’s a fox
Instead of the toilet
She uses a litter box
When she gets sick
I take her to the Vet
Every other day
She throws away her cigarettes
I appreciate the effort
That she tries to replace my pet
Her being a human
Is my only regret
I already know
I never go with the flow
A drastic situation with nowhere to go
In my head town
All roads lead down
All my aims
Turn into reservations
All the motions That I file
Become hesitations at the bottom of the pile
Standing on the corner
Ringing a bell
The gutters and the sewers know me too well
Ringing that bell till end of my time
My love and charm turn on a dime
Did you know I never reap what I sew?
I thought so
Letting it out
When receiving the word
Sounds like the confessions
Of a Cuckoo bird
Steady as a weathervane
Forthright and uptight
In the wind and rain
It was a dark and stormy night
Letting it known
Wherever I am blown
I inhabit a dead zone
Have you ever had
An original thought?
Maybe a bright idea
And I mean something anything well lit
And if so
What did ye do with it?
Been in a million hard fistfights
All of them in my soft head
Not a lover nor a fighter
That’s what she said
May take on an imaginary friend
One that would surely make me sing
But the memory of the past
Is usually better than the present real thing
But then again and again
Here is the thing
Who ever knows?
What the future may bring
So stay far way, close, loose, and tight
Anything is possible
Anything can take flight
Rock with the punches
Roll with the knocks
Where the fuck, did I put that litter box?
TO LEAVE OR NOT TO LEAVE
I did not want to go there
I do not enjoy going places
This is one dumb party here
Filled to the brim with stupid faces
It is safe and warm outside
I am looking forward to exit
Who the Hell would want to stay here?
Would you not agree with that statement?
Why could I not stay where I was
Where I could encounter no harm
Why did I have to take this train?
To this animal farm
To leave or not to leave
This round false alarm
The hosts of this party
Made such an awful mess
The whole joint needs a cleaning crew
The whole arena needs a rest
It all has gone to far
To leave or not to leave
Wish upon a star
To leave or not to leave
The keys are in the car
Standing on the corners
Looking
Hands in my pockets
Crossing all the borders
As my eyes fall from their sockets
To leave or not to leave
Why should I wait?
All I ever had and all I ever will have
Are waiting for me at the gate
I don’t want another round
I have had enough
Would you see what is surrounding you
Well?
You could not make up this stuff
To leave or not to leave
This get together is getting rough
One big giant playground
Where we slip and slide
A slow rollercoaster
Is the only place to hide
Fear and boredom and loneliness are the only things
That I can not abide
To leave or not to leave
The window is open wide
To leave or not to leave
Got anymore questions?
To believe or not to believe
I am thru with my investigations
Here comes my resurrection
I do not enjoy going places
This is one dumb party here
Filled to the brim with stupid faces
It is safe and warm outside
I am looking forward to exit
Who the Hell would want to stay here?
Would you not agree with that statement?
Why could I not stay where I was
Where I could encounter no harm
Why did I have to take this train?
To this animal farm
To leave or not to leave
This round false alarm
The hosts of this party
Made such an awful mess
The whole joint needs a cleaning crew
The whole arena needs a rest
It all has gone to far
To leave or not to leave
Wish upon a star
To leave or not to leave
The keys are in the car
Standing on the corners
Looking
Hands in my pockets
Crossing all the borders
As my eyes fall from their sockets
To leave or not to leave
Why should I wait?
All I ever had and all I ever will have
Are waiting for me at the gate
I don’t want another round
I have had enough
Would you see what is surrounding you
Well?
You could not make up this stuff
To leave or not to leave
This get together is getting rough
One big giant playground
Where we slip and slide
A slow rollercoaster
Is the only place to hide
Fear and boredom and loneliness are the only things
That I can not abide
To leave or not to leave
The window is open wide
To leave or not to leave
Got anymore questions?
To believe or not to believe
I am thru with my investigations
Here comes my resurrection
BOBBY Z is an avid writer and Blogger, also has video’s, audio’s a podcast and has Authored the Book Tales Of The Junkyard Dog. A rather abrupt and unusual Collection of Poems providing insightful and comical commentary on life, the Convergence of the past and the present, and the trails and tribulations of Relationships---BLOG https://talesofthejunkyarddog.wordpress.com |
Master of Sorrow
Where have you been,
oh Master of Sorrow,
searching for victims,
ruining tomorrows.
Patiently stalking,
unsuspecting prey,
most surrender meekly,
a few getaway.
Master Oh Master,
i know what you seek,
complete domination,
of minds that are weak.
Annihilating their thoughts,
depriving them of giving,
your the scourge of the earth,
responsible for those who want to stop living.
To all the false prophets,
be definitely afraid,
he'll haunt you forever,
until your dues are paid.
The only immunity,
from Oh Master Of Sorrow,
is to Excel today,
and Achieve more tomorrow.
oh Master of Sorrow,
searching for victims,
ruining tomorrows.
Patiently stalking,
unsuspecting prey,
most surrender meekly,
a few getaway.
Master Oh Master,
i know what you seek,
complete domination,
of minds that are weak.
Annihilating their thoughts,
depriving them of giving,
your the scourge of the earth,
responsible for those who want to stop living.
To all the false prophets,
be definitely afraid,
he'll haunt you forever,
until your dues are paid.
The only immunity,
from Oh Master Of Sorrow,
is to Excel today,
and Achieve more tomorrow.
TOO LITTLE TIME
Too little time, too rejoice or regret,
never enough time, too forgive and forget.
Too little time, to drink from the well,
never enough time, to release you from the spell.
Too little time, to look thru the ashes,
never enough time, to view life through rose covered glasses.
Too little time, to stop and stand still,
never enough time, to walk up that hill.
Too little time, to cherish the thought,
never enough time, to remember what we were taught.
Too little time, to seek glory and fame,
never enough time, to accept the blame.
Too little time, too soothe all the pain.
Never enough time, to come in from the rain.
Too little time, to make amends tomorrow
never enough time, to relieve all the sorrow.
Too little time, to review the past,
never enough time to repent,or time to smell the roses,
time to take your head out of your ASS.
never enough time, too forgive and forget.
Too little time, to drink from the well,
never enough time, to release you from the spell.
Too little time, to look thru the ashes,
never enough time, to view life through rose covered glasses.
Too little time, to stop and stand still,
never enough time, to walk up that hill.
Too little time, to cherish the thought,
never enough time, to remember what we were taught.
Too little time, to seek glory and fame,
never enough time, to accept the blame.
Too little time, too soothe all the pain.
Never enough time, to come in from the rain.
Too little time, to make amends tomorrow
never enough time, to relieve all the sorrow.
Too little time, to review the past,
never enough time to repent,or time to smell the roses,
time to take your head out of your ASS.
Keith Burkholder has been published in Creative Juices, Sol Magazine, Trellis Magazine, Foliate Oak Literary Journal, New Delta Review, Poetry Quarterly, Scarlet Leaf Review, and Birmingham Arts Journal. He has a bachelor's degree in statistics with a minor in mathematics from SUNY at Buffalo (UB).
Humanity is steadily going downhill
Look at the costs of the military and law enforcement,
They are astronomical,
Yet, people say how good everyone is,
Are they kidding me?
Humanity is steadily going downhill,
It is horrible to say,
But a clear reality,
COVID-19 has taken over humanity,
You can't do this, you can't do that,
The face mask is a requirement everywhere,
Why do people bother in procreating?
Having to raise children in this world,
It is messed in so many ways,
Believe what you want here,
This is how I feel,
Take care for now,
Be good and safe,
May a new day arise with optimism on the horizon.
They are astronomical,
Yet, people say how good everyone is,
Are they kidding me?
Humanity is steadily going downhill,
It is horrible to say,
But a clear reality,
COVID-19 has taken over humanity,
You can't do this, you can't do that,
The face mask is a requirement everywhere,
Why do people bother in procreating?
Having to raise children in this world,
It is messed in so many ways,
Believe what you want here,
This is how I feel,
Take care for now,
Be good and safe,
May a new day arise with optimism on the horizon.
There is no such thing as a truly nice person
Nice people are a rare breed,
If they exist at all anymore,
You hear this a lot,
He is the nicest guy I know,
The definition of nice has many interpretations,
Look at this logically,
When the government spends $2.5 trillion on the military,
In my opinion, there are no more nice people,
People are not wired to be good,
Think about it,
Look at the person with the most friends or acquaintances,
He is the guy who is popular with a bit of bad boy streak in him,
I can go on and on,
Nice people are more or less okay,
Meaning, they are few and far between,
You can believe what you want here,
I hear this as well,
He or she is religious, they must be nice,
Religion is a form of mental control,
Being good is something we are or aren't,
Believe what you want here,
It is up to you,
For now, try to be good and not cause trouble,
For goodness outweighs religion every step of the way.
If they exist at all anymore,
You hear this a lot,
He is the nicest guy I know,
The definition of nice has many interpretations,
Look at this logically,
When the government spends $2.5 trillion on the military,
In my opinion, there are no more nice people,
People are not wired to be good,
Think about it,
Look at the person with the most friends or acquaintances,
He is the guy who is popular with a bit of bad boy streak in him,
I can go on and on,
Nice people are more or less okay,
Meaning, they are few and far between,
You can believe what you want here,
I hear this as well,
He or she is religious, they must be nice,
Religion is a form of mental control,
Being good is something we are or aren't,
Believe what you want here,
It is up to you,
For now, try to be good and not cause trouble,
For goodness outweighs religion every step of the way.
Our world needs health care, not another air show
Tax payer money going toward an air show,
In the military,
Yet, universal healthcare is ignored,
Nobody asks to be born,
Yet, air shows happen all of the time,
I am not a fan of the military or law enforcement,
I am a fan of healthcare,
People are brought into this world,
Yet, healthcare costs rise,
The military is now costing $2.5 trillion,
That is an awful lot of money,
Then they have their air shows,
There are other ways to be entertained,
Tax payer money is going toward this,
Believe what you want here,
I am not a fan of the military or law enforcement,
In our sad world, they are needed greatly,
Humans will continue to evolve, thanks to evolution,
The planet itself evolves because of the Big Bang,
Natural disasters exist because of meteorology,
All science,
Take care and be good,
This is all you can and hope for as time carries forward.
In the military,
Yet, universal healthcare is ignored,
Nobody asks to be born,
Yet, air shows happen all of the time,
I am not a fan of the military or law enforcement,
I am a fan of healthcare,
People are brought into this world,
Yet, healthcare costs rise,
The military is now costing $2.5 trillion,
That is an awful lot of money,
Then they have their air shows,
There are other ways to be entertained,
Tax payer money is going toward this,
Believe what you want here,
I am not a fan of the military or law enforcement,
In our sad world, they are needed greatly,
Humans will continue to evolve, thanks to evolution,
The planet itself evolves because of the Big Bang,
Natural disasters exist because of meteorology,
All science,
Take care and be good,
This is all you can and hope for as time carries forward.
Flooding or other natural disasters in the news
I don't mean to go on a rant here,
But do you ever notice something?
Whenever there is a flood,
Or other horrible natural disasters,
Only regular people are shown on the news,
You never see a doctor canoeing down a street,
When there is a flood,
Or even a lawyer or pro athlete,
Just regular folks,
It is some guy with a few teeth missing,
He is always the one who gets the short end of the stick,
The news is funny this way,
Elitist people never get in the news,
Only if good things happen to them,
Believe what you want here,
But this is the kind of concepts I have noticed,
This happens a lot on the news,
For now, take care and be safe,
Don't cause trouble,
And may a better day arise for you as time carries forward,
Again, many times over, carpe diem.
But do you ever notice something?
Whenever there is a flood,
Or other horrible natural disasters,
Only regular people are shown on the news,
You never see a doctor canoeing down a street,
When there is a flood,
Or even a lawyer or pro athlete,
Just regular folks,
It is some guy with a few teeth missing,
He is always the one who gets the short end of the stick,
The news is funny this way,
Elitist people never get in the news,
Only if good things happen to them,
Believe what you want here,
But this is the kind of concepts I have noticed,
This happens a lot on the news,
For now, take care and be safe,
Don't cause trouble,
And may a better day arise for you as time carries forward,
Again, many times over, carpe diem.