Everything
Set against the flow of all we bring
But there is no stopping what may spring
From hearts that beat together.
Marinara, Expired
With permission from the talented Ibn Turab. Here’s one of his very many ramblings.
A long, long time ago, I realized
That for most of my life
I had just been an idiot
Traveling through life
Incognito.
When I made the discovery, I decided
To stop and just be what I am.
That has not gone down well with anyone
And now I am up the creek without a paddle.
So be warned: I am about to explode
Once again
On the floor of your life
Like a clumsily dropped
and wildly shattering bottle
– A big, big, BIG bottle –
Of smelly marinara sauce
Way, waaaaay past its sell-by date.
The Faker
Stroke your chin, touch your nose
Rub your forehead in repose
Doesn’t matter that there’s nothing on your mind
Let them see how you “think”
Even sighing as you blink
You may also shake your head from time to time
If it needs more gravitas
Stand the hell up, show some class
Clasp your hands behind your back and pace about
Say it helps you ruminate
Then adopt a painful gait
(Nothing like the need to pace despite the gout)
Fake it dead or alive
All the way from nine to five
Let your guard down for a second and you die
You’re the actor no one knows
Oscar-worthy for the shows
That you put up as you live the greatest lie
Song Of Everything
I’ve got no words to say
I have no song to sing
Just full of emptiness
In spite of everything
Now there’s a name like honey
That lingers on my breath
To sweeten my pathetic
Remembrances of death
I rush to stop the rushing
It’s time I slowed up now
My plans will gather slowly
Altogether like a cloud
I know the rains will come
Just when the time is right
Till then I’ll work and wait
Everything will be all right
I’ve got no words to say
I have no song to sing
Everything will be all right
Everything
Everything
Hot
Of all the cars that make this train
I had to pick the one
With broken air conditioning
Beneath a gloating sun.
The car feels like a furnace now,
The window’s out of bounds
Though all this heat must surely beat
Emergencies around.
It’s true we’re free to leave this car
And amble over where
The air is cooler than the folks
Who don’t see that it’s there.
But here among the grumbling few
Inertia is king;
We sit and fume and fret to feel
The perspiration spring.
On brows we thought reserved for palms
And wrinkles wrought in lead
By hands advancing time reminding us
That Tuesday’s dead.
But there’s a hidden mercy here
That warns a heedless heart,
One wont to stay when wisdom lies
In choosing to depart.
Staying
the mass of information
the gravity of knowledge
the weight of intelligence
and the buoyancy of wisdom
Not So Much
Not so much what is written
But how it’s read
Not so much what is spoken
But left unsaid
First Light Musings
Awakening to sounds of foremost light
I feel the stories tear into my soul
Of someplace where the sun fell on the night
To vaporize a family once whole.
I see their faces turned up to the sky
And wonder if they ever wore a smile,
Or had they even watched another die
Yet never thinking they would. All the while
The images of death and grieving drain
The little melatonin left in me
Until these deals of Prime Day turn my brain
Away from where my heart would rather be.
If only there were great discounts for peace,
We’d know the real meaning of increase.
While the Sun Shines
Yes the sun is still shining
Know the waters are cool
Hey it’s just hay, won’t go away
So dip in your toes, brother fool
Children and War
Fire in the skies
Rubble on your street
Water in your eyes
Washing out deceit
Sweet be your patience