I want to write But I don’t have the words So I watch the ink seep silently I know you’re thinking I’m absurd
So many empty notebooks To fill with small little doodles & swirls Intimidated by the stark whiteness I don’t know how to create lasting worlds
Pondering & delving into thought Present in my feelings with offerings to burn Slowly churning my fickle imagination In the hopes a bit of creativity might return
Where is my absurd little coffee this morn Claiming to be something or other I rise slower, wiping Pixie Dust from my eyes Never forget the dreams they try to smother My gorgeous blonde lady sleeping peacefully Our love burnt brightly into a passionate fire I stretch my legs & smile at a job well done She’ll slumber for a while, for she’s kind of tired
I caught you outside in your slip
The gossamer wisps within my view
A ripe side of the ever lovely
I couldn’t help but stare at you
Running through a Summer rain
Racing to the steps of a Victorian porch
Draped in a thin dress of pale tulle
The heavy heart of a burning torch
Amid the seduction of incantations
I knew your illusions were clear
Transparent upon the fresh flesh
& I thought only my intentions were sheer
I always look where no one looks
Trying to see what no one is willing to see
Saturated; glory beyond Heaven’s bounty
I’m out here shooting for immortality
Skipping & trying to dodge this oppressive heat
Dreaming I’m far away on the distant shore
A hundred years ago with sand burning my feet
I wish to be scantily clad, sipping a daiquiri & nothing more
Don’t forget to repeat our truth in unison Stand up straight with proper military bearing Forget your conscience; such things are done Keep on moving toward the triumph of the daring
Unfurl the banners so that we might recite Let the people know what we’re fighting for Light the fires, so the boys may march by night Let them live out their dreams in the glories of war
Remain focused- don’t live within your heads For the battle is real, so is the carnage by the blade You need to stay loyal or your sons will wind up dead Listen to the drums, forget the thoughts we’ve forbade
This existence is painful, but hell will be hotter Don’t return with blood soaked memories to spurn Live up to the fullest; embrace the full-bodied slaughter Raise your swords to the sky & let the traitors burn
Seeking a spiritual remedy For my soul isn’t quite whole Burnt out & emotionally drained Tea cup’s empty & I’m no longer in control
Midcentury motif & I’m peeling paint Shrinking violets & closing in walls Pushing back against our growing pains Energy to create, but my life remains a free fall
The impossibilities of transcribing the heart Finding the usual tricks do less than impress Flustered; tripping over language Like when you see Summer’s first sundress
Yet we still have to exist in nature Bodies moving slowly as the sun rises Love’s hibernation deliberately stretched The disguises that passion often emphasizes
Cautiously keeping patience in this heat As the mercury continuously expands Rushing to the shore to discover relief Risking the mirage & being burnt by the sand
Perfection laid out on satin sheets
Beauty dripping away piece by piece
Every dream slipped right through
Life & loss masked by laughing creases
He said you were everything he desired
Burning deep in his soul, but you refused
Moving too fast to stop & notice him
Yet you cry foul, saying you were abused
The sun rises no matter who is pained
Recall broken hearts when you’re the cause
Plump out your pretty pink lips
In the quiet of night, please retract your claws
Calm thyself, you know your own heart
Time to realize you’re the fatal flaw
Time to toss that hate on the Yule log ’tis love I wish to venerate Another year rapidly diminished No more sand to disseminate
It is time to let it all burn away Unburden ourselves of anything hollow No better than a dollar store chocolate Santa Time to honor the Savior you claim to follow
Listening to Wollstonecraft on the radio “Don’t turn that dial!”, that’s what the DJ said Not tied to any system; I’m still analog I’m dangerous; so the advertisers pled
Hereditary responsibility to the common good Therefore I don’t believe what I’ve been taught I see y’all got opinions, from your suburban thrones & these school systems regurgitating corporate rot
Criminal malpractice leaves us with poor examples But we’ve seen far worse on both sides of the aisle Bribing the lowest common denominator for votes Rewrite history, but perhaps that’s not in your files
I’ve been cast off, labeled a subversive heretic But I’m easy – so I’m doing my best to unlearn To unwind these falsehoods they tried to entrench The slow burn; time to take candor for a turn
Rash choices based upon juvenile aesthetics The understanding that we all might partake Though one must know speaking the truth too loud Turns into testimony & they might burn us all at the stake
Liberation granted by the morning alarm
Still alive; this body aching with rippling fatigue
October visions, yet I’m safe from obvious harm
Visions dwindling; remnants of horrific intrigue
Seeking out coffee to loosen this slumber
A stretch & chance to deliberately mourn
These dreams encrusted in burnt umber
Sworn to abide by the wisdom of Nat Hawthorn
The terror that befalls us when we’re unaware
Soon free from the slow tolling of the funeral bell
Needful sleep caught us within a nightmare
Unconsciously breaking from a manufactured hell
Visions of dropping acid with William Blake
Dawn is our escape; returning to peace as we wake
Paddling around the remotest parts Looking for hope where there’s no merriment Our souls evaporating in the open air Put through this vise of a social experiment Living out here minus the love & support There’s only so much a man can endure Mother Nature whirling up the darkest storms Blowing away my dreams I’m terribly sure
Hey, hey, hey, pretty mama Please send me some news It’s lonesome out here I’ve got the middle of the ocean blues
Thankful for a little spit of dry land Feeling a bit wobbly & out of sorts Having a nice cold one under a palm Time to recharge my batteries in this port Soon enough, we’ll be back floating Feeling the Earth’s rotation upon this burn Long days of sweat & toiling work Wearing my body out before I return
Hey, hey, hey, pretty mama Please send me some news It’s lonesome out here I’ve got the middle of the ocean blues
She wore white to the hanging
Fingers smudged from setting the patriarchy to burn
She wore a guilty smile
For they would never ever seem to learn
By her beauty, they were always distracted
But her brains they never could comprehend
Once the fire went viral
They wished they could call her a friend
They picked such an angelic foe
Yet kept her bound by tradition & canon & law
But you can never chain ideas down
Imprudence by the state was the final straw
Continual pandering as a cultural trait
Overwrought force; their idea as the solution
The spark still smoldering in her eyes
Never again the victim, she’s the whole damn revolution
*This is a reaction to rewatching the movie Cat Ballou with modern eyes.
Emerging from the night of lost souls
A rough morning with make-up in your eyes
Playing with fire when you dressed like Hell
You believed the Devil when he whispered his lies
Another exhilarating night of sin extinguished
But your heart now belongs to the man of flames
You don’t remember how your dress got burnt
Or how your lovely chest was branded with his name
Poseurs, pacifists & poets reek
Sitting high on a lifeguard shack
Nighttime cloaked down upon us
Words in darkness never taken back
Ocean waves break the silence tonight
Only our thoughts to be heard otherwise
Isolation not what you thought it’d be
Tearing out your incessant broken eyes
Midnight sounds to be held on tight
A swim where you can never return
A fatigue to be felt deep down
Love exposed to moonlight will forever burn
The world is burning around us So much hate & confusion in the crowd Misdirection & a body of lies Truth has no relation to just how loud Don’t know if you can trust anyone these days But I refuse to remain ignorant anymore Shutting out all their aggressions Returning to peace with the click of my door
Watching them march you down the hall Empty auditoriums to drown out your words Writing out rants my mouth will never recite The world run not by the cool but angry nerds
Step away and log out of their data systems We’ll send out love & peace in serial form Never trusted anyone with such confidence We’ll burn their egos to keep us warm
My desk lies cluttered with discarded notes Scattered among my life’s rejected missives Scorched earth beneath my words Burnt before anyone can become dismissive
It’s not supposed to be this cold Down along the beach This is Florida after all We’re out of Jack Frost’s reach There should be some laws Made by Washington’s hack’s & fools To keep the sunshine burning Or at the minimum, a union rule Until I get my way I guess I’ll just have to deal Donning a parka instead of flip flops Just know that the struggle is real