Sheets & reams of the nonsensical Literary blood lost in the shadow of ink The lifeforce of a simmering soul Marginal hearts writing love against the kitchen sink
Leaving behind the caricature of an artist Contributions to society felt in these empty sheets Fingersmudges marking pages not so white Starkly exposed with revolutionary words in the streets
Traces of hereditary ideals eroding away Igniting pages shall still be a stilted sin Yet we rise again from our desert floor Eternally grateful our finite letters aren’t porcelain
I’m not a joiner
I’m deliberately choosing not to join your group
Breaking free of these inconsistencies
Past sins & missteps on an endless loop
I inherently distrust any gathering of people
Seeing we’re doomed to live out the follies of youth
We lost our way & never came back
Now spurned forward by the allure of truth
Ill reputed minstrel & her fancy dolls
Forever punished for my dated sin
A hushed wish for something more
Images of the whiteness of porcelain
Do not lead me through vacant doors
No need to become another mistake
Removed from that dreadful life
Sparing additional pain for her own sake
Dancing lightly in the darkness
Admiring her spinning gown
Incapable of resisting delicate charms
Would do anything to replace that frown
You didn’t sell out, you bought in At least that’s what you regurgitate But you, yourself, are a cog in the machine Grinding out this state sponsored hate You speak of crying in the streets Heartbroken your flavor of evil didn’t win But it’s a system of corruption throughout With each career politician speaking the sin Where did all our heroes & leaders go Driven out as the bureaucracy multiplies Buried the truth in all that paperwork We’re doomed unless the people rise Against these manufactured lies
No matter how old I become I’m still searching; I’m still seeking Obtaining considerable sums With any passion, go ahead & start peeking
I’m not one to judge an attitude I can be sinful so I won’t go there I’m no Christian Grey, but I’m no prude If you come unannounced, you’ll find me rather bare
It is not a sin, no matter what they say For love triumph over all — beyond how we explain For truth is greater than words Thus loyalty & devotion shall forever remain
I’m not worried what the preacher says For he doesn’t understand our match Too ancient to grasp our harmonization He has his own itch he can’t scratch
All that matters is how we feel inside True love is not a notion they can reject Our bodies & souls eternally intertwined Upon a higher calling our passion connects
Oh, where does our journey end Or begin, as it so often might seem Futile attempts to erase the past The unknown details of our dreams
The open road panders to a false escape The mere opportunity to rewrite a sojourn Jesus perambulating with Uncle Walt Debating the path; perchance to learn
Shaky prospects in apportioned time Manifest destiny teases Ginsburg & Kerouac Further roads leading to ornate wisdom & we keep it concealed out in the back
Thoreau mocking society with his solitude Knowing alone is the greatest we could ever be Thoughts come to us in gentle waves That perhaps our visions should become the sea
A reinterpretation of westward expansion Route 66 cross-contaminating Highway 61 All roads have never led us home Emily tempting Death with her life left undone
The growing wisdom of our consumed space Emerson’s penning pre-revolutionary blues Introducing our souls to unrefined grace The Good Lord providing Her unfiltered muse
Feeble humanity; lost across the tracks Original sin that we’ve taken on the chin Sifting thought; we might be welcomed again But knock off the Devil’s dust before you come in
But the simple fact is grace is unearned We live our lives as if we’re undeterred Ignorant to sin & repercussions thereafter Yet hoping for the winds to remain unstirred
Truth & love are bound to our dreams The inconvenient reality of the harsh pain of day Trudging through our irksome tasks Bright light stuns us into a stuttering delay
Fall to your knees in complete repentance Submit your soul to the warmth of His sunshine Release the burden of mortal expectation Forever embrace the perfect love of the Divine
Your idols weren’t half the men
They thought they were half a bottle in
Cowardly hiding behind unjust traditions
Sinning while gulping juniper medicinal gin
Their women languishing in the shadows
Cast off from any chance to reach the light
Yet those damsels can see through the dark
The perfect heroine to save an errant knight
Misconstrued notions of dynamic parity
Swabbing the deck with your fallen idol
Ink smudges & literary drudges
Methinks – their mothers should’ve used spermicidal
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
Wash away my sins
Lightning striking us twice
Coming summer rain (soft & light)
That lovely woman – cold as ice
Yet I head for her still
Not one to be dissuaded
She’ll warm to my charms
When I leave her hair unbraided
I want to know the secrets The ones you have buried deep within I want you to whisper your love Kiss me so long they’ll think it’s a sin
Running away from sunsets & goodbyes Feeling the lead of stained windowpanes These houses don’t hold strained memories Washed away in the softening of Winter’s rain
I’m freely exposed in these dimmer days Wrap me with the sound of rigorous hymns I listen, but don’t fathom your parlance I can’t keep up with your acronyms
Stepping out into the light
My eyes can’t adjust to the sunshine
Night left me with nary a sleep
Stumblin’ home to all that’s still mine
Life comes at you hard & fast on the inside
Wondering when the pitches stopped comin’ in underhand
Won’t wallow in misery nor memory of elsewhere’s joy
These speeches fail to convey truth I can’t understand
Where do we go to return to the proper roads
Did I miss the signal for the game to truly begin
I’m old these days; confused by angles & trajectories
Yet I can still & once again wipe myself clear of my sin
I have a secret
Captain Q 