A character sketch.
Feels more like an epitaph for a friend, at this point.
40s
a man on furlough
sliced in two
40s
Glenn Miller and the Army Air Force band
blaring out of his record player
lifeguard fatigues in a foot locker
at the head of his bed
he aches for a time when
men were men
chivalry and vinegar
piss and honor
cigarettes were homerolled
and men drove ships and sticks
he's got the annotated Sherlock Holmes
bleeding dust on his chest
muted trumpets bluesing
to the rhythm of his snoring
while his Droid charges
Droid does
and he loves it
forty more years
he'll Google it in his forearm
a man cut in two
40s
one in each hand
he laughes
smashes them on the ground
real men drink Black Velvet
on the rocks
freezer-chilled
in tight jeans
and a fist-pumping black muscle T
foot on the bumper
of his '65 Ford Fairlane
this is a bass player
the rhythm and soul of a punk band
he will kick your ass backstage
then take his girlfriend
to a nice lobster dinner
to talk Casablanca
and genetic replication
he's old school
it's not that he can't do one night stands
he just like to cuddle
sex with girlfriends
just feels better
this is the old man
who never met the nursing home
he and the old lady
still shoot geese
from their cabin on the lake
they go to church on Sundays
they get down after Bingo
and move at two miles an hour through Costco
so, so carefully
holding each other's hand
they block the entire aisle
but you smile
when you're stuck behind them
fuck it
they're too cute
this is that guy
in the 40s
kickin ass on a Saturday night
the airman on weekend leave
killing Jack and his friends
his beard
his lifejacket
his knapsack
his swimsuit
straight 40s
his cellphone
his soundsystem
his laptop
straight 40s
a century apart
and from what lies between
he kept only the best music
to jump around
because he stays in shape
he swims sprints --
and runs 40s
Monday, August 30, 2010
she II
On one of the summer camping trips, I had a rather me moment - we were lying around, talking in our sleeping bags. The campfire embers were long gone. But one of my friends had an aura that I had to try and capture, so I ended up in Tiny Car, scribbling the first draft by the dome light in my car.
I met this girl
with Ving Rhames eyes
see
he's the archetype of bad-ass
at that level of incredible
Zeus is a nobody
you're Mount Olympus personified
you can't really get mad
so much as reshape a gigantic smile
watch Pulp Fiction
even with the gimp
his eyes give him away
they're always laughing
I'd seen those eyes once already
but
it was a glowing green forest sprite
imagine that level of self-confidence, self-control
make it feminine
Blackberry-sized
you've got the tiniest, floating Triceratops
wrapped in a Tinkerbell suit
with manicured, slender fingers
the capacity to flatten Scandinavian forests
and the self-satisfaction
to have not even tried
the simple delicate flick
required
I found her
floating in mid-air
caught in a moment
a half-smile on her face
wings in the middle of a heartbeat
and such serene eyes
you know those fingers
could turn you to dust
the king of the jungle
sits brazen, with few predators
the queen of the forest
has the sly implacability
that comes from having none
she doesn't go medieval
she surpasses Hiroshima
at that point
you are a cloud
she never comes down
you can see it
in her Ving Rhames eyes
she has a Cheshire cat grin
and the James Brown version of funk
that belongs to 20 something women
the trademark of the international traveler
the small, tasteful, silver nose ring
a reply
to Cheshire Cat's question
“where are you going?”
the obvious answer
her natural habitat
sunshine, smiles, stories, somewhere abroad
where days start
with afternoon cookouts
on Mediterranean apartment rooftops
sun drenched, full of tomatoes and wine
they run through midnight bar crawls
dancing on a boat
that floats from bar to bar
on a river somewhere in the Czech Republic
and races to the train
to catch deep desert sunrises
this
is where she's going
all in the same orange sundress
simple
sweaty
artfully, perfectly confident
if the Cheshire cat dare ask
how will you know when you get there
she'll reply
that's hardly the point
and less than half than that
in the getting there
I met this girl
with Ving Rhames eyes
see
he's the archetype of bad-ass
at that level of incredible
Zeus is a nobody
you're Mount Olympus personified
you can't really get mad
so much as reshape a gigantic smile
watch Pulp Fiction
even with the gimp
his eyes give him away
they're always laughing
I'd seen those eyes once already
but
it was a glowing green forest sprite
imagine that level of self-confidence, self-control
make it feminine
Blackberry-sized
you've got the tiniest, floating Triceratops
wrapped in a Tinkerbell suit
with manicured, slender fingers
the capacity to flatten Scandinavian forests
and the self-satisfaction
to have not even tried
the simple delicate flick
required
I found her
floating in mid-air
caught in a moment
a half-smile on her face
wings in the middle of a heartbeat
and such serene eyes
you know those fingers
could turn you to dust
the king of the jungle
sits brazen, with few predators
the queen of the forest
has the sly implacability
that comes from having none
she doesn't go medieval
she surpasses Hiroshima
at that point
you are a cloud
she never comes down
you can see it
in her Ving Rhames eyes
she has a Cheshire cat grin
and the James Brown version of funk
that belongs to 20 something women
the trademark of the international traveler
the small, tasteful, silver nose ring
a reply
to Cheshire Cat's question
“where are you going?”
the obvious answer
her natural habitat
sunshine, smiles, stories, somewhere abroad
where days start
with afternoon cookouts
on Mediterranean apartment rooftops
sun drenched, full of tomatoes and wine
they run through midnight bar crawls
dancing on a boat
that floats from bar to bar
on a river somewhere in the Czech Republic
and races to the train
to catch deep desert sunrises
this
is where she's going
all in the same orange sundress
simple
sweaty
artfully, perfectly confident
if the Cheshire cat dare ask
how will you know when you get there
she'll reply
that's hardly the point
and less than half than that
in the getting there
synesthesia
Sitting in Adam's when he started bumping Summertime, I had to write the first draft a few weeks ago. It all went from there.
I'm synesthetic
when I hear certain things
especially music
I see colors dancing in the air
Katy Perry
I Kissed A Girl, and I Think I Like It
when I hear it
I'm seeing the Great Pyramid of Giza
in flying, speeding wallpaper patterns
colored in bright, vibrant Lisa Frank colors
neon pink, yellow and green unicorn style
I was driving when I first heard it
almost drove off the road
took almost a whole verse
before I realized
it was only a song
I see colors when I hear music
it's beautiful
I wish I could share it with you
Thrice
an alternative thrash band
they have a song
Dont Tell and we Won't Ask
spiraling, looping, speeding guitar
drawing abackground of deep purple
smoke on the water skies
granite verses written in 12-bar canyons
darkly lit
while another guitar dances
a burning pixie
leaving a glowing electric trail of yellow
tangled with the liquid light counterpart
of the singer's voice
scribbled bright green
they do a complex duet
leaping off of the cliffs
to float
dancing fire
through that deep purple dark night
until the white supernova of the chorus
comes crashing in
to bathe you in pure, white hot fire
in that moment
it feels like recognizing one of your own
that is a feeling
I wish I could share with you
synesthesia brings you so much beautiful
sometimes, nothing happens
but when it does
anything everything always beautiful
even, especially, the surprises
Sublime
Summertime
and the livin's easy
it's the colors of Louisiana nights
a purple convertible
slicing down muddy roads
through caves of golden brown stone
and dark green vibrant jungles
melancholy masochistic in the moonlight
blended in dark vinyl palette
flowing liquid in LP
slow funky bass-driven rotation
this is a scene shot in low contrast
like colors dancing
at the edges of an early Nintendo game
and I want to share it with you
because these colors swagger
they move from the hips
this is the mix
that's Buddha and Balboa
grown sexy sittin' confident grinning
Topgun of Tonight Hill
it's feeling male jaguar
just looking for some panther
knowing you'll find it
because broken people will find a way
to smash their jagged edges together
and pretend they make a whole
it's so easy to slip
when you feel like shit, 'cause
my girl spreads her lovin' all over
so you slip
and you slide
jukebox songs cost two quarters
but not the ride
on the riverboat barges
straddling the Mississippi
on this Louisiana night
the Bourbon street bars are closed
but you haven't had a last dance with mary jane
you know the cruise sinful
scandalous and evil
all the people in the dance
are young hungry sexy and hurt
it makes them dangerous and wild
it makes them fun
and Summertime
is not the soundtrack to all this
it is this
in audio video surround cerebral sound
it takes the dark cancerous yellow
the cowardice you feel
when you bury self-pity in false pride
and try to lose yourself deep inside
you say no but you know
you'll hear someone cry
desperate and eager, eager and desperate
there's a twisted power
in that dirty yellow streak
when you're sharing someone with someone
and you don't want to share
but sharing is the only way to keep someone
you've already lost
in the taking the making the pretending
the pregnant green jealous pain
turns a dirty yellow streak of confident cowardice
synesthesia
can make even that beautiful
I wish I could share that with you
I'm synesthetic
when I hear certain things
especially music
I see colors dancing in the air
Katy Perry
I Kissed A Girl, and I Think I Like It
when I hear it
I'm seeing the Great Pyramid of Giza
in flying, speeding wallpaper patterns
colored in bright, vibrant Lisa Frank colors
neon pink, yellow and green unicorn style
I was driving when I first heard it
almost drove off the road
took almost a whole verse
before I realized
it was only a song
I see colors when I hear music
it's beautiful
I wish I could share it with you
Thrice
an alternative thrash band
they have a song
Dont Tell and we Won't Ask
spiraling, looping, speeding guitar
drawing abackground of deep purple
smoke on the water skies
granite verses written in 12-bar canyons
darkly lit
while another guitar dances
a burning pixie
leaving a glowing electric trail of yellow
tangled with the liquid light counterpart
of the singer's voice
scribbled bright green
they do a complex duet
leaping off of the cliffs
to float
dancing fire
through that deep purple dark night
until the white supernova of the chorus
comes crashing in
to bathe you in pure, white hot fire
in that moment
it feels like recognizing one of your own
that is a feeling
I wish I could share with you
synesthesia brings you so much beautiful
sometimes, nothing happens
but when it does
anything everything always beautiful
even, especially, the surprises
Sublime
Summertime
and the livin's easy
it's the colors of Louisiana nights
a purple convertible
slicing down muddy roads
through caves of golden brown stone
and dark green vibrant jungles
melancholy masochistic in the moonlight
blended in dark vinyl palette
flowing liquid in LP
slow funky bass-driven rotation
this is a scene shot in low contrast
like colors dancing
at the edges of an early Nintendo game
and I want to share it with you
because these colors swagger
they move from the hips
this is the mix
that's Buddha and Balboa
grown sexy sittin' confident grinning
Topgun of Tonight Hill
it's feeling male jaguar
just looking for some panther
knowing you'll find it
because broken people will find a way
to smash their jagged edges together
and pretend they make a whole
it's so easy to slip
when you feel like shit, 'cause
my girl spreads her lovin' all over
so you slip
and you slide
jukebox songs cost two quarters
but not the ride
on the riverboat barges
straddling the Mississippi
on this Louisiana night
the Bourbon street bars are closed
but you haven't had a last dance with mary jane
you know the cruise sinful
scandalous and evil
all the people in the dance
are young hungry sexy and hurt
it makes them dangerous and wild
it makes them fun
and Summertime
is not the soundtrack to all this
it is this
in audio video surround cerebral sound
it takes the dark cancerous yellow
the cowardice you feel
when you bury self-pity in false pride
and try to lose yourself deep inside
you say no but you know
you'll hear someone cry
desperate and eager, eager and desperate
there's a twisted power
in that dirty yellow streak
when you're sharing someone with someone
and you don't want to share
but sharing is the only way to keep someone
you've already lost
in the taking the making the pretending
the pregnant green jealous pain
turns a dirty yellow streak of confident cowardice
synesthesia
can make even that beautiful
I wish I could share that with you
Friday, July 30, 2010
stolen treasures
I saw her at Reunions, it sparked a line that stuck in my head. Two days of professional development - sitting in a chair all day, bored shitless - was exactly what I needed to give it birth. Also, hella shorter - mad editing has been going on.
In the beginning
God said
let there be light
I believe in evolution
but you had me seeing God
believing in the wonder of creation
I saw proof in your smile
you were sunshine
feeding me energy
to wrap the world in flowers
love blooming in stop-action photography
you were oxygen
fueling our growth as we built lush worlds
fueling solar flare fires
burning my skin pure in your presence
cleaning cleansing
constructing starshine universes
in every moment we spent together
our kisses shone champagne supernova
the Big Bang sparking
in every molecule where our lips touched
we had heaven in our footsteps
lightning in our fingertips
we never shocked each other
– just the world
with everything we made together
the life the love the light
we brought, we made
we built stars
playing at being God, we put lightbulbs in the sky
they could burn for a million years
and scarcely scratch the surface of our fuel
and every time we kissed a star was born and flew
so an hour in your arms built universes anew
maybe that's why our sex was the way it was
holding each other close, matching breathing because
grinding sliding screaming laughing
left us lying intimate, clutching gasping
we would lie twisting to unite our light
and with our shine kill the night
so what the uneducated would call a passionate screw
was me grinding to find the light deep inside you
now, turning each other out wasn't all we were about
I just have to use sex to explain, because
that's the only way you can understand the way it was
the bliss, magnetism, Bonnie and Clyde
you feel after hours of animal sex
--twenty-six consecutive orgasms
is the feeling we had
every time we saw each other
every time I saw her eyes
every time I heard her laugh
and then I slipped.
I had one little thought
one blasphemous idea
you disappeared, guaranteed to return
asked me, “wait”
all I could think was
could I build worlds
could I create stars
with other girls?
I wanted to keep shining light into the world
I had lost faith that you were the truth
maybe I could burn heaven with other people
--I should've seen that you wouldn't stand
for me keeping false idols before you.
Now I can't sleep
I lie drowning in barren worlds
choking on nothing in empty riverbeds
except once a year
when the sun shines soft again on my skin
and the breeze touches my lips
you're the reason
it's always sunny in Philadelphia
but every single moment I spend in your presence
is a stolen treasure, and I can count those seconds
Hell is an existence apart from God
you can see Her, just out of reach
you burn frozen, knowing what you're missing
with your hand in mine, I used to play God
now we don't even speak
my hand has a full dance card, but
I only go to church to steal the wafers
I pity people who chase rainbows
pots of gold are nothing
I used to ride the dawn
to plant diamonds and platinum in the sky
I go camping
so I can lie back
and count the memories
I don't need a map
to find our golden stolen pirate treasures
-- they’re the reason you can see at night
In the beginning
God said
let there be light
I believe in evolution
but you had me seeing God
believing in the wonder of creation
I saw proof in your smile
you were sunshine
feeding me energy
to wrap the world in flowers
love blooming in stop-action photography
you were oxygen
fueling our growth as we built lush worlds
fueling solar flare fires
burning my skin pure in your presence
cleaning cleansing
constructing starshine universes
in every moment we spent together
our kisses shone champagne supernova
the Big Bang sparking
in every molecule where our lips touched
we had heaven in our footsteps
lightning in our fingertips
we never shocked each other
– just the world
with everything we made together
the life the love the light
we brought, we made
we built stars
playing at being God, we put lightbulbs in the sky
they could burn for a million years
and scarcely scratch the surface of our fuel
and every time we kissed a star was born and flew
so an hour in your arms built universes anew
maybe that's why our sex was the way it was
holding each other close, matching breathing because
grinding sliding screaming laughing
left us lying intimate, clutching gasping
we would lie twisting to unite our light
and with our shine kill the night
so what the uneducated would call a passionate screw
was me grinding to find the light deep inside you
now, turning each other out wasn't all we were about
I just have to use sex to explain, because
that's the only way you can understand the way it was
the bliss, magnetism, Bonnie and Clyde
you feel after hours of animal sex
--twenty-six consecutive orgasms
is the feeling we had
every time we saw each other
every time I saw her eyes
every time I heard her laugh
and then I slipped.
I had one little thought
one blasphemous idea
you disappeared, guaranteed to return
asked me, “wait”
all I could think was
could I build worlds
could I create stars
with other girls?
I wanted to keep shining light into the world
I had lost faith that you were the truth
maybe I could burn heaven with other people
--I should've seen that you wouldn't stand
for me keeping false idols before you.
Now I can't sleep
I lie drowning in barren worlds
choking on nothing in empty riverbeds
except once a year
when the sun shines soft again on my skin
and the breeze touches my lips
you're the reason
it's always sunny in Philadelphia
but every single moment I spend in your presence
is a stolen treasure, and I can count those seconds
Hell is an existence apart from God
you can see Her, just out of reach
you burn frozen, knowing what you're missing
with your hand in mine, I used to play God
now we don't even speak
my hand has a full dance card, but
I only go to church to steal the wafers
I pity people who chase rainbows
pots of gold are nothing
I used to ride the dawn
to plant diamonds and platinum in the sky
I go camping
so I can lie back
and count the memories
I don't need a map
to find our golden stolen pirate treasures
-- they’re the reason you can see at night
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
serve and protect
they sent me here to give my thoughts on SB1070
looking at the crowd, I bet you’re gonna be mad at me
but I promise everything I do is to serve and protect
even melting down the cross to wrap around your neck
it’s for the greater glory of the red white and blue
it’s for the greater good of each and every one of you
Now, I’ve heard ‘em cry that no humano es ilegal
but you’ve nothing to fear unless you’re a crim-i-nal
I promise, I understand your struggles and your troubles
stringing stones together to build life out of rubble
you want to come to the land of opportunity to succeed
so you can get a job and fill the mouths you gotta feed
but if you really want to prosper on our side of the border
I don’t think it’s strange that you submit to law and order
we’ve got this beautiful rhythm to our system
all these legal ways but instead you chose to miss ‘em
to duck through the desert in the dark of night
to break in, to trespass, to ignore what’s legal and right
so, of course it’s one of my deepest happiest desires
to build a reinforced concrete wall with razor wires
one full of spots where the guards stick guns out of slots
because they believe in the beauty of preemptive shots
give me your sick, your poor, and your huddled masses?
fuck that, we’ll send you back out on your sorry asses
none of this is fine print to be read with glasses
it’s a front page fuck you from all of our classes
Lady Liberty’s old news, we’re sick of a raging sewer
streaming in, liberty is for a country with fewer
people to keep in line, so thank God for Jan Brewer
go ahead and whine, the truth about the bill
was clear majority support, it was the people’s will
we just chose to speak through our movers and shakers
we see no problem with making people carry their papers
because you’re right, no humano es ilegal
you’ve only got something to fear if you’re a crim-i-nal
because everything that I do is to serve and protect
even when I melt down the cross to wrap around your neck
it’s all to protect the red white and blue
it’s all to protect each and every one of you
so these papers, they’re just another step
another clue to what we’ll come up with next
soon the mall entrance will have retinal scans
the better, my dear, to keep you in safe hands
the better to identify everyone, to know who’s where when
the better to keep track of the disease of men
the better to bring about greater peace and prosperity
if you don’t believe me let me bring clarity
there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of, see
only the bad, the naughty, the evil
need to fear laws that protect the people
like only those on steroids worry about Bud Siegel
like only the damned hate the sight of the steeple
if you’re a real American with nothing to hide
you know there’s right from wrong, and about picking sides
you’ll have no problem when we can just look in your mind
when we don’t need to ask questions to try and find
out whether or not you slipped up and crossed the line
we won’t even need to use pain or force to make you scream
we’ll just watch you sleep, and follow you in your dreams
you won’t have a problem with us invading your privacy
if a good American is all you’re ever trying to be
democracy and dignity are not necessarily synonymous
giving everyone freedom and voice is a little ominous
do you really think we’ll ever find the answer to cancer
if freedom keeps the beat for dissension’s dancers?
no, so it’s best to kill the commies greens and Panthers
diversity and thought are fine, but peace and harmony are sublime so quit your crying, salute the flag and get in line
because everything we do is to serve and protect
even if you find our hands wrapped around your neck
it’s all to protect the glory of the red white and blue
it’s all for the greater good of each and every one of you
and I know that peace and order rule your desires
so you’re surprisingly comfortable with limits and wires
Patrick Henry once screamed out, liberty or death
and the people cried back for his dying breath
the ACLU likes to pretend that things have changed
but I know how you really feel about their silly complaints
how grating it is when people go against the grain
I promise, we’ll get em - those who believe in redistribution
gays straying from the Good Book or those fighting pollution
malcontents who whine about the mistreatment of labor
the bleeding hearts who see a bum and think to save her
for those of you on the other side, I see you getting bolder
I see you thinking about taking my head off my shoulders
but let me promise you - our. steel. is. colder.
you’re human filth, and we’re licensed government soldiers
you can’t cry about your rights with a shattered jaw
and that’s the least of your worries if you mess with the law
so here’s your last warning- if you see the boys in blue comin’
you’d better get out and you better hit the ground running
because by the time we hit your door, we’re gonna be gunnin
we’ve got our brothers in the black suits
the undercover guys hiding out in track suits
we all keep tabs on the rebels, malcontents, and youth
so please, there’s no pressure, there’s no need to think
you can sit back, kick back, relax, and pour up a drink
the only thing we ask is that you please, don’t make a stink
please don’t fret and worry about the potential cost
just grab the control, turn your TV on and your mind off
in fact, tune in to the latest version of Lost
the newest six season reason to keep your butt in your seat
and ignoring the people who are feeling our heat
ignoring whether or not what we’re doing is right
because with a criminal blight
you need to keep the end goal in sight
and just in case that’s against your so-called principles
let me tell you, bravery and belief are situational
maybe you’ve heard of a little thing called search and seizure
maybe you’ve got a daughter, or a mother - we’ll seize her
how much waterboarding do you think they can stand
before we’re holding a recording in our hand
of all the horrible un American things you’ve never done
but for which you’re gonna pay
you don’t want to go there, I promise that it’s not fun
but you will see it our way
we’ll see how much your principles are worth
or if you’ll sacrifice ‘em to gain peace on this earth
as long as you have nothing treacherous that needs to be hid
I promise you’ve got no worries for you or your kids
just keep those ideas of liberty and privacy outta your head
Pat Henry’s dead, so you can finally sleep safe in your bed
sure, the price might be your freedom of speech and thought
sure, a couple innocent people might end up shot
but your freedom is the sacrifice that security bought
and with it, everything everything is under control
we’ll find the criminals, we’ll dig em out of their holes
see, Arizona’s getting 500 guys from the National Guard
and you know that when those boys bang, they bang hard
and in two more months we’ll have Air Force spy planes
to patrol the desert, and send the illegals home in chains
and I remember, no humano es ilegal
the only humans who have to worry are the criminals
because I promise - everything I do is to serve and protect
even if you find my hands wrapped around your neck
it’s for the greater good of the red white and blue
it’s to serve and protect …most of you
looking at the crowd, I bet you’re gonna be mad at me
but I promise everything I do is to serve and protect
even melting down the cross to wrap around your neck
it’s for the greater glory of the red white and blue
it’s for the greater good of each and every one of you
Now, I’ve heard ‘em cry that no humano es ilegal
but you’ve nothing to fear unless you’re a crim-i-nal
I promise, I understand your struggles and your troubles
stringing stones together to build life out of rubble
you want to come to the land of opportunity to succeed
so you can get a job and fill the mouths you gotta feed
but if you really want to prosper on our side of the border
I don’t think it’s strange that you submit to law and order
we’ve got this beautiful rhythm to our system
all these legal ways but instead you chose to miss ‘em
to duck through the desert in the dark of night
to break in, to trespass, to ignore what’s legal and right
so, of course it’s one of my deepest happiest desires
to build a reinforced concrete wall with razor wires
one full of spots where the guards stick guns out of slots
because they believe in the beauty of preemptive shots
give me your sick, your poor, and your huddled masses?
fuck that, we’ll send you back out on your sorry asses
none of this is fine print to be read with glasses
it’s a front page fuck you from all of our classes
Lady Liberty’s old news, we’re sick of a raging sewer
streaming in, liberty is for a country with fewer
people to keep in line, so thank God for Jan Brewer
go ahead and whine, the truth about the bill
was clear majority support, it was the people’s will
we just chose to speak through our movers and shakers
we see no problem with making people carry their papers
because you’re right, no humano es ilegal
you’ve only got something to fear if you’re a crim-i-nal
because everything that I do is to serve and protect
even when I melt down the cross to wrap around your neck
it’s all to protect the red white and blue
it’s all to protect each and every one of you
so these papers, they’re just another step
another clue to what we’ll come up with next
soon the mall entrance will have retinal scans
the better, my dear, to keep you in safe hands
the better to identify everyone, to know who’s where when
the better to keep track of the disease of men
the better to bring about greater peace and prosperity
if you don’t believe me let me bring clarity
there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of, see
only the bad, the naughty, the evil
need to fear laws that protect the people
like only those on steroids worry about Bud Siegel
like only the damned hate the sight of the steeple
if you’re a real American with nothing to hide
you know there’s right from wrong, and about picking sides
you’ll have no problem when we can just look in your mind
when we don’t need to ask questions to try and find
out whether or not you slipped up and crossed the line
we won’t even need to use pain or force to make you scream
we’ll just watch you sleep, and follow you in your dreams
you won’t have a problem with us invading your privacy
if a good American is all you’re ever trying to be
democracy and dignity are not necessarily synonymous
giving everyone freedom and voice is a little ominous
do you really think we’ll ever find the answer to cancer
if freedom keeps the beat for dissension’s dancers?
no, so it’s best to kill the commies greens and Panthers
diversity and thought are fine, but peace and harmony are sublime so quit your crying, salute the flag and get in line
because everything we do is to serve and protect
even if you find our hands wrapped around your neck
it’s all to protect the glory of the red white and blue
it’s all for the greater good of each and every one of you
and I know that peace and order rule your desires
so you’re surprisingly comfortable with limits and wires
Patrick Henry once screamed out, liberty or death
and the people cried back for his dying breath
the ACLU likes to pretend that things have changed
but I know how you really feel about their silly complaints
how grating it is when people go against the grain
I promise, we’ll get em - those who believe in redistribution
gays straying from the Good Book or those fighting pollution
malcontents who whine about the mistreatment of labor
the bleeding hearts who see a bum and think to save her
for those of you on the other side, I see you getting bolder
I see you thinking about taking my head off my shoulders
but let me promise you - our. steel. is. colder.
you’re human filth, and we’re licensed government soldiers
you can’t cry about your rights with a shattered jaw
and that’s the least of your worries if you mess with the law
so here’s your last warning- if you see the boys in blue comin’
you’d better get out and you better hit the ground running
because by the time we hit your door, we’re gonna be gunnin
we’ve got our brothers in the black suits
the undercover guys hiding out in track suits
we all keep tabs on the rebels, malcontents, and youth
so please, there’s no pressure, there’s no need to think
you can sit back, kick back, relax, and pour up a drink
the only thing we ask is that you please, don’t make a stink
please don’t fret and worry about the potential cost
just grab the control, turn your TV on and your mind off
in fact, tune in to the latest version of Lost
the newest six season reason to keep your butt in your seat
and ignoring the people who are feeling our heat
ignoring whether or not what we’re doing is right
because with a criminal blight
you need to keep the end goal in sight
and just in case that’s against your so-called principles
let me tell you, bravery and belief are situational
maybe you’ve heard of a little thing called search and seizure
maybe you’ve got a daughter, or a mother - we’ll seize her
how much waterboarding do you think they can stand
before we’re holding a recording in our hand
of all the horrible un American things you’ve never done
but for which you’re gonna pay
you don’t want to go there, I promise that it’s not fun
but you will see it our way
we’ll see how much your principles are worth
or if you’ll sacrifice ‘em to gain peace on this earth
as long as you have nothing treacherous that needs to be hid
I promise you’ve got no worries for you or your kids
just keep those ideas of liberty and privacy outta your head
Pat Henry’s dead, so you can finally sleep safe in your bed
sure, the price might be your freedom of speech and thought
sure, a couple innocent people might end up shot
but your freedom is the sacrifice that security bought
and with it, everything everything is under control
we’ll find the criminals, we’ll dig em out of their holes
see, Arizona’s getting 500 guys from the National Guard
and you know that when those boys bang, they bang hard
and in two more months we’ll have Air Force spy planes
to patrol the desert, and send the illegals home in chains
and I remember, no humano es ilegal
the only humans who have to worry are the criminals
because I promise - everything I do is to serve and protect
even if you find my hands wrapped around your neck
it’s for the greater good of the red white and blue
it’s to serve and protect …most of you
Friday, June 25, 2010
she
I think you still read this; if you do, I'm sorry for all the shit I threw your way (and down the stairs). I had a lot of shitty facets.
Peace.
in every way
she is like the ocean
her body moves
with slow sure strength
the smooth comfortable power
of thick, rolling, unstoppable waves
think of a fox, or a wolf
she is not large, or heavy
she is sinew, wire - smooth power
but mere mammals
will stop from time to time
she never does
her eyes are green
a smoked glass shade of emerald
floating on a blue-black tidal pool
of unknown depth
her hands are tiny and wise
they can creep into any crack
like water sliding under the earth
skilled with Allen wrenches
knots both nautical and rope
and butterfly knives
she has lobsters in her blood
to match
the skeletons in her closet
coastal born and desert bred
whether sand or sea
her inner ear never falters
just her inner balance
from time to time
the ocean has its tempests
moments of fleeting frantic anger
ferocious furious violent confusion
sailors know to take warning
in treacherous waters with hidden rocks
when she storms she cries with gale-force winds
not a mere scream
something more defiant
more Charlemagne than Cleopatra
and her whirlpool emeralds
alight with Greek fire
scientists don’t know the formula
for this substance that burns on water
only because they’ve never met her
but hurricanes and tsunamis
are temporary disturbances
on the surface of a thing
driven by seismic currents
miles deep
and wrapping around the globe
in her strength and resolve
there is something of that tide
always flowing within her
an unstoppable need
to keep moving
to live discover and be
to breathe
like rivers that must always run downhill
the ocean that is always moving
she heeds only the call
of sun and moon
cutting her own path through rock and earth
the ocean can wash away anything
castles continents hearts
given enough time
so she believes in love
one that she can wrap around the world
but not relationships
relationships mean partners
partners means equality
there is no match
for the ocean
this does not bother her
there is sex in her power
she claims sailors when she wants
they try to ride the ocean
but she comes quickly
and there you find her
screaming like a Siren
beckoning you to crash on her
her hips move like the tide
rolling unending
she capsizes men to ride above them
curving in her tidal power
she comes again
when you splash on her shores
you realize
that boats are at the ocean’s mercy
her nails grip
telling you what to do
the boat in the harbor
at high tide during the storm
is tied down, fastened, smashing into the dock
grinding securely in her ropes
this time
her teeth grip your shoulder
the jagged rocks on the shore
just below the surface
and this time
you can feel the ocean
rolling inside her
she slumps off like a spent wave
and sleeps heavily
the sailor wakes
to find that she has flowed on
there is no betrayal in this
though man has trouble with it
the ocean gives and it takes away
it will not heed your call
only that of the sun and the moon
flowing on, moving, breathing, living
it does because it can, because it must
some see this as flight
and think her a bird
but flight implies a running from something
and rivers may always run, sure
but she is one with the ocean
the sun burnt on her chest
it has nothing to do with the heights she takes
or the depths to which she stoops
the currents are always pushing
her on a path she does not know
perhaps it is the crushing pressure
of the ocean’s weight
bearing down upon her
a voice that says she has not done enough
that there is always more to discover
just beyond the horizon
the fish which can survive
the killing weight of the ocean
can not stand its surface
maybe she has the sense
that the same sun which calls her
is forever out of her reach
beyond the surface of the sky
maybe she is always moving
because something is always missing
maybe
sailors may travel in search of something
she may move because motion gives meaning
she may move because it’s her nature
she may move because she is nature
and if there is a reason
it is beyond our grasp
like crystal waters off tropical islands
she is beautifull
like the tropical storms they birth without warning
she seems treacherous
like frigid polar waters
she denies those who approach
like whitewater
her mind froths and churns
comfortable in the truth
that time is all she ever needs
to erode the problems which lie before her
as she heeds the call of sun and moon
flowing going living breathing
encompassing everything
and searching for what may lie beyond the horizon
the ocean never rests
and it never ends
so whatever ships may ride its waters
whatever spills may stain its surface
whatever storms may come
it is mostly calm and moving
whatever comes she pushes on
like waves
Peace.
in every way
she is like the ocean
her body moves
with slow sure strength
the smooth comfortable power
of thick, rolling, unstoppable waves
think of a fox, or a wolf
she is not large, or heavy
she is sinew, wire - smooth power
but mere mammals
will stop from time to time
she never does
her eyes are green
a smoked glass shade of emerald
floating on a blue-black tidal pool
of unknown depth
her hands are tiny and wise
they can creep into any crack
like water sliding under the earth
skilled with Allen wrenches
knots both nautical and rope
and butterfly knives
she has lobsters in her blood
to match
the skeletons in her closet
coastal born and desert bred
whether sand or sea
her inner ear never falters
just her inner balance
from time to time
the ocean has its tempests
moments of fleeting frantic anger
ferocious furious violent confusion
sailors know to take warning
in treacherous waters with hidden rocks
when she storms she cries with gale-force winds
not a mere scream
something more defiant
more Charlemagne than Cleopatra
and her whirlpool emeralds
alight with Greek fire
scientists don’t know the formula
for this substance that burns on water
only because they’ve never met her
but hurricanes and tsunamis
are temporary disturbances
on the surface of a thing
driven by seismic currents
miles deep
and wrapping around the globe
in her strength and resolve
there is something of that tide
always flowing within her
an unstoppable need
to keep moving
to live discover and be
to breathe
like rivers that must always run downhill
the ocean that is always moving
she heeds only the call
of sun and moon
cutting her own path through rock and earth
the ocean can wash away anything
castles continents hearts
given enough time
so she believes in love
one that she can wrap around the world
but not relationships
relationships mean partners
partners means equality
there is no match
for the ocean
this does not bother her
there is sex in her power
she claims sailors when she wants
they try to ride the ocean
but she comes quickly
and there you find her
screaming like a Siren
beckoning you to crash on her
her hips move like the tide
rolling unending
she capsizes men to ride above them
curving in her tidal power
she comes again
when you splash on her shores
you realize
that boats are at the ocean’s mercy
her nails grip
telling you what to do
the boat in the harbor
at high tide during the storm
is tied down, fastened, smashing into the dock
grinding securely in her ropes
this time
her teeth grip your shoulder
the jagged rocks on the shore
just below the surface
and this time
you can feel the ocean
rolling inside her
she slumps off like a spent wave
and sleeps heavily
the sailor wakes
to find that she has flowed on
there is no betrayal in this
though man has trouble with it
the ocean gives and it takes away
it will not heed your call
only that of the sun and the moon
flowing on, moving, breathing, living
it does because it can, because it must
some see this as flight
and think her a bird
but flight implies a running from something
and rivers may always run, sure
but she is one with the ocean
the sun burnt on her chest
it has nothing to do with the heights she takes
or the depths to which she stoops
the currents are always pushing
her on a path she does not know
perhaps it is the crushing pressure
of the ocean’s weight
bearing down upon her
a voice that says she has not done enough
that there is always more to discover
just beyond the horizon
the fish which can survive
the killing weight of the ocean
can not stand its surface
maybe she has the sense
that the same sun which calls her
is forever out of her reach
beyond the surface of the sky
maybe she is always moving
because something is always missing
maybe
sailors may travel in search of something
she may move because motion gives meaning
she may move because it’s her nature
she may move because she is nature
and if there is a reason
it is beyond our grasp
like crystal waters off tropical islands
she is beautifull
like the tropical storms they birth without warning
she seems treacherous
like frigid polar waters
she denies those who approach
like whitewater
her mind froths and churns
comfortable in the truth
that time is all she ever needs
to erode the problems which lie before her
as she heeds the call of sun and moon
flowing going living breathing
encompassing everything
and searching for what may lie beyond the horizon
the ocean never rests
and it never ends
so whatever ships may ride its waters
whatever spills may stain its surface
whatever storms may come
it is mostly calm and moving
whatever comes she pushes on
like waves
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Circle of Life
six hundred years ago we thought the earth was flatter
we can’t yet grasp that we just animated matter
if you’re still reading up, we are not the last chapter
when the end comes we are not what comes after
together we drive, just cruisin’ through the forest
one big caravan of the richest and the poorest
searching for a treeline that we’re never gonna find
since there’s no end to these they are not ordinary pines
for they bear not fruit, but bells
tolling the song so science seductive sells
see, we don’t like the rhythm or the beat
it reminds us we are dust beneath our feet
so the mudmen come pouring out of the hills
fighting for a time when time stands still
but for everything they bring to the table
this is one fight where they are not able
to break the circle, the bind, the ring
nothing works, not syringes, not slings
so the bells, they stay just out of our grasp
singing their song from behind Simba’s mask
one that’s counting tolling keeping time
for the moment when you get yours and I get mine
we might be stardust we might be golden
but we remain to the Circle of Life beholden
we’re fourteen billion year old carbon
we are definitely going back to the garden
still can’t grasp the fact that we just animated matter
if you’re still reading up, we are not the last chapter
when the end comes we are not what comes after
I know I’m sticking needles in dreams of immortality
but what I’m saying you should know so don’t get mad at me
I can hold it down but I’m not holding you down like gravity
you can fume and chuck your stones at the bells
when they hit the ground it’s the reason they fell
you can feel it pulling you too, back to the ground
some hate on it like it’s personally pulling them down
hate that you can see it in the old the way that they slouch
hate feeling finished going nowhere sinking in the couch
hate being pulled, back into the dust
hate being the same as the beasts and such
hate all you want but it’s a natural constant
it’s the song the rhythm of the bells meant
it holds atoms together, so molecules can exist
so we, so life, so you, can exist
that’s the rub, and the twist
why it doesn’t make sense to get pissed
it makes life possible, and it calls you back
uses you to rebuild elsewhere on evolution’s track
new improved models, a step up that ladder
something bigger and better, something nicer and badder
I think we forget that we are not the end of evolution
circles never end there’s no final revolution
though in our dreams we find the keys in our genes
no pill will ever be more than a smokescreen
science pretends to be God and claims clarity
to have found the key to the future
if we part with enough elbow grease and filthy lucre
it’s so hard to admit we’re not alpha or omega
we’re not the beginning or end
and bells will toll for mud mice and men
still can’t grasp the fact that we just animated matter
if you’re still reading up, we are not the last chapter
when the end comes we are not what comes after
so, yeah, Disney skips death in the Circle of Life
Simba’s sunrise is always falled by the night and the knife
we rise and we fall to make something else again
it’s fact that we’re all going to meet our end, my friend
I’m gonna upchuck some Chuck Palahniuk
on a long enough time line,
the life expectancy for everybody drops to zero
realize that none of this is meant to bring fear, so
don’t sit counting your pebbles but find beauty in mountains
in ebb and flow of rivers, waterfalls, and fountains
even mountains walk to the rhythm of moon tide erosion
stars shine with the promise of cosmic explosion
mortals are blessed to avoid eternity’s curse
to have a limited span that counts down from birth
mud and dust that for a time rises from the earth
with a limit granting the sweetness, passion, and worth
for some this knowledge is the apple roasting in hell
snake tongues flicking fire to the rhythm of the bells
but it’s their carol that lets me know all is well
you can’t stay so fill your days with play
put in some work, I eat shit like a fungi
but I let shit slide so I can be a fun guy
I don’t let this circle make me sing the sorrows
I know I don’t need a lot of shit
just love because I came with it
and I want to leave with it
and everything else is just borrowed
in my limited time I just want my light to shine
as I put some words to the grind
while I look for more love to make mine
because we are nothing but carbon
and we are going back to the garden
we’re just animated matter
we are not what comes after
we can’t yet grasp that we just animated matter
if you’re still reading up, we are not the last chapter
when the end comes we are not what comes after
together we drive, just cruisin’ through the forest
one big caravan of the richest and the poorest
searching for a treeline that we’re never gonna find
since there’s no end to these they are not ordinary pines
for they bear not fruit, but bells
tolling the song so science seductive sells
see, we don’t like the rhythm or the beat
it reminds us we are dust beneath our feet
so the mudmen come pouring out of the hills
fighting for a time when time stands still
but for everything they bring to the table
this is one fight where they are not able
to break the circle, the bind, the ring
nothing works, not syringes, not slings
so the bells, they stay just out of our grasp
singing their song from behind Simba’s mask
one that’s counting tolling keeping time
for the moment when you get yours and I get mine
we might be stardust we might be golden
but we remain to the Circle of Life beholden
we’re fourteen billion year old carbon
we are definitely going back to the garden
still can’t grasp the fact that we just animated matter
if you’re still reading up, we are not the last chapter
when the end comes we are not what comes after
I know I’m sticking needles in dreams of immortality
but what I’m saying you should know so don’t get mad at me
I can hold it down but I’m not holding you down like gravity
you can fume and chuck your stones at the bells
when they hit the ground it’s the reason they fell
you can feel it pulling you too, back to the ground
some hate on it like it’s personally pulling them down
hate that you can see it in the old the way that they slouch
hate feeling finished going nowhere sinking in the couch
hate being pulled, back into the dust
hate being the same as the beasts and such
hate all you want but it’s a natural constant
it’s the song the rhythm of the bells meant
it holds atoms together, so molecules can exist
so we, so life, so you, can exist
that’s the rub, and the twist
why it doesn’t make sense to get pissed
it makes life possible, and it calls you back
uses you to rebuild elsewhere on evolution’s track
new improved models, a step up that ladder
something bigger and better, something nicer and badder
I think we forget that we are not the end of evolution
circles never end there’s no final revolution
though in our dreams we find the keys in our genes
no pill will ever be more than a smokescreen
science pretends to be God and claims clarity
to have found the key to the future
if we part with enough elbow grease and filthy lucre
it’s so hard to admit we’re not alpha or omega
we’re not the beginning or end
and bells will toll for mud mice and men
still can’t grasp the fact that we just animated matter
if you’re still reading up, we are not the last chapter
when the end comes we are not what comes after
so, yeah, Disney skips death in the Circle of Life
Simba’s sunrise is always falled by the night and the knife
we rise and we fall to make something else again
it’s fact that we’re all going to meet our end, my friend
I’m gonna upchuck some Chuck Palahniuk
on a long enough time line,
the life expectancy for everybody drops to zero
realize that none of this is meant to bring fear, so
don’t sit counting your pebbles but find beauty in mountains
in ebb and flow of rivers, waterfalls, and fountains
even mountains walk to the rhythm of moon tide erosion
stars shine with the promise of cosmic explosion
mortals are blessed to avoid eternity’s curse
to have a limited span that counts down from birth
mud and dust that for a time rises from the earth
with a limit granting the sweetness, passion, and worth
for some this knowledge is the apple roasting in hell
snake tongues flicking fire to the rhythm of the bells
but it’s their carol that lets me know all is well
you can’t stay so fill your days with play
put in some work, I eat shit like a fungi
but I let shit slide so I can be a fun guy
I don’t let this circle make me sing the sorrows
I know I don’t need a lot of shit
just love because I came with it
and I want to leave with it
and everything else is just borrowed
in my limited time I just want my light to shine
as I put some words to the grind
while I look for more love to make mine
because we are nothing but carbon
and we are going back to the garden
we’re just animated matter
we are not what comes after
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