We’re all born scientists, born wondering why
the sun shines, born wondering where
we came from, wondering
everything
until we hit junior high.
O thou destroyer of young scientists!
We lose them by the millions
to memorization of silly things that you know
you’re never going to use
again in your life.
This paralyzed poetry
Beneath a comatose moon
Shocked by infidelity–
Emotions–the creeping doom
Yards of junk in dying hearts
No room to remember us
Before this.
In the beginning was The Word
Since then it has been:
Misunderstood
Crucified
Misunderstood
Versed
Misunderstood
Booked
Misunderstood
Movied
Misunderstood
Comic’d (probably)
Misunderstood
and written about
on this website
Misunderstood
But I’m trying
Its best to go out with a bang.
Bright dust fluttering on every inch of skin
Because we don’t play, honey.
We are the shining stars that floated out of the sky.
The fairies that walk past you mere mortals.
We are the extraterrestrials that walk on your Earth like we own it.
We don’t expect you to bow down (that’s an outdated custom)
But we do expect your respect
And demand your attention
When we shine.
Constant complacent
independence of reason
a season of change
Apathy supreme
tomorrow is yesterday
at one point, enough
Patriotism, the
fools gold, elites pulling strings
puppets of profit
cluster siren sounds behind—
the World is so small these days,
you can drink someone’s suffering any time you’re thirsty.
the World is so hot today,
people and I can’t be anything but thirsty.
thirty thirsty days of June,
you can’t look anywhere
without seeing a taste of someone else.
someone put down the pavement, someone put up the sky.
you can wave your flag, your skin for one day,
(flay your skin to make your flag one day)
and drink something a little less hurt.
a one-emperor dynasty once went under when its legalist,
torture-your-sins-away, burn-a-book-or-two (this is still our emperor)
king
drank silver-watered mercury,
dying to think himself immortal.
Certificate of merit
Together we can do better
We work to succor the world
Over extended and whelmed
History overhanging
Some populations are unable to sustain themselves
Too busy living to notice
Castrators diverting the host’s energy
Can cause serious damage
How much ugly must be tolerated for the sake of duty
We each respond so differently
Of ultimate fare thee wells
Just once, I thought, I would like you to acknowledge your selfishness
but you see
all shortcomings failures
lapses mess ups
from us both
branded on me
I’ve
kowtowed
for
so
long
to feign peace
soothe the beast
douse out flames
even cool irons
sear my hide
Twenty-four hours since the concert ended
– my ears still a ringin’ –
and I sure wish I could recall Tyler’s lyrics.
But what reverberates between these ears
are words I swallowed last night
when you introduced me to your girl.
To apprise her that
you takin’ a higher payin’ job isn’t the answer.
To inform the hussy that
her cheatin’ heart don’t deserve yours.
To impart I’m the one you confide in
when everything is up that proverbial shit creek.
And to call you a yellow-bellied coward for settlin’.
But I saw the roundness of her belly
the blue-blaze hurt in your eyes
and cowered.
“It sure is nice to meet you.
Your husband speaks of you often.”
And I reckon it’s time
for a good thing to wind on down.
Cause I’m tired of wastin’ my time
on things set on leavin’.
(The last stanza is comprised of lines from the song “Good Thing Windin’ Down” by musician Tyler Childers.)
