Travelling Light

I’ll leave this friend behind
This powerful poisonous pal
And take instead
A breath of fresh air
Across the pond

Friend for life,
‘Til death us do us part
Until an ocean away
Among the long-dead
I’ll gift this to those
Who gave their lives for mine

They lost themselves
To give me the choice
To self- suffocate
I will leave this friend behind
A small sacrifice

Wanna Fight?

Here’s what I believe. There is absolutely no point in engaging in conversation, debate, or all-out-teeth-clenched-sleeves-rolled-up-sweaty-upper-lip argument with anyone unless you’re willing to admit that you just might be……….wrong.

Fonzie WRONG.

The admission of it stuck in your throat like a half-chewed pizza crust from the night before kind of wrong. Even humiliated.

These days it seems most people aren’t willing to participate in good (read: heated) conversation. Why? Because we are scared. We’re all pee our pants scared because we don’t want to admit that we don’t have an opinion. The very thought of not having something to say leaves us speechless. So, instead we piss away precious words on innocuous chitchat, barely lapping at the fringe of controversy lest our ignorance be a bitter pill.

Why can’t we say “Hey, thanks, I learned something today.” or, “Who knew??” or, God forbid, “I didn’t know that!”? Because we are so threatened by the very notion of recognizing that we aren’t a bunch of know-it-alls, that we walk around acting like them instead.

In reality, the plethora of information available to us after a blind date with Google is mind numbing. The more we’re supposed to know, the stupider we become. Dabblers aplenty, the experts amongst us a dying breed.

So what’s the answer? In my opinion, (because I have one… thank you Jesus….dodged that bullet) you don’t need to have the answers, you only need to know where to find them. Surround yourself with amazing people and the answers will always be at hand. Seek and ye shall find, but seek quality, not quantity.

Judge the book by its cover; those in the know…..show. They have courage and passion and aren’t afraid to bare their asses from time to time. They aren’t afraid to admit that they were…..not exactly right. This time.

Life In Death

The uninvited visitor
A creeping cloud
Oozing over
An already too-cool sun

A slow sad seduction
Of the defenseless
When mind over matter
Matters not

Smothering serenity
Squandering joy
Feasting on the panic
The dread in your head

Tolerate another day
Waiting with sour held breath
From metallic medicine
That keeps the dark dogs at bay

What Is, Was, And Always Shall Be

The numbing nectar, the mead; the need
To knead away the knots
And silence the screams

Virginal white
Or blood heavy and red
Crystal held, cool as a lover’s hand

Furtive by day
In a Tupperware cup
Stained with shame

Sweetly slips away the sorrow
And brings instead
The same tomorrow

Her mother, her brother
Her sister
Herself

Barry

The grating rasp of her Bic
Like nails on a chalkboard.
He hates smokers with the slit-eyed disgust of those who quit
Cold turkey.
(No pain, no gain)

He did it standing in the line at the downtown Royal Bank.
Hearing someone whisper, “My God, that stinks”
He rubbed out his addiction on the leather sole of his
Black Dack’s shoe.
(When only the best will do)

He stares at the lines around her mouth
Deeper than they need to be
The leftovers of thousands of cigarettes,
Hundreds of books consumed.
(Read ‘em and weep)

Another plate of grey roast beef
Served on a TV tray
In front of the channel 7 news.
The kids clamoring in the kitchen
(A man’s home is his castle)

His side of the bed
Hospital corners tucked tightly
Holding in a rageful rest
Her side a tangled web
(Said the spider to the fly)