Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Level of Distress

Depending on the level of distress
Exhibited by people who expect
Some sort of payoff after they inject
A substance in their arms that's more or less
The essence of a sad, unholy mess
When nothing happens, that's when you'll detect
What not to do, what won't work to correct
A problem. Sometimes you should not say yes.

I don't have friends who do that to themselves,
Because those people have no friends at all.
They'll shake, and wander up and down the hall
Checking the door frames and the pantry shelves,
Believing they can see the future, elves,
Or truth, and never answer when you call.

Wednesday, March 01, 2017

Good Days

There have been times when everyone agreed:
Who's looking out for us? We're it. No gods,
No impish spirits in the lightning rods,
No force of nature throwing out its seed,
Just us. So we should heal the sick and feed
The poor, succour the indigent, poor clods,
Find empathy for all, rent boys and broads,
Hepcats and hippies, hipsters smoking weed.

Why pray to gods who send catastrophes?
Religion won't explain the suffering
Of newborn babes. Evil is on the wing,
But what omnipotent, good deities
Would let that happen? It makes my heart freeze,
While keeping up this ceaseless buffeting.