1. “17 Seconds” All it takes are 17 or 18 seconds, at least over 10, so I've heard, to lose consciousness from a free fall, at least 30 feet high. Standing at the ledge, looking down, probably thinking irrationally, as most people do, pacing back and forth, wearing lines into concrete on roof tops, ironically made to promote a better life rather than take them. Can't think straight emotions, memories... Family. Disownment. Friends that care and that hate, my girlfriend who dumped me; will they miss me? Probably not. What to do.... And what of the art burning in the fire? Was it all for waste? It's too late... Tonight, we fall well, farther down, and hands cannot catch me now.
Transcript
1. “17 Seconds”
All it takes are 17 or 18 seconds,
at least over 10, so I've heard,
to lose consciousness
from a free fall, at least 30 feet high.
Standing at the ledge, looking down,
probably thinking irrationally,
as most people do,
pacing back and forth,
wearing lines into concrete on roof tops,
ironically made to promote a better life
rather than take them.
Can't think straight emotions, memories...
Family. Disownment.
Friends that care and that hate,
my girlfriend who dumped me;
will they miss me? Probably not.
What to do....
And what of the art burning in the fire?
Was it all for waste?
It's too late...
Tonight, we fall
well, farther down,
and hands cannot catch me now.
Stand back. Take a few breaths. Close your eyes. Run. Clench your teeth. Leap!
and
fall
down
breathless...
if only
hands could have
reached out,
but sadly...
the only peace
are these
17 seconds---
Love one another, support, comfort, and do not disregard those who are about to jump off the edge.
2. “Intervene”
This will only hurt for a second, but last for an eternity
as the memories pulse as strong as these veins,
there is no turning b
back, no safe l
s o l u t i o n. i
Breathe s
slow. s
So here's the
l a s t stand,
the last action,
the escape
so d e s i r e d,
as b re at hs
burn with
each take
in, out, in, out
in, out, in, out!
Why are WE
p u s h e d T h
so far e r
that it becomes e
un bear able is just one life to live.
and why so quiet are the voices when we NEED
Their voices...man is lead to the cliff, PUSHED
to the edge and expected to climb, unaware HOW.
And here we are, gun to the chin, PROVOKED!
But will you walk in this crime scene... too late---
The finger rests on the trigger,
shaking as each painful second ensues...
will you choose to pull the smoking gun
from bloody hands?
Or intervene?
3. “Bottled Air”
Nothing seems free
In a world that claims to be
When all the proof that disclaim
Stands on every shelf for all to see.
Variety by name, not by flavor,
But in each drop you’ll surely savor
How “clean” and “convenient” the ads aim,
But to the common man, who does it favor?
I guess I can’t argue, cheap and clever
To the common sense, it will gradually sever,
And next: to sell bottled air? What’s the next game?
“I can get that for free, remember?”
But give it a second, a little more time
As scientists inject the air with the essence of lime,
And to each breath from a bottle it came,
It will appear that fact is in this rhyme.
“Air fresheners” are stocked in the cabinet,
Each with a scent and price, all desires are met,
To indulge in luxuries, there is no shame
When watched by those who cannot get.
And will it stop there, why would it end?
Bottles of sound or bottles of sunshine they will send
To those who live in obvious abundance, all the same,
But “Evian” drinkers’ backwards minds cannot mend.
Yet, give it some time, we won’t treasure
The simplicities offered, these pure pleasures;
Why is man so obsessed with selling that he can tame?
“Here’s bottled happiness, 16 pills in measure.”
And why not just the air or tap, is it a sin
To pile on with garbage, a giant mountain
Of bottles and cans of marketed nature, who are to blame
For distracting our ignorance with the recycling bin?
4. “Maggie”
Her name was Maggie,
or Mag as some called her,
like the western gun:
old, irrelevant, and limited
but damn could she pack a punch.
She was a usual customer,
always coming in to buy
the same two items every Wednesday:
a jug of milk and a candy bar for her son.
Assembly line workers don't make as much as they use to
and like the rest of the world,
she had no time to go to school.
Times are tough these times,
and it's hard to make a dime,
but rhyming is for those who have time.
Always with a story, plenty of them to tell,
she could go on and on, holding up lines,
but damn could her voice draw attention:
abusive families, a father's absence,
a life on the streets and of dreams broken.
She always wanted to be an actress,
but some things don't play out
and she accepted that.
If there is anything she learned:
"Happy endings are never always that happy,
but my son is healthy, and he's in school.
All I can do is help him as best I can,
and hope that in the end he becomes a better man."
Weeks went away,
no more stories, no more long lines
and the disgruntled customers behind,
Maggie disappeared and I worried.
Strange the connections you make in times like these.
I missed her, the gun, the customer, the mother,
the fighter in these hard times: the inspiration.
Yesterday she came in with two candy bars and a smile,
after many months of missing.
She had been working harder,
that talking had got her thinking
about her life, her son's life, and the life around her,
to me she said "thank you", for being the outlet
to express her pain, her sorrow, and her flaws
so she could find the love, the beauty,
and the dreams she needed to follow.
She told me she had just got a raise,
and today she was going to treat herself for once.
For this Wednesday, she was queen:
"Happy endings are never always that happy",
but the moments that make us smile along the way
are as beautiful as dreamed.
5. “I Am Jezebel, Hear Me Roar”
Since the Fall, the leaves change color,
And her father goes to take her,
A seven-year-old girl, the beast
To her dinner, the feast,
And watches her play and crush
Her potatoes and peas to mush.
Her servants clean her mess
And to her desires, she will detest
That it is her play time, bring her doll,
And the head will be ripped, limbs torn all
It doesn't matter, life is replaced
But the destruction is not paced,
It continues, blocks kicked over,
Point to the sky, run for cover!
Outside she goes, to stomp on the colors
Like giant sea monsters, run from her,
Since the Fall, cruelty she will adore:
"I am Jezebel, hear me roar!"
6. “Lemonade Stands
It's always a wonder when I wander
To find childhood remnants that I remember,
And to this hot, sweaty day's demand
I was relieved to find a lemonade stand.
Built of cardboard, wood is hard to find
And pour me a glass, if you could be so kind,
It's just a quarter, no biggie,
Join this nostalgia, come with me.
To journey to times of treasure
Where our dreams stretched out forever
And our innocence and morality right
To parents we followed and did not fight.
And of love, the princess and the prince
And the missed stories that we haven't seen since,
It is a beauty to be a child, to be young
To my joy, this song is sung.
I'm glad these two girls stay to this rhyme
That it is hard through this tough time,
Which is why I will commend and honor:
“Pour me a glass, pour me another.”
But prices have raised, 25 to 50,
I guess I can sacrifice, it's important to me.
I'll pull out my abused wallet, $20 to pay
And "thank you" is what I expect them to say;
Instead, these times have changed
To me a glass and some pills are exchanged…
And drugs in hand, I wondered
Where is the child innocence that I remembered?
7. “The Wasps”
Standing in the school yard,
Staring at wasps playing,
In yellow jackets, mixtures of black,
Always fighting.
Or more so bringing pain,
With each unlimited sting,
And not once ceasing
From the tears they bring.
And I stand in the distance,
Call me allergic,
That I wonder what good will come
From these acts that make me sick.
Why freely fly, follow,
Fight, then flee,
When the world is yours,
To experience and be free?
But make it's your choice,
A wasp who torments all,
Bullies in yellow jackets,
It was always your call.
8. “With the Ring of the Chime”
With the ring of the chime
I know that it is time
When he comes for me.
First, a creaky door, a slam
But I know he doesn't give a damn
When he comes for me.
Second, his music, he shares
As he patiently creeps to the stairs
When he comes for me.
In each step, each whimper he will enjoy
As he readies his hand to play with his toy
When he comes for me.
And last, in the Devil's laugh, he will call
My name as the knife drags along the wall
When he comes for me.
I once believed many things, that evil is a lie,
But I curl to this wall again, wishing to die---
Now he comes for me!
9. “Apocalypsi”
He looked to the sky
At dark clouds coming near.
It would rain soon.
There was no sun in sight, no warmth.
Even the cardinals could not sing
Nor could the cattails bloom.
Only salt in the air.
He could only feel the wind
Prickle his skin.
Heavy rain was coming,
But he did not move.
He just stood there,
Watching as others ran.
Mankind had brought this upon themselves
And until lessons are learned, idle hands raised,
This time…there would be no rainbow.
10. “Garage Sales”
Erect, stiff and sturdy,
conveying a welcome invitation
for others to enter this garage
to find a surprising supply
of interesting goodies.
Garage sale today,
the women will go,
but men will falter behind
from this simple sign
because they'll be too preoccupied
thinking about their dicks.
11. “Anonymous Acquaintance”
If I were to ask
"who are you"
would you take the time
to have a conversation
with me and share your:
likes and dislikes,
loves and fears,
dreams and worries,
and strengths and insecurities,
becoming closer
as we had set out to be?
Or would you remain
my anonymous acquaintance
and simply share
only your name?
12. “Indirect Compliment”
If I were to call you a woman,
would you appreciate
such a compliment
bestowed upon you?
Or would you take offense?
Is it offensive to call
a person to be strong
like a great wall,
carefully constructed,
foundation laid,
keeping the dangers
that threaten loved ones
at bay?
Or is it rude to
imply that such
beauty
could exist in
such perfect frames?
And how wrong I must be
to ever recognize
great intuition and intelligence,
for such a statement
would be too harsh
for your ears to bear.
Clearly, I am the antagonist
for witnessing such creative
inspiration.
Which is sad I must admit,
that if I were to ever
call you a woman,
you would ignore
my indirect compliment
and simply reply
that I am just a man.
13. “Original Blueprint”
A strong-framed house
With sturdy stone pillars
Made by diligent hands was carved
In the original blueprint,
But instead a diamond-studded barn,
Shaking and rotting in the wind,
painted in oil was built.
Its animals lie in defiled cages
With no hay to eat nor sleep,
Only eyes falling at a single
Beam of light, unreachable,
From a window above.
To their forsaken ears
Come sounds of laughter,
The singing of songs
From fruit-bearing farmers,
Basking in the stolen harvest.
Outside a white picket fence
Meant to protect
The once tenderly-cared yard,
Fell to lazy fingers and
Now became a wild field,
Full of dead horses
Constantly trampled upon.
Was this the dream?
Ignorant travelers ask for direction
To the bright, red door,
A home of expectation,
But are only silently guided
To the broken barn,
To a sign painted in blood:
"Welcome to Amierca"
14. “A White Balloon”
On the corner of Washington Ave and Liberty Street,
I met a sweet, young girl wearing a red dress and blue shoes.
She later reminded me of someone I once knew,
A once well-mannered, honest, and aspiring girl
Turned into a dirty, obese attention whore
With too many dollars falling from "empty" pockets.
The young are always so easily influenced,
That truth I always knew (although she did not).
I asked her name,
And she told me, "America".
What a beautiful name,
And as a young kid, I offered her a white balloon
Of which she took with a smile.
She said that she always wanted to make people happy,
Always saying silly things such as taking the lottery money
And just spreading it to the people who needed it,
Sharing bread and wine with everyone
And becoming a teacher to "make people smarter".
I laughed and smiled, so naive I first thought,
However, she did not laugh, she was serious.
"One day, everyone will be happy, healthy, wealthy, not rich, and smart.
People will love one another, and all will be fair."
The light changed, the signals flashing,
She shared an innocent smile as she stepped onto the marked crosswalk.
I was about to follow, but unlike her, I foresaw
The events about to unfold.
There was no horn, no sound,
Just abruptness caused
By those who could not be patient.
I stared at the catastrophe,
Shocked, confused,
And I called out to the crowd
For help for this dying girl,
Red on red,
Black on blue,
But no one noticed.
They only stared at a white balloon rising in the sky
As I began to wonder, what happened to US?
15. “Being a Man”
When Man was made,
Ingredients were thrown
Into the great, steel cauldron.
Viciously did they burn and boil
As loving hands plunged
Into its scalding concoction, stirring.
Of this ancient recipe,
Muscle cars and motor oil,
Steak and burgers,
Pit bulls and tigers,
And beer were not included
In the making of the Man.
Although such ingredients
May become important factors
In a life of rough hands,
They do not make them.
Man was made out of muscle,
Not of it alone, nor was he
Meant to be the loudest biker
Who could never back down;
That was not what the Maker intended.
Instead, among his burning hands,
Stirring with great patience,
Rested various ingredients, virtues:
Responsibility, Honesty, and Persistence;
Temperance, Honor, and Courage;
Compassion, Understanding, and Love;
All ingredients mixed.
And the misconceptions bring him pain,
Pouring salt on the burn marks that lay on his hands,
Sacrificed for his creation.
To be a male is very different
Than being a man.
16. “Why Can’t We Be More Like Ants?”
Ants,
I can see why people think they are an army,
Strong and large in numbers
With brotherhoods bound by shed blood.
Live together,
Die together,
March as one;
Unified, working as a whole
for the hill and not the queen.
No chaos like the flutter of wings
And hostility of stingers;
There is no fear, just fascination
When a glance falls upon the colony.
How is it possible for a system
To work so efficiently,
The goal to survive and flourish
Rather than gain and pride?
Of course there are predators,
Possibly magnifying glasses lurking the skies,
But they stand together, no betrayal,
One for all.
Sometimes I wonder,
As I glance upon the ant hill,
Why can't we be more like ants?
Simplistic creatures simply creating
Utopia.
17. “The Compyter”
Compyter! Compyter! glowing dim,
why thy chose you than the gym,
What weak, lazy hand or eye
Could resist thy simple apathy?
In what darkened rooms or chairs
Glowed the blindness of thine stares?
On what sites dare he desire?
What the hand dare sieze the spire?
And what breathing, pulsing heart.
Could release the joy of thy part?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? Where's thy sheet?
What the tissue? all out again?
In what video was thy brain?
What the dignity? what last gasp
Dare its friendly familiar grasp?
When thy practiced all these years,
And watered lonliness with thy tears,
Did I stumble into his work to see?
Did he who made the Man make thee?
Compyter! Compyter! glowing dim,
why thy chose thee than the gym,
What weak, lazy hand or eye
Dare resist thy simple apathy?
18. “Goodbyes Aren’t Funerals”
Our feet turn in opposite directions,
Our eyes lose their connection
As we can no longer feel
The warmth of each other's breath.
"Goodbye"
Strange, I do not understand
The grief that engulfs the air
Like toxic gas ready to kill
All souls who wish for such pain to stop.
Goodbye's aren't funerals,
People come and go,
Like letters sent to pen pals,
Anticipating distant faded voices.
It is what it is,
We live, we fade,
And sometimes we return,
But do not close the casket door
And prepare the eulogy
When these hearts still beat,
Misunderstood as ceased
Just because of two words.
We can't say farewell
So simply, prayers in our hearts
And dreams in our minds
That one day we may see each other;
We can, it is not an impossible goal.
Carpe diem.
Don't send me out
Until you check my pulse,
I miss you, I am alive;
Maybe that's why I always preferred,
"See you later",
and
"Have a nice day."
19. “Desensitization”
A child saw a man
dead, hanging from the gallows:
"He missed a letter."
20. “High Five”
In a universe of acquaintances,
My eyes happen to meet yours,
A smile forms from your frown,
As for a moment we recognize.
I watch you raise your hand
Like an alien lifting an extension,
Making a motion for friendship.
I follow your moments,
Afraid of breaking the norms
Set in place by confusing creatures,
Colliding two palms together:
Rough and brief.
Yet between the empty crevices
On our palms, wind blows through
Easily without obstacle.
So close, yet so distant,
And with that action, apparently
We are friends...
But I don't know you,
You don't know me.
We just share our obscure gestures,
Turn around, walk away,
Fulfilling a temporary satisfaction
That we are not alone.
I imagine this ritual strange
In the eyes of aliens,
Watching from a distance
Not as far as the space
Between our palms.
21. “The Future [Purchase App Here]”
Life?
Don't worry,
There's an App for that
Off scratched and ill-taken care of
Technologies halfway resting into pockets,
Fingers missing its embrace
At each single second it is not
Within hand's reach.
Who needs to know
How to do simple calculations,
Remember important birthdays,
Or even keep oneself amused
When gadgets solve all problems?
And productivity increases,
As these new inventions
Create ways and conventions
For businesses and social connections.
Who needs to revert to old, inadequate ways
When all you need is an iPhone today?
More work can be done...
Once Angry Birds is won.
But I do suppose the future is tomorrow,
And we can't wait for the next "big thing"
To "make life simpler and easier";
Times are getting rough,
We may soon have to lift our hands.
Imagine it all!
Expensive signs, neon lights
Projecting out to all:
"Floors that move as directed and desired!",
"Fridges that prepare our meals, no need to cook!",
"Toilets that rush water up 'places'
So that we don't have to wipe our asses!"
Oh wait, they already have that.
But do not fear,
As technology advances,
We adapt.
Brain cells dying from lack of use,
Bodies becoming misshapen,
And emotions and mentalities become void.
Robots won't come to take over our world, children...
We'll save the time and effort,
And just turn into them.
22. “Time Capsule”
In a random experiment,
I ask all to each bury a journal
about worshiping pandas,
thinking that in 200-or-so years,
when apocalypses come and go,
it will be taken from the time capsule
And as they read the verses
I will hope for laughter
but expect them to believe it true.
23. “Boy Have Times Changed”
She once told me,
As young girls excitingly do,
“We are going to play ball”,
And upon the mere utter of the word,
I imagined sequins and heels,
Dresses that fell effortlessly, elegantly,
As gloved hands were kissed
By princes and dukes,
Asking to share a dance,
Without midnight curses,
Only silent and proper romances.
The smell of attended appetizers
Lying on clean china
Carefully carried yet quickly
To white tables and carefully-arranged silverware,
