UNCLE SUMMER I used to long for the warm breeze And the sweet smell of maple leaves. But summer is no longer dear to me. I may have outgrown that friendship. Summertime became my distant uncle Whom I used to like Until he started watching Fox News. Burned toast and Irish coffee on his breath "When will the apocalypse come?", People ask. Well, it's already here for so many of us While others will never acknowledge it Even as they boil in their fancy Cuisinart frog pots Paid for in a few convenient installments. "What will the end be like?", they ask. My crazy uncle Summer Is already at work Giving us a glimpse Of how it ends.
THE CYCLE New hope. New life. Sprawl. Humble beginnings And boom! Sugar high! Prosperity! Traffic jams. “Greed is good”. Crowds. Pollution. Traffic. Growth that can't be stopped. A taste for fascism. And then... A disaster. Handful of survivors. New hope. New life. Sprawl...
WAIT! Weren't we meant to dig in the soil In search for roots to eat? Weren't we meant to be chased by beasts? Weren't we meant to walk barefoot? Weren't we meant to eat scarcely enough To survive? Instead We book flights, We eat more than we can contain And throw the rest away. Spinach rots inside of sealed containers. Three sets of ten reps “It makes you 31% more productive!” That's just... BORING!
METAVERSE Let’s go to the mall! They sell guns there. We must buy one quickly Before someone else shoots us. Only then we will stand tall! We won’t cower under the rocks. Only then we will be complete! We must buy a gun! That one thing to defend With the very thing We won't hesitate to use To defend it With that very thing...
DARE ME! I will be brave But I must be alone. I will impress a rock And maybe a snail. But you won't be there To tell me how brave I was In your opinion. I will not be brave on cue. When you say "You gotta be brave, man!" I will turn around and leave. I won't need a weapon. Weapons are for cowards. I need no cheerleaders. My knuckles will be bare I dare you to be brave Next time you're alone!
FURNITURE They say I must sleep in a bed but I can't sleep. They say I must eat at a table but I eat fruits fresh off the trees They make tables and beds out of. And when I die, they will cut down another one for a long box to fit into. But I will just dissolve Into a shapeless mist.
BLACK HOLE It sucks. It sucks so bad! Not even light can escape The matter concentrated To the point of collapse! Light! Who would have thought! Light? The lightest of things! The life, the truth, the way, Gets crushed and spaghettified By a giant ball of shit!
TRIAL You're on trial. You should have kept things straight! You should have ironed the khakis They told you to wear! The evidence of your misconduct Will finally see the light of day. Your crime? Pure arrogance. “No one shall outfly the penguins!” Index fingers: ivory towers Raised to empty heavens. Guilty verdict. Ankle bracelet of shame. It beeps.
WINTER You say “Don’t you just love winter?” From underneath your blankets Wool socks, fireplace, Hot cocoa and toast: These remedies aren't winter You claim to love. Winter is darkness, and howling wind, Frost and white emptiness. Nobody loves those! And so... What if you don't love the true me. What if all you love are remedies to what I really am?
SOMETHING BIGGER “Become a part of Something Bigger Than Yourself”. This advice terrifies me. I imagine Something Bigger Than Myself Kicking my door down And crushing me into nothing. ASSIMILATE. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE, I imagine Something Bigger Than Myself say. And before I know it I too become an insect flattened against the windshield of a truck.
OUTSIDE I don’t know how to be outside without photobombing their selfies. How to participate in someone’s recording in progress. "Excuse me, sir! Do you want to be in the video?" “You’re very kind but no, thank you!" "No, I meant, move your ass old fart! I'm making a TikTok video My fans will view later From the safety of their rooms Elsewhere!” I don't know how to be outside.
ALONE I stand alone. An oak tree in February. See the world through the black Of my leafless branches. Yet I'm alive And my roots are intact. I'm not in a hurry to wake up. But when I do, Oh, how awake I'll be!
WHITE MALE My notebook is blank and my pen came without ink. I hide a tiny paper cut With a band aid. May I speak to the Manager? My notebook is blank and my pen came without ink! People's notebooks are bloodstained. Pages slashed across, crumpled and burned! Their pens are bleeding out. My notebook is blank and my pen came without ink. Their cuts are deep wounds But there are no matching band aids... I withdraw my complaint. My notebook is blank and my pen came without ink.
THE SINK It was beautiful! It may have cost a fortune! The bowl carved out of Carrara’s finest Left over stone from Michelangelo’s David! And the faucet? Gold plated with floral patterns, Birds and cherubs, Encrusted with rubies and diamonds. The knobs: ancient ivory From the time of glory! I open the flow: "Shhhhhhhh! ", says the faucet, “There is no water…”
DEVELOPERS They came, they saw… A place. An oak groaning under its own weight, Telling stories From the time of "nothing but forest". Hedgehogs hiding in the ferns. Frogs singing love songs. Spiders concocting silver dresses for the trees. A Marten hiding under a root From a hungry owl. A blackbird singing excitedly. And a cuckoo counting how much time is left. They looked around, They measured by eye, They drew lines in the air with their fingers: Shapes of the future! "As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, There is nothing here yet..." They said.
A GOOD LIFE He grew up in an atmosphere of mutual respect. He was responsible. He was reasonable. He didn't drink or smoke. He didn’t use drugs. He wasn’t a fornicator. He didn't steal. He didn't betray or cheat. He hurt no one. He didn't argue. He always took the assigned seat. He practiced various sports. He practiced mindfulness. He took care of his diet. He never got sick. He was never left out in a dirt. He never lost anyone. He's never been in a fight. He never took part in a debate. He never made a mistake. He cooked well and He always cleaned up after himself. No kidding! This asshole might as well have never existed!
CON-FESSION I lay out my dirt On a neat white cloth. My knee jerk reactions From the past that isn't. "Tell me everything When, why and how many times! You can't fool God!" A whisper comes from a dark box. Pale hand knocks three times As I leave. Light as a feather. My indiscretions stay With the voice And the white hand in a box. Never mind.
GREAT EXTINCTION (2020 lockdown) Every day there is less. Of small things at first. You notice: There are no crickets, and now also No paper clips! No running in the hallways! Next time you wake up: Less garden parties, Less faces, Less teeth, Less hair, Less laughter, less joyful tears, Less concerts and less beer. The supply chain of dreams broke long ago. There is just survival. Things you ordered online break apart Fresh from the box. Who did you vote for? A convincing cardboard cutout, that’s who! A promise made of paper. Yes, there is still plenty to hold on to But soon there will be just one thing left Between your clenched fingers One is quite enough. Do not let go Until your time comes!
WHEN IT THUNDERS I free myself from my father. Today, I make my own breakfast! I look around: There’s only me. Here. Now. I take the first bite Without spices, Without sweeteners. Raw. For beauty, I thank the beauty, For green, I thank the green, For warmth, I thank the warmth, For light, I thank the light. My hands, though still weak, Move freely now, Despite the holes Left over from the string attachments. Fear comes suddenly, Same as always, But I no longer sweep it Under my father’s coat. I let it sit beside me. Together, we finish breakfast, My new friend Fear and I.
CASE FOR DARKNESS Berated and condemned By those who claim To shine the light! Don’t they see? A candle illuminates For a brief moment, One side at the time! But in darkness roots find their way Too keep the plant alive. Hollow crypts hide the secrets of passing. Violin's dark interiors Release the brightest sounds! The omnipresent dark: The universal backdrop! A star as large as a million Earths: A speck in the night sky. Day’s illusion: Brief interruption. Those born without sight don’t know light Do they know darkness? I close my eyes to feel the dark truth But it's just my eyelids blocking the light. The night will fall soon enough.
INSOMNIA I woke at 4 AM. With a pebble in my mind. I tried to get it out but the more I tried, the larger it got. I mustered enough strength to get up before it turns into a boulder. I saw the night sky: Glitter over velvet! Then it happened: an asteroid slashed it in half and then suddenly my mind was clear.
IMAGINATION Human brain is the size of a kitten. Did you just see a kitten enclosed In a bony container? Your brain made that up! It can make up anything. Oh, look! A cigarette butt flat on a sidewalk! Traces of red lipstick still on it! Can you see it? And here: a toilet paper strand Attached to a shoe! It must be real! A number two pencil. Not very sharp Chewed up at its end. It's right there on a laminate countertop! And now look: A unicorn! Or could there be a plunger Attached to a horse's head? And here? What's that? The infinite expanse of timeless awareness! Yellow emptiness that smells like cinnamon? The virgin birth! Zombies! Vampires! Superman and the messiah! A line separating my great country From your stupid country. Paper rectangles and metal disks You must strive for or else you’ll die. Floor is lava! You better believe it!
REFRIGERATOR My child mind just sits there with crayons. It scribbles on flimsy sheets of paper Colorful shapes and shapely colors. A flower, a house, a dog, A girl, a car and a tree. One or two fears, a joy here And there and fear again. It doesn't skimp on its unlimited supply Of black crayons And so it keeps on drawing: Things to do, things once done. A betrayal, a swindle A stupid thing once said. Crayons singe with friction and break. Every now and then my parent mind Picks the drawings up calmly And attaches them To the refrigerator with small magnets. There are so many drawings, I can’t see the refrigerator anymore! But it's okay. I just know it's there.
THE SYSTEM If you can’t lead, follow. If you can’t follow, lead. And nothing in between! They will give you a special hat To help you fall in line. The Line. It was always there Long before you were born. “There’s no time for silliness!” Say the leaders who know best. THEY took leadership courses While YOU were asleep! In exchange for tokens You shall work in the mines Inside of the dying Mother. You will acquire goods Mined out of her weakened body By other followers like you. Don’t worry, be happy! Watch a game! Renew your subscription! Go shopping!
PHOTOSYN THESIS JUST IMAGINE! The headlines: “Break Through In Genetic Engineering!” “Humans No Longer Rely On Ingesting Food!” “Cell Mutation Enables Photosynthesis!” “Good Bye World Hunger!” How long before you would hoard The LED lights and growing lamps So that others can’t have it? Would you afford an apartment With large windows? Would we start building windowless rooms Just to vary the standards? Would there be shade structures Over the heads of have-nots That the haves would be raising? Would there be A dark room punishment For trying to break Our daily light allotment? Would this all still be better Than the fate of those Who refused to switch? Living underground On a diet of rats and earthworms!