Add-a-Poem

[anirbas]

waiting for the next revelation
everywhere I look in life another mourner
living day to day on the corner
of rock bottom and salvation

I saw a whore with the face of an angel
a homeless wino on the curb
sharing his space and his bottle
with a dog as thin and stray as him

an eight year old with eyes big as the ocean
eyeing my pancakes in the diner of a morning
tried to sell me crack for his daddy
if I'd follow him out back

waiting for the next revelation
everywhere I look in life another mourner
living day to day on the corner
of rock bottom and salvation

[phantasm]

Rock bottom and salvation
don't have to be synonymous
some people have to go splat before they rise again
but it doesn't have to be that way.

It's a less dramatic life if you can wake up to your problems
without suffering a catastrophe.
They may not be able to make a Lifetime movie based on your life,
but then, that's not such a bad thing, is it?
Don't gripe. Change your life trajectory. All it takes is a steady, gentle daily nudge.

You can find yourself 10,000 light years away that way.

[vulture]

Ten thousand light years away that way
To the left of the moon's luminous
countenance there is a bright star
once upon a time from afar
I uttered a wish to it-
whispering your name.

For all the good that did.
What a childish game.
I knew better.

Ironically
twenty-seven
some odd years
later occassionaly
I still look up to that star
left of the moon's
countenance
and whisper...

It's become routine.

[phantasm]

It's become routine, this life
The shopping and getting dinner
It only becomes more numb
as the summer solstice approaches

all this light.

I know I want to do more with my life
I have  been living in the now-but-not-yet for so long
The status quo has taken on a strange shape, over-ripe
with boringness. Something has gone wrong.
How do I name it and make it right?

I want something new and properly ripe
to blow like a refreshing breeze in my life.

[vulture]

...refreshing breeze in my life blow
sweet zephyr devoid of rampant strife sow
easily digested seedlings of peace
of war and poverty let there be truce

let all racism including reverse
fade and vanish from our shared existence
all lives matter black, brown, white and yellow
to think otherwise is to be shallow

let us join our hands, our hearts and spirits
equally respected for our merits
lay down our respective hypocrisies
find a way out of this hatred crisies

[aims]

Find a way out of this hatred crisis,
and I'll bow down to the Goddess Isis!
Tell me a way for my dreams to come true
Otherwise, this prayer, this petition, is thru!
Tell me, oh tell me, Powers that Be
how to shake some loose from the money tree!

[phantasm]

How to shake some cash loose from the money tree--
that's the real question

It depends on how close you're standing  to it.
You could always throw rocks at the branches,
but then how do you retrieve the downed bills,
can you get close enough?

Some people live in the Garden of Cash and Amorality
they had an ancestor who was ruthless and frugal
and now they're living off a fortune made in a previous century

Why can't we have more people who are ruthful?
(look at that, the spellchecker doesn't even recognize that as a word, it should be a word)
How is it we let shortsighted, myopic, greedy people become the admired people?
Do we admire pirates from the Barbary Coast?

Wait, don't answer that question, never mind.......

Society needs to make it easier to make a decent buck quietly and legally.
That's all that most people want to be, anyway. They're usually willing to play by the rules
and carry themselves regally as they go about their day doing something interesting or valuable.

I'm not asking for another Bastille Day.

All I want is to take care of myself.




*department of corrections: ruthful is a real word according to dictionary.com*

[aims]

All I want is to take care of myself
with perhaps a little help from a fairy or elf!
Come leprechaun
come winged cherub
come pixies
come jinn
come spirits
come seraphim
Come any good, willing
to good luck chip in!

[phantasm]

Come any good, willing to good luck chip in
Toss a power-up goodie my way
If only life had clearly demarcated levels like in a video game
Throw a bomb at the rock face and reveal the next dungeon in the quest
Life and games both rely on a lot of luck, well, in a certain way,
Except for the strategy and tactics

I would love life if it came with sweet sound effects,
and a nice big band with saxophones playing on a loop
A magic sword, a nice big bow, items and spells galore
Maybe go look for an enchanted item with a nice group

If only we could all agree on what the game is we're supposed to be playing in the real world.......

[aims]

In the real world.......
there still remain many mysteries
and as time goes by it reveals
some of our certainties
some of our proofs
as flawed
or more like,
inadequate,
having not figured a bunch of unseen unknowns
into the equation.
Yes we know some things,
or do we,
we have some things that
return consistent enough results
for us to be satisfied and settle
on the word "proven"
and the word "fact"
yes we need answers
yes we need stability and constants,
but,
when that makes us so obsessed with having everything under the sun
nailed down, cast in cement,
well,
lets just say I applaud those in this world
who strive
to keep an open mind
and an open heart.

[phantasm]

I applaud those in this world who strive
to keep an open mind and an open heart:
artists, inventors, scientists, teachers, investigators.

We strive to better cast light on a darkened world
and give humankind illumination for rumination.
Can we save ourselves from the monster underneath the bed,
teach each other there's nothing of substance to dread?

Sing into the dark
cause the night to spontaneously combust
push back against the suffocating ignorance
kick humanity into a higher valance

Our eyes may recognize the universe,
But our thoughts create it.

[aims]

Our eyes may recognize the universe,
But our thoughts create it,
the universe breathed life into us
and so do we in turn
as we assign meaning to all that is presented to us,
kinda like the old bible story where God brings everything to the man (Adam)
and he names them.
Consciousness!
Consciousness!
Consciousness!
When consciousness isn't being a little overly self-involved
it is labeling and defining all that is before it.

[phantasm]

Define all that is before us: sounds good, doesn't it?
Name, sort, classify, and we scarcely ask "Why?"

It depends on the spirit its' done in...

It doesn't take much to nudge most people into being malicious.
All you have to do is teach them to hate. It's so easy to start.
It makes for great culture warriors.
Our emotions color so much of what we say and do.
Society will do anything to have a boogeyman to blame
Rather than own up to its' own ills and imperfections.

Who will stand up and say, "What we are doing to those people over there is wrong!"
Who dares to challenge the gods on high?
Oops. Those aren't gods. Those are mortals in Armani suits on the floor of the NYSE.
They all have bulls-eyes painted on their backsides--
They like to see themselves as "Mr. Decision-Maker Man," after all. (Or woman, for that matter.)

Definitions for words, classifying ideas, sorting people into classes--
It's time we inverted the pyramid.

The boulders have a penchant for starting avalanches.

Perhaps it's time we put the pebbles in charge.

[aims]

It's time we put the pebbles in charge!
You've heard the expression: "Dumb as a rock"
well, I'm not so sure.
When was the last time you saw nature put nature in jepardy?
Okay, there are natural disasters,
but none of them ever spell the eventual doom of the planet,
like the mess humanity cooks up!
So, I'm not so sure it would be a bad idea for us to start taking our cues
from the rocks and the trees and the birds and the bees!

[vulture]

the rocks
and the trees
and the birds
and the bees

all know
what we don't
Monsanto
is bombing
our world
with deadly
chemical turds

[phantasm]

Chemical turds are everywhere:
coming out of lawbreaker factories and power plants,
coming out of labs for crystal meth...

they also come out of our butts, ya know,
and from every animal, plant and mushroom on Earth
Chemicals, chemicals, chemicals are everywhere!
We're surrounded! Run for your lives!

There's chemicals in your eyes, your ears, your skin,
and inside your body, you would not believe
They're called tears, ear wax, and sweat, among other things
There's chemicals on the inside I can scarcely pronounce that weave you together.

Anything that's not pure gold, aluminum, helium, or oxygen is more than an atom, it's a molecule,
in other words, a chemical, in some way shape or form. A slight change of perspective makes you a little less a fool.
Fear mongers love to incite by shouting "chemicals!" from the rooftops.

Yes, some man-made chemicals are dangerous, because they don't necessarily have an analog partner that already exists in nature.
Some chemicals are still destructive. We have a long way to go before we improve our craft. But improve our craft we will.

We are not yet beyond redemption.

[aims]

We are not yet beyond redemption.
Gay. Bi, transgender or straight,
there is no exemption!
Every bit of matter or consciousness
in all of existence
is made of the original stuff
made from the source
and so we are the offspring
and we are that which is sprung off.

[phantasm]

we are the offspring, and we are that which is sprung off
origin and destination are one and the same
the  trip is over before its' begun
in the  mind's eye we see the shining city on a hill, out on the horizon
but here we are, standing in the  town square

all you can see is the negatives
but many are still sprinting over our borders to get here
yes, we have horrific problems
we are still a symbol of hope to the world

Some of us say, "Stay on your side of the border!"
But there's one thing they don't consider:

The heart is not sustained by blood alone.
It needs mythology to really live.

[aims]

To really live
breathe in
and breathe out
don't fret
don't pout
be now, in this moment
be now, this moment!
you are this moment
this moment is you
and the next one will be too. . .
but we are not there yet,
and just for this moment, yes,
please do forget!
Forget the one before
and the one before that,
while you're thinking of them
you are not where you are at!
"The journey of a thousand miles"
take that first step,
don't let the past consume you,
nor the future lead you on
be the sunset
be the dawn,
and on
and on.
Can we not do it?
Live in the now!
As we are conscious of self
I don't see how. . .
but still it is good to try,
and with each misstep
no crucifix, no guilt, don't cry,
just take a step,
be a step on the path
and be the path.
Put your arms around a tree
and proclaim
you are one with me
what can I see
if I look, as thee?!

[phantasm]

what can I see if I look at thee
what can I see if you look at me
an unfinished work, shiftless
an orchestra warming up and hitting all the wrong notes
an unfinished, unvarnished work trying to be more than it is,
fumbling in the dark, groping for the light

what can we see if we treat each other as mirrors?

[aims]

What can we see if we treat each other as mirrors?
what can we see if we treat each other as self,
if I look at me as though I were you,
what if you did the same thing too?
If I look, as you
and you look, as me
it would be enlightening to see what we see.
any time such an attempt is made
a new attention is paid
I look at you and I no longer see you the same
I must discard assumptions, however they came
to wear a new name I must ask myself
how you think, how you see the world, putting my own on a shelf
Then I must look upon myself from a foreign attitude
like an artist painting a nude (what? rhyming!! terrifying thought in reality!!! he he he!)
I must relinquish shields, excuses, and allowances
and liberal quantities when I tally endowment stances.
I would have to see, how I see myself, in your eyes
seeing right through bullshit, denial, and lies.
Ah such an exercise, reserved for the brave
if it is your comfortable position you'd save!

[aims]

If it is your comfortable position you'd save,
then you must relinquish all the action
become a spectator in your own life,
here's the challenge. . .
learn to be comfortable with change.

[anirbas]

Learn to be comfortable with change
Rearrange the furniture in your head
Dread in your heart will delay the start
of something splendid and meaningful
So, without further ado or stalling
Learn to be comfortable with change

[aims]

Change. . .
How much would I if I suddenly
had amnesia
in a strange place
where nobody knew me,
to tell me who I was,
what kind of person I was?
Do you know what I think that means?
I think it means,
that the:
who "I" think I am is solid
only when I believe, with utter conviction,
that it is.
That means that if being me is torturous imprisonment. . .
then I unknowingly locked myself in there
having been taught to do so by my fellow humans from day one, . . .
from time immemorial;
that means,
that if I only could believe it
I could change my life, become more the person I wanted to be!
That's what I think.

[phantasm]

"That's what I think,"
said the opinionated loudmouth
and the meek adviser
and the child who doesn't know any better
and every talking head on CNN and MSNBC

We're bobbing and floating in a sea
everyone has an opinion on the news of the day
Especially when it reports on something deadly

When will we pierce the veil and get to the bottom of our problems?
How do we pay people to look out for interests other than their own?

If only we could find a way to get people to care about each other
more than they care about their ideologies
Maybe then we'd bring an end to pathological psychologies and identities.

May the human heart open to encompass everyone.

[aims]

May the human heart open to encompass everyone.
shooting cupids arrows of love
instead of brandishing a gun.
Work with life on life's terms
instead of killing them like germs!
So, discard your sullen frown
and let gratitude make you smile
focus on common ground
rather than differences, . . .
if only for a while.

[phantasm]

If only for a while
Could we slow down the crazy train?
No, that would be carving against the grain
of the world that we inhabit.
If we could find a way to
de-motivate people from wanting to take an extended break
and make this world a more decent place to live in,
then maybe we would have less addiction and we could heal from our brokenness.
We could re-fuel so our minds and souls wouldn't have to run on empty.

I want to live in a compassio-cracy--
That's where the most compassionate rule.
I made the word up just now.
Leaders would be selected by the size of their hearts,
not their egos or sense of having a right to rule.
Call it by a demeaning name if you want, call me crazy

Life would be a lot easier that way.

[aims]

Life would be a lot easier that way,
if the heart were the measure of a human being,
oh wait,. . .
it is!
It's just this goofy world,
just the "dog eat dog" mentality
of those with the loud bark,
and a perilously destructive bite!
Who seize with aggressiveness
and run rampant over
the gentle. . .
who always afford the respect and benefit of the doubt
with which they would wish to be treated.
The gentle sages that come to this world
rarely sink to shouting down the shouters,
and too many frightened people are deaf
to anyone but the shouters,
they've been listening too long,
and not asking themselves hard questions that require
self-honesty, and empathy.

[aims]

Self-honesty, and empathy,
these two go hand in hand,
if we really grasp the former
the latter is inevitable!!!

[aims]

Inevitable,
the cycle of life and death
I wonder if it is true
the sentiment sometimes expressed
in movies and books about vampires
who have lived hundreds or thousands of years
choosing a death or suspended animation
out of a sort of depressed boredom;
I wonder if existence with that kind of longevity
would bring that sort of hopeless depression
a sense of meaningless to it all?
Personally I want to live til I'm over 100,
but,
I think it is true,
if I could go on indefinitely in this vessel without aging,
I think it would get old after a couple of hundred years or maybe sooner.