Beast in a Cage

Life is an experiment, we attempt to go from wild to tame 
Map the progress, charting it using features of a great tree
The roots as your DNA, the trunk as accomplishments
Your children become the branches, your living legacies
Life on earth to some can feel like a beast inside a cage
Don't look at the future with a sense of fear or fait accompli
The past informs the present, steals your agency in time
You can decide to break the chains and make a change
But lives are pushed into the fire, damned regardless
Crime, war, famine, drought, genocide all contribute
And as a species we've been unable to remove the rage
Over time rage removes our choices, adds more pain
We have an existence that is watched by cameras
So I'd like to welcome you, to the human zoo
Smile broadly and act accordingly

Linger

As a child, I was told that dreams never die
It never stopped me from knowing the truth
Dreams aren't alive, and can't die, but linger
Always found the darkness, if others deny
It burns in me, darkness is proof
That in this world, I am a stranger
In every storm lightning strikes me
Made to know I'm not welcome
Dreams become nightmares
Knowing no one in life will care
How many times life breaks me
How it is painful to one like me
To bother living, to not seek the end
My life shattered, my heart rent
Let the wine of life pour out, again
Let it be done

Dance upon a razor thin edge

This dance
Upon the razor thin
Of existence
Absolute nothingness
The mental construct of time
We witness the folly
Our flawed attempts
Sheer drop offs
The endless tears
All for a reason
To gain a knowledge
To find wisdom
To grow
To witness the rise and fall
As tides come and go
As the deep empties
Into the warm shallows
As seconds fall forever lost
Into the dark emptiness
Each come back
The clock renews
In its cycle
By day's light
All things pass
Returns alive
We watch from a distance
Crying through each night
And we ask
What more can we do
How can we live and dream
Without this pretense
How can we find joy
More than such regret
The dangerous dance
Upon a razor's edge
Leaves us all
Everyone of us
In the grave
Our only hope
Is to be saved
From everything
We can't control
Our soul balanced
Upon our fears
Broken and flawed
In desperate need of grace
So take my hand
Please love me
Let's try again
Abandon all the years
Give me your heart
And together leap
Into the place where
Only hope can take us

Not a Fool

As the jester learned, his master's land was invaded
He alone was concerned, fearful of a coming storm
The elites laughed, and made bold loud statements
The jester alone heard them all, being unpersuaded
A jester is allowed to speak with a kind of warning
Allowed to speak the unspeakable entertainments
But here he heard, understood what others did not
This world would change from one that was wrought

The Cross

Over time I think, the losses add up, without reprieve
All the loved ones lost, with scant hope or any healing
I see a savior upon a cross, salvation is real, I believe
But pain over time, grieves the soul, I am not naive
I must endure, regardless of the cost until I leave

ZOO

In this haze of existence, does anything really matter
So we need to ask ourselves, would we want the truth
The persistence of memory, the need to be important
Our dreams will be destroyed, every mirror shattered
Are we being watched from afar, are we a human zoo
Will we then take a bite of the apple from the serpent
Have we learned our final lesson, does childhood end
Even as the benefits of adulthood are far less certain

For I do not exist: there exist but the thousands of mirrors that
reflect me. With every acquaintance I make, the population of
phantoms resembling me increases. Somewhere they live,
somewhere they multiply. I alone do not exist.”  Vladimir Nabokov

Tides of Time

 In life we swim against various powerful currents
We channel efforts to be rewarded and sanctioned
The fathoms and depths pull us down to the bottom
Losing our self in conformity, and youth to torrents
Time and culture both exist with you or without you
The cost of living outside of either comes with death
We do not long for our flesh having an eternal life
We're hoping that which makes us unique, our soul
Will not be consumed in the tides and torrents of time

“Do you think that I count the days? There is only one
day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn
and taken away from us at dusk.” Jean-Paul Sartre

Free

Some believe themselves the sole life in the universe
The rest of us exist as mindless minions of their design
But I've never wondered why we exist here on earth
I find truth in the shining sun or rising of the moon
I see life abundant, I find evidence proof
If we are imaginings of greater beings
Our existence would be solely for pleasure
Their mind providing them entertainment
Power and grandeur, would mean a being
Who possesses a God like mind
But we are not simply meat, nor are we puppets
Nihilism is false, and I don't believe in solipsism
Free will is the greatest miracle of the story of God
Designed but not built for a singular purpose
Rather, given choices, able to make mistakes
To be tested in the fire, as fire purifies
In that moment, we understand and
And we are no longer forsaken

Noose

In these asylum halls, I've had to avert my eyes
I never wanted to see what I've seen
The robes they make us wear are no disguise
The rooms are circular and padded for safety
I couldn't hurt myself here even if I could try
Trapped in white halls, gray minds shake me
Oh the pills they give me, they keep me calm
I told all of my secrets, all of my sins and lies
That circle's the worst torture, please free me
The stupid therapist thinks she is helping me
But all of this self revelation is destroying me
The time here is destroying me within
I should just use a noose, it works quickly
And then this world can just shed me
Like a set of old, worn battle used skin

Excellence and Impermanence

Beneath the clear blue great beyond
A perfect world long ago gave birth
The blue oceans tides rise and fall
The human gathering of life spawned
Archives and history, dreams of worth
And we hear the creator's call
Building towns and great cities
Raising civilizations from nothing
We've created our destiny
Rising from our curse
Of constant impermanence

 

 

Earthrise photograph 1968
by Astronaut William Anders

Celestial Dragon's Home

Along the spine of the earth, the celestial dragons live
Hidden there in the glorious views, as they are eternal
There is a beauty hiding danger, past glories to relive

Kambula, 1879

British Colonel Evelyn Wood and 2000 Colonial troops
Attacked in Kambula, South Africa, fighting 20,000 Impi
Zulu formations were in formation and attacked fearlessly
After one day of battle, the Zulu limped away, bleeding
It was a shattering blow, considering where it was fought
In the dark shadow of the heights of Isandlwana
The Zulu had won and the British embarrassed
2000 dead Zulu Impi were then carried away
This battle one of the last, gone with the dead
All of the hopes and dreams of the Zulu nation

Decayed Flesh

Our flesh is radiated, decayed, turned gray
The sky above is rust from radioactive dust
And to breathe is to die, trusting the great lie
That being that this is a life we should want
Flesh peels from bone, spirits turned gaunt
We've joined in the great hunt, and scream
We've awakened to our flesh and our dreams
Nothing of this world is ever worth the pain
We wait for our damnation and the acid rains

Celebrated Perfection

If we want a boy rather than a girl
Or want them to look a certain way
We have the chance to decide
And thereafter
The reaper comes to slay
Whatever our beliefs
We can fit the choice easily
Without a god to believe
Gods were made by modernity
We created ourselves
Become gods so great
We are the subject of praise
Our lives must be perfect
As we will be the chosen
As Gods composed of flesh
We remain easily broken
With parts that can be replaced
And spiritual core removed
We can clone humans now
So it won't be long before
We create them to utilize them
Make them for a purpose
To renew our being
At the cost of theirs
Our celebrated perfection
Can always be restored
Even as we flense the new corpses
Of those unworthy of being gods

My Love

Finding you was serendipity, an amazing circumstance
In solitude I thought I'd lost you, your serenity manifest
Your presence allows an idyllic state, a stunning aurora
I can't believe my fortune, finding you is only by chance
If I'd given up hope, but not despaired, did I pass a test?
Being with you allowed me to be transformed by your aura
As your light shines upon me now, I am healed perfectly

Hunting

His life lived wild
It would go on forever
A true example of an immortal
Requiring a specific ritual to slay
Afflicted with vampirism as a child
He hunted in the shadows and darkness
Every soul was a target, every soul his prey
He spent life in the void, his hunter's soul alive
Should he die he'd smile, been ready to sleep for a while

Only the Jester was Worried

His job is to lighten the atmosphere of the royal court
Often the occupation leads to despair, and the sorrow
To paint upon himself, a broad false smile upon a face
Birthing darkness, that forbids the thought of tomorrow
Told to smile for cameras, when the heart inside breaks
The jester makes others laugh, the court demands more
The cycle pulls the swimmer down, and there he drowns

Stańczyk (c. 1480–1560)

Your love

I am strengthened by your love
Makes me happy to be your one
But I know, life isn't always fair
Everyone doesn't have someone to care
I love you, beyond my furthest reach
All the years led me to be able to unteach
The sorrow and pain I was made to find
You healed my soul and healed my mind

A Final Thought

Left in the cell, all alone, death row my home
They told me that my time comes soon
This world is Hell, a damnation zone
I expect to experience my doom
So here I wait, but I'm refusing to tell
The story that leads to my tomb

Aware

Alone in life, I've sought the truth
No chance to have a childhood
Never had the chance to be understood
My mind always thinking about chances
Spent my entire life seeking answers
In dark corners in the minds of the masses
Someone like me deserves to be broken
I'm the prayer never given thought
The proud oath never spoken
After all I know who I am
I can take comfort in the end
I've been a servant of the lamb

Searching Space

If we are not careful, if we don't care for our Earth
We'll be forced to flee, as if the planet was cursed
All humans are temporal beings, made of flesh
Carbon based life, oxygenated by the breath
Hoping to find a new home, travel distant space
Is Earth alone, providing for the kind of life we chase

“A blade of grass is a commonplace on Earth;
it would be a miracle on Mars.”   Carl Sagan

In the Chase

In the chase we get lost, confused in the purpose
What is there to gain, what truth should we pursue
An artless struggle, a life lived without glory
Madness follows as we live inside a circus
Endure, we must thrive, restore, renew
If we fail we enter a purgatory or Hell
We must keep our aim or lose sight
Of the most important end game

Rules and Laws are not Life

If life is lived, and not a series of laws
When you enter into life's end game
Know that life is without a plan
Even with an awareness of our flaw
You still have no control over rain
It doesn't matter if you understand
Life's a surprise, so revel in the awe
Life's no game, nothing to win
All that exists that really matters
Is the wisdom you have within
So dance, lose the fear inside
Life is yours to win, yours to lose
It is up to you, whatever you choose

Scream into the Void

Edvard Munch channeled the madness
Packaging it with a perfect kind of fear
In realizations of our temporary existence
For we live in two realms, spirit and earth
The end comes, I'm left with grateful tears
Given a death sentence, the moment of birth
Passing from this place, the end transcends
We will experience nothingness or grace
 I watch as the world I leave behind gets worse
There is nothing in living but time and pain
I embrace passing, so finally I scream aloud
My utterings are allowed at the end of time
While some scream for fear, others anguish
Some with shame, others with great delight
Knowing the end will come, I will scream
I have lived, and now I know, I must die
There is no darkness, without light
The night's darkness is guaranteed to exist
But in Heaven's light, I'll live again

Beloved

A sip of the chalice of the nectar of the Gods
A moment upon the lips, eternity comes alive
A life entwined with yours, my flesh in bloom
Our life together, forever an offering of love
Time spent building a foundation of awe
Joy of the love, the erotic, the romance thrives
Our flesh moved together, our souls in tune
We'll add to our family, and we'll become one

The Machine Keeps Moving

I must steal each breath, so I can survive the fire
It seems I've given up, because I have no desire
My flesh is a weak machine, my soul exhausted
I've never understood how living is so costly
What use is a machine, if it is always tired?

Howl at the moon

In a darkness, there comes a hunt, predator and prey
As the cold wind will blow, there will be a lethal cull
And beneath a midnight moon the innocent will be slain
Everything that lives, dies, the predator feeds until full

Wineskin

I saw you dancing in the corner, alone, without rhythm
The music is great, but there seems a kind of dissonance
Your heart's wounds evident, pain is trapped therein
A masquerade everyday, emotions poured out in dance
The heart is a wineskin, torn, weary, the leaking begins
Poured upon the ground, tears fall, and not by chance

“his lips drink water but
his heart drinks wine”
e.e. cummings

Rising

There's only one way to reach the sky island
As it floats above the cloud base, impenetrable
A silver dragon rises upon the wind and wings
Humans living there, watch with growing fear
The dragon concerned only with reaching deep
It'll rightly be given the throne and then dream

Human Curiosity

Bathed in a bright light of creation
Heaven casts such a radiant glow
Humanity has the chance to rise
A species born
With an abject curiosity to know
Without stimulus there's starvation
And the chance to rise above slows
But we know there is more
Than this planet
Than this life form
Than the stars above
We must be ready to soar

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled,
but a fire to be kindled.” Plutarch

Oblivion is the Cost

From the cavemen using clubs as each side throwing rocks
Bodies recover, but not with the loss of blood, dying of shock
Serious injuries always lead to death, broken bones and flesh
To an era of men encased in steel, forged swords and shields
A violent clash of armies, the newly dead bodies litter the field
Even protected by armor, knights will pay the cost of honor
To the time of bullets, bombs and tanks, technology reigns in war
In fragile flesh still, the technological acts of war leaves scars
Staring at decay before us, our world is fallen, our damnation

“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor
how justified, is not a crime.”    Ernest Hemingway

Still Missing

Upon this date, March 24, 1950
A Canadian Air Force C54 was still missing
For 2 months it was lost without a trace of life
No contact, no wreckage or survivors found
However on this in the snow was a code “I-s”
The message found might be truly important
It was code for Serious injury, Doctor needed
It can also mean please send food or water
The mystery remains, without resolution
But for how long? And why

Source

The Swan

A wild creature, so beautiful, might become aware of it
Compared to humans it seems unlikely they have hubris
Does a human mind lead one to arrogance, or selfishness
Idolatry is love for the created, and not the great creator
Are we created to test how soon individuals might fall
In the failed reflection or lack of perception, a false taste
Beauty does not come from the outside, rather the inside
And we owe it to our maker, to revel in his merciful grace

Desolate White

In such desolation, lives may still flourish
Bison herds move in snow, yet are nourished
The fog and snow create a white wasteland
A herd thunders the earth, making their stand
In this desolation there is beauty and life
Earth shakes, the herd lives, through strife

Devout

To try to love is not enough
When one requires obedience
To love is still not enough
If one requires a worshiper
To sacrifice upon the altar
Of the controller's demands
Leads one to only know
The path of the damned
Choose for yourself
Live your own existence
Refuse to be a follower
Become the resistance

When the End Came

Loved ones feared the ending as it quickly came
The passion in them aroused, unable to be tamed
Wild hearts, pure innocence led them forward
Whatever the cost, one must live in the moment
Even if time has consequence, even in a second
The torment of sorrow wounds, a life reckoned
Should the gladiator win, should he lose
Nothing forced the Emperor to choose
Death would come in time
One way or the other

The Damnation of our Species

This blue Earth was gifted to humanity
We've never been an equal gift to Earth
And somehow, humanity believes
In the darkness, the depths of our vanity
We think we've improved the world
We're a species that suffers from insanity
Without a thought, we act
We resort to a violence
We've never truly learned
That we are small, unimportant beings
We can't stop the world from turning
Along with our ignorance
Our actions have taken a toll
We destroyed a planet, that is perfect
Giving life, and giving our life, succor
We celebrated our abject nihilism
Doing so without regret
Our minds can't stand silence
Being emptied over time
By the things that fascinate us
Our love of pleasure the portent

Vicious things we tell ourselves

In a logjam of memories, the PTSD declares a victory
It stands without reason, and also with power, viciously
If our past refuses to fade away or be a piece of history
The future is stalled, in the streams of time and misery
Intrusive thoughts, crushing hope, the mind is a mystery
And now I've no way to escape the prison cell I live in
No way to escape the pain I caused, to others, or to me
Without a path forward for me to ever be redeemed

Hunger Leads to the Hunt

In the early Spring snow, a hunter loses his way
A blustery wind blows, snow fog leaves a haze
The predator hungers, a hunted flees for life
Existence a numbers game, driven by time
One must die, for the others to live
A story replayed every single day
One player has to try to outlive
Another being becomes prey
The contest will decided
When the one is slain

Goethe and others

On March 22, 1832 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe died
Might've been the greatest writer of the German word
In the arts were many great Germans and Austrians minds
In epic music with Bach, Beethoven, Wagner and Mozart
Goethe, Nietzsche and Marx each brought ideas alive
Yet in the 20th Century, history proves opportunists thrive
Where the people are hungry, aggrieved and bright
Offered a chance to rise above, and take back their pride
Would use violence and power to achieve those goals
Regardless of the singular excellence of minds the past
The collective German tribe almost performed suicide
Despite the cultural DNA and powerful minds

Beowulf and Grendel

History remembers with a deep shame
A child of Cain, the son of the first villain
Given name of Grendel forsaken at birth
Tainted with anger, deeply burning hate
Being composed of an original sin within
Wandering about, a scourge upon the Earth
He remembered every wrong done to him
His mother somehow loved him, anyway
...
Beowulf heard the call from a distant land
The call had struck a note in his heart, deeply
He answered swiftly, for a people suffered
Beowulf a Prince, son of a king, still a man
His father, a sitting king, ruled completely
This son had a destiny yet to be discovered
The call for help came from kindred tribe
Stirring inside him fire, inextinguishable
...
One was born of future fame and destiny
The other was born of great scorn and hate
One was prepared to die for other men
The other wanted to be the cause of dying
As the sentries and guards told the tales
Of battle, slaughter, and defense of brothers
Onslaught by one who'd crush and flail
...
Grendel and Beowulf were not alike
But they'd be remembered together
Their fates entwined in legend
The tales told will last forever

(Art by Rockwell Kent, used to illustrate the translation by Barry Tharaud)

“I’ve never known fear; as a youth I fought
In endless battles. I am old, now,
But I will fight again, seek fame still,
If the dragon hiding in his tower dares
To face me”

Burton Raffel translation Beowulf

Conquerors and Borders

“... the consciousness of being at war, and therefore in danger, makes the
handing-over of all power to a small caste seem the natural,unavoidable
condition of survival.”                                                       George Orwell

The past is not a great story written by the human mind
The concept of history is one misunderstood by most
It exists, without record, witnessed or not, as an event
The presence of a human eye means it will have a bias
The result of a battle, for instance, might lead to a boast
Reality doesn't ignore the commentary, even if bent
The past comes with the conquered and the conquerors
People in the present pay little mind to what is right
Borders are drawn by war, by conquest, by aggression
And the modern world misunderstands the inheritance
The present world is one of inherited gifts and legacies
It forgets those lost to the wars of our collective history

 

“Patriotism is a kind of religion; it is the egg from 

which wars are hatched."      Guy de Maupassant

The Flood

The flood pours over the distant barriers, wild warriors
The rising disaster's tide, all of the sentries fall in battle
The slaughter of innocents beckons, a coming doom
If the empire falls, it will lead to disaster in the interior
Units regroup, in desperate awareness of a tide rising
Soon they make a way, through the churning waves
In the last measure of bravery, the empire is saved

 

Machinations

Humans create different forms of labor that are industrious, productive
But they work upon a false equation, where the product ignores waste
Machines obey creator hands, the result being creative yet destructive
The machine endures, after our species falls, for profits being chased 

Ask, but No

If you asked me, I'd tell you
I can't do this again
I can't try after try
With no credit accrued
You keep telling me
All that I need to do
But I can't do it
Not going to go through that
Never again
Every time you ask
It turns askew
I have nothing left
Not going to give you anything
Not my intimacy
Not the mystery
Of a life lived in sorrow
But somehow I keep working
Just to get through

Drowning

The last chance to breathe
A life lived amidst disaster
A chance to finally believe
Confused in the haze
The mists drawn fully
Of a life lived breaking
But the depths of sorrow
Keep pushing me away
Nothing left inside
Nothing giving me strength
For a chance to live on
To promise me tomorrow
Live or die
My aim is sure
My spirit will fly
I promise you
My spirit will endure