Relations

A block, a chip
An obelisk
A rigid, frigid legacy

A kite, a string
A windy spring
A nurtured spirit, soaring free

The heart, the start
The safety net
The daring, young trapeze artiste

The crown, the frown
The little prince
The dilettante, the egoiste

Her love, her shove
Her constancy
Her pride, her joy, her man of men

His bet, his regret
His push all-in
His sheep, into the lion’s den

Your do’s, your don’ts
Your honour code
Your formula for life unbound

Our dumb mistakes
Our double-takes
Our debt to you who laid the ground

You Idiom!

You idiom! You aged whine!
Left to… whither? On the vine
A grape, knee-high, like a grass-
Hopper (such a cool rider), crass-
Ly, Marvin, you have leapt us.
In the lochness you have kept us.

You idiom! You nether reg-
Unfairly keep us under siege
Till, as soil, we crumb, bullied;
So Lantern-Green your thumb! Bull! We’d
Be better served an ace (or by it);
Deal us out! Abort! Retry it!

You idiom! You utter nut-
Tin! Soldier, one should pick your butt-
On off, switch—flip you!—hit or mis-
Interpret you… but we’re remiss!
Where’s our beef? Our molly? Cod-
Dulled, our edge—and shot, our wad.

A.I.

We think for ourselves, though we think others’ thoughts.
We are held to account, though a count we cannot
Of our biases take, nor our prejudice measure,
Nor fathom our minds’ work when we are at leisure.

Responsible ones (who can only respond
As the ripples react to the stone in the pond);
In charge (as a negative ion is thus);
Controlling ourselves (though our selves make a fuss).

Yet, possessing free will, what possible choice
Do we have but to raise (pre-recorded) our voice?
What choice but from rooftops this maxim to shout:
“Don’t take it so hard! Garbage In, Garbage Out!”

RE: "empty"

My heart, not my head.
A wet fog envelops me;
I grasp at shadows.

The Moon In June

Late one evening (I can't say which)
Something made me get up
And get outside.

Crickets. Traffic. A breath of wind
And, still glistening wet,
The rising moon.

The blood, the breath no longer mine
Not me; a person, only
Stood for all men.

The orb ascended, resembling more
A piece of Earth than Heaven.
My weeping ceased.

All In My Mind

Muses and furies
Diamonds in the rough trade winds
Cherubs and harpies
Tellers of fortunes squandered

Seraphim and succubi
Raven-headed Florence Nightingales
Nymphs and maniacs
Women of the night, mare profundum

You are all in my mind

Unreadiness

Every few minutes, a train comes by.
Some people get off, some get on.
One soul, laden with baggage
Watches, going nowhere.

He waits, as he has for years,
For "his" train to arrive.
He frets that he forgot to pack
His dress shoes, his belt.

He checks his schedule (faded, torn).
He looks at his watch (unwound).
"Are we there yet?" asks his inner child
(Hungry, impatient).

Thank God I came prepared, he thinks,
And knew what to expect.
He sets his collar against the rain,
His mind against reality, and waits.