~
cracked compass
burning atlas
no sense of direction
on a drive about
the silent forests of the heart
egressing from the shadows
that hunt for us

foot caught on the accelerator
passing escapism's plateau
like a dissolving shelf of flashbacks
kept in a glass jar
it's normal to tire out
wondering who will it be
looking in the window?

the people at the wheel
are not on the payroll
they're pierced and sheer
on the surface
but their deepest parts
still inhabit bone
and slave for mere feldspar
once again human thoughts
turn to crystalline
and still they shine for us

signs are posted:
"a time for vanishing, lay it to rest"
until the unfamiliar sound
of the walls of Jericho
collapsing
breaks the momentum
quiets the traffic

we entered a promise land
on cruise control
with too many exits
and not enough things to see
we did not end up
where we thought we'd be
those eyes at dusk
in the rearview mirror
they hunt for us
they wait for sleep
~

I’m a flight risk
You can consider me a villain
Locked up in a cage
Surrounded by guards
Video surveillance to capture every movement
I’ll stay with my cage because I’m content
But don’t get too comfortable
I can vanish at any given chance
Im a escape artist
A vanishing magician, if you will
I could be in front of you
Pulling tricks from my hat
I’ll make you smile and you’ll enjoy every second
But if you take your eyes off me
For even a second
With a wave of my wand
I’m gone the next second
I’ll leave no trails to follow
No clues to find
Good luck finding me
You can ask Sherlock Holmes to give it a try
My disappearing act is the greatest of all time
Welcome to my show
I won’t disappoint you
My disappearing act will definitely confuse you
I’m am the leader of my circus
My next act will be the greatest
With smoke screens of all pretty colors
It will leave you in awe
Are you ready for it?
Just say the magic words
Abracadabra
....

majestic glaciers
the hottest day on record—
Antarctic meltdown




© 2020 by Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.

Ah, you must be Alice, call me old hatter
My ears have been ablaze with implicated chatter
I just can't seem to ration out my rationale in a rational manner
And secondly I've lost all the firsts that I had gathered

There's the door
Please do come in
I won't let you
leave again
this door won't shut
the way winds through my head
I'm growing so tired.
we are not going to bed

Ah goodnight, Alice, you're back
I left you a note and it came out so flat
I put the wrong end in front
so only you may see
I tried to be blunt but it just isn't me