Inevitable
Situations that is unavoidable.
A little nod to Charles Bernstein


A college without students
Facebook without members
*** without a partner
A man without woman
A keyboard without the keys
A bath without soap
Donald Trump without passion
A twitter account without his followers
A night without rest
A day without snapchat
A bank without money
A soap opera without a plot
A Rally against poverty
A poem without rhyme
A nurse without the doctor
A train without the tracks
A death without weeping
A horse without its carriage
A car without its wheel
A wingman without his buddy
A lotto ticket without a dream
A day without a crime
A lady without her *****
A politician without ambition
A bar without alcohol
A patient without insurance
A day without rain
A memory without recollection
Childbirth without fear
A judge without the jury
A school without teachers
A nightmare without vision
A bed without headboard
Sesame Street without bid bird
Football without violence
A seamstress without training
A story without a dialogue
A baby without its mother
An election without voters
A couple without children
Inevitable
~~~~

Reverberations from prior years
Appear and disappear then appear again
Long lost tirades find their way back to life
To wound once more with vigor and ferocity

Grammar is your shield and without it; a wasteland
Without that perfect period or comma or semi-colon
It confuses the unspoiled linear thinker
Out comes their sword to slay

I have grown tired of kittens, slayings, and Trump
Rest the fingers and close the lid
There will be a savory morsel in the morning to LIKE
Stop measuring your life by the friend count

Facebook is another reality
That stalks the innocent
And convinces the sluggish of its lies
It must be true if it’s on the Internet

depression isn't beautiful.
it's so **** ugly
that it checks its reflection on the mirror
from time to time
to make sure that the cheap make-up
holds up;
so that no one would notice,
no one would bat an eye
on its ugly and pathetic visage...

I wonder if you dream the same dreams as I do,
If the same thoughts haunt you too;
If you shed the same tears in the dark of the morning,
And pray the same prayers before you pass out.

I wonder if you are still the person that I used to know,
For whom I could break my bones,
For whom I could break my pride,
For whom I could break my heart.

If i cook the oceans
And freeze the seas
If bring butterflies out of my hat
And rabbits of the skies
If i be a light to brighten your day
Will you stay ?


Will you stay ?
If i use my tears to paint an image of you
Use my heart to make you heart beats
Burn you warmth anytime your hands are cold


Will you stay ?
If i kneel on the floor
Will you open that door
And never remember everything we want to have


Will you stay ?
If i put a knife in my lungs
Just to show
The air i am breathing is you


Will you stay ?
If i kiss the sun for you
Even if i burn

Will you stay ?
If i make the rain
Fall under us
If i make the skies snow
When it shines
Will you stay ?


JOEY PERCIVAL IKECHUKWU

you think im all cold edges and a white ceramic plate,
polished and blank-slate,
emotionless. you are a fool. i feel so deeply and ache
so darkly that i wonder at times if it is
a pain a human being could tolerate.
my heart isn't big. it is heavy and everywhere.

i don't believe in god
but this sickness makes me pray.
pray to hurt less,
maybe for just one day.

i don't believe religion can heal people.
but i drown myself in holy water
hoping i'll see a change.

i don't believe in the holy ghost
but man do i wish he'd help me.
i could use a little guidance
when its late at night
and my thoughts consume me.

i don't believe in heaven
but the finality of death scares me.
how much id love to think
we, greedy humans,
get a second chance at living.

i don't believe in hell,
but that may be where i go.
for I've sinned too many times to count
and had too many conversations with the devil.
but from what I've seen of this place
i think i might already be there.

Of your flowery features,
I am student and teacher.
I am learning to love you
like deep-breathing ether.

You pick me a peony
and cite similarities—
colors and frills,
and pretty, apparently.
You tell me,
regarding
its duo
of shades,
what tempted your fingers
and called out my name:

The lighter of petals,
the curl
of your lip.
The dark, all your freckles
and dots.
I have fallen
in love
with your features
just like those
of flowers—
Please forget
me not.