I've witnessed a beauty
I can't describe
That speaks to my soul
As it swims through my eyes
The silent sounds
Sneak into my mind
The taste lingers on
Leaving sweetness behind
The scent creeps up
To slowly remind
Of the touch that once felt
Makes all else fade
Til only your beauty
Pure beauty remains

There's nothing else
Your beauty remains

What's it take
These days

To write a poem

That makes the world go mad
That brings the crowds to their feet
That spreads like wildfire
Through a dry winter forest

Is it those excessively long words?
The ostentatiously loquacious
Platitudinous ramblings
Of an insecure mind aspiring
To authentic intellect?

Is it perhaps...
     the "creativity"
               of      varied      spacing
  or...    could it be..... the lack
                              of capitalization
               the loathsome little letters
               screaming out
                         hey, look at us!
         ... or maybe it's
               the punctuation marks,
     littered, haphazardly
          through the text
                    (whether used correctly)
               or, theyre not?!
     despite worrds mispeled
          and a grammar might is broken
   can these gimmicks increase interest
        though miswritten or misspoken?

Is the trick alliteration
Whose bite brightly bids us
To center on the snappy sounds?
Although all along
     unvoiced underneath
Ideas idle in the isles
   (or perhaps the aisles)
Of the mind
To meld and craft and bind
Our thorough thoughts
And worthy words
Into lines
Which
Heard by herds
Raise the
                  Praise for which we
                  Privately, desperately
                  Pray

Maybe it's a magical mix
Of splendid in-your-head rhythm
Marvelous meter that perfectly clicks
Flowing smoothly without schism

Well-spaced stanzas
Well-used time
Well-crafted phrases
Well-thought-out rhymes

Well, maybe not...
     those gems are often ignored
     cast-aside, unread, even abhorred

Why?

Because the modern world
doesn't need your rules
your restrictions
your regulations
your misguided boundaries
your oppression
your antiquated ideas
   of "the right way"
   to write
   to speak
   to act
   to live
   to (fill in the blank)

No, what the modern world needs
is
Negation!
Contradiction!
Resistance!
Revolt!

And poetry whose words
Say the same thing
Repeat the same meaning
Echo the same lyrics
Rephrase the same thoughts
But in an ever-so-slightly
Different
Varied
Altered
Adjusted
Changed up way

Line
After line
Of synonyms
          over
               and
                    over
                         and
                              over
                                   again

-----

What's it take
These days

To not give in
To narcissism's spiral?

But more importantly:
What's it take

To make my poem go viral?

door opened
door shut, then locked
first morning urges
body greets the dawn

toilet seat up
pants unzipped
waste tube carefully aimed
flow turned on

trickling stream
becomes rushed torrent
small splashes
leave no mark

on steep polished porcelain walls
water slowly turning
clear to yellow
light to dark

liquid waste
flushed down the drain
shows signs
of dehydration

advising body
drink more water
restart the cycle
of urination

Walked through a field full of llamas
Wooly babies, papas, and mamas
But these llamas were purists
And spat on this tourist
Turning excitement to trauma

they say there ain't rhythm
they say it don't rhyme
but people get famous off that kinda ****
all the ****
day

Let's sit down together
And have a discussion
And by that I mean
Lots of yelling and cussin

To your own opinion
You're entitled - that's fine
But your view is wrong
If it's different from mine

If you don't echo my thoughts
I don't care what you think
You're bad for our country
Taking us to the brink

Here's the way it is
No room for debate
And if you don't agree
You're deserving of hate

Evil, conniving,
Dumb or deplorable
Lazy, elitist,
Whatever - you're horrible

Our problems all stem
From the other side
So much for United
We'd rather divide

Alpacas aren't llamas they say
Though they won't give details away
But I've got a hunch
So I'll-pack-a lunch
Head out for field research today

Fanatics fixed their eyes upon
The screen to cheer their team
The mood there in the air was tense
Tricolor seemed out of steam

The clock was counting down
The time was drawing nigh
Doomed to lose and head on home
Bid Russia their goodbye

An errant shot deflected out
Gave them one last chance
To score a goal and prance about
Show off their famous dance

From the corner, the ball soared in
A hero rose above
Mina smacked it with his head
And won his country's love

England shocked to see the win
Snatched right from their grasp
Colombia delirious
Successful at last gasp

And thus the game was sent along
Into the overtime
Two periods were played to nil
Two teams full in their prime

Penalties would now decide
Which team would advance
The locals glued to their tvs
The nation in a trance

Falcao scores! Kane as well!
Cuadrado, Rashford too!
Muriel then strikes one home
Tricolor up three to two!

Ospina blocks the next one
Hypes up the frenzied crowd
But Uribe hits the crossbar
And the silence echoes loud

Trippier knots it up again
We're down to final shots
Bacca fails to get his through
Past Pickford's valiant swat

Fate rests upon this final kick
Well placed with perfect spin
Just past Ospina's outstreched hands
Dier seals the win

The cafeteros reel from shock
No sign of jubilation
But still the crowd, crushed in defeat
Show their appreciation

Colombia eliminated
We give them all a hand
And though their World Cup here is done
I'm now their biggest fan

The pain sharp
Memories raw
Delightful joy so true
The feelings fighting in my soul
Call me back to you

As love's presence fades
To its relics I return
Reminding and rekindling
The passion that once burned

Yet

You're long gone
No going back
Time cannot reverse

All that's left
To soothe the soul
Is putting love to verse

C8H10N4O2  so  softly  calling
Feel  my  energy  level  falling
I­t  faintly  whispers  my name (psss)
But now I'm just stuck stalling     (uh)
I  try but just can't break  free        (so)
"How about some herbal tea?"     (no)
Your  suggestion  is  appalling  (ugh)
But  coffee?  I'm  al­ways  keen
Need that daily hit of caffeine

Midst the mountains, sitting so high
Gazing down at a turquoise sea
Nature recites love songs to me
As I release contented sighs
Crickets chirp, sparrows sing, my spirits rise
This is a world to be relished and prized
Midst the mountains

Imagine Earth in perfect harmony
Forgetting war, strife, victim's tortured cries
Escaping all life's pain and lies
Resting here where my heart is free
Midst the mountains

One?
Done
Fun?
None

One


If two?
Pass through
Will do
And you?

That's two


How bout three?
Shall we see?
Bit more free
Works for me

So says three


Can we try four?
It gives us more
Not such a bore
Crack wide that door

Lead us on, four


Would we dare do five?
Tis too high to strive?
I do love this jive
Let's stop while still live

Safe with lines of five


But hear the cry of six
It tempts as time still ticks
It's not just a quick fix
But adds to this great mix

Yes, hear that call of six


Rules change as we reach seven
Words lengthen, stretch to heaven
Lines rise like bread so leavened

The changes wrought by seven


Hard as the end draws near with eight
Liked this before, now's not so great
Long lines I don't appreciate

Thanks for nothing, unruly eight


Entering the danger zone with nine
Meaning gets lost by end of the line
Despite the trouble, guess we'll be fine

Phew, we just made it through there with nine


And finally we arrive here to ten
What an intriguing journey this has been
I'm so relieved now to be at the end

So long, good night, let's sign off now with ten

Looks like somebody's got a case of
Something sinister, with not a trace of
That weekend high, like you just erased it
And filled up on Monday's existential dread

Nah, no way it's all just in your head
From the moment you dragged yourself out of bed
Leaving dreams behind, choosing real world instead
To face up to Monday's lack of appeal

No, I proclaim, this syndrome is real
It's something that some weeks all of us feel
As weekly the world attempts to steal
Our joy and our souls with its Mondays

He wants none of it
The unrelenting fame
Paparazzi's lights
Never out of sight
The crushing weight
Of a well-known name


He wants none of it
The life-******* fame
Endless demands
From legions of fans
Happiness funneling
Right down the drain


He wants none of it
The soul-deadening fame
Prestige a cruel mistress
All joys turned to business
Dousing his spirit
To extinguish its flame


No, he craves anonymity
For stardom to cease
To be happy with less
Freed from the stress
True glory found
In a life lived in peace

if i write a million billion zillion words a day
will some sound nice?
will they work out right?
will my mind create a masterpiece some night?

or will brilliance elude me
like camoflauged prey?
can greatness be chanced upon
or do i have to beg for it?
do i have to pray?

can statistical likelihood produce
from sheer quantitative mass
some lyrical combination
to surpass mere mediocrity
rise straight to first class?

or do i gotta go back and ask
the teachers and mentors
i left in the past?

i took off too fast
ignored their words and advice
bout how to think
how to write
how to talk
how to act
how to not be enticed
by distractions in life

how to not roll the dice
when the odds are too stacked
how to work **** hard
to stay on track
how to make smart goals
if you're itching to rise
by hitchin your ride
to the business of guys
and girls with vision

that's what i was taught
what i heard
what i learned
what i forgot (then recalled)
what i once spurned
to spark my downfall

but i have returned
and rediscovered myself
remembered the others
who raised me
who made me
my parents
my brothers
all those who inspired
all those who required
daily sacrifice

to feed the fire
to push me higher
to bring on success
to make me my best
which proves to the rest
if you don't perspire
chance don't mean ****

now we gotta admit
we all need an assist
but if you want greatness
you gotta work for it

Looking round, the world's changing too fast,
But there's something reassuring about the night sky.
Same moon, same planets, all the same old stars
Just as I saw with my eight year old eyes.

How far away is that one twinkling at me?
How long ago did it send its light this way?
Has the universe changed or has it stayed the same?
Maybe some planet back then was just like Earth today.

Don't look down, you won't recognize the world:
Center of aimless progress and innovation's mindless hub.
Instead, turn your gaze and your thoughts to the infinite.
When you feel lost, just look up.

Suffocated by
Our pollution and greed
Our planet cries out
Please, people, take heed!
It's not too late!
There's still hope, indeed!
But please, act quickly
Here's what we need.

Engage (not judge) friends
With informative conversation

Secondly, go vote
For smart regulation

Next, please encourage
Responsible personal choice

And finally, take time
Stop and listen to earth's voice

My heart is a stone
Rolling slowly uphill
At an easy, steady pace
They say life's not a race
They say you're never alone

But it's all just useless, I know
Gravity grips hard with each step
This treacherous ***** grows steep
And helpless, I sow what I've reaped
As I plummet back to the valley below

Pulled two directions by my heart beguiled
I climb, fall, climb, fall, climb and fall again
Still longing for you, for those days long gone
And still trying like hell to get past this, move on
My feeble heart forever stuck in this Sisyphean trial

Two particles zooming quickly away
Forever linked no matter where they stray
They've become entangled, their quantum states
Eternally joined in cosmic play

Such is the bond between our souls sublime
Unbroken across all of space-time
We've become entangled, ineffably linked
Our lives fused together in perfect rhyme

When I feel myself
Beginning to fret
When fear or depression
String me along
The best way to stop it
To jam up the angst
Is to set loose the hands
To break into song

Take note of my thoughts
Tune into my feelings
Pick out a rhythm
And let it ring true
I try but can't quite
Put my finger on why
But my hands 'round this neck
Sure cast out the blues

A collision!
Everyone frantic
All worried about

The people
     Are they ok?

          The damages
               How much to fix that?

                    The traffic
                         How long is this gonna hold me up?


But maybe...


   C  ould we all just stop for a minute and
   R  ecalibrate our priorities to truly
   A  ppreciate the incredible variety of
   S  ounds joining together in perfect
   H  armony as the cars smash into one another?


Go ahead
Call me calloused
But listen:


Squeal Screech Honk Bam Boom Smash Bang Clank
Wham Crack Thwack Rattle Whoosh Hiss Gasp

But mostly
That unmistakable
Hauntingly mellifluous

CRASH!!!

Toss myself out of bed
Peel myself off the floor
Drag myself out of the house
Push myself to the job I hate
Force myself to face the world
Command myself to not melt into a puddle that oozes through the pores of the couch cushions to become a useless incompetent waste of my own **** self

Demand more of myself
To keep myself myself

My deepest darkest wondering
Is my most profound fear
Have you forgotten me
Since I'm no longer near?

Reciprocity's expected
Recalling how you cared
This pain of remembrance
Would be lessened if it's shared

But if the worst is true
You've erased me from your mind
My fear would breed a sadness
And leave past joy behind

As for me I can't move on
I've tried to shut the door
My mind and soul return to you
And will forevermore

My thoughts run sprints
My mind won't slow down
But when pen's put to paper
No phrases can be found

I knock on their door
But the words won't come out
Locked in their room
They just laze and pout

Inspiration's still here
But my muse has gone mute
Its stubborn vow of silence
Renders my thoughts moot

It's not mere writer's block
I'd say it's more radical
My poetry has decided
To take a sabbatical

Wherever you are out there
Living your life so mindless
Of my inner agony
I hope you never find this

I hope you never see my lament
At how I dropped the ball
I hope you never see my confession
That I was the one
Who blew it all
Who threw it all away

I hope this bottle cast out to sea
Never finds you
Never floats up on your shore
Never reminds you
Of what our future held in store

Cause if it did
I would wallow in pity
I would wither in shame
I would shrivel from regret
I'd relive it the same

All over again

The pain
Would come flooding back
My heart under attack
The loneliness
Would overcome me again
As it did back then
I'd be paralyzed once more

All because you found this note
These words I wrote
With no intent to send
All my bottled up feelings
Released to the wind

I know deep down
You'll never see
This will never find you
As it floats across the sea


But -
Confession time -
I lied

Though it would destroy me
My hope rests in serendipity
And that one in a million chance
This message
Through its ocean dance
Somehow finds its way to you

And maybe even someday soon

Across this gulf
Beneath this moon

This prayer sent out o'er seven seas
Gently calls you back to me

Blessed is she who surrenders last coin
Giving from lack rather than plenty

Blessed is he who takes inspiration
Single gift multiplied into many

Blessed are those who pass these along
Money dispersed round the earth

Blessed are those who give correct change
Insist you just pay what it's worth

So now blessed am I as I walk along
Her last coin nestled in hand

And when she looks at me with pleading eyes
I withhold, cause here begging is banned

Don’t plead like Biebs
Timbaland was right
Too late for "sorry"
Can’t erase the blight
Your apologies
Might seem polite
But all your white lies
Have been brought to light
Selfish transgressions
Brought this plight
Upon your own life
Despite the height
Of your own success
Now it seems so trite
As they kick you out
Into the cold, dark night

Mistakes explode
Like dynamite
As your life ignites
Failures burn so bright
Crashing down in fury
Dead meteorite
You feel the pain
Your enemies delight
Nowhere to hide
Your shame in plain sight

Adrenaline surging
Now it’s fight or flight
So just take a sec
Sit down, rewrite
Reset your future
Set yourself upright
Your values and actions
Gotta reunite
Redemption’s hard
No way to expedite
It’s gonna hurt
But hang in tight

I'm leaning waaaay out
Over the crumbling edge
Toes teetering precariously
Perched upon the ledge

Long gaze lingering
On the nothingness below
Longing for the plunge

As I joyfully let go


Momentum surges forward
At last, here comes relief



But suddenly I stop
In suspended disbelief


Vice grip on my shoulders
Mysterious force reaches out
I'm stuck staring downward
Upon my desired route


I yearn for release
I ache to take the leap


But Insomnia won't set me free
To plummet into Sleep