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Michael Stefan Jun 2020
Ideology is like the Postal Service,
It always delivers a little late
But keep shoving your morals
Down everyone's throats;
Social media astronauts,
Aimed at the moon
Wish in one hand
And hold a body bag with the other,
I bet I know which one
Will fill up first

Sitting comfortably on couches,
As we ***** about life's convenience
Baring teeth at each stray dog
Who sniffs our monogrammed bowl
"Back up buddy! that one-
Is clearly labeled with my name-
Luce Goose the Spruce Moose II"

Tell me again that everyone is wrong,
And you're the only right
I think you turned left
Parking your van between Delusion Ave-
And the corner of "yeah right"
What we want,
What we don't,
And what we get,
Are three separate roads
And you have to travel each one twice
Before you got a ******* clue
Part of Thomas W. Case's "Tom Waits" poetry challenge.  This poem is inspired by Tom Waits song 'Hell Broke Luce'.  The song entails the long and pain deployment of a Soldier who just wants to get back to being a chef and sitting on his porch.  But like most people that want quiet, he is bombarded (literally) by idiocy and tragic events.  The song makes me think of an old Shinto proverb - Fight justly for just causes.  Combine that with Roosevelt's - Speak softly and carry a big stick.  The end result is make sure you are undertaking an endeavor that is right, that you are limiting collateral damage, and that you are taking actual action.  Stop shouting on Facebook and go hold a sign if you want change.  Memes don't lead to shifts in policy.
Michael Stefan Jun 2020
You stand ready against all odds,
Holding true on fictitious front lines,
swearing the enemy is real

Much like the boy-
They all think you're crying wolf,
Searching for phantoms in normal faces

You can feel their ephemeral grasp,
make-believe fingers - tracing lines,
that make your hair stand up straight

Rock yourself to sleep,
Spear gripped tight in all-too-real hands,
They may not believe,
But your mind has seen,
Those unseen phantoms
This is my response to BLT's  "Word of the Day Challenge"
Fictitious: of, relating to, or characteristic of fiction: IMAGINARY
  Jun 2020 Michael Stefan
Mrs Timetable
The only piece
You let anyone see
Is the broken one....

And
It is beautiful
As is
Sometimez  "as is" is good enough. Some things can't be fixed
Michael Stefan Jun 2020
speedreading
obituaries
to get to
the good stuff-

-seeking network
technicians
to fix
my spider web
of lies

good benefits,
great travel,
and a free
lollipop or two
...if you smile
for the dentist

flexible hours
that bend
all the rules

collar-up
your noose-knot
tie-
fancy fresh
and fancy-free
with a 13
stanza melody

overtime
is forbidden-
overdrive,
encouraged

put your name
on the dotted line-
time to revel
in constant
employment,
and inconsistent
memos...

...folded sharp,
like daggers
on your skin
This poem is meant to speak of the never-ending drone of dead-end jobs that we would not otherwise take or put up with if desperation and necessity didn't interfere.  The thought of cubicle farms feels so fickle to me.
Michael Stefan Jun 2020
My heart is a gecko,
Turning green and looking lean,
Scampers along my ribs,
Eating butterflies that escape,
Desiring the cool,
So it climbs to my feet,
Until curiosity strikes again,
Ascend and ascend,
It takes over my head
I just thought it was an interesting metaphor.
Michael Stefan Jun 2020
A lack,
Off the beaten path,
And without track-
Empty even of hunger,
Hollow of desire,
And slack
A mouth free of teeth,
Growing mushrooms so black
A poison of nothing-
Stretch souls out on rack
Taints vacant vacuous veins
Covered in blanket
Of fact-

Gaze upon empty,
Let eyes focus with strain,
See fallout of mistakes,
And husk left after pain
Gaze up at the sallow,
Pallid and weak,
Of humanities failings,
The topic we speak
Just a simple rhyme that I put together to speak about that feeling when everything seems to be in order but somehow, we still feel empty.
Michael Stefan Jun 2020
Change only comes with action
Not maintenance of the status quo
Causes are punctuated by periods of blood
Better for more
Is truly the best for all
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