my buddy said to add him on pokemon go
gave a string of numbers called his 'trainer code'

zero, nine, four, two
piplup, snivy, and pikachu!

seven, two, four, three
geodude, chansey, and bunnelby!

zero, four, four, seven
i can't think of any pokemon that rhyme with seven

pens are for notating
and also for rotating

fidgets are for spinning
and staring and grinning

poems are for writing
and thinking and rewriting

birds are distracting
and -
oh **** it's a bird!
hehe look at its wings
flapflapflapflap

hehe birds are fun :)

vegans will slowly discover
the lettuce can hear themselves being eaten
we'll just have to synthesize amino acids from the air
no way that'll be beaten

Steven Streeter stole a sack of sickled lepers

he shortly sold several and was surrounded by shekels

ah say ah say don't eat today!
eating paves your way to pain!
for food is fraudulent fat fuel
and the friggin' fats don't attract the cool cats!
them's the facts!

that's what my brain tells me
when i glance at my pudgy belly

because it's easy to count the kcals
when you can't call any insulin inside

so when we ask you out to dinner
you'd better say no!
since dinner is for food-simping sinners!

"what in tarnation!"
said the rabbi at the station
discovering that even kosher cheese can cause great inflammation

mailbox hopping means no stopping
every day there's a new house to drop in
i live with the owner's and dig inside their brains
and by the end i feel i've become just like them
is my personality like water?
internal cannon fodder?
if each day im sent back from one to nil
then what does that say about my free will?

"chemistry is a pain in the hass!"
avogadro spouted malignantly
so he traveled the world
counted every avocado
and got 6.022x10^23

green-tipped trees ripped bees' lips
"please flippin' cease rippin' these hip drips!"

cover my eyes with foil
my ears with lies
cover my arms with birdseed and honey
watch me collapse
as i roll down the valley

my new friends take my energy
and fly away
so carelessly
but i can't complain
it's the way things are
those who come near
will always run far

a heart once gleeful
now i'll never ask for help
im tired of people
and of myself

if the earth is always
moving through space
if every day occurs
in a different place
then why does it all
feel so same

i am stuck to the ground
asking for change

actors abound
stifling coffee stains
muffled sound

and you ~

seeing yourself
on the screen
feeling judgment
hard to believe
the voices
are they your own?

always never alone
the mailbox flag at half mast
rearrange the letters
of the alphabet
it's a blocked exit

lest you forget
the fourth is a broken firewall
and when he snaps his fingers
the theater will burn ~

and although i'm not a star
i know
i'll return

the pottery is unspinning
the sweater's unknitting
the candle is melting
and the tea's gone missing
pondering the theft in awe at this mess
and what's left:
clay, fabric, wax, and leaves
i guess
it's god's way
to say
be grateful for your things
when the world goes backwards
it's the leaving that stings

months go by without surprise
we work and work all the time
it's only fitting, then
that us 10 men meet
on a fateful august sunrise

adrenaline pumping and bags packed
the road is cold and unforgiving
driving through small towns
with citizen's big frowns
we finally enter the Adirondacks

overcome by beauty

the mountains hear our joyous exclamations
while the tall grass traps their appreciation

magic fills the atmosphere
rolling through the hills
extolling our wondrous thrills
our glorious cheers

as we hear the first crack of a beer

and now,
the worth of all those months of work
is heard
heard by the mountains
heard by the sky
heard by the insects,
crawling on the ground bringing life to the world

but most of all,
it's heard by each other

and our bodies fill with alc and ****
as fires are lit and stories are shared
for to drink and smoke
and laugh and joke
amongst each other

well, i'd say that's beautiful indeed

Yuh kid went through years of abuse
So don't be tryna make a truce
When ya see em downin the chartreuse Chartreuse
Like juice, they're socially anxious and gotta cut loose
To get their hands on that ripe red caboose!

Cuz tyin' a noose is like killin' a goose
You end up with god in a tragic deuce

this is not a poem.
this is an idea next to a blank canvas
it is up to you to make it your own

think about it -
maybe you could write about
the relation between the faded white hues of chef boyardee's hat and the color of the used car?
or maybe about Mr. Boyardee negotiating with the Jeep salesman, bribing him with Chef Boyardee © branded ravioli?

think about the different scenarios
make this idea happen

freeverse, limerick, haiku
whatever you wish to do

YOU are the chosen one

good luck.

doom impending right at our fingertips
world ending from lunatics
dissonance amidst
the left and right twix
what bliss
what a spectacle
the venn diagram between climate deniers and conspiracy theorists from the top down it's helical
electric vehicles
made to save an industry
to keep folks from working public service
so that they stay in factories
political pageantries
ocean acidification
chronic substantiation
they still don't believe
the data don't mean nothing to them
cause they never learned how to read
oklahoma senators bringing in snowballs
cause they got no ***** to admit
what they perpetuating is all false
factory farms with fake causes
free admission to the zero emissions show
with zero promises
corporate underbellies with no structural integrity
ignoring somber melodies
eating BP and jelly
in a dismal schism
no light for my prism
prisoner to capitalism
dreaming to cope
in a grayscale class
if i drop the soap
just greenwash my ***

that cloud looks like a blob
one could say that it's
blobular

hiking boots brought
green hills climbed
difficult journey, but
only good times

at the top,
barter is offered
paper for grass
is instantly passed

going continues, unknowingly
climbing on air

disruptive, eruptive volcano
freezes the mind
perils of quicksand
prospects of return

lava subsides, turning
freeze to flight

in the distance
a higher peak
is obliviously avoided

dazed and confused,
the hiking man
rendered penniless again

this could be the moment
your daydreams come true
you'll place your order
for endless love
and he'll wrap his arms around you

hours passed by
before you made the call
your biggest fear
was that none of the scenarios
would ever play out at all

trembling hands grasped the phone
oh, the social anxiety
maybe i'll be forever alone?
you thought
well, that's the story of me..

with teeth gritting and eyes shut
unaware there's no one to please
dialing..
"hey thanks for calling pizza hut"
"yea can i get two large extra cheese?"

the woodland creatures look with glee
towards the mushroom house
between the marsh and a large, newly fallen log

the window acts as a gateway
for the warm, autumnal scent to fill the air
as the oven releases freshly-baked apple pies

the lady inside sets them on the counter
donning a pumpkin-colored plaid dress
faded beige shoes with silver-tinged buckles

a sneaky fox tries snatching a pie through the window
sensing this, the lady spins around and wags an astute finger
the fox, having learned its lesson, retreats to the back of the line

one by one, the woodland animals each take slices of pie
the squirrels, the deer, the robins, everybody joins—even the fox
and my oh my, what good pies they were

the lady directs them all to follow her to a cliffside
where they sit and eat and listen and watch the calm wind
swaying the leaves in the apple orchard down below

"you see," the lady says, "i picked only the best of the best to feed you today
but to do that, i first had to sift through a lot of bad apples
yet i persevered, knowing that with work, and patience,
things would change for the better"

the fox and the lady exchange glances, softly smiling
everyone stays to witness the sun set over the mountaintops
creating orange-red hues camouflaging with the changing leaves

the forest air was just a little more crisp that night

what are you thinking about?
don't be afraid when i walk out
i'm just trying to talk to you
you can be domesticated and we can switch places
take my job in foodservice, you can work the grill
i'll live out in the wild and run amongst the hills

thinking that you can fly through the drivers side window but being stopped by glass is the most upsetting thing ever

to live a life so rich
a book filled with pages
yet a vengeful brain
no memories remained
strewn and forlorn as she ages

hookup culture always seemed lame
window shopping by finger swiping
i guess that's the modern game

people flirt and flaunt in hopes of action
i dodge them like the matrix
there's no ****** attraction

all the lingo is strange
what i'm trying to say
is i need an emotional bond
or we ain't ******* today

ducks' ***** dock down dorks' doors dying doing deep dumpster diving, Dorsey deliberated

other company's coffee beans
painfully purchasing

i already have:
opposable thumbs
attached to hands
and
legs,
arms,
eyes,
and land

grow it yourself

but what about:
time for travel
with scenic hikes
and
runs,
art,
love,
and psychs

no

put those thoughts up on the shelf
*******, and do it yourself

and this
                                             and that
                                    and this                         and that
                      and this              and that    and this            and that
       and this          and that                      and this and that and this
    and that   and this       and that and this       and that and this and that andthis  andthat    andthis andthat  andthis     andthat   andthis
andthatandthisandthatandthisandthatandthisandthatandthisa­ndthatandthatandthisandthatandthisandthatandthisandthatandthisand­thatandthatandthisandthatandthisandthatyousuckandthisandthatand­thisandthatandthatandthisandthatandthisandthatandthisandthatandth­isandthatbeproductiveyoushitfaceandthatandthisandthatandthisand­thatandthisandthatandthisandthatandthatandthisandthatandthisandth­atandthisandthatandthisandthatandthisduerfrykteligandthatandthi­sandthatandthatandthisandthatandthisandthatandthisandthatandthisa­ndthat

copy and paste is over and done—we just need alt + 0151 !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      ­             
              
rainy days pave gateways
intertwining spirit, body, and mind

those were exactly the thoughts running through Caroline's head, as her half-empty boba cup provided support between the cold, metal fencing and her weary right temple. she pondered if this incessant rain would cease, and the chrysanthemums that grew behind the fence concurred.

she had been exploring the realm of visualization in weeks past. visualizing getting out of bed in the morning, getting chores done, and visualizing social situations before they occur. she was using it as a technique to be more productive and to ease her social anxiety. it had proven effective for her.

sick of all the rain, she started visualizing. her imagination fluttered with thoughts of clouds parting ways, of the brilliant sun beating down, heating up the fencing, and creating shadows which sprung to life the now-dancing chrysanthemums. she pictured hopping onto the fence and screaming joyously to the world, overcome profoundly by newfound sunshine.

while deep in her visualization, she felt a tinge near her heart. the same spot where she experiences the buildup of her most powerful feelings: rage, despair, and pure unbridled ecstasy. only this feeling was new, and she knew something big was brewing. she felt an incredible warmth expanding from her chest outwards.

Caroline slowly opened her eyes. her mind was just as clear as the sky. in utter awe, she wanted to scream and shout. to tell all her friends that the sun was out.

it was through those powerful visualizations
where she made her staggering realization

"everything in reality is all but fake
nothing is real except for what you make"

and she carried on with her day

outta work and driving home
bumping 'First Class' - Rainbow Kitten Surprise
when some ******* comes in front on a bike
now a broken arm and a dark black eye
i'll be ****** if he can make it out of this alive

well thanks a lot, *******
you coulda looked both ways on the ****** street
now i've got paramedics and angry police
wondering if i feel any remorse for the scene
well nO, he just ruined the **** song for me

sleep late and sleep in
been doin this **** too often

the late birds don't get no worms
just missed meetings and coffee burns

no more!

no more will we step to the beat of your drum
we have to subvert the circadian rhythm!

eyes open a smidge wider
fight to pull that all-nighter
whatever you do, don't think about yawns
head to the beach before the break of dawn!

nighttime won't stop us from taking a walk
the beach is a board and the sand is the chalk

clouds are colored cotton-candy pink
the horizon is skittles and the sky is a sink

the world is illuminated with purplish hues
as the seagull lord takes in the view

then suddenly,

this CIRCLE comes up from beyond the edge!
looking magnificently ever so orange and red!
it rises and brightens the oceanic titans
as the religious fishies are forever enlightened!

minds rejoice with a profound new wisdom
the circle has subverted our circadian rhythm!

how foolish of me to think it could last
feels so slow yet somehow so fast
and as i wondered when the time had past
all the red flags returned to full mast
without a trace you were gone in a flash
the flags turned white and i surrendered at last

record stores advising vinyl finds for
Fleet Foxes fans shan't shy away from
showing the Shore album, an amalgam
of folk and stunning songwriting, starting
with Wading in Waist-High Water

for all the people whose fathers lie

for all the people whose fathers spy
on each thing that ticks
their paranoid minds

for all the people whose fathers are weak,

for all the people whose fathers scream
"i wanna **** myself"
"i wanna die"
"i wanna see the ******* light way up in the sky"

for all the people whose fathers can't see
what it means to be emotionally free
well,

now you know who not to be

stay strong,

please

"i knows you ain't like medicine
and you knows i love you like a cousin
but ima take you to a doctor
cuz your frets be a' buzzin'"

- a loner from the deep south, to his guitar

given gabbings that gavin's goin grave-grabbin
we knew we needed someone new
so newsom won't sue some such new son,

to sum it up anew

back when it was important to be better than everyone else
i neglected myself
what was mental health
but a distraction from goals that couldn't be quelled
hourglass countdown
mousetrap shout now
never again
"never" is when
he grabs my arm
shirt sleeve tearing pieces stored in box
unbelievably his eyes lock with me
as he shows me the clock
it's 10 PM
do you know if your children's interests still revolve around the weaknesses of others?
keep it that way
keep them under your thumb
digging into their skin
blood laden monkeys paw unfurled
it's the only way they'll ever really get ahead in this world
you see, individuality is just a sin
concocted by philosophers
what keeps your maverick apathetic
they call that fabric softener
black water
coffee packed crying in father's cup
we all know how the story goes
the nail that sticks up

as i get older i realize
those who lack empathy
are like goblins in the grass
they become easier to spot
as the seasons pass

so in the future
i'll cut the grass
and build a garden
filled only with plants
that repel goblins

Stay present, sons and daughters
Hopping around in mud-soaked waters
You all delightfully scream
As if there were ice cream

Laughter spreads as contagious
As the ******-filled book pages
Of the hungry hungry caterpillar
Loved before the fun-killer

All paths are the same
Innocent joy turns to shame
I'll join you all and get my fill
After I pay my electric bill

if you're walking in puddles to soak up the rain
you gotta look cool to mitigate the pain
skaters and ravers alike will agree
Judge None Choose One and buy JNCO jeans!

is my pursuit of the absurd
as a restless endeavor
a result of the scars
where my heart's been severed?

do you ever just feel
inexplicably happy?
when you just love everyone
and nothing can go wrong

because i felt that way today
and let me tell you, dear reader
you are a loved and valued person
keep the good vibes flowing
and stay strong

grillers greatly ***** ground-beef-grinders
and regret grinning when getting gristle

****** corporations **** cows cause creeps need eating-meat
to meet their meat-eating criminal companions
coming close to a cul-de-sac near you!

I long for those harmonic nights
Journeys filled with spontaneity
The choices that lay within are right
Guided by a mystical deity

In your eyes I see my reflection
Thrown ablaze by glimmering lights
Everything leads to perfection
Those harmonic nights

i wonder when
the dam was built
a product of mind's flora
begging to wilt

i wonder why
you had to decide
after coming so far
you needed a guide

i wonder what
we could've done better
to avoid the stone
killing two birds of a feather

i wonder how
you think when you're down
do you let it overflow
or sink to the ground

i wonder who
has the audacity
to wonder so much
so equivocally

that person is me

yet i know how
i think when im down

and i know what
i should've done better

and i know why
i made you decide

and i know when
i lost the ability to cry

up above,
the sky is crying

you're not alone, sky

many humans,
feel your pain

they can relate
to the sadness of the rain

sorry if i haven't been paying close attention
but the Beatles are playing in your class and it's distracting!

how am i supposed to care about calculus
with McCartney singing right beside us?!

integrals and derivatives?
Lennon doesn't give a ****!

so the next time you see me falling asleep,
just

let it be

                                                                                                         let it be!

let it beeee

                                                                                                   let   it      be

im whispering words of wisdom,

let it beee

bwabwabwaaa


thank you for understanding my beatlemania, professor

sincerely,

-ryan

homeless Moe's not an average joe
knows what he has, asks for nothing more

he doesn't beg nor cry nor plead nor preach
he sleeps under a bridge and lives in peace

collects bottles and cans to buy himself food
despite this life, he's always in a good mood

now just think,
if we had more homeless Moe's
would it be easier to convince the homeowning Joe's
to help?