shiny ‘vette
velvet walls
noontime cabaret

passing by, bye

cigarette
cell phone calls
boot mark to the face

push and pull
take the cake
climb to the top!

rise at the top!

wallet’s fat
bank account swells
now some time to wait

nice and full
got it made
winding the clock!

(winding the clock!)

scratching backs
fingernails smell
now i'm turning grey

take my dime,
not my time

what was that?
slot machine bells
not for me today

or any day

one more sip
of lemonade
when will it stop?

when will it stop?
when will it stop?
when will it stop?

when will it?

𝄆   suffer  |  survive  |  sing   𝄇

live hard,
care free on
the open lanes
just to get a
break
from it all.

besides,
how am i supposed to
have any fun
cooped up
like a house cat?

this place is different,
just enough light and
not too sticky but
the hops taste like
stale lollipops.

"call for a good time"
thanks, way ahead of ya.
two-dollar condoms?
what a way to make
an extra buck.

i'm back, sorry
wasn't expecting
to stay so long.
i'm parked out front,
what's your favorite
breakfast food?

Mom warned me not to
trust these dogs,
should've used
my last eight quarters.

my name's mort
the third
and i sell the
bombs

after hours
me 'n' the boys
grab a bite of
carpaccio

the world is ours
but never yours
without the Wheel it
stops

ring around
guys 'n' gals
we'll give you the
deal

take all you want
sure, you can
pay us back next
year

It's heavy on the head,
that letting-go part.

The whole,
"We need some time apart;
it's just too draining.
Maybe in a few years we can see
how much you are
and where we want to go
from there."

Figures.
Always running the show,
always giving me a hard time,
lifting me up
just to slam me down,
whooping my *** while I'm
sprawled out like roadkill.

(Though it's so hard to turn away...)

The lies are told to desperate ears,
making the pickings ever sweeter.

Thanks for the pick-me-up!
Now where's the put-me-back-down?
When do we plummet
way past our infamous goals
to the deeply imagined?
More than a fair share of fun
for the measly price of living!

Too many goodnights
haunted by negativity,
when sleep is better
than anxiety.

(The real test is when it decides to show its face again...)

Bah,
that won't be for a while,
at least until I've
made a name for myself
in some...
other way.

Once the mirror shows beneath
the tailored suede suit;
then we'll see who separates the lazy
from the dead.

I wonder if there will be a day
when I can wake up,
sure that there will be no more
condescendence
from my craft.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls
witness every shape and size
and as the whole world spins and swirls
not all but one may realize

Life brings trouble, worry and woe
but drowsy spirits pave the way
for pacing thoughts rode to and fro
until the breaking light of day

i used to have this
friend
we would go outside
during the days
after the bell

one game we played
was kind of like
hunting
except it didn't
feel natural

lizard brains
were easy enough
to catch and ****
without a second
thought

we would stuff their
mouths
with explosives
then find and burn
the remains

until that time he
accidentally blew off
his own hand