First, She belonged to her father
She belonged to her husband next
When She finally belonged to the earth
Did She realize --
All along, She belonged to Herself

What's my name
My distilled essence
A bag of meat
Or something endless
A card with a number
Someone's dream
A reflected face
A thought, unclean
The sum of parts
A point of view
Or am I just
A half of you

•
Every night
I strangle the sun
He crumples before me
But every morning
He rises anew
•

Light a candle
Stay at my side
Sing me a lullaby
Till sleep overtakes me
Make me a bed
Of earthen walls
My spirit is light
My body is heavy

I'm a sprocket
A moving part
Comrade to the common stapler
Wind me up
Punch my card
Money makes a fine enabler

I am man
Destroyer of worlds
Ask the survivors
Of the ant hill out back

I am man
Practitioner of violence
See for reference
My arsenal of Nerf weapons

I am man
Taker of life
My double bacon cheeseburger
A ****** trophy

I am man
Celebrator of brutality
I gotta go
The game is on

Select your tribe
Pick your creation story
It matters little which you choose
For after blood and ashes settle
The victors' god is Truth

Ink and paper are magic
If left to sit
for ages upon ages
They become unquestionable truth

"What do you do?"
An insidious question
A nice little box
To fit you inside
A stranger's first volley
Masquerading as small talk
A loaded inquiry
That seeks to define
Are you meaningful?
A failure?
Worth knowing?
Important?
Can you help me?
Do I envy you?
Or pity you instead?
What's your purpose?
Your value?
Identity?
Status?
Do I need you?
Should I hate you?
Or forget that we met

So...
"What do you do?"
I am.
As are you.

Every moment is a miracle
A gift from the Creator
Which I capture on my TiVo

Every person is divine
Crafted in His image
That I worship from afar

Every tree a work of art
With its complex inner workings
Or so the textbooks tell me

I can see one from the window in my room

Trust in me
You need no other
Confide in me
And no one else
Have faith in me
You won't be lonely
Cling to me
For life itself
Depend on me
I'm all you have now
We're out to sea
And there's no escape

Sitting here alone
Across from you
It brings me back
To our shared delusion

A hazy dream
Of bodies intertwined
No longer adrift
An anchor in this turbulent ocean

But yesterday's gone
Words have run dry
The distance between us
Is more than this room

Daylight bares all
In naked clarity
Pleasures and fantasies
Are marched to their doom

To love a flame
It is to know
Her teasing dance
And fickle glow
They make for such a stunning show
Eventually you'll burn

Indulge me once
This catastrophe
Abandon frayed commitments
Resign ourselves to gravity
The world can tumble with us

Show me
That you crave
That you need
More than just the air you breathe
That you feel
That you see
The world in all its brilliant color
That you want
That you dream
'Cuz life is crazy pointless things
That you hurt
That you bleed
Show me that you still believe

A thousand miles behind my eyes
I gaze upon this world
Through hazy, distant window panes
The shapes and faces swirl
I hear their call, they know my name
I try for a reply
But voice will not return to me
Neither whimper nor a cry

I remember well the day you died
I saw my glimmer leave your eye
The room went cold
Your heart went dry
We waited years to say goodbye

She lights the way
On darkest morning
Gives to all
With no strings showing
The only reason
I keep going
Perhaps one day
I'll say hello

The fog rolls in
It clouds my mind
Numbs my body
Dulls my senses
Obscures my judgement
And any passing ship
Will surely crash

A million choices make a day
To hold your eyes
Caress your hips
A million branches in the road
Which path to trace
Across your lips
A daunting puzzle, yet to solve
This broken piece
Temptation's sway
Or have the better sense to know
I can't be here
And walk away

My joints creak
This sword heavy
The shine is gone
That caught your eye
I'm broken down
War weary
Where rusted knights
Are sent to lie

We share each other's breath
Stardust one and all
Falling endlessly together
On this humid little ball
A web of beating hearts
Tethered to each other
I love you like myself
But I would end you for a dollar

Life is but this fleeting moment
There it goes again