(RSVP - Respond, If You Please)
- Joseph Childress


The invitation left me hesitant
On my reservation
Divided between
Plus ones and a party of one

The family affair
Becomes unfamiliar
The apple of my eye, fell far from the tree
How peculiar
My pick
Left me looking at only pictures

The black mirror
Housed my reflection
Broken home
Shone on my broken phone
I play father to rejection

Cold shoulders received
She’s offspring
The fall’s approaching
Like holiday greetings

Who are you bringing?
RSVP.
Respond, If you please.

Night falls 'round 3pm nowadays
A yellow moon, cockadoos!
Yelling through the blinds
Singing a tune
For a midnight shifts tillings
Yesterday is still today
And it's tomorrow already

The talk of the town
Is old school revolvers and revolution
Dusty trails and old wives tales
Dusk colored scene
Discolored clouds hover
The thunder brewing in parlors
After hour spirits
Pitched with the passion
Of melting steel
Strikes from the
Blistering heat
Forms the union of labor
Friction at it's finest
The time is a quarter til already

In due time
I’ll pay what’s owed
Alone for the load of old moves
Payback for loans to sell dreams for a minute
Pimpish
If it’s crazy to be owned by the past I will be finished
Listened
To the choir to acquire what was missing
My soul is tired
Worn like treads of tires
Sneaker soles and old attire
Suited with attributes of a brute
Uncouth in the present of the future forbearing
Telling what’s apparent
Yet no one will listen
Forever imprisoned by debt
Even bankruptcy is too much to afford
Lawyers are costly
Hard to invest in freedom
I’m left
Like the wrong hand
Gambling for the chance
To win
Signing on lines
Next to x’s
Trying to buy back.....
Trying....
I’m trying to...
****...

I need my ******* soul back!

I need balance
I’m too extreme like my beliefs
Far too sorry to apologize
Forgiveness would be a lie I couldn’t live with

Balancing under pressure became a crushing defeat
Misfires and misdirection can land the highest man beneath
Untreated wounds breed infection
The lessons learned are easy to remember
Dismembered and off-kilter

Unbalanced drunkards lay wasted like death
Effigies of what used to be
¨**** it¨ attitudes
Added to the frustration
Of falling and failing, my fault
I brought shook hands
Like an addict

Moderation is balance
My mode is moody
******* and impatient
I meditated to medicate anger
¨Endangered species fighting for survival!¨
Was the greatest lie I ever told
I fought a war for peace
More violent than buddha’s
And I won
I won a deadly victory

Balance was not built for chaos
I’m a riot, raunchy
What I want no longer haunts me
I’m not a victim of crime
Im the victor
Missteps led me away from destruction
My mistakes were made
To save me

Joseph Childress

Construction
Some people
Put
Their worth
In the hands of others
Let them
Decide

Others fight
Off
With words
Or get
Disturbed
By interruptions
In class

Why reply
With what I believe
Are the makes
Of I
When it’s
Construction
Is still
In progress

The finished
Monument
Will stand
Before all soon
And no one
Will question
Its greatness.

Joseph Childress

I face
Worst case scenarios
On a day-to-day basis
I basically live it
Though stern and livid
Most of the time
I tend to get timid
Too much decision making
In tumultuous situations
Besides,
I’ve been waiting for a vacation
Tedious work becomes insidious
To the inside
After a while
And my wild imagination
Becomes destructive
If it doesn’t get to play.

Joseph Childress

Fold papers
Constructed to float
Like planes

Strip
Through the stripes
Along the lines
And take off

Make off
With much more
Than words written
Actual actions
That lift off
Pages

Origami ornament’s
Origin
Arose from bore


The formal forms
Turned
To sheets torn
Without intent to teach

Amusement
From improper usage
Still fuels
The mind anyway

Away and away
Fly fliers
Beneath the lights
Shone
In a way
More motions
Than moving emotions
It coasts
To another plane
Needless of
Communication

Vacation
Much needed
A cruise
For the piece
That used
To be tree
Now used
To set free
The imagination

Ms. Miss Me
Messes with the mess
Of Me
Messianic Masonic Messiah
Making mountainous modules
Manufactured from the make-shift
Makings of my soul
Which lifts me
Higher than before
It’s
Mysterious mysticallity
How you made me
After you met me
The misogynistic misogamist misfit
Meets Ms. Perfect
You misled me
You knew I didn’t want to fall in love
I mistreated you
And now
I miss seeing you
Mr. Missed Her
Mistakenly misunderstood
Her magic
For a trick
My mania must mean
I’m
Malevolently maiming my mind
Never mind me
NO!
Forever mind me
You’re forever mine
Even if only in the mind
My metal moccasins
Stump through
The mine field
On my quest to find you
Again
Constant explosions
Milling
A million
M-80’s to make
A metaphor
Of the fire within
The fireworks
I mean
Hopefully the fire works
I destroyed your
Mint commission
I meant condition
Your mint condition
Was devalued
From my mixed intentions
And messages
Monotonous tasks
To get you back
I get your back
And stay forever
In your past

Empty
M.T.
Mt. Empty

You built me
Just to leave me
Empty

Joseph Childress

Soft words
Are usually preferred
During pillow talks
Foolishly
I foolheartledly
Brought hard words
Harsh
& Disturbed
Which
Hardily makes sense
Since
Your sentiment
Didn't deserve
The sediment
Provided
From my concrete heart
I argue
Our argument
Was all my fault
I dumped asphalt
On the sandy beach
You provided
For our sweet retreat
You retrieved
My roughness
And smoothed
The edgy conversation
Tamed my
Toughness
And soothed
The painful consternation
You could
Ease the temperament
And impatience
Of anger management patients
All the while
Showing
The peacefulness in his
War within
Finding righteousness
In his right to yell
You respect
His freedom of speech
But with each
Negative comment
You seek
To find
The positive content
In the layers beneath

You see the beauty
In the mess
Like an abstract painting
Made for the
Artistically elite
My poor sense
Of creativity
Is lifted
From your richness
I dropped
Destruction
But always
Pick it
Back up
Like bad habits

Rehabilitate me this
Last time
And I promise
I’ll never
Cast a shadow again
I’ll shine
In every way
I direct my attention

Hopefully
Its not too late
But knowing you
My lateness
Will be welcomed
Like a homecoming
You seldom
Look at my faults
And not find
Greatness

Memento Mori
The Momentum
Builds
Before I make
My last stop
The brakes screech
As I try to prevent
This
Moment of descent
It's
Tragic that this happened
All at once
Once upon a time
Rarely ends
Happily ever after
Especially
When your not ready
For what’s after
The happiness
Once in time

Memento Mori
Remember this story
Of how a boy
Became a man
Who couldn't backtrack
From this dead end
The tomb stone
Pops up
At the end
Of this book of life
It becomes
The Book of the Dead
A curse
After the gift
Accursed
After this present
Moment of Content
Clarity
Is a rarity
While alive
Why
Does the picture
Become clear
Once we're
About to die

Memento Mori
Moments in mourning
Where's the morning
Out of reach
In the dawn
Of bad news
And breaks
The moon breaks the day
The Up rise
Of the final sunset
Upset
The sunrise
This morning
Was just a warning
To remember
I must die

Watch out!…

Phew!…

What a close call!
If I answered
The mood swing
Would of left me
Disconnected
Out of line
Without a chance
To be
Reconnected
I call connect
To recollect
The lost connection
But
Your long distance
From sanity
Is costly
For each instant
It costs more minutes
To make up
For the lost time
Together
The way we once were
To gather
The few good thoughts of you
And converse
Usually
Ultimately
Brings the worse
The opposite
The converse
Of what’s expected
As you spew
The **** slew of issues
You’ve had with me
Turning romantic comedy
Into tragedy
I could’ve forgave you
For not forgiving me
But you’re giving me
Too many reasons
To Sprint
Like a ****** Mobile
From his *** drive
My batteries dies
Before I make
My final destination
But when I Boost
I promise to lose
The number
Of times I came back to you
Let it slip my mind
As I find a new
Server
To subdue
Subconsciously I already
Knew
You
Weren’t ready at all

Midnight cravings
Of food for thought
The hunger for more
What’s in store
I can’t afford
Just need
A little more change
This time
The current
Tides
I’ll ride
Until the currents change
I’ll trade my time
For money
The current exchange
Daylight saving’s
Time
To savor the day
Use each moment
Pursuing the suit
Of happiness
Happy is the destination
Motivation
Is the vehicle
The fuel
Is expensive
Probably
Is it probable
To assume my problems
Are perpetuated
By the
Way I think?
After all
I'm educated
Without a degree
Knowledge
Of a teacher
Without the salary
But
How will I eat??
No calories
Mean
No energy
Seen
Less casualties
From
Just a lack of sleep
The combination
Of both
Bring
Midnight hungers
Which
Brings hope
To
Spring me
Out of this heat
Like the fall
Of the summer
How far is
What I seek?
The back of my mind
Wonders
I wander
To destinations
I can’t reach
Which fuels
The infinite motivation
I need

Don’t read this
Current exchange
Of words
As ink on paper
Read them
Like a new testament
Of the love
I sacrifice
All I ask in return
Is for you to testify in court
As a witness
As I try to appeal
To the layers
Of disbelief
In the jury
As I speak…

Constantly changing
Like constellations
Through
Seasons
We see son’s
Of our fathers
In the stellar
Configurations
Scientifically
Debating
The reality
Of make-believe

As humans
We strive
To find purpose
I propose
The deposition
Of myths
Are dispositions
In need of disposing
This poses
The belief
That science is all we need

I suppose
Rather
Postulate
Our posture
has change from
Hunchback
To upright
Because
We’re in the right
Direction
Abstract
Ideas
Such as love
Take a back seat
To concrete evidence
Of necessity

Your conception
Of love
Was simply a misconnection
In the synapses
Of your brain
You truly
See me
As a proper mate
For continuation
Of our primates

******
Isn’t conceived
As such
With our fellow
Beings in life
Our nonsense
Perception
In meeting
After death
Is laughed at
In the kingdom
Of animals

If evil
Is ever
The right decision
I guess
Injustice
Can be found
In justice

If righteous
Is ever
The solution
To abuse then
I guess
In retrospect
I can respect
Retribution

Evolving
Into the final human
Is a slow changing
Progress
Mutating
To survive
In the environment
That becomes
Harsh
With our further
Proofs
In the lack of use
For love

The marsh brings
Reptilian
Tendencies
Spewing venom
With split tongues
Awaiting
Full separation
Usurping serpents
Urging the up-rise
Of our final
Being
In love’s insurgence
Hisses
Drown the
Sounds of kisses
And signals
The sign...
We finally evolved.

I love
You
Don’t care

In-diff-er-ent
Isn't paid
Much attention
In my apartment
We’ll
End-if-her-rent
Isn’t paid
In our
Department
But who cares?

Separation
Doesn't
Always cause pain
And pain
Isn't always
The cause
Of separation

We just
Happened
To drift away
Like
Messages in a bottle
Off the coast
With no intent
Of being found
Our lonely islands
Are crowded
With shadows
Of friends

We forget the darkness
Because at least
We no longer
Burn each other
With our angst
And anger

We remember
Everything
Except rations
Of ourselves
We left
Like t-shirts
And underwear
Tangled
In each others
Laundry

Then throw
Them away
Find them
Another day
in the exact same place
We excavated them
The returnment
Of our undesirables
Show fate’s
Sense of humor
But
Only a stubbornness
Such as ours
Could devour fate
And disavow
The vows
It set out
To make...

We
Will
Never
Be
Again
Never
Again
Will
We
Be

Sums
Up the sum
Of each halves
And the total
Is something
The totaled
Hearts
Can live with...

I feel
The rubble under my toes
The lost destiny
Beneath my feet
The past
Portrayed defeat
More work to be done
Than minutes
Left
In the clock's small hands
Then
I bent my knees
To to undue the destruction
Though
I won't finish
Before my seconds
Diminish
The second
Gener-
Ation
May make it
Just a little weight
From the bolders
Lifted off thier shoulders
The beginning
Has to start somewhere
Why not
Where the apparent
-
Ending is sitting
Right next to us
-
Let's use the strength
Of a billion men
To lift the curtains
As they fall

If "happily ever"
Ever wants to happen
We have to accept
It's probably
"After"
We're dead

Whose strong enough
To face this truth
This fear
And work through the tears
Of our demise
Which
Will be met
Before our son rises
Don't wipe your eyes!
Let our cries
Form the oceans
That were ****** dry
In our time
So our children
Will view earth
As it once was
Once "was"
Becomes us
We'll be proud of what we were
And maybe
For the first time
History wont repeat itself

Let our collective imagination
Turn to stone
Antique collectibles
For our future
To own

The dissent
In current politics
Tries to prevent
The Third World War…

Earth’s civil war

The third rock
Becomes
The third world

Third eye
See’s it all
But
The blind leads us

Illuminati Catholicism

The Popes
False sense of hope
Falls
Since
The World holds on
And drags us
All
Down with it

Withering destiny
Dying
In the arms of humanity

Beautiful bibles
Used against
Those
Who know no
Interpretation

The courageous Koran
Has a cordial
Approach to
Oppression
The New Age Martyr
Dies
And ties a noose
Big enough
For two

Jews choose to
Subdue
The wealth
Money is the root
Of it all
But whose truly to blame
If the claims
To royalty
Are fought by all

No-names
Fight for fame
Like nomads
Of a tribe
The top
Is pursued
With the body left behind
Most kings end headless
With their body left behind

The future
Is a faint painting
Blurred from lack of vision
The piece lacks
Precision
From those high
Off power
Making the wrong decisions

I’m trapped under earth
The sheet of crust
Is too thick
To pick through
Too tough
For hands
Even as rough as mine
I climb
But reach
The impassible
Layer
And pass out
Like faint
Memories
Of times
Overhead
Now I’m under
Stand in
The depths
Of below
Unbeknownst to those
Higher
No one to excavate my soul
They don’t know
What lies beneath their feet
They tread on me
I’m responsible
For this
Reverse archeology
I put my future
Underneath
Only
To fight
With a lack of energy
Lost
From digging
To deep

If it’s true
That you’ll sow
What you reap
I hope
These seeds of me
Will grow
Into something deeper
Than
What lies beneath…

Souls lit
With the intent to
Distribute
Who wants
The unwanted
Essence of wantings
I've lived long enough
To break
The imaginary chains
Still young
My pains have yet
To grow to scars
The long lasting
Feelings
Of dishappiness
Happens
To compliment
The complex
Ideals of discernment
The hurtment
Lies deep
Forged thoughts
On the cheap beliefs
Of peace
This arrangement
Was made
With an agreement
To never forget
The unminted conditions
Of descent
I fail often
Off ten
Bottles to
Lessen
The knows
On my lack of progression
Yet
It seems to only
Fuel the aggression
Aggravated
By the mistakes
I take
Like second chances
Hoping one day
I can rid
My emotions
By drinking
Cups of defeat
The war is insane
Like me
There’s no where
To retreat
So that’s where
I’ll be going
The same
Is all I have
Until the next time
We meet
Though shallow
My love remains
Deep…

Titans clashing
In writing classes
Sessions
To profess progression
Or
Progress to professions
Blessings
Brought through the lessons
Learned
In College
A student as truant
As undeserved triumph
In the form
Of a form
That says what he’s worth
Diplomas
Handed out
To show
You’re on the road
To success
The rest are asked
The ultimate question
Of “Why not?”
Embarking on the quest
When the ultimatum
Is failure

Fail lures in
Those with no ambition
Men *******
About getting papers
To show worth
Working with no
Apparent purpose
Versus
Being apparently worthless
Pairing the two
Against the view
Of a *****
Who stares at the moon
And gives a ****
About the bull
The one
Whose wit
Could split
The tightest knit
Brain
And undue the sutures
Of skulls
To undue
Their mundane
View of success

The *****
Who calls himself
A *****
With more pride
Than Aryans
Carrying his opinion
Higher
Than the mass vision
Just to show
How low
They truly are
Arrogantly ignorant
Ignore rants
Of others
And smother them
With the truth
Of knowing nothing
And understands
They’ll never understand

Overstepping the boundaries
Without
Diplomatic immunity
Yet immune
To the qualities
Of the Hippocratic views
And sees
To seize the future
You must
Tackle the present problems
You must blitz
To get you’re quarter back
If you want
To make a change
And sport all the qualities
That seem to them
Strange
Deranged
In the range
Of misunderstandings

The illusion of progress
For humans
Are usually
Said in words
And never
Set in stone
So I will throw
Sticks and stone
The stupidity that’s grown
Words hurt
But actions hurt worser

For example:
Worser
Isn’t a word
Until I worsen the
Worst situation

I’m waiting
For my chance
To blow up

So I can dumb down
Your intelligence
And smarting up
Your ignorance

If you can’t understand
You’re either too smart
Or too **** ignorant

If you’re offended
Then you’re opinion is unneeded
Because the truth
Will tear your *** to pieces

And she said…

I luv you,
?
Where’s the

O-v-e-

R
we truly
Over?

Or just yet
To begin?

Well, *** u

It’s convenient
To shorten words
To speed the converse
But love
Should be handled
With delicacy
You’re lack of concern
Brought
“I luv u 2”
In return
You’re more mathematical
Than poetical
And I accept our difference
But your indifference
Once I brought it
To your attention
Is well worth
The “*** you” aforementioned

Copper moons
In the month of June
Can set the mood
Like fireplaces
In December
The embers rise
Like the passion
Of a mad man
Madly in love
The contrast
Of the dark sky
In the background
Can’t last
Long enough
The beauty portrayed
Was made
For portrait
My poor traits
Are accepted
Like eclectic
Decisions
Like when the sun
Decides to be
Ecliptic
I’ll hide today
But in the morrow
I’ll shine
In a way
So my rays
Can raise
And leave you blinded
By arrays

Most guys shy away
From showing emotions
Exposing too much
Leaves them naked
I’m not ashamed
If you see
What should be seen
In
Private
It’ll only make you
Want me more
What’s in store
Is pain
Hidden in pleasure
To please
Is the least
I can do
To make up
For the
“Leave”
That comes
Thereafter
You come faster
Than seconds can count
Almost
As if we
Been away longer
Than years can count
The amount
Needed for this
Leap of faith
Could mount mountains
As I maintain
What’s needed to stay
In the position
Remain uplifted

There will be tears reminiscent to seas
Salt water
Body of lies
Forming to make there way through
Rocks and hard places
Through time they cut
And **** up
The thoughts of tough
I trust
You’ll never trust
Us
But you remain in the picture
The pitcher
Has just enough
Liquor to leave me
Left
Right
Beside myself
Sometimes
I get beside myself
And me and I
Rather I and me
Stand alone
With the unknown
Women eyeing me
I’m trying to see them
For who they are
Yet,
Your eyes are all I see
Icy hearts are hard to warm
It hardily harms me
And scarcely scars
Or even scares you
Because we are
Emotionless vultures in a cult that preys
On cultures
That cultivate true feelings of love
We contour their beliefs
With our tongue in cheek
Expressions
Learnt from lessons
We had in adolescence
Will we ever truly grow?
Or will we just
Say **** it
And bring the world down
With us?

We
Against the world
Whose truly
The underdog
When the power
Collected
Once connected
Is strong as
Einstein's intellect is
Atomic Explosions
Can knock
Earth of its axis
Tragic
As Allies v.s. Axis
World War Two
As the world wars

Two of us, Just the
Justice, Just us
Just is the only reason
For breathing this season
This isn’t even
Surprising
The way we rise higher
Than the sun in summer
Some are confused
The way we fuse together
Regardless of the weather

Whether autumn falls
In August
Our arduous tasks
Seem to leave
Like leaves
Once we’ve changed hues
Exchange whose
Fallen
As we climb
Scale mountains
And reach a level
It’s peak
Wished it could reach
The climate change
Doesn’t phase
What it doesn’t know
The snow below
Forms as the wind turns
Winter
Looks at us green
With envy
As we exchange hues
Plush meadows
Lay vast across the plain
Simply put
It looks similar
To the vane
Looks as we stare
At each other
To share vanity
And make it fair

The stars
Watch from above
At this pair
That showed the earth
How to love
Regardless of despair

Each step
In common sense
Makes you more
Like the rest

Moment’s uncommon
Can become commerce
If you’re immersed
In what it’s birthing

Unearthing
Un-earthlike belongings
On your person
Is illegal
Only in the laws of earthlings

Case in point
Anyone can chase and point
The obvious, obscure
Object erected
In what once was a pattern

But to shed a lantern’s light
On each instance
Is a dim-witted decision

The whole picture
Is much larger
Then man made flame’s
Can harbor

Alters
Are needed
When Altars
Are constructed
In place of
Church of thought

Irking’s small as these
Have potential to be
Crusades on uncommonalities

The worst casualty in war
Isn’t death
It’s birth
Death ends
Birth has potential
To grow into something worse

History dictates
The future’s fate
****** masquerades
As bright ideas
While ideal massacres
Take place
In front of our face

Who chooses
To be the flaw
In this perfect picture
Of hell
And shed true light
Like halo’s over
The well

I warn you
Or whomever
Should play womb
For dissent

Society’s mob
Makes martyr’s of those
That fight the current

Headless
Portrays an ironic display
Of the punished
Mindless crowd’s “Hurray!”
In the kingdom
Of dumb kings
And followers led astray

I cant wait to show
My contempt of court
Contemplated much more
Thank lord
The latter was chosen
I swear to him
My swears wont be as
Offensive
As the unmentioned
Alternative
Of this present contemption

My hand told lies
Like prosthetics
As it handled the bible
Like an oath
It would take
If it weren’t for the one nation
Under god
Underdog
Dodging the law
Of the land
Biting the hand
That feeds him

Hunger strikes
Like a match
Thirsty for air
The explosion of emptiness
Fills the stomach
The feels
Become more ill with each filling
Like mercury deposits
Positioned
From molar drilling

A mouthful of ailments
Spewed across the room
For the judges consumption
But the cancerous banter
Spread like foreign bodies
And the jury took injury

The whole world
Agrees
You’re the most hated
Alive
The “not for long” followed
Like the gavel
As it swallowed the courtrooms
Silence
A sentence of death was relayed
Without a period
Of contemplation
As my great contempt
Of court
Is overshadowed
By the ******
Committed by a jury of my peers
Reenacting
The passion of Judas
While I’m crucified
In the name of my father
By men who shoot
The messenger

Remember me at my worst
And my best
Will always inspire
Death is not as bad
If you can give a few truths
Before you expire

Joseph Childress

Absence makes the heart grow
Fonder for most
Somber for some
Odd of others

The presence of love
Is the foremost force
In the divorce
Of reason

Attachments
Magnets
Victims of attraction
Repel
Then make tractions
That keep the world
Moving

Rebels revel
In revolution
Worshipping
The great changing
Like crescent moons
Before the new

Each phase
Relays the latest trend
As love, hate and sin
Blends in a cocktail
Of delusion

Drunkards play martyr
In the extremist
Conditions
Relentless systems of belief
That leaves relief
For the reliving of death

The children witness it all
Imitating
And coming up shorter
Than expectations
With each generation
Alternating ideas
For alternatives
Altering native ways of thinking

Beings battle for correction
In facilities
As others rights
Squander
In the quelling of dissent
Fighting fear
Is dear
To the hearts of trendsetters
Setting the standard
For the new age
New way of thinking

Off to Walden’s Lake
For the Great Disappearance
Dissing appearance
For the sake of absence
As absentmindedness
Watches from afar
Don’t worry
I’ll return with enough
Civil disobedience
The laws will have to change
In our honor

Bashful *******
Shying in vain
In vanity
A gust full of disgustions
Aiming for the senses
Of the senseless
Since less
Is what fools choose
In abundance
I’ll give enough lessons
To
Subtract the negative
Assumptions
Added that positivity
Is possible
In the stereotyping
Of our future

If so
Add All the differences
Attractions of the same
Usually end
In repulsion

But
Whose All
Is more than the rest?

Almighty
All none
All one
Alone
Ali
Altercation
Alliteration?

The geniuses
Debate
As satire misses
The point
Like dullness

Unafraid to be afraid
Of sameness
Though its comfort
Could conform the most
Rebellious heart
If left unchecked
I choose
To sit on the broken throne
Viewed
Absurd as blurbs
For the sake of unnervance

Joseph Childress

Concrete benefits, nature of the jungle
Cities and suburbia, survival of the fortune
The owls growl now, no more asking “Who”
The town runs wild, the eye watches the jungle

Abstract revolution, power of the people
Mafias and militia, conquering division
Rebel of the mind, hands still chaining
Gangs grow larger, conquering the people

Misogamist marriage, fatality of the lovers
Polygamists and virgins, electrically connected
****** innuendo, pushing and pulling
The pace moves quicker, bindings of the lovers

Unthinkable thoughts in the valley of a dream
Inventive venting on impossible creations
Utopian physics,  disavowed in the matrix
The strings vibrate, the theory of a dream

It hurts
To get pulled
In opposite directions
When your soul
Wants nothing more
Than to remain
In it’s position

The pealing off of suits
Offer
An awful truth
Inner me exposed
Like the falling of defenses
Or
Enemy exposed
Like the failing of a friendship

If the lord
Should grant my soul
Enough courage to be shown
I promise
To never be a show
Or entertainer to be owned

Jailhouse blues
Aren’t only sung by caged birds
I’m free
And I sing
Because
I haven’t earned my wings

The unveiling of my secret
Societal mind
Will amplify
The ample voices
Speaking at the same time

It hurts
To get pushed
In one position
When your mind
What’s nothing less
Than to go
In all directions

By Joseph Childress

“Habeus corpus!!!”
Yelled in court
From some youngin’
In the back row
As he rose
With a roll of parchment
The constitution laid dead in his hold
.
A gleam seen in the judge’s eyes
As he glances, quickly
Behind glasses
While guards escort
The disrupter of courts
To the unknown
.

All hail the corpse of freedom!
Warranted from the lack of warnings
All hell: The corporate companies cooperating
In coup d’etats
Disguised as peace keepings
Offering the
Sacrificial kings of Africa
Offing the
Head of state
In a distasteful display of feardom

Fear dominates
The war on terrorism
Military minions pillage the dominions
Of the defenseless

The final blow
Screams
Like the Final Call
In the falling of an empire

Protesters test the unrest
And spread
Words
That are read
In the weaving of our future

Detention
Sit-ins for those who
Speak during class warfare

Constitutions re-written
To constitute illegal imprisonment
Of free
Speakers,
Thinkers,
And believers

Citizens find it harder
To not pay attention
When the war in the Middle East
Is fought in America

Patriotic Acts to enact
Unpatriotic actions
That exact
Hate on the coward-less fraction
Surveillanced
As if ***-kissing will ever be in option

They’re warning us
To stay sleep with the rest
Those who awake
Will meet a force
Worse
Than the crusades
As they raid the houses
Of our brothers, sisters, and
Controversial, conspiracy contriving cousins

They will come
Like thieves in the night
To undue
The debt due to society

The battle begins,
And the Martyrs are ready.

By Joseph Childress

I remember when…
I remember, I remember
When I lost my mind….
There was so pleasant about your face
I let all my emotions go,
And gave you space….

When you were out there, without care
I was out of touch,
Not because I didn’t know enough Jaz,
I just knew too much.

But does it make me Crazy!!?!!
If not,
Deny it in front of the doctors
Who document the details
Of my insanity.
Granted that your vanity
Is understood
I forgot my understanding
Beauty is in the eyes of all
That behold you
How could I forget?
I forged the signature smile
You talk so often about
So you’d be happy for me
But how?
So selflessly you loved my selfishness needs….

Now We,
Becomes a testament of what
Once was
Once upon a time
A princess met
A soon to be king
Whose arrogant rant’s
Arose at the time he forgot
His ring

Now you and I
Are forced
To separate like divorce
Devoid
Of the love
That once filled that empty void

Whose to know
Of what’s to come?
Maybe
In may we can spring from these
Cold feelings
And blossom like a Jasmine
And turn has-beens
Into have-nows
And complete the vows
We started under covers
Like our first words
We said to each other

Diamonds are forever
But
If I die with out your three letters
Let this
Letter
Be the last
“I do” is all I ever want from you
And all I have in return
Is “I do too.”

Preparations
For Love and Destruction
Volatile environments
Whose inhabitants
Distract inhibitions
By enacting emotional exhibitions
Fueled by liquid fire
.Injection.
Fluid spirits
Energize the soul
Chemically reacting to stress
Freeing the hostages
Housed inside the hostile hospice
Of hearts
.Ejection.
Nature’s neutrality
Doesn’t do much
For this current
Wave
Of Lust and Frustration
So,
Lo and Behold
The solo soul below
Who bellows
In the belly of beasts
Like growls
That grows into speech
As I transform from
Animal to Anomaly
Asking for the one thing
That will keep me
From the answer
.Rejection.

Catchy clichés
Can calm nerves if spoken
At the right moment
Appreciative tokens
Of atonement
Can amend this friendship
For the moment
Leave me left
And I’ll be found
Righteous
In my attempts at
Tempering your aggression

Either way I win.

Marriage & Children
Divorce & Retirement
The best things
Come to an end
Which leaves room
For a cycle to begin
Recycling my romantic
Ideals
Of true love

Either way I win.

Deception
Misery & Mystery
Inceptions
Of mystic prophets
Who provide
Love potions with ironic twists
Like the iconic wits
Of philosophists
Who admit to know nothing
This concoction
Can con-artist-ically convince
Common sense
To become rare
Drunken affection
With lips that tell lies
As often as the truth
It tries to depict

Either way I win.

**** it,
Damage.
The small hole that lies
In all hearts
Is a larger part
Of my whole,
My arteries hold no
Holy blood, but
Ole faithful spurts
More life then ancient articles.
Art is Gold.
Not folded in papers.
Though, these zig-zags have
Had their fair share
Of wear and tear on my soul
My core
Is iron ore
I wore, and tore
The fabric of space
For us
To meet face to face
Fate
Has nothing to do with it
I only ate
The apple
To show the faults
Within me
With sin
I have nothing
Left
But what heaven sent
Right
Next to me.
Where window’s to a soul
Hold enough water
To feel a widows pain.
I see through you
Like sheen stockings
Worn
To hide
What you’re trying to show
On purpose
You’re perping
Like the drug
That deceives me
Into believing that I need it
Needless to say
I’ll take needles
Of your love to vein,
In vane of God’s name
As I search
For the rib
I lost in his name
Competing with
My empty heart
For completeness.

Farce!
False!
Fantasy maybe. Even still,
It’s far from fact.
Fiction!
I've seen more accurate depictions
Of Love
In abstract pictures.
At least it’s fierce colors
Show so form of passion
Fashion!
Artistic? It can be
But this is trendy
It'll fade as a
Fad!
True art is timeless
Truth? It can be
But this is candy
Not fruit
This is pop
Not soul
Technically it’s music
Because of it’s movement
But this needed no muse
Only tech
No chords
Piano or vocal
Only vocoder!
Inhumane, alien maybe.
But even the Vulcan
Shows some form of fire  
Folktale!
Fog!
The misleading smoke
Shows no water
In the vicinity
Only industry
The only esteem
In this engine
Is steam
Gas.
The closest thing
To nothing
Fodder!
Deflowered. Devoured
By self-expression
Selfish innovators imitating life
Forgetting to live it.
****!

By Joseph Childress

Humans For Sale
Our new product
Was produced
By the finest scientist
Rigorous research
Developed over ages
With pages upon pages
On the way's of Man
Which have made it
To this manual
Our manuscript
Comes with a planner
To document
The detailed descriptions
Of the
.Human Revolution.
They carry out
In your manner
For we've finally discovered
How to turn off it's soul!

Our standard package
Is for any industry
We've oiled all it's joints
For maximum mobility
Whenever their overworking
Strings stretch
From their shoulders
To allow shrugs
At your command
So it's hands
Can work for hours
While following your demands
I know you puppeteers
Take offense
To puppet's tears
Report any malfunctions
If the manufactured
Model shows emotion
And we'll threaten
Them with the fire
That they use to own

The titanium's knit tight
Taught enough
For the toughness of man
The silver hooks
Slide through slits
Of flesh
To make value
Of the empty vessel
The heart
Serves as battery
Connecting
Copper veins
To gain momentum
In it's electric brain

Our premium package
Allows wireless extensions
Of control...
Behold!
The new televised eyes
Provide hallucinations
In lucrative amounts
Which will prove
To be illustrious
In it's illustrated sight
The special effect
On it's vision
Is our last step
In
.Human Revision.

Puppeteers!!!
Our market
Is uncontrolled
The loopholes show
The puppets inability
To function
The component of soul
As owner
Be satisfied
Of the power
They don't know

By Joseph Childress

This isn't coincidence
These predicaments
Don't occur
From compromise
I promise
This instance
Was made from insistence
Fate
Need not play a role
Why chase you
When I can stalk truth
And take soul a step further
I sing blues
Off cue
And play keyboards
Off key
To mimmick the mockery
Of clowns that show grief
Or clones that make art to show originality
The irony
Can leave wrinkles
In the corner of a smile
But for me
This comedy
Isn't worth my while
If this tragedy
is but a wrinkle
On the loose leaves of the wild
I don't aim
To tame these emotions
I only aim
For your heart
With arrow's pen-pointed
I always draw my words
The most artistic of weapons
If you listen
This suicide will be assisted
Either save face
Or erase your pencil thin smile
Although,
We'll fall from grace
At least
We're falling with style.

By Joseph Childress

Grammar Nazis
Are politically incorrect!
Their views on beauty
Are unusually unnatural
Usually nature accurately depicts
The perfect harmony
Between structure and chaos

They aim to revoke
.Poetic License.
The responsibility fee
Is irresponsible
In it's response
To viewing mistakes
And expecting compensation
The pennies I've earned
For even thinking
Is an even exchange
For the possible pain
I could've stricken

Lord forbid
I choose a battle of words
To settle this disputation
My concentration
On not giving a ****
Could drive them crazy
I love breaking laws of the English
Language
And creating my own

An explosion of ideas
Could end this war on creation
Free verse
Is more universe
Than university
And Poetry
Bears fruit
For those unafraid
To break their rules

By Joseph Childress

Sometimes, brainstorms
Are calming enough
The flower expected
Doesn't even have to blossom
The muddy water
Is a composition itself
Deep music waves
With Earth to keep you grounded
These wetlands
Can be depressing
Your impression
Becomes obvious
In the form of footprints
Imprints from bare feet
Rare feats are expected
But walking
When the rain storms
Is sometimes, calming enough

By Joseph Childress

Notebooks
Full of decorated pages
Display graffiti
Like ancient hieroglyphs
On the walls of caves

These scripts
Lay testament
To the inner workings of soul
And expose
The short coming
Of perfection

This came
In the form of a dream
The realm
Where impossible is the norm
Showing it's possibilities
On a night-to-night basis
And the rules of tomorrow
Are re-written

By Joseph Childress

Help me write this poem
For real
Grab a pen
Yours is customized
From things we remembered
So you know
The amount of energy
And time
That went into creating
This creator of art

I am working
On my greatest masterpiece
And I need your assistance
"The Book of Love"
Is the title I chose
It's more dictionary
Than novel
The definition is long I admit
100 pages
To explain the one thing that
Helped me create it

You helped me create this
How could you forget
The reality we shared
Of course
This book is dedicated to you
The course
I took is worth the degrees
Of the sun
But it took my cold heart
To keep me
From burning these pages

By Joseph Childress

This is practice
The climatic ending
We've been reliving
Since we've been passing
Bottles of passion

They explode like champagne
Or the breaking of glasses
When we let go

This abuse
Is useless
The pain is duller
Than the point I made
When I said
We were mad for each other

I meant
Made for each other
But we've mistaken each other
For designated driver's
Our destination
We'll never make
But, you're smarter than me

You'll get another ride
And me
I'll take another shot
Before I leave

By Joseph Childress

****** expressions
Are greater than words
But I
Want the liquid truth!

Lips don't only talk
They also kiss
Tears can be more deceptive
Than tongues
And yours is persuasive
The ability to sway
Opinions
From your salt water
Body of lies
Can form dead seas
And these scrolls
Wouldn't be here
Without this excess of ink

Shedding blood
Shows only a lack of control
And care
Shedding my own
Would only show
My lack of understanding

The thirst I have
Is for liquid truth
The friction we cause
When we tell it
Is more than enough fire
To make it pure

By Joseph Childress

I'm composing
A symphony with this typewriter
Honestly,
I'm not writing musical notes
For the sake
Of typing on pianos
This is music itself

Listen.
This is what soul sounds like
To me
Of course,
The raw strokes of pencils
Are classic
But this new age music
Is of my time

I've learned
How to play this instrument
To showcase
My ability as a musician
And these notes
Are loudest
When read alone

By Joseph Childress

You're hot as Hell
Not a more accurate metaphor
For what your heart stores
Vicious love
What sin did I commit
Where apologies aren't accepted
When I repent
You have
The tongue of a serpent
And I mean that
In more ways than one
You earned the deed to my soul
And buried it
In the deepest hole
Maritime trenches
For the unforgiven
At least Adam
Was warned of what was forbidden
My lack of knowledge
Of Love
Occurred at the same time
I tried to show it
My father knows
I asked, "Momma What's Love?"
And God knows
She showed it
Better than she could explain
My missteps
When I stepped to my future "Mrs."
Missed the whole point
I stumbled on the stairs
To Heaven
And I fell straight into Hell.

By Joseph Childress

Red letters
Wrapped in velvet
With heartfelt sentiment
Passion uncovered
Enveloped in naked truth
Special attention
Opening up
On birth and holidays
Old age wine
Or brand spirits
Breaking seals
To spill emotion
Untying ribbons
Expose love
In it's barest form
Intimate gift giving
Sharing time
For soul's mate
Exchanging
Our body of work
For playing outside
Enjoying
The rejoining
Of missing pieces
And coming full circle

By Joseph Childress

Beautiful woman in the mirror
You are the fairest
Of them all
More fairy
Than tales
Long and tall
The truth you seek
Can be found
Without reflection
Someone paid
Extra care
In designing
Your cover
The silk fabric
Of your skin
Was created only
To showcase
The beauty within
Like decorative boxes
Housing diamond rings
Open up
And give the world
The gift
It's been waiting for
Ask the mirror no more
As much as it reflects on life
Only you have
The power to live it

By Joseph Childress

James was correct
This is
A Man's World
Man made his story
And left
Her
Out the picture
Even after the labor
She suffered
To create him....

They call us son
Yet it ain't no shine
When she's gone
No woman
No warmth
No womb
No cry,
'Cause poppa's around
And grandpa
Taught him to shed blood
Not tears

No rain
During droughts
The fruit of life
Deserted
For artificial desserts
Man made
Destruction
And through blind loyalty
I'll continue their instructions...

No cry.

By Joseph Childress

Let's make believe
Baby,
Let's make each other believe
We don't want to be bothered
We know
What's best for us
We showed the best of us
And couldn't
Make the best of it
Yes,
Let's call it quits
We're stubborn
Stubbing are toes
Pretending we're walking
Like pimps
Kinda hard in your pumps
But it's harder
For me to pumpfake
Without actually jumping
The shot I'll take
Is for the both of us
The fall you'll take
Will hurt us both
We'll boast and brag
Like it was apart of a plan
Let's fake the funk
With our ******* lies
As we leave
And show those who don't believe us
How to make believe