give the people
what they want
what do they want
truth justice pancakes
peace power
a fair deal
depends on who
and when you ask.

The jokers
They have a god
A Ramen deity
To show how mad
All of it is
In a few hundred years
They'll forget
They were joking
Maybe less.

I believe in order
In a general sense
But it's not for me
Rules do so constrict
I just want to be free.

Be
A real man
not
A tall Pinocchio

Go to sleep
Don't get up
I would if I could
But your bad vibes
Keep me here
In the rocky land
Of consciousness
Yes your bad vibes
Your Ill will for me
It's totes unjustified
And really loud.

Ow
They walk
On top of you
In single file lines
You could stop them
You could prove
You aren't a sidewalk
But you'd have to speak up.

What's the sound
Of reality fading
In and out
I think it
Should be woosh
Like electric doors
I'm out I'm in
I'm in I'm out
Nightmare landscapes
And gum drop forests
Then grey walls
And a feeling of
Impending doom
I'm out
I'm something.

You're no thin mint
But that's natural
People tend to sneer
Then you get eaten
Kind of unfair
Maybe a boar
Will gore them
That would teach them
Though you'll still
Be bacon.

I fear the night
not for the nightmares
that lurk in the dark
but simply because
it's too close to tomorrow.

What again
are we testing for
I hope not perfection

no just boring truths
or total lies
maybe puns.

It sometimes rains down
A revealing corruption
that burns away all sorts
of natural things
it may appear over you
you'll need a tough umbrella.

familiar patterns
are hard to break
even the ones
that are unhealthy
often seem safer
than an unknown.

doubt in myself
and in others
has it's fingers
wedged deep
in my brain
a small opportunity
is knocking on my door
and all I want  to do
is crawl under a rock.

My you can drone on
your audience is apathetic
but quite polite
or possibly in a stupor
perhaps we could get
a different speaker.

******* puzzles
praise be the hammer
something to solve
the accursed complications
with ease and a lack of thought
perhaps there's a better way
but it would take forever.

I scraped some words
Off of your brain
They were odd
I think there's some
Kind of hidden meaning
Though it's possible
You were just babbling
People say Strange things
When you poke
At their brains.

You're like a kraken
And I'm the ship
You seek me out
You wrap me up
Then I find myself shattered
The debris that was me
Just floating in the sea
This is why
I prefer dry land.

A lot of little flaws
in our puzzling world
so many contradictions
in the old stories
but plenty go
exactly as we expect
I lie down wondering
why things are this way
but in the end
if I did learn why
would it really matter.

Hi
I'm Michael
Or Mike
Either will do
I want you to think
That I'm perfect
I'm not of course
But if you believe it
Just for a while
Maybe you'll hire me
And be too tired
To fire me when
You find out the truth.

What is it
about you moon
that brings out
the weirdness in folks
full moons cause
such lunacy
it's madness
all you do
is sit up there
and shine.

I disliked them all
I hated one or two
It wasn't personal
And they never knew
And I'm out now
So I guess
It doesn't matter
But I'm dwelling
On those lovely school days
When I was much younger
So much yelling
So much hate
It made for a poor
Learning environment
Then I got
To public school
Those weren't much better
I was a half hearted student
Who pretended to care
That was the game
Pretend your learning
All you need to know
And you'll pass
I wasn't bullied
Nor did I bully anyone
But the system still stung
I don't know why
But now I'm out
So I guess
It doesn't matter.

well you're here
I guess that should
be noted
but i'd rather not
I'd rather pretend
you never arrived
eventually you will
be announced
just not now.

It's true
Some things
Are so obvious
They are all
But invisible.

The wind
Blew away my umbrella
It's not raining
I just felt
Like being prepared
Perhaps I should
Be more spontaneous
Or I could carry
Two umbrellas
The next time
I believe rain is impending.

Whoa dude
You ooze poetry
So stay off the rug
That stuff really stains
And kinda smells
Of alcohol and something
Inappropriate
But your company
Is still welcome
You really do
Have A way
With words.

very solid
very real
I look at it
and compare
my less than solid words
not even etched in ink
just ones and zeroes
it seems so pointless
to type these impotent
these silly words
yet I continue to do so.

Discuss the events
Of your day
Just a little
Ways away from me
Not outside my hearing
Just a little too far
To hear clearly
And I'll know
You're in reality
talking about
Me.

You're too bright
Here put this on
Then we can
Associate.

I can hear
The mocking edge
Of your excessively
polite words
Well
I think I can.

You spent so
Very much time
Looking for the best
You wore yourself out
And settled for not the worst.

Play your song
And take us away
We'll leave our
Tiny town and
We'll drop our
Tiny issues for you
Play your song
And we'll follow you
Right off a cliff
It just sounds
So interesting.

Fleeing the club
Almost swept away
By the human tide
I need to breathe
I need some room
Why did I think
This would end well.

the sun never rose
we set up camp
and waited for sunrise
but it never happened
the moon is still
just lounging about
is it the end
will the earth
begin to freeze
or is my watch busted
I can wait
for a few more minutes.

They say
If you don't
Love yourself
You can't truly love
Another person
Which is a problem
If you have
A small heart
If you really try
You might fit one
But two well
That just won't work
So it's you or me.

idiot
stay in the darkness
all you get
for trying to leave
is a headache
that light
isn't even real
they set it up
they hang it high
they know how
attractive it is.

Who are you
A memory
A stranger
An old friend
Yes no
Does it matter
Not to me
Not right now.

To die
and leave behind
only enemies
seems a sad
sort of fate
all those years
all that experience
and
you never learned
how to make peace.

I took a quill
and dipped it
into the sorry inkwell
of my soul
I scribbled out
the thoughts  inside
to try to understand
and
I find myself
underwhelmed.

blood sucker
disease bringer
what if any
good do you bring
you must have a place
is it just to bring suffering
if we killed you all
would we be making
a mistake or would we
be correcting one.

my fingers will remain
in my ears
until you shut up
stop proclaiming
those terrible things
I know they're lies
everything is
as it should be
the pleasing voices
assured me of that.

That wonderful
Silk scarf
That comfortable
Bit of cloth
You gave to me
To reward me
To cheer me up
It's starting to chafe
It's starting to tighten
Not of its of own accord
I can't return it
I can't accidentally
Leave it behind
Will it stay with me
Until the end.

So tired
The sheep
Are singing lullabies
But I must stay awake
Things to do
So many things
and people who
Would be
most displeased
If I were
to drift away
Ah well.

I want to read
the secrets you hide
deep in your soul
but your eyes are clear
and your fingers
are very still
so i'll be blunt
you can lie
you could say nothing
though I won't rest
I just want
I just need to know
Are you happy?

and if you don't
than I never have to
right?

They run
They flee
For fear of today
and In the hope
That elsewhere
Things are better
It's probably in vain
But I think
I will go with them.

Why do they
jump ship
we aren't sinking
I mean
the deck is messy
and the brig
is a touch crammed
but still?

I've heard of you
So cold at first
Then so warm
Then so nothing
In young hearts
You bring to mind
White snowfall
Hot cocoa and angels
To the more learned
You bring drunks
Frozen on the sidewalk
And grey glompy slush
So many dread you
But I'm happy
To think you're about.

It was smashed
The fragile pieces
Scatter and splatter
All across the floor
The sound was heard
Maybe not by the world
But definitely throughout
The wonderful prying
Neighborhood
But It no longer flickers
So that's a win.

The candle is out
The darkness is here
Covering you up
Like a tongue
On a small piece
Of candy
Dissolving you
And sometimes
Not even bothering
To really taste you.