This is a poem that I didn't plan on writing,
didn't want to write,
but ******
you can't control
psychic blasts from
out of nowhere,
triggers without
warnings
~~~
Six hours ago,
received a message,
  (see below)
another one,
from a fellow poet here

dear god,
it knocks me
six feet deeper
than the six foot grave
that I was already
sunk down in

Lest you think,
this poem is about me,

here's hoping you don't read it,

(since its likely to be
long ,
now, so out of fashion,
most have hopefully skipped ready away)

cause it *is about me,
courage and
how
I came to write my own
Declaration of Independence

savings lives,
a life all along
part time happenstance habit,
sometimes called
giving a ****,
gets me in to trouble
especially,
when I'm the one in trouble,
cause any normal person,
thinks foremost first,
who the **** is
gonna save me?

my nine lives
long ago used up,
but was hoping
nobody important noticed,
could squeeze a few more
resurrection revival miracles,
from a body that is nearer to
seven decades
than the mere two,
of most of you

so out of work, told,
you dude, don't cut it anymore
worrisome noise, expected, now realized,
was sleep depriving,
cause
I got
mouths to feed

tea and sympathy,
please don't feed me,
cause what I learned
from a life of
giving encouragement,
is the final story,
the way its gotta end,
is at the place
where your sign name to,
the one, the only,
dotted lined destiny that can be called
successfully concluded,
by drawing down,
one mo' time,
your very
own
residuals for believing,
even when your driving
on fumes,
you manage on

which is how I came to write
these ten words, a summary of my future
Declaration of Independence

The hardest thing to do,
being strong,
for everyone else

no matter the state of your state,
lifetime habits don't die,
just go underground for awhile,
spent my independent soul's currency
taking care of others,
getting little in return
only the greatest
Un,
the Un expected,
high of the
reciprocal of kindness

bumps and grinds,
had my fair share,
always bounce back,
coming out better, stronger and better,
but they've put new obstacles in the course,
which makes it that much harder

so wrestling with this contra-diction:
that to be independent,
is the sum of dependency of others
on the works of your hands

when a message arrives
a penetrating light
that strips your gloomy inward lookings,
outward,
the re-direction, a gift of a reminder,
Perspective

once you offer to be depended on,
you can be never go back,
you gone and purchased (and sold)
a one-way ticket,
with no expiration,
the only
kind
for sale

so I refill my metrocard,
one more time,
but the machine doesn't accept
anybody's else's words of encouragement,
then you pocket dig a little deeper,
deeper than the six
you already in,
and pull out,
amidst the
lint and schmutz,
your last dime,
laughing all the time

for you know better than most,
to be independent
is to swear allegiance
to those who
depend on you,
writing down a poem
of sacred honor,
and herein nominated, seconded
and signed,
as your very own
Declaration of Independence

cause kids,
I read the original Declaration
from 1776,
which concludes:

"We mutually pledge to each other our Lives,
our Fortunes and our
sacred Honor"

NML
~~~~~
July 4th, 2015