cold, blue skies
crisp air
and sun in my eyes
breathing deeply amongst the crowd
I feel like an installation
in a hotel lobby
or a decorative vase
with dry arrangements

empty yet amused eyes
peer beyond me
while I’m duct-taped to this pedestal
nailed into a wall
the frame of a painting
sitting in a display case.

you relinquished your chains.
i didn't realize the alloy
turned your wrists green
and soured the feeling.

    i didn't realize you viewed them
    as shackles, and not the comfort
    endowed to you when i vowed
    to protect you just two months ago.

    i don't blame you.
        no, i can't. delicate birds
    don't like the clanking of cages,
        no matter how intricate
    the bars are constructed, and
how beautiful
the permanence
of a lock is

Dustpan in one hand,
Broom in the other,
Not a job for a man,
Not a job for a brother,
A job for a woman,
Not any other ***,
My wife didn’t agree with me,
And that’s why she’s my ex.

Stay at home,
Watch the kids,
Keep them chill,
When they throw fits,
Make the bed,
Do the dishes,
You heard what I said,
Carry out my wishes.

Stay indoors,
Don’t make friends,
Your friends are your kids,
And if that ever tends,
To become quite boring,
I won’t let you leave,
I won’t have you *******,
Don’t you dare deceive,
Your intelligent husband,
He knows what’s right,
This here hand feeds you,
You better not bite.

Last night,
I had her down on her knees,
That’s right,
I heard her beg and her plead,
But she was too noisy,
And I got paranoid,
So I had to cut her jugular,
Sending her to the void,
She was taking punishment,
Not a beating or ***,
But she screamed and I killed her,
So now she’s my ex.

I remember being son.
I remember being brother.
I remember being boyfriend.
I remember being husband.
I remember being father.
I remember being employee.
If you have had your fill can I make a memory of being me?

There once was a ledge way out at the edge, of the world,
Where one day a man found himself in the hands of the girls, who lived in The Land of Do as You Please.

The man was aghast for he remembered the past when the girls would sit with their hands behind their backs, and promise to wait on his beck and call.

So when he returned to the land he was distinctly appalled, for none of the girls paid him any attention at all. He took them and shook them, and called them all out. Screaming and Screaming " Ma'am what's this all about?"

Finally, out of all of the noise, emerged a beautiful woman full of grace and poise. She said to the man, " Sir! Get down on your knees! For after all, this is The Land of Do as You Please!" So without further ado the man took off his shoes, shaking with anger for he didn't like to lose. He looked at the woman with anger and spite, and lifted his fist with all of his might. Before the man with the oversized hands, could land a blow, the beautiful woman's eyes started to glow.

She turned bright red, looked to him and said, " Well my good sir, I think you might be just dead!"

With a final breath rattling from his chest, the big man lay his head down to rest. The woman sighed and looked around, for there were piles and piles of other men laying on the ground. All meeting the same fate as the last, each of their ideals also stuck in the past. The woman turned smiling glee, knowing she was finally safe, in The Land of Do as You Please.

walkie talkie
boy like shawty
shy but naughty
but whose identity?
"that's so girly"
prejudice from early
10:23
who am I supposed to be?
pink fizz and blue drips
materialistic shizz and new kicks
is it that hard for me to fit in?
besides myself, I feel it heavier on my shoulders than ever before
who am I and what have I found?
three, how unlucky
egotistical, dependent, broke, dumb,
drop out of school kid
with dreams that are too big
still this age