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shiny ‘vette
velvet walls
noontime cabaret

passing by, bye

cigarette
cell phone calls
boot mark to the face

push and pull
take the cake
climb to the top!

rise at the top!

wallet’s fat
bank account swells
now some time to wait

nice and full
got it made
winding the clock!

(winding the clock!)

scratching backs
fingernails smell
now i'm turning grey

take my dime,
not my time

what was that?
slot machine bells
not for me today

or any day

one more sip
of lemonade
when will it stop?

when will it stop?
when will it stop?
when will it stop?

when will it?
Lyrics for small jazz ensemble & voice.
annh Sep 2020
Find
Your bliss;
Channel your
Inner godliness;
25% off inspiration;
Sale ends this Sunday.

A certain on-trend stationery store’s recent ‘25% OFF INSPIRATION’ promo banner made me laugh and cringe in equal measure.

‘McMindfulness is a stock on the rise. A brand that promises to deliver.  It satisfies spiritual yearnings without being a religion.  It’s backed by brain scientists at Harvard and MIT. It’s magic without being magic.  It even transforms corporate culture and increases market share! Now that’s worth paying for.’
- Jeremy Safran, McMindfulness: The Marketing of Well-Being
Kiki Shaw Mar 2019
Admittedly,
the company
proved over-ambitious
as it
deteriorated
I've been getting into blackout poetry lately, so here's an early attempt based on one I've made. The article was originally about Domino's Pizza becoming richer and richer
Hank Helman Aug 2015
Chasey calls them the dead mama blues.
There's sadness, she says, mine has a scent to it;
Despair, a shabby **** who mugs me under my covers
On winter days at dawn,
Catatonia, which only a messy bed,a ****,a bag of Cheetos and a boy can cure,
And then way down from there,
Squatting *** close to the ground,
Smoking Gauloises in the dark,
Live the dead mama blues.

The only cure for the dead mama’s, Chasey explains,
Is a blood rare steak and Etta James greatest hits on vinyl,
Played quiet through the sweet spot of the night,
All the lights off, the dishes done and dry.

Helps if a sister has a slim hip man to dance with, she said,
So if you ain’t runnin’, the grill’s on me.
Come by sober any time after moon rise, Chasey yawned,
Cause this girl could use a shoulder and a polite hand.

And bring your slippers, she said
Easier to shuffle over **** in sheepskin, plus
We might go up on the roof later on
And smoke some of my cubans for a while.

Door will be open, so please don’t ring,
Hell what am I saying, you know the path.
Chasey yawned again, a big one,
Waited a few seconds because there was nothing else to say
And hung up the phone with a sigh.
Justin Time Jul 2014
You can have
All that you dream
Said my dad
Eyes opening

From that moment
A ****** for lust
Was my main component

Wealth was a must
No one to trust
Hated everyone, except green faces
I guess I had become a racist

Skate through class, got a degree
But only thought of luxury
Traded all my friendships
For full time internships

As you work your way up the latter
Money becomes all that matters
Bank account high, seven digits
Before my age was five times six

But how can you flaunt it to your **** list
When you lack time to even spend it?
So confined, in this concrete jungle
No love of mine, I'd ever stumble

Trapped within the US dollar
Perhaps I shouldn't have even bothered
But now I wear the golden handcuffs
Without a key, I try to stand tough

If I was poor, I'd be less happy
Another round, and make it snappy
Drown myself in fine wine
And crown myself after I snort my line

Set the alarm and sink to bed
I wish I couldeve seen ahead
I wish my father would have told me
Zeros and commas, can make you lonely.

— The End —