A thousand, mindless bodies
      marching in front of me
on a familiar trail through
      misty, lush forestry
strained backs carrying towers
       of accumulations
free choices made with
       weighty ramifications
at the end of the path
        a ruinous shrine
as old as the surrounding
        coniferous pine
each soul shruggs off
        a singular burden
fulfilling each obligation
        of that holy bargain
now, encircle the tribute
        watch it all burn
stand in ecstacy without
         care or concern
I refuse to join this fever,
         can never be a believer
I accept my ethical freedom
          *my will undefeated

oh neurotic naked mind
wander from one clichéd cafe to another
Greek cultists and robo bros
turn into red-eyed anarchists
proclaiming psychedelic truths
into a stale, smoky haze
as the syncopations and warm crackles
of an overused Dizzy record
erratically dance from one ear to the next
spreading viral vibes, infecting body and soul
washing over dusty hidden corners
where solitary geniuses discover cosmic beauty
in half-empty, half-full contemplations
of swirling coffee, cream, and sugar

is this past or future?
nostalgia for an imagined past?
hope for an impossible future?
living in a world of delusion,
false narratives filling an otherwise empty life

your eyes glimmered
as if you looked
at all the cosmos
shimmering in infinitude
and your smile
spread the bliss of a Buddha
eased tense necks
replaced anger with affection

and then you saw the universe shatter

shards slashed flesh
as your eyes, dazed by dread,
reflected nothingness
and possibilities collapsed
as you envisioned
your ill-fated future

i assured you with
well-structured argument,
truth tables and logic,
of this unreasonable position

i nearly drowned you in compassion
engulfed you in warmth,
hoped you'd be set ablaze
and fight off the dark

then turned to medication and
shoelaceless wards
as anger at the absurdity
infected my mind like a virus

i have seen the swirling beauty of the cosmos
but now i just see cracks

in a parenthetical existence
see the shadow of reality
through infinite lenses
distortions of distortions
the infinitude of humanity's
misunderstanding

pick a side for no reason
but why not?
then pierce strawman enemies
with low resolution image macros
which ignore the macrocosm
both sides return victorious
over their lifeless enemies
and await tomorrow's call

artists of ambiguity
find new ways
to draw the same lines
resculpt the truth
leaving nothing
but a monstrous mass
of homogeneity
favoring the profane

Eyes closed
wild wind whipping hair
careless end of samsara
for seemingly centuries

take a peak
vertically, the world flies by
the ground fast approaching
my situation the same
but perspective changed