I called
and all I wanted to hear
"I am so glad you called"

I called
and all I wanted to hear
"I was hoping you would call"

I called
and all I wanted to hear
"I've missed you"

I called
I emailed
I texted

It hurts
it hurts so much
it hurts too much

We're all mad here
the day you accept the bier
the moment you accept the fear
you understand, we're all mad here

We're all sad here
all is sorrow, a single tear
there is no tomorrow,  no home pier
you understand, we're all sad here

We're all angry here
all is lost cause, so strange, so queer
all is far, yet so near
you understand, we're all angry here

As a white rabbit dashes by
As a time flashes by
Late, late, late
for nothing and everything, too late

A hard reset
Just turn it off
and on again

A reboot
Control, alt, delete
and then the task manager

A factory restore
A blank screen
a fresh start

Tabula rasa
The clean slate
is a myth

We come in to the world wailing
Live wailing, or wanting to wail
and then the death rattle

Yet, in a world of robots
Fluorescence and computers
we long for that factory reset

The great do-over doesn't come
The ability to create anew arrives every moment
We choose it or we don't

Control, alt, delete
Should be
Surrender, function, create

Clean my cache
Delete my history
surrendering to the mystery

This human doing needs a reboot
An upgrade, if you will
to being a human being

Don't burn a bridge
What if it hurts more than a smidge?

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water
Don't understand why you act like such a rotter...

Don't throw away ***** water looking for clean
Why were you so mean?

The grass isn't greener on the other side
Why do you keep wounding my pride?

Just forgive and forget, move on
I still feel like a pawn

Time heals all ills
Your words still give me the chills

Silence is golden
When will I no longer feel beholden?

So many empty phrases, trite words
Do not perfume over these turds

Sedition is not just patina-ed oil paintings
mobs not just lithographs
treason not mere fading daguerreotypes

Sedition is chat rooms and airwaves of mistruth and its taintin-gs
mobs are our friends and neighbors turned bands of riff-raffs
treason, the weaponization of dog whistles and stereotypes

Sedition is here now
mobs are the so-called militia of the present
treason is happening now

It will be one for history books now
be present and accounted for
be the United States of America, treading down snakes

My birthday is on the 19th
it'll be a riot
the next day, they say

My birthday is on the 19th
the rioters won't be quiet
come what may

My birthday is on the 19th
I'm not adhering to my diet
that bittersweet day

My birthday is on the 19th
I'm not so happy about it this year

My birthday is on the 19th
the next day fills me with fear

My birthday is on the 19th
can't be near those I hold dear

My birthday is on the 19th
it'll be a riot, they say
come what may, the 19th is my day

I did errands today
and I was confused

Something was wrong, astray
I mused

I settled into the evening quiet
And my disquieted soul shouted

"The flags were not at half staff"
As the West Wing staff and Cabinet was trimmed by half

Yesterday, Congress was sieged by riff-raff
45 egged them on

Congress counted the Electoral votes
but our troubles are not all gone

Today, I needed to see that flag half-mast
My grief begged for a symbol against the bombast

And yet the flag waved, full staff, as if nothing and no one mattered
And no one has said a word