Accepted clarity
Muddied only
By half-truths
Perceived as real
                       A contrived conscience
                       With volume control
                       Lowered by convenience
                       And narcissistic survival
The retail outlet
Of self-patted shoulders
Selling in real time
One's own significance
                       Safety in numbers
                       A comfort of thought
                       The inclusive community
                       Of light
                       Through fractured prisms
Individuality
Sought in the scope
Of a petri dish
Hopefully,
There be an artisan
Peering through the lens
An expert in restoration

All the young raison wanted,
             was a drink of water
His mother sternly told him
            " You get back to bed! ''
He shrank away from her discipline

Did you ever try to write a love poem
But no longer in love?
Write about a broken heart
And yours already mended?
Words and efforts
          shallow as a mud puddle
Just as mucky as its bottom
Like my hippie buddies used to say
" It's not real,
            unless it is,
                               man."

Some people have the knack
Of not slapping back
At edges, dark in demeanor
That lets some of us walk
After, just a brief talk
Feeling somehow cleaner

Intelligent
Unassuming
Not forcing
          square pegs into round holes
A general appreciation
                 of the variety of souls

Different steps
Taken everyday
By everyone
But few can say
"I am not one to judge."
And live their lives in that way

It was an evolving matter
Of agreed on fact
That swayed the puppeteer
To reach back
And slide his hand
Into a new face
One with a bit more grace
A softer voice
To calm the noise
As he spoke,
            mouth unmoving
Through a goat of his choosing
To ease the uprise
If not,
Then a sacrifice
Of lesser meat
A calculated retreat
Leaving his name
With no blame
By courtesy
Of the circus

A newborn
In its mother's arms
Gratifying
Death defying
In aspects uncountable

I'm employed at a factory
20 miles from here
I make transmissions
Which lets me afford a car
With a good transmission
So I have a way
To get to work
And make transmissions
It's complicated