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Feb 2018 · 460
Tattoos (Realization)
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
She had a wave tattooed on her ribs
Which is apt
For her body was a riptide
That lead straight to her whirlpool heart

She had the sun tattooed on her thigh
Which is apt
For she was my sunshine
Every day was a new moon night when we were apart

She had a lyre tattooed on her shoulder
Which is apt
For she was my muse
And she always kept me in the dark
Feb 2018 · 349
The Tree
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
In my front yard there’s a tree
That’s just the same age as me
The tree is much taller
But I am much wiser
Because a tree cannot think, you see
Feb 2018 · 500
Knowledge
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
I had never known
What I do not know
And I do not know
What I had never known
Is not something I know
I know
I know
I do not know
And I know the unknown
I do not know
I know

Y'no?
1+2 3+4+5+6 7+8 9+10+11 12
Feb 2018 · 261
Clocks Are a Funny Thing
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
Why do clocks only toll on the hour
When I have to wake up at 7:15?
The train meets the station at 8:33
But the clock will not chime until 9
That's 27 minutes of anticipation
For what? It's sad, I find
That the clock only tolls
But once on the hour
And my appointment isn't 'till
The half
I've thought about changing the final line to "Till 8:45" (shifting "till" from the prior line) but I figured if I had to force a rhyme why not just drop it entirely
Feb 2018 · 359
The Bard
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
The bard feels all sung out
As the world around him sleeps
He is the only one left
In the right sense of mind
Who doesn't feel strung out

So he sets to write a merry tune
'pon his lute so fine
For come the morning
When the people awake
An old tune just won't shine

He tries and tries
Till the **** does crow
But sadly sunrise comes

The women start to knead their dough
To cook their breakfast buns

And the poor old Bard
In this moment did find
Of songs he wrote not a single one
And he now is out of time
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
The last thing on my mind
Would be
The last thing on my mind
I think about what that will be
But only time to time

For I find that when the
Day is done
When the children count sheep
And the race is run

When King Sun goes to sleep
And Queen Moon presides
Asleep in bed
With my love
At my side

That is when I hope I will die
Inspired by learning of the final words of Brad Delp; “J’ai une âme solitaire”
Feb 2018 · 702
Freedom
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
The grass is always greener
When the sun and moon share time
And if you wish to change demeanor
You'll learn this truth, I find

For I have rode the albatross
And dove deep into the sea
I have climbed with Sisyphus
And Hades set me free
I always consider putting the intended meanings in this section but time and again I've decided I'd rather have the reader to assign their own meanings than me tell them what to feel
Feb 2018 · 349
The Units of Evil
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
Can evil be measured
By mideeds themselves?
Or is it by how one acts
When under attack
Whether they stood strong or fell?

Because I tend to fall
I do not stand tall
When pressure comes to face me

I crumble and cry
Now with tears in my eyes
I ask you, am I evil?

I lash out when I'm mad
Try to fight when I'm sad
And I lose myself in the bottle

I take drugs if I can find them
And refuse to sing divine hymns
A heretic, a drunk, but evil?

I hate who I am
And I hate what I do
Does that qualify as repentant?

But I'll just do the same thing
Feel the same sting
For self destruction is truly my penchant
Feb 2018 · 745
My Friend Death
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
I look Death in the face every day.
He sits upon my shoulder
and I can see him in the mirror.
He no longer frightens me though,
I have grown used to his presence.
As he whispers in my ear
I recall a time it would scare me,
however now it illicits comfort.
Nothing can be permanent,
not even life.
Not anger, not sadness,
nor joy, nor fright.
None of that matters
no one cares, in the end.
So now I tend to consider
Death as a friend

Yes things are stressful,
yes i get bored,
but my friend Death reminds me;
everyone's life is a chore
Can you guys tell I'm not in a great mood?
Feb 2018 · 385
Stars
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
Do you see the three there?
That points to those two?
That point to that one?
There's another to the right,
and another further down
which points to one
and then another,
and then another,
then a little down
there's three.
Those three there,
do you see the three there?
Feb 2018 · 534
Hands
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
I can still feel her hand
On my shoulder
She's face down
To my right
With her arm
At ninety degrees
Her hand, not gripping
But laying
Embracing
Where my arm meets my chest

I lay to her left
But now firm on the floor
With the ceiling light off
And only a half closed door

But the warmth on my shoulder
Even just to remember
Makes it comfortable enough
That I can sleep where ever
Feb 2018 · 318
A Party?
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
I am going to a party
But for what I do not know
Perhaps a friend is getting older
Or feels it's time to go
But I am going to a party
Nonetheless
And I hope that i will find
Good friends, good talk, good wine, and good thoughts

I now approach the door
With a gift box in my hand
And I begin to realize
Exactly where I am
Marble floors are painted
With dew drop pews, blacks, and navy blues
The preacher barks the same old tune
of "Dust to Dust"
"He's gone too soon"

So naturally, with me being me,
In my green button down
And carpenter's jeans
I spin to leave, but let out a squeak

Everybody turns to see
The fool with the present
Who seems to have passed
Right by without knowing
What he walked into would be

What would you do?
Because my reaction can't be beat
I quite simply dropped the box
And ran down the street
Feb 2018 · 719
Flames
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
Have you ever touched a flame?
I don't believe I have.
My body has burned
on coals and embers.
My fingers have scorched
on stovetops and lighters.
My hands have followed
sweet candles and incense.
And my eyes have danced
with the flickering dames.
But I ask you again,
if it isn't too much,
have you ever touched a flame?
Can a flame truly be touched?
Feb 2018 · 136
Ambiguity
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
I know what it means to me

But what does it mean to you?
Feb 2018 · 552
The Rhythm of the Cold
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
My teeth chatter with surprising rhythm
One-e-and-a-Two-e-and- A
bright red face
from the scolding wind.
My knees knock,
One and Two And
my feet tap,
One Two
times this week I've sat in the cold
And two times this week
I wished I were inside
Originally Titled; "When We Were All Outside Smoking Cigars and I Thought I Was Freezing to Death, or. Why Must We Sit Outside, or, The Rhythm of the Cold, or, How Are You Guys All Fine Out Here?"
Feb 2018 · 385
Lockjaw
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
Have you ever gotten lockjaw?
At least, that's what I think it is
when my mouth stretches
to let in a yawn, or out a sigh.
My tongue recedes
for the muscles underneath pull taut.
It hurts to keep open,
and it hurts to try and close.
I cannot speak
yet I cannot seem to keep silent.
But this is only for a moment,
one that I long for,
as silly as that sounds.

It reminds me of talking to you
Any thoughts on the final line? I'm worried it's a bit on the nose but without it I worry the meaning gets lost
Feb 2018 · 571
A Houseboat!!
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
My entire body sways
And my feet don't feel solid beneath me
I own no property
Haven't a neighbor I can see
Perhaps I can just
Make friends with the fishes
Or perhaps I will just let them be

My houseboat will have
Everything that I need;
My guitars
My notebooks
Some games
And just me

Because no one's invited
On my houseboat
Unless
They truly believe
My houseboat's
The best
Feb 2018 · 279
Requiem For A View
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
There's no screen in my window
I know, I know
It's a three story drop
I know, I know
Insects can get in
But heights do not scare me
Bugs are pretty cute
And I can have my cigarettes
In the warm glow of the space heater

And in the warm glow of the sun
I can have the best view
Of the same tree
With a different squirrel's nest
In the same crook of the same bough
As it had always been before

I can lean out and hear
Different proclamations
From the same man
At the same school
That I try so hard to forget

I know, I know
The screen will be replaced
I know, I know
The view will still existt
But I will always remember
How my world looks
Without all the small grey boxes
Feb 2018 · 266
The Sun Behind Me
Vick Mandrake Feb 2018
The sun is rising behind me
At least it might be
The rooms getting brighter
But only slightly
Sandal walls shining
No, glowing a cool pale blue
The shades block the view
Of the window Im facing
But a cold cerulean hue
Borders the neutral inch between
Engines roar on the street
And workers are born
There’s footsteps upstairs
And the blue is turning warm
The sun is rising behind me
Although, I really can’t be sure
Because the open window is behind me
And I chose to close my door

— The End —