Joseph Childress

I face
Worst case scenarios
On a day-to-day basis
I basically live it
Though stern and livid
Most of the time
I tend to get timid
Too much decision making
In tumultuous situations
Besides,
I’ve been waiting for a vacation
Tedious work becomes insidious
To the inside
After a while
And my wild imagination
Becomes destructive
If it doesn’t get to play.

Joseph Childress

Construction
Some people
Put
Their worth
In the hands of others
Let them
Decide

Others fight
Off
With words
Or get
Disturbed
By interruptions
In class

Why reply
With what I believe
Are the makes
Of I
When it’s
Construction
Is still
In progress

The finished
Monument
Will stand
Before all soon
And no one
Will question
Its greatness.

By Joseph Childress

“Habeus corpus!!!”
Yelled in court
From some youngin’
In the back row
As he rose
With a roll of parchment
The constitution laid dead in his hold
.
A gleam seen in the judge’s eyes
As he glances, quickly
Behind glasses
While guards escort
The disrupter of courts
To the unknown
.

All hail the corpse of freedom!
Warranted from the lack of warnings
All hell: The corporate companies cooperating
In coup d’etats
Disguised as peace keepings
Offering the
Sacrificial kings of Africa
Offing the
Head of state
In a distasteful display of feardom

Fear dominates
The war on terrorism
Military minions pillage the dominions
Of the defenseless

The final blow
Screams
Like the Final Call
In the falling of an empire

Protesters test the unrest
And spread
Words
That are read
In the weaving of our future

Detention
Sit-ins for those who
Speak during class warfare

Constitutions re-written
To constitute illegal imprisonment
Of free
Speakers,
Thinkers,
And believers

Citizens find it harder
To not pay attention
When the war in the Middle East
Is fought in America

Patriotic Acts to enact
Unpatriotic actions
That exact
Hate on the coward-less fraction
Surveillanced
As if ***-kissing will ever be in option

They’re warning us
To stay sleep with the rest
Those who awake
Will meet a force
Worse
Than the crusades
As they raid the houses
Of our brothers, sisters, and
Controversial, conspiracy contriving cousins

They will come
Like thieves in the night
To undue
The debt due to society

The battle begins,
And the Martyrs are ready.

By Joseph Childress

I'm composing
A symphony with this typewriter
Honestly,
I'm not writing musical notes
For the sake
Of typing on pianos
This is music itself

Listen.
This is what soul sounds like
To me
Of course,
The raw strokes of pencils
Are classic
But this new age music
Is of my time

I've learned
How to play this instrument
To showcase
My ability as a musician
And these notes
Are loudest
When read alone

By Joseph Childress

Backyard parties
Are more free
Then open houses
No limit power
Sky ceilings
And ground floorings
Flourished
On earth's home
Earth tone colors
And bright flowers
Compliment one another
Feng shui settings
Decorated by nature
Greet guests
And shade neighbors
This lawn is alive
So my backyard is favored

By Joseph Childress

Sometimes, brainstorms
Are calming enough
The flower expected
Doesn't even have to blossom
The muddy water
Is a composition itself
Deep music waves
With Earth to keep you grounded
These wetlands
Can be depressing
Your impression
Becomes obvious
In the form of footprints
Imprints from bare feet
Rare feats are expected
But walking
When the rain storms
Is sometimes, calming enough

By Joseph Childress

I have a few free words
To say
Before I'm closed off
In Pelican's Bay
Unnatural Life
An imprisonment threat
To society
With a promise
Kept
Behind steel cages
The metal ribs dishearten soul
Confined solitary
On compounds
That house double dorms
Of noise and solitude
Silently roaring
In a single cell

Joseph Childress

Soft words
Are usually preferred
During pillow talks
Foolishly
I foolheartledly
Brought hard words
Harsh
& Disturbed
Which
Hardily makes sense
Since
Your sentiment
Didn't deserve
The sediment
Provided
From my concrete heart
I argue
Our argument
Was all my fault
I dumped asphalt
On the sandy beach
You provided
For our sweet retreat
You retrieved
My roughness
And smoothed
The edgy conversation
Tamed my
Toughness
And soothed
The painful consternation
You could
Ease the temperament
And impatience
Of anger management patients
All the while
Showing
The peacefulness in his
War within
Finding righteousness
In his right to yell
You respect
His freedom of speech
But with each
Negative comment
You seek
To find
The positive content
In the layers beneath

You see the beauty
In the mess
Like an abstract painting
Made for the
Artistically elite
My poor sense
Of creativity
Is lifted
From your richness
I dropped
Destruction
But always
Pick it
Back up
Like bad habits

Rehabilitate me this
Last time
And I promise
I’ll never
Cast a shadow again
I’ll shine
In every way
I direct my attention

Hopefully
Its not too late
But knowing you
My lateness
Will be welcomed
Like a homecoming
You seldom
Look at my faults
And not find
Greatness

Joseph Childress

Do you know what happens when a preacher has an issue?
Reminiscent of a gangster,
He reaches for his pistol.
Fully loaded, as he explodes it,
He knows it can’t miss you.
Bullets of advice he uses to settle the differences,
And his bible helps his mission.
Ammunition for the spirit and the mind
From divine intervention,
Hit men for a cause, who has a price on their head?
Devoted to his job he empties the clip full of holy lead,
Exorcising the demons
Controlling your uncontrollable urge to sin.
But sometimes old endings
Are merged with new beginnings
Thus blending
This unstoppable urge to again, begin sinning,
Then again presenting
The need for the preacher’s mending.
This demon won’t stop trying,
Though it can be managed.
The demon will never die, but it can be damaged.
Hearts not strong enough become salvage,
Unless the Preacher with his pistol
Assures the demon is vanquished.
The never ending war between good and evil
Still has to be fought.
Hopefully Heaven has enough arsenals
To help those distraught.

I am scared!
Scared of this world

Robert Godwin Sr
Alyssa Elsman

How many more have to die?
By my kind,
By their kind,
Because they blame some other kind
What ever happened to just being
kind?

Daniel Parmertor, Russell King, Jr., Demetrius Hewlin

Where were you when the World Trade Center went down?
It’s something everyone alive then will always remember
Never Forget! was our brand motto for American Pride

Krystle Marie Campbell, Lü Lingzi, Martin William Richard, Sean A. Collier, Dennis Simmonds

And now, the death of another is so commonplace
That we forget what and where.
It’s no longer personal enough to register where in our lives that it struck us
Only note that another life has been struck down
Add another tally to the equation
And still it does not add up

Trayvon Martin
Tamir Rice
Samuel DuBose
Delrawn Small
Philando Castile
Terence Crutcher
Heather Heyer

We are completely desensitized
And decentralized
We keep ourselves disconnected
(because we just can’t absorb,
Take,
Process it all)
It’s not us
It’s not me
It’s somebody else
Somewhere else.
Until it is
Then we care
How much can we take, before we break

Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton Doctor, Clementa C. Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Coleman Singleton, Myra Thompson

The tragedy is the comedy
We laugh so we don’t cry
Sakia Gunn
Richie Phillips
Nireah Johnson, Brandie Coleman
Glenn Kopitske
Scotty Joe Weaver
Jason Gage
Michael Sandy
Sean William Kennedy
Duanna Johnson
Lawrence "Larry" King
Angie Zapata
Lateisha Green
****** August Provost, III
Mark Carson

I can’t say I’ve never thought of committing violence.
Hell, when my ex-wife cheated, it occurred to me
And I can’t say that I have never hit another
I’ve been a kid
My whole life is designed just to grow up
But, I’ve thought of killing myself far more often than the thought to harm anyone else have ever occurred to me
Because my problems are mine;
My fault,
And I am not seeking some scapegoat

Keenya Cook, Jerry Taylor, Million A. Woldemariam, Claudine Parker, Hong Im Ballenge, James Martin, James L. Buchanan, Premkumar Walekar, Sarah Ramos, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, Pascal Charlot, Dean Harold Meyers, Kenneth Bridges, Linda Franklin née Moore, Jeffrey Hopper, Conrad Johnson, 1 unnamed victim

I am not going to deny that being a white male hasn’t allowed me to sidestep a whole level of *******
One day, angry white males will be the minority
And we’ll have no one left to blame, but ourselves.
If we don’t **** everyone first
If we don’t **** ourselves first

Michael Arnold, Martin Bodrog, Arthur Daniels, Sylvia Frasier, Kathy Gaarde, John Roger Johnson, Mary Francis Knight, Frank Kohler, Vishnu Pandit, Kenneth Bernard Proctor, Gerald Read, Richard Michael Ridgell

Jonathan Blunk, Alexander J. Boik , Jesse Childress, Gordon Cowden,
Jessica Ghawi, John Larimer, Matt McQuinn, Micayla Medek, Veronica Moser Sullivan, Alex Sullivan, Alexander C. Teves, Rebecca Wingo

The earth has already decided that we are a plague upon it
Maybe climate change is the natural response to the abuse of our gifts

Nancy Lanza, Rachel D'Avino, Dawn Hochsprung, Anne Marie Murphy,
Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Leigh Soto, Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Dylan Hockley, Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, Ana Márquez Greene, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison Wyatt

What is this world going to teach my son?
That he’s better because of how he looks?
Or what I’ve taught him:
You make yourself better.

Jamie Bishop, Jocelyne Couture Nowak, Kevin Granata, Liviu Librescu,  P
G. V. Loganathan, Ross Alameddine, Brian Bluhm, Ryan Clark, Austin Cloyd, Daniel Perez Cueva, Matthew Gwaltney, Caitlin Hammaren, Jeremy Herbstritt, Rachael Hill, Emily Hilscher, Matthew La Porte, Jarrett Lane, Henry Lee, Partahi Lumbantoruan, Lauren McCain, Daniel O'Neil, Juan Ortiz, Minal Panchal, Erin Peterson, Michael Pohle Jr., Julia Pryde, Mary Karen Read, Reema Samaha, Waleed Shaalan, Leslie Sherman, Maxine Turner, Nicole White

I work as a data analyst
So, I ran the numbers
But, these are more than numbers
These are people: sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, friends, lovers.

Stanley Almodovar III, Amanda Alvear, Oscar A. Aracena Montero, Rodolfo Ayala Ayala, Alejandro Barrios Martinez, Martin Benitez Torres, Antonio D. Brown, Darryl R. Burt II, Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, Angel L. Candelario Padro, Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, Juan Chevez Martinez, Luis D. Conde, Cory J. Connell, Tevin E. Crosby, Franky J. DeJesus Velazquez, Deonka D. Drayton, Mercedez M. Flores, Juan R. Guerrero, Peter O. Gonzalez Cruz, Paul T. Henry, Frank Hernandez, Miguel A. Honorato, Javier Jorge Reyes, Jason B. Josaphat, Eddie J. Justice, Anthony L. Laureano Disla, Christopher A. Leinonen, Brenda L. Marquez McCool, Jean C. Mendez Perez, Akyra Monet Murray, Kimberly Morris, Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, Luis O. Ocasio Capo, Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez, Eric I. Ortiz Rivera, Joel Rayon Paniagua, Enrique L. Rios Jr., Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, Christopher J. Sanfeliz, Xavier E. Serrano Rosado, Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, Edward Sotomayor Jr., Shane E. Tomlinson, Leroy Valentin Fernandez, Luis S. Vielma, Luis D. Wilson Leon, Jerald A. Wright

I did research to try to find all the victims since I became abruptly aware 16 years ago
There are too many
I could not discover a single database that contained a comprehensive record
No one can keep track of it anymore
I know I’ve missed people
I know there are 1000’s of people now missing people
Even 1 was too much

Hannah Ahlers, Heather Alvarado, Dorene Anderson, Carrie Barnette, Jack Beaton, Steve Berger, Candice Bowers, Denise Salmon Burditus, Sandra Casey, Andrea Castilla, Denise Cohen, Austin Davis, Virginia Day Jr, Christiana Duarte, Stacee Etcheber, Brian Fraser, Keri Galvan,  Dana Gardner, Angela Gomez, Rocio Guillen Rocha, Charleston Hartfield,  Chris Hazencomb, Jennifer Irvine, Nicol Kimura, Jessica Klymchuk, Carly Kreibaum, Rhonda LeRocque, Victor Link, Jordan McIldoon, Kelsey Meadows, Calla Medig, James ‘Sonny’ Melton, Pati Mestas, Austin Meyer, Adrian Murfitt, Rachael Parker, Jennifer Parks, Carrie Parsons, Lisa Patterson,  John Phippen, Melissa Ramirez, Jordyn Rivera, Quinton Robbins, Cameron Robinson, Lisa Romero Muniz, Christopher Roybal, Brett Schwanbeck, Bailey Schweitzer, Laura Shipp, Erick Silva, Susan Smith, Tara Roe Smith, Brennan Stewart, Derrick ‘Bo’ Taylor, Neysa Tonks, Michelle Vo, Kurt Von Tillow, Bill Wolfe Jr.

and NOW I’ve run out of lines and time to read off all 2,977 people who died in 9-11
Isn’t that a tragedy?

Joseph Childress

Absence makes the heart grow
Fonder for most
Somber for some
Odd of others

The presence of love
Is the foremost force
In the divorce
Of reason

Attachments
Magnets
Victims of attraction
Repel
Then make tractions
That keep the world
Moving

Rebels revel
In revolution
Worshipping
The great changing
Like crescent moons
Before the new

Each phase
Relays the latest trend
As love, hate and sin
Blends in a cocktail
Of delusion

Drunkards play martyr
In the extremist
Conditions
Relentless systems of belief
That leaves relief
For the reliving of death

The children witness it all
Imitating
And coming up shorter
Than expectations
With each generation
Alternating ideas
For alternatives
Altering native ways of thinking

Beings battle for correction
In facilities
As others rights
Squander
In the quelling of dissent
Fighting fear
Is dear
To the hearts of trendsetters
Setting the standard
For the new age
New way of thinking

Off to Walden’s Lake
For the Great Disappearance
Dissing appearance
For the sake of absence
As absentmindedness
Watches from afar
Don’t worry
I’ll return with enough
Civil disobedience
The laws will have to change
In our honor

Radiant seeking soul found his Heaven five senses

Joseph Childress

Why do they say
Midnight
Til 3
Is the time
Of Lucifer
I’m losing my mind
Trying to make sense
Of this one
I don’t sit awake
Planning chaos
Far too
Aggravated &
Agitated
To cause grief
Amongst the meek
More likely
To fight after school
Around 3
In the afternoon
The time
They say
Is of the lord
Have mercy
On this fallen one
I fell
To whatever hell
I’ve been avoiding
Since you’ve deployed me
Do my peers
Fight the same
Or is it easier
For them to hear
Or see
I do seek
Your guidance
But your sun
I’m not a fan of
Too bright
And overbearing
So I’m staring
At the moon

By Joseph Childress

This is practice
The climatic ending
We've been reliving
Since we've been passing
Bottles of passion

They explode like champagne
Or the breaking of glasses
When we let go

This abuse
Is useless
The pain is duller
Than the point I made
When I said
We were mad for each other

I meant
Made for each other
But we've mistaken each other
For designated driver's
Our destination
We'll never make
But, you're smarter than me

You'll get another ride
And me
I'll take another shot
Before I leave

By Joseph Childress

****** expressions
Are greater than words
But I
Want the liquid truth!

Lips don't only talk
They also kiss
Tears can be more deceptive
Than tongues
And yours is persuasive
The ability to sway
Opinions
From your salt water
Body of lies
Can form dead seas
And these scrolls
Wouldn't be here
Without this excess of ink

Shedding blood
Shows only a lack of control
And care
Shedding my own
Would only show
My lack of understanding

The thirst I have
Is for liquid truth
The friction we cause
When we tell it
Is more than enough fire
To make it pure

Joseph Childress

Fold papers
Constructed to float
Like planes

Strip
Through the stripes
Along the lines
And take off

Make off
With much more
Than words written
Actual actions
That lift off
Pages

Origami ornament’s
Origin
Arose from bore


The formal forms
Turned
To sheets torn
Without intent to teach

Amusement
From improper usage
Still fuels
The mind anyway

Away and away
Fly fliers
Beneath the lights
Shone
In a way
More motions
Than moving emotions
It coasts
To another plane
Needless of
Communication

Vacation
Much needed
A cruise
For the piece
That used
To be tree
Now used
To set free
The imagination

Joseph Childress

Concrete benefits, nature of the jungle
Cities and suburbia, survival of the fortune
The owls growl now, no more asking “Who”
The town runs wild, the eye watches the jungle

Abstract revolution, power of the people
Mafias and militia, conquering division
Rebel of the mind, hands still chaining
Gangs grow larger, conquering the people

Misogamist marriage, fatality of the lovers
Polygamists and virgins, electrically connected
****** innuendo, pushing and pulling
The pace moves quicker, bindings of the lovers

Unthinkable thoughts in the valley of a dream
Inventive venting on impossible creations
Utopian physics,  disavowed in the matrix
The strings vibrate, the theory of a dream

By Joseph Childress

Red letters
Wrapped in velvet
With heartfelt sentiment
Passion uncovered
Enveloped in naked truth
Special attention
Opening up
On birth and holidays
Old age wine
Or brand spirits
Breaking seals
To spill emotion
Untying ribbons
Expose love
In it's barest form
Intimate gift giving
Sharing time
For soul's mate
Exchanging
Our body of work
For playing outside
Enjoying
The rejoining
Of missing pieces
And coming full circle

By Joseph Childress

James was correct
This is
A Man's World
Man made his story
And left
Her
Out the picture
Even after the labor
She suffered
To create him....

They call us son
Yet it ain't no shine
When she's gone
No woman
No warmth
No womb
No cry,
'Cause poppa's around
And grandpa
Taught him to shed blood
Not tears

No rain
During droughts
The fruit of life
Deserted
For artificial desserts
Man made
Destruction
And through blind loyalty
I'll continue their instructions...

No cry.

By Joseph Childress

Beautiful woman in the mirror
You are the fairest
Of them all
More fairy
Than tales
Long and tall
The truth you seek
Can be found
Without reflection
Someone paid
Extra care
In designing
Your cover
The silk fabric
Of your skin
Was created only
To showcase
The beauty within
Like decorative boxes
Housing diamond rings
Open up
And give the world
The gift
It's been waiting for
Ask the mirror no more
As much as it reflects on life
Only you have
The power to live it

By Joseph Childress

This was all expected
Though
Not intended
I've been waiting for this moment
Of contentment
I knew this
Was temporary
Rarity at it's finest
To find
The kind
Within you
This was meant
This was unpreventable
The ability
To love from such a distance
The physical properties
Physicists research arduously
Is hardly relevant
Our spirits connected
Synched
Without wires
We became electric
Telepathically
Put aside
Our pathetic attempts
At being unsympathetic
And agreed
For once
For final
For I know
Our wants
Are far more than what we need
And these
Past few years
We're important

Thank you.

By Joseph Childress

I remember when…
I remember, I remember
When I lost my mind….
There was so pleasant about your face
I let all my emotions go,
And gave you space….

When you were out there, without care
I was out of touch,
Not because I didn’t know enough Jaz,
I just knew too much.

But does it make me Crazy!!?!!
If not,
Deny it in front of the doctors
Who document the details
Of my insanity.
Granted that your vanity
Is understood
I forgot my understanding
Beauty is in the eyes of all
That behold you
How could I forget?
I forged the signature smile
You talk so often about
So you’d be happy for me
But how?
So selflessly you loved my selfishness needs….

Now We,
Becomes a testament of what
Once was
Once upon a time
A princess met
A soon to be king
Whose arrogant rant’s
Arose at the time he forgot
His ring

Now you and I
Are forced
To separate like divorce
Devoid
Of the love
That once filled that empty void

Whose to know
Of what’s to come?
Maybe
In may we can spring from these
Cold feelings
And blossom like a Jasmine
And turn has-beens
Into have-nows
And complete the vows
We started under covers
Like our first words
We said to each other

Diamonds are forever
But
If I die with out your three letters
Let this
Letter
Be the last
“I do” is all I ever want from you
And all I have in return
Is “I do too.”

By Joseph Childress

Shells
On the sea shore
Share sounds from the ocean
She tells deep stories
Of unknown territories

From what lies beneath
Where no man has reached
To the land of the beach
In my hand, you teach
The shortcomings of speech

I learn lessons
On how to listen
Admiring the mussels
Of mollusks
Their tongue
I cant I see
Yet they scream "I'm free"

Dibble bubble bubble
Written on shitely mearce
A stake to plunder crunch
Of politician Pierce
Colligan
To hollagans
Collagen appeal
Maketh dartboards out of heart boards
Wherein innocence tis real
Foughty daughty submarines
Climbs to ****** coarse
Follitine
Dreamers
Plot success Morse
Coffee beans
To livered spleens
Pains to shock the trike
Childress of a virtue
Seaps of anothers life
Trigulues
And bedulues
Smiling at the air
Drommatice
And romisis
Promises don't care
Foughty immense Brice
Pickled to shickled biles
***** of settle keaster ways
A blighty for the smile
Libertinth
And minants tint
Flight to bagbird heads
Crucifixed pixies
Twilight up ahead!!!

Joseph Childress

Can a rose survive winter?
You may know of the rose
Which arose from impossible grounds,
Defying the laws which told the rose it could not grow.
Although this beautiful flower came into existence,
Regardless of the environment that tried to prevent it,
It still has many tribulations that it must overcome,
The cold winter is near and won’t succumb for anyone.

The temperature drops, the sun hides away,
The dew which used to be so satisfying now turns to frost,
Slowly suffocating the flower, all hope is lost.
The first snowflake drops, the plants fade away,
The fresh smell of pine trees now takes its place,
Quickly covering the smells the rose thought would stay.

The rose petals begin to crumble, texture begins to toughen,
The hue turns brown, the rose amounts to nothing.
The head of the rose now faces the ground,
That godforsaken ground that no other rose could be found.

It’s so unfair to watch something so miraculous
Be forced to despair,
It kind of makes the mind to ponder
If a miracle was ever there.

The months go by, winter comes to an end.
The snow melts in days, as spring begins.
Beautiful plants begin to grow
And in the exact spot where the tragedy came to be,
There is sign of another rose
So similar to the one we used to know.

It’s so amazing
To watch a rose come alive,
It kind of makes you wonder
If the rose ever died.

By Joseph Childress

Let's make believe
Baby,
Let's make each other believe
We don't want to be bothered
We know
What's best for us
We showed the best of us
And couldn't
Make the best of it
Yes,
Let's call it quits
We're stubborn
Stubbing are toes
Pretending we're walking
Like pimps
Kinda hard in your pumps
But it's harder
For me to pumpfake
Without actually jumping
The shot I'll take
Is for the both of us
The fall you'll take
Will hurt us both
We'll boast and brag
Like it was apart of a plan
Let's fake the funk
With our ******* lies
As we leave
And show those who don't believe us
How to make believe

By Joseph Childress

Grammar Nazis
Are politically incorrect!
Their views on beauty
Are unusually unnatural
Usually nature accurately depicts
The perfect harmony
Between structure and chaos

They aim to revoke
.Poetic License.
The responsibility fee
Is irresponsible
In it's response
To viewing mistakes
And expecting compensation
The pennies I've earned
For even thinking
Is an even exchange
For the possible pain
I could've stricken

Lord forbid
I choose a battle of words
To settle this disputation
My concentration
On not giving a ****
Could drive them crazy
I love breaking laws of the English
Language
And creating my own

An explosion of ideas
Could end this war on creation
Free verse
Is more universe
Than university
And Poetry
Bears fruit
For those unafraid
To break their rules

By Joseph Childress

I'm not afraid of heights
I'll get high
Just to prove it
My wreck-less-ness
Should let you know
What's expected
Resting miles above danger
Enjoying the unexpected
My lack of uncontrol
Is enough to annoy
Those aiming for control
I own
A random nature
Mixed with structures
Of my choosing
I'm losing
The laws of physics
Being lifted
In the physical
Living on a plane
That lands on open lanes
Yet prone
To being blown
From pressure on it's propellers
The dwellers of trenches
Are perched on their benches
The field of clouds
Are for those out
Making yards out of inches
Taking chances
Dancing
On top of storms
Learning
To dodge the lightning
And living above the norm

By Joseph Childress

Humans For Sale
Our new product
Was produced
By the finest scientist
Rigorous research
Developed over ages
With pages upon pages
On the way's of Man
Which have made it
To this manual
Our manuscript
Comes with a planner
To document
The detailed descriptions
Of the
.Human Revolution.
They carry out
In your manner
For we've finally discovered
How to turn off it's soul!

Our standard package
Is for any industry
We've oiled all it's joints
For maximum mobility
Whenever their overworking
Strings stretch
From their shoulders
To allow shrugs
At your command
So it's hands
Can work for hours
While following your demands
I know you puppeteers
Take offense
To puppet's tears
Report any malfunctions
If the manufactured
Model shows emotion
And we'll threaten
Them with the fire
That they use to own

The titanium's knit tight
Taught enough
For the toughness of man
The silver hooks
Slide through slits
Of flesh
To make value
Of the empty vessel
The heart
Serves as battery
Connecting
Copper veins
To gain momentum
In it's electric brain

Our premium package
Allows wireless extensions
Of control...
Behold!
The new televised eyes
Provide hallucinations
In lucrative amounts
Which will prove
To be illustrious
In it's illustrated sight
The special effect
On it's vision
Is our last step
In
.Human Revision.

Puppeteers!!!
Our market
Is uncontrolled
The loopholes show
The puppets inability
To function
The component of soul
As owner
Be satisfied
Of the power
They don't know

By Joseph Childress

You're hot as Hell
Not a more accurate metaphor
For what your heart stores
Vicious love
What sin did I commit
Where apologies aren't accepted
When I repent
You have
The tongue of a serpent
And I mean that
In more ways than one
You earned the deed to my soul
And buried it
In the deepest hole
Maritime trenches
For the unforgiven
At least Adam
Was warned of what was forbidden
My lack of knowledge
Of Love
Occurred at the same time
I tried to show it
My father knows
I asked, "Momma What's Love?"
And God knows
She showed it
Better than she could explain
My missteps
When I stepped to my future "Mrs."
Missed the whole point
I stumbled on the stairs
To Heaven
And I fell straight into Hell.

By Joseph Childress

Help me write this poem
For real
Grab a pen
Yours is customized
From things we remembered
So you know
The amount of energy
And time
That went into creating
This creator of art

I am working
On my greatest masterpiece
And I need your assistance
"The Book of Love"
Is the title I chose
It's more dictionary
Than novel
The definition is long I admit
100 pages
To explain the one thing that
Helped me create it

You helped me create this
How could you forget
The reality we shared
Of course
This book is dedicated to you
The course
I took is worth the degrees
Of the sun
But it took my cold heart
To keep me
From burning these pages

By Joseph Childress

Notebooks
Full of decorated pages
Display graffiti
Like ancient hieroglyphs
On the walls of caves

These scripts
Lay testament
To the inner workings of soul
And expose
The short coming
Of perfection

This came
In the form of a dream
The realm
Where impossible is the norm
Showing it's possibilities
On a night-to-night basis
And the rules of tomorrow
Are re-written

By Joseph Childress

This isn't coincidence
These predicaments
Don't occur
From compromise
I promise
This instance
Was made from insistence
Fate
Need not play a role
Why chase you
When I can stalk truth
And take soul a step further
I sing blues
Off cue
And play keyboards
Off key
To mimmick the mockery
Of clowns that show grief
Or clones that make art to show originality
The irony
Can leave wrinkles
In the corner of a smile
But for me
This comedy
Isn't worth my while
If this tragedy
is but a wrinkle
On the loose leaves of the wild
I don't aim
To tame these emotions
I only aim
For your heart
With arrow's pen-pointed
I always draw my words
The most artistic of weapons
If you listen
This suicide will be assisted
Either save face
Or erase your pencil thin smile
Although,
We'll fall from grace
At least
We're falling with style.

Let’s pay homage to many innocent black lives that were taken by
the corrupt system:  Martin Luther King Jr.  Malcom X.  Emmett Till.  George Stinney.  Will Brown.  Sandra Bland.  Trayvon Martin.  Ahmaud Arbery.  Breonna Taylor. George Floyd.  David McAtee.  Natosha “Tony” McDade.  Yassin Mohamed.  Finan H. Berhe.  Sean Reed.  Steven Demarco Taylor.  Ariane McCree.  Terrance Franklin.  Miles Hall.  Darius Tarver.  William Green.  Samuel David Mallard.  Kwame “KK” Jones.  De’von Bailey.  Christopher Whitfield.  Anthony Hill.  Eric Logan.  Jamarion Robinson.  Gregory Hill Jr.  JaQuavion Slaton.  Ryan Twyman.  Brandon Webber.  Jimmy Atchison.  Willie McCoy.  Emantic “Ej” Fitzgerald Bradford Jr.  D’ettrick Griffin.  Jemel Roberson.  DeAndre Ballard.  Botham Shem Jean.  Robert Lawrence White.  Anthony Lamar Smith.  Ramarley Graham.  Manuel Loggins Jr.  Wendell Allen.  Kendrec McDade.  Larry Jackson Jr.  Jonathan Ferrell.  Jordan Baker.  Victor White III.  Dontre Hamilton.  Eric Garner.  John Crawford III.  Michael Brown.  Ezell Ford.  Dante Parker.  Kajieme Powell.  Laquan McDonald.  Akai Gurley.  Tamir Rice.  Rumain Brisbon.  Tony Robinson.  Mario Woods.  Quintonio LeGrier.  Gregory Gunn.  Akiel Denkins.  Alton Sterling.  Philando Castile.  Terrance Sterling.  Terrence Crutcher.  Keith Lamont Scott.  Alfred Olango.  Jordan Edwards.  Stephon Clark.  Danny Ray Thomas.  Dejuan Guillory.  Patrick Harmon.  Jonathan Hart.  Maurice Granton.  Julius Johnson.  Jamee Johnson.  Michael Dean.  Keith Childress.  Bettie Jones.  Kevin Matthews.  Michael Noel.  Leroy Browning.  Leroy Nelson.  Miguel Espinal.  Nathaniel Pickett.  Tiara Thomas.  Cornelius Brown.  Jamal Clark.  Richard Perkins.  Michael Lee Marshall.  Alonzo Smith.  Anthony Ashford.  Dominic Hutchinson.  Lamontez Jones.  Rayshaun Cole.  Paterson Brown.  Christopher Kimble.  Junior Prosper.  Keith McLeod.  Wayne Wheeler.  Lavante Biggs.  India Kager.  Tyree Crawford.  James Carney.  Felix Kumi.  Asshams Manley.  Christian Taylor.  Troy Robinson.  Brian Day.  Michael Sabbie.  Billy Ray Davis.  Samuel Dubose.  Darrius Stewart.  Albert Davis.  Salvado Ellswood.  George Mann.  Jonathan Sanders.  Freddie Blue.  Victo Larosa.  Spencer McCain.  Kevin Bajoie.  Zamiel Crawford.  Jermaine Benjamin.  Kris Jackson.  Kevin Higgenbotham.  Ross Anthony.  Richard Gregory Davis.  Curtis Jordan.  Markus Clark.  Lorenzo Hayes.  De’Angelo Stallsworth.  Dajuan Graham.  Brandon Glenn.  Reginald Moore.  Nuwnah Laroche.  Jason Champion.  Bryan Overstreet.  David Felix.  Terry Lee Chatman.  William Chapman.  Samuel Harrell.  Freddie Gray.  Norman Cooper.  Brian Acton.  Darrell Brown.  Frank Shephard III.  Walter Scott.  Donald “Dontay” Ivy.  Eric Harris.  Phillip White.  Dominick Wise.  Jason Moland.  Bobby Gross.  Denzel Brown.  Brandon Jones.  Askari Roberts.  Terrance Moxley.  Anthony Hill.  Bernard Moore.  Naeschylus Vinzant.  Tony Robinson.  Charly Leundeu “Africa” Keunang.  Darrell Gatewood.  Deontre Dorsey.  Thomas Allen Jr.  Lavall Hall.  Calvon Reid.  Gerdie Moise.  Terry Price.  Natasha McKenna.  Jeremy Lett.  Kevin Garrett.  Alvin Haynes.  Artago Damon Howard.  Tiano Meton.  Andre Larone Murphy Sr.  Leslie Sapp.  Brian Pickett.  Frank Smart.  Matthew Ajibade.

There are so many more that have died at the hands of the prejudice system.  All of you will never be forgotten.  Your legacy will forever live on.  Rest in Paradise to the fallen angels.

Did George Floyd’s life matter?
Did Breonna Taylor’s life matter?
Did Ahmaud Arbery’s life matter?
Did Eric Garner’s life matter?
Did Trayvon Martin’s life matter?
Did Mike Brown’s life matter?
Did Tamir Rice’s life matter?
Did Keith Childress’ life matter?
Did Bettie Jones’ life matter?
Did Philando Castille’s life matter?
Did Michael Noel’s life matter?
Did Jamar Clark’s life matter?
Did Michael Lee Marshall’s life matter?
Did Dominic Hutchinson’s life matter?
Did Junior Prosper’s life matter?
Did Keith McLeod’s life matter?
Did India Kager’s life matter?
Did Felix Kumi’s life matter?
Did Samuel Dubose’s life matter?
Did Darrius Stewart’s life matter?
Did Sandra Bland’s life matter?
Did George Mann’s life matter?
Did Jonathan Sander’s life matter?
Did Victor Laros’s life matter?
Did Spencer McCain’s life matter?
Did Jermaine Benjamin’s life matter?
Did Kris Jackson life matter?
Did Kevin Higgenbotham’s life matter?
Did Amadou Diallo’s life matter?
Did Oscar Grant’s life matter?
Did Calvon Reid’s life matter?
Did William Chapman’s life matter?
Did Walter Scott’s life matter?

All black / All unarmed / All murdered by US Police

Did Dylan Roof’s life matter?
Did Peter Manfredonia’s life matter?
Did Anthony Trifiletti’s life matter?
Did Patrick Crusius’ life matter?
Did James Holmes’ life matter?

All white / All murderers / All arrested peacefully by US Police

Unarmed blacks
Killed by US Police
5x unarmed whites

Black men and boys
Killed by US Police
2.5x white men and boys

This is why we kneel
This is why we march
This is why we protest
This is why we are mad as hell
This is why we are fed-up as well

This is why we riot

Riot is the language of voices unheard

When you respond
“All Lives Matter”
To our “Black Lives Matter”
You’re not listening
You didn’t hear
You don’t care
GTFOH

~ P

(RSVP - Respond, If You Please)
- Joseph Childress

The invitation left me hesitant
On my reservation
Divided between
Plus ones and a party of one

The family affair
Becomes unfamiliar
The apple of my eye, fell far from the tree
How peculiar
My pick
Left me looking at only pictures

The black mirror
Housed my reflection
Broken home
Shone on my broken phone
I play father to rejection

Cold shoulders received
She’s offspring
The fall’s approaching
Like holiday greetings

Who are you bringing?
RSVP.
Respond, If you please.

Pressing forward
For no reason
But the smell of sulfur
Being too much
To take.

To retrieve
Is not the same
As to receive and
Is not the same as

To take
Day in n'
Day out.

Today I
Yesterday she
Tomorrow we
Two days and between Jupitar I will

Make certain.

Then,
There was the God's
Laughter who's spittle

At noon,
Were actually
The volcanoes eruption.

Man
This orange juice
I've never had it
Before like this.

Then,
I thought/We thought,
Watch who knows
The history
Of what we eat - where does
The foundation
Of routine originate?

What shape are we in?

And then,

Men and women fled
For no reason
Than their
Own
Revolution of autonomy.

At last,
They had a reason
To survive
For themselves.

I put the book down.
Imagine packing it in
Like that - true terror.
No, I was not simple,
I was down, so down,
Yet I hear the sound of
Someone, Something
Telling me I am here,
I'm here to stay.

Put pen to paper for
The

Martyr, with their nodding heads,
Hysteric,
Void of empath but,
Filled with Coca Cola.

I like it here,

It says.

I don't like it here yet
My name is your name
At the end

Of the day.

We all, in our way, are forced to agree.

Their body told them
To do what they did
Because that
Is what the body is supposed
To do - survive.

Have you held the flame to eye?
Sea song to ear?
Invalid barnacle cast in Childress savior?
Morning cloud star girl?

To flee the volcano
Is the heiress
Fleeing money.

To flee the dust of

To sense
The end
To foresee
The curling of one's toes
The death rattle in the lungs
The flutter of now fantastical memories
Soon to be spoken
On no tongue
Other than the one's you loved,

Is to be present,
Life in the presence
Of death.

When everything
Comes into focus
For the first and last time;

In the moments before
The after.

Those that make it
(Few do)
Clawed their way to the ocean.
Forearms, eyelids, nostrils were filled with ash
Yet realized

The next dawn.

Wept felt eyes of the suffering souls of my brothers eyes.
I wonder how I've crept in my own demise.
Truely you never know the killer behind you!
    Maybe she is the hatred and animosity, she draws her eyes.
    Childress features I dispose, but with a slow dagger she ....
      She Kills!!!!!!