Through darkness, laced in edges of light,
And rain, falling like angels plagued by blight,
Shattering their heavenly bones and wings,
Onto the eyeless dust of their return;
Through paths stranger to the hope of spring,
Where voices of ghosts hang with cries of “Burn!”
And moss mottled trees, like macabre jesters
Dance, limbless, leaves flailing grotesquely
To the secret japes of wind-bourn nesters;
Through corpse-ridden forests of insanity,
To where the rocks dress as the three witches
And chant midst their vainglorious riches
*“All hail, Eremita, bound to the adamah altar,
All hail, Eremita, your blood soma from the mortar,
All hail, Eremita, thou shalt be dead hereafter”...

Riot because it's expected riot because they want to arrest you riot because you are angry and full of righteous anger riot because f* the police and f the government f the a** in the white house riot because you don't know what else to do riot because they left you no choice riot because they'll shoot you with a gun riot because you can't defend yourself right because they fear you will riot for the dead babies riot for the crying mothers riot for incarcerated dad's riot for ****** parents riot for grandparents raising babies riot for the Foster system riot for abusive families riot for church goers riot for God for the saints and martyrs riot for the devil  riot for income inequality riot for mcmansions tenement housing section 8 and for interest only predatory loans riot for Wall Street stock fuckery riot for corporate radio where you feel what they want you to feel for the tail wags the dog riot for censorship for shitz and **** and f* and ***** and art and
truth and unpopular opinion riot for truth and the lies told to hide it riot because it feels good right because it hurts riot because that's what society requires of you riot by the seat of your pants Riot because no smoking no drinking no chaining up dogs riot because dogs chain you up by their wallets riot because cancer ate your insides and religion ate your soul riot because your brain belongs to science and 38 other corporations and legal entities riot because they stole your land and burnt down your family riot because they stole your voice tainted your poems your songs and water and water down your truth riot because the carpet bombed your town city neighborhood reservation farm ranch plantation in bomb shelters riot for pacification dancing shows and discotheques riot why not? F them riot because you ain't caught anything all day except maybe ***** riot for free titjobs and overpriced b* riot for unemployment riot for well-connected fraternity brothers
and elite ******* riot for fake morality and pregnant stepdaughters riot for empty nesters and growing too old riot for peacekeeping military envoys and well-armed diplomatic missions riot for philosophical differences over which college football team wears the right color uniforms for racist mascots for trails of tears of many a harassed and violated person riot for tears and fears in general and sanity of society riot for ***** streets and clean suburbs riot for privileges you never had....

and riot for those that did riot for broken glass and free TVs because they've been held in captivity for too long riot for the oppressed under-represented the ghosts riot for the conspicuous riot for the helpless riot for The helpful riot for those without love in their life because how can you live without love? Riot for the hate and the bigots they need some love upside their heads riot for peace because the cops and soldiers and guards and troopers won't stop on your account jackboot goose-stepping to the tune of some other a* riot for children locked away in cages treated like stray dogs and not given dignity riot for SWAT raids on working people riot for students shuffle around like cards riot for slavery riot for greed riot for substandard manufacturing and quickly thrown up housing riot for Hovels and vacationing rats and financial advisers with your money riot for the last gasps of fresh air and pure clean water riot for fresh food and grease pits riot for those people stroking out with arrhythmias and cats and bypasses and dying by insurance Representatives riot for the toe tags and the death certificates riots for the school's not teaching truth riot for profiteering from necessary services riot the Dead the suicides The Killers shooters riot for Injustice for public ****** riot for probation cost and fees and the cycle of poverty...

riot for love for life for death in multiple baptisms that just don't take because it's all guilt and superstition riot for the sweat on the browse the stains on the t-shirts riot for the calluses on the hand and the holes worn into the jeans riot for the roofers in summer and the ditch-diggers and winter riot for the clergy with the best of intentions riot for judges and cops bought off by other people's money riot with a pitchfork and a torch and a cause riot with a fire in your belly and a Love in your heart riot for wars of aggression and preemption and murdering children with bombs we manufactured and we sold and profited from and took that blood money and put up walls between us and those in society different from us because we bought into the fear strategies riot for fear riot for the ashes and the pine boxes and the crocodile tears and the false sentiments the thoughts and prayers riot for Dharma and karma and car alarms and superficial meanderings and musings riot for Riot's sake riot for dead babies riot because we all did it and you feel guilt right because they don't riot because of love love riot peace riot righteous riot

Kids grown up, they've both moved out

They have families of their own

Now you're just empty nesters

All you do is sit and moan

You've reached  the demarkation point

Where your lives go separate ways

You both would like the other gone

You're both counting the days

At first you were the world to me

I meant all that I said

But now that thirty years have passed

You're worth more to me dead

You're both insured like crazy

The house is free and clear

Did I mention, there's a pension?

These are all that you hold dear

We no longer share vacations

You have your friends, I have mine

And it seems when we're together

Al we do is bide our time

At first you were the world to me

I meant all that I said

But now that thirty years have passed

You're worth more to me dead

We still have ***, but not together

We both eat, but never dine

We live as singles, although married

You've your friends and I have mine

When you sleep, I check your breathing

Just to see if you're alive

I want you dead, but I won't **** you

I just think of things you won't survive

At first you were the world to me

I meant all that I said

But now that thirty years have passed

You're worth more to me dead

I used to love you more than ever

For our two kids, it's you I thank

But now that love is for another

That love is for what's in your bank

We have no interests left worth sharing

When we're alone we make no sound

You know that we just want the other

In a box six feet below the ground

At first you were the world to me

I meant all the things  that I said

But now that thirty years have passed

You're worth  much more to me dead

At first you were the world to me

I meant all the things  that I said

But now that thirty years have passed

You're worth  much more to me dead

It’s ok to smile
even though
It’s been a while

This lonely old life
no man or woman  
no husband or wife

We live alone
when the children
leave home
our pets
become babies
as we sit
on our own

At night I reminisce
of loved ones
that I miss
those who aren’t here
are the ones
I hold dear

My hand feels
empty
my heart gives
plenty
while my soul
cries
gently

Parallel tables down this neighbourhood street
I can see some of them from distant windows
One is vacated
One is full, people buzzing about
Hot food coming out of the kitchen onto the table
Bubbling, boiling soups, freshly tossed salads
Glasses brimming with new stories
Then, to the right, a person
Sits at their table alone,
One dim light, eating from a bowl
My guess is cereal.
Stories, stories, stories
Troubling questions
Awkward silence
He’s meeting the parents today
So, he fidgets and taps his feet
She’s telling them she got into college
He just got home from his best friend’s funeral
The other house is dark,
They always have dinner at six
But today, the lights are off
Trip? No.
They’re saying goodbye to grandma in the hospital
That couple in the duplex
I think it’s their delivery date
There’s that one house,
Everyone eats at a different time
Mom, daughter, and second daughter rotate washing dishes
but the older one just got married
it looks like they are still settling into the newfound gaps
her brother left today
a house that used to be loud and crowded
now, two empty nesters
they never eat at the table anymore
they put on the TV
with their plates
because the couch is a smaller space to fill
than these dining room tables

For weeks, months,
my neighbor’s house has gone dark.
Used to be at least a dim light at night.
A yellow light-bulb kind of glow
to indicate a sign of life.
Now there is nothing.
No car parked in her driveway.
No sight of her in the morning either.
So unusual for her, an early riser.
She used to be in her garden by 7 a.m.
What happened?
It was four years ago,
in January of 2015,
that Death visited our block.
After a long stretch of illness,
our respective spouses passed
within weeks of each other.
Who would have imagined?
Our two houses used to be teaming with life.
Children running and laughing.
Dogs barking.
Scents of home cooking filling the air.
Now, our families become the oldest on the block.
Not even families anymore.
I live alone; so does my neighbor.
Empty nesters.
Survivors from a previous era.
I couldn’t resist calling my neighbor up,
to see how she was doing
this bitter cold January.
The phone rang.
Once, twice, thrice.
The waiting was ominous.
I thought that was it.
Finally she answered.
Said she had been sick since Christmas.
Luckily, nothing serious.
At least she is recovering.
After hanging up the phone,
I was ecstatic.
I jumped with joy.
We are still here.