Past joys
come home
to roost

so vehement
is the rebuke

with rancourous
reminder:

we in our pursuits
and conscious negligence
have left all that
which was precious
and beautiful behind-

we look at ourselves
our selfishness,  our ego
our pride-  the constricted
views we held in silence
of life and people around
the kindness and compassion
we never chose to know

but all that
mankind does inherit
is contingency
and uncertainty
as the clinging to
and worship
of wealth and power
would only self-defeat
shorn of every merit-

the lock-in
of the self
the lockdown
that shuts out
the sunshine of day
the radiance of living
as joys and hopes
begin to fade away-

where is the fresh air?
everything outside
is grim, eerie and bare-

streets and shops
are empty
not a soul is seen
anywhere
only upon
the indifferent sky
we could blankly stare-

the past is now
a sad memory
the future
an uncharted territory

in this our loneliness
only hopelessness
and desolation
our fearsome faces wear.

We all have demons-

The difference between,
you and me-

I choose to feed them.

They live rent-free,
unwanted guests trapped
in the abyss of my memories

I cannot hide
it's all in my mind

separation of church and
state
There is no redemption

Last call, fist fight-
getting over the words
inside of my mind

I must be dreaming
it's all deceiving
©2020 Christina Jackson

Just when we thought
there was all the time
in the world
the alarm went off.

choose any color
or any combination
of colors

I don’t care if I match
or if I make sense

slap it on thick
make me drip

and don’t wait
until I dry

to slap on more

use a brush or
your hands

I don’t care if
I’m not finished

I would rather be
the canvas you
experiment with

than the one you sell