feet tracing ruts
softened by the weight of others
the path was worn
polished
not by insight
but by generations
unquestioning the same direction
a weed split the sidewalk
where my foot hesitated
they handed us maps
already marked, folded
creased at the routes
they wanted us to traverse
walls hung with heirlooms
no one claimed
shadows
longer than the rooms
classrooms’ chalkboards of certainty
offices pressed flat with protocol
we learned the art
of veiling the eye behind the eye
we drank from vessels
lips like waiting mouths
etched with forgotten crests
believing the shape of the cup
taught us thirst
air rehearsed its return
like a tethered animal pacing
the same invisible circle
inscribed with grace
shaped like a cage
narrowing the limit
of knowledge
of wisdom
altars made from repetition
shaped our days
to fit the mold
filed down the splinters of doubt
until only smooth compliance remained
tell me—
what is awakening
if not the moment
your hand reaches
for a handle
no one told you was there
and the quiet moment after waking
my heart
uncertain
unshod
hesitates…
bent like a grass stem
I fold, I yield, I twist, squeeze
between stakes labeled
'Been Done' and 'So Becoming'
buried, far behind the lines
Doing work white collar job but dirt underneath,
Fragrance with scent on shirt but smell under me,
Flourished outside but rotten inside,
Complete man I'm outside but incomplete
Through heart.
Complex complicated compliance charm I lock,
But understandable through one key,
Folded in four sides, but no side edge seen to unveil.
Cover with damp of lies and no gas is penetrating in it.
I got white collar smile but smirk underneath.
Who is the master in this frivolous farm?
Crystalized chaos should cause some alarm.
Irrational ideas with no common ground,
Stifled by silence and its deafening sound.
Superior smirking with falsified pride,
Deceit of the rule book, which we must abide.
Glorified garbage, manipulation intact,
Forces at work amid the attack.
Crippling calmness disguising the deed,
Menacing caution that one must concede.
All-encompassing threats from the master at hand,
Conforming to pressure with repeated demand.
Ready to enter, the sheep tightly packed,
Pledging assurance, the odds are well stacked.
Damned are the stock with nowhere to go,
Just a floundering farmer with a poor cattle show.
03/07/2022
Keeper of the Flame
Edward Ibeh
Medical Science is on Joe Q Public's mind
Not all of his reviews have been too kind
While some folks adhere to doctors' guidelines
Many people see them as 'un-genuine'
They're in a rush to get the economy moving
Or they miss all their friends, mingling and grooving
So, they decide that this virus attacks only others
Until it hits home, grounding sisters or brothers
Now Medical Science's advice, they accept as first-rate
Here's hoping their newfound compliance isn't too late
It's like this,
I can exist,
If you insist,
Without you!
As adults, we have a sovereign right
To life and liberty.
Pursuent to every manner and fashion
Of that which makes us happy.
The ecstacy of intoxication
Is a fundamental right.
The euphoria of opium,
Every poets delight.
Intoxicants have been used by man
Since Time Immemorial.
Drugs have become ubiquitous,
Commonplace and affordable.
Why then, has dear old Uncle Sam
Deemed them illegal and immoral?
engines fall in blind motifs
swirling vortexes of compliance
we vote for our souls
but our souls are black
attack the fabrics of reality
those which hold us back
place your hand in mine
and we'll ascend to the depths
mutter soft incantations
but mutter them silently
we only have each other
hopefully that will suffice
Ahh, we meet again my foe
Away is one place you seem to never go.
Trying to drag me in to your delicious lust,
So full of temptation, I'm fixin' to bust!
"Come on," you say. "Just one little bite,"
"No, no," I reply. "My jeans are already too tight!"
Now and then you make me succumb
Then your lusciousness makes me go numb
Your sweet talk tip-toes inside my ear
One of many things I do not wish to hear
For it puts me to a challenge, the worst at most
For I know if you win you will never cease to boast
STOP bamboozling me into your splendor!
Even if you are so tender!
Against you and your flavor I hold the deepest grudge,
So I bid you adieu, my dearest friend------ Fudge.