Behind the Velvet Curtain

Behind the velvet curtain 6/26/2012

Did you see the news just now?
And did you watch the video?
Played and replayed
Over and over again
The end of the beginning
And the beginning of the end.

Nothing you can say
And nothing you can do
Nothing but stand in shock
And wish it would go away.

But this is not a dream
And nightmares happen in dreams
Because this is the harvest
We reap
From the crop
We have planted.

The rat inside our brains
Races in a wheel
Running against himself
And never moving an inch.

If one man can kill himself
Then so can the many
And if the many run away
Who will stand and fight?

Over and under
Through and around
In every crack
And every hole.

I have taken up a sword
And I shall not go quietly
Not without the truth
And not without a soul.

For I would rather go out standing
Than hiding under a bed
And I would rather be forgotten
Than be remembered a fraud.

We are what we choose
How big a mystery is that?
Nothing more and nothing less
Than the product of our actions.

There is no one to save us
And there is no one to blame
Nothing but a battle
That rages in our heads.

The philosophers can ponder
What it is
That we have lost
But historians will remember
What it was that we did.

Of all the chances in the world
One droplet fell on my head
Blood as water
And water as fire.

A spark has fallen
Turning from blood into glass
A red round glistening reminder
Hidden in my pocket
Everywhere I go.

And I will never be the same
But that’s ok with me
Because then I didn’t know
And then I didn’t care.

I was just sleep walking
Lost in a day dream
Drifting with the current
And sinking in the sand.

Thinking I knew it all
When I didn’t know a thing
Just a ripe and foolish man
Hanging low on the tree.

But I have been plucked
And I have been gutted
Left on the ground to rot
Dead among the leaves.

But in the ground
I have frozen
Through a long and cold winter
But now I have arisen
More alive than ever.

I have survived
And now I speak
Learning to walk
All over again.

But now I am new
And better than before
Living more fully
And loving more and more.



Just a Little Twinge 6/26/2012

I only felt a twinge
A small puncture
And a sting
Slipping in and out
In my back and in my heart.

Too late do we find out
Just how bad is the damage
As we stumble and fall
Bleeding to death.

With no one to help
And nowhere to run
As we stare at the blood
Pooling around our head.

The damage is done
And the mortal wounds bleed
As we look backwards in horror
To see what was done.

It is often a surprise
That the worst killers are close
Close enough to be trusted
And close enough to kill.

Remaining undetected
Until the last horrifying moment
When they decide to act
Taking all we have
By stabbing us in the back.

Not everyone gets the chance
To learn where they went wrong
Because most die in minutes
And never live for long.

But I have connected the dots
And I can see the reasons
As old as man
Jealousy, and pride.

I can see how
And I can see why
But the question remains
Not what we have seen
But what is coming
And what is here.

Who is the enemy
And where does he hide
Is he inside the gates
Or just in our heads?

Have we entrusted evil?
And have we left the door unlocked?
Letting in the wandering predators
Looking for something to steal
Or someone to murder.

No one knows the heart of man
And do we even know our friends?
Close enough to have our ear
And close enough to take our head.

Have we believed the lies
And have we followed the words
Of men without a past
Proof enough of dark motives
Hidden away
And disappearing fast.

Awaken the heart of truth
Because it is the heart that matters
More than what you hear
And more than what
We were told.

If you look
The mask will come off
And if you pull back the curtain
You will see the evil
Helping themselves
And hating others.