Ransom

Dead Ransom 7/31/2014

The only women I ever kept

Are the ones I never touched

And the only friends who remain

Are the ones

For which I prayed. 

There is a river in my heart

Running cold, clear, and, fast

Separating the outer from the inner

And infatuation from love.

If I had only known

When I was young

Just how painful it could be

To cross the river unwittingly,

Dumb, and naive.

It is easy to turn back

And it is easy to be afraid

But once the lines are crossed

Only heartache will result.

I built bridges

And I tried with all my heart

But in the end

We are all destined to fail

And lose. 

Without risk

We remain a child

Pretending with puppets

In endless day dreams. 

But once we cross over

There is no turning back

As our eyes are opened

And no secrets remain.

I loved the idea of love

Without any idea

Of the cost

Or consequence.

Flirting with the margins

Just out of view

Always thinking

But never doing.

We forget over time

And the sharpest of pains

Become dull and distant

Until we venture too far

And are afraid.

We dry our tears

And move on

Slowly and carefully

Tiptoeing through

Another minefield.

I don’t know what is worse

If it is losing

Or not knowing

Or maybe it is knowing

And believing. 

I am loved

But I am also guarded

Holding my deepest self

Like a hostage in a tower

Remote and alone.

Everyone else, can see me

But they are on the other side

Where the grass is always greener

And the memories more painful.    

They do things

That I once did

And they laugh at absurdities

That I once knew. 

But this is not about me

And it’s not about them

As I work upwards

One day at a time. 

Stoically going to work
And then coming back home

Training myself

All about what matters

And is lasting. 

The victories are small

But the thrill is the same

As I contemplate the grace

Of faith and trust.

There will never be a more perfect day

And there will never be a perfect person

But we can still emerge

Wealthier in wisdom

And richer in love.

Calculated

Calculated 7/30/2014

Sometimes I stare off into space

Bewildered and speechless

But others times I am focused

And really try to care. 

Some people are wired differently

And some people

Only want to win

Sacrificing everything

For just a few points more. 

I have been angry

But today I am just tired

Because what point is it?

To be offended

When it is all

Just dumb and sad. 

There is always a price to pay

Especially if you care

And the good will always be sacrificed

Over and over again. 

Unspoken rituals

Amuse the powerful

And the wealthy,

But for the average man

It is all work and toil. 

We are the hostages

And expendable pawns

Suicidally offered

In a game of chicken.

Valuable only as consumers

Or subjects. 

We are manipulated and guided 

Weighed and guided 

Cradle to the grave.  

 

Thinking people

Are their enemy

And all philosophy

They abhor.

Power and control

Are the obsessions

Of the weak

As they seek to become god

And engineer death.

Scrambling behind closed doors

And manufacturing memes

Anything to distract

And persuade.

No lie is to absurd

And no stone is left unturned

As they seek to deny the truth

And overwhelm the good. 

But knowledge survives

And rebellion burns

In the hearts of those who love

Freedom, discovery, and truth.  

It is the fear

We must each conquer

Because no battle can be won

If it cannot be declared.     

The romance maybe gone

But for those with imagination

There will always be a future

Alive with dreams. 

The search goes on 

And the battle is joined
Each and every day
We try.    

Birthday

 Birthday 7/29/2014

It was a hot at the cemetery

And the sun beat down

On the back of my neck

But I was glad that I was there

Whether it mattered or not.   

It felt a little strange

As we stood in a half circle

Lifting up our glasses

To a piece of granite. 

I hope you noticed

And I hope you laughed

Because that is what life is for

With all its awkwardness, and absurdity. 

We live stiffly and walk with a purpose

But seldom take the time

To hold and caress

As if strangers are more important

And care at all. 

But a young life

Is like a ball of fire

Hurtling through space

And throwing sparks in all directions. 

I have faith

And it feels real

As they arranged your birthday gifts

And forced out smiles. 

I am sorry for this world

So dumb and lifeless

As it careens from disappointment

To mindless disaster. 

You shouted to this world

Who you were

But it cannot hear

What it does not know. 

Here is to you

As you grow and serve

Bigger and higher things

Than all the great minds of this world

So full of nothing at all. 

Dream bigger dreams

And make them all come true

Fully alive

And fully free. 

Waterlogged

Waterlogged   7/28/2014

Some things take time

And some things cook slow

Simmering, bubbling,

Stewed or roasted. 

Underneath our feet

The rocks move imperceptibly

And inside our chest

The blood surges and flows. 

Water swells up

And percolates down

Saturating everything

In between. 

There is so much that changes

And there is so much that moves

Constantly dying

And regenerating.

I can feel time

Passing by

But maybe it isn’t

What I think it is.

The light passes through me

And the light burns within

Full of information

We cannot see or measure. 

Things happen

In tiny ways

That we do not see

Or notice.

With no starting point

That is discernable

Deep within

And growing. 

But other things are large

And of colossal scale

Building up to a point

Where the whole world

Turns over. 

By the time we notice the symptoms

The disease is full blown

More than likely spread

And sometimes fatal.

Vile creatures

Will find one another

And film it all

Never noticing

That their ship is sinking. 

Yes this ship

Was built to sink

And no one did a thing

When the water seeped in. 

Now we panic

And now we rush

As the rats gnaw on each other

And try to escape.   

If you don’t know

Then you can be stampeded

Driven to believe

And to act. 

Jump up

And jump out

Because the former things

Are over

And cannot come back. 

It’s foolish to look back  

And a folly to try and capture

The small pieces of comfort

Fading fast.   

We are either iron

Or we are clay

But we should stick together

For one is strong

And made to last.

Silhouette

Silhouette 7/24/2014

Babies come from mothers
But zombies fall from the sky
Strange, ghastly
Murdered and mute.

Lies makes sense
but the truth is hard to believe
Stranger than fiction
And more horrifying
Than what you hear.

The thinking man searches
And deliberates
But a fool eats it up
Swallowing the hook.

But deception can wear thin
And eventually all will see
If they are courageous enough
To notice. 

We can log in
But still remain disconnected
As we stare at the mirage
Tailored to perfection.  

But rain connects us together
With endless rivulets of glass
Coursing and falling
Like blood, meade, and mash.

Time ebbs and flows
Running through our fingers
Lulling us to sleep
And jolting us awake.

Are you awake today?
Or have you fallen back asleep?
Because there is always more to come
Just out of view.

Knee deep in lies
And knee deep in blood
We spit upon the sacrifice
Of the good and the dead.

Becoming the fodder of evil men
To be brokered, gambled, and spent
An inexpensive price
For power and hate.

I am not the only one
But all the knowledge in the world
Is meaningless
Without courage and conviction.

We have excuses
And we have explanations
Painstakingly convoluted
And eternally dumb.

But the arrow points true
In the heart and in the mind
Begging us to listen
And crying for our attention.   

We can always stop and stare
Or we can deduce and discern 
Because evil lurks in the shadows
Always waiting for us
To turn our backs around. 

Away

I am out of the office this week, I will post if I can.  Rob Mc

Double Double

Double Double 7/18/2014

Far away from here

The cage has been opened

And demons walk free

To adulation and praise.

This is their time

And this is their world

As they run rampant

And kill at will.

But evil is evil

And lies are part of the game

As they point their fingers in all directions

When they themselves

Are to blame. 

They might be true enemies

Or inconvenient friends

But all will coalesce around the inevitable

No matter what is said or done. 

Low wattage robots

Do what they are told

Without question or thought

They obey and breed.

But abstract thought

And higher philosophy

Will be fought and eliminated

Anyway they can. 

Wars come

And wars go

But others go on unabated

Generation after generation.

But how can you win

If you cannot speak it?

And how can good survive

If it is called evil.?   

I pray for my family

And I pray for my friends

That we may survive

Another day,

And another year. 

I love on my kids

And I look over my shoulder

Because knowing is everything

If you want to survive. 

Avoid the crowds

And do what you can

Fighting the war inside your head

With every thought and deed.