Enigma

You are the riddle,

         The hidden enigma,

                  Baffling logic at every hand.

Strafing the surface of

         Broad ambiguity,

                  Asking for tunes meant to stump the band.

 

Vaguely perplexing,

         This minion of madness

                  Hailing and howling its song to the stars.

Building your case in

         The court of emotion.

                  Praying for time to heal all of the scars.

 

You never wavered.

         You never faltered.

                  You never begged for a second chance.

Always a champion,

         Always a lover,

                  First to the footlights,

                            Ready to dance.

 

Whimsy

Taking off on flights of fancy

To an unknown destination,

Curious to know no reason,

Seeking extraordinary.

 

Break the plane of barren logic

Beyond Oz and Munchkin land to

Sleep the night in poppy fields

Guarded by a band of fairies.

 

Beat the drum and dance the dance

To tunes that no one else can hear.

Sing your own capriccio

Regardless of the consequence.

 

Be they quaint,

Be they odd,

Be they loud and fanciful

No one can predict the words that

Raise a cry for common sense.

 

And who would take a heart to task

When whimsy is the only rule?

Better just to sit and watch

The ravings of a mortal fool.

 

Vindictive

It wasn’t enough to end it, now was it?

You had to get in that last little bite,

Just one more sting, one last gouging punch,

Amend and append your vindictive charade.

 

Could have just walked away, got away clean,

Made a fresh start without causing a fuss.

But stroking your ego was far too important for

You to sit idle and watch the parade.

 

Life has a way of evening out all the

Weights and measures, to level the scales.

Patience is hard but worth the reward.

When all is over, it’s well worth the trade.

 

There is a consequence for every action…

Levies to pay for choices made.

 

Pandora

Take me back to innocent times,

Let me be that naive child

Whose only fault was a deadly case

Of willful curiosity.

 

Sweet surrender filled my days

And there was honey in the wind

To satisfy my deepest urge,

To underscore civility.

 

Long before Pandora’s tryst,

Before the beast of chaos was

Unleashed on unsuspecting souls

There was an uneven peace.

 

But when the lid was opened

And the demons were set free

There was not a single force

To govern their release.

 

And we are left to face the test,

To cage the wily fox,

To wrangle with the consequence

And close Pandora’s box.

 

Furious

My God! What on earth were you thinking?

Have you finally lost your unmoving mind?

What kind of devil possesses a soul

To make it react so unfeeling, unkind?

 

Slashing and sloshing through every emotion

You conjured a storm of tsunami proportion,

Bypassing logic and stymied to reason

You skewed the truth into miles of distortion.

 

How can you possibly live with yourself

Without making some sort of open admission?

Conscience in atrophy,

Major catastrophe,

All sense of decency into remission.

 

This is the last, the lowest transgression.

I can’t stand by watching you carry on.

You’re not the you that I knew way back when.

Sadly…

            It’s over…

                             I’m gone.

 

Margarita

Saucy, sexy, salty blend of

Emerald magic,

Make me sing.

Lend your music to my muse

Before my mind melts into mush.

 

You were always there for me

In days of triumph,

Nights of woe. When 

Melancholy swept my spirit

You were there to ease the crush.

 

Now this tired body cannot

Take the journey deep into

The endless night,

Your joyful jaunt is

Just a dream of yesterday.

 

Still you tempt me with your wiles,

Just a taste for old time sake;

Enough to jog the memory

And chase all cares away.

 

Innocent

Sitting inside this prison cell,

No walls, no bars, no locks or chains,

No prison guards to walk the halls,

No other inmates to share my grief.

 

Bound and confused by some unwritten code

That gives you the right to lay judgment on me,

To leave me in torment of unending measure

Willing to grovel for one simple glance.

 

You turn no ear, offer no reason

Though it appears I have done nothing wrong.

And while I am gathering my resolution, you

Simply fold your tent and walk away.

 

Where is the justice in your court of passion?

Show me the weight that will balance the scale.

You are the jury, judge and prosecutor with

No breath allowed from my advocate.

 

Tell me what I need to do for your favor.

Retrace the answers to questions unasked.

I am no more than an innocent fool

Guilty of loving you…

                                     Nothing more.

 

Gargantuan

Big, large, massive, huge, 

Enormous, super-size,

Far too much envisioning  

For one sweep of the eyes,

More than stretched imaginings

For one who seeks the prize,

The Holy Grail,

The grand gargantuan.

 

Held at birth, but never since;

The burden far too great.

Height and girth expanding,

White rabbit running late.

Hyper drive extended

Ever running toward her fate.

No one dares deter gargantuan.

 

Bolster her foundation so

Her shelter may endure.

Nurture her through illness.

Help her find a cure.

Many seek,

Many find her heart so kind and pure,

This noble one,

This grand gargantuan.

 

Diatribe

Where in the heck has decency gone?

Who the devil do you think you are?

See, I could have said hell

Or even the f-word to show my displeasure,

Express my case.

But I choose demeanor

Instead of demeaning the question

With rhetoric’s unsavory flavor.

 

Stand on my soap box and

Rant until dawn, til

The silent Gestapo comes,

Hauls me away,

Places my poor shackled bones

In their prison

Muting my diatribe to hungry ears.

 

But I won’t be silenced.

My song will continue to

Ring past the walls of

This Gulag existence.

And you. Sir, should tremble

At your day of reckoning,

The day that the pendulum

Finds its way home.

 

Erotica

It’s everywhere. You just can’t miss it.

Turn on the TV,

Open a book,

A magazine,

It’s even plastered on billboards

In every direction your eyes turn to look.

 

Not that I mind.

Plus years have taught me to

Pick my poison in meager amounts,

Control the urge to

Act out in passion,

To dance round the fire

So the heat really counts.

 

When I was younger

I lapsed into overdose

Kicking and screaming,

Could not get my fill.

But now I am calm.

I take it in stride as

I stroll the far side

Of erotica’s hill.

 

Eloquence

Sit me down near the foot of the stage

So that I won’t miss a single syllable

Baked and awash in such dulcimer tones

That my ears are golden to know their favor.

 

Feed me words that trill as they thrill me,

Fill me with gushes of bubbly froth.

Take me away to the hills of Nirvana

Where sweet fruit and honey will be mine to savor.

 

Lift up the room. Bring it up past the summit.

Ride on the clouds til the air becomes thin

And the crowd becomes giddy with anticipation,

Hoping beyond hope the ride will not end.

 

Teach me your secret. Take me to task.

Where can I learn what you wear as a gift?

Eloquence finds you, even defines you

Riding the crest of a vanishing wind.

 

Precipice

Standing on the edge looking down…

Down.

Down from this lonely ledge to the ground

And around…

Aware of every sight, every sound to abound,

Waiting for the anger to subside.

 

Step from out of nowhere to the fire…

Fire.

Heap the heavy logs high upon the pyre

Kindling the beast of hard desire in the mire

Where the cradles of calamity collide.

 

Don’t push… for I will surely fall…

Fall…

Fall to clinched jaws that are prone to gnash and gnaw.

Flashed by danger, haunted, shocked with awe,

Never knowing why I am to blame.

 

Mercy. Please have mercy on my soul…

Soul.

Set your price and let me pay the toll.

Do not toss my weary bones into your dark dank hole.

I am not, should not be your final aim.

 

Canyon

Who lives in this canyon

So dark and deep

Where ancient waters carved

Fortress walls?

It seems to cultivate

Gardens of strangers,

Vagabond players who camp,

Then move on.

 

I used to know every soul

In this valley

From high on her ridges to

Way round the bend.

But time takes its toll

As we roll ever forward,

Leaves only memories

To build upon.

 

There will be moments,

Whether here or hereafter

To recount the reckoning,

Review the views.

Patiently waiting alone

In this canyon,

No one to talk to…

Nothing to lose.

 

Epilogue

When my epilogue is written

May the words come trippingly

From silver tongue and ruby throat

To drench the roses with their honey.

 

Gather all my fateful friends,

My poor relations, seldom seen,

Telling tales from memory,

Both bittersweet and funny.

 

I’ll not be around to hear the

Sweet melodic undertones, the

Ticking, clicking metronomes

That chant my eulogy.

 

Rather I’ll be on my way to

Better days and better ways,

To claim my spot at Heaven’s gate

Where spirits all run free.

 

And I’ll see you again someday

Far beyond that final hill

Where we will spend our fond forever

In a land where time stands still.

 

Belligerent

Primed and garbed in restless armor,

Always ready for a fight,

Self-assured and double-strong,

Never wrong,

Forever right.

 

Not a soul can match your fervor.

No shield can fend your attack.

Breach the line to capture glory.

No regrets,

No looking back.

 

Won’t take crap from anybody.

Far more prone to dole it out

With a shout of bold pronouncement

Leaving not the slightest doubt.

 

Be the beast.

Be the hero.

Step into the victor’s zone.

Carry all the consequences.

They are yours…

Yours alone.

 

Fandango

What is this fancy little dance we’re doing?

Speed up. No! Slow down.

Now speed up again.

Elfishly playing emotional ping pong

Like two gangly teenagers caught in a game.

 

I feel like I should be passing notes in

Homeroom, subtle hints dressed in disguise,

Or having a friend tell a friend tell a friend

Til I hear that you told someone

You feel the same.

 

We should just silence this foolish fandango,

Accept confrontation, stand face to face.

We’re wasting time dancing round in a circle,

Time we could better spend lost in embrace.

 

Prudence

Would it be prudent to

Walk away silently?

Should I back down

Without passion or heat?

Could there be consequence

Bent on inaction?

What good would become of

A velvet retreat?

 

I wasn’t wrong!

Well, maybe a little.

I was the victim!

But you were hurt, too.

You were the stubborn one!

I only wanted for you

To see my way.

Well, that’s nothing new.

 

Rethink the middle.

Retrace the path.

Prudence is practical.

You do the math.

 

Ultimatum

You must!

I insist!

No doubt!

Your decision.

 

No trust.

You persist.

Don’t shout.

Grave collision.

 

We fussed,

Made a list,

Walked out

On a mission.

 

Disgust

With a twist.

Next bout,

No remission.

 

Ultimatum

Must abide.

Do or don’t.

Get off the ride.

 

Liquidity

She moves downhill,

Begs no favor,

Filling cracks and vast depressions

Along the way to overflowing,

Always growing, always knowing,

Lending, giving, smothering.

Being absorbed by Mother Earth

Who only borrows for a while

Then gladly gives her back.

 

Nothing lives without her kindness.

Flora, fauna, man and beast

Must bow to her intrepid wisdom,

Cling to every precious drop.

 

And what are we without her wealth?

Only dust blown by the wind

To every corner, every niche,

Lonely souls without a shape.

 

Facilitator

Make it happen, Peter Pan.

Sprinkle us with Pixie dust so

We can fly to Neverland

To dance and be forever young.

 

Fairy God mom, waive your wand.

Dress your favorite for the ball.

Make her magic dream come true

Til midnight’s chime at last has rung.

 

Teach me, Merlin. Make me king.

Help me raise this sword from stone.

Give me wisdom, confidence

That I may rule with measured hand.

 

Walk with me on hallowed soil where

Once a carpenter was slain

To give us hope, to give us peace,

To spread His gospel through the land.

 

We are vessels, every one,

Facilitators by degree,

Reaching out and letting go

To set our listless spirits free.

 

Carousel

Up and down, around the magic circle

Into wonderland,

Flying, floating fantasies of

Fearless fairies flying high.

Wait for no one,

Casting eyes and casting fate

To gentle winds,

Dancing to a lively muse

Who knows no lullaby.

 

Newly indestructible,

Mounted on a faithful steed,

Armored in imagination,

Sally forth with shield and sword.

Slaying dragons, tilting windmills,

Rescuing the maiden fair,

Seeking justice in the end

To be its own reward.

 

There are cares and grave concerns

That must be brought to bear,

But only when the ride is done

Will I be forced to care.

 

Nickelodeon

You were truly before my time,

But that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.

Nickelodeon, play for the piper,

Give them a tune as they wait for the band.

This symbol of joy placed a

Smile on the face, a

Dance in the step, a

Song in the heart of all who

Were lucky enough to have known

The nameless enchantment

Unique to her name.

 

I grew up later, knowing her grandchild.

Three for a quarter and

Hungry for more.

Playing the records I’d heard on the radio,

Now entirely at my command.

Driving the older crowd

Into submission,

Wond’ring what mock aberration was next.

Dancing a jig if it suited my purpose.

No false apology,

No sense of shame.

 

Nickelodeon, thanks for your progeny.

Who knows what wonders will shadow your fame?

Survivor

I often wondered which of us would

Ultimately outlast the other

In this snarling war of words where

Reason is a casualty.

 

Grappling like jungle beasts who know

The tactics of our foe

And seek to slash with razor teeth

All semblance of reality.

 

Can’t remember who was first,

Don’t recall the reason why,

Only know that it’s been going on

Far longer than it should.

 

Pass the blame from left to right

To left again, and on it goes.

Don’t know how to stop it

If we should, if we could.

 

No way to resolve the difference.

No hope to revive.

One moves on and one is left

Struggling to survive.

 

Shadows

Shadow Stalker, cold and gray,

Bend my eyes to find your shape

Hiding from the naked light,

Secrets kept beneath your cape.

 

Would you steal my sanity?

Leave me here to quake and quell?

Lead me down a narrow path

Into the darkest pits of Hell?

 

Such a fine and fragile line

Separates you from the light.

Desperate to be known to none,

Always running from a fight.

 

Play the reuse of your deception

While your stealth divines my fate.

Help me find your dark agenda

Before it is forever late.

 

Patience serves the waiting throngs

And hope is never all or none.

For every place a shadow falls

Somewhere there must be sun.

 

Placebo

What was meant to be a cure

For a broken heart turned out to be

Little more than a sugar pill,

Blind faith taken for a ride.

 

Turns out naught was as it seemed

In your tawdry token web

Ringed with phantoms of obsession

Talking trash, singing hope.

 

And I believed you.

Bad mistake.

Yours was not a random cure.

Taunting me with your placebo

As the knife turned in your hand.

 

Now I see you in the light

And the question begs to ask.

Can a heart that’s broken twice

Find the strength to carry on?

 

Escapade

Here I sit biding time

Waiting for the world to start

Revolving, solving every woe,

Spinning as it did before.

 

Are you here?

Are you real?

Must I steal a memory

From darkened corners, dusty rooms

Caged and sealed behind locked doors.

 

Shall we share abandon in

Our reckless new adventure,

Or is it just a mindless prank

Of my imagination?

 

Tell me that your world is true

And I’ll pick up the gauntlet,

Walk beside you every step,

No thought or hesitation.

 

Standing on the threshold as

You contemplate the dare,

Leap into your escapade,

I will join you there.

 

Mustang

Wild and free.

Wild and free.

Storm the open range

As hooves of thunder

Flee reality.

Chase a fleeting wind that

Only you can see

Through canyons

Where no other

Dares to tread.

 

Untamed eyes

Detect the lies

That seek your capture,

Brandishing a lasso as

They seek their prize.

Tinged with disappointment

When they realize

The futile chase on

Which they have been led.

 

No one can control you

When the day is done.

Wild and free your destiny.

Run, mustang. Run.