the anodized prophet

a shallow pneumatic whimper
belied his position below the shadows
as dusk fell like a stone curtain
indenting the surface as it struck
with a dull clap of concussion
and a quake of percussion

needles of electrical synergy
crackled through brackish crevases of skin
across the ribbed back of the anodized prophet
as fingers of ebbing lifeblood surge
between behind and beneath
the head heart and feet

to rise from the shackles of gravity
lift an optical gaze towards the sky
was all but a dream inside a deviant brain
never prospective to the practical mind

to take flight with uplifted ailerons
soar unimpeded to heavens unknown
throw off the bindings shake off the chains
and fly where no others have flown

ambiotic power pulses through fiberous muscles
stretching popping surging neurons weave
a cyclonic meshing of epidermic bonds
fully aware of the cross he must bear
though the anguish and anxiety
leave his vision impaired

needles of electrical synergy
crackled through brackish crevases of skin
across the ribbed back of the anodized prophet
but his struggle to stand
against the pressing wind
against the will of the earth
has prevailed

drawing in a deep breath of heavy moist air
erect against the sun as he drinks in the warmth
solar devices at full capacity
amplitude modulated waves
translated into fluid motion
the anodized prophet enters the realm
assumes the mantle of reign

i am machine

i am machine
i'm stronger than you will ever be
i am machine

i am machine
i can see all you can't see
i am machine

count on me i'll never let you down
put it on my shoulders i'll get you through
i'll hold the line never giving ground
i'll stand against the storm

give me your hand and your childrens' too
hand me your money and whatever you hold dear
take shelter in my shadow i will protect you
and keep you cool or warm

i am machine
i'm stronger than you will ever be
i am machine

i am machine
i can see all you can't see
i am machine

turn my opacity down make me as transparent as you want
if that makes you comfortably numb
just don't forget to ask my permission before you leave

harness my atomic power and enjoy the ride
it's nanotechnology on the very bleeding edge
controlling brutal mechanical strength
it aint doing brain surgery with a sledge

leaves

burning leaves i smell the smoke from neighborhood fires
in the late fall air i can feel the wind bite my skin
off down the avenue i can see the kids are playing.

frost on my fingertips as i look out the window glass
dusk darkens the yard the wet sidewalks the streets
moonlight outlines the clouds as it plays through
the bare empty branches of the trees.

light snowy flakes dust the autumn leaves
as a chilly gust pushes them across the drive
crunchy gatherings in curb corners and against the wall.

it makes me sad but not totally
it makes me wonder and think
of yesterday.

i can fill my head with thoughts of time
years passed by and times i've cried
or i can insulate my memories
with nice things shiny thoughts and happy dreams.

riding my bike my hair blown back
flying my mind above the clouds
anywhere i wanted to go nothing holding me down.

legs burning i would ride for miles
out to the airport out to the runway
watch listen and take it all in that was my world.

it makes me sad but not totally
it makes me wonder and think
of yesterday.

i don't care

i don't care
i couldn't care less
i refuse to even acknowledge you

i don't care
i don't give a shit
i doubt i will even remember you

slap yourself on the back
congratulations you're the winner
throw yourself a party
count all the head-talkers and name-droppers
who didn't show

yell stomp and clap
reward yourself with a victory dinner
go get it started
raise a toast and smile big for the tv cameras
that didn't show

i don't care
i couldn't care less
if you live die or get hit by a train

i don't care
i don't give a shit
i think you're a moron dick
already dead in the brain

you have to have the limelight
the front and center x onstage
everything perfect a-ok
profile only your good side
what side would that be
all those adoring fans
will dump you as soon as you turn thirty

the attic

the boy in the attic
sits and picks at the wooden floor around his feet
the boy in the attic
sits and picks at the scabs and his swollen teeth
too many days have passed since he ate
too many nights have come and gone
too many years have passed
outside his window

the girl in the street
sits and cries and shakes from the cold of the rain
the girl in the street
tries to shield her brain from the fear and the pain
too many nights have passed since she slept
too many days have come and gone
too many years have passed
outside her world

broken fairy tales cut their knees as they crawl
falling stars stab their skin
bubbles bursting blur their eyes
their dreams lie crushed under the weight
of their own lives

gripping to climb the rope of the hangman's noose
to escape the waves of anguish and hopelessness
fragility born of impoverished existence and helplessness

the physical and psychological shells
contain empty minds and souls
blank stares and deafening static
define the lines
define the roles

the boy in the attic
sits and picks at the cinder block walls around him
the boy in the attic
sits and stares as the dark pool streams towards the drain
too many days have passed since he smiled
too many nights have come and gone
too many years have passed
outside his window

the girl in the street
lies inside her cardboard newspaper cocoon
the girl in the street
facing the darkness is the only thing she can face
too many nights have passed since she was warm
too many days have come and gone
too many years have passed
outside her world

the ring

come on bring it
let me see what you got
let me see how you dance
bring it on

come on bring it
let's close the deal tonight
let's sweeten the deal alright
bring it on

hot, hotter, hottest
hot enough to pass the test
under the ropes step into the ring
you aint overlookin' anything--
good, better, you're the best
clean up this freakin' mess
step up to the mike n sing
make em cry with every swing...

cover up you better bring it all
you're going down you're gonna fall
showin no mercy no sympathy
all the way down to the mat
that's where you're at
down on your knees

the crowd goes wild with each passing round
lights grow dimmer for the weak
and brighter for the strong

every step's a struggle to the last
only one will remain standing tall
only one is standing at all
the last call
and that's all she wrote
that's all

cater drive

staring thru my pulpy glass of orange juice
linoleum countertop under my elbows
the morning cold metal edges crease my skin
snap crackle of a ground beef patty on the stove
the heavenly smell fills my nose
as it floats in the air.

blue and flowery old plastic plates
pale and worn from years of meals
years of seeing generations
sitting round the wooden kitchen table
then clattering in the sink soapy water
scrubbed, rinsed, and wiped dry
then put away.

cater drive is in my memories
good, bad, and indifferently
pasted on the walls inside my mind
gone yet never forgotten
replaced yet always there
i'll haunt the grounds after i pass on
i'll be there after i die.

walking behind the whirring flying grass
tires print lines across the yard
wooden handles warm and worn
hours and afternoons spent
sweaty hot and young
under the texas sun
hating the work
only realizing decades later
it would help make me who i am today.

cater drive is in my memories
good, bad, and indifferently
pasted on the walls inside my mind
gone yet never forgotten
replaced yet always there
i'll haunt the grounds after i pass on
i'll be there after i die.

slave

cruising down
the tumbleweed highways
radio's cryin
on my shoulder
sun is settin
evenin's comin on.

pullin into
the gas station sideways
gravel kickin up
it's gettin colder
time to fill up
find a spot
sleep til dawn.

dreams whisper
across my brain
driving out
the fears of the day
simple things
to occupy me as i sleep
as i leave
the outside world outside.

open my eyes
to a brand new day
girl calls me
love you too i told her
a slave again
to the laneline i ride upon.

visions whisper
across my mind
ushering out
memories of the night
intriguing things
to occupy me as i drive
as i leave
the inside world inside.

cruising down
the tumbleweed highways
radio's cryin
on my shoulder
sun is settin
evenin's comin on.

indigo

transparently opaque
shining like diamonds
clear eyes
of glistening indigo
wash over the ugliness of life
waves of sympathetic empathy
embrace and cleanse
the wicked ego

they lead the lost ones
back to the fold
they light the footsteps
of the blind
they smooth the rough
and still the wrought
they calm the hopeless
with heavenly thoughts

and the Gods just sit and laugh

teeming with some unknown desire to live
the granular entities meld into one
solitarily sending mindsigns to each other

unique yet identical
extreme yet so smooth
soothing to the touch
with their casual ferocity tamed
pressed down
held down

minutes become hours
hours become days
days become years
and the earthen cage melts
into the ground around their feet

standing with arms outstretched
reaching for the stars
soles and souls scalded
fingertips raking at Heaven's wall

billows of smoke
fill their lungs
lust obscures their path
keep slipping and falling
as they try to trudge on
and the Gods just sit
and laugh

minutes become hours
hours become days
days become years
and the iron shackles melt
into molten pools around their feet

still standing with arms outstretched
reaching for the stars
soles and souls scalded
fingertips raking at Heaven's wall

billows of smoke
fill their lungs
lust obscures their path
keep slipping and falling
as they try to trudge on
and the Gods just sit
and laugh

trucks

powerlines slice the blue morning sky into ribbons
bare black branches poke the puffy clouds
industrial dust red with the sunrise rises like fire
iron furnaces slinging slabs of slag

exploding hot fury
against white fences
whitewashed to camoflage the mud
spattered up
from the passing trucks
on their way to the corporate dump

brickface warehouses guard the avenue
facing themselves
looking down
on passing traffic in front
as the loaders drive by
belching diesel into the sky

at their backdoor
the alleys stay dark even at bright noon
shadows contribute
to the delinquency
of the city
the warehouses are oblivious
so blind
their window panes
lie shattered on the ground

the walls tremble as the trucks pass by
factory bound and then back again
bouncing down the pavement
whipping by a hot wave
of metallic electricity
birds fly away
gray dead streets crack even wider
crumbling curbs and peeling walls

powerlines slice the indigo evening sky into ribbons
bare black branches poke the puffy clouds
industrial dust red with the sunset still rises like fire
iron furnaces still slinging slabs of slag