**
Cackling in the back of my penthouse suite closet
What I thought was a skeleton is my potential future-ghost
Shaking for medicine that must be taken now
I would like to pause it
I want a cure most
Will the present mask come off,
Reveal beauty infinite
or will it carve the future
getting so close?
*
Heckled by attendees of a courthouse for my whole life
As the judge beckoned me, I made an offhand boast
Question of sanity must be taken now
I’d like the chance to answer
In the spirit of the host
Will this disaster end
As we adapt to it?
How do we chart the future?
I guess no one knows
**
Then I heard a voice from inside my skull
The others heard it too and then there was a lull
The family carries on
This guy’s hard to the core
“I am right here, who are you looking for?”
The crowd moves away, the calm man was outrageous
“They don’t hear me” and I began to count my pages
*
Sifting through years, memories, goals and plans
Night started early and the moon understands
I sat back in my seat and reflected on the day
The tides of life are changing, plans must get underway
I scrolled and scrolled, “There is nothing here”
I cleared my throat loudly and began to fear
*
In words coming next
too hard to debunk all
Thought it made sense
to call my old uncle
He listens to me
But won’t see the whole story
Who I may need to talk to
is a guy that ain’t sorry
Once a friend of mine
now just seems sinister
May need an exorcist or
Just a Xmas-time minister
*
They said I need faith
and good sanitizer
I keep my chin up
Don a mask and seek advisors
Most I find from my chair
With my hand-held office
And avoid anyone
Who asks what this cough is
I sat and felt stressed
But couldn’t get any bolder
Heard a whisper in the dark
Felt a tap on my shoulder…
*
It was all I could do
To not scream out loud
The past was awakening
Vehemently proud
First thing I thought is
Maybe it was our cat
But he was on the floor beside me
And not at my back
The whistling wind
Turned into a chorus
As I’d fallen asleep
Dreams wouldn’t ignore us
*
“You’re nothing!
A flake,
A washed-up electrician!”
A voice was seething
Up rose his apparition
“Remember those years
When we laughed together?”
“Yes” I said frankly,
“and all the bad weather”
Behind my back
He had laughed and stole love
His face faded in the window
As rain fell from above
**
The cat knocked a vase off our farm-house dining table
When he saw the dark reflection of the passing ghost
Pressure manipulating is forgotten now
I had to catch it
Oh… so close
Will common sense reach him
For safety specific?
We need it for the future
At this time the most
*
Tracking mud from the floor of her doghouse,
Lucy has free reign
Sweet canine has more luxury than she needs
almost
Not much for etiquette
It’s eats at me now
And so I blurt out
What I think we need most
Will we keep good distance
Reveal faith incarnate
Or charge to the future
Getting too close?
**
Then she starts barking and rattles my skull
Neighbours hear it too
It’s inescapable
She follows me inside with no clear boundaries
I go upstairs & hide
“Quiet! Calm down please”
Then we are fine
On the couch just her and me
A quick belly rub
Now she’s nice as can be
*
Sifting thru pages
and trying to share words
Lucy asleep, I hear pure tones, divine birds
Charming racket of a kind crow
for fall leaves we grieve
Cool mood in the room as I
Write and believe
I lay back for a second in my rotating chair
Of an unearthly presence I become aware!
*
Television crackles
My hands on the screen
A voice speaks clearly
Blasts out of a dream
It was the news host talking
directly to me,
“You must help save the world
It’s hurting… come see!”
I see people suffering across the earth
It drags me down
like I’ve lost social worth
*
“You must fight the battle for everyone you know
Save the entire planet and everywhere you go
Don’t sweat the small stuff but carry the whole world
Brace us against the sun and the creeping moon curled!”
I said “I’m trying, I’m doing the best I can!”
“Not good enough
Try harder again”
*
Like the sound of a coin into
wishing-well water
The TV turned off
Fizzled and felt a bit hotter
Blinding light burst
from the face of my phone
Barely pressed the screen
And souls entered my home
My inbox explodes while
Text messages chime
Notifications pile up
I have nothing but time
*
Late bills
Spam and useless subscriptions
Tried to close them fast amid too many encryptions
A sight became present that bolstered my spirit
A message from someone that had read my lyric
Their image appeared on my screen so ephemeral
A fleeting glimpse, like it had it been here at all
**
Clucking in back of our chicken-house bird-palace
What I thought was an odd project are pets we love the most
Waking-up schedule
Much better now
Get up
Let hens out
Fresh eggs for our toast
Will Earth’s cruelty stop?
“Yes” should be implicit
With effort for the future
Kindness that we chose
*
Reeking from heaven to hell
the outhouse of this winter
Seems what we ate is attacking us
as time has quickly froze
Questions of appetite
Don’t feel quite right now
Please unpause
It’s what matters most
Will there be paper or light?
Any privacy?
For others in the future:
Consideration I propose
**
Then faith in my SUV
As I buckled for the store
Elastic scratched my skull
Safety is what it’s for
Driving down the road
Guy clearly saw the sign
Blew right thru it
And crossed the double line
We must be more safe
Follow worthy rules
Then when we look back
We won’t look like true fools
*
I was also rushing
When I was much younger
Time has shifted gears
To a responsible kind of hunger
We all need supplies and food
A reason to go out
No need to be rude
Kindness is all about
We can still be fast
But keep good sense to stay safe
Like wear a brand-new mask
(One that doesn’t chafe)
*
Closing my car door
Walked to get a buggy
For this time of year
It was feeling rather muggy
Clouds seemed to issue
From a parking-lot sewer-grate
Black shadows formed in front of me
And wouldn’t dissipate
In the next moment
Thought I was losing my mind
Soon to be sure of it
A specter was defined
*
The future’s public eyes
Red and burning through me
History of life
Like no one ever knew me
With hands like ravens’ claws
the phantom grabbed my wrist
Dragged me in to the cold wet sky
without my shopping list
Over streets and homes
Across river and valley
Fiend then dropped me off alone
in a cold and dirty alley
*
A puddle on the pavement
Showed my own reflection
Cars splashed by
I jumped back for my protection
The ghoul looked at me
I saw families torn apart
A young man looking old
pushing an empty shopping cart
Then a ghost blue van
hauled us off
no indecision
Threw us in the door
of a last-ditch forensic prison
*
There were hard cold floors, padded walls with windows barred
Dragged us to the morgue, down grim dark halls, my brain was scarred
Sobbing all our tears filled the reaper’s cup
The shroud of years established
hides parts of institutes corrupt
Fire in the shadow’s eyes
And blade of it’s sickle
Dying to get thru
Our fate is always fickle
**
Shackled for days in a big house of the future
Strap on a straight jacket in the fashion that I chose
Tying down pacifists, no one looks to me now
If there’s no cause for fear
Lets just bulldoze
Will present chains come off
If we’re complicit
Or will we weigh down our future
With a heavy dose?
*
Crackling chambers of a charnel house we all face
Where we find a skeleton we won’t always find a ghost
Our souls are independent
We may live forever
I’d like to prove it
Preparing for the post
Will we find complete calm
and consciousness infinite
Harness power for the future?
Excitement, no one knows
**
Smoke rises fast
Proud machines rumble
On shoppers’ gas fumes
Back to my vehicle I tumble
Turn the key to just get home
I have groceries for days
Made sure to put my heavy change
into the globe in the heavy haze
Vapours disappear into cold grey sky
And no Xmas shopping junk
if I don’t need to buy
*
As I’m driving home
with the stereo blasting
I thought of my daydreams
And impact everlasting
Then I heard a song
I’d known all along
And now that I was on
I wouldn’t get the lyrics wrong
It now made sense to me
Really set me free
I thought of friends and family
And visions that should be
*
Rolled into the driveway
Ready for the afternoon
In my truck I rocked out hard
to the rest of the classic tune
When my song was over
Spirit still in my head
Concentrate to remember
Exactly what was said
Walk up gravel and grass
Thought of phantom smoke
Anxious to tell my folks
“Really! It was no joke!”
*
All along the house
Garden still looks pleasant
Yes, it is off-season
Glad that it is present
Folks are not here yet
Only close family coming by
Exciting for our kids
Despite foreboding sky
Optimism can save the day
Turn grey skies to green plants
Helps people play nice
And still make sure to clean hands
*
Now we join around the table
Love has made it when it’s able
We are gathered here together
Mostly on screen or phone
But with the weather
Let’s be clever
And this way
We will never be alone
Those closest to us sitting down
Food we fixed is coming round
With our stories and our grace
We love our dreams and love this place
*
The future’s uncertain and
We influence the outcome
We share our insight for good health
No one should be without some
Follow guidelines and make our own plans
Use common sense and take our own stands
The things we wish for
will work out for the best
If we love ourselves
AND LOVE all the rest
**
Sparkling in the sun
The greenhouse of our fair world
Plants will face reckoning
In this place we should love most
Nurturing living things
Must be priority now
We need to check in
On this precious rose
We must know a champion
Of beautiful humanity
Let us find a future
Where love for life shows
****
