Morning

Oh my Good Lord
You taught me to stand up straight
By making me wait
For You to reveal
Your glory

Thank You for the glow
That You sent so I would know
You were on Your way
Allowing me to prepare
For the radiance of Your arrival

Missing You

All I ever wanted was
to tell you that I love you
but I was scared that
it would scare you away

Now here I am left
with no one to talk to
but I still have
so much left to say

The Hope

There is no government
There is no authority
There is only the hope
That the money
That they pay us
To brutalize
And imprison
And suppress
Each other
Will still be worth something
Tomorrow

Nemesis

Your eyes may be the most
powerful force
in the universe
Nothing else
can shut me down
like they do
At first sight
I was amazed
just to be caught
in your gaze
so I stayed
entranced right up
until the moment when
you glided your lance
into my heart
I should have
seen it coming
from the start
but you had me
so happily under
your spell
that I couldn't tell
what was going on
I just longed for the day
the spell would break
and you'd take
your time with me
back in your lair
tied to a chair
You wouldn't dare
hurt a hair
on my head
but instead
you'd choose
to use
slower means
to get inside of me
and tear me apart
just to feel my beating heart
in your cold fingers
for a moment
I should run
and hide from you
I get stunned by you
every time
If there was ever
an arch-nemesis
you're mine
You're my kryptonite
The closer you come
to me the weaker I get
If you touch my skin
I think I'd have to submit
to your powers
So here I am
spending hours
contemplating
my fate
my doom
that soon
I don't think I can avoid
I'm annoyed
by the thought that
someone can just
get near me
to make me helpless
I fear you
You will be the end
of me as I have been
You are my nemesis
How can I even fight this
when simply being
caught in your sight
I can't resist
my heart pounding
at the thought
of the sound of
your voice
that would leave me with
no choice but to
go wherever
you would take me

The Long Game

This game
has taken so long
one's likely to forget
that they've even
been playing it
But I just can't wait
for the cards to be laid
out on the table
I can't wait to show you
what I've got waiting
what all the anticipating
has been building for
I want this to sink deep
so it'll weather the storm
If you haven't heard
the warnings by now
I don't know how
you'll expect
to survive it
The driving rains
and roaring winds
that we all know
are coming
the watchmen
have been drumming
their warnings
for long enough
that this day would arrive

Mischief

Sometimes I can’t help 

but be mischievous

but I hope you see what

I’m trying to achieve with this

I’d tell you straight

but that wouldn’t be any fun

and I’m having such a blast

since this game begun

Don’t You Wanna Know?

But don’t you wanna know

What I wanted to tell you
On my back porch that day

Don’t you wanna know

That time that you decided to

Let your tongue get in the way

Don’t you wanna know

My eyes were tense, I

Clearly had something to say

Don’t you wanna know

Why I brought you there

To talk to you that day

Don’t you want to know

Or did you already say

Everything you had to say

Double Entendres

hoping to get aroused

knowing it could be a ruse 

I choose to follow it anyway

it’s not everyday

I get a chance to smile

in fact it’s been a while

so I carry on 

speaking in double entendres

waving a wand with hopes

my spells will cast out

to catch a live one

and reel in some fun

but the waiting

is excruciating

while the bait hangs out

and gets tangled up

when I start looking 

for implied meaning

when no other meanings

are sewn in-between in

the lines I’m reading from

so I look dumb

raising my eyebrows

to a confused crowd

like I’m in on a twist

that doesn’t exist

but I insist I’m hip

to the jive as I slip

into a zone alone

of imagined entendres 

The Damage

I thought of you today

and the promise that I had made to you

and I wept bitterly

because I knew that I would keep it if I had to

I sobbed until my chest throbbed rhythmically

as I gasped for air

between the tears

It felt good to cry

It made me want to think of you even more

and the promise

and the damage

It made me want to wallow

in the idea of your pain and fear

which I could only begin to fathom

The tears soaked my beard

It felt good to cry

I imagined your pain

as worse as I could

I drenched myself in the idea of it

until I could take no more

As I recognized my own weakness

a ray of realization burst through

the clouds of my misconceptions

and I saw you for how strong you really are

your defiance never broken

You are a warrior

wounded in battle

but still continuing to fight

and winning all the time

You will never be defeated now

You will have the victory that you deserve

Unspeakable

When acts of war have become unspeakable

either because the violence has become so brutal

or because the citizenry has become too sensitive

or some convenient combination of both

When valor is shunned because the name

for which it’s done has been desecrated

So what in the past was a source of pride

now becomes something unmentionable

A dark secret instead of a brave moment

festering while it yearns to be informing

conforming while it could be inspiring

Cold censorship to what was intended as heroism

But what drives this fear of hearing about the acts

that our monetary contributions have afforded

to be done so violently in our stead 

for what we are told to believe is our benefit

The Prototype

I received

what I believed

to be information

on the creation

of a prototype

but it was just hype

for something they meant

for me to invent

for them in return

for the chance to learn

how to do it.

I said screw it.

Just Following Orders

We’re not to blame we’re just following orders

These are the laws that we’re told to enforce

They pay us to stand here protecting the border

If we don’t comply they won’t pay us of course

Then how will we pay to have fun with our children

How will we afford to buy food and new clothes

We must follow the orders like good little minions

Or imagine the horrors to which we’d be exposed

Like Vampires

They suck like vampires 

wearing high collared cloaks

to hide their teeth as they tell you 

whatever you want to hear 

keeping your mind occupied 

so you don't recognize 

them swooping in 

closer to your neck

Freedoms

I do not put shades in the windows of my parlor

because that is what it means to be free

I do not fear to say things I believe are in order

because that is what it means to be free

I do not bow before the wishes of some abstracted other

because that is what it means to be free

I do not have to pay honor to my father and my mother

because that is what it means to be free

Mob Rule

Constantly fronting

like you know something

but what you know

is just a show

and we can all clearly see it

Complex arguments

built on long stilts

so far extending

no on can see their ending

yet you expect us to believe it

Yes, freedom of speech

but please keep it in reach

at least tethered to reality

That’s not just a formality

It’s required to be effective

The abstraction that you draw

may keep your audience in awe

but it lies outside 

what evidence can provide

to justify your perspective

But you know that talking heads

will still shill what you’ve said

and give it their blessing

because it sounds interesting

even though they can’t understand it

Thus truth is defeated

as your message gets repeated

and the crowd cheers

for the only thing they can hear

exactly as you planned it

Patterns of Abuse

If I ever find out 

the name of the person

who hurt you 

to make you this way

I will hunt them for sport 

and kill them slowly

Your lashing out towards me

has made me rabid

my first instinct has become

to lash out in response

I can’t interact anymore

without intimidating

Like a werewolf’s bite

I foam at the mouth now

I howl alone at the moon

torn to shreds and left to die

I've healed from your attacks

but still remember your teeth

I’ve had to create a barrier

between how I want to react

and what is acceptable

so I don’t scare people away

but the facade I wear

is only so convincing

Because it isn’t natural

it’s not how I want to feel

I want to express raw emotion

I want to be truly known

but who is brave enough

to not be scared off

I have learned to smile in a way 

that hides my fangs

I keep my mane neatly combed

and try to fit in

but my reactions seem off

and my growl gives me away

If I ever find out 

the name of the person

who hurt you 

to make you this way

I will hunt them for sport 
and kill them slowly

Weapon of War

I’m a weapon of war

and these songs that I sing

are the bullets 

that will bring you down

I’ve never known you 

to get so nervous 

as when you know 

that I’m around

Because the power that

you threaten us with

your jets and ships 

and your tanks

Are worth nothing to you

and you know it

without the complete

control of the ranks

Of universal soldiers 

standing ready

and willing 

at your command

Without them your threats 

are naught

but a sharpened sword

without a hand

I’m a weapon of war

and this war that I fight

is the battle for

our very souls

That you’re always trying

to rip from us

demanding we must

meet your goals

You lead with the carrot

and follow with the stick

to ensure you’ve got

both sides imprisoned

Keep us entertained so

we don’t take the time

to question our

living conditions

I’m a weapon of war

because I recognize

the war that you’ve

waged upon us

But your conquest depends

on us not realizing

your attacks are

directed against us

So these songs that I sing

are the proverbs that 

will prove your

power structure is wrong

While you stand up there

and shout at us

you’ve been propped upon 
our shoulders all along

Intrigue

I romance the intrigue

holding on to the thought 

for as long as it will last

until all that remains

is a fond memory 

of a warm feeling

that I used to get

when I would remember

what I was inspired
by you to imagine