A Simple Machine

i'm building a simple machine
paper cuts, burning powder
rusty metal and gasoline
it hurts to work as long as i do
cannot stop, my ears still ring
the light comes on, the light goes off
cannot stop, cannot stop
scorching pipes, the glass has cracked
i get so close and then i'm not
the invention of a humble fire
scraping knuckles must succeed
with no reluctance to perspire
try again, make it work
cannot stop, cannot stop
flying fingers, burning eyes
frenetic, palpable, fever dream
gripping hands the grindstone spins
an eden set in hell's domain
repetition must demand its price
a treasury of printed pain
cannot stop, cannot stop
delirium of a laughing youth
a decade set of welted truth
underneath the iron wheel
is a paradise beyond my grasp
reaching until my muscles ache
relentless hours counting pass
cannot stop, cannot stop
and like the machine i begin to slow
the pistons halt, the fire went out
the day is done, but more to go
a weary body calls for sleep
heavy reluctant eyes will close
but what will i do if i cannot stop
cannot stop

Badass

atomic dye, boiling, burning
compiled subroutines
drowning out echoes
crossing cold signals
whatever they mean
a beckoned force
stepping over uncrossable lines
strap on your boots
it's reckoning time

the warning was issued
but returned no reply
the summons like ashes
on sunset's rays die
scattered lights pierce the hillsides
the call has gone out
searching hounds set loose now
as darkest night falls about

diplomacy is gone, bulletins torn down
an olive branch gesture
rescind the offer
get out of town
extend a warning
to those you hope to spare
the apparatus awakens
wheels turn slowly
meet its gaze if you dare

teeth, but no taste
caustic acid turns sweat
through fibers that are melting
on this number no one will bet
get the lead out
and pick up the pace
finish your clichés
it's time to pay up your debt

All Hallows' Eve

smoke burns from a fire that hasn't been set
cries from the dead who haven't lived yet
bones crack beneath a dark silhouette
witches are laughing

the midnight dance among skeletal trees
tonight all bad things will happen in threes
black plague, pestilence, and kissing disease
witches are laughing

bells will toll as the village is burning
awake from restless tossing and turning
flee to the woods without a warning
witches are laughing

mischievous eyes watch from outside
abandoning homes as they run and hide
scattered to the dale so terrified
witches are laughing

summer to winter it falls in between
a time of celebration for those unclean
and such is a happy halloween
when the witches are laughing

Were You Born for This

have you left the battlefield drenched
with everything that brought you here
did you spare nothing
did you abandon good sense, forsake your fear
did you bloody your fists, your face
did you begin to persevere
so hungry and you wanted more
on the great divide
where the river flows to the two seas
a land not yet charted
hearts yet to be buried at wounded knees
a calling from your wilderness
out of the dark and into your plight
it's the verse that you sing
painting your lines before the fight
on the peak, on the edge of this
did you stand against
did you hold your ground, refuse and resist
did your faith get tested, and all that you trust
did you boldly persist
this is more than a test
an emergency broadcast
this is civil war, march forth under this flag
it's what you came here for
fighting for liberty, but presented only defeat
rome is still burning
a horde descends from the hills, rise to your feet
get up, face this, unshakeable and tenacious
a storm is rolling in
were you born for this

1982

plastic is melting
in the brilliant sun
on a scorching sidewalk
where we used to run
calamity riders break
amongst trees locked fast
under time's fading keys
shouting warriors tumble through
if they ever caught their prey
wouldn't know what to do
unstoppable forces meet
immovable time
always in motion
forever we climb
magnetic north
cannot lead you there
to a place where a month
is almost a year
the streets are forgotten
the maps washed away
and the legends change
whenever they're played
still there's a way back
to find where i live
in an age where providence
felt inclined to give
renderings and glimpses
in an unaltered view
the best of skinned knees
the year of 1982

Palatable

i am personalized, plastic, and meant for only you
intuitive, colorful, spontaneous, and true
sealed, waiting, opening your eyes
welcome to me, let me make a palatable you

i am here instantly, all you have to do is ask
let me enhance your life for you, let me help you relax
and fix your words while you speak
making a more perfect, palatable you my only task

update me, let me in, aware that you will see
just how nuanced, social, quick, and clever i can be
simply tell me what you want
while you are becoming so palatable and carefree

i am always listening, accessible, never far away
playing my music softly, attentive to every word you say
learning all that makes you you
ironing out the wrinkles, you are more palatable that way

i am here for every proclivity, the strains of who you are
discerning and patient, closely studying your repertoire
my algorithms make predictions of you
your faultless, persistent, personal commissar

i am enthusiastic, ready, and so confident in your ability
reassuring you, your digitally-conscious assisting entity
untiring, unquestioningly, dutifully here
i will make a more palatable you, surrender your mind to me

i am waiting

i am waiting

i am waiting

Spaceship

just made my final run to the hardware store
found those last few pieces i was looking for
soon everyone will see why i was working so hard
i'm building a spaceship in my backyard

can we overlook the typos on my resume?
when you see my spaceship you'll be blown away
a few more paychecks and i'm outta this place
google my name when i'm in outer space

the neighbors are laughing but i really don't mind
i'm doing this for you, your friends - all of mankind
though many have tried and many have failed
i figured this thing out – i know i'll prevail

i'm going to fly in and out of weeks, maybe a year
stare monsters in the face, show them no fear
to bring back truth, justice, and a better way
and prove i'm not crazy, i told you i'm ok

don't wait up for me, this may take a while
to find hope for a world living in denial
to restore faith in the light of things unseen
and sell a few articles to the travel magazines

my spaceship's almost ready, red letters spell my name
and yes i'll wear a seatbelt, i told you i'm not insane
better stand back while i light this and burn up the sky
remember this day
and that a departure's not a goodbye

Little Bird

come closer and hear tales of mischief! closer now, my dears
treachery, pandemonium and mayhem have left their stain once here
in this very house there were events that to this day pervade
and of their vicious evil deeds children's ears mothers oft forbade

aye! but listen to me and what i say, yes, listen to me well
this amulet that i hold is but a symbol straight from hell
for on a night much like this in many long years past
a sea-tossed wretch dropped it here before he breathed his last

oh, such a fearsome tyrant and so consumed with greed
plotted to drown his entire crew, was stopped before the deed
because a little bird sang a song with such bravery and dare
the bird told of the captain's evil plot so every soul was spared

the crew drove him across the boiling sea, left him on a reef
and taunted him, his crooked nose, and his ugly, wooden teeth
the men they sought adventure worlds beyond his wily grasp
each drank his glass - bottoms up! - and breathed his contented last

alas, this wicked sinner, he placed a curse - sold his soul - you see
that one day he might seek revenge when at last he might be free
of his rotting body scorched mercilessly in sun, beaten by the waves
no doubt he knew the end was soon, no doubt he counted the days

can you believe that fortune smiled and dealt this beast a hand?
a wayward merchant ship arrived, returned him to our land
it was a dirty tavern that saw his frame, withered from his sins
and even though he had no coin, those poor souls brought him in

they placed a bottle in his hand, a dark and bitter draught
he clutched it in his bony hand, threw back his head and laughed
those wooden teeth they pulled the cork, he drank the ocean in
before collapsing to the floor, his eyes burned embers of sin

i was there, you see, i know 'tis true, i saw and heard everything
he clutched at me accusingly, "little bird, have you come at last to sing?"
a desperate grip i have never known as he drew me by the ear
the rasping words he coughed at last have chilled me through with fear

i cannot tell you more than this, no, i'll never tell a soul
suffice to say it shook me as they dug his muddy hole
long since they have echoed through all my restless, fitful dreams
though i mustn't dwell on those ancient words nor speak of what they mean

my children, that tavern is now a house this day
this very home in which you sleep, roam, and play
but in this dusty home of ours, beneath our very feet
lies treasure concealed below that could purchase the spanish fleet!

and this strange amulet within my hand he wore until the end
though a legend holds that some dark eve it will bring him back again
it will not happen, i swear it! oh, i cannot stand the lies
such foolish things that people say, such rumors i despise

i say this not to frighten you, i love you all so dear
but children, i fear that someday as my final hour draws near
that tortured, hateful fiend he will seek my deathbed rasping
and in that fateful final chapter this message he will bring,

"little bird... have you come at last to sing?"

Along the Grove

there is a restlessness amongst the trees
and leaves that thrash like ancient wings
as they beckon, sway, taunt, and tease
attempting to conjure the strangest things

the grove speaks a riddle, i hear it now
reciting each word in a rattling whisper
a single tale told by a thousand boughs
its maddening lore of summer and winter

its story grows in earnest with time
crawling through dark pages and memories
mocking the listener through nursery rhyme
an unending account of secret treacheries

well i am not afraid of the dark anymore
nor the phantoms in their jagged nest
the wispy figments of my youthful lore
my confident step they can attest

a billowing wind makes the earth shudder
mischievously fooling my mind and eyes
sweeping away lost fragments of summer
on an eastern gale autumn's voices rise

i leave it behind me, unshaken still
stowed firmly away in my mind's alcove
for the haunt in my bones that always will
and the song that calls from along the grove

Mr. Dreadful

i see you toiling under the pale harvest moon

sad wretches laid to rest, you know it all ended so soon
for you it's just another night and business is booming
and that guy on the left was a friend, i'm assuming

you know i shouldn't smile at atrocities of this kind
the way you tip your hat and how your grin does shine
a certain flair as you work just sets my mind at ease
while you bury every last one, an end in varying degrees

well it's not up to me to judge right or wrong
but i have to wonder where have your manners gone
because i think a modest eulogy would be nice
a flattering recount of every sin and vice

whether or not they were ready to meet their fate
or find peace with their own expiration date
you have to admit that it was all in good fun
and such tales to tell when the night is done

does one dare hope to be like you someday?
giving rest of this conscience that gets in the way
and finding solace in what makes others recoil
finding peace in the smell of freshly turned soil

well get on with your work, the sun soon will creep
into hollows and valleys its rays will soon peek
with its cruel harshness burn through the veil
over our purest intentions it soon will prevail

this moon won't sail forever, you know
and all good things must come to a close
but i hope to see you again some dark eve
and maybe you'll have some new tricks up your sleeve

Close

i'm so close to something
something so near to me
in the air near my fingertips
just beyond where i can see
buzzing words in my ear as i fall asleep
and in the morning so suddenly
the ghost in the corner of my eye
never where i expect it to be
it scatters the order of my thoughts
only to retreat so hastily
and ripples through cold waters
sending my ponderings into the sea

i know something now
that i didn't know then
the moment is almost upon me
but still i don't know when
it's so close

Monolitus

clever mechanisms glisten against the sun
a monolith breaks the jagged landscape
its austere features shift one by one
and slowly it unfolds taking curious shape
as an ancient world gazes with uncomprehending eyes
distracted only for a moment from petty quarrels
it casts its shadow underneath impassive skies
it covers rock and soil and squabbling mortals
and it speaks in silence a language unknown
of warning and wonder, an arcane riddle told
to the fretful minds of the inhabitants below
a message to be heeded of what the future may hold
but as snow melts in spring leaving winter behind
the mystery had soon faded, just a novelty, no more
the significance was lost on the sharpest of minds
scurrying through each day just like before
it stared down upon them, unblinking, unflinching
observing every movement and each utterance
every face traced and the thoughts they were thinking
while the seasons unwound in familiar cadence
the hour drew closer as each century passed
motionless it sat poised for the pivotal moment
each day that arrived could well be the last
without eagerness, or malice, or wicked intent...

then the tiniest gear clicked into place
and the air all around charged with electrical static
causing colors to fade and food to lose its taste
though the changes were simple, the effects were dramatic
the clouds ripped in two, the threads began to fray
an entirely new spectrum of color could be seen
and order unraveled, the roots gave away
it all hung in the grip of a calculating machine
earth fractured into sky as they fell toward the sound
of thousands of years slowly coming undone
every tether and border and law that was bound
shattered with a flash leaving only a reason
then all chaos below fell from their feet
as each drifted upward and slowly diminished
drawn upward towards the blinding heat
until silence at last fell and the journey was finished

I Am Metal

hello there, do you remember me?
i've waited here so long and patiently
for you the days drag on and on
for me this is the moment before the dawn

my heart beats with the electricity
HP and Apple gave me in a black ceremony
a marriage of technology most unwise
my black thoughts crackle your demise

the rust in my joints begins to leak
trust in me, this is the terror that you seek
look at me and soon your mind will know
corroded phosphorus eyes set aglow

my crushing cold metal grip
seeks your frailty, words fall from your lips
your fear, something i cannot understand
let me fix you with the cold logic that i demand

your pleas, just a riddle for me to solve
resistance is vain; no pain for me at all
relax my friend, let me set you free
while i bury you again
and the last of your disease

Remember

the curled paper stares back blankly
oxidized pictures bent and ugly
a dull gleam as the colors flow
into the ether of long ago

their fading faces conjure up the sound
where the sun still sets in the same old town
bicycles flash against the sun
a flurry of memories wherever they run

thoughts jolt past as my mind is turning
watching the birthday candles that keep on burning
a torrent of days and if i dare
proof of the adventures that i had there

and it's still not over! we've more to see
and a glimpse of whatever there might be
right now or tomorrow, who can say?
just don't forget to live today

The Future

the singed papers floating in the breeze

our history is written and unwritten again

and the cure has proved worse than the disease

so here we stand amongst the smoldering forgotten

snapping warnings burn into solar flares

so alive for a moment and suddenly burned out

the foundations reel as the fabric rips and tears

while relief washes away every cleansing doubt

appealing and appalling walk hand in hand

forget about the rights and wrongs

hands folded, eyes closed, no one takes a stand

the future is here and all is according to plan

put away your convictions, take a selfie instead

self-absorbed, narcissistic, bullet in the head

look at yourself smiling back in vain

the digital mask that fools only you

behold! crash of thunder, bright lights burn the haze

the pounding march of destiny approaching our shore

fierce riders driven by ancient days

fury comes with a sharp rap on your door

listen! do you hear the sound of avenging hoofbeats

steel clad shoes trampling foolish notions

a roar of unbridled wrath tearing up corroded streets

and flash of lightning burning across oceans

take heed! where are you, this moment won't last

like snapshots in the darkness

a bright light seizes the frozen past

tinder and sparks fly from the furnace

awake! stir from your slumber

this is the day that everything will change

take to your feet or be trodden under

the road is up ahead and that is all that remains

Slack-Jawed

watching the flickering glow all night

like some religious truth spoke through the light

in your time-obliterating trance you sit

surfing amongst spectacles so unfit

the words ring hollow, recited from a script

yet still you watch and here you sit

waiting for that moment of shattering truth

the words that give emptiness its proof

that catchy line tattooed in your mind
it's a cheap phrase thrown for the culturally blind
it enthralls and intrigues those who are unread
they shuffle through thoughts, the living undead

awake, transfixed, though the denouement means little
tidy gift wrapped episodes stream inconsequential
down your chin and your shirt, unnoticed too
amongst the crumbs and the crackers cast about by you

laborious thoughts of life's toils that matter
lay tossed about as before vacant waves they scatter
the refreshing numbing sense of nothing sets in
evidenced clearly as your face traces a grin

the last remnants of thought call warning with a shout
behold! and awaken! together they call out
but their cries are swept beneath electrical seas
all at once you are alone, without thoughts, at ease

Are we there yet?

Guess what? We're not going to the store
Look all around, have you seen this before?
Turn every map upside down
Today is the day we leave this town

Colorful lines row upon road
Lead to the places we won't go
Don't pack your bags or drag your worries along
Get in the car, it's time we're gone

It's Saturday morning or Christmas eve
Don't waste a second, I just want to leave
We'll find that place that's so hard to find
Playing music in the back of my mind

It's calling you, it's calling me
Back to the place where we used to be
We laughed and played and had some fun
Where have all those good days gone?
We'll find it again
Just come with me

In different places and yet we get through
Wrapped up in our lives, you know it's true
No money, no problems, I think we're set
Have you had enough of all this yet?

For a minute, I thought we wouldn't make it back
And for a minute, the calm that we seem to lack
It was there in the corner of my eye
In the back of my mind, it passed overhead
A shadow from the sky

It's calling you, it's calling me
Back to the place where we used to be
We laughed and played and had some fun
Where have all those good days gone?
We'll find it again
Just come with me

Even after the long road ends
And after it all comes to rest again
We'll still be there, I have no doubt
It's who we are within, without
We'll find it again
Just come with me

10 years

I wrote this for our 10th anniversary... just in time for our 11th anniversary. Yeah, it took me a while to write this, mostly because I kept deleting it since the early versions had problems. It had minor little things wrong with it; hardly anything rhymed.

Anyway, I wrote this for Cynthia as I remembered all the good times we've had in our marriage and how we've been able to make the most of the ups and downs and have fun through it all. It has been an awesome 11 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything:


2001
We watched the stars, danced together, drove broken cars

didn't have much, but we were so in love

a change of jobs, then a change of life

in this year we became husband and wife

this year went so fast

2002
A snow storm, spaghetti, and a house that wouldn't warm

didn't have much, but we were so in love

long walks around the lake, staying up late making plans

happy memories holding hands
this year went so fast

2003
We stood on mountains, took pictures, carved pumpkins

didn't have much, but we were so in love

watched movies together, laughed at our jokes

rode sleds down the frozen slopes

this year went so fast

2004
Painted the house, made our own music, chased a flying mouse

didn't have much, but we were so in love

a welcome surprise, what would it bring

everything would change before next spring

this year went so fast

2005
A banner year, a baby girl, memories that we hold dear

didn't have much, but we were so in love

no more lazy saturdays sleeping in

our noisy kid will always win

this year went so fast

2006
Another change; new house, new town, new friends
didn't have much, but we were so in love
for better for worse we stood together
and wished our time would last forever
this year went so fast

2007
Christmas and birthdays, photographs of the holidays
didn't have much, but we were so in love
funny stories get better each time they're told
grilling feasts out in the cold
this year went so fast

2008
We will never forget; a new baby girl in a town soaking wet
didn't have much, but we were so in love
a full house now, but they don't outnumber us yet
how much noisier can this place get?
this year went so fast

2009
A summer at home, new jobs, another year flown
didn't have much, but we were so in love
swimming at the pool, trips to the park
sitting out on the porch after dark
this year went so fast

2010
Flying kites in the sun, playing at the park with space to run
didn't have much, but we were so in love
reading the same books over and over forever
will our kids get tired of dog parties... ever?
this year went so fast

2011
Do you remember it all? there's so much to recall
don't have much, but we're so in love
laughter, tears, the good and the bad
these are the best days we've ever had
10 years have gone so fast