Title art, The Vision of Faust, by Luis Ricardo Falero.

 

 

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Death In Vegas “Dirge”

 

 

 

 

Now and then, we are family, friends
We are lovers
Please be kind to one another
Should I have but a single earthly wish remaining, then that would be to see an end to bitter trend condemning those not deemed to meet the expectations heaped unrealistically
Everything is just so time-sensitive and tentative
Relative to theory that is clearly hypocritically conceived
Too ready to concede defeat by stampeding to victory
Beat opponent clinically and then delete the history
It’s no mystery to me as I have seen it time and time again
Only takes a solitary mouse click to unfriend
Chalk down to experience bereft of lessons learned
Anything to watch those bridges burn
Meanwhile, we’re still hurting for the one thing we’re deferring
And no less likely to invite the same endgame again
Effectively, we’re thieving our own Zen

 

Now and then, amidst the shifting features of the devious, we meet someone not dyed in wool of civil disobedience
Existing on the middle ground, both black and white surrounding, they crochet night to day without the need for cost accounting
Need not be a crowned king to look out proudly over kingdom
Need not be a queen to set a scene of regal majesty, which factors in a little thing called amnesty
Pardoning is harder than it seems to be when seen to be a sign of weakness, principally designed to be exploited
With reasoning of cynics’ logic typically appointed, everyone’s potentially a stranger
Home sweet homes are danger zones and megaphones are periscopes
Out of range and all at sea, we drown in uniformity
Taking measures cautiously, embracing distrust thoughtlessly
And all we see are beggars, fools and thieves

 

Now and then, amidst the twisting branches of catharsis, we unleash our inner artists and our leaves have opportunity to bloom
May not seem like there’s sufficient elbow room to push a broom
But canvases accommodate all sorts of pastures new
The architect is ultimately you
The very same applies to lives we feel obliged to muddle through
Blood relatives aside, we get to pick and choose our shuttle crew
There will be those more inclined to holding tight through thick and thin
Friendships that will grow despite the quagmire in-between
Doesn’t mean we need to be so ruthless with acuteness, every time we climb a tree and find it fruitless
Doesn’t mean we snap off branches every time they do not suit us
Doesn’t mean the shrubbery is rootless
For all our resoluteness to the tree of life we cling onto
Fellowships are often easy come and easy go
Growing bitter, reconsider every flame we deem to flicker
Lead our protestations on a basis which is strictly need to know

 

Now and then, we talk things out without the need to have it out
One simple conversation is often all it takes to shake the tree to see how far the apples roll
Instead, we look on vacantly and blatantly ignore the pleas of beggars, fools and thieves perceived ungraciously
Judgement calls, the axe then falls and this reeks of complacency
Wastefully devoted to the swing vote when the polls are rigged outrageously
Changing minds like drive-by seasons
So waylaid with stating grievance
All the while, depriving selves and others of encouragement to bank upon the true wealth of allegiance
Please be kind to one another
All the bad blood spilled is needless
Moving in for kill on lovers, family, and friends is monumentally not meant to be and heedless
More than that, it actually impedes us
There are beggars, fools and thieves
Will always be bad apples and eventually they’ll fall far from the tree
However, there are many fruit within the loom of whom we never should presume have perished
Should we polish up the apples that we glance, each now and then
Then maybe, just maybe, we’ll find something true to hold on to and cherish
This is how the jewels of crowns embellish

 

 

 

Richard Charles Stevens

 

 

 

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