once more, with feeling

More clear, direct

More substantial

or fantastic

What I need to say

What claws itself out from

some place

that is me.

Sense deeply processed

beneath my consciousness

released not in fleeting dreams —

here and now

What I need to tell you (plural you)

that we all already know,

hear, revile as saccharine sop

to futile reality —

innocent souls, before natality’s tolls,

toils, recriminations, banalities.

Who we have fallen into, become

without preparation or consent.

I so want to convince you (us)

all of a shining destiny

above petty declarations of war.

Craving more, a truth and justice

promised, like Santa Claus,

a human soul that loves, demands

mutual assured aid and comfort,

fulfillment of long sought paradise

because we can.

Lifetime Achievement

What is achieved in a life?

All those moments we live, feel.

Blood pumped,

air inhaled, expelled.

Voices, words that reverberate,

haunt, compel as passion

that won’t let go.

Grasp, if you can, those

floating threads each holding

chapters, stanzas, soul songs

that carried you through

excruciating days, months, years.

See, brilliant achievement,

creation, demons and gods

as needed, a whole world

intricately, intimately

perceived

Exquisite beauty –the essence of artistic

inspiration.