8 out of 9 lives

Call me maudlin, my greatest of sins
The bittery past turns into gin
Mix in the syrupy sorrow and juice
A flip of the coin where both sides are twos

I’ve got to tell you dear old chap
In 8 out of 9 lives, this cat
Would fall and land on his back
And follow the light like a laser’s mark

I’d ask for that hand and start with a dance
And waltz to a wreck, the future’s my past
I’d chase my tail till my lungs give out
I’d give in again, surrender my heart

I’ve got to tell you dear old chap
In 8 out of 9 lives, this cat
Would fall and land on his back
And follow the light like a laser’s mark

What can I say, I can’t change these stripes
It wasn’t all sweet, yet a wonderful time
I’d land on my back and smile at my fail
I guess you could say, I’m just chasing my tale

Dust and trickle

How do I do this again?

Oh yeah, one word at a time

Find the stream and gain some momentum

Oh, don’t forget to rhyme

It’s like riding a bike

Oh and breathe, don’t forget to breathe

Dust off the dirt from the blade

Oh how mighty is the pen

Sigh… 

It depends… 

On the sword? On the pen? 

Or perhaps the hand

That decides how much will drip

From the edge or the tip

It only takes one heart to siege an art attack

Takes a strong spine to hold back

It takes one brain to feign a storm

And one crown to adorn

But don’t forget your breath

And don’t forget the rhyme

Don’t forget your checks

And stick between the line

Only if you’d like

Only if it pleases your eyes

Greater > than

The only thing that exists is the instance at hand
Yet we are greater than the sum of the moments we have
If we choose to rise above this fact
We could be greater than the sum of our past
Levitate from the death of minutes, emerge from the ash
We rise to the occasion, some willing, some kicking and screaming
Thrust from the nest, frantically flapping and screeching
Or jump from the crest, feathers fluttering and weaving
Through pockets of air and currents in the sky
Either way fall or fly, or fall with style
Do we call the ones that dream the bold?
Or those who rose to face the day?
Sold their souls to play the game
To hold their nose through tainted air
Till lungs explode to then exhale
Then ride the currents to the sky and fall again
Rinse the slate for groundhog day
Awake again, no scripts displayed
But played it with every step and word they said
A story greater than the sum of the ink that bled
Our silence greater than the words unsaid
Violins greater than the strings that thread
So, my brother, my sister
Stay greater than your worth on paper
Stay greater than the wounds and plaster
Stay greater than the selves we master

Widows and wealth

They say war creates widows and wealth
In the wake of the turmoil, the waves are felt
The rising tide lifts all ships and drowns the rest
The wandering eye sees all things but is blind to itself

The warrior had the world in his hands
And then watched it all crumble to sand
It felt strange to have so much power and feel so helpless
Like an elephant at sea, or a shark in a forest

Still, there’s something about widows and wealth
That leaves sensations only the past has felt
The rising tides kept us anchored in its depths
The wandering eye sees not what is chained to itself

At war with our peace, at war with our pain
Leaves us with losses that can’t be reclaimed
Leaves us with gains that could vanish in days
Though the fires are gone, the ashes remain

Time is a beach

Watching the world pass by
My my, how time flies by
One minute you’re watching popeye
Next minute the greys in your hair pop by
Where does it all lead? The sum of all dreams
The hours all bleed to a collage of themes
Genre-bending, seemingly never-ending
Till we’re flower-sending when vessels empty
They say the treasure is the attempt
But no medals for content
No honour in contempt
The flavour is in the scent
Fleeting moments in a vapour
Ink vanishing on the paper
As it flies in the wind
To the skies it imprints
The light sinks in my eyes
Playing tricks in my mind
Watching the time slide by
As I wave bye-bye

This old town

People come and go in this town
I’ve seen all sorts come around
Do you think a place can be too peaceful for beings?
I think that’s what it is, I really do believe
When the silence is at its maximum
Every tick of the clock sounds like an explosion
Or maybe a siren call
I told you, I’ve seen all sorts
There’s an idea in physics, a theory of entropy
A theory of chaos
And it postulates
That entropy, chaos, dictates the flow of time
Like an engine driving the hands of the clock
Everything flows from a state of order
To a state of disorder

Even I can’t resist the call of the clock
Every year I wander further and further away from the bounds of this town
Sure, I always return
A dance I do with the universe
But like everyone who dances with the universe
Eventually, the legs will become tired
But not the universe, it waltzes on
Into infinity, into oblivion
Ever more chaotic
Ever more neurotic

I’m afraid you’re cynical

Give it to my straight Doc, none of the sugar-coated nonsense
It’s not looking good sir, you’re going to want to sit for this
You’re becoming cynical
I’m afraid it’s terminal
We ran some tests to see how bad
And when we played you that song with the new dance fad
We noticed aggravations here, here and especially here in your facial areas
Not to mention muscle tension in your arms and shoulders
We might run a few more tests on some TV shows
Although we’re concerned a vein might explode

How long do I have doc? Just give me the damn news
Maybe 2 to 5 years before you become insufferable
So what should I expect?
It’s going to start at your bum and spread
Eventually, you’ll just be an asshole with a head
I don’t see any chance of recovery barring a miracle
But I’ll prescribe these to get you through
You could start on those things you’ve always wanted to do
Maybe try something new
Spend time with the ones you love
A few doses of daily hugs
Sir, you’ve become cynical
And I’m afraid it’s critical

She steps softly

From her battles, through the trials and tribulations
She hoped she would one day be more than the sum of her expectations
As the time unfolded itself in the form of a black carpet
Unrolling into blinding winding white lights
Unravelling, cascading into words unsaid
So she stepped her bare foot unto the dark velvet
It felt warmer with every step
So did the light, and so did her breath

Hoping to one day be more than the sum of her  expectations
Hoping to be stronger than the weight of time’s revelations
She walked softly, into the winding white and blinding lights
She stepped softly so she could find delight and find respite
In the veil of time beyond her line of sight

Contraindications

Are you okay? You seem a little off
We’re in constant flux, it’s just a little trough
You should see people, spend time with the ones you love
You should take time for yourself, focus on self-love

You should take time to do nothing, spend some time in the sun
It’ll make you feel better if you got some things done
Your system is out of balance, maybe you need some meds
Perhaps all those chemicals are messing with your head

You never talk to God, maybe you need to pray
Maybe he doesn’t exist, you need to meditate
You need a plan, strategise or you fail
No one knows the future, take it with the day

Do something for yourself if you want to feel better
If you really want fulfilment, do something for another
There are twice as many answers as there are questions
For twice the queries, only half the response

Breathe and flow – Fisher

The end of silver became the birth of gold
A severed liver at the end of a rope
The bait in the river, the bend of the pole
A starving fisher waiting to go home

The life of a human, in a world misunderstood
He dreams of a Toucan, maybe dreams of two
The wings on his back can get him through
No matter what land, he finds what is true

The end of silver birthed the rise of gold
The same to the weaver, just threads to sow
So they hang in the waters, not minding the snow
Waiting for another bite, so the fisher might head home