Poetry Anthology #2

And a bonus song!

Praise the Crazy Ones

Praise the crazy ones
Who live life as it should
The world beats them down
Yet they still manage to be good

Praise the foolish ones
Who know what life’s about
Who raise up not just themself
But tell the stories of those without

People may call them crazy
People may cast them a fool
But if that’s what it takes
Then fuck being cool

It’s not strong to be resentful
It’s not strong to hate
It takes strength to love
And stand up to one’s fate

Stand up proud and tall
Even if you stand alone
Stand with a burning passion
That you feel deep in your bones

No need to rationalize
Or get even tit for tat
An eye for an eye’s 
But an antiquated brat

In a world where hope is lost
Be their guiding light
Be their lighthouse
Leading through the darkest night

Let the arrows come your way
Face them with all your might
And let your love shield you
Showing them all you’re alright

Live each day to the fullest
Of the life in which you were blessed
To elevate the world together
To its greatest, to its very best

Link to Suno song!

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Delete

Delete,
That key, disguised as any other
Yet holds a power so profound-
To undo mistakes and failures
To mask, your words not bound

Delete,
A siren’s call to me
A quiet whisper in the night
Undo the past, erase the flaws
History’s truth I’ll rewrite

Delete, delete, delete!
The echoes of an endless urge
A temptation deep within
Exile my record, alter my story   
Banish where I’ve been

But to rewind every hardship
Weakens our will
And we’d live our lives on repeat
Like Punxsutawney Phil

Delete no more,
For the key is not in flight
But to embrace life’s every fight
Do not go gently into that good night 

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Abandonment

All light has fled, all hope lies dead
You’ve fed us like pigs into our enemies mouths
Our houses set ablaze, our families torn apart
Babies tossed away as the days of Pharaoh 

God, how you defiled us!
You’ve humiliated your people, sent them to the grave
Placed us in the gaze of such merciless foes
Who see us as vermin, not creatures of the same
Sculpted by You, our Creator
Who’ve sent your children to the slaughter
And to those who’ve burned to ashes we look in envy
The ones shot dead, slaughtered at the whim on the enemy
Yes, those are the lucky ones

While I, I lie here, stripped bare
Naked, clinging to fellow souls for warmth
In the cold, harsh winter
Where the stench of seared flesh of my people thickens
With each step sending searing pain in my swollen feet
As we’re forced to march for the pleasure of our enemy

God, how can you deliver such a fate?
Your sins far outweigh the mistakes we may have made
The atrocities of the times
A time when passing a pile of dead bodies left you all but numb
A time when our skeletons are all that we have left
A time when freedom is but a forgotten word
A time when my nightmares are but a refuge for the horrors of my days
A time when my eyes won't shed another tear for my tears are all but spent

Oh God! How can you sit there up above watching such evils?
Do we mean nothing to you?
Have you left us as a lamb for the slaughter?
Why do you degrade us like the rust on the barbed wire fences?
Left to rot in a cesspool of despair
Not knowing which day You’ll have mercy and send us to the flames

Oh Lord, why did you abandon us?
My heart burns with anger at Your wrath 
But I am helpless, a helpless bleeding soul
Who turns to You to pray
I hear the call of eagles while I pray for doves
My prayers unanswered, abandoned by the one I used to love

My people and I, sardines in these barracks
Beaten by our very own, no mercy is shown
Others lie between the walls, in the floors, in the hay
Suffocating their babies so not a whimper is heard

Is this what You decreed for us, oh God above?
I cry out to you, in my weak and famished state
As a living corpse, a zombie walking the earth
A sob I cried out to you in prayer
They watch me as a specimen, then whip me along
As they shoot down my friend to punish my song

God, cast a plague upon these men
Pour hot lead down their throat
Rip off their flesh, feed it to their children
Lather them in acid, gauge out their eyes
For all the suffering they caused my people and I

My days are over, the world is black
You, God, You have turned your back
On the people you’ve once loved so much
You’ve disgraced Your name, smeared it in mud
Trampled by Your enemies to whose hands we’ve been delivered
I open my mouth but no pleading is left
My body but a broken vessel, a departed soul

I curse Your actions, I curse Your name
My flame died out, burning with rage and shame
The night consumes me
I suck in my final breath
Of agony
Of pain
Of sorrow
For us, there is no tomorrow.

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Life's Gamble

The poker player doesn’t only go in
When he knows that he will win
The entrepreneur dares to chase the dream
Even though the risk is quite extreme

To ask someone out, your heart in full view
Is to gamble on love, see what might ensue
To quit your job, courage in hand
Is to embrace the unknown of paths unplanned

You're never pot committed to the hand that you are dealt
Each day an opportunity to reinvent
So forget those doubts on which you once dwelt
And go live a life you’ll never forget

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Princeptulus

I met a traveler who comes from outer space
“My name is Princeptulus, but you can call me Jake”
Seven saucer eyes and an antenna on his face
What an exotic creature that nature would make
We skip stones in the lake, all day we play
Then off to Callahan’s, a bar so bizarre
“These substances so perplexingly delightful,” he’d say
As the smoke of his cigar fades like a shooting star
The people flock, scholars gawk at their new specimen
Their tools and gadgets makings all these charts
Jake just grins, as he’s actually studying them
But as he’s writing down their parts he suddenly departs
Although his time may have come to its end
I find a note signed “my loyal friend”

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Designing Destiny

A die roll, a random chance
No destiny chosen, no fate to enhance
Our children born to stories untold
But now their futures can be foretold
Specimens so perfect, we can ensure
Designed to be pristine and pure

Genetic disease gone with the wind 
Flaws and imperfections left behind, thinned
Intellect, beauty, strength, all written in the genes
Traits to define to fulfill our dreams
Yet in our quest for perfection must we reflect
On the effect of the choices in which we select? 

Yes, it may not be as simple as this
The damage and dangers we cannot dismiss
We must proceed with caution towards this future grand
But to this you must understand
Though there’s much to be gained from such control,
We must guard the essence of our human soul

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House of Cards

A house of cards is what I am
Towering high, yet so precariously held together
A gust of wind, a sudden slam
My fragile strength claimed altogether

A gentle touch makes me weak
Too strong my bedrock quakes
The slightest breath upon my cheek
And the king of hearts begins to break

My foundations wobbly, but still I’ll stand
The scattered cards, I shuffle then
Building card by card, strong enough to withstand
The next gale, when I’ll build again

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The River Guide

Let the river be your guide
I stare at the rushing water strong
Beat against the mighty stones
Carving through to
A path unseen
Unafraid
Of the turn that lies ahead
For it knows that downstream
Whether it rises or falls
Widens or narrow
The twists and turns ahead
Will set it on its course
Wherever it’s journey may end

I guide people down the river
The water my office
Each day on the river’s course
Teaching the water’s ways-
To trust the current
Enjoy the calm
Feel the rush
Be in harmony with the tides
Letting nature’s embrace
Fill you with delight
At the pleasure of a life so simple
Rich with the wealth
Found in my heart
Grateful to the river for teaching me
How to live untethered
A life so free

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The Elevator

The doors slide open, I go in
Step inside, let my journey begin
I press the button on the side
Floor thirty three, where I reside
Tick tock, a second goes by
I reach to my pocket, though I don’t know why
My phone not there, silly me
Forgot it this morning by the tea
Went up another floor
Just twenty nine more
At my watch I glance
Five more seconds we advance
Bored, I start to pace
So close to my place
Then suddenly I stop
Ahh, I’m so far from the top
Floor fourteen lights up in red
I just want to get to bed
Another person steps inside
Joining me for the ride
The roof button he clicks
Light on, the elevator ticks

Thoughts race through my head
“Should I say hi? 
What’s he thinking? 
I made eye contact. 
I definitely made eye contact
Now I have to say something.
Why can’t I just be on my floor???”
“Hi,” I manage to say
“Hello,” he responds, without delay
Well I guess that went okay
Now we stand silently side-by-side
The floors I eyed
Floor twenty eight, almost there
At the floors I continue to stare
Then out of nowhere he begins to speak
“You live here, in this building so sleek?”
His voice tinged with an aura of mystique
“Oh great, small talk” I thought
But my attention he caught
“Yes, I’ve lived here five years”
And so has he, it appears
“So much time and we never met
Though practically neighbors,” I start to sweat
“When’s my stop?” I think
Then the elevator light begins to blink
My stop is here, I’m at my floor
No more small-talk, I’m out the door
“Goodbye,” he says, and I smile
For there’s no sense in being hostile
Back to comfort I return
To my distractions which I yearn
My phone around the next turn
To my solitude I return 

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Shadows

Would you kill a man to save your life?
To stare into those terrified eyes
A gun pressed against his brow
Your sweaty finger lingers on the trigger
His sobs pierce the deathly air
The world around dissolves into black
Just you and him, helpless, trapped

Could you pull the trigger then?
See the life drained from his eyes
Watch his lifeless form crumble like a ragdoll
The cries replaced by a haunting quiet
The blood flowing in scarlet streams
Soaking the floor a crimson red
And you stand, helpless, dazed

But what if you can do it in another way?
Poison his water or steal his bread
Push a button, your message sent
Ink your decree with cold intent
Send it away, your heart content

But being a blind observer does not shield you from responsibility
Your passivity cannot be mistaken for innocence
You won’t point the gun but the poison you’ll gladly share
Hiding behind your words, masking your true colors
While your contagion masquerades through the streets
Slaughtering unnoticed while you take on more command

In the end, the blood is on your hands
Whether by weapon or word, direct or discreet
The blood you shed was still your command
No distance, no veil can wash away those stains
Of those silenced, where now only silence remains
For in the shadows the truth still whispers your name
What’s done in the dark forever echoes the same

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