Seven deadly states of mind
Spiderwebbing through
Our mental self —
Like a cancer infecting
Every fragile thought it finds.

Long forgotten what's been lost,
Money, the great equalizer —
Greed and entitlement
Dulling all costs.

Broken threads,
Disconnected,
Misplaced in the loom —
This may be
Where we landed,
It is not where we belong.

Pixelized, fill in the blanks —
Dots, designed to be connected,
Guiding thoughts, guiding hands.

Death, a welcome friend —
It is eternity that frightens me.

Gray hair, pale eyes,
Like paintings on a wall.
Struggles?
Not their problem —
Easily entertained
And happily ignored.

All are one,
All are blood —
Given time,
All of life
Drains into
The thirsty ground.

Votes are for the living —
The dead but speak
Through memories.

Bloodied knives in open backs.
Allies under common threat
Fatally mistook for friends —
Alliances returned to rivalry,
Before the smoke has cleared
Upon their sunset.

Drowning at the end
Of a dry spell —
Blessed with rain
I have forgotten
How to swim.

You don't own me,
But get to act like you do.
Possession’s nine-tenth of the law.
You believe in your rights,
And I'll act along —
Working like a man possessed
To survive.

Blinded we swing
Time's scythe and truth's hammer
Through trust and other fragile things —
Desperately holding on
To all the ends we've severed.

Joyful melancholy.
Decades since you left me,
Messages, but only if you're happy —
Warming yourself
On the still glowing ember
That once was not enough.

Secondary motivators,
Hands of fate
Forcing our actions —
Of all their
Manipulative ways,
The most tragic
Is compassion.

Friendzoned entourage —
Predictably dependable,
Desperation palpable.
I'm here for you, babe.

Caught in the undertow,
The ballad of
Three bottle carpet rides
And miserable landings —
Happy ending happy hours
To forget the day to day.

Scripted justification
With deliberate omissions
On endless repetition —
Too smart for my own bullshit,
But will I ever learn?

The coward’s way —
Pull the pen.
Thoughts like live grenades,
Volatile emotions
Trapped in woven cages
Of defused words.

Paths, branching out,
Hard rights and heart junctures —
Full throttle,
Never back to
The mess I've left behind.

Not yours,
The right,
The prize,
The time,
Broken winnings,
Broken trust.
Greed a teacher
Showing us that
Worth lies not in having —
Such is
The paradox of taking.