Vaporous

I watch the jets release
Their toxins without cease
And hear the droning sound
Of engines on the ground
As lines across the sky
Make me wonder #why

Then pity those so lost
They think it’s just exhaust
Because some suited fake
Said ‘That’s what planes make.’
It’s easier to say guess so
Than see through smoke they blow.

Hindsight

When looking forward all I see
Are blurry blobs of what may be
But gazing backwards helps me find
The clarity I left behind.

Inquisitors

I think of all the atheists
How quickly they’ll bow down
When the government declares itself divine
And how they'll tell the realists
To kneel before their crown:
Hey, you do your truth, I’ll do mine.

I try to be an optimist
And seek some common ground
But those who buy the lies feel elevated
Oppressors of the populist
Will scream for every pound
Of flesh they feel is not initiated.

Land of Cotton

I watch it come down
Like the corners of my mouth
That form a deep frown—
Time to move south!

Shameful

Inspiring words have been said
So much their meaning is dead
You constantly voice your desire
But most deeds actually require
Some action to put them to bed

If ‘fierceness’ is what you proclaim
Despite being laughably tame
Then why do you sheepishly stand
Like a beggar with an open hand?
Your shallow sham assures your shame.

Curriculum

Welcome to the Academy of Apathy
Where thought is not allowed
We made education a travesty
Ensuring you’re programmed and proud

Our bleary-eyed parents unconsciously
Release their young charges to us
Where they are instructed religiously
To never make much of a fuss

There are no facts left worth debating
Just falsehoods we’re fed by the rich
And if you feel I’m instigating
Then you have purchased their pitch.

Drawing Board

Remember that suit I proposed
That can lift you like no other look?
Well last night my whole house shook
From a wind that howled a horrid hook
Like a dreadful dirge a demon had composed

And immediately my mind began to think
About the clothing that could be a kite,
Such gusty weather would be a delight
Propelling me all through the night
But so far my designs are only ink.

Constructive

I wish I had a secret to share
That would make life worth living
But I don’t

A way to disregard despair,
Like telling you to be more forgiving
But I won’t

If only I could somehow make
The fleeting seconds last forever
But they’re scant

Or soothe the all-consuming ache
Of doubting each endeavor
But I can’t

Imagine if a billion hearts
Convulsed with pure compassion
But they’re still

Whatever drive belief imparts
Your life is yours to fashion
And you will.

Presence

Please let me stay aware to the end
So I may honor both foe and friend
And savor every precious breath
Before I finally face grim death;
Please let me see one final sun
Ignite the sky when day is done
A spectrum of color, my parting gift
As my wayward soul transcends the rift.

Ideal

It almost seems normal today
The sun is just shining away
And the crystal blue sky
Makes it hard to deny
This hope that the world is okay.

Off-putting

We haven’t seen yet
How absurd it can get
But don’t you fret
They’re working on it

When a smile’s a frown
They’ll make up a crown
Demand we bow down
And swear upon it

They’ll make a yoke seem
Like a gem studded dream
Or we’re part of a team
Don’t don it!

Taking the L

Everyone hates to be wrong
Denying with all of our might
That time we veered from the throng
But sometimes it’s worse to be right.

Standardized

Have we finally reached
The point past return
Despite what they preached
We've seen how they spurn

Our rights and our lives
To cater the whim
Of evil that thrives
As times become grim

Unless we decide
That we’ve had enough
And that we won’t hide
From threat of a scuff

Politicians must take
A test to detect
If their words are fake
Before we elect.

Impoverished

He bought 3 tall boys and 2 packs of smokes at 8 am
His voice all garbled from excess phlegm
He wore a black mask to protect his health
The sense we really need is lacking in wealth.

Sophistry

“You can trust whatever I say.”
Said the girl that was born as a boy
Perhaps the lie would hold sway
If he still had some balls to employ

Are we programmed to buy the obscene
(accept or you'll be ridiculed)
By fibs puking forth through the screen—
Progressive or thoroughly fooled?

Damnation is handily sold
Like liquor, care for a fifth?
The greatest deception they’ve told:
That evil is merely a myth.