Snake Oil

Death is instrumental

To all aspects of life

Making so many live in fear

As they try to buy more time

Simple fools

Desperate for messiahs

Miracles of science

They long for the eternal

And forget to live

An Old Soldier

A silent knight

Eyes lost in contemplation

His spirit in a glass

Almost empty

Out of the reach

Of the civilised

He sits apart

Not knowing how to fit in

Even though the blood spilt

Was spilt in their name

Even though the barbarity

Is what they cheer on

Into The Flesh – Day 05

“What is life if not a journey from birth to death? What lessons do we learn along the road? Is there a point in working towards a better future when we know how our journey ends regardless of what we do or say?’

‘Have you ever felt reborn?’

‘Nope.’

‘Have you never had great moments of change in your life or events that made you feel like a different person from that day on?’

‘I’ve lived through a lot of changes in different times, different places but I’ve always been a constant throughout. When I feel differently about something it is because that something has changed not me. That said, I have evolved over the years through self analysis and observations, weeding out my weaknesses and being honest with myself and others.’

‘So, you are your own rock?’

‘I can be but I’ve had my fair share of doubts. Moments when I thought about changing everything. Then someone walks out of wilderness and keeps me on track. My perfect strangers I like to call them. Guides in those moments of need.’

‘Could you give me an example?’

‘I could.’

‘But you’re not going to.’

‘Nope. They are my best kept secrets.’

‘Why the secrecy?’

‘They were present when I was weak. I want to keep them safe from those who made me weak in the first place.’

‘Could you tell me about those who made you weak then?’

‘I’ll answer that one indirectly with a little anecdote:

I’m on a train in the south of France heading further south and for the sake of passing the time I start talking to this lass seated in front of me. She was a bleached blonde called Silva, who, after a few minutes of small talk started talking about Catholicism and marriage. She had been brought up a Catholic and shunned it and its dictate on how to live your life. As a female she had more ambition than desperately wanting to look like a meringue getting shuffled up the aisle so that she could spawn a squad of brats and repeat the cycle of life.

I liked her attitude and we had a good laugh on our journey together. So when we arrived at destination and she asked me if I would like to have dinner with her and her flatmates at her place I accepted.

She lived in an old stone apartment block in an industrial city and shared the place with a big gay bloke and another lass who gave me a quizzical look when we entered. We all ate together, had a few drinks and I ended up crashing there only to wake up in the middle of the night with my cock in her hands. Now, call me odd but I like to be awake before any sexual activity that I’m involved in starts. It reminded me that most strangers are not perfect strangers and come sunrise I left in silence.’

‘Oh, okay, I think I understand what you mean by weakness but did this actually happen?’

‘I just gave you the broad strokes to help you understand. Like I said: it’s an anecdote but maybe you see it as a parable.”

Bleed

Over four decades of scars

But hey, I’m okay

I have my stories to tell

A history of violence

Upon which to dwell

From the little boy

Punching trees to harden his fists

To the cool eyed whatever I’ve become

I’m okay

I’m not here to preach

I’m not here to teach

I’ll just share my way

So that the broken can fix themselves

Learn to smile and say:

Embrace the joys of life

Wherever they may be

Even in the darkest corners of existence

Be persistent

And you’ll be okay

King

A master of perception

Writing lines between the lines

Observing, absorbing, filtering

Before drawing conclusions

Like blood from the vein

Precisely, timed, focused

The essence of the all

Taken

One step at a time

V Empire

Let me borrow your smile
While I cruise through this reality
Where nerves and circuits intertwine
Electric minds
In search of the divine
So close
Yet somehow
Pass each other by

Slingshot

I realise
You’ve
Been through a lot
So
Let me add to your troubles

You really must
Be
Used to it now
So
Let me pour you a double

Be

Internalise
A conflictual nature
With burning eyes
Burning a hole
Through the lies
The deceit
The multiple tries
That squirm
Away from truth

You are weak
You are broken
You are choking
On the failures
That make you
Who you are

I am strong
I am fearless
I will never digress
To the low life levels
That make you
Who you are

Externalise
The throb of the sting
That is felt inside
Share the pain
Force them to decide
To retreat
Or set aside
The fiction
From the truth

A Man And His Shadow

I am the wolf
Elusive and wild
Watching you
Watch me
As I approach
From the cold
Fire on my breath
Hell in my heart
Pumping blood
Like a raging river

I know no forgiveness

Nature made me
What I am
Now I return
The favour
With sharpened wits
Tempered thoughts
I devour
The forgiver

EMP

There was no escape
Too young
Too weak
Trapped by circumstance
From birth
We seek
A way out
A way forward
A reason to be
More than they make us
More than they see

These fractures now mended
These bones won’t comply
To the rules of another
Who won’t even try
A change of perspective
Or a thought
For the hurt
That veils you in darkness
As you rise from the dirt

All the words from love lost
Become swords over time
As you bare out your chest
To cut out their crimes
And the mind becomes static
Charged with a sense
A purpose and reason
That demands they repent