Number 8 Pencil

I never liked reading poetry all that much, but did enjoy writing it for a brief amount of time. This is a collection of those poems and hopefully will include some yet to be written.

Monday, April 21, 2003

Dreamlogue

It was a long path to fighting myself,
and I started as three:
my beauty, my id, and my reality.
Someone else is providing my training;
I suppose he is the truth
who exists far beyond all others
mistakably held in this life.
This mentor dissolves into my being
as if my being ever existed
on such a microscopic scale.
My reality is my vessel
through which I see, think, and feel,
and my beauty and id are two separate entities
existing in their own bodies.
I have quite obviously befriended my id,
and it must have been long ago,
but our comradery has no origins;
he may have been my sight at one time,
but now he stands beside me, smiling.
Simultaneously, I am throwing punches at the other one;
that gorgeous being of near-perfection.
I despise her with every ounce of my own existence,
and somehow the roots of this hatred are strong,
so we circle each other in a ring of familiar forms,
fists are thrown and landed,
and after easily defeating her,
I feel unbelievably strong,
especially in my wounds and scars.
The ring disappears and I stand alone,
so I decide to start running;
fatigue can no longer endure.
My legs carry me through an urban sprawl
to a wall that attempts to contain me,
but my body keeps moving forward,
and I sprint through the air to the top of the barrier.
A simple realization occurs to me
as I stand overlooking thirty yards of trees deceased
and see flowing water and greens beyond:
there is someone on my heels full of anger and doubt.
My eyes remain fixed on the wonders of nature ahead
and I leap over death in order to float down to life,
and my shadow is gone.
This is a forest, a garden, a river of neutrality,
of tranquility, harmony and peace,
but my comfort is not complete
and I blink,
opening my eyes to a satiated metropolitan,
my body in a sprint.
Two blocks ahead, I see beauty turning the corner,
and I know I am chasing her.
She is no match for my speed,
but uses many evasive maneuvers
through buildings, parks, and crowded markets.
Two rusty motorbikes are parked nearby
and I jump on the red
as she speeds off on the green,
but I don't know how to start the motor;
she tauntingly turns back and I push my bike into hers,
stealing back the advantage of being on foot.
Oddly enough, we begin walking together,
sacrificing our own personal information
for some from the other
until the being of id decides to join the stroll
and attempts to seduce her with clever conversation.
Her response is expected, yet disappointing
as she hastens away from our company,
and I feel an unprecedented love for her.
It then occurs to me why we were running,
and my id disappears, never to return;
I wasn't chasing my beauty,
we were and are running to the same place:
a room of simplicity for one final bout.
She is already waiting for me upon my arrival
and familiar faces fill the room,
offering both of us one last meal before the fight.
Our responses are identical and delivered in unison:
green tea and pretzels,
a meal we appreciate but can't remember consuming.
And so the battle commences,
negative feelings extinct and onlookers fading;
the bout becomes a dance of acceptance
and I finish as one and all.
I know Enlightenment is not far;
reality has fused with beauty;
the entire world is a forest, garden, and river,
and that life is me.

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Rise Up

I smelled a skunk
and enjoyed the scent
You may say it's wrong
but I laugh originality
so keep your tomatoes
and bathe in my sincerity

The mind is a shadow
Guilt is a pleasure
Skin lies far below
My bones brave the weather

Rise above
Rise up
Rise up

I watched your window
and I ain't no peeping tom
You can call it odd
but I love your silhouette
so fix this broken glass
Our day's not over yet

Guilt casts a shadow
The mind creates sin
My bones begin to slow
You only see my skin
Look closer

Open your eyes
Rise up
The sky doesn't cry
not for me anymore
The world is a fruit
I'm a seed in the core

Give me back my freedom
and don't protect me skin
I want my own problems
so let the rain seep in

This fruit has gone rotten
and life is too easy
Stem, let go of that branch
Fall to the ground and release me

Tuesday, April 01, 2003

After Seeing a Homeless Guy

A heap on wheels
(musty clothes, damp blankets, rotting garbage)
my mobile home

A rusty park bench
(green paint, corporate logos, yesterday's newspaper)
my favorite bed

A pine box coffin
(musty clothes, damp blankets, rotting "garbage")
my eternal peace

An unnoticeable empty void
(________________________________________________)
my presence and your selflessness