with self

at times
life seems so futile.
no matter what you do, where
you go,
or how you do it,
it all ends in the same way-
a final breath,
an ending sigh
that breaks you through
to whatever it is that
resides
on the other side of reality.
and as hard as i have looked,
all i see is the need
to become a better person,
to experience life at its
finest,
to set goals and conquer
yourself.
the more you learn,
the more humble you become-
because to live
with the goal of
self realization
is to come to terms
with honesty.
it is an understanding
that puts you in your place.
as individual as we are,
we are not so much unalike
to be better than anyone else.
no matter how much debris
you collect
(fine cars, a beautiful home,
people who love you)
there is no other way out.
and in that we are as equal
as any other species.
we will feel pain, we will endure,
we will experience joy and suffering,
but at that final moment,
we are all the same;
joined with every other living thing.
so in time, we play games
with war, with finances, with the ever enduring
light that scrapes away at the surface
of our being.
we set traps to capture
ourselves in the slick
of life,
pretending to gain,
to lose,
to make amends.
as the light dims,
we wonder what we could have done
rather than the actions we have committed.
so i will play the game,
but always remain
with my head in the clouds,
wondering who i am
at the very heart of me.

show me the money. show me sympathy.

if the shoe
were on
the other foot,
you could be
damn sure
our leaders
would do
their best
to ensure
an equal future
for all
of the people.

you could
be damn sure
that they would
drop the religious freedom
bullshit
which has already
been established
in our Constitution,
and focus on actual issues.

maybe they could
set down some new rules
limiting lenders
from raping
consumers
with high interest rate loans.

maybe they could
bring they real criminals
to trail
for creating the deepest
economic downfall
since
The Great Depression.

maybe they could focus on the environment
rather than fixating on the pissing match
over oil that
they're having with other Super Powers.

i have been called a
Socialist
by the best of them.
the truth of the matter is that
i really don't fit myself into
tiny boxes with pretty labels.

Democracy is our best hope.
but there are a great many things
that need to be Socialized.
Medicine, Education, Utilities,
gas prices, the Lending System,
Political Spending, Social Security.
so there are certain programs
that need to be set up
to ensure a responsible future.
if the people are educated,
they can create a brighter future.
if their health is secured,
they can live without fear of
bankruptcy. if they can pay their bills
and rely upon a fair figure every
time, they are less likely to sit
in the dark. if they can afford to make
payments at an affordable rate,
they are more likely to pay off
their loans. if they can count on
the prices at the pump, they can drive
to work and be productive.
if they can trust their
Officials, they are more likely to vote
in the next election. if they know they
are going to be supported in their
old age, they are more likely to
produce in their youth.

it's all relative.

finally, if the people know
they are being taxed at the same rate
as their bosses, as their corporate masters,
they can relate to a capitol gains tax,
a luxury tax, a death tax, a tax tax.

but it is hard to pay for everything
knowing that the Silver Spoon Tribe
is living off our efforts.

really, isn't that what equality is
all about?

Don't Look Down!

Sometimes it feels like an
an elaborate movie playing just for me,
but I can't change the channel
and the volume is stuck on as loud
as it will go and no one seems to notice
and I wonder if they're even alive.
                     Sometimes hope
                                                filters through
and leaves the head feeling dizzy. And we cope
with it all in one way or another. Some self
medicate while others try to transcend as if there
is
                          some place to go
        beyond this.
But if that is the case, why does it feel so
stagnant? Try being alone for a little
while. You will feel it too. It rattles the
brains and makes the sweat come. This
constant rotation of the same scenes playing
over and over again as the end nears. It makes
you
       want to
fast forward just to get it over with. It is
only going to be more of the same with
a few minutes of hope thrown in to keep
your attention.
                         And there are those
               who say-
                               You're not looking at it
in the right way. But you could always say
that they need to open their fucking eyes.
                      They are too occupied to notice.
             They have
their friends and families. They are busy fucking
while they are being bent over in secret. They
have their phones and their television programs.
They have a retirement to plan for, and a mortgage.
At night they dream of bunnies and the chick they
fucked in high school. They pretend that everything
is going to be all right. And it will be
                                                             as long
as they keep their eyes shut tight. And.
                                                       Don't look
                                    down.
There are bargains to be had, coupons to clip. Fuck
the commercials. Do not pay attention to the ghettos,
don't look at the educationally starved. Do not open
the goddamn door and look outside because it is a
nightmare out there.
                                  Send in your donations
to make it all better. That way you can pretend that
some of the money you gave actually goes to those
in need and not to the rich fuckers running the charity.
Try to tell yourself that your credit line will buy your
way out of the mess that is dropping down from above.
Pretend the wars are justified to protect your rights.
Pretend the gas prices are low because they care about
you and not because they are trying to fuck with another
country who isn't keen on Capitalism, but would rather
wreak havoc on their citizens by make believe methods
to ensure no one ever gets ahead. It is all a different head
                                               on the same
                                                                   Monster.
They will say that if you pay too much attention to what
is happening, it will make you miserable. That is absolutely
true, but at least you are not pretending it isn't there. Maybe
if we all
                                pay attention more often,
               the shit will really hit the fan
and we can make a little change happen.
                               That would be funny.
                                                                   Wouldn't it?
Almost as funny as that cute kitten video you posted a couple
of days ago.

the wind, the breeze, the air, the need.

the wind howls
from the north,
singing its song of change.

the wind brings
a new air,
warping that which
stands in its path.

the wind whistles
and moans,
overturns the trash
and tramples the dust
inside of the pain.

the wind is nothing but
mind, perceived by a spark,
lit by the hand
who acknowledges it
blowing.

we bring the fire of
our own misery,
shedding skin
after skin
like snakes
biting at the winds
that shift and change
everything over into itself
again and again.

there are a very few
who
break the loop,
and try as hard
as they can
to find need
in the suffering of man.

ask the peaceful.
ask the lovers.
ask the charitable.
ask the wind.

through all of these years,
the wind,
it blows,
again and again.