060615 temporary substitutes

060615
—
(life implies)
work to destroy
our casual, ubiquitous relationship
to addictive colonial commodities
–exorphic tools of control such as
sugar, grains, chocolate, coffee
the so-called “English breakfast” tea
and the rest of the global spice trade–
to watch every privileged life fade from view…

…privilege:
subtractive zero-sum civilized pyramid schemes
describing domesticated lives less-screwed
fools survive floating by
on top the drowning poverty crew

accept no temporary substitutes
like machines that run obediently on juice
and when the juice runs low
run back to the chattel
just a stone’s throw away
prisoners of an imprisoned
privileged few work the fields
night and day, nothing new
now hidden
behind the global technological veil

prepare yourself
when the liberal fair-trade fantasies fail
when slaveries stutter and lapse
imperial economies collapse
beneath the revolting tide of collective feral will

gladly say goodbye
because bodies detox and tastebuds adjust
while we discover exactly what
the land beneath our feet offers us

want liberation
in your body, soul, heart and mind

build genetic allegiance and trust
no willing addict of denial
expressing narcissistic preference
for the next fix, mindless
empty undead hunger-driven lust.

031411 spring ahead

i have a pretty antagonistic relationship with time
we’re often not on the same page
and it’s not through any fault of hers
and not through any fault of mine

it’s the fault of mechanistic industry
serving as an intermediary
distorting each time we try
distracting thought by thought,
derailing, line by line

“ethan, it’s time, wake up”
but you went to bed too late, you fuck up
“ethan, it’s time, plant alliums and brassica seeds”
no, go to work, make money, pay the rent
pay messed up corporations
pay your late fees and usury rates
pay the wealthy men in time you spent
indoors, underneath fluorescent lights
climate-controlled, days become nights
summer, winter blend together
into the ink-black scape of oil in front of me
as opaque as our ability
to see the limits of our prison
our ability to envision
our escape into the waiting arms of time
not free, just surrender
unto the chaotic beauty of time,
unmediated by anything less than divine
unfiltered, that’s the introduction to my rhyme…
—
031411
—
DST in PST
spring ahead, fall behind
AST through ZST
what a messed up way to be
i’m sick of all this BST
stop the clock
pull out the battery
put your pennies in the sock and swing
to reclaim your sanity
it’s not time we’re dismantling
it’s the shadow abstract of industry

it’s the seasons, sun, moon and tides
who define the meaning of time for me
who inspire a meaningful rhyme for me
and conspire to teach us to thrive, let’s see
what life’s like past trying to survive
when we celebrate the time we spend alive
as a community…

052112 slashed wrists

052112
—
hitting bottom with balled fists
slashed wrists slash tires
start fires, burn the liars
inside their own fraternities
or wherever they feel safe

carve and draw the carnal buyers
who traffick for Eternity
quarter them for the corner market
before they can escape

unaccountable infallibility
broadcast channel hate
auto-immune impunity
drown in water drinking wine
better living through passive gravity
enjoy the path of least resistance down
easy, take your time
it’s impossible to be too late
any way you draw the line
this is our collective fate:

our self, our righteous
arbitrary and divine
loos’d of limits, untamed on one side
opposite the sea of sociopathy
narcissistic rising tide
semantically redundant:
insanity and the civilized

find your mode of redemption
these thoughts mark mine:
live wild and free, fight captivity
fight domestication, tyranny, control and greed;
inspire and lead
be sensitive, courageous, ethical, wise
resilient, persistent, live however you can
just live your life to its fullest
so you can die…

The Third Wolf

adapted from Three Wolves.

100814
—
Two wolves vie for dominant placement in your heart.
One driven by fear and hate to take what he lacks
and one struggling through strength of love
both destined to clash forever, from the start.

The losing wolf will always limp away
with a whimper while licking his wounds
until we feel pity or regret
to nurse him back to strength
and leave the winning wolf to weaken.

The losing wolf will never die
while the winning wolf will never thrive.
Battles in the war they wage will continue
for the rest of your life, the blood they spill
will fertilize the earth along the path we walk

through the hills and valleys of our lives
howls of triumph and pain will echo
the way we talk when we relate
hunt for prey and give thanks for the gift:
clarity to see the contrast inherent
within each warring moment of our fate.