digital decoupage cwmartin 2012

gears
moving
so simply
lockstep
patterns
of existence
station
to
station
disembarking
on schedule
to carry out
the assigned
tasks
re-boarding
as required
as if
returning
a library book
but
this is to
home
or
some
facsimile
created
in
a delusional
state of mind
but
best you not
go there
with your thoughts
just
rewind
and
prepare
for
the new
day

digital decoupage cwmartin 2012

your
window
of
opportunity
appears
to have closed
while
your were sitting
in your favorite tavern
caressing
your beer
and
peanuts
but
don’t fret
if you’re
not reincarnated
as a bar stool
you may
get
a second
chance

copyright cwmartin 2012

blood drawn
the blade
of ignorance
pierces
the skin
of hope
eyes
of the future
lose their focus
rolling back
into the skull
of desperation
but
you must recall
we
are here
but
a short while
we’re
vagabonds
of eternity
trying
to catch
the first star
to
a dream

digital decoupage cwmartin 2012

eyes
emptied
of hope
stare
into a mirror
surveying
an ancestry
of pain
charted
on
a once
pristine canvas
that held
only
colors
of hope
and
joy
now
those rainbows
hold
no colors
all
that remains
is
a spear
holding
a sponge
of
vinegary
death

digital decoupage cwmartin 2012

much too proud
to admit
to the pain
as the sled
sped under
the barbwire
ripping away
a layer of jeans
and flesh
so young then
still believing
one should be
a stoic martyr
showing no fear
while coursing
down the hill
under the fence
onto the frozen pond
the cold numbing
the wound
and
coagulating
the blood
thus concealing
the extent
of the injury
from others
retreating home
as darkness fell
in solitude
tending to the wound
knowing
others
will not see
the scar
nor need
to know
of the pain
truly felt
a lesson
on
how
to handle
life

copyright cwmartin 2012

beneath this city
lie the bones
of fallen warriors
despised in life
ignored in death
their dreams
no more than
faded pages
in history books
childhood homes
cannibalized
into parks
with exercise trails
punished by
overweight merchants
slimming down
before feasting
at macdonalds
tree roots embrace
cradles of unborn children
still in the womb
savages saved
by good christian soldiers
just following orders
words to be repeated
every time men
impose their will
on others
not knowing
that they
like all before them
shall be placed
in
a common grave
called
earth

copyright cwmartin 2012

when his heart was sad
others were much more distressed
words became useless

digital decoupage cwmartin 2012

when you were near me
it was hard for me to breathe
doc said it’s asthma

digital decoupage cwmartin 2012

simple acts
of death
should not
be ignored
they provided
the backbone
of our society
those
nascent souls
feed
the fires
of industry
providing
plutocrats
with
a safe golf course
to play upon
without
such dying sacrifice
men
of
class
would be forced
to
pay taxes
or
at least
to increase
their
security forces
around
mansions
but
given
the steady diet
of patriotism
fed to the plebs
within
the mindless
educational system
and
corporate media
the ball boys
have
no fear
of
unemployment

digital decoupage cwmartin 2012

i ever
so carefully
wrapped
your memory
in butcher’s paper
and
placed it
in a brown paper bag
which I gave
to the drunkard
on the corner
of desperation
and
no hope street
he seemed
appreciative
at first
until he saw
it was
you
so
 i gave him
twenty dollars
for
the inconvenience
that i had caused
his expectations
which
resulted
in a twenty-dollar
ten-cent
profit
for him
since you
were
recyclable