sale begins
promptly
at
seven am
bring a lunch
since
all items
must be
disposed of
before
we can
go home
you’ll find something
for
everyone
cuz’
we’re selling
a couple’s lifetime
together
we’ll start
the day
with
a matched set
of
custom-made wedding rings
surely
a symbol of true love
just
for you
if you’re
willing
to pay the price
like
they did
there’s a mission oak bed
just what
you
antique freaks
love
it’s like new
however
the springs
will need to be replaced
but
be assured
only one loving couple
has occupied
this bed
which brings us to
the lovely
old
porcelain baby shoes
the perfect
thing for your collection
there’s also
lots of fine china
and
pots and pans
that seem
to still ring
with the laughter
of
friends
enjoying life
oh
and there’s
lots of
original paintings
from
around the world
acquired
during
traveling adventures
impress your friends
with
your excellent taste
for
artwork
by
buying up
these framed
memories
oh
and
there’s boxes
and
boxes
of fullfilled dreams
to sort through
if
you have the time
but
just
a handful
of
deferred dreams
to add
to those
you already own
arrive early
and
scan this life
before
your
time
runs out
i’ve begun to count the number of pleats in my bedroom curtains with each recount the number remains the same i was certain that the winds of time would alter it in some way but the number has not changed then i started counting the lives lost of those who believed they were free or just wanted to be and soon i lost count
so you’ve compromised
decided that they were right
your faults now quite clear
no need to discuss a thing
since you’ve given up all hope
so congratulations
you’ve now joined the rank and file
your fate’s in their hands
you may take your assigned seat
and patiently await death
the grave they’ve prepared for you is the same one as your forefathers’ your bones will cover their bones beneath you will lie rusted shackles and scorched flesh the dried petals of freedom’s promise are now just compost softening the earth for your arrival
you’ve become aware that what would have made you great always had to wait all your dreams had been consumed by those you believed you loved time has not waited for you
you nod
your head
when
we speak
but
you don’t hear us
that
painful look
of
understanding
on
your face
won’t
be
your saving grace
it
just shows
that
how
we speak
makes you
believe
you know
something about us
fictitious facts
drawn
from all those
historical
stereotypes
but
you
don’t know
us
the subdued sounds
of
our voices
conceal much
and
only
reveal
what
we wish
to be seen
verbal
camouflage
masking out
the sound
of
a fuse
that’s
already
been
lit
i lie here among severed spines from lynchings and shattered skulls from clubs and shotgun blasts so i’ve grown tired of all the rhetoric all the promises written on the wind words i’ve heard over and over and over again words that are no more than sterile seeds so i’ve learned there will be no harvest of freedom for only the chaff of hope has been planted into the cracking clay of tomorrow the husk of dreams left there along side these blood stained bones of mine
when paradise is just a deserted roadside stand with decaying timbers holding dried promises in bins of deferred dreams how do you rally for existence what encouragement do you derive from the drought ridden landscape of tomorrow that makes you rise from bed stare into the mirror and dress as if the new day holds anymore promise than the day before and most likely less yet you rise smile dress and proceed ah but the key i think is you don’t ask why
along
the street
i saw
eyes
that
many
divert
theirs from
eyes
that hold
well worn dreams
and
tears of hope
that
what passes
as
normal
today
will soon become
a forgotten
nightmare
and
those looks
of
there but for the grace of god
will be
replaced
by a lover’s
embrace
and
looks
of
commitment
for
a life
together
those looks
of
love
really not
that
much to ask for
is
it
Read Between the Minds 