I harbor a mean spirit
but not in my soul
He roams through my
consciousness as havoc and pain
Trying to break through
to that place where he’s banned
Trying to break through
to where my innocence lives
Again and again he forces
his will
But it all goes for naught
and he waits till I sleep
Where Laura’s on guard
in my dreams to protect
With insomniac hell
he still tries to invade
Her will ever stronger
than his fleeting advance
Each night he comes knocking
as she turns him away
Until with mocking futility
he warns me at last
In words that are cursed
and bathed in disgust…
“You can run to your Muse
and hide if you wish
“But temptation and trial
are served from my dish
“Go be safe in the womb
but remember outside
“When you leave her protection
—there is no place to hide”
(Villanova Pennsylvania: October, 2016)
Free Of Its Stain
There’s a hope that exists beyond reason,
like the refrain of a well written song
There’s a tragedy entrapped in each season,
where right is still captive of wrong
There’s an Angel waiting to take you to heaven,
across that river of torrent and pain
Where true joy in the act of forgiving
—washes guilt completely free of its stain
(Villanova Pennsylvania: October, 2016)
Just Because
The most important things don’t need a reason…
—just because
The falling leaves beyond their season…
—just because
The sun trades the night to the rising moon…
—just because
The lateness that brings one last final adieu…
—just because
(Villanova Pennsylvania: October, 2016)
Literate Quicksand
Did you edit away the fire,
in your attempt to be correct
Do your words make you a liar,
as they break and disconnect
Is that order you chased after,
now a deserted no-mans land
With your mind and spirit sinking
—in a literate quicksand
(Villanova Pennsylvania: October, 2016)
I Hate
I hate the ‘Body
Politic’
Whose wave blasphemes
and grows
I battle to swim against
its tide
Or be abandoned in its
flow
I hate the way it stunts
my voice
‘Old Dominions’ chosen
side
I hate the fact—it’s hate
I feel
With the truth a captive
lie
(Villanova Pennsylvania: October, 2016)
Inspired By My Friend & Poet Neal Hall