Those hidden lies
breed louder cries,
deception setting in
What’s birthed in darkness
kills in light,
exposing deeper sins
The poison fostered
regent’s tale,
its message civic spun
For us to swallow
not to chew,
inscripted zero-sum
(The New Room: July, 2022)
Strange Days
You can’t burn out
if not on fire
You can’t be hurt
without desire
You can’t be found
if never lost
You’ll never melt
without a frost
Your memory void
without a thought
You’re never freed
if never caught
You’ll never plant
without a seed
You need the words
to have a creed
The past depends
on present spent
The pawn shop thrives
on items lent
The morning lost
without the night
The truth abeyant
—wrong or right
(The New Room: July, 2022)