Still (Night) Life

  

open the door

get your booty on the floor

all the people scream for more

 the artists return to give an encore

sometime later

a disgruntled waiter

fed up of having to cater

to the wannabes and haters

drops his tray 

goes on his way

to what he hopes are better days

and the band plays on

a final song

that won't be done

until the coming of the sun

that puts an end to parties and fun

and the all slink back home one by one

Wild Side

It's a beautiful day 

To take a walk on the wild side.

What a day,

A lovely day

To take a walk on the wild side.

I didn't know I could feel this way,

Throw all my worries and concerns away.

I had no idea I could feel this way,
Shelf the drama and go out and play.

It's such a glorious day

And I'm walking on the wild side.

Are you feeling like 

You've missed your last chance?

Are you thinking about 

All the stuff in your past?

Forget your blues, 

Pump the electro 

And dance.

It's such a glorious day

For you to step out

And take a walk 

On the wild side.

Don't be afraid.

Today's the day

To start walking on the wild side.

Weathering

 

This morning I thought

I'd broken even;

That the dark cloud above me 

Was finally leavin'.

This morning I woke

With the light of hope;

Turns out that I might have misspoke:

The patch of blue sky that appeared

Making me think I was in the clear,

Got swallowed up like so much wine

And the lightning's playing hopscotch on the skyline.

So I guess this storm isn't over just yet;

I'm not sure how much worse it'll get

But I'm getting tired of resisting 

So I cry out just in case You're listening.

In the face of this fury, I hunker down

And I grit my teeth but how the wind howls!

Change of Management

Oh Wolfie, Oh Wolfie,

Why are you so mean to me?

Oh Wolfie, Oh Wolfie,

I treat you sweet 

But you do me dirty.

Oh Wolfie, Oh Wolfie,

Why must you always treat me so badly?

Every night it goes the same,

I wait for you but I wait in vain.

Blow out the candles, dinner's gone cold.

Once again I'm on my own.

But somehow, I find it funny

Come 3 a.m. that's when you want me.

Text messages blowin' up my phone,

You wantin' to know if I'm at home.

And I am tired of living this way.

Still I wonder what it is that makes me stay.

I can do better- or so my mama says.

Yet here I am.

Your little slave.

But Wolfie if you don't change your ways,

I'ma have to leave ya one of these days.

*******

Hold up!

Put this tape on pause.

Wolfie, this won't do at all.

I can't always be at your beck and call.

This situation's got me climbing walls.

So I'm gonna tell you what,

There'll be no more midnight trips to the candy shop.

No licorice whips or lollypops

No sir, all that's gonna stop.

Enjoy this booty while you can

Cause soon it'll belong to another man.

Cue the Hero

You made sweet promises

That I liked to hear.

You said that in hard times

You'd always be there.

I believed every word of it-

Matter of fact, I believe it still.

But in all honesty,

My faith's wearing somewhat thin.

Doubts wash over me

That I try to assuage

But I don't know how long

I can keep them at bay,

Or continue to delay

The crumbling of my defences

In the face of warring elements

That seem so damn relentless.

I rejected the darkness once before

But this test is just so hard to endure.

While I don't enjoy feeling sorry for myself

Right now I am in need of help.

But if somehow You fail to come through,

I have no idea what I'm gonna do.

(Patch of) Clear Blue Sky

Dying echos of receding thunder,

At last we are afraid no longer.

It's alright,

The rain is done.

Now we're dancing in the sun.

Cosmic

In darkness, forgetfulness.

Otherworldliness.

Transported out of tangible space.

Floating along with effortless grace.

Sun and moon, 

Planets and stars.

Cross the waters,

Travel afar.

Fear no evil.

Speak the good,

Child of fire 

And of wood.

Self destructive.

Autonomous.

All consuming.

Generous.

Invocation

God of Abraham,

Hear us.

God of Isaac,

Draw near to us.

God of Jacob, 

Defend us.

For on our own

We are helpless.

Paper Bomb

I'd like to tell you all to go to hell.

I smile all polite

But you can tell

That what I'd really like instead,

Is to cuss you out and punch your head.

I'd like to pour honey all over your bed

And sprinkle it with ants

That would eat your flesh

But I subdue these base desires

And stamp out all my inner fires.

That smirk you wear on your smug little face

Makes me want to choke you out

And dance on your grave.

Look who's laughing now, I'd say...

But no!

I shut my eyes and count to ten

Then take a deep breath 

And start over again.

So many things I'd like to do

'Cause I am just so pîssed at you.

So don't talk to me just yet.

Don't try to play tough-

It's not a safe bet.

I need a minute to myself

So I can cool off and reflect.

Insane in the Mundane

Lying in the darkness 

I can't seem to fall asleep.

The clock, it won't stop ticking

And the faucet keeps on dripping.

I'm suspended here in time;

I fear I might have just lost my mind.

The shadows start to lighten,

The sun straddles the horizon 

And I don't know why I'm frightened

By the colours that are fighting.

Round and round my room they swirl.

Got a feeling I'm about to hurl.

And I need to break free or at least I gotta try

'Cause at night in my dreams

I know that I can fly.

Revolution

Sound the alarm!

We're down to the wire.

It's getting warmer

And the sky is on fire

Tonight.

People are getting nervous.

There's tension in the atmosphere

So thick you can almost touch it.

Don't you get it? It's electric.

We're standing on a powder keg

And the kids are lighting matches.

Hope it catches.

Cause it's long past time for this thing to blow.

The cleansing flames are burning

The detritus away.

There can be no returning-

Not now or any other day.

The healing waters will start flowing

And wash away the ashes.

The future looks so beautiful

Though all I see are flashes.

Wake up you silly sleepers!

Wake up it's time to go.

Get all your stuff in order

It's time to hit the road.

We've got to move

That's what we gotta do.

Don't look now,

But a change is coming through.

Out the Box

What are you doing here?

You're not one of us.

Who told you you could stay here?

How dare you cause such a ruckus!

You don't belong here.

Can't you see you don't fit in?

You have no place among us.

You never have.

You never will.

Not one of you, you say?

Well I don't give a damn.

Belonging's overrated.

A lone samurai is what I am.

No I don't belong here

And I don't really care.

I used to try to fit in

But now I'm glad I never will.

**************

People never happy with the way I am.

Tell them they can stuff it cause I ain't a fan 

Of them and their magic cut and paste

Tryin to make me more palatable to their taste.

But if y'all need to shrink me down or change my face,

Then I guess this here just ain't my place.

So all I really gotta say to you folks,

Is so long, farewell, toodle-oo, adios!

In the Air

When the hunting wolf

Through the forest wanders,

Beware.

Oh beware.

In her eyes there springs a yellow light-

Her prey is near.
Beware

Your scent is in the air.

It's in the air tonight

In the air.

See it prowling, feel it coming

And you better have a care.

It's in the air tonight, 

In the air, 

An element of fear

And you are gonna have to fight.

You linger still in lonely places

Blissfully oblivious to where you are.

But she's been following your traces.

You're on her radar

And she's not that far

Can't you hear her voice now on the wind?

So you better run!

Run while you can

'Cause she's closing in

And you can't win 

She won't stop til she makes the kill.

You better run

While you can!

You'll feel a shiver 

When you see the glimmer
Of her pearly whites.
Before she takes that first sharp bite,

You'll know the stories they were right-

There is danger in the night. 

Then there'll be blood

In the air.

A primal, elemental fear

As you feel the end draw near.

It's in the air tonight,

In the air.

There'll be no one to hear you scream 

Or to wake you from this dream.

If you happen to catch sight of her in the shadows,

Keep your distance

She is vicious.

Take it from someone who knows.

NWO

 

Something's coming,

Can you feel it?

Something's coming 

And you can't escape it.

Something's coming

So get ready.

You either fight it

Or you embrace it.

Let go of what you knew before,

All those old things, they are no more.

The latter will replace the former

Best get ready

It's a new world order.

So whatcha gon' do?

Which side will you choose?

Cause either way you lose- 

Resistance brings its own dark cloud;

You sell your soul if you bow down.

But no matter what they say,

This street only runs two ways:

You either rise or else you fall

And this time you can't have it all.

Milestone

Well,

Here we are.

Who would've thought

That one day

We'd end up at this point?

It's been quite a journey.

Had some highs;

Had some lows,

But I'm glad we made it-

Together.

And even though the road ahead

Is still unclear,

I have to say

I'm thankful you're still here.

Filler

Say it once.

Say it right.

Say hello.

Say goodnight.

Pull me close;

Hold me tight.

Say the words

I need tonight.

Rage Against the Clock

Bags and sags

You're aging bad.

Pot in your belly

Thighs made of jelly.

Thinning hair not so neat,

Sprinkles of grey and crows' feet.

Gels, powders and patches,

Injections, implants and false eye lashes,

Creams and dyes-

Make sure there's no lye!

But no matter what you try,

You can't deny

The fact that time is passing you by.

So why not just face it?

Turn around and embrace it

Rather than fight it endlessly

Knowing full well you'll lose eventually.

Love the beauty in the flaws you see

Live out your latter years fully

And then opt to bow out gracefully.

Aftermath

My lover's gone,

Left me sad and forlorn.

My lover's gone,

Need to get up and move on.

My lover's gone,

Friends don't get why I'm still torn.

My lover's gone,

Taking the time to grieve and mourn.

My lover's gone,

Hurt to face so much cold scorn.

My lover's gone,

The pain has raged but has not won.

My lover's gone,

The night's been long, now comes the dawn.

My lover's gone,

It's for the best.

I know I can be happy with someone else.

Bloodless

 

Piercing cold

And hard as stone.

Listless, loveless, passion stole,

Virtue absent from the roll.

Feelings and warmth have been sold.

Hedgeless bets, time to fold.

Coffers empty, bare as bone.

Lost inheritance, nothing to own.

No accession to the throne.

Young in age, old in soul

Withered, barren, fruitless goals.

Dial the phone but no one's home,

Leave a message at the tone...

Solo flying. 
Dine alone.

Fragments

 

Perfect strangers

Huddled at the bus stop

In the pouring rain,

United in an instant

By a cigarette stick

Sharing a moment of release

And a mutual need for a nicotine hit…

************

People scare me.

Standing in the shower,

I can let my voice ring out-

Just open my mouth

And sing.

But in company,

It’s quite another thing:

My blood turns cold

And I feel myself freeze.

Terror petrified,

I can barely breathe

Much less utter a single word

If I get even an inkling

That I might be observed.

******************

You know just what I’m thinking,

Even when the words become obstacles

And get in the way.

In times of need,

You always know the right thing to say.

I never have to explain my feelings

Because you feel them too

And I never fear your judgement

‘Cause you understand the things I go through.

In the dark I am never alone

Because you have a way of making

The scariest of places

Feel comfortable like home.

Even when I can’t feel you,

I know I’ll be just fine

‘Cause our connection holds true

Across oceans and time.

****************

There are many things

That I don’t know:

Like how far away the sun is,

Or what makes flowers grow.

And when you think it over,

There are many reasons you could come to

As to just why I am not

The perfect one for you…

***************

…But how do you end a chapter,

Turn the page

And shut the door

On one whose role

Is central to the story?

****************

My brain feels raped.

I feel the shame

Of a fall from grace.

A hopeless case,

My jumbled words spill out all over the place…

A babbling brook,

An insipid book,

Sitting alone in a tight, cramped nook

Trying to communicate with just a look.

Fatigue of the mind

For quite some time

Searched far and wide

Only to find

The legends had lied

About the treasures people hide

And at the end of the rainbow,

There was no grand prize.

Refiner's Fire

Too much weight.

Not too late

To give it all up;

Make a clean break.

But I have a feeling

This is something I must take

And running away

Would be a mistake.

'Cause in turning my back on this fate,

I'd lose lose the chance to be not only good,

But something great.