Fighting over the last blanket
Who wants peace the most?
The haves toss to the have-nots
Who in their pride refuse the gift
And everyone goes without

A yogi on a sugar high
Amaretto in my purse
Meditating on the bus
Babies, drunks
The volume-disabled
Where did it go wrong?
A heart almost closed
That one closing
Friends don’t let friends
Bring them down

God’s got a fun job
I see the work and just smile
How you are provided for
How I was used
How trust opens doors
That suspicion closes
I’m glad it’s not my job
But it’s fun to watch

I can see the edges
Of our little blue globe
Such a nice spot to wander
Around and around
An engineer of my own life
I tweak and make it flow
Work out the kinks
Redesign and take notes
Curious as a cat
Showing others the way
I’ve been there before
I was sober and patient
I want others to have
The peace that I’ve found
The health that I’ve tapped
The joy that abounds

With a mind made for motion
And a body built for pride
I’m saddled with guilt
When I sit down for a while
I get so wound up
I have to unwind
A cup of green tea
My cat by my side
Standing on the back porch
Gazing across my slum
Breathing the cool damp air
The ancients weren’t dumb
You can’t live your life
On auto-pilot
Someone
Has to check the fuel levels
Polish her up
Do the maintenance
Make her purr again
That someone is you

The great paradox
Of human nature
We know that
Nature favors freedom
Yet freedom doesn’t come naturally

How do we correct what has gone wrong?
Can we stop the ripples from expanding?
Or do we wait until they lose their power?
How do we endure together the foul smell
Of the carnage in the wake?
Or will we do it instinctively,
Knowing that where there is darkness
There will be blood shed.

I want to tear the roof up off this house
I’m feeling claustrophobic
I haven’t seen a star in weeks
It helps me place myself
When I’m swimming with the current

Change in an instant
Avoidance of pain
What used to attract you revolts you
Measure your words
Don’t spill a drop
The vibrations rattle on for eternity

The benefit of doubt
Is a huge amount
Even living 30 years
I’m still wrong
Most of the time
There is almost always
A good reason
But almost always
We can’t guess it
Open mouth, insert foot
It never hurts to ask
With an open mind

My legs are dead weights
I lay immobile
My cat on my chest
My partner and witness
A few easy breaths
From long black bliss