We’re burning out
like the last embers
of an autumn fire
before all is lost
up in smoke along
with the dreams of
making a difference
because the kids
don’t deserve this
and they know it
their parents would
rather be upset
at the e-mail sender
than profane misogynism
coming from
a thirteen-year-old
when administration does
nothing more
than cower before
threats of legal action
because no one
believes in allowing
natural consequences
to play out in
lives, anymore
11.2.19
We don’t always do right
And the stars cry down
When they watch us hurt
Drowning without a sound
11.1.19
I’m not always gonna close the gap
You gotta reach across the bed
Pull me in when you want me instead
10.31.19
Woken by a nightmare about homes with holes in the walls
Not making ends meet then you’re up at three AM
The day before you get paid while your bank balance
Sits in the negative because you can’t afford either
Tires, gas, or new glasses after three years now
And you don’t know how you’ll pay the power bill once
Summer hits without robbing a bank or lottery wins
10.30.19
We are not those heroes we wanted to be
Not burning broken bridges of mediocrity
Not defending weak from greed and cruelty
Phone-voyeurs who sit idly while forests die
Treating war as someone else’s problem while
Our world, our souls, die slow and silently