Compliment

You give to me
I take from you
But at times I hesitate
Are you honest
When you say that
You think I am so great?
You say to me
You mean your words
Just take the thought and go
My wobbly composure
Shakes anxiously
I’ll ask, since I must know
Look me in the eye
Tell me the whole truth
Have you said all you meant?
You give it to me
With ribbons and bows
And I take my compliment

The "And Yet" Crossroads

I dwell each day, beg for my bread, by the sign of the “And Yet” Crossroad
I have seen many things
Many princes and kings
So I feel that I must sing this ode
To the left we have: Pleasant and Yet Unexpected
You may be surprised
But come see with your eyes
That this is the one most neglected
To the right we behold a shady old road
Called: Dangerous and Yet Rewarding
This is the path
That royalty hath
Taken, adventure affording
I croak out “Beware! Beware ye my friends!
“This shan’t be the road thou shalt take!
“For no one’s returned, we know not how it ends
“Turn back! Turn back for your sake!”
I’ve been laughed at and scorned
“Adventure I seek!”
They cry with a malignant laugh
“No one can stop me; I will reach Fame’s Peak!”
“Your life” say I ‘neath a cough.
And they never return
And I don’t know why
And, truthfully, I do not care
But sometimes alone
I sit and I sigh
And wonder why don’t I dare
Why is it just the princes?
Or the third sons?
The tailors, the apprentices, all?
Why is it that they are the ones?
Do just they hear some secret call?
I’m not the youngest, I know that. All right?!
My midday is gone; I’m most near my night
I’m too old for adventure! I cry with a gasp
My heart thud-thudding agreement
I think of my life, I think of my past
I shake my head, my resolve cement
I look up at the sign
And Yet! It proclaims
To the one with ailing heart
We have something Pleasant
But Unexpected in name
I shrug, and down that road I depart

HomeworkLand

Welcome to little HomeworkLand
Where everybody can barely stand
As they're always stressed
So they never rest
So sleep is in high demand

Eating is rare, but when they do
They nibble on paper and pens, too
As each person is malnourished
HomeworkLand has not flourished
And each tongue is a dark inky blue

HomeworkLand, where no one is fed
They never play; they just work instead
Their work is all done
They've never had fun
And now they've all dropped down dead

Numb

I've stopped using makeup and doing my hair
Something that happens when you don't care
I roll through my life, a robot deaf and dumb
My body is moving, but my whole soul is numb
I feel like I'm waiting to become someone again
Someday, ultimately, but I don't know when
I stand before the mirror, stare while my face stares back
A reflection of a reflection; we're both cold and flat
I could change - I could heal - but the desire to desire
Has dissipated; my lethargy is higher
Being a lie, I forgot how to feel
I’m not human, not living – I’m not even real

Relationship

I ran a red light
To get to you
It was snowing that night
And I had only one shoe
The police caught me
And a ticket they gave me
They should've just shot me
It would've saved me
The trouble of explaining
Why I couldn't be there
You're always complaining
That I'm never here
Well, I did my best
And it wouldn't serve
Knowing you is a test
But it's one I deserve

When Life Gives Lemons: Haikus

When life gives lemons
Squeeze, sweeten, stir it all up
You’ve made lemonade

And when life gives limes
Do as before, but better
You’ve mastered limeade

When life gives grapefruits
Throw them away. Only crap
Comes of grapefruitade

Piddly Little Quote
When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade.
-Dale Carnegie