Legal Tender

Legal Tender

They told us it was,
Legal tender for all debts,
And justified wars for all vets,
But their heart's in the tank,
Where the submarine sank,
And they offer no regrets.
They pointed out the heroes,
When they shot the old man down,
And the murderers they thusly found,
Were justified under the law,
According to the evidence the jury saw,
Followed by yet another round.
She wasn't prepared,
When she returned to camp,
With dreams to be the champ,
That catcalls and requests,
To reveal her breasts,
Would make her eyes, instead, damp.
And it was the legal tender,
That eventually built the wall,
Between the big and the small,
Between the eyes and the ears,
Predicated on manufactured fears,
And a will to control it all.


Invino Veritas
9/6/16
EOF

Aethereal Secrets

Aethereal Secrets

As I lay here now awake,
In this bed I refuse to make,
Thumbing through your posts of woe,
Telling me what I should know,
Dogs and cats and killer cops,
Tenets wise and GMO crops,
Pocket squirrels and green landscapes,
Attract my eyes with escapes,
And sunlight gold across my screen,
Returns my mind to pastures seen,
A million miles past the moon,
Within the glint of Neptune's boon,
Fiery furnaces and bubbling seas,
Churning gasses, a frozen breeze,
Scales beyond mere mortal sight,
Floating within eternal night,
Yet, in the aether where I splay,
Between the two, here I lay,
Undulating with each wave,
Competing voices declared to save,
Surrround myself with sight and sound,
Locked inside on solid ground,
In treasure chests filled with gold,
And the secrets that I hold.


Invino Veritas
7/10/16
EOF

Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

I'm a dime store cherry pie,
Sweet to the taste,
And glossy to the eye,
Country diner key lime pie,
Great on Sundays,
When time passes by.
But in dawn's roast,
On Monday morning,
I'm suddenly buttered toast,
Appearing most anywhere,
Not worth the boast,
Monday's hangover remedy,
To be slammed,
With a grimace,
    And toast to malady.
I lift you up,
Put you down,
Turn that frown,
Upside-down.
But tucked away,
Whilst you stray,
And lose your way,
Ready for Tuesday.


Invino Veritas
6/13/16
EOF

The Advocate

Today,
I am the advocate.
But not your's.
With sideways glance,
My eye slithers around you,
Over you,
Through you.
But I am cute,
A glittering charm,
A glint in the eye,
And I can do no wrong.
I am constructed with sugar,
And a sprinkle of spice,
But snips and snails,
And puppy dog tails,
Keep me anything but nice.
I am the bastard cat,
Swatting at the jar,
Watching it crash to the floor.
Yet, here I yawn,
Because I am beautiful,
I am berries and cream,
Their realized dream,
The apple of their eye.
I am the sparkling gem,
A star that won't dim,
That sizzling ember,
They can't deny.


Invino Veritas
4/7/16
EOF

Mea Culpa, Universe

Mea Culpa, Universe

My Universe, it appears to me,
Shifted focus, that I can see,
You raised me up and brought me here,
So far,
So good,
No harm,
No fear,
But Universe, you dirty rat,
On a dime, where I'm at,
Turning left,
Turning right,
Out of place,
Out of sight.
So Universe, here we are,
Took my health, took my car,
Apparently,
In store for me,
Yet to learn,
Yet to see.
And Universe, the other side,
Of your moon where darkness hides,
See your test,
See your game,
Mea Culpa,
Myself to blame.
So, Universe, challenge accepted,
Obfuscations intercepted,
From the ashes,
From the fires,
A starry furnace,
I climb your spires.


InvinoVeritas
3/12/16
EOF

The Spoils of Battle

The Spoils of Battle

That moment when your friends aren't friends,
And you've no idea at whom you're mad,
When it's too late and faced with adjustment,
When you're the wall and they're the brad,
When the hammer falls and it's too late,
And in your mind where you berate,
You dull the senses and numb the mind,
You ponder change and question fate,
Count your blessings and make excuses,
Dowse the fires with stalwart oathings,
Rally the troops and brandish flamberges,
Charge with torches lit with loathings.
Take the hill and light the fires,
Wave your colors and brave the towers,
Loose the dogs and charge as mongrels,
Ravenous for passage against the powers,
Rebuild your kingdom with walls of granite,
And allies fair to stand by your side,
Seek alliance and brothers in common,
Walking in arms with fortified stride,
And at that moment when you remember,
When day is done and night seems far,
Know that the fires that stand ever burning,
Are marked by many a battle scar.


Invino Veritas
2/12/16
EOF

Invisible

Invisible

We don't like him,
He does too few,
We won't invite him,
No, he won't do,
He will not speak,
Nor will he blend,
No, he won't fit,
Nor, to us, ascend,
But it's so lonely,
Inside his head,
He's all alone,
From us instead,
We can't relate,
We're far ahead,
We've lived better,
And he is dead,
But here's a flower,
Here's all the kind,
When laid to rest,
We'll pay him mind,
He'll be the best,
Friend that I'll find,
Though, when he lived,
Was left behind.


Invino Veritas
2/8/16
EOF