They Own Your Ass

Wolf Parts

—Poems and Visuals by Smith, Cleveland, OH

PARENT THESIS

Don't know why I'm here
didn't ask to come
signed no pre-birth contract
so being born
with these genes
from these parents
in this time/space culture
seems a lot like the big bang—
large noise, little logic, lotta chance.

Since I didn't sign on birth line
I can't be held to terms of contract
can do what I want...
say Candyman three times in mirror,
click ruby heels together,
rub hump for luck
or hunt rub,
whisper to Genie jelly Djinn
of low lamp within,
barter first-born foreskin
at midnight crossroads
for shiny soul's dark handle
dirty handshake.

Or not.
Knot.

And yet, I was lucky.
Mom nursed me.
Dad burped me.
Both blessed me with love.

Perhaps it's all parietal.

 Cope

SISYPHUS SUM

It's hot with strain of ache and pain
this pushing rock up hill
in another day of try and loss
no hope of less
so grasp what's good
like chirp of bird
and glint of sun
or inchworm on my arm
sometimes a cloud will move just right
or drop of sweat catch the light
as lack brings laugh
and loss a like
such sips quench my worse

 Chalkworm

SAY SEZ SED

Einstein sez it's insane
to keep doing same thing
hoping for different outcome
yet every day
Sisyphus goes to work
to get rock to top of hill
for real this time
and bottom line
he don't try he don't do.

Einstein also sed it crazy
to memorize what you could look up
but at times there's no time
for lookup to hookup
and it's act or crash
especially if no look luck.

Then there's Al's quantum miss
on spooky action distance
entangling unified seam
into cosmic cube
rebuilt rubik rude
but quarks still come and go
at will
photons split yet keep in touch
though spilled
and that skips this for there
through here
cuz black mass dark don't matter
in ladder of time.

You can look it up.

 UFOs

AS LONG AS POLITICIAN HONEST

My heart is pure as fall their words
I stand so far behind you

I lick your breast and all the rest
I fill with sperm and hunger

If duty grows it’s you to know
I know no tended foreskin

No mirror will see reflected me
I mere vampire forsaken

 Salamander

SOOTHSAYER

Sip the coffee hot, black, unsweet
in the delicious dark before sunrise
when the air is less alive
with the thoughts and needs of others

The caffeine dissipates the fog

Toke two pipes of decent marijuana
feel ease move through my brain
and languid soothe my body
and pain of day's surmise

The THC refines the fog

These are my meditations
my Prozac
my morning prayers
my money in the bank

They let me let you live

 Borgsmith

BOTHERS GRIM
(a fairy tale for adults)

Sneeze and blow
bleed and bow
keep on the go
pay rent somehow
tighten your belt
loose your ethics
gotta stay svelte
and avoid car mechanics
run the rat trap
keep moving the wheel
the top's where it's at
the hurt of the deal
stab folk in back
betray all your friends
give no one slack
for the race never ends
there is no joy
or beauty or love
you're in our employ
we rule from above
you're nothing but chattel
we own your soul
treat you like cattle
keep you in owe
no end to this game
you're treated like sheep
your loss is our gain
your profits we keep
go on and drink booze
but keep off the grass
no matter you lose
cuz we own your ass

 Zombie 1943

SEED POD WILLY NILLY

'They' or 'He/She/It' gave us earth pod
wrapped in dirt and air and water
soaked in sun
grown in grass
blessed by leaves, trees, flowers
with the instructions
'Abuse until choose or lose.'

Planets have enough low fruit
for life to flourish
up to a point
then resources run low
temperatures rise
air earth water become toxic
and it's fish or cut bait
live or die
do right or so long,
sucker.

It's an IQ test
a morality maze
to see if we're worthy
know enough
to stop shitting in our nest,
stop pissing upstream,
quit raising fools to king,
bowing to Mammon.

The godz laugh.
'We got you this far,
now it's up to you.'

So what do we fracking do?
We swallow the cyanide of capitalism,
bury our head in 'Me first,'
the me screw me of
'Fuck you you, I got mine.'

Silly sentiment cuz Earth wins
Earth always wins
just a question if we survive
cuz She simply outwaits our bad
covers our corpses with dirt
composts us
breaks down our concrete with vines
our metal with rust
our arrogance with actuality.

I won't miss us when we go
for 25% of us are slime
50% wouldn't be missed
20% mean well and try
and 5% actually contribute.

Be a pretty world when we're gone
outrageously red sunsets
due to poisoned air
and once we're fertilizer
no more jackhammers, jet engines,
clink of coin, gush of oil,
diarrhea of politician and priest
just sigh of wind
swish of wild grass
chirp of bird
purr of beast.

Makes one eager for the end.

 Dreamcatcher

MASTER PLAN

I got through today.

That's my long term goal these daze—
to get through the day.

Used to be fame and fortune.

Now it's getting from sleep to sleep
without being a creep
to others
to earth
to me.

Somewhat easier
sez the unknown poet
with the no bank account.

 Watermelon

Today’s LittleNip:

PHILOSOPHY 173

—Smith

The weary wisdom down the way
weighs more than scar and score.

We don't give out, we just give in,
if not, we'd never go.

Silence speaks to leaks in life
whispers taunt of here.

Do bad, do good, unknown between,
run wheel of want and wear

This ain't that, nor that this,
yet all part of plot.

Hatch, scratch, creep, and cry,
whatever loosens knot.

___________________

Thank-you, Smith (Steven B. Smith) for today’s tasty poems and photos! Hey Kitchenettes—do yourselves a favor and read Smith’s poetry out loud. Find his rhythms and sounds and ride them to, well, our past Seed of the Week—Paradise! In fact, do yourself a favor and read any poem out loud, see what hidden sounds and rhythms jump off the page at you.

Speaking of Paradise, ride over to Davis tonight, 7:30pm, to hear Katy Brown and Cynthia Linville read at The Other Voice Poetry Series, plus open mic. That’s at the Unitarian Universalist Church Library, 27074 Patwin Rd., Davis, and is hosted by James Lee Jobe. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about these and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.

—Medusa

 LSD

—Photo by Smith
Celebrate the poetry of the unexpected!

Photos in this column can be enlarged by clicking on them once,
then click on the X in the top right corner to come back
to Medusa.