Hello poetry fans! Tonight I am pleased to announce the first time one of my poems will be premiering here. As mentioned this morning in the Phone Call I am still waiting to hear about a job. This job involves canvasing to aid in the struggle against the highly destructive form of natural gas drilling known as fracking. Inspired by this potential new employment and my concern about this poorly conceived practice I have written Fracked if I Care. I hope you enjoy it.

I also have two others for you, as usual. The Other Foot was written earlier today and Center of Gravity appears in my book: Ego Codex. Once again I hope you enjoy.

Center of Gravity

Cold, vicious, iron hooks
Sink into my broken heart
Dragging me into darkness
Into lost confusing parts

Ventricle wall torn wide
Blood pouring on black earth
Head spins violently
And I doubt my own worth.

Gasping as my head drops
Beneath the cold surface
Pain tears through flesh and soul
Struggling serves no purpose.

Wraiths of my past mistakes
Taunt, tear, pull and hover
Obscuring the small hope
Escape I will discover.

Hateful force from below
Leaden weights from above
Coerce my course of flight
Diverting me from love.

You cannot see me here
You put away your eyes,
Unearned guilt will halt you
In efforts to apprise.

No harsh condemnation
I offer forth to you
I merely wish to point out
Reality that’s true.

Biological fate
Never forgiving me
I seek measure of peace
I seek only to be free

Emancipated from
This hard path unchosen
Liberated from
Sorrow dank and swollen.

The Other Foot

Please understand
I am okay with you
and don’t care
about your choice

I think it’s great
that you choose
to be this way
and put yourself
on the path
of the pariah
of the mocked
of the shamed
of the hopeless
and unwanted

And I will never hold it against you
that you are who you choose to be
because your choice
has nothing to do with me
even if it is a little weird

Please understand
I may need to ask
a little more of you
than I do others

Because I know
you have seen it
the look in others eyes
when you come to them
for work
for shelter
for company
for compassion
for the basic needs
of humanity

So I know you won’t hold it against me
if I ask you to push yourself harder
or toe the line more carefully
than I do your peers
who don’t have to worry as much

Please understand
you brought this on
with your lifestyle
with your choice

Why would you do that
put yourself through this
make your life so hard
make me choose between
my honor
and comfort
my needs
and assumptions
about the world

So maybe I have to hold it against you
that you choose to make me choose
because your choice is so weird
and you force me to choose
to not engage in self examination

Fracked if I Care

I siphon poison
with more poison
though it was perfectly safe
sitting where it was

I do it all for you
to feed your need
and I know how you need
because I tell you
in flashing plasma
and liquid crystal dots
how much your worth
is based on how much
and how often
you come to me
to go faster
go longer
go harder
go deeper

You don’t even flinch
when I pick your mother’s scabs
and pour salt on her wounds
but of course you don’t really look
how could you
when you’d have to admit
your complicity
in your doom