Saturday, September 10, 2011

"I Wish I Knew How To Quit You"

Erich Wolfsfeld's "The Bound Man"

I know better.  I really, really do.


I break free, and then somehow, surreptitiously...
as if lured by a serpent's gaze or a siren call,
some remote thinking on you mires me down.
Takes me back.
Reels me in like a floundering, snagged mack.


I get caught up in casting aspersions, but really
I'm angry at myself. For being so vulnerable,
so foolish, so soft. So hurtable. So willing and compliant.


Truth be told, thoughts of you are always on my mind.
I have just done well to keep them at bay and host
the pretense of being over you. After all, it seemed
the only civilized thing to do since you moved on so
unceremoniously.


I don't want to be sending you well wishes.
I don't want to hold hands and act like all is well.

Freedom is what I desire; the same cool ability
to sever all ties that served you so well. I want
to manage my emotions efficiently and business-like.


But this is a drug, harrowing and relentless in its
pursuit. You super-charge me like no other.
It's all flat line until you bring my pulse into the range.

Emotions rage and fall. Heartbeat quickens and dies.
I normalize and then...POW! Right in the kisser.
A flash, a notion, a glimpse. A remembrance.
A whisper.
Lightness becomes lightning bolt.

I crave release.
Complete distance seems the key.
Burn it to the ground, salt the earth,
erase all memories.


It sounds good on paper.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Questions to Ask Before Taking On (and Taking Over) the World


Who is it that told you
   that what you want can't be had?
Broke your spirit, condemned you,
   made you feel bad?
Who crafted a soul
   afraid to speak up?
What caused all this trauma,
   drama, and domestic dust-up?

Why did you listen?
Why did you believe?
Why did you ask?
(You're not theirs to conceive.)

What law is in place
   preventing your good?
Who gives a flip
   if you're misunderstood?

Is anyone invested in you making right?
In how you survive the harrowing night?
What part of alone do you not comprehend?
We were not meant for our wills to bend.

When will you start deciding for self?
Stop sitting around unused on the shelf?
What sign from above are you waiting for?
It's all up to you to open that door.