7 New Poems from Clifford K. Watkins Jr.
Faceless Redemption
rocking chairs vacantthe lone whisperer reinvents himselfstanding anewsomeone elseother than youenvisioning unknown realmsa crucifix painted bluea lucky buckeyeand swirling immaculate huesdarkness has friendsspinning wild liescloud-faced depressionpacified with awkward tonguestoo tired to pretendbreathing with angry lungsunable to mendmemories spinlaughingI'm him againto my chagrinit never endsthe windows runour quest is donewandering through barren wildernessa golden beggar's sunlost reflectionsmemories of rustspilling liesliquid livessaturatedparched by excessleave nothing to trusta shed of coal dusta fine messblown into a furious gustyou've been blessedredemption is a mustawakened toa dawn of strangersblind assumptionsrepression clearsthe path of doomabsent tearsconsolidating madnessinsanity loomsswimming in our fearwords emptya stranger is breathing nearcondensation rolls on shards of glassa glimmer of obsessionit comes to passone can dreamdelusional blissit comes fastnothingnesstranscend everythingbecome anythinga million fragments of myselfa world on a whimseeking solacesanctuarysomeone elseopening my eyes for a fallen friendtrying to be a universe again!sneezing out coal dustdancing around the pigpenskipping into the apple orchardwild-eyed strangers encircling fireunconscious confessionsa setting so direuninhibited foolsnaked mannequinsfacelesswhispering heedless wordsunrememberedunheardmoonshine warming their handsunlocking their mindssimple strandsburning linesbeneath a sky of lunacypretending everything is okayscreams of futilitykicking at imaginary dogsunrealityhaunts his existencejousting at a face of blissa caustic witor a closed fistblindnesssmilesremnants of lost worldspointless swirlsunexpected guilethey're easily unfurledshell casingsblood-stained knivesdisrupted sleepuntrained eyesevil arrivesthe world is a moundof clueless tiershands downliberation hidesswitching gearsreality slidesand surreal scenery goes flying byminds are emptied into night's reignhe's never the sameanything but the normbleedingpainscrutinyshamegrand uncertaintya single flamea fragmented planethe promise of lightdemeaning namesand an underlying sacred swarmending the gamethe eyes are coldthe water is warmwe livewe liewe linger undoneso timorously racingagainst a swollen sunmake your fatelovekilland createbeyond us lies everythinganything more than our meager lives
* * *
Skies Of Gold
ephemeral skies of gold
dissipate into the eyes of old
where the convoluted mind of misery slowly unfolds
life could be our biggest obstacle
outside of it anything is possible
* * *
The Hideous Being
gaze into the eyes of the hideous being
screaming and reaching for tomorrow's dream
I'm nothing
moments fleeting
a corpse entombed
a meager heart beating
racing against doom
I'm the dream waning
captivated by this womb
it's pointless
the complaining
a recluse lost in this room
easy oblivion is always near
futile words reign
and echoes linger
as the fallen fury of a single tear
* * *
Music Box
we exist in some fleeting spinster's dream
as she twirls in a music box
listening for secrets
swimming in our tears
she brings the melody that summons our fear
she sits in darkness
spinning fortuitous realms of bliss
and when she awakes
we vanish into nothingness
* * *
We Are They
mourners feast from the smoke house
and garden light
grudgingly they travel near the threshold of madness
like lonely whisperers ready to scream
muttering ultimate truths
afraid to be obscene
carving rock tributaries in crimson streams
waiting for anyone to enter their dreams
they burn unsightly strangers
as swirling smoke ascends into heaven
appeasing gods
insuring their return
and another tomorrow
they dance for forgiveness
and laugh away sorrow
they dream of bliss
wanting to believe in anything
but their randomness
* * *
Choose A Muse
choose a muse for inspiration swirlsenter strange witnessthis flurry of dreamslose yourself in this forgotten worldpointless legionsand insanity streamslisten to the influx of sorrowand reasons whycounting the footsteps before she arrivedblood-swallowed disorderand rolling hills of intrusionif only there was a place to hidebut no one survives this carnival rideslowly evolving into god's eyesmaybe someday we'll reappearand maybe her reflection is clearin this stint we wallow in the quagmire of somber Sundaywe travel inside ourselvestrying not to cast life away
* * *
Dear God
a soul's a breeze
and a world a whim
it makes sense
what
religion's a fence
freedom's indifference
we breed away innocence
closed mind
shut up and die
maybe god will make us blind
wait
there's not enough uncertainty in your mind
once lost
I prayed for a rainy day
I cursed the sun anxiety-gray
I dreamt the sun died
consumed by a cloud along with our eyes
sunshine-suicide
I used to wonder what is a soul
is it like a heart
or empty like a hole
could it be seen in art
or felt as tears rolled
is it fun like words
can it be adjusted
or eaten like flocks
and herds
the more I've read
the less I've learned
we've sinned for ages
and I've turned countless pages
do people really live in stages
minds can't be dissected with tactless tools
we're all idiots
colossal cowards
and hopeless fools
sleepwalkers over puddles of our own drool
it's okay
progress is rude in a way
tomorrow forges on
where the tree lover is dead
and so far gone
technology is life's expense for simple sense
the average man is insignificance
the face no one sees
we're never clear
remember me
or I was never here
not a remnant of a dream
or shard of memory
unseen
a flushed reality
god's stomach rumbles
unheard words mumble
as cookie-cutter people crumble
we're eager to devour
god's shit which is our flowers
there's bravery in hopeless cowards
ordinary beings with inept powers
there's no relief
death is a thief
we can't escape grief
what do you believe
I'm bloodshot eyes
tobacco stained teeth
art splattered on walls
a phone rings
but no one ever calls
meet satan
today it's alcohol
mildew decorates the hall
the web could be another way to smother
a nosy neighbor who redefines big brother
a mind reading mother
a probe of certain kind designed to unlock minds
and give vision to the blind
it's positive in a certain sense
but negative too meets at indifference
freedom of the mind is all that's truly left
it's all we've ever had
breathe
go ahead
take another breath before death
imagine a monopoly on minds
big brother charging you to fantasize
life's goal
to manipulate what's behind your eyes
deep in mind
a mine of knowledge stolen caves in
we hope to live again
I fear the end
I'm not self-assured
but I can pretend there's a cure
certainly I'm sure
that wisdom scars are forgiven
blood drained from veins
but I'm still living
the more we advance
the more we derange
the evil strain of convolution stains
is god a witch doctor chanting in my brain
are we characters on a screen
a video game
am I deranged
what's he smoking
you've got to be joking
game over
deposit another token
today god is the sun
and yesterday's jesus is the ocean
we're insanity in motion
a bloated corpse floating
as sharks start to frenzy
I know you're bored just pretend for me
treading water
I'm my own worst enemy
from burning flesh to divinity
escaping thru open wounds
freed from the burden of reality
life's a joke
a quest
a fleeting memory at best
wisdom could be the ability to sing in drowning distress
I guess
some say the waves are the source
I bleed words
and beat a dead horse
ideas gather
it doesn't matter
I'm getting fatter
the object of ridicule
I mean laughter
I write faster
maybe tomorrow I'll be wiser
life's master
I try to prosper
but dawn comes too soon
shut up fool
night light entombed a simple buffoon
* * *
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