Riders on the Storm Redux

(highlighted portions mine to make the song seem not quite as disjointed)

Riders on the storm

Riders on the storm

Into this house we're born

Into this world we're thrown

Like a dog without a bone, an actor out on loan

Riders on the storm

There's a killer on the road

You can call him let's say 'greed'

'hatred' or 'envy'

He goes by many names

If you give this man a ride, sweet sanity will fly

Killer on the road

Man, you gotta keep your calm

Man, you gotta keep your calm

Focus like a hawk

Sit-ups like a jock 😜

The world depends on you, your life will never end

Gotta keep your calm

PS: I've come round to the view that the disjointedness/vagueness of the original actually adds to the beauty of the song but I'll let this stay as an interesting creative writing exercise.

As I Tweet

I tweet to you as I am
as I check the trends
You may block me for spam
or retweet to your friends

I may post a facetious comment
I'm just being a wag online
Don't be misled
I may get into an argument
But we're likely still aligned
outside that thread

('As I Am' Twitter edition)

Prompt - connection through music

Music is that wondrous salve
that bobs in a prim jazz hall
shrieks from the rim of a stage
'n' weeps on a dim back porch

The Ultimate Judo Move

 The ultimate judo move is to not let your nihilism lumber you down but lift you up.

"Is that some sort of Eastern thing?", the Dude asks 😛

I Wish I Could Have My Sun Back

I wish I could have my sun back
bask again in its nourishing rays
But I have learned many a new fact
My sun's just one among many in space

I wish I could carry on around my sun
with that old confident gait
But the twinkling points afar do beckon
I drift, pitiful pockmarked planet
doomed forever to be on the run
never settling into 'nother orbit

Bring It On

I don't know how I came by it
I don't know how long it'll stay
But I sure as hell can't deny it
It just feels amazing this way!

Anything I set my mind to
I believe is doable
The world no longer seems
a series of obstacles
Nowhere man, 
the world is at your command, 
Ah, la, la, la, la!

Here and Gone

Shadows parade
across a pool of light
before they fade
back into yawning night

The stars disengage
flying out to the seams,
receding afterimages
in the flush of a dream

The Window Has Become A Mirror

The cars scurry

across my blank gaze

as I sip my coffee

braced against the rails

My mind hushes

after a long day at work

As the traffic rushes

my bus pulls up to the curb

A wave of fatigue

that starts from my curled feet

closes my heavy eyelids

and I collapse into my seat

***

It is dark outside;

the window has become a mirror.

I have a quick bite

and head on back from the diner.

Nighthawks by Edward Hopper

***

A wave of energy

that swells up from down below

lifts me up bodily

and dumps me outside my door

My head throbs

like the flies atop the lone lamp posts

as I round the blocks

deserted but for any damned souls

My thoughts race

the regrets, worries, sighs

and I steel my face

with resolutions renewed every night

The Girl From The Cafe

At lunch, I walked to the cafe
not feeling quite so sure
Will the girl be there today?
Will she recognize me from before?

There she was, facing away
arranging the cups next to her
"Um ..hello ..." I began to say
as I stepped up to the register

"Ham sandwich and a small drink?"
she asked with a bashful giggle
I smiled back, turning a shade pink
"Yes", I said, "I'll have the usual"

See You Space Cowboy

He revved the engine
The ship cleaved heaving space-time
Stars burned with yearning

Boredom

How can you be bored
when the big ol’ world overflows
with much that is weird & wonderful?

How can you be boring
when you have y’own stories & views
to tell as a unique individual?

Let Your Natural Spirit Shine

I feel a lot lighter
The world’s so much brighter
I stand before you as I am
as I go with the tide
You may embrace me in your arms
or elbow me aside

I just let my natural spirit shine
… untarnished
… unvarnished
… just as-is

(As I Am reworked)

Too Many Coffees 😩😪

My mind is stretched taut
and my focus is shot
in that weird twilight hour
from too many ☕☕☕
to try and compensate for
the shortage of 💤💤💤

The Girl I Loved

A girl once stole my heart
Her smile could light up a bazaar
She had a heart of gold
I knew, I could tell … even from afar

I got very little to say
certainly not my whole story
We went our own ways
The years buried the memory

She’s back now — happy chance
Wiser, more self-assured
Kindness ringing in her voice
Just as sweet as before

She laughed at my jokes
I laughed at hers
Better not feed any hopes
Only makes it worse

I feel I’ve lost something
She’s now with another
I’d no claim on her back then
And can’t make her mine ever

If I only had more pluck …
More courage …
But I cannot go back
Things have changed
A new day is about to break
Watch the sun blaze