Cultural Preservation

Under the guise of security
Safety is no longer a goal
It is a way of life
Even if that means
Less liberty for the common man
Habeas corpus and posse comitatus
Are just words
We no longer feel
Are necessary to define
Freedom of movement
Is slipping away
The tide violently recedes
Muddy banks left in the wake
Don't step too close though
We'll shoot you down
Unmanned aerials
Silently hover overhead
Inconspicuous enough
As no one pays attention to the sky
Jet streams linger
And metals fall from the heavens
A smoke screen
To protect from cosmic radiation
Political apathy is encouraged
Give yourself to someone else
It's easier that way
Forget what you know
Or what you think you do
Since it is all useless information anyway

Ill-fated Delineation

The bottom of the pot blackened
With the unfortunate sense of homogeneity
Old mottos were dusted off
And put back into action
New analogies make promises
Of increased cultural identity
Less Americanization
It's easier to pick out the pieces
And separate individuals
From their counterparts
From soup to salad
Our portions are smaller
And missing key ingredients
The taste is unnatural
So we drown it in oil and vinegar
And cram it down our throats

Conurbation Asphyxiation

Leaders on vacation gave little thought to the fact that Mother Nature swelled up, out of the ocean and slammed into recently fractured structures supposed to protect from such monstrosities. While one group cowered in fault ridden domes, others climbed to the apex of what once represented livelihood. Uniforms descended amongst the people and set to hunting like something out of The Most Dangerous Game. Taking them out like safari animals, little thought was given to the consequences of such actions. Tiny white light bulbs lit up overhead and ham sandwiches shaped ominously like modern silver blades, exploding at just the right moment debilitating those already handicapped and starving. Out of towners left soon after arriving because of the stench of racism and left bigots with handguns free to roam the city. No one questions the morality of the situation, instead pointing to the importance of a safe, secure, controllable public. As shepherds of the masses, slaughter is allowed to take place. Wading through rivers, holding bread over your head to both save it from the death ridden murky waters and to provide an umbrella from the blazing sun. The stench of death slowly creeps down alleys as bodies pile up, shoved against one another, held in place by submerged Chevrolet's, stacked up like firewood, breeding disease and depression while men in masks bang down doors, shoving barrels in faces, yelling out orders and pushing you into the street where you see your brother floating downstream with a bullet hole in his back. The government failed us, not for the first time. Men with guns came down and showed our true colors, fight back and die. Or don't fight back and they'll shoot you in the head. Either way here's the deal: they are in charge and you are dispensable. Remember it always. And now years later, where are we? Have we gone anywhere at all? Nothing has changed, we send out experimental military weapons to quell dissenters and break up protests. The constitution is just a piece of paper, remember? Of course most don't. We watch American Idol with religious fervor, but forget the names of past winners before the start of the next season. Short sighted fools with no interest in putting up a fight. We allow for the murder of innocent civilians on a daily basis, but blow it off because they are foreigners. But New Orleans isn't some other country. We let them kill our own brothers and sisters and decide to do nothing about it. Police officers make plea bargains to opt out of the spectacle of a trial. Behind closed doors plans are fixed and declared too important to disseminate the information obtained.

Enthusiastic Disengagement

Soft hands reach up and a white nightgown drapes like the wings of a cherub. From above the look is much different as thoughts of drop kicking baby are seriously debated. Normalcy dictates there's not much to do, simply ride out the storm and see what happens. Then five young children are drowned in a bathtub.

Ignoring an infant is to emotional attachment what gas shortages are to a road trip, no one will be getting anywhere. Recognitions of these realities lead us to conclusions that just don't line up with current thought processes so everything is conveniently swept under the rug.

Our interactions with whiny brats who just won't sit still will continue unabated, only the next time we won't hand out Ritalin, we'll just throw them behind steel barriers and mock their choices as if they ever had one. The reasons are apparent yet we simply act as if nothing is wrong.

As long as privatization continues, and men grow wealthier on the backs of mistreated individuals there will be no strong push to actually fix our societal problems. There push must come from within. Take a real look at your neighbor and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Rapturous Sciolism

Tears of joy flowed freely into the streets as historical wrongs were righted with the quick push of a button that may or may not have recorded your actual intentions. As we praise our new silver tongued demagogue we forget about past incursions and stroll merrily down the street passing more degenerates daily. Eerily Orwellian posters plaster the sides of buildings giving way to more scapegoating of innocent bystanders who are completely unaware of the true value of their lives, broken down into percentages and rounded off to neat decimal points, as the fruits of the labors are conspicuously stolen from right underneath us and shipped across the sea. We sit on the sidelines as we watch opportunities go by, spiraling down the drain and do nothing more than sigh. Bullies are there for the same reasons as their victims. Heavy burdens are heavier if you don't exercise your right to lighten the load and promote fairness on the playground. We're all just in awe of people that were supposedly picked from among us and astoundingly use us all for collateral. Ignorance is bliss, until that pink slip shows up on your gleaming white desk.

False Paradigms

Everyone's got it all figured out
Conservative or liberal
There is no other
Taking the middle path
Is just the coward's way out
Mirrors on either side of the room
Like Mormon temple ceremonies
Offer the visage
Of never ending agreements
That shall bind us from now
Until forever
But even Catholics
Can get a divorce
So who says anything
Can possibly be immortal
Or is it this mortal foray
That sets our perceptions
At odds with one another
Ensuring the continuation
Of discriminating coteries
It will persevere unabated
For as long as we will stand for it
So sit, embrace nothing
And just be already

Fraternal Obligations

Speeding along, I'll be lifted up by the black asphalt tearing from the earth, propelling unnaturally toward heaven. The usual suspects no longer abound as we are all deemed to be of an independent variety. Further along, I'll run into my background and awkwardly shuffle two hand-me-down boots and stare at change on the pavement. Abe'll mock me, refusing good luck, as concerned souls give sideways glances attempting to decipher the bizarre anomaly. All together then we'll sit patiently through the entire process relying on our perceived notions of etiquette, calmly applauding at the end of the service and ride out in separate directions with little more than a nod from either party.