Ruby pendulums
something for a child's rhyme
whispered at midnight
for each wanderer
on barren sands
stained glass palms
heavy with lead shame
too lost to feather arrows
back we go to wax dreams
broken seams
wailing wall pain
ripped torn scorned
dumped like pennies
in wanton wishing wells
disappointed swamps
illusive oases lost
digging for treasured maps
traced as stars on foreheads
constellations to guide
sailorless soldiers
lost again
convinced to kill themselves
the moment a child is born
screaming
as if dropped from a hawk
storks with diaper bandanas
strangulating feathers
sharp beak relief
from fortune tellers
interpreting scribbled lines
on hands afraid to be held
drooping tears sucked up
covered with greedy needs
as if babylon 's tower
forgot to fall
stacked scavenged trust
to suffocate honesty
noose adolescences
tighten spikes around necks
afraid to speak
being beaten too many times
ring around the rosy disease
never easy
when falling further
faster
and faster
so stop
this mirrored heart
tucked close inside
and coalesce bitter comfort
renew purpose
to heal
heal and be healed
seal and seal hopes
unwind twines
each thread strong enough
to support webs
leading guiding inspiring
in a North star's stability
claws of bears
keeping us honest
between wobbles of a mourning Venus
that reddens Mars
as we wish for flying saucers to save
transport us to celestial mansions
forget violet suffering
never recollect desolation
a lost in space compromise
selling souls
for green paper
unwound toilet rolls
mummified wet dreams
never getting people clean
those avoiding reality
with plastic toys
heavy jealousies
crimson envy
melted into materialistic muscles
overwhelmed with stress stench
why do our skies never lie
filled with so much pollution
that undigested chemicals weep
drench soul bowls
imprinting clays with lost soles
broken glass stored for another wave
solidified in tarnished brass memories
the question becomes
will we learn to love
or rather fill our backyards
with murders
tombstones of evil
to etch Godly punishment
flood a golden rule
save safe havens for homelessness
please
we beg on knees
join hands
those steeples pointing somewhere
a heaven above
inside a shared eye anchor
let's see what's possible
for all humanity
if we choose to be human
share what we own
as a gift of life
as a present presence.
Painted frowns on happy clowns,
can we carry a bunch of red balloons
when suffocating in bluish moods
when door knocks awake forgotten chimes
opened to storehouses of unanswered prayers
make life's little joys easier to find
please just another dusk to appreciate
how prisms of solace refract in each eye
take trash bags out to feel clean
wash hands to forget about upset plans
then savor a moment of sleep
smile for we finally get to lay down and relax
realize dreams stem from deep plateaus
wake us up more refreshed
once a friend extended a hand
and quickly hid frightened fingers in pockets
wait did he disappear like a wind song
or a swollen sun behind polluted horizons
or was he searching for a way to say
some days we bury feelings in shy caves
temporarily forget names to alleviate rejection
sink beneath saturated fears
smother ourselves with grays
to repeat redundancy from the same old day
the persistence of gems exist
as ripe oysters remember pearl patients
there
a blind man's hand follows a stalactite
to percolations of preciousness
transporting us to crystallized reflections
flesh and blood on shadow dancer distractions
sometimes too many inside fires to quench
so let's just walk, step by step
hook up, look up, and inhale a new day
with authentic good mournings
as we share the gravity of compassion.
if I could throw a paper rocket high in the sky
what moon would we land upon
what powerful shapes would intentions take
any sharp craters from hidden hate
dust to dust smoothness to cover everything up
opinionated bars too far to disturb serenity
then again what about steel studs on necklaces
or Van Gough's ear too near to hear about loneliness
worlds of strangers with familiar names
releasing scarred scenes between ribs
just enough for believable honesty
each on a seemingly separate street
packed into avenues like sardines
always trying to slide in and out or between
a smile a grin a sin
maybe a word or two from lunar screams
then back to cornered remorse
to sort through the square of these days
hopscotch or soiled lollipops
maybe brush strokes teaching about ascetics
ways of being free
or sketched chains from trapped societies
this complexity is difficult in its simplicity
love lost in gutters of trust
love too hard to find then bind
love always on our minds
whether from birth or to death
this rolling stone of Earth rotates constantly
burning for us to learn
and I've discovered this
the gift of love is tenderly missed
whether individually or as a nation
the choice is our right
a right to fight and survive desperate nights
to succor light and heal our globe
one precious person each time.
by Scot Aaron