One More Visit to Apartment Number Five

I won't say a word to you.

I don't have a word for you,

Only a reaction.

My select mortal distraction

Is quickly gaining traction,

Driving right on past distraction—

Whining, defining, red-lining,

Driving-all-other-thoughts-from-my-mind-ing.

I ought to give thought to unwinding,

But know I can always take more.

I guess I've been here before.

Number Five

You just refuse to do things right.

Eyes are meant to take in light,

But if instead, they could take life,

I'd be a murderer tonight.

We both know looks can kill.

I doubt I wanted that, but still

It will be hours more until

I take my medicine and chill.

Don't Love the One You're Not With

You tell me what kind

Of guy you think you like,

and I think I'm your type,

But the mind likes

What the eyes like,

and I fall behind.

I guess you weren't aware

Of my un-part in your affair,

Of my trying not to stare

At the highlights in your hair,

But the longer you're not there,

The less I find I care.

I know I should move on

From our failure to bond,

But the longer we're both gone,

I'm satisfied to get along

With no more dances, only songs;

With being over, not beyond.

They say to meet and then dissolve

Beats having no romance at all.

Though it would leave the Bard appalled,

I have this problem better solved:

Get infatuated, not involved.

That way, you save yourself the fall.

By: Any Other Name

If you go back to the beginning, your entrance was unclothed.

No one's born answering to “Montague” or “Capulet” or “Rose.”

The world calls names and uses packaging so it can comprehend.

You've spent life wrapped in labels, living up–or down–to them,

But if the canners missed something, some ingredient inside,

and if it wants to see the light again, I'll take it for a ride.

See, when I was made, QC was sick, or sleeping on the job.

I can show you all the places expectation has forgot.

I Contain Duelists, or Walt Whitman Would Dig It

Whitman, a populist, contained multitudes.

I contain not a woman, and very few dudes.

I contain duelists, intransigent brothers.

One geeks out at some things; one's too cool for others.

One's politically cynical; one debates such things often.

One seeks to move on while one seeks the forgotten.

On nary a thing do these brothers agree,

'Cept if something seems normal, it isn't for me.

To the Inoffensive but Defensive

I'm not a lawyer, a judge, or a court.
I won't snitch you down or write up a report.
I know you're not guilty (at least, I assume),
But I do kindly ask you to please leave the room
'Til you leave talk of following laws by their letter
and join our talk, of how one could do even better.

Dear Parents, Newsreaders, and Elementary School Teachers

Doubts are wise, and doubts are solid, when they pull reasons behind,

But without, they're the translucent, tasked with leading the half-blind.

Worse are hateful words and gossip, which nothing and no one serve.

Unnecessary and disgusting, they're LFTB made of words.

So go ahead and talk. The first amendment means the most.

Go ahead and talk. When thinking dies, it needs a ghost.

Go ahead and talk, because no matter what you say,

I won't let it shorten my day.