poems, no less

[Thorngrub]

It was an off the cuff challenge on john shirley's site. Someone said "write the shortest sf story possible" and that was my offering.

[wayved]

A poem made of potential song titles:

aircraft bullshit
lot lizard breakdown
a pearl among plastic gems
in the waiting room

another one bites the crust
the mad hatter drifter
gas can faceoff
your messy room

the final countdown dracula
kick out the hams
be nice to the girl
fiona apples housekeeper

do you say go
going to a go go is annoying
i wish i was old enough to be a go gos groupie
vanilla fudge

anonymous atrophy
instinct and the modern world
lowered eagle lawyer company
happiness for all

[samplestiltskin]

vanilla fudge. happiness for all! lol.

i should be writing.. or painting my bike.. or requesting Rite Aid rebates.. since i am for once without a job AND responsibility. but i think i'll just go watch my 23rd episode of AbFab instead.

[wayved]

Real Life
___________
ZZ top ringtone
I just got one
the sidewalk hurts my feet
when the sidewalk runs out

the sound of children laughing
in the morning
all a blur
no way to differentiate
the good from the bad
a big yellowish black swarm of noise

the heat from the sun
the chill from that same sun
the smell of a garage full of garbage
the taste of your food

the evil of mankinds blood and nature
the feel of all fear
the dread of sunday being over
counting and measuring the droplets of free time you are supposed to control

I once had a dream
someone I love told me without speaking
"find a way to love your life
before its too late"
the alarm woke me up before I could answer:
"what if it has nothing to do with me?"

[wayved]

man, if Chester the Cheetah was still around, that last "poem" would be "dangerously cheesy"

[wayved]

Hey...I have drum tracks down I need some lyrics. Someone write me some lines!

I will come up with the first line if you dont mind--then feel free to contribute. What you come up with could be totally random as well.
____________________________________________________________
Motherfuckers think they know it all

[maarts]

Motherfuckers think they know it all
Treatin' me like I'm two feet tall
Don't give a damn 'bout what you say
I'll kick your ass if you're in my wayyyyy.....

[Thorngrub]

There Is No Such Thing

There is no such thing as the afterlife.
This is the reason it remains such a mystery.

There is no such thing as non-existence.
And now there is no such thing as history.

[JACkory]

pIANO mAN


Yeah, I know all about your people
How they worship drunken image
How they've exalted you to the status
Of a hero, a legend
A mythological god
Bacchus best buddy
You keep good company
but swine follow you
Different as day and night
Yet they all clamor for a good seat
They fight and swing fists
For a place in the front row
For the chance that a stream of gin-soaked spittle might splat on one of their faces
a soothing balm
a gob of stench and sputum
They gather it up
They mix it with mud
Thicken it into gel
and bow down to a snot green idol
a pus dripping idol
They'll worship it at the foot of the mountain
The towering landfill where you've brought them
Or they'll bring it to your ceremonies
They wave your banner in the air
A colorful representation of the Beefeater
Proud of their devotion
Proud of their status as "The Chosen"
Not necessarily
Sure
Of the WHYS or the WHEREFORES
You just seemed to be worth the trouble
Worth a laugh to watch you
To see you falling down
To hear your words of wisdom
(True wise words they are, too)
Slurred into gibberish
You are their man
Whose oracles remain silent
Lost in a deep dream that swirls through your sleep-dizzy mind
Whose glory and honor
Fall down
From your pulpit
In the center of a room full of people
99% of whom see YOU
Not as a profit
Not as a beatnik
Not as a poet
Not as a sage
Not as a seeker
Not as an asgst ridden agnostic
No idol
No god
99% know exactly
What you are

Few know WHO you are
Sometimes I think I do
In little ways you show me
In trivial ways you make it known
Beyond
the Shadow
of a doubt...
But the reality is...
I DON'T

[samplestiltskin]

Have you got something against gin, JAC?

[JACkory]

You know, I think I may have lost a friend because of that poem. He was definitely fond of gin. It contributed to his rise and will be instrumental in his fall. Which will come sooner rather than later. He likes to say that pot is for the kids...he used to be a serious pothead, along with my other friends. Then he "graduated" to liquor. That was the beginning of his downhill slide. I love the guy. But it upsets me how he has become a slave to the bottle.

[samplestiltskin]

I hear ya. I'm a little mad at my father for understanding he is a severe alcoholic and pothead (the latter bothers me less, but still bothers me) and not having any plans to quit. And then having the gall to tell me I'm obligated to take care of him when he can't take care of himself anymore. Parents.

[JACkory]

I can't imagine telling my kids that they're obligated to take care of me in my latter years. Even if they are, which I'm not saying they are...I would like to think that my son would make sure all is well with me...as for my daughter, I don't hold her under any obligations whatsoever. I'm just lucky that I have had a chance to communicate with her, that she knows where I am, that I'm okay, that I ever got this chance is more than enough. She doesn't owe me anything...as far as I'm concerned, I should say. Unless you want to count the fact that if it weren't for me she would not have been born.

[samplestiltskin]

I'm more than happy to take care of both my parents when they get old, but it makes me uncomfortable having to "promise". He's so obsessed with his own mortality, he's been talking about dying since his mid 30's.

They're just not making it easy on me. They divorced when I was 4, and won't speak to each other. One lives in Michigan and the other in Kansas. No matter what I do, I'm going to hurt/insult one of them.

[samplestiltskin]

I miss rockkid. I'm guessing the Halloween poetry contest is out.