Skewed perception

Perhaps off white

layered in complexity

gazing at simplicity

Efficiency is critical

order is a pillar

Labeled and identified

Root causes are visual

Painted problem solver

in tuned sentiments

Unbiased points of view

Visionary eyes of reality

splashes of confidence

covers my creative heart

Willing to care about others

Too sensitive

Small circle of friends

see me as off white

Scolded by police sirens
Fire hydrants craving a drink
Chards of glass from the window
laying on the pavement with anger
Barbers and bartenders exchanging
witty nicotine sarcastic conversations
Mimes and witnesses pleading
the 5th amendment to the scene
Instigators snarl at the defendants
Allegations and half truths spoken like
lawyers in a lions den
Blood stains dry on Dripping Ink Avenue
Desperately screaming to the stop light
The curbside is a destination
for gamblers, burglars, and vendors
staring up at the mustard sun
Faces of debutants and vigilantes
walk past the New York landscape

Stale chips

fallen on a checkered pattern

linoleum floor

Empty pizza boxes

stacked on a granite

counter top

Blaring from the speakers

Duran Duran’s Greatest Hits

Reminiscing of old times

Lost arguments boil

to the rim and simmer down

Recognizing friendships

are made to last unlike

marriages and cars

Green pastures and mountain

eagle like views overtake

your narrow perception

on Coach Road in

the quiet town of 4000 humans

Only the stars become thick

and the air is gold in

the heart of Northern Ireland

Furious waves are dying. The gentleman in me is fading like a light. You carve out the tension and slowly I am denied. The more you take the less of me you receive.

You are not who you advertised. I remain calm as I construct a devious plan. I hold the wind in my hand. I have a defense. I made sure the world knows. Apocalyptic and cryptic I will speak. Repeating my words is not a option.

You use the word love but don’t show it. You use words you don’t express. The storm in this jungle has elevated to a hurricane. Patience is running thin. You love the image. You love the facade. You don’t love me. Say it. Admit it.

I will never forget the day I moved back home . I will never forget the sentence that broke my heart. “You will never set the world on fire.” The chip on my shoulder just became bigger. Perhaps he is just a realist. Perhaps he saw his son average. I’m not saying he didn’t know how to love and care. I’m not saying he was a bad father but I would NEVER tell that to my son.

Little boy the message here is that you can be what you want to be. You are going to make choices I probably won’t agree with at the moment but the belief in you won’t disappear. I want to do something that my father didn’t do, just understand you. Please don’t be afraid to open up. I don’t want to be a critical spirit like him and put your thoughts under a microscope. Your father is a writer at heart and doesn’t have support from those who I thought would support. I stand alone. You will never stand alone.

You want but don’t ask

You need but don’t say a word

You expect but bite your tongue

You bitch but you don’t speak

You sigh but you don’t voice

You assume but aren’t direct

You strut but don’t walk

You scream but don’t converse

You talk down to than at

You just don’t get it

You are inside yourself

I’m so fucking mad

About the day I had

She wasn’t glad

That I kissed Chad

I’m so freaking upset

About what I didn’t get

She was part of the bet

By Monday she will forget

I’m so undesirably distraught

About the day I lost

She was happy I got caught

My feelings can’t be bought

I’m so damn pissed

About the day I missed

She was in the A list

By the weekend I cut my wrist

Don’t patronize

Don’t need your wild skies

Don’t want your rabid lies

Don’t wear that disguise

Just say goodbye

Don’t empathize

Don’t need your vibes

Don’t want your shoe size

Don’t sleep open wide

Just say goodbye

Don’t advise

Don’t need your old surprise

Don’t want your supplies

Don’t discard the gold prize

Just say goodbye

Don’t downsize

Don’t want your grey butterflies

Don’t need your mind baptized

Don’t reject the wise

Just say goodbye

Shrugged diluted zest

Watered down affection

Still waiting…

Undiscovered territory

Finger tip formalities

Still waiting…

Nonexistent warmth

Empty terms of endearment

Still waiting…

Through the loop of emotions

Repetition overload

Still waiting…

on you

Second best

Third place

A small unseen ribbon

Just a contestant

Carrying a chip on her shoulder

Tons of weight

Mediocre and average

Never enough

Depressed and lonely

Trying too hard

Desolate and desperate

In every decade

Feelings remain

I snarled at the green stuff on my plate

I stared at something I refused to taste

She looked at me and said “Eat those Brussel Sprouts!”

“Mom this is something I could live without!”

She stood there sternly and put her hands on her hips

“I better see those Brussel Sprouts meet your lips!”

I glared at those green balls and closed my eyes

I opened up my mouth and told one Brussel Sprout goodbye

I couldn’t believe that it was yummy!

I couldn’t believe that it was happy in my tummy!

Low tolerance

for monumental errors

Imperative

to learn and evolve

Repetitive mistakes

cause blood to boil

and stirring silence

Humans are designed

to create blunders

If order and structure

are installed

Disarray

and inefficiencies

are minimal

Always striving

to improve

in all facades of life

Pouring down overused mentalities

Change fumbling around

Pulling four quarters to insert

in the old fashioned jukebox

Numbers exchanged between

the mentalist and the statue

Between the shot glass

and the pint of a Irish stout

Scattered observations are slurred

Tip toeing through the cigar vapors

and the barking stilettos

Polluted with aggravation’s

and lipstick smudges on the glass

Empty barstools are playing violins

Loneliness waits for no one

Be careful where you drown

your heartache and sorrows

Look up at the glaring neon sign

The Bottomless crutch

I find that life is all about perception. I can see a glass half empty or half full. I find that I can worry about what I can control and not worry about what I can’t. I find the light within the dark. I find beauty within the scars. I find stages, scratches, and atmosphere that I can’t see. I find the exits of them when I look back. I find that I use more of my logic than emotion to see clarity. I find that I remove the complexity to unravel the simplicity. I find the passion within my words. I find I have to own up to my mistakes. I find that I have to continue learning. I find that I have to continue to evolve. I find the joy in what I have and don’t complain about what I don’t have. I find that I didn’t forget where I came from. I find that I know where I’m going. Why? I know where I was and where I am today in every aspect of my life. It all starts with perception.

Fluctuating economy

Stimulating Dow Jones

Buying and selling

In the eyes of the dollar sign

watching corporate America

Staring at bonds maturing

Building portfolios instead

of solid credibility

Complexity of convexity

Depreciating values

Staggering interest rates

Exploration of investments

Discussing volatile markets

Among a million decorated suits

Gripping risks and strapping

onto fixed incomes

Expecting returns on a rush

of thin adrenaline

Motivated by the number one root

of pure evil

Charming pavement

Dazzling hopscotch

Skipping and jumping

Appreciation overload

Barely touching

the luminous ground

Dressed in affection

Block away from the

Everlasting sugar factory

A smile away from the

beaming playground

Sounds of belly ache

laughter and pride

Wishing the entire town

was abundant of love

and respecting humanity

Hoping and praying

the elated joy will expand

beyond this holy cement


Please check out my books!

I never saw

the heart strings you pulled

I never saw

the lies you borrowed

I never saw

the bedroom disguise

I never saw

the contamination

I never saw

your buried intentions

I never saw

the light on the center stage

I never saw

the script you wrote

I never saw

the truth revealed

I never saw

love drip from your lips

I never saw

this moment ever arriving

I never saw

you imagining you could walk away

I never saw

you so terrified and scared

I never saw

you using me