The Alex Show - Episode 65

Young and blissfully ignorant, I gaze up into the sky.

"God is taking a picture of you. Smile!"

"Cheeeeeeese!"

Lightning strikes, illuminating the darkness, vanishing in an instant. If not for splitting the earth we would never know it occurred. Nature is as dangerous as it is beautiful. Though presently aware of its risks and repercussions, we continue to carelessly bask in its splendor.  The field we stand in, however, has been burned. We move onto the next.

The storm is subsiding - or at least moving onward - and it is impossible to keep pace. A new device is needed; assembly required. We chase it with steel rod in hand, but to no avail. We acquire other man-made objects and a few good meters of string, something to tie it all together. Take wind, reach up, and pray for rain. Nothing. We rise up from the ground. The storm will come. It always does.

The chase continues.

You don't know what you've got till it's gone. The same idea applies when you reverse it. What you don't know won't hurt you. What we don't have can't either. For centuries we were chasing storm clouds, now we're running from them. Little did we know, it was safer where the field was burned. After all, lightning does not strike the same spot twice.

Old and wistfully enlightened, I gaze up into the sky.

"God is taking a picture of you. Smile!"

"No, that's just lightning."

- afm

The Checkered Crucifix

train-spotting
under the flashing lights
tracks are rumbling
hands held tight
to the armrest
beneath the checkered crucifix
our souls sit
as we wait for it to rise
permission to persist
the tires tread
the metallic lines
creating a spark
but never starting fire
to the checkered crucifix
patiently still
we cling tighter
aware of how easy
it would be to circumvent
any minute now
is a constant reminder
of its insignificance
anticipated, repeating
for life is as fleeting
as the train now retreating

we are ready to cross
the crucifix is risen

- afm

The Lord's Dare

Lord, I've traveled lonely, shook off all of my minions,
Took my hits and then some, fought for my opinions.
Lord, I bet on some things, but I won't bet on millions.
Curse me down, destroy me. Scratch out my existence.

Lord, I'm low and wandering. Rid of my oppression.
Hell-bent from my suffering, stripped of my transgressions.
Lord, I cast out most things, but I won't give up freedom.
Surrender myself to better myself, a gamble more than a mission.

All you wanted was to tame
A stubborn man to learn from his mistakes.
All I wanted was to know
If our lives are just the same as those below.

I guess I'll wait until the end
To find out if my body will descend.
I guess I'll wait until my time is completed
To admit that I'm defeated.

- afm

Ropes for Curtains

Cradled in my youth,
The agonizing truth
That I'll never be as whole as I once was.
It seems the more I learn,
The less I tend to yearn
For something real and pure.
I traded in all possessions
For otherworldly obsessions.
I bought the poison with the sum,
And spilled it in my ear.
The worst I fear is closing in,
And all I want is to give in.

Covered in my skin
This hollowed skeleton,
Whose bones are merely ropes for curtains,
Is waiting to jump out,
And turn it all around,
But my tendons lack the same intentions.
My muscles can't muster the strength
To keep my cursed hands at bay.
The other side is at arm's length.
I'm craving its embrace.
The worst I fear is closing in,
And all I want is to give in,
But I won't.

Cradled in my youth, longing for those days.
It's the agonizing truth, that nothing stays the same.
Sometimes you have to lose, to realize all you've gained.
Cradled in my youth, longing for those days.

- afm

buzzing

there was a fly
glued to the television screen
aside
aren't we all
and since he was glued
unable to move
i shuffled over to him
and swatted him away
there was another fly
circling me relentlessly
as if he was a bee without a stinger
and i had stolen the honey
so i ran to the kitchen
flicked the switch
only to discover
there were several more flies
hovering about me
i struck them down
one by one they fell
one by one they came
for every fly defeated
emerged one the same
there were many flies
perched upon my legs
and perched upon my face
a spider would sense breathing
and eight legs would race
there were no webs in the doorway
so i continued striking down
but the source could not be found
only the sound of their blaring buzz
there were countless flies
atop a pile of my clothes
i don't suppose someone is buried
in the ground
i took out the trash
i washed the dishes
yet no culprit was uncovered
something was missing
throughout my search
the flies still perched
and buzzed about my tired head
instead i thought to block them out
so i ran to the bathroom
and locked them out
i flicked on the light
but the darkness stood
at least the flies were gone for good

zzz zz zzzzzzzz

there was a fly
on the mirror

- afm