First Two of 2008

"For the Kids" and "L1fe By Numb3rs"


"For the Kids"

Desensitized to the point of death,
a shock to your system
the only thing that can
bring you back from the brink of sinking
to ever-lower depths
where truth and lies intertwine,
and more is less.2
Take a breath
before the plunge,
make a lunge
for the things you always wanted,
undaunted
by taunts and jeers from your peers
who had no dreams
outside of cheer squad and wrestling team,
and wound up living for the high,
weed, shrooms, acid,
faces flaccid from a massive dose
of passivity
in liquid form, as they conform
to the norm, the expected
image: life's about getting fucked up
and fucking, ducking cops
and being rebels--
how about
responsible adults?
What happened to growing up,
and being respected?
Since when was being a gangster
the cool career choice?
Yes, give voice to your rage--
at what? Your gilded cage?
The fact that you're
a bored consumer whore,
with too much time and too much money?
Honey, you haven't seen the half of it.
Grow the fuck up,
get on with it,
for god's sake, you're twenty-something,
shouldn't you have something
by now?

"L1fe By Numb3rs"

Two dollars for coffee
and four for a ticket
to ride a train
through a tunnel
out of the rain
and the heat is on
for once.
The past adds up
to two cents worth,
even when things
don't add up or make sense.