Strainer

1594 strainer in debrief 

Metallic basket, glinting shell bereft 

Slashed and in thirst of cure or relief. 

Its purpose clear, yet an email behest 

An MOC to strip you of your sieve. 

No aegis from ERG could keep Ops, 

Against all engineering combative, 

From doffing your screen, midst OEM squawks. 

Without a filter mesh, your barren cage 

Returned to the snaking metal domain 

Awaiting sludge to dance upon its stage 

A day before, a penny saved, no pain. 

Until startup, its purpose fully found 

To keep the cold box's flow pure and sound. 

Today is not Bad

The cloud passes before me
and i choke to take a breath
industrial grey
paints the sky away
but today is not bad

and those shining stars
once myriads and millions more
have faded now to select few
and dimer yet except for the one
but today is not bad

Today we fight and struggle
against ourselves and each other
and argue over the littlest things
all while church bells ring
but today is not bad

today the world speaks
and harbors the weak
and pushes to new frontiers
we are kind, gentle, unaustere
today is not bad

Liminal (This Doorway)

Across this doorway which I step
I leave the former me behind
The pain and wrong are gone away
As I step out of my bind

The floor is never smooth or soft
Upon on felt I stand
The hook and nail on the ground
Cut my feet and hands

The door of not heavy oak and iron
But of the lightest elm
To be opened at the slight touch
To access another realm

The way is dark, nor bright as day
But along the way I ponder
The records of people who
Stopped along this wander

Though this Doorway I shall cross
One hundred times a day
But always open is the door
And clear is the way

And in the end when time is near
To being completely gone
The amount of times the door was closed
Was always close to none

Anonymous

Scratch and scribble
Of the unsung hero
his words over his name
to gain credit and the fame

He strengthens the fallen
embraces the forgotten
Helps the lost remember
kindles tomorrow's embers

Without the fear from others
or taking words of another
choosing the right words
to free steel-caged birds

His face hidden behind the page
But his eyes glow of the rage
Never boasting but always seeing
Touching all without a being

The men walking down sidewalks
We are surrounded by oeuvre Bachs
An empty bar, the last to leave
Inside all of us, if you believe

Shadow of a Lesser Man

Upon the dim window I throw
The shadow of a lesser man
Than he who once fought for freedom
And saluted for the marching band

The spits of light across the sky
Brought forth dreams of past lives
A doctor, lawyer, or engineer
All were so close, now not near

I was told we were the greater
That we help those who are in danger
But after the last man fell before
Me lay the hollow goal

The dream of this country lad
was to travel and to protect
From the greatest danger to mankind
Men with the views of reject

Looking out looking glass wall
watching the world pass myself
all the whilst wandering inside
what was the great thing in hide

The shadow is darkened by the old
And face is set stone cold
But behind the curtain of shielded light
Lays a child of sorrow and fright

Good Enough

The greats don't come in second
The best don't finish last
The top isn't at the bottom
Or lost within the pack

They stand before it all
And be champion above
The seconds are forgotten
And with them their love

The good enough Has to be
In order for greatness to shine
strength in numbers Does not apply
When comparing human lives

While them below look up
And cheer for my own success
The ones above laugh and snicker
Without a thought to repress

If I were better I'd accept greatness
And worst accept my failures
But in the middle of the two halves
Is distance far for voyagers

To those one wish I were better
And those who see my greatness
Both pluck the fatal string
That strikes the note, good enough

The Path

For once in my life
I thought I knew
I thought the path
Was straight and true

But going down
The road looks bleak
With a surface worn
From a thousand feet

The weather forecast
Was daily sunshine
But by noon each day
Storm clouds aline

The rain is hard
Machine gun rattle
Which causes me to think
Or possibly prattle

Am I the one who
Deserves the road?
Or the one who paves it
And softens the load?

For the one after
Who needs to find
The end of the road
As the design

A worthless one
One of the rest
The ones who are never
Remembered or addresses

We straighten the path
Blanket the ground
Until tomorrow
When we aren't around

We or I are not here
For a grand purpose or plan
But only to be the mass which those
Who are chosen look grand

Are we, am I, one of the mass
Through which the special ones pass
Who can shine the bright gleam
If I am within the great mainstream

Thule

Thule is before me
Where the sky touches the sea
Beyond human comprehension
The edge of reality

I skirt the edge around
Staring at the expanse
My heart races as the thought
Of making the advance

A place never sung for
And a world never visited
Somewhere lost before
But discovered once again

I traveled for so long
Without knowledge before
But stumbled upon
The lost Atlantis shore

Thule was a fictional place
The land beyond the world
The grounds so real and sturdy
Maybe it's really not here
Maybe I'm not here too

Desire Paths

I must follow my desire path
All the way to its pot of gold
Through a forest or a river
Whether scared or bold

The wind may be at my back
Or have me shivering cold
Hoping that there is an end
I have nothing else to hold

What can I use its treasure for
A Mercedes or a yacht?
Or is there even a destination?
The path of no afterthoughts?

The Ship

The ship sails the crashing hills
Tumbles through fields of sea
I plot my path through the stars
And steer past previous debris

For ships past through here
Long ago, before my time
Their captains experienced of ocean
My knowledge is not maritime

I sail straight, without delay
For time is precious to me
The destination close at hand
Will give my name legacy

The bow hits the worn dock
Where men I admire stood
And now I take their place
On the wet resinous wood

Once moored to the landing
I dismount and take my stride
For the ground below is cloudy
But I'm firm with my pride

Legends surround, congratulate
Me on my speedy journey
As the lead me to the gate
I return my eyes to the sea

Did I ever see a mermaid?
Or sail to foreign Islands?
It didn't last forever, over so soon
should I have taken some diamonds?

Whata-Sonnet

Lorry of friends, sailing o'er the blacktop.
Paintbrushed red skies above, onset twilight.
Rolling castle house king and page and knight,
behind the round table, Sir Lancelot.

Tales told of quests, most true or from Aesop,
until the stomach growls its most polite,
a hearty meal before loss of daylight|
For squire's pay, a king's banquet; "Pit Stop!"

Orange A-Frame; raised high a double-u
Quenching even dragon craves for burger
With the additional large drink and fries,
The knights unite in feast, taste not eschew
When all in all it was but ten plus quarter.
The orange hue soaks Texas summer skies.