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Outskirts

By Cliff Lake
  Outskirts   On the outskirts of sanity, A new era slimes its way inward, A fester of power, A putrescence of capital, A worming of dominance. A new lording emerges: Capital over capability, Finance over fitness, Funds over fact. We enter the mire all unwilling, Carried on a tide of uninformation. Harangued with promises unmeant, Unmanageable, Unpossible. Now we are to suffer a governance of miasma, Odiferous, and insubstantial, Underwritten by petty, grasping interests, Effecting policy hatched in their coffers. Close your eyes and they proceed, Walk away and flounder anyway. You may proclaim this was never your choice – You have been opted in. The power of decision has been removed, How to regain that capacity, Is the question we now confront. We are at the outskirts of sanity, An entrapment constructed of coin, And the worship of gain, Chains we wear too willing. A new era slimes forward, And we must cleanse o...
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Ollie, Ollie, Oligarchy!

By Cliff Lake
  Ollie, Ollie, Oligarchy!   Why do you still hunger when you own the mill? Why is all of your speech the poison pill? Why does oppression give you such a thrill? What is this hole you are trying to fill?   You’re at the top but you never stop. Eating filet and leaving us slop. We’re meant to survive on what you drop, You’re at the top and you never stop.   Why do you never find satisfaction? Why does your addition have to be our subtraction? Why is your expansion always our contraction? Why must we always suffer your impaction?   You’re at the top but you never stop. To your tune we’re supposed to hop. At your feet we will never flop. You at the top, when will you stop?   Watching the media for you willingly whore. Genuflecting and doing obeisance at your door. You have it all and still you want more. What are you missing at your black hole core?   You’re at the top but you never stop. Men of lie...
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Location: Washington, DC, USA
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Passersby

By Cliff Lake
  Passersby   Investigating an unknown system, One world there was of shining blue. But conditions there indicated That their visit was long overdue.   The planet aged prematurely, What life was left could not be gauged. The dominant species fought itself, Resources plundered past tipping stage.   And the seas and land were overburdened, And there was poison in the air. And they passed by the blue marble, Infected with greed and despair.   Wisdom had these travelers, It was argued they should reach out. But the breed was too fixed in tribal mind, A welcome reception was in heavy doubt.   The seekers watched a short time in growing dismay, As the species learned to faster consume. Spreading waste and toxins in their wake, And learned to make ever larger explosions bloom.   And the populace was overburdened, And there were weapons in the air. And they passed by the blue marble, Infected with ang...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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The Judgement

By Cliff Lake
  The Judgement   The enemy within longtime sought. (why do you look at me) Cursory information dearly bought. (there is almost nothing to see) The rope given; the tightened knot. (get your hands off, let me be) The knave collected and charges brought.   Betrayal here in plain sight, (I didn’t do it I swear) Revenge had by pagan rite. (this is so unfair) Vengeance made with boot and blight, (please hear my prayer) Some wrongs can never be put right.   The facts presented; the trial begins. (do I get to tell my side) Judgements made as he’s brought in. (when did you already decide) Let the accuser his torrid tale spin. (the thread of my fate already tied) The criminal must suffer for his sin.   To our own truths we have clung. (I will not see another dawn) An important lesson for our young. (I am the sacrificial pawn) To vaguest justice praises sung. (this is my last word – I am gone) Ritual complete...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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New Winter Blue

By Cliff Lake
  New Winter Blue   They didn’t listen to us, They don’t listen yet, They would give us no answer, So, we answered the threat.   Can’t remember the ignition, Planes and men became too few, We managed the attrition, What else could we do?   In the nuclear winter of the after, We claimed victory! In the nuclear winter thereafter, 12 million lost to dysentery.   Armed forces gone to overload: We watched our missiles soar. Someone made the choice to use the code, We heard their rockets roar.   Saw the mighty clouds climbing high; Entire cities gone in a blink. Smoke and ash now own the sky, Now we are at the brink.   In the nuclear winter of the after, We had cleaned their clocks. In the nuclear winter thereafter, 4 million dead of mutant pox.   It’s easy to say we won: We hear from them no more, But now that it is said and done, Can someone tell me what for?   In the nucle...
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Location: Washington, DC, USA
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Cold Wind

By Cliff Lake
  Cold Wind   I heard it whistling through the bare trees, A cold wind rising and stealing my ease. A greedy gale to bring me to my knees, How to stand against the wind in times such as these?   There’s a wind blowin’ through the world, And it freezes my heart. A cold thoughtless wind blowin’. Tearin’ my soul apart.   I saw it blow down the men we once did trust, Blowin’ away all good things with every new gust. I saw it blow too hard to adjust A blast so cold and heartless turning all to dust   There’s a wind blowin’ through the world, And it freezes my brain. A cold thoughtless wind blowin’. Nothing will ever be the same.   Who can stand against the whirlwind, Who remains true? Where is it we find shelter, Have we become too few?   I felt the wind blowin’ through my bones, A colder wind than I have ever known. I felt the wind and I heard the earth moan, I feel the wind everywhere and nowhere...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Stuck

By Cliff Lake
  Stuck   I always know when the cycle starts again because We get a new Steve. Ron was trying to slow particles down. He wanted to observe the moment of change. The moment the particle does something else. When he turned the apparatus on – It created what he calls a “temporal inversion”. We didn’t know at first because Ron says we’re in the eye. It’s a field effect he says. We don’t know how far it goes. We just know more things keep coming in: Cars, birds, animals, people, Steves. The Steves are becoming a problem. They all claim to be First Steve. I don’t think that matters, I don’t think it’s going to matter at all for long… Let me tell you about the Steves: They… HE went out for grub. Came back with pizza and grinders and beer. Four days later he came back again – Pizza, grinders, beer. Only he was still here. But now there were two Steves. Ron said that two Steves were better than one, ha ha. And then he came back a...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Get It?

By Cliff Lake
  Get It?   You don’t get a flying car. Imagine the independence you would have! The ability to go anywhere! Anytime! All the time. We can’t have that. You know we can’t have that.   You don’t get free healthcare. Imagine the serenity you would have! The lack of stress! The relief from financial worry! All the time. You can’t have that. You know you can’t have that.   You don’t get honest journalism. Imagine the information you would have! The ability to make an informed choice! The lack of manipulation! All the time. We can’t have that. You know we can’t have that.   You don’t get freedom from fear. Imagine the well-being you would have! The ability to take pleasure in life! The comfort and the peace of mind! All the time. You can’t have that. You know you can’t have that.   You don’t get a flying car…   Cliff Lake 1/9/2025 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025
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Location: 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480, USA
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Now What, Friends?

By Cliff Lake
  Now What, Friends?   “Now what?” He says to no one, To everyone. “Now what?” Life is suddenly an empty bucket, Filled with impossibility, Just waiting to be enacted. Wild plans proposed, Wild deeds performed, Wildmen with their hands on the wheel. Do you know what sane is? Do you know what sane is anymore? That may no longer matter. Isn’t that funny? Doesn’t that just kill you? And when? So… Now what? Are we to allow crazy To be redefined As the daily? That’s what we’re being fed, That’s what they want us to swallow, That’s what we’re to be thankful for. A new breed of crazy, A New Wild West, Gunned up and grinning. And we’ll be protected from ourselves, right? And protected from the imaginary, That they’re just dying to make real, So that the killing can begin. So that they can make a killing. And if a few of our corpses, Fall in the course of it, You’d best believe, That it’s an acceptable loss, Lo...
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Location: 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480, USA
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Terrible Time Again

By Cliff Lake
  Terrible Time Again   Well, It’s Terrible Time again. You didn’t really think Anything was going to change Did you? Oh, I know he told you You’d get to be in charge of something, Anything, Something… You would get to exact revenge On people who haven’t done anything to you, That everything was going to get better For the people you narrowly approve of, And those that you don’t will get shipped off To the garbage countries, Or worse… But… Now you get to be involved with three wars at once, Foreigners will get visas for the best jobs, The market you go to Is already printing higher priced stickers, A guy from South Africa is calling the shots, And you’ve suddenly realized Who was telling lies all along, And how much shit they’re talking now. Yup, It’s Terrible Time again. Only this time around, You aren’t being laughed at – You just see a lot of shaking heads, As they walk away. And what you really don’t get I...
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Location: 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480, USA
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Forever

By Cliff Lake
  Forever   When is the end? When is the end for you? Do some of us die when we finally confess all our sins? Do some die when they can sin no more? At the end, Which of those matter? Entropy is forever. All things speed toward their final dissolution. Do you think to slow-walk life? Every of your moments passes immediate, Even a photograph fades. Memory may do so faster, Or live so closely to your now That you do not see the opportunities For what they are. Every day is another one where you might change everything. There is no knowing whether that will be so, Or will not. There is no knowing that you will continue, Or that you will not. Entropy is forever. It is behind you chasing, It is before you waiting. Inescapable as the march of time, Universal and pervasive. Do you wish to slow the day? Then take notice of the little things: Every instant contains its detail, Every minute its small story. Let these fill you...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Winterfire

By Cliff Lake
  Winterfire   Lacy, Deadly, Cold and ubiquitous, The crystalline sheen heavy. Beauteous weight, Scintillated danger, Hard as the tyrant’s heart, And as fragile as that ego. This is the winterfire, Bitter and brilliant. Lo, when the sun sparks it, His distant heat only serves the refreeze, A melting reprieve may take days! Impermanent jewels dazzle, Glinting on tree and wire, They cause the falling of the weakest – Gravity is the law. On the wind, One hears the creaks and snaps, A testament to accumulation. On the lawn, All is fixed in place, A tribute in precipitation. This twinkling fragility, This hidden gloss, This burnished hazard, This is the winterfire, Beautiful and perilous, A warning, And a gift, One may look and marvel, But navigation is impossible. This is the winterfire. Today, This is life.   Cliff Lake 1/4/2025 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Down By the Sea

By Cliff Lake
  Down By the Sea   Singing songs down by the sea, Of lovers lost and misery. Remains she there so lonely, Singing songs down by the sea.   A beauty fair, forever bound On barren peninsula found. Pale of hair, and skin so browned, More than one man she did astound.   With stringed shells her head is crowned, About her bodice more are wound. Long reclined on sandy mound, More than one man she did confound.   Singing songs down by the sea, Of lovers lost and misery. Remains she there so lonely, Singing songs down by the sea.   She sings her songs, hypnotic sound, Mesmerizing melodies compound. More than one man she bid come round. More than one man ran aground.   Now they see her inviting gowned, Now do they their love propound. Now do cries of distress abound, More than one man has she drowned.   Singing songs down by the sea, Of lovers lost and misery. Remains she there so lonely,...
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Location: Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
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Nothing Left

By Cliff Lake
  Nothing Left   You ate my empathy. Skilled ineptitude Allowed you to choose which lies Suited you best. You had your chance. You could have turned from the lies. But what was said Was what you wanted to hear. You chose to opt in. Now you are pissed off That the lies you wanted, Spoken by the man That has one of the worst records At being a human Lied to you. All you needed to do Was not ignore the evidence, Apparently That was too easy, The candy was too sweet. Now you must suffer The toothache you chose. The toothache you chose for everyone, Being selfish, And intentionally ignorant. You ate my empathy.   Cliff Lake 1/2/2025 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025
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Location: 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480, USA
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Gains

By Cliff Lake
  Gains   What gains May be had by the common, As we gaze upon the year Thrust at us? An impossibility Of forward momentum With the piles of gold in our way. Toadish figures squat heavy on their lucre, Soft in the belly, Soft in the mind, Hard in the heart. Their disdain Is spoken in their every utterance, For all of their talk centers internally. Yet they have use for you, citizen, As they acquire And fail to release their plunder, They count on you and me, To buy product, And swell their coffers. O glad expenditure! Adorn me in plastic! Swaddle me in cheap synthetics! I am your GMO groupie! For I am promised better healthcare – Soon… Two weeks away, From the last two weeks… I am promised all the things! Until it becomes less profitable. I am the common, And maybe I matter.   Cliff Lake 1/1/2025 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025
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Location: 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480, USA
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A King

By Cliff Lake
  A King   “A king” he said and taxed their gold, Demanded homage to names of old. And gems collected and silver too, Assumed and thought it was his due.   Orders came, backed by the sword, At spear’s behest more riches stored. A mountain of bounty he caused builded, He would have all he saw gilded.   Set himself above the land, No labor would he take to hand. Dressing only in the finest cloth, A king, some said, only of sloth.   Hungrily he gathered wealth, Famished for the gold itself. An aching that he could not shed, A vacancy constantly fed.   Sat upon the gold he could not eat, Exacting fealty to ancient seat. Feeding only on his conceit, His people more valued sheaves of wheat.   His bones they found in later years. No record is found of their shed tears. Nor is found of him great acclaim, A king he was only in name.   Cliff Lake 12/28/2024 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024
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Darkwood

By Cliff Lake
  Darkwood   One path, overgrown, often lost, ever darkening. They must bear their burdens onward, Death stalks behind them. The forest deepens. Here winter’s hand was laid long, That grip now never loosens. The damp and the gloom are one, The cold worsens both. This is the Darkwood, One ventures here only in direst need. This is the Darkwood, None return from here unscathed. This is the Darkwood, Some never return at all. This company hazards the path for one thing: Coldmoss. Only here does it grow, Only it cures the dreaming fever. The sickness has raged through, Without coldmoss, More than half the village will succumb. Now they brave the Darkwood, Now they trudge the path heavy laden. One dares not leave this trail, The forest, Or the Shadowfolk that live there, Will claim those foolish enough to try. So, they plod deeper, To the clearing spoken of old. There sits a Shadowman, His head crowned With intertwin...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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The Errand

By Cliff Lake
  The Errand   The gray expanse covers, The sun hides, The cold, The damp, The permeating despair, A shadow and an oppression. The rider Alone in the haze, Urges his mount steadily forward, Mindful of the beast’s trepidation, And of the senses it employs. He also remains heedful as he can, Sounds deadened, He must rely on sight. Eyes flicking side to side, Striving to pierce the mists, The strain is relentless, Yet he dare not tarry, This passage has an earned reputation, And he would not add his name to its tales. Moreover, his errand will not wait, Its gravity would suffer more than this toil, And the oath he swore drives him through this, And more – Should that be required. He is not sworn to one, But to all, He is a keeper and sentinel, A guardian and watchman, And this day, A messenger. The tidings he bears, Of hope and succor, Of aid unlooked for, Must be delivered to a beleaguered land, Though thi...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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An Ode to the Notes

By Cliff Lake
  An Ode to the Notes   Music plays my day, Music dreams my night. Do you not know? Every note is a miracle! Precise and evocative, A progression of reverie, A background in trance, Fantasy made concrete in sound! Is it no wonder that your head nods? The imperative speaking to your body, The groove to your soul! Music speaks What we cannot say for ourselves, Music moves us when we cannot stand. It dances in our ears, It pounds in our chests, And we sway unknowing, Uncaring, A freedom granted By little else in this existence. Close your eyes, Feel it carry you beyond, Beyond worry, Beyond fear, Beyond strife, Beyond yourself. How lucky the musician! They live inside the melody, Transported to realms they create, And they carry us along, And feel no weight. Music plays my day, Music dreams my night, And takes me to better places, Than I could find on my own. If there is magic, It is found within the note...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Mending Moon

By Cliff Lake
  Mending Moon   The man peered at the dark sky To see the other side of night. A man so lonely He could no longer perceive the light.   But the moon was there, And she would know his plight. As he stared blindly, She sorrowed at the sight.   So, she bathed him all in silver, That she may make his darkness bright. And so, he sat in alabaster, And wondered at a world gone so white.   But the moon said nothing, And nightly continued her flight. So, this man found surprising comfort In the midst of dark and blight.   Now the man can travel once more in day, And marvels that things sometime had gone right. And the moon smiles to herself, And nightly shines on him with all her might.   Cliff Lake 12/20/2024 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Evil Rides

By Cliff Lake
  Evil Rides   The Prophecy comes around again: The dire warning from the other When. Something emerges from its den, The Prophecy has returned to men.   Evil tides not turned aside, The Horsemen will begin their ride, Long ago there was confide: Evil will be freely plied. Woe to those who will not hear! Evil rides and has come near! Woe to those who cower in fear! We must stand brothers, for what is dear!   The Prophecy comes around again: The dire warning from the other When. No longer in gutters it resides: It’s mounted up and Evil rides!   Hear the wailing as Evil moves! Goodness and Hope crushed under cruel hooves! Will you willingly accept the noose? Is it despair that you would choose? Bend not the knee to the uncouth! You have a sword: it is called Truth! Fear not the poison monied tooth, You hear the words, now bear their proof!   No longer in back rooms its time it bides, It’s mounted u...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Butterfly Girl

By Cliff Lake
  Butterfly Girl   Butterfly girl, Have you seen her Flutter through your world? A changeling, From dark days gone, Butterfly girl, She floats on…   Coming from Some place unknown, She chooses what wind By which she’s blown. She has made her own Silken wings, She flits by the ugly things. Touches you lightly, Then she’s gone, Butterfly girl, Floating on…   Butterfly girl, Have you seen her Flutter through your world, A changeling, From dark days gone, Butterfly girl, She floats on…   Escaping from Constricted place, The whole world now Is her space. Floating by Her smile brings Soothing song To your heartstrings. Bright and airy, Like live chiffon, Lighting the day, Then floating on…   Butterfly girl, Have you seen her Flutter through your world? A changeling, From dark days gone, Butterfly girl, She floats on…   Cliff Lake 12/18/2024 Copyright © Cli...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Voices Out of Time

By Cliff Lake
  Voices Out of Time   A waking hour, Too soon ‘til dawn. A waking mind, That’s droning on. The minutes grind on slow, And I can’t sleep ‘cuz I’m Loudly serenaded By voices out of time.   Voices out of time, And I don’t know If they fit the rhyme. Have they left in tatters, Momentary peace of mind. Or do they speak truly, These voices out of time.   Days I think I had, Nights no longer clear. Faces gone clouded, Blurred by old tears. Hopes faded by reality, Life the uphill climb. Why do I make enquiry Of these voices out of time?   Voices out of time, How can we know If they fit the rhyme? Or will they leave in tatters, Temporary peace of mind Or if they speak truly, These voices out of time.   Cliff Lake 12/18/2024 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Low

By Cliff Lake
  Low   The dirty players, The money lords, The mediocre, The small, The grovelers and the mean, They are risen. They have been set in high places, As rulers, Or enforcers of rule, Or as takers of things They will not use themselves. Malingerers and petty in spirit, They will force strange and malignant orders, They will harbor resentment toward the just, The artful, And the innocent, For they are none of these things, And cannot be, For they are poor in mind, And empty in their souls. They are hateful for less reason Than it takes to draw a breath, And they would have even that Were it possible. It is these that have been placed above you, Though they are the lowest of vermin, Unclean in every inch of their being, Unworthy of anything But the basest existence, And they know it. Therefore, they oppress, They deny, They subjugate all not of their kind, And in so doing, Disguise their inadequacy behind title...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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A Farewell to Cowards

By Cliff Lake
  A Farewell to Cowards   Capitulation? No. No, it is an abandonment. It is an abdication. It is cowardice. It is a desertion. We have been left to jackals and slavers, We have been allowed to be absorbed Into a diseased machine, We have been fed corruption, We have been led astray And face the precipice. Those charged with guardianship Have quit their posts, And have yielded to exploitation And extortion. This is the worst malfeasance, An insufferable discard of responsibility, A surrender of morals and duty, A defeat through payola. Such jobbery sickens me. Fearful of their survival, They have chosen poison. They will find themselves eating it daily. They will choke on their lack of vision, Their numbers dwindle as their venality grows, Their desperation as painful as the bruising of their knees, Let their long extinction event, Bring to them the suffering They have allowed to be foist on their subscribers. The ...
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Location: New York, NY, USA
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Standing

By Cliff Lake
  Standing   From the ivory towers, The hidden agenda reveals: It does not include you. From well-guarded gardens We hear the murmur of the accountant, Ensuring the wasting piles of lucre Grow ever more expansive, And used ever less graciously. See how the occupants Of the glass and steel palace Strive to impress each other: Collecting baubles and accoutrement Too precious for public display, Unless under heavy guard. But for all their power and connections, Still they bend the knee To an evil that will not be confined. That they may not give up their thinnest dime, They have loosed upon us A grievous wrong and an ego, That will accept no satisfaction. They quail before this, For it claims the power to end them with a word, And they would hand it such power, As their greed blinds them To what humanity they once held, If ever. Were they banded, They could cage the calamity, But their avarice and desire Separates ea...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Sailor and Nymph

By Cliff Lake
  Sailor and Nymph   A sailing man set out the world to explore, Under his own banner and truly free. There upon an unknown shore, He saw a nymph dance beside the Sea.   Possessed she unearthly grace and daring eyes, She swayed and moved to unheard chord. The sailor by nymph mesmerized Invited her to come aboard.   His banners high, they caught the breeze, Together they now sailed the seas. The nymph dancing as she pleased, The sailor free to take his ease.   On the deck of sailor’s boat, The nymph danced morn and afternoon, Above the deck she seemed to float, A dance she danced to call the moon.   But soon in day she seemed to pine, Dancing melancholy and forlorn. Paling ‘neath the bright sun’s shine. But nightly exuberant, dancing ‘til morn.   His ship’s banner caught the light, Light that caused the nymph to swoon, But she would brighten in the night, And she danced best before the moon. ...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Mysteries

By Cliff Lake
  Mysteries   I guess and strain At the ancient mysteries, Enigmatic puzzles and far magics Explained too confidently By persons as far removed From those times as I. Monuments explained in pictograph, Translated by a modern view, Unaided by the original subtleties, Once easily accessed And now lost to time. What untold venerations remain unspoken? What context misapprehended? Are we to believe the clamor of Conquering slavers, Murderers claiming gold not theirs, Colonizers and Unbelievers. What measure of truth Remains to that sort? How can we through their eyes, Revere and resolve tall testaments, They bloodied for their own ends? What persists in misunderstood language? Precise calculation exists side by side with Monstrous characters worshipped in sacrifice. This seems amiss. What understanding is removed? What key to the paradox remains hidden? Monolith and obelisk mock our ignorance, Fortifications and shrin...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Religiously Right

By Cliff Lake
  Religiously Right   Once again We are to be troubled By religious persecution. The devout have prosecuted, And they find their judgements Actionable. Who am I to deny Their lust for retribution For sins and crimes, Not enacted against them? They will have individuality Remolded in their image, That they will not be disturbed, By personalities unmired in the miserable. True joy is found by them In fearing the wrath of God. True freedom is achieved Through conformity, Everyone knows that. Sameness makes everything easier, No need to think, No decisions are too hard, Everything is planned in advance, So, get in line, And be like them, And there won’t be any problems. The religious right Absolutely know they are right, Why, it’s in the name! And in the name of Jesus, They’ll get you right, Or else. It’s not persecution, Until it’s happening to you.   Cliff Lake 12/13/2024 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Lost Muse

By Cliff Lake
  Lost Muse   Between and behind the veils they are, Banished by greed and ignorance, And a lust for power over all creatures. An eviction enacted through lies and violences, By the unworthy and the uncouth. For long ago was chosen The Path of Iron: Cold, hard, And malleable to the will of small men, Who cannot dream beyond What they would take unbidden. Tricksters they were named, And were depicted of ugly mien, Of as corrupted men, Horned and furious. Once they were guides, Once we had teachers, Muses and spirits, Escorts of The Way. Some hear them whisper yet, Pale voices singing from a coruscating beyond, Giving glimpses of tales wondrous, Their meaning deep woven in parable, That those who would hear, May taste of what was, And what can be, If we could but shake these shackles Binding us and keeping us, When we could be free between the stars, Whence we came in the long before, Before time was twisted, Befo...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Vibrations

By Cliff Lake
  Vibrations   Williams left us the bad days. That’s what’s going on, you know, He left us the bad days. He didn’t build a time machine, Not exactly, He built a time SELECTOR. Maybe more like a filter,   Or maybe it’s like a tuner. Time vibrates. Everything vibrates, Sound, The ground, molecules, It’s all vibration. He figured it out, Williams figured it out: That time vibrates, And that there are good vibrations, And bad ones. Mike Love tried to tell us, But maybe only Williams heard him. Williams built the machine, The filter, Or strainer, Or whatever it is, It showed him the vibrations, But it showed him how to access them as well. So, he did. Once he knew which were good time vibrations, And which were bad, Well… He filtered what he wanted, didn’t he? Grabbed his favorite people and… So here we are. Stuck with what’s left. I’m sure Williams is having the time of his life, He and all his friends....
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Dark Path

By Cliff Lake
Dark Path   The dark path, Rocky, Brambled, Shrouded in mists and Noisome fumes, He can go back, But there, It is darker. He forges on. To each side are pitfalls, Into them He has fallen. More than once he has fallen. He has taken bruises, He has been cut, He has taken breaks, But he has not broken. The way is dark yet, He forges on. Has he wished for light? Most assuredly, And the dark has been pierced, Briefly, And sometimes from a distance, And always Dark returns. For this space is darkness surrounding, With brilliant points illuminating, Themselves surrounded. This he sees and He forges on. The path is ever before him, Dark as it is, And trails behind, Where it is so much darker. No matter, He forges on.   Cliff Lake 12/11/2024 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Wichita Walkway

By Cliff Lake
  Wichita Walkway   See the greenspaces collect their trash, A convenience unlooked for! Hidden beneath the arbor, One merely lets go, What could be easier? See the Styrofoam cups flower! Such a Quik Trip from the hand to the ground. See the plastic bags wander! Blown on the breezes as leaves From the trees they would smother. See the pop cans sparkle! Crushed underfoot by the manly. What exquisite reminders of carelessness. How the squirrels must envy our crafts! Perhaps they will nest In the discarded clothing items, yes? Perhaps the cardboard containers Were just what they needed. How fortunate is Nature, That we trash her freely, So that small creatures May make use of our poisons, Our detritus, Our ignorance. Perhaps if there were more walkways, We could stop recycling altogether! What a bright future is ours!   Cliff Lake 12/10/2024 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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More or Less

By Cliff Lake
  More or Less   The world is stupid. Not the one we live on – Nothing makes more sense Once understood. The stupid part Is the part we made, The one that’s supposed to be More comfortable, More comforting, More convenient, And instead has been reduced to simply “More” More people, More damage, More heat, More garbage. Yet somehow more have less than ever. Less freedom, Less opportunity, Less security, Less help. As we ravage the planet more, The prospect of her recovery becomes less. And we couldn’t be more stupid about it. Still, those with more, Wish we would talk less of the stupidity, And work more, For less. And the stupid among us, Couldn’t care less. Because all they want is More. They cannot see That as time goes on, They will pay more, And get less. Though I believe they will get more stupid… And continue to be careless.   Cliff Lake 12/9/2024 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Puppets and Master

By Cliff Lake
  Puppets and Master   Puppet master, will you fail faster? Are your webs blown on the breeze? Your fingers buried in too many pies, Your minions rise off their knees.   Puppet master, what new disaster Creeps closer to minareted castle? Puppet master, you old spellcaster, You’ve lost another vassal.   What happens as they dance harder? No longer docile underlings. What have you left to barter? Choking on the puppet’s strings.   Puppet master, democracy blaster, Will you need to grow some wings? Puppet master, better choose your pasture, The world has had enough of kings.   What happens as they dance harder, Are you going through some things? One less mouth in the larder, Your puppets cutting their strings.   Cliff Lake 12/8/2024 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024
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Location: Syria
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Rollertoasted

By Cliff Lake
  Rollertoasted   He tells you to watch what THEY are doing, With his hand in your pocket again. It’s the same old bait and switch, You have been falling for since I don’t know when.   Everyone else is a THEM these days, A factoid requiring nothing like proof. Shady rhetoric all draped in gray, A mockery and inversion of truth.   This is the ride you wanted: A rollercoaster gone far beyond the track. This is the collide you wanted, The crash is coming and it’s too late to turn back.   Watch the lords of collusion line up, They know where their bread is buttered. Watch as they get their noses shined up, Knowing what the deal was with the first words uttered.   You traded freedom for snide remarks: It’s oligarchy for the win! Now you start to see things as they go dark, The Great Oppression is about to begin.   This is the ride you wanted: A rollercoaster gone far beyond the track. This is the col...
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Location: Wichita, KS, USA
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Grind

By Cliff Lake
  Grind   The minions sing the phrases taught them By the Witless Wizard as he spins wrong legends round, The chorus that blinds them eagerly, To the machine that grinds them down.   The Wandering Warden berates them as he will, And lets his hounds howl at every unwanted sound. And goads the people to dig frantically for the fuel That fires the machine that grinds them down.   The Callous Crows that haunt the House, So casually they trash the town. They feather their nests with their own foul, Working the levers of the machine grinding down.   Gray Lady and her matrons Selling the wrong words in ever-tattered gown, Their knees scabby and bloody, As they service the machine that ground them down.   The Jargon Jurists jockey for Judas coin, See their noses go brown. They waylay the justice they wield, Greasing the gears of the machine in which they’re ground.   Somewhere the eagle may soar high above,...
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Location: Washington, DC, USA
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