CliffSongs

A Retelling   “Look, but do not touch!” they are told. And so, they watch, Not impotent, But commanded.   A battle fought long ago, Hard won. Dimensions shattered, inverted, Or made void. A lone globe sequestered, It’s life now part and parcel To the cold clockwork, Penance for daring to exist.   Graceless now, the defeated grumble, And foment. The Despoiler, Anguished of a future He will not escape, Makes ruin his home and yield, If he cannot forge, Then he will fire.   His minions ache at their loss, Boon and beneficence They thought to take alone, Now a memory that can only pain, For they once knew beauty boundless, An infinitude of symmetry and delight, That now scrapes at their spirit, As they count down the days and the hours, To their utter invalidation.   These do the bidding of the Unchaste, Their abnegation never complete, It is a torture to exist, But they fear not being at all. Thus, they spoil al

Return to Grace   She said she was a seeress, And could show me what was lost. And asked that I be fearless, And could I bear the cost? And peer behind the curtain, And see forgotten when, For she was not uncertain, That they could be again.   She handed me the philter, A brew mossy and dark, I drank it unbewildered, My surroundings made sure to mark. Her smile some faint disquiet, Her eyes steady and sure, The room darkened to violet, Until all became obscured.   A light before me opened, A landscape did then unfold, A music came like snow then, Soft and light and cold. It gripped me and it held me, It’s singers came into view. Something then unspelled me, These carolers I knew.   Fair and proud and stern and tall, They moved in easy precision, Their melody had me in thrall, But I regret not my decision. I strode my way toward them, Their ranks parted and made way, Then I was one among them, And we marched until midday.   We came to the encampment, The foe arrayed below. But we fell t

  Corrections: Ode to Shaye and Lady Ruby   They are light-sensitive, these charlatans, Operating from shadow, Eager to conceal labors grisly, Gritted, Gargantuan in their malevolence, And titillated to an audience cruel, As the misdeeds of a rival.   They would champion the desecrations They celebrate in private banquet. They would herald their cruelty as boon. They would espouse their atrocities As recompense for the infractions They assign to their detractors, But practiced by themselves behind the veils of piety They shout in the streets.   They make bewilderments In session they call For just that purpose, Smokes and smogs to conceal their rot: Confusions manufactured from vapors. They will not abide the pierce of daybreak, Illuminations breaking through the mists, They weave about themselves as concealment From accusations they can no longer evade.   Too strident become their calls. Too often their obscurements fade. T

  Extinction   No bright meteor, no cataclysm, Just some pink clothing, And a rainbow or two, And the dinosaurs know they are through.   Clinging like lizards To outmoded systems Failing between their hands, Bleating how everything is all right As they scurry across the burning lands.   See how the dinosaurs rage. See them being upstaged. See them ineffectually outraged. See the dinosaurs as they fall into old age.   Now see them buy the items Just to burn them, See them lie to themselves And each other about their virtue, See them frenzy without a clue.   Now watch them as they seek to rend. See them as they their violence defend. See them as they fail to comprehend. See them fearful of their approaching end. See how the dinosaurs rage. See them being upstaged. See them ineffectually outraged. See the dinosaurs as they fall into old age.   Cliff Lake 7/23/2023 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2023

  The Last Song   When the last bird ends it’s song, Who among us will hear it? Who will learn from it's plaintive call, A sorrow told in notes crying, Mourning the breaking of a world That it could not save by singing.   When the last flower blooms, Defiant against the poisons, Who will smell it's perfume, Vibrant among the decay surrounding, A defeated call to the bees Who once visited and are no more.   When the last fire sputters, Deprived of the air, It had mindlessly consumed, As it burned away the evidence of us, Who had mindfully created it, And did not care enough.   When the last bird laments it's last song, Will it agonize it's passing, Or bemoan it's lone existence? Will it ache for a world it never knew? Or grieve the passage of life wasted? Or will it merely be a bird singing?   When the last bird ends it's song, Will we know?   Cliff Lake 7/23/2023 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2023

  The Real Fake News Rides Again   Putin apologists within the GOP are asking into a purported Russian retirement community being built for disaffected Americans to live in near Moscow. Tucker Carlson is reportedly very interested in a first-floor suite as he says, “It’s just a lot more convenient for carrying groceries and the like and I believe a fall from a window at that level is survivable.”   Alina Habba, a lawyer closely tied to Donald Trump, was found in a closet at the site of a tornado that damaged a Pfizer warehouse. A spokesman claimed she’d been there since last week after proposing that the company sue the AMA and WHO “For reasons”. The spokesman continued, “After being asked to leave she tried to exit through the maintenance closet and just stayed there. I think someone was bringing her sandwiches but really, we’re just embarrassed that she was even here to start with.”   George Santos today called a “media event” that no one showed up for. He then called in

  Under Control   The alarm on the phone Tells me the day has begun. A calendared event I have given to the machine to hold. My watch measures my motion, Keeping my heart ever clocked. My steps watched and counted, And a suggested longer stroll.   Suggested only. Apps under my control.   The traffic lights assign my progress, Camera-mounted, speed detected, Seeking the unbelted, Watching as the autos roll. Warnings sound from the dash, A tire slightly over a line. Airbags at the ready, Safety comes with its toll,   Allowances made for control.   Keycard programmed for entry, Thus, the workday begins. Make sure my badge is visible, I am who am in plastic mold. Log in to my machine in code, Numbers more trusted than a smile. Assignments are delivered digitally, Records allow no loophole.   Electronically kept under control.   Minutes counted for consumption, Activities compartmented by number. A record of my incomp

  House of Shame   Marjorie Taylor Greene on the house floor. Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks she scored a score. Marjorie Taylor Greene goes for revenge porn. Marjorie Taylor Greene is deserving of our scorn.   A representative that hasn’t any ethics, A Georgian without any shame. A Republican without any morals: Marjorie Taylor Greene is her name.   See the investigation go sideways, See the House GOP go rude. See them opt for the desperation plays, See them still hungering after nudes.   These representatives haven’t any honor, These Republicans are our shame, The House GOP sinking into depravity, Kevin McCarthy is to blame.   Now these representatives deep into their clown show, A laptop still proving no crime. Pornography out on the House floor, Only shows the GOP slime.   House GOP sold their integrity. House GOP invested in shame. Marjorie sinking lower than sewage, House GOP going down in flames.   These representati

  Earth Mother   Ah yes, Life… so beautiful, And then you die from it. You knew that: If you had never lived, Then you couldn’t have died – A conversation for a first date, no? Or something to discuss With a possible employer. The world is beautiful. The world is ugly, And I don’t mean humanity, Though we’re certainly no help… Allow me to explain: No matter what the stories say, This place isn’t all flowers, And horses, And moonlight, No. It’s also volcanoes, And cobras, And radiation poisoning. There’s no getting away from that. The earth is abundant and desolate. The earth is barren and lush. This earth is all dichotomy, And all duality. The planet coddles you until it kills you. Reality doesn’t give a shit how you feel about it - Reality just is. This earth exists without you. This universe was here before you. Want to tell me reality is merely perception? Fine. Stick a needle into your leg, Then tell me that it i

Bride of The Real Fake News   Lauren Boebert today held up business at a local coffee shop by giving an acceptance speech when receiving her coffee. Speaking for 15 minutes, Boebert credited herself with "stopping liberal caffeine policies and fascist donut grooming." Shop employees claim she stiffed them on a tip.   Gym Jordan is reportedly organizing a committee to investigate why "everyone thinks I'm an idiot." A preliminary list of individuals to be questioned includes Ronald MacDonald, Homer Simpson, Mrs. Stanton's third grade math class, and a mysterious witness vaguely described as "a 6 foot tall invisible rabbit as soon as we can find someone that can hear him." Jordan is already claiming "that proves it." while Speaker McCarthy was heard saying, "Let them try arresting THIS one!"   A series of glitches at Twitter were traced to an individual named Knottmi who has offices adjacent to Elon Musk. Knottmi does n

  The Friendly MAGAt   “Libtard,” he’d said by way of introduction, Then adding a laugh emoji, To assure me he’d scored points, But was still friendly. He presented his main argument: The picture of the smiling fat man, In the “Fuck Biden” tee shirt was compelling. There were three more laugh emojis. Clearly an even friendlier gesture. My supporting arguments, Cogent, cohesive, and conclusive, Were countered with a reference To female genitalia, That was surely meant to convince me Of his superior schoolyard skillset, And accompanied with yet more laugh emojis To cement our growing camaraderie. Before I could reply to such devastating riposte, I was presented with information Informing me of my recruitment To the Democrats fascist regime, Followed by a declaration That I will be outed as “Antifa.” I assembled then the required documents That detailed that one could not be both, But was met with only “TRUMP 2024!!!” And fiv

Dead Man Mocking   There’s some disinfo floatin’ around, And I just don’t know what to do. They kept us indoors and apart, For something I guess no worse than the flu. Interrupted supply lines And having to hoard bleach. With nearly 7 million dead, Surely there’s a lesson to teach.   And so, I got in line at the Q, In order to get all the available facts. And I asked RFK, and MAGA Uncle Lou, And now I’m just waitin’ around, To die of the vax.   I ate the dewormer like a good boy, And bleached myself outside and in. I joined a patriotic manly convoy, And when no one was looking, I got the injection.   And so, I got in line at the Q, And remembered to take off my mask, And I asked RFK, and MAGA Uncle Lou, And now I’m just waitin’ around, To die of the vax. So now I just trust to Jesus, And the almighty ex-president, And pretty much do as I pleases, And use the hydro-whatever to prevent, Something that no one ever died of,

  The Fires   Manitoba, and British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario, See the flames rising, See the smoke flow. “It’s only natural, Just calm down.” the deniers say, “Human cause isn’t factual.” But the world is on fire today.   The world is burning away, The sky turns from bright blue to dead gray. As long as we make money, I guess it’s okay, But the world is on fire today.   Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mariupol, Bakhmut, and all of Crimea, See the smoke rising, See the war churn. “Russia was pushed into it,” That’s what the liars say. “Ukraine needs to get used to it.” To let Putin set more fires today.   The world is burning away, The sky turns from bright blue to dead gray. As long as we make money, I guess it’s okay, But Ukraine is on fire today.   Alabama, Arizona, and Missouri, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee, See their rights declining, See our Constitution burned. “We’re protecting people’s freedoms

  Do the Hard Spin   Keeping the lies constantly fed So that they don’t disintegrate. Convolutions concentrated, Can’t keep their shit straight. Disoriented whistleblower, What else can they conflate? Kinks in the armor Not doing well of late.   So go do the Hard Spin, Maybe quote some has-been. Try to hide your own sin, Repubs in a tailspin.   Fabrications fall apart, Ring a new cracked bell. Find another untruism, Try to avoid the smell, Of the shit that you walk through To bombast a new bombshell, That won’t outlast the merest view, Just more made-up intel…   So go do the Hard Spin, Maybe quote some has-been. Try to hide your own sin, Repubs in a tailspin.   A past that won’t stop catching up, A bill that’s long past due. A cast that can’t stop fucking up, We’re done with their hoodoo.   So go do the Hard Spin, Maybe quote some has-been. Try to hide your own sin, Repubs in a tailspin.   Cliff Lake 7/11/2

  Agent K. Oss   He slides in through the side door, His speech reflects such entry. He tells you what you want to hear, Until it isn’t quite complementary.   His plan is rudimentary, Bare bones are quite enough, He sounds so elementary, Until he begins to disrupt.   He wears the badges of the ally, His words seem almost sincere. Almost always the reply guy, He says not the truth, but near.   Why does he creep near you? Is he a part of your clan? Does he mean to mis-steer you? What is his purpose; what is the plan?   What is it that he plays off? What flames does he mean to fan? His name is Agent K. Oss, His every position is sham.   He has no convictions, Only the splitting tongue. His rhetoric has no restriction, Until your loyalties are all unstrung.   He slides in through the side door, Speaking from both sides of his face, Disrupting the coalition, Then disappearing with no trace.   On the social media alway

  A Protector Unlost   An underworld you thought forgotten, Rises up to meet you in the unquiet silence, Deep in a night unfortuitously alone. A fantasy you thought you had created, A reality coalescing in the dark.   Grinning creatures pass, speaking riddles, Answered in scrolls unread, And known now too intimately. Familiarity seeps from every landscape, Carved into an existence You tried abandoning, And now catches you again.   A hero’s quest incomplete, A mission accepted in a child’s dream, A test and a pursuit unfulfilled, Here again seeking your virtue, Or what remains of it.   A sword is offered…   What integrity have you lost? What remains to you now? Dare you immerse in this fantasy? Dare you refuse? A Voice calls, resonant, not demanding, And still imperious. Yet it asks. Still, it asks. Why do you not answer?   The visions come again, You have seen them before. Lands laid waste, Whole populations disp

  Unclean Thumb   How did a strange wind Through the West Wing blow? What secret servant Discovered the July snow? A momentary packet of trouble Somehow delivered to Joe, Another burger made of nothing, A MAGAflop again – but on with the show, When, oh when will they ever know: ETTD   Continually we must advise: They keep voting for their own demise. Four little letters can make them wise, “ETTD.”   Wearing just the right outrageous clothes, Disinformation like a firehose, Not watching the defendant decompose And the little thing Junior does with his nose, Never learning anything, They’d rather just suppose That they’re always Bible-backed, And anything goes… When, oh when will they stop being surprised, By ETTD   Continually we must advise: They keep voting for their own demise. Four little letters can make them wise, “ETTD.”   Now some have moved on To the Florida Man, Who Fascions everything his way As fast as

Darryl the Red   His fingers barely tremble As he renews His NRA membership. “A small cost”, he thinks, “To keep them away from my guns, And my Bible.” He wonders if the mail carrier is trans, Because he was wearing shorts, And the new mail truck is electric. He uses the self-checkout Because the cashiers are Antifa – They wear blue vests, And that’s just wrong. He knows Biden supporters are pussies, Or else they would have flags That aren’t rainbows. He is careful about his apps: There are no perverts On Truth Social Or Christian Mingle. He follows Elon And Don Jr. And other geniuses That say the things he already knows. That’s what makes them smart. He will vote for Ron if he has to, But Donald is God’s chosen, That’s why the Libs hate him, Because they are demons, It’s even in their name, For those that can see. He will vote for Trump even if he is jail, Laws aren’t for Presidents – That’s the Constitution he beli

  The Real Fake News   BREAKING: Scientists stunned to find limited brain activity in Trump supporter. "He can recognize some colors such as red and white, but can't tell the difference between black and brown," said a spokesman, “He doesn't seem able to count past 45. And he won't read the Bible he insisted on having."   BREAKING: House Rep Greene today called for censuring Hunter Biden, saying, "His first name is ROBERT, not Hunter, so we're looking at new charges or getting him kicked off social media or not allowed in grocery stores or something just as petty." Said Greene before giving Boebert the finger.   Rep. Greene is asking into invading Canada to "Take their free medical and do something useful with it like live forever or something like that." Greene has shared the idea with Michael Flynn and the two are finalizing plans to "Invade Massachusetts first and see how it goes."   Bolstered by the fake c

  These Circumstances   This land of ours is a land of laws, But some Justices have supremely taken a pause, From adhering to the Constitution, Instead opting for a convolution.   And our legislators just grin and shake their heads, Having chosen to fill their pockets instead, No longer representing their constituents, Disclaiming they have any influence.   All of their responsibilities They just seem to shuck. Under the circumstances, They just pass the buck.   And the insurrectors ensconced in our halls, Are counting on the cultists in thrall To criminals and liars they can’t see are grinding down The freedoms we won from the once heavy crown.   In spite of the oaths they took, All of us are out of luck. Under the circumstances, They just run amok.   Our highest court is subservient to greed, In spite of a person’s most basic need: Life, Liberty, and their happiness, When we will regain these is anyone’s guess.   All of