CliffSongs

  EO Magician   The price of breakfast isn’t falling, He says it just fell more. Isn’t it just so enthralling, Watching your savings vanish in the store?   It doesn’t matter that he hasn’t a clue, Don’t worry when it all goes wrong, He’s found out what he needs to do: He sings the Executive Order song.   It’s the spiky signature cleanse: Watch him EO away blame. The Presidential Seal of approval – No bad attached to his name.   Now he gathers the friendly billionaires, So why not crash the economy? It isn’t that he doesn’t care, It’s just that it’s not another felony.   Don’t ask him any questions, It isn’t that he doesn’t know; He just needs the right suggestion, And then sign it into truth by EO.   It’s the spiky signature cleanse: Watch him EO away blame. The Presidential Seal of approval – No bad attached to his name.   Does he see a thing he doesn’t like? He just needs that paper...

  Readiness   A poisoned flower presented: Rough sustenance leaves us wanting, And empathy dies, Drowned in rhetoric.   Pretty phrases gone sour, Understanding twisted to control, Shepherding abandoned for gold, The mask slips, And the monster’s smiles Are full of teeth.   They have yet to be hit hard enough To turn to desperation, They are too busy biting To notice how clearly they are seen. Yet once they heed the turbulence They themselves have created beneath them, They will attempt the mortal strike.   Are you ready? They will use the club, Indiscriminate and unwieldy, They will use the unaimed bullet, Claiming victory no matter where it strikes, They will use the thug, Brutes thirsty for violence, Uncaring against whom.   They will use fear, Reprisal, Retaliation, And revenge, And you are their enemy and I am their enemy and We are their enemy.   Are you ready? Because...

  Return of the Son of the Bride of THE REAL FAKE NEWS (Extended Edition)   Federal workers are demanding access to SNAP and EBT as part of their severance packages following upcoming government layoffs. Ambulances rushed to the Eisenhower building after Elon Musk heard of the demands and passed out from “an extreme attack of the giggles.” He was revived with a large dose of molly.   Burger King has denounced Trump’s first week in office. A spokesman for BK angrily asked, “Does he have a crown? Does he have a crown like this?” rapidly unfolding a copy of the familiar headgear.   The Secret Service is reportedly on high alert for “Well-dressed militia” after Trump’s Executive Order banning transgender military personnel.   After a blessing of Washington DC by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Robert Kennedy Jr. complained of a “brain rash” and asked for an exorcism, while First Lady Melania said that her husbands own rash remain unchanged and “is lookin...

  I Won’t Say   Do you want me to say I told you so? Do you want me to Tell you how I tried? Well, I’ve got nothing to say, You can watch me walk away, I might not even say goodbye.   The first time around They fumbled and clowned, It was a circus every day. But they’ve learned a trick or two, And they’re shitting on you too, They have plans and you’re in the way.   Do you want me to say I told you so? Do you want me to Tell you how I tried? Well, I’ve got nothing to say, You can watch me walk away, I might not even say goodbye.   Do you still think you’ve won? How’s it feel under the gun, Isn’t this how you wanted it to go? Are you getting mad, Now that you know that you’ve been had, Too bad kid, I have my own row to hoe.   Do you want me to say I told you so? Do you want me to Tell you how I tried? Well, I’ve got nothing to say, You can watch me walk away, I might not even say goo...

  About Life   The world is about life. The world is about death. Thus has it been since before you were born, Thus it is since before I arrived. We do not control death, But there are some who would control life. All life, My life, Your life. They will establish rules for life, Rules not found in nature, Some rules that nature abhors. They would make your life ruled by them, And if you will not be ruled in life, They will serve death. They will not live by their rules, They will live as they please, Exposing their rot. Should you challenge their way of living, They answer, “That’s life. Deal with it.” What sort of life is that? That we must appease and honor them, Even after death, That do not honor us? Is that not life simply shambling toward death? Life is for the living. Why can we not live our lives? Why can we not allow others to live theirs? Are we to impose our lives on them? Are we to deliver them death I...

  Rough Ride   Welcome to the circus, friend, Welcome to absurdity without end. Welcome to help they suspend, Welcome to nothing on which to depend. You knew the plan was always to upend, You knew he was a fickle friend. You knew they would never unbend – You knew the promises were all pretend.   You bought the ticket to this ride How many promises have died? How much more will you abide? Where do you think you can hide? Have you figured out who has lied? How much lower can this nation slide? Are you to a dead dream so tied? You bought the ticket, now ride the ride.   Now you begin to understand: You dealt us all the dead man’s hand, You get nothing, while they demand, You were never part of the plan. You planted both feet on shifting sand, Where can you now make a stand? You thought you’d found a place to land, They only reach out with the whip hand.   You bought the ticket to this ride How many promis...

  Secret Face   The morning breaks, the day begins, Another day he won’t fit in. Uncomfortable within his skin, Can he conceal what he’s always been?   He puts on his secret face, So that he won’t be out of place, Maybe he can still win the race, If he wears the secret face.   He works the day in his disguise, The truth sometimes shows in his eyes: A flashing fire when he hears lies, In these times much on the rise.   His secret face resembles all, A fortress, a blocking wall. Conflict thus he does forestall, From companion or cabal.   His secret face remains in place, A refuge and a stolid base, Against the winds of doubt a brace, Yet something of an empty space.   But practiced eye can still trace, What the wearer does embrace, How he may retain some grace, Deep behind his secret face.   The evening falls, the night begins, Another day has found an end. And though he still does ...

  Needs   They mark their day in miles, For they can see the setting sun, And make camp Where wood for the fire can be found.   They mark their miles in meals, For the hunt is ever before them, And the camp May be far from the herd.   They mark their meals in skill, For the best among them May need to range far from camp, And the herd may range farther.   They mark their skill in need, For the meal may not be as needful As the needs of the camp: Hide has value beyond the stomach’s comfort.   They mark their need in seasons, For the herds move with the moon, And camps must be struck quickly, If need is to be satisfied.   They mark their past in ruin, For neither they nor the herd Will stray near the glowing remains, Where may be found nothing of need.   They mark their history in sorrow, For they remember what they were, What they had done, When really… there had been no need. ...

  Seascape   Up in arms, always alarmed, By their existence, were we harmed? So, we were told promises bold, No longer our land undersold. To rid the deviant, the poisonous, They went after them, but they were us. Across mountain and expansive prairie, We seek succor taking to the sea.   And we take to our ships To find the land beyond the mists, And we sail on in hope, And to escape the tyrant’s rope.   Difference no farther than the skin, When did these lies first begin? Unwanted or unclean, What do these words really mean? Just a way to keep you down, Under someone’s boot be ground, And when one type is cleaned away, Whoever is left has their turn to pay.   And we take to our ships To find the land beyond the mists, And we sail on in hope, And to escape the tyrant’s rope.   Why do I think it won’t be me? Why does it take example to see? What will it require to be free? Is it small wonder we ...

King Thing and the Merry Xmess   King Thing was bloviating, Trying out new distortion to bring. King Thing was having a fling, King Thing was tightening the drawstring.   Merry Xmess was causing distress, Creating fireworks was what he did best. Merry Xmess made a fact abscess, Truth and equity he did suppress.   King Thing was soiling his ding, Ridiculous nonsense he would sling. King Thing his ass was wiping With the document constituting.   Merry Xmess was looking for redress From those complaining of his excess. Merry Xmess saluted regress, With a gesture too much a transgress.   King Thing had balls made of brass, Many a criminal he gave a free pass. King Thing created a morass: “Amendment, my ass!” he said with no class.   Merry Xmess had nary a qualm, With great aplomb He would truck out a bomb, While raking in all the coin he could glom.   Merry Xmess and King Thing, Spend all th...

  Runaway Time   I wake up and leave the bed, Another chance to get out of my head. Stop reviewing all that I’ve said, Make a difference somewhere instead.   Stumbling through this life’s uncertain sands, I make decisions and I make plans, Never sure how much I understand, How much effect is in my hands?   Time is running away with me, Merely an existence attendee, Leaving in my wake life’s debris, Because time has run away with me.   Wandering with purpose through the day, Hoping there’s more than just earning pay. Hoping that things don’t go far astray, Hoping that I can get out of the way.   So much out there beyond control, Toward the dark unknown I must roll. Minutes and days are swallowed whole, Time’s relentless unfurled scroll.   Time is running away with me, Merely an existence attendee, Leaving in my wake life’s debris, Because time has run away with me.   Cliff Lake 1/23/20...

  Embattled Sun   They would hide the sun. With dirty decree And many papers They would hide its light. With bloviation and poor excuses They would bring on the darkness: The only place Safe for them to dwell. In their doubt of themselves They would hide the sun.   Yet the sun still rises: Dismissing the dark, Lighting the shadows, The sun will rise.   They would kill the sun. With cold counsel And colder heart They would kill its warmth. With raw rhetoric and stinging lies They would freeze us immobile: The only way They can hold dominion. In their fear of exposure They would kill the sun.   Yet the sun still warms: Melting the ice, Waking the trees. The sun will warm.   They would bury the sun. With rejection And heartless debasement They would entomb its remembrance. With exaggerated menace and steely fist They would remove defiance: The only way They can wield power. In ...

  Journey   A barren plain, A wild rose, An old man, A young horse.   He watches the sleek animal. He has curiosity, And some longing. Warily is he watched in return, She has unease, And some curiosity.   Where has she come from? How has she fed? Can he approach? Will she approach?   What is he doing here? Has he food? Can she approach? Will he approach?   They trek through the barren, Within sight, If not reach.   Slowly he gathers what vegetation he may, Slowly she understands his intent.   A night comes when she eats. A morning finds them in company.   When they find the rose, Each understands the barren soon ends, When they walk on grass, They understand cool water is not far.   A young horse, An old man, A green land, And many roses.   Cliff Lake 1/21/2025 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025

  Tasked Anew   The day dawns dark, And we are lost in time. Our choices removed, Are we to be helplessly watching? What use is it to ask How did we get here? We were carried along a muddied stream Bounded on all side by flotsam Chosen as treasure by the desperate, Who imagine they’re drowning, And will drown all others, For they measure their successes in spite.   The day dawns injured, And our cries have been muffled. Erstwhile guardians Have absconded with our trust. It does no good to ask: Where have they gone? Worshipping at the feet of tyrants, Who have only served them the rough boot, And will crush them beneath When expedient. For they have chosen the allure of silver, Choosing to ignore the coin is stained with blood.   The day has dawned broken, And we must begin the repair. The tools are far scattered, Are we to leave them lie? We do not bother to ask: Will we be allowed? We have overcome ...

  A Tree, A Flower, A Dream   Once a tree topped a mighty mountain, And the people looked to it daily – A symbol to them of resolve Renewed each spring. But storms arose, and great fires, And from afar this oak was occluded, Until it could barely be seen at all. Then they wondered Had there been a tree at all?   Once a field was full of flowers, And the people looked to it gladly – Its scents and colors most miraculous A symbol to them of beauty and amaze. But cities arose, and many constructions, And all too near the earth was covered, Until it could barely be seen at all. Then they wondered Had there been any flowers at all?   Once a man woke to his life daily, And he met his challenges fully – And opened his eyes every morning willingly, Resolved to meet each day. But age crept up, and weakened him eventually, And he could not forestall the end. As he closed his eyes for the long sleep He wondered Had he ...

  Never Known   They claim that they are just like you, They know your fear and pain. But somehow you can only make do, While they can only gain. Do you think you’re now bona fide? I’ve got news for you bub, You can’t ever get inside, You’re not a member of the club.   You clamored for recognition – A dog chasing a bone. Choosing angry submission, Now your cover’s blown. They faked the coalition, Still you stand alone. You are not forgotten… You were never known.   Now under the thumb of the ultra-rich, They’ve set their hooks in you. Pulling the old bait and switch, Now what will you do? They said that they would scratch your itch, That you were a special you. But they just made you their bitch, And they’re about to turn the screw.   You clamored for recognition – Tired of the on your own. Choosing angry submission, Now your cover’s blown. They faked the coalition, Still you stand alone. You ...

  Madnesses   They were the mad. Angry yes, Bitter and isolated, Never mind their choosing withdrawal, It gave them room for complaint: They were the mad. Unreasoning, Unappeased, Unruly and unrepentant. Without empathy, Without regret, Without bound or bond. In their anger they chose rage and resentment: This would rule. They chose a madman to lead them, And us. His retribution would be theirs, His outrage was mimicked,  Excused, Expected, Exalted and emulated. Yet in their madness they forgot: Such temper would rule them also, Believing themselves different, Apart and special, Unknowing that their distinction was simply that They were the mad. Thus, with every revelation, They felt that they were cheated, Finding that the lies they accepted, Were not just for those they despised, But included themselves, A situation they could not imagine in their ire, But lately begins to dawn on them, And it makes the...

  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...

  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...

  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...

  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...

  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...

  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...

  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...

  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

  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...

  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...

  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...

  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

  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,...

  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

  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