Friends

By Cliff Lake

 

Friends

 

I can see my friend,

I can see him from here.

But he won’t visit any longer,

He won’t come by.

He no longer trusts me,

Or the people I live by,

And I do not blame him.

 

What have I done to my friend

To cause him to shy from me?

I have existed.

I have existed in the right place

At the wrong time.

And though that is not my fault,

Still, I do not blame him.

 

Once I loved my existence,

In this place,

In my time,

Faulted though it was.

But now too many that also live here

Embrace those faults,

And name them virtues.

 

Loudly they proclaim against my friend,

And name him lesser,

And claim debt of him,

And threaten his home,

His livelihood,

His autonomy,

And would co-opt his home.

 

What’s worse,

Is that I do not know

If I can stop them,

From attempting to act on their words,

And neither does my friend,

Nor do any of his friends.

And I don’t blame them.

 

Once I had a friend.

Once I had other, more distant friends.

But they don’t live here.

I live here.

But I do not know

That I am surrounded by friends.

And who can blame me?

 

Cliff Lake 2/19/2025

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025

Location: Canada

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

One Thousand Horsemen

By Cliff Lake
  One Thousand Horsemen   The call of an ally, A friend of old: “We ask your aid! Will you be bold?”   “Ancient terrors, Assail once more! Will you honor The oaths we swore?”   One thousand horsemen answer the call,   One thousand horsemen riding tall. One thousand horsemen, they prepare. One thousand horsemen, forth they fare.   “We have no word, Are we not heard? Are we forgot? Do you come not?”   “The terror hails, Our people quail! We are beset, Will you come yet?”   One thousand horsemen upon the hill, One thousand horsemen, duty they fill. One thousand horsemen make the climb. One thousand horsemen, are they in time?   “What do we hear? Is succor near? Have you arrived? Will we survive?”   “Hail faithful friend! Fear not an end! Our hope has come, Sound the war drum!”   One thousand horsemen, banners raised! One thousand horsemen, unafraid! ...
Read more

Used Up 'n Dried Up

By Cliff Lake
  Used Up ‘n Dried Up   You scurried away from your ancestral home, Let’s face it boy, you’re out there on loan. Your markers cashed in, no more favors to call, Winds of change blowing cold, house of cards to fall. Livin’ in a hotel, bumming dollars from the poor, Sellin’ your Chinese trinkets, maybe try it door to door. Your hands in everyone’s pockets, no more spare change for you, Keep on beggin’ at the dockets, that is what’s left to do.   “You’re on your own, kid.” That’s what they said. “You’re used up ‘n dried up; you’re bled.” “You’re out on the street, you’ve used up your cred.” “You’re on your own, kid.” That’s what I said.   Oh, how you fell hard for that dictator, A long-time, well-known master baiter. He always had you pegged as some petty clown, Just look at how he has jerked you around.   “You’re on your own, kid.” That’s what he said. “You’re used up ‘n dried up; you’re bled.” “Look at this crooked path t...
Read more

From the Ashes

By Cliff Lake
  From the Ashes   Blindly in their towers, Corporate greeders sour, Scarring Mother Earth with deep gashes. Lied to by their shills, Handing us the bills, Still, they will deny the climate crashes. They look the other way, And shorten up our pay, Scarring us with credit debt lashes. They look upon us lowly, As we are buried slowly, And leave us half alive among the ashes.   In the ashes we are consigned, In the ashes we’re left behind, In the ashes here we grind, In the ashes we're not blind.   Trickle down lying, At fault denying, Satisfied the machine steady gnashes. They see down their nose, Saying we chose, Telling us that we thrive in their trashes. How do they slumber, Knowing our numbers Are they prepared for backlashes? Losing their power, Now is the hour – Afraid when we rise from the ashes.   In the ashes we are consigned, In the ashes we’re left behind, In the ashes here we grind, ...
Read more