CliffSongs

  Exodus   Selections on the shelf going small, No one left to make the haul. Piles of unused drywall, Masked men have answered the call.   Alligator alley prison wall, Florida man on the ball. Veggie absent from the stall, Wallets empty and still in thrall.   The unherded bovine, Unfinished roof short of skyline. The fruit rotting on the vine - They say the exodus is going fine.   Commodities going unpacked, What’s left found on the racks? Pallets unmoved on the tarmac, Leaving the grocery with the empty sack…   Forests left to burn black, Trails too overgrown to track. Hotel luxury gone unstacked, Which of you takes up the slack?   The unherded bovine, Unfinished roof short of skyline. The fruit rotting on the vine - They say the exodus is going fine.   Isn’t this what was voted for? Isn’t this what was in store? It’s getting worse, some call for more, Shortsightedness galore....

  Dragon in the Garden   It was born in the land of queens, Its ruin should have been foreseen. A reptile sired by the vile, It makes good use of the corrupt machine.   There is a dragon behind the garden wall, And it claims not to be a dragon at all. But it belches and it burns, And steps on anything it considers small. There is a dragon in the castle keep, A dragon who is burrowing in deep. And it thrashes and it crashes, And it burns your land around you while you sleep.   It crawled Gotham, waste in its wake, Offered less a deal than a take. A love of wrong far too strong, On the make as long as you stake.   There is a dragon behind the garden wall, And it claims not to be a dragon at all. But it belches and it burns, And steps on anything it considers small. There is a dragon in the castle keep, A dragon who is burrowing in deep. And it thrashes and it crashes, And it burns your land around you while y...

  Stories   One conversation here, Another across the way. No information is dear, No care to what you say. No outcome becomes mere, So, speak without delay, Just this one thing is clear: The game is how you play.   Welcome to the Gossip Game, On the entry form put anyone’s name. Go on now, there’s no shame, And we will treat you just the same.   What did you tell the one, And what did you tell the other? Who is it you would stun, Would you re-catch a lover? Is this your idea of fun, Do you feel undercover? will you feel you’ve won, When all the facts are smothered?   Welcome to the Gossip Game, On the entry form put anyone’s name. Go on now, there’s no shame, And we will treat you just the same.   Talk and talk and squawk, You cannot walk the walk. Squawk and squawk and squawk and stalk, We just sit back and gawk.   What trouble do you stir, Is there an end you crave? Is chaos j...

  Shade   The pulses, The ones and zeroes, They echo across a creation as intangible as breath, Their reality is the product of arrangement, Constructs that disappear, dissolve, disengage, With the flick of a switch, Or the whim of a nature uncontrollable. What real phantom will you embrace? What impalpable rock sets your feet? What two-dimensional figure do you reach for? Only the glare of the screen answers. Words. Words, words and words. Colors and sounds from any distance unresolved, The flat plane observed, Lifeless, Though it resembles animation. Without a mouth of its own, It consumes. There is no reality here: What is meant to be seen is seen, What is meant to be heard is spoken. Words. Words, words and words. They are but a shade of the speaker, Insubstantial as the breath required to speak, What is seen is meant to be seen – Reality has more bruises. Imperfections hidden by pretty phrase, Implications misr...

  Beast   The chest is now no longer unbeaten, The hulking imbecile is pacified, For now… Only for now. But the ego hungers, There is no satiation. No reward is large enough, No praise loud enough, No blood hot enough to satisfy, “More” is the only answer it hears now. The beast is ravenous, The animal is rabid, The creature rages, And still it is uncaged. It will not be tamed, It cannot be tamed, It will rain itself upon the world as acid and fire, And still it is uncaged. It has revealed itself: It is lunacy embodied, It is a careening carnivore, It is demonic and unmanageable, And it is eyeing a terrible weapon: It wishes to release hell, And all of us know this. It must not be allowed. Yet, The safeguards have been gnawed upon, The controls are weakened, The buffers assailed, And it senses its moment… It must not be allowed. It has wished its entire existence to be feared – Now is as good a time as any f...

  The Not King   See that smirking arrogance, Unfettered by intelligence, Now is shedding all pretense, At acting within license.   Gaudy, fraudy birthday display, Pissing the tax dollars away. Protests ruthlessly warned away, Dictator engaging in cliché.   Schedule honoring unearned, Faking support for which it yearns. Self-celebration as world burns, An ego-stroke the main concern.   Marching madness in the brain, “Me, me, me”, constant refrain. Decrepitude, the showing strain, Ineptitude or just insane.   Watch it shirking diligence, Watch it racking up expense. Anything not praise is offense, Feeding on malevolence.   Cliff Lake 6/14/2025 Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025

  March of the National Fraud   Desperation the new sensation, Distractions without cessation. Shifty grifty carried on, Violence the new hypnotic song.   Fever fantasy TV star: Make California an abattoir. Who follows derailed train car, Now that you’ve fallen way too far?   Power play, don’t look away, Robbery in the light of day. Immigraton, false negation, Polls sinking, such frustration.   Fever fantasy gone bizarre: Make California an abattoir. Who will follow your fallen star, Now that you’ve taken a step too far?   Bogus bill, border shill, Undermine the people’s will. Guard deployed, so much noise, Emptied tills by little boys.   Fever fantasy super-tsar: Make California an abattoir. Who will favor your memoir, Now that you have gone so far?   Here we are, you can’t ignore! Tax the rich and not the poor! This ain’t what we voted for, Tax the rich and feed the poor. ...

  Shootout at the Not OK Corral   Rumors flying, much denying, Disciples on both sides buying. Neither of them much on slying, Neither of them can stop crying.   Accusations spread galore, Who can guess what’s next in store? High school hijinks, such a snore, Too much power to ignore.   The kiddie games, The calling names, The big fallout, A crying shame. The messy mess That it’s became, On opposed sides Both the same.   Text and text and text and next, Which one has the biggest flex? All this noise just for effect, All this noise is all project.   The kiddie games, The calling names, The big fallout, A crying shame. The messy mess That it’s became, On opposed sides Both the same.   Both are right, Both are wrong. Both exposed Within this song. Both propped up By money strong, Both up high, Neither belong.   The big train that’s losing steam, The other lost i...

  Days and Days   Day after day what has you compelled? Day after day what madness endures itself? Day after day what nuisances into you melt? Day after day what peace is from you withheld?   Trouble, trouble, sometimes it’s double, Again you pick yourself up from the rubble. From without the palace or hovel, Reality will pierce the bubble.   It’s no use just getting by if that’s all you plan to do. It’s no use living the lie if that’s all you know how to do. It’s no use getting high if that’s all that gets you through, It’s no use asking “Why?” when the answer is you.   What is the little program for today? On which little outcome do you prey? Which little unplanned thing causes dismay? How can you stand such disarray?   What little thing has you all affray? Every little thing has the means to go astray. Remember what Frank would say: There is always more trouble every day.   It’s no use just getti...

  Spell Check   Brash moves in the public eye. Rash moves all undisguised. Ass moves based on old lies. Suckers are born every minute, Some believe they can still win it.   All this fraud is in plain sight, Unless the news refuse to light. Disaster no longer a “might”, Are we left to swallow spite? Criminals infest the towers, Indiscrete, they flex their powers. Time is short, this is their hour, Your checks and balances they scour.   Draining even those called friends, Impudently serving their own ends. Severing ties with no thought to mend. Daily they tally the score, All they have and wanting more. Ignoring any uproar, Nakedly grifting galore.   Validity is of no concern: Abandon all, let them burn. Nimbly fascinate then spurn. Imitate what’s deemed lofty, Trashy copies always off-key. Yearning always, always faulty.   How long can they rob the coffers? Unreliably still making offers, Bu...

  Midnight Pockets   What dark enclave meets? Gathered for unholy chore. What misdeeds performed here? They leave their souls at the door.   What sigil marks them? What profane stain is scored? They vote from their purses, Greed is given the floor.   Mammon wakes them, Mammon stakes them, Mammon breaks them, Mammon takes them.   Guarded whispers, winking eyes, Craving leaks from every pore. Their every want now revealed, To whom is their fealty swore?   Mammon shakes them, Mammon makes them, Mammon breaks them, Mammon takes them. Cash spilling out from the bedroom drawer, Accounts sky-high and set to soar, Having it all and wanting more, Honest men disappear in vapor.   Witching hour vote done, Choices counted and paid for. Crooked smile on demon’s son, Knowing what is next in store…   Mammon wakes them, Mammon stakes them, Mammon breaks them, Mammon takes them.  ...

  Relics Remix   Relics stolen from unspeakable eons, Misunderstood, Misrepresented, Misused. Curated control. Marvels of unadmitted civilization, Mysteries adorned in ritual, Explanation buried beneath conceived canon, Manuscripts long tainted, Mistakes made in millennia, Necessitating mandate, Guilts absolved in the text. Hear the holy men declare themselves! There is no doubt of them, Given the endless repetition… Miracles long past lose their potency, Though reaffirmed often in blood. Ancient words ring hollow Until twisted properly, Revealing new truths, Born from greed, And justified with slaughter. Now are the relics repurposed, Repolished, Held aloft for new reverence, And a better violence. Let the credos ring out! Let us misinterpret the scrolls In our own image! For bloodletting is sacred, If one reads between the lines. Therefore, let us choose carefully, And reimagine all To suit our present nee...

  AI Man   The AI man followed me shopping When I went out to buy some bread. I asked him what his name was, “Ubiquitous”, was what he said. The AI man followed me home, Followed right into bed. I asked him what he was doing, “Have a nice day.” was what he said. The AI man was there in the morning, When I first lifted my head. I asked where he came from, “Have you bought product?” was what he said. The AI man was at the restaurant, I asked if he wished to be fed. He looked past the wait staff, “Try the roast beef.” was what he said. The AI man trailed me to the ATM, But I went inside instead. I was making a small deposit, “Try the fried crypto.” he said. The AI man was the polling place, He had arrived ahead. He told me not to bother, “I made your choice for you.” he said. The AI man follows me everywhere now, No matter how far I’ve fled. Why is he into everything now? “Do not look behind the curtain.” he’s said. ...

  Torment Consent   Striking swiftly from the outside, Restraint from steady hand wrested and pried, Horror laughing while ill news betides: The marching madness that no longer hides.   The dull acceptance, the bended knee, The fading reluctance for all to see. The base discordance: that is the key, No counter-performance; tacit agree.   Harsh undercurrent Roils and churns. It’s waited long, It takes its turn. Claiming all It’s never earned – Now it smolders, Soon it burns.   The sickly praising: craven applied. Wrong rearranging taken in stride. Bad paraphrasing: unwilling bride, When all is blazing, who steps aside?   Harsh undercurrent Roils and churns. It’s waited long, It takes its turn. Claiming all It’s never earned – Now it smolders, Soon it burns.   Who put us on this course we’ve plied? A fall that’s sold as if a ride. How much farther can we slide? What resistance ha...

  Elephants and Trees   They said there used to be real elephants once, Bigger than the tents we live in! They said there used to be elephants once, But those stories are older than the tribe.   They said that trees were shoulder to shoulder once, That they would blot out the sun! They said there were more trees once, But what proof is there of that?   They said that corn grew everywhere once, That it didn’t come from the bosses! They said you could grow your own corn once, But where would the water come from?   They said you could live in the cities once, That you could live inside the buildings! They said the cities did not kill you once, But everyone dies of radiation.   They said that the sky used to be blue once, That you could breathe without a filter! They said that there was good air once, But I’m too old for children’s stories.   They said you could go where you wanted once, That there we...

 

  Signal   Atop the futures the aberration squats, Too easily is the disease bought. Pronouncements it makes that taste of sin, It signals the rapine to begin.   The fealty bond is paid in cash, Poverty now the slavers lash. The altar stands in hunger stained, The pillage and piracy remain.   Take it all, then take some more! Madly scramble the integrity whores! What voices not heard cry to so many: “What value has capital if you can’t have any?”   Ledger electric, the scores progressing, The market hectic, the souls regressing. Everything surely has its price: Believe in nothing; roll the dice.   The poet dreams, the singer yearns. Credit scores still setting terms. The painter sees, the drummer beats, Not yet do they hear the marching feet.   Rise! Rise! Hear no more rich men’s lies! Bow no more in servitude disguised! Rise! Rise! Put away your anguished cries! Release from slavery is the pr...

  Blind and Blind   From out of the wasteland where tainted water flows, From out of the wasteland a blinded man rose. And the blinded man spake as if with authority, And the blinded man spake of all the things he could not see. And he recalled of him all the sights he had never seen, And spake against all, and even color he would demean. And the people listened, although his speech was hollow, And those of some discontent among them began to follow.   And they followed, though he could not see, Followed him feverishly. Followed without inquiry, They followed – and they did not see.   They followed the blinded man to lands barren and cold, They followed because he said the sun had been stole. They followed and many fell by the way, They followed and he said they were strong enough to stay.   And they followed, though he could not see, Followed him feverishly. Followed without inquiry, They followed – and they did n...

  From Somewhere   Once there was a man from somewhere, The greedy and the foolish he could snare. He could tell them literally anything, He told them he was their everything. He gathered him religious fanatics, And courted him fringe lunatics. And got them all to set him so high, And got them to let him suck them dry.   But some in even the smallest town, They don’t let the deal go down. From the people hear the sound, The march against the tyrant bound.   Now this man that came from somewhere, Did as he liked without a care. Flouting convention and law alike, Threatening all with fisted strike. And the foolish and the greedy agreed, His acknowledgement their greatest need. Stupidly accepting their suffering, Stupidly allowing him to become king.   But some in even the smallest town, They won’t let the deal go down. From the people hear the sound, The march against the tyrant bound.   Worse become...

  Tides and Tithe   What value has valuation? None, I think. Do you value gems? Do you value gold? Do you value numbers on a screen? Value is arbitrary. Value is momentary. Value is circumstantial. Attend: Salt has been valued equally to gold. Aluminum has been valued more than gold. Silver was valued above gold. See the man! He has been locked away more than this week. He has been given only water. He is offered a pound of gold in imprisonment, Patterned as he cherishes. He is offered a pound of steak in imprisonment, Prepared as he likes. Which will he choose? Starvation is the great motivator. At times I have been reduced to the essentials: Food, clothing, shelter. It may happen again. Maybe I will survive it. Maybe I won’t. Neither matters because Eventually I will not survive – Not at all. Of what value will my small luxuries be then? To me… Nothing. Therefore, what value have they now? None of them are...