Poetry by Brian37 (poems by an atheist)
Offline I post all over the web, but I want a back up in case my computer or one particular website goes down.
I have decided to edit this post because I do not like giving people the wrong impression. I cannot read Shakespeare to save my life. I just remember this one line from act 5 scene 5 and put my own spin on it. I've had to explain this over and over so here I decided to put that in this post so there is no more presuming what I know or don't know. But the plot of MacBeth is the old lesson, you can have everything and nothing at all at the same time. And how did all that cruelty serve you in the end? But I do not like play summeries calling him a Nihisist, because it is possible to not do what he did, and accept life as being finite, and sitll have morals without religion.
NEW EDIT 9/19/22 I got pissed at myself that I was scared to read MacBeth, so tonight, I forced myself to read it online. Now mind you, I did not understand it line for line, but basically Macbeth was an assdhole who murdered his way to the top, and did not believe the 3 witches prophcies. He murdered Duncan and had Banquo murdered. Banquo's ghost haunts Macbeth. And made the grave mistake of attacking McDuff's family and killing them(If I am reading this correctly) But Lady MacBeth has a guilty conscience and kills herself, upon finding out Macbeth basically says that life is not worth living and he should go down with a fight anyway, but refuses to fight Macduff face to face and Macduff kills him as the hero. ( I SERIOUSLY read the entire play every line, tonight. I even know where the famous line "double double, toil and trouble". comes from. The three witches, basically saying "look out Macbeth" your ass is in trouble.
So basically the moral of the play, don't be a fucking asshole when trying to get to the top, or "the bigger they are the harder they fall". Reminds me of the movie Scarface and all the shitty things Tony did to get to the top and all for not. But Sosa in that case was not a good guy either.
QUOTE WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE MACBETH:"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Here is my spin on that wonderful and profound line:
Out, Out brief candle, By Brian37
To-deities, and to-gods, and to-God
Creeps in this petty tyrant from day to day
Until the extinction of humanity new ones will be invented
And all our yesterday's Gods have been created by fools
The way to tribal death. Out out brief myth
Claims are but a walking shadow, a poor reflection
That struts our narcissism upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by the credulous, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
(END)
To all reading this thread, you may spread the link to this thread BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION TO POST INDIVIDUAL POEMS! Brian Sapient the owner of this website is full aware of my real name and my physical address. You will not get away with passing yourself off as me! ALL POEMS IN THIS THREAD ARE SOLE PROPERTY OF THE PERSON(ME) and may not be distributed without MY permission.
CHECK OUT MY NEW POETRY BLOG AT >> www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
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Night And Day, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
Daytime and nightime
Are not enemies or rivals
They are part of the same flow
Just as calm and violent equally
Just like humans
Both cruel and compassionate
Accept they just do and are not
Insecure or narccisistic
Nor are they cognative
Their parent is earth's spin.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
All The World's A Sexton, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
You were at Ford's Theatre
You were Lincoln, and Booth
By your own hand, and you
Were a traitor to yourself
I do not judge you Anne
I've seen the dark you have
"Wanting To Die" is why
I live
You fear being the only actor
On stage, and worry about
Soliqiuies and being one actor
On the stage of life
Anne, you have spoild me
For stage plays, you could be anyone
Medea, Antigone, Helen Of Troy
Casandra, Joan of Ark, Janis Joplin
You humble yourself in shoes
Bigger than the hurricane of Jupiter
Your raspy smoker's voice is abandon
Raw, real, and still relevent
How you slay the madmen of your day
With the ease of a butcher's butterknife
Lay in waste the testosterone around you
They don't know what to do
You talk of corners of stillness
Wishing to be the servant of
Like deadwood too heavy to lift
And what, left to rot on the stage?
You've played your last
Sunday Matinee and
Had your cast party
In your garage, inhaling your saliloquy
"I'll be glad to be done with me"
But I'm not done with you Anne
I wan't to hear Her Kind, Furry
Jesus Papers,
Why did you make your end?
(end)
Of course there is no such thing as a "butcher's butterknife" I was simply making the point that she took on the social norms and gender roles of her time and was a force to be reconed with. I just listen to the words of her poetry and the confidence in her voice makes her poetry the knife through the razor thin deli slice of the male ego.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Amplified, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
This thing, this grey matter
This ablatross, this dead weight
This filing cabinet,
This runner
Bicycle courier, broken spokes
Flat tire, no pump, all that data
Suffocated by that enforcer
Putting a plastic bag over my creativity
Why damn it! WHY WHY WHY!
Why cant I get it down, these words
Doled out like a blind black jack dealer
With no table, spilling the chips everywhere
And you, cling to me, inside me
My city hall, office of records
Duplicate, triplicate , lost it
Shredded it, no record of it
I would pull that fire alarm
Just to get your attention
But you just put your feet up
On your desk, taking your time
To come to my office, your office
Our office, just to dump the file
Into the trash can, to spite me
And there isn't a thing I can do
Unless I turn out the lights
Cut off the power
Burn the building down
Drop you off the roof
Hey, you want to go out
For a drink after work
I know this great place
I know the bartender
He'll give you all the free drinks
You want, and snacks, no problem
Bowls of your favorite pills
Take as many as you like
Don't worry about the tab
It's on the house, tomorrow
You'll get your severence pay
But don't look for references.
(end)
NO, this is not advocating suicide. It is however a very serious discription of how frustrated I get with myself when my brain does not communicate with me and translate to my keyboard well, and spelling mistakes all the way up to accidentally losing an entire poem. I do get serious anxiety and even depressed because I hate my creativity being so disjointed and ugly and I have to accept these maladies, but it is very hard sometimes. It is like trying to scate across a frozen lake that is thin ice with one skate. And my brain won't do what I tell it to do.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Dotage, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
You've taken my best friends
My Phillies, my whiskey
But you cannot have my words,
You can take my knees
You can take my ankles
But you cannot have my words
My words, my words, my words
Are the only medicine I have left
You cannot have them dotage
You can take my fingers
You can take my knuckles
But you cannot have my words
You can take my shoulders
You can take my cartilage
But you cannot have my words
Dotage, dotage, dotage
Ravage, ravage ravage, all you wish
But you will never take my words.
(END)
I am not that old, but I most certainly am in that stage where things are starting not to work the way they used to. Plus I did have the misfortune and labor of love at the same time, of taking care of my late mother in her decline. It is a misfortune in that nobody likes to age, and their loved ones don't like seing their parents lose more and more of their independence. But even given that I cannot stop aging, I would love to think I can keep the same young sharp mind my mome always had and never gave up.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Shut Up!, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37)
It's bad enough
I had insomnia
Shut up
Can you do your
Wire act somewhere else
Shut up
Can you whistle
At the chicks on another block
Shut up
Can you have your fly by
Somewhere else
Shut up
I've been up all night
Damn it
Shut up
Oh I give up
I'll grab my morning cup
You'll never shut up.
Damned birds!
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
September, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet On FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
If September were a color
It would be not yet brown
If September were a mood
It would be melancholoy
If September were a sport
It would be football
If September were a food
It would not yet be pumpkin
If September had an end
It would be December.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Regicide, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
Was it worth it?
The trio came to you
Warned you of the cauldron's brew
The toil and trouble
Would follow you
But you were bent to do
A king you would kill
And your lady did help
And you found two scapegoats
You took the throne
But you were not done
Paronia got to you, you were not through
Banquo your best friend
The murderers killed him
You gave them the command
Banquo's ghost haunted you
Twisted your brain
You thought you went insane
Macduff you thought a rival
So you took preemtive strike
Killed his kids and wife
But your lady was dark in plot
She regreted what she had wrought
Suicide her final thought
Upon such news it occured to you
Too late, the wiches were right
Your rise to the top an evil plight
You faced Macduff, he had had enough
You had seen the light, but much too late
He slay you, and took your head as a prize
Was it worth it?
To step on others
To crush and smother
To win by all costs
Nesssary a loss
You rose but fell
Double double
Dead as a doornail
The lust in you made you fail.
(end)
I got mad at myself for only knowing the one line in Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5 which shows up at the top of every page in this thread. So finally I forced myself to read the entire play from the first line to the last. I did read the plot summary first so I knew what I was getting into. I didn't beat myself over every word I did not know, or every line. But I got through it. And now I even know where that line often said at Holloween, "double double, toil and trouble" line comes from.
But I do now have a problem with the play in the context it praises God, invokes God, and paints Macbeth as evil, which is besides the point to this atheist. Yes the character was an asshole for murdering everyone to get to the top. But the stigma of "nihilist" is not only attached to Macbeth, but implies he cannot be moral without God. Atheists would not claim that Macbeth is a hero to us for doing what he did. He is no hero regardless of God belief or not.
As beautiful and masterfully written as that play was/is, the stigma of atheists being falsely accused of finding life meaningless still sticks as a false accusation from theists today.
In the scope of 13.8 billion years, we are meaningless. The planet too. We have only been around in our current form for 200,000 years or so. And in 5 billion years our species will not be around. But to claim we are fatalistic or pessimistic, or that we as atheist advocate lawlessness and cruelty as such the example of Macbeth, is absurd.
Atheists do not see morality as being handed down to us, but already in us, as part of our evolution. Our behaviors, good or bad, are in us, not Gods. Macbeth as a character makes for good drama, like Scarface, but it is not a real reflection of morality outside entertainment. Atheists can appreciate this play too. We can love a good story too. And we can condemn the behaviors of Macbeth, and value the wise warnings of the 3 witches too.
But, the play also smacks of revenge. Macduff got even with Macbeth by killing him. It could be argued, or at least I would argue, that a better lesson might be that of "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". But I susspect that is not the moral of the play in as much as it is, "you reap what you sow".
Anyway I wrote this poem as a reward to myself for reading the play. It isn't much maybe, but it means a lot to me, to not be afraid all the time.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Whence Arises Morality? By Brian37 (AKA James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
Whence arises the source of morality?
I cannot find one nation on this planet
That does not have within it
Both hospitals and prisons
Traffic lights and laughing
Murders and seething
Babies and needing
Adults and fighting
I suspect our morals are within
And not in ancient myths.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Hopefully I got all the spelling mistakes this time. I really fucking hate my short attention span.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
If It Were Mine, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet On FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
Selfish Contexts
Have been uttered
To be on top
Their only goal
Blind be others
In that of context
World peace
Proclaim as such
How, how does
This math work?
"If only I could"
All would be well?
Would the seasons
Suddenly be
The fancy of those
Who are fond of them?
All the same
With no change
No hot, no cold
No snow, no palm fronds?
If it were mine
It could not be
Ever the whims
Of absolute power
It could only be
The mindset
That it is ours
And change is the norm.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Quoted to correct, original post 1164 in this thread.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
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This was a test, it did not pass, just ignore this post.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Something That I Lost, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
That I can't find, it is around here
It mysteriously floats away, defying me
Out of my reach, my mind it has breached
The level's I've reached, below, below, below
I' don't know, where it is, where I went
If it were, if I were, where did it go
No, no, no, it won't leave me alone
It is strong, it is absent, it is defiant
Something that I lost, at very high cost
It isn't on the DOW or S&P , forgive me
I cannot see, where it went, I'm so spent
I can't breath, I cant shed these shackles
I'm dead weight, going to meet my fate
I've nothing to trade, on the exchange
Into the Abyss, cement shoes insist
My conscience a pest, won't give me a rest
Come here bottle, lets go full throttle
I can do it slow, I know, I know
A shot glass is harmless, it's so small
What could it do, if anything at all?
I left you long ago, don't you dare
Follow me, you don't care, don't care
One damned bit about me, about me
I left you in the rear view, to be to be
In my history, no more to see, misery
Masked as laughter, friendship, deadly
My friends kept telling me, telling me
I didn't want to see, what was happening to me
Something that I lost, I could not find
Until I finally did, I was on the brink
About to sink, fade into obscure history
It was me, It was me, I finally found my dignity.
(end)
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
In Plain Sight, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/METTA and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
In the closet, I don't want to hear it
I cover my ears, to silence the screams
He's near it, he's near it, get away from it
It makes the news, every damed day
How about here, behind the parapets
Of coke, stacked to the ceiling,
Or run down that isle, it goes on for a mile
It makes the news, every damned day
Maybe my desk, my cubical, my fortress
Isn't that strong, what if I am wrong,
Can he see, can he see, please don't spot me
It makes the news, every damned day
I got tickets, to my favorite band, should I go
I don't know, where do I go, if that bastard shows
It so easy to shop, and bring one home
It makes the news, every damned day
How about that tavern, watering hole, this bar I know
I'll be safe there, won't I, where is the exit
If the bastard tries, if I survive, I'm traumatized
It makes the news every damned day.
Nowhere to go, nowhere to go, I'm just a memory
Strong this, strong that, what is the next city
Pity, pity, pity, don't pray for me, it shouldn't be
Making the news every damned day.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Purdah Rises Again, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
What would you say today Silvia
All your work for what
So the likes of others could
Demand the beying of sheep
To become chattel, to win
Elections by selling Christian Nationalism?
What would you say Sylvia
To the likes of Lauren, or Marjorie
I hope your words would be sharp
I know your words would be sharp
And your intellect far superior indeed
They prey off fear and ignorance and greed
And they cannot see the path is dark
They lead, they lead, pernicious mirrors
The sun's sheen, they mean to hide
The truth is behind that partition
That divider, the accessories of fascism
Wrapped in a flag, falsely playing victim
And in Iran, a woman died, and why
Because of that bridedgroom sly abide
Her hijab cost her a beating, self defeating
It's secret envy by many here
If they could have the same authoritarian
Power, they'd maneuver to devour
Any semblence of pluralsim or your power
I see your words as relevant today,
The rise of Purdah is on it's way.
(end)
A converstational questioning poem to Sylvia Plath if she were alive today to see what our right wing is doing to America and women's rights. Based on her poem "Purdah".
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Be Insubordinate, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
If you are influenced by one
You are in a cult
If your library is one book
You are in a cult
Cliffs abound in these ripe
Conditions and
It is the feast of lemmings
Yet to know they are desceased
You make it complete.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Tenebrific by Brian37(AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
Tenebrific
Were such hours
Beyond my comprehension
Although I knew it was coming
After she took her last breath
At the nursing home
Months went by with no smile
How could I say goodbye
To my mom?
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
My Neuron's File, By Brian37(AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
It is of maypoles
The poets dance around
Ribbons of images abound
Some bright sunflowers
Some of dungeon's hours
The balcony romance
Of a Shakespeare play
Your first breakup is on the way
Twilight lost, the reaper comes
You can't stop, you're never done.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Automaton, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter).
The thought of eternity
As discribed by antiquity
Frightens me so.
My choice is to go upstairs
And become an automaton
Robotic glee my only speed.
I am not me, just a minion.
Or go downstairs, to be tortured
Of such to make Hitler blush.
I want neither. Finite, one life
Is fine with me.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Size Matters, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
Earth looks at Jupiter
And says "Damn".
Jupiter loos at the sun
And says, "Double damn".
The sun looks at a red giant
And says, "Triple damn"
The red giant looks at
A super massive black hole
And says, "Why do I bother?"
The super massive black hole says
"Bitch please.".
The Universe responds
"Look who's talking pipsqueak".
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Do You Have A Grape For Me? By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
Do you have
A grape for me?
Though I hang upsidedown
In a tree?
In a cave
I don't need to see
Do you
Have a grape for me?
I want to be
I want to be
Liked by everybody
Do you have a grape for me?
Why is everyone
Scared of me?
I can be very friendly
Do you have a grape for me?
You make images of me
Signals in the moon rarely
My associate rides a broom
Do you have a grape for me?
The Irwins did rescue me
They never, never, fear me
Always have that special treat
Do you, have, a grape, for me?
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Gimcrack, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
So pristine, this pyrite
Deceptively enticing
Aesthetically pleasing
Everyone is leaving
A new coat over
Over that dry rot
Over the termites
Over the faded wallpaper
This diamond is not
What you thought
What you bought
What you sought
It is the rust
The rain
The pain
You want to hide
Smiles behind
No one can see
Inside thee
Leave me be
I am as happy
As can be
Can't you see?
Can't you see?
Insubstantial
Rickety, consequently
Discarded, forgotten
Look at me, look at me
The claw trap
Has ensnared me
I cannot leave
Cannot leave
I bleed, I bleed
It cuts me, cuts me
The belt sander
Has exposed me
Sawdust and mold
You've uncovered
I cannot be repaired
Paint fumes fill the air
Beware, beware
I am never there
I am the house
My own ghost
With no substance
To scare, to scare
To breath, I fear
To stay or go
I do not dare
The shutters dangle
On rusty hinges
The doors creak
The roof leaks
What of me, of me?
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
This Outsider, (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
He's always on "your" side
Isn't he? Most certainly, definitely
Forget the adversary, who says the same
How confident you are, willing to kill
Unwilling to see, your adversary will
Kill you too, through and through
The ravings of antiquity, in tribal states
Dvine right of kings, get you to follow their fate
And they hand their hate, down to you
Mesopotamia has these three
Knives cut throats so easily
Books justify their actions properly
That dove scurries and hides
From all of you, seeking the submission
Of others who, don't follow you
The caldron of confidence is obvious to
This outsider, who wants nothing to do
With your petty gods, who cannot do
Without enraging you, and you kill
Hoping it will, finally get you, everything
You hoped for, your honor is due
But it never does, does it? Endless wars
In his name, the battle of insecurities
This deity blames, it all on you
He is the parent with 3 kids who
Sticks swords in their hands, and
Demands you stab, put them on a slab
And the last one standing, gets to
Hang out with you, somewhere above
What a reward this is, is it not?
You win the grand prize, all others are lost
Thrown in the pyre, at his pleasure
You did his bidding, and you feel better
So take your knife, take your gun
Start your holy war, have some fun
But me, this outsider, I am done.
(END)
Be sure to check out my new poetry blog www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Any sharing of my new blog link on your social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, and elsewhere will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
This poem is the newest entry there too, but there are other entries to read as well. I am adding new poems there every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Feel free to comment on them at the blog at the bottom of each poem and like it too.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Anne Cooks, By Brian37(AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB and @brianrrs37 on twitter)
Anne saw that the poets were hungry
And said Oh pen
Write down a short order poem
She didn't need Abracadabra
She took the pen
Made it her baby
In her writing hand and said Oh pen
And the pen wrote
Write with your mind's eye
Opening Pandora's Box
And she said
Prose men, prose men
I make it look easy
And lo, there were many poems
Next Anne held up a soliloquy
And said, Oh pen
And her admirers mimicked her
Like an asembly line printing press
The Pide Piper of poets
And lo, there were many
Anne passed out her books to the people
Wearing no hat
And they kissed her prose and poems
And they learned from the very well versed.
(end)
This poem is a nod to the Anne Sexton poem "Jesus Cooks" a blaspehmous poem about the feeding the multitude story.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Trapped, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter/twitter)
Sometimes
One is caught
Inbetween
The front door
And porch screen
Fluttering and flailing
Wanting to fly
Crawling under the covers
Wanting to run and hide
Wanting to end it, wanting to die
I haven't given up
I still try.
#vss365official #vss365 #poetry #poetrycommunity #poet #Brian37 #brianjamesrationalpoet
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
The Echoes Of The Cave, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
Soundwaves bouncing around
The canyon chasm sound
My isolation cannot be found
Below the surface, the miner's found
My burried body, in the dusty shaft
Don't light that match
It talks back to me
The conversation with nobody
Clicking my keyboard fervantly
I might as well be, in another
Galaxy. There is no sound, you see
In space, they cannot hear you scream
The stove hood, two tiny lights
Off in the distance, look like
A close encounter, alien ship
Of a 1950s si fi b movie
And that Orwellian tv
In front of me, keeps track of me
My printer wont cooperate with me
Jamming up, when
Printing my poetry
I shout in this megaphone
I let out a sound, like a negotiator
Talking down a hostage taker
But I am the hostage taker
And the hostage, in the shaft
That everyone hears, but cannot see
The echoes of the cave
Talk back to me, telling me
To be quiet, nobody cares.
(end)
Also available to read at my poetry blog. www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Audio read soon to be available on my Twitter page, @brianrrs37 under the handle " RationalPoet" .
Other new poems exclusivy on my blog.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
God's Enemy, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
God has to kill
The poet, the poet
Is his enemy, they
Create darkness
And light, love
Hate, rage, disaster
The moon beds with
The wolf, the owl
Preys on the mouse
Juliet sits on balcony
All without his help.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
A Sad Bone, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
It is a solo flight
Always will be
Even if you are selfish
And take some company
It comes at great heights
It has schedules for day and night
It has cotton covering it
And saftey caps for kids
It is a solo flight
Into the fermenting of grain
Rice, wheat, barley, but of fruit too
Plumbs, apple, grapes, even potato
It is the barber
Inviting you to go beyond smooth
Your chin, your cheek, your neck
Your wrists
It is a solo flight
A billion fireflies illuminating
Around you, monarch butterflies
Surround you
But this you don't see
The salmon rushing upstream
The whale spouting sea water
Breaching the surface to breath
In the corner of the bedroom
The faint meows, helpless
Vulerable, blind kittens
Wriggle to find her nipples
But you've loaded it
Every single chamber
Where to put it?
Mouth, temple, chest?
Your sister is comming home
She will find the grey confetti
And strawberry Jam
Chunks of stew
Your homework, the placemat
Overwhelmed with your grief
You made a grand exit , didn't you?
The solo flight, nobody wanted to see.
Macabre pinata
There are no treats in you
The tree branch, ceiling fan
Is the friend of your lasso
It is a solo flight, don't go, don't go.
(end)
This poem is unfortunately inspired by a very dark but amazing poem about suicide by Anne Sexton's poem "Wanting To Die" where she describes the process of suicide and it's result as a "sad bone", thus the title of my poem, which is very anti suidice "A Sad Bone".
If you are feeling suicidal, talk to a trusted friend or family member or call a hotline, or dial 9-1-1. There are truely people that care.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Misteaks, Yes, I Spilled That Rite, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
It was suppossed to be "With me"
Instead I submitted "We me"
Maybe some find that funny
But for me, it makes me extremely angry
At myself. I want to throw things, anything
Against the wall, my laptop, my coffee mug
I want it to be full of mistakes, I can sweep up
Mop up, and throw away, forever
But no, the keyboard calls me, dares me
Laughs at me, knowing I will make a fool
Of myself. MISTAKES DAMN IT, MISTAKES!
My fingers defy me, my brain hates me!
I want to amputate my head, cut it off
It is beyond useless, it is a sunken ship
That is so broken, not even sea life
Wants to call it home. It can never be a reef
It is truly a landfill, of desire, and desperation
Self loathing, writhing in acceptance, reluctantly
Clinging, to some reason, not to quit, I can't quit
I am not going to let this malady take me
Mistakes? Yes, I spelled that right, this time
Way after "We me" was up for hours, it towers
Over me, taunting me, haunting me, killing me
Embarrassment, harrassment, self inflicted.
(end)
As I said in my poetry blog as well, the title this time was on purpose. But it is a response to writing another poem elsewhere and instead of saying "With me" i went back later and read it and I had submitted "we me" instead. I don't want any fucking advice. I have heard all the shit before, "just do this", "just do that", "slow down" ect ect ect. Sometimes when people vent, they are not looking for you to fix anything, they simply need to vent.
I beat myself up over this constantly, I don't need anyone's help on that. I just need to scream once and a while to cope with it, that's all. I've lived with this my entire life, it isn't going to go away. I have to acccept that, otherwise I really would kill myself. I get depressed enough over this malady as is.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Hullabaloo, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James RationalPoet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
When death is due
What of our furry
Our flurry, hullabaloo?
Cancer may take you
Or maybe a mugger
Maybe a virus, six feet under
And what of you
Of you, this activity
Commotion, your hullabaloo?
Nothing at all
You can do
Delay at best, hullabaloo?
Wring your fist
Pound your chest
Kill your enemy, hullabaloo
They think they are
Better than you
Their social norms, labels too
Their skin tones
As white as bones
They founded America
They killed you
They brought you on ships
And forced you
But they're dead now too
All of that power
And nothing to do
Popping the corks
New Years too
All for not, this hullabaloo.
(end)
Even the oppressor will not live forever.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
The Last Page, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
Darkness comes
So does the end
But this isn't to fret
It is simply a chapter
With a last page
The slings of life
That muddies your shoes
Do not have to be a bog
Or quicksand
Darkness only wins
If you let it.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Brick Wall, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrs37 on Twitter)
The words, seeds
Pollenated by observation
Participation, aggravation
Inspiration, wall, wall, wall
Stall, stall, stall
Ring, ring, voice chat call
Dog barking at dusk
TV graphics, screen saver
Bright colors my eyes accost
From across
My mind is quickly lost
Racing fast to recover
My thoughts, my thoughts
They run from me
Outpacing me, lapping me
Vanishing vapors of what could be
I step on the pedal
My furious futile efforts
To save the structure
T turn the corner
Almost clutch them
I jump the curb
Slam dead on
Straight into
A brick wall
The poem is D.O.A.
There is no way
It will make it to the E.R.
(end)
This is an ode poem to Sylvia Plath's poem "Stillborn". I think every poet/writer hates writer's block, or being so distracted they lose a thought or scrap an entire idea or poem because of the distractions and the idea never takes off or gets completed. This is my poem rectognizing her writer's block as dipicted in her poem "Stillborn".
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Brick Wall, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrs37 on Twitter)
The words, seeds
Pollenated by observation
Participation, aggravation
Inspiration, wall, wall, wall
Stall, stall, stall
Ring, ring, voice chat call
Dog barking at dusk
TV graphics, screen saver
Bright colors my eyes accost
From across
My mind is quickly lost
Racing fast to recover
My thoughts, my thoughts
They run from me
Outpacing me, lapping me
Vanishing vapors of what could be
I step on the pedal
My furious futile efforts
To save the structure
T turn the corner
Almost clutch them
I jump the curb
Slam dead on
Straight into
A brick wall
The poem is D.O.A.
There is no way
It will make it to the E.R.
(end)
This is an ode poem to Sylvia Plath's poem "Stillborn". I think every poet/writer hates writer's block, or being so distracted they lose a thought or scrap an entire idea or poem because of the distractions and the idea never takes off or gets completed. This is my poem rectognizing her writer's block as dipicted in her poem "Stillborn".
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Surveillance, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
The idea of
A cosmic surveillance camera
Never sleeping
Watching every moment
In shower, or intwined
In amorous acts
A being that treats us
Like lab rats
Keeps the ones he likes
And burns all the rest
Is a frightening prospect
But I think John Lennon
Imagined far better.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Amorous Shrugged, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
The stamen, the pollen
Bees no longer buzzing
Just meandering
Lumbering
Twilight sun sagging
Moon takes over
Clouds covering
Dawn soon wont be repeating
The dance no longer danced
No Zumba, Waltz, no waves that break
The caress of the tides
No longer arise
Passion replaced by rust and flies
Apathy, acceptance only to thrive
The solice I have, that I even tried
But the bees don't buzz in the honey's hive
The credits are rolling
And everyone is leaving
The wrappers and buckets
And soda cups empty
The memory of the bees
Have left me, theatre empty
I am still here, scrolling
In print, but you don't see me.
(end)
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Dear Kelly, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
I know
You were
Just a character
But I needed you
When I was much younger
I was hiding under
Anything I could
On the playground
Hoping you would
Rescue me
Like you did
The boy
At the amusement
Park, or save me
From my abusive
Dad, Kelly
Kelly, Kelly
Help me, help me
Kelly, you were
The hero I needed
The Angel I'd believe in
Kelly
I watched you
On Tv
Back in the 70s
Desperately
Wanting you
To jump through
The Tv screen
And rescue me
Kelly
I could only dream
Wished you'd hear
My screams
Help me, help me
Kelly!
Kelly
I'm an old
Man now
It's ok Kelly
I survived
I'm still alive
Kelly
You'll always be
My hero.
(end)
This is my ode poem to Jacklyn Smith as Kelly Garrett. To this day there are two spacific episodes of Charlie's Angels that still make me cry when I watch them. I was pretty isolated as a kid, didn't have my first real friend until HS. So my main escape was the TV. I even at one point had the pink van and board game. I really wanted Kelly to rescue me as a kid.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Red Rivulets, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
Blades, knives
Razors slice
Redcoats race
From tear ducts
Stitches must
But they don't
Precipice dangels
Expressions strangled
They walk away
The skies become gray
Love has died
And gone awday.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Sudden Sparks, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
No parachutes
To aid their fall
The pilot dead
The pitch and yaw
Out of lift
Nosedive saw
Goose down pillows
Champaign bucket
Rose petal path
Simple math
Bubble bath
Neither of them
Had a chance.
(end)
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Shredded, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
Obsidian, sudden
Solidified, absconded
Taunted, haunted
Unwanted, flash
Flamethrower
Tourched, discarded
Detached, dismembered
Four chambers
Pulse vessels
Pulverized
She tossed me aside
No longer alive
Dead inside.
(end)
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
The Risk, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
If only
I were impervious
To the pangs
Of desire
If only
Nothing
Had ever
Set me on fire
If only
I could be
The leafless, lifeless
Winter tree
I would have never
Felt pain.
(end)
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Don't Tell Me, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)
I held my words in silence
Afraid of criticism, scorn
And especially ridicule
Then at the bar, that night
I had been scribbiling
On a napkin, when
The man in the black hat
Asked me what I was doing
I told him I was writing down
Ideas for a poem
He asked me to read it
I refused out of fear
It wouldn't please him
But his coaxing
Was not worth resisting
So I read him
The raw words
I had scribbled down
On the napkin
And just like that
We were kin
He invited me in
To a poetry group
That met once a month
I was petrified at first
When I showed up
How could I stand up
In front of them
I felt like an amateur
I woudn't get far
This was not the case
My trepidation
Was misplaced
Of me they did embrace
I was relieved and overjoyed
I had finally found a place
Where I could sound my voice
Where I was welcome
Where spoken had no choice
If you showed
You knew you would read
What you wrote in front of you
And everyone wanted you
To read more and more
It was a feast to be adored
But outside that gathering
Incessant blathering
Of blowhards
Who know nothing
Of depth of emotion
Imagery art and poetry
The hater's misery
They'd call me a loser
And tell me constantly
Everything I wrote sucked
Better off in the landfill
My words, they'd try to kill
Even to this day
I have those who try to say
Give it up, you schmuck, you suck
To them I'd look in the eye
Without compunction
I don't give a flying fuck!
What you think
You ignorant twit
I write quite well
Without you nitwit
So don't you tell me
I should quit!
(end)
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Epilogue, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @Brianrrs37 on Twitter)
The pain
Of a lonely
Epilogue
Is the newness
Of raw
The memories
Of what was
The piercing
Stab wounds
Of rejection
Most certianly
A door
To be shut
A backdraft
To cause flashover
An aneurysm
The heart
Must fix
(end)
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog