Devil on my Shoulder
30 Nov
Distance
25 NovDistance
To deal with something that takes toll
To overcome and take control
Takes distance but not in the way you’d think
It’s not about the miles moved
Creative distance is what’s soothed
So many who have been pushed to their brink
Moving physically won’t do
Much good if your mind still does stew
Over the thing that threatens all your peace
And so that mind you must coerce
In creativity imerse
Yourself and soon your struggle will then cease
Create! Create! Do anything!
A painting! Writing! Sculpture! Sing!
Will something new into reality
Creative distance, every day
And soon you’ll see how far away
The bullshit is that made you take a knee
Get over yourself and stand tall
(Even if at first you crawl)
In time your creativity will trek
The distance that will show quite clear
What caused you stress and pain and fear
Is now just a distant and silly speck
~Miro
Spread The Fear
3 OctSpread the Fear
The radio turns on to wake you
For the next work day
The first thing that you hear is how
The world is in dismay
People being run over
By cars that fled the scene
Another child missing and
Another murdered teen
A cop shot down by bad guys while
Making an arrest
Right between the eyes and then
A couple in the chest
Earthquakes tearing buildings down
And storms that loom ahead
The more you tune in to the grief
The more the fear is spread
It slowly crawls off of the page,
TV, or radio
And creeps into your mind where it
Will never cease to grow
Countries warring with each other
“What if it spreads here?”
Economy is crashing, “I’ll lose
All things I hold dear!”
And more you fear, the more you’ll tune
Back into the fear vendors
Hoping that someone will rise
To become our defenders
Surprise, surprise, there’s just more fear
There’s just more ache and dread
Just more reasons to stay home
And not get out of bed
At some point you have to admit
That what they’re dolling out
Is no different than a drug
That you snort up your snout
Tuning in to hear the constant
Destruction and death
Makes you just like a junkie
Who’s addicted to meth
You’ve snorted, shot up and smoked it
So long that now you’re hooked
“A car crash on the 401?
Ah, now I’m feeling cooked”
“I’ve gotta see the news tonight!
Some kid got knifed at school!”
And when that story’s done, you’ll wait
For the next piece that’s cruel
You won’t find hope or strength or faith
When you go turn that dial
All they want to dispense is
All of their fearful bile
Stop the spread and tune out from
The news that does no good
The stories that discourage you
From seeing things that could
Set your mind at ease and rouse
Your passion and your nerve
To realize the greatest purpose
In life is to serve
The fear wants you to stay inside
And keep serving their needs
Listening to their commercials
Bringing them proceeds
The fear will keep you in your house
Curled up in a scared ball
Only when you turn it off
Can you start walking tall
~Miro
Selfie
20 Sep
Selfie
A camera placed in every hand
In 10 years time, each ego’s grand
The selfie shows us just how far we fell
Before each person could record
Each moment, folks were not so bored
The focus was on each flower’s sweet smell
Then came phones with quite the app!
An instant, easy way to snap
A picture…but the subject matter shows
Instead of taking the world in
Too many are focused within
Before the bathroom mirror they all pose
Expressions on their face reveal
How little passion, vigor, zeal
These self-absorbed self-muses do possess
Ever notice how most who
Take selfies seem a bit askew?
No smiles, just a blank look of distress
“Look at me!” it screams aloud
“Please pay attention!” to the crowd
But no one cares ‘cause they take selfies too
Hoping someone else will care
And compliment their done up hair
Their clothes, their looks, but no one takes the cue
Fishing for a thumbs up or
A comment, every selfie whore
Does walk the streets of Twitter, Instagram
And Facebook looking for a stroke
For their ego but it’s a joke
With no punchline, just an unfunny sham
They snap and snap and snap away
And post and post and post each day
“It’s me!” It’s me! It’s me!” is their sad song
A camera placed in every hand
To take pictures of all that’s grand
How did this lovely idea go so wrong?
~Miro
You’ll Have To Kill Me
18 SepThe Root of All Fears
11 AugShyness
11 Jan
Shyness
As difficult as it may be to think that I was shy
Yes, it’s true, this Warrior was once a timid guy
A permanent frog in my throat when I was just a lad
Always hearing “You’re so quiet!” from every comrade
And as my boldness grew, I saw the same shyness in others
And recognized the source of it in my sisters and brothers
Remembered well why I minced words, held tongue and took the fifth:
An overwhelming urge to please all and get along with
Fear of being rejected, not liked, thought poorly of
Fear of being ridiculed and mocked, deprived of love
I conquered shyness with acceptance that all which I feared
Was already in full affect, its ugly head had reared
Despite all of my efforts, there was still mocking and hate
Despite my quietness and caring, still they would berate
Despite my politeness and empathy still they would tease
Despite the warmth within my heart, around me was a freeze
Perhaps my teens or twenties, I no longer recall when
It started being clear that all these women and these men
That I had been so shy around and tried to gratify
Were not people who were worthy of being my ally
Upside down my world had turned, from thinking “all are friends!”
To being more judgmental and now saying, “It depends”
I saw the world through different eyes when I spoke loud and clear
Refused to be talked over, teased, belittled with a jeer
The magic phrase for you shy ones whose voices are so soft
The magic phrase to ask yourself as well as throw aloft
The magic phrase to ask real loud with bass and force and starch:
The magic phrase that raises eyebrows and makes their backs arch:
“Who are you?” is what I’d ask myself as I’d discern
“Who are you?” I’d ask with no regret and sometimes burn
“Who are you?” I’d ask and see the lack of discipline
“Who are you?” I’d ask and watch the tearing of thin skin
“Who are you?” I’d ask and those who gladly dished it out
Showed they couldn’t take it too as they would whine and pout
When I would ask myself just WHY should I care for this person
The truth is that my shyness would vanish instead of worsen
“Tell me what have you done? What’s your passion? What’s the price
You pay day in and day out? Tell me why should *I* be nice?”
And that is when I learned how many have entitlement
How many think that they are owed without sweat being spent
So if your voice does tremble, if your heart begins to pound
If your hands are clammy and the room spins round and round
Ask the question and perhaps all those who make you shy
Aren’t people you’ll waste worry on, instead, just a “Good-bye”
~Miro