preoccupied.

unavailable.

agenda –

over-full…

it seems we simply exist –

to exist.

black and white priorities muted to obligations of grey.

we enter auditoriums of suppose,

yet exit before encores of know.

ignorant to ownership of capability –

obtusely self-absorbed!

with characters flawed from addictions to same,

we fall in line –

paupers by convenience –

reciting litany’s to camouflage our disdain.

and yet,

when offered avenues of alteration,

deny with apoplectic revulsion

accommodation to insinuation of refrain.

obedient, we have become,

to complacency.

prisoners to indifference –

unaware we hold keys

to the locks of our self-imposed commonality...

God.

some would say – all knowing one.

others,

perhaps – omnipotent.

at some point, spoken of –

in close companionship with dear,

and oh my,

and almighty.

or maybe referred to – Argus.

whatever your concept of creation –

regardless your attraction to any particular dogmas –

your conviction dictates my perception.

i suppose i could be persuaded to believe –

however,

my belief would not be tied to hypothesis –

co-dependent with proof.

(faith)

and so,

the opportunity –

as presented at this juncture –

lies in your ability to convince –

remove doubt from the sanctuary –

of –

my believe…

in houses we did not build,

we occupy rooms –

temporary tenure.

with purpose supposed,

we hang portraits of authority –

masters of what we can never truly own.

rigid –

we become –

to change.

influence to alter even the color of our conviction – disallowed.

God forbid a door left ajar!

access denied –

unless pre-approved –

requisition ratified.

and if –

somehow –

allowed entry –

disregard any inclination to linger.

there is no option of reciprocated accommodation.

your presence merely filler

to reconcile empty from an equation of existing – all alone…

for what purpose,

if i may ask,

suggestions of compassion?

would it not be more genuine,

to pass the superficial statements of solidarity through a filter of truth?

remove the assumed perception of empathy –

from the diatribes they conceal?

i for one would much rather face a wolf –

understand the opposition –

than mingle with imagined sheep and become victim to defamation by deceit…

confused?

how so?

surely you realize,

even the perfection of your make-up can’t hide the truth

when standing alone –

outside –

(animal) in the rain.

on the road from re-probation to redemption

concern,

or obligation?

compassion,

or prayer for judgment?

i hear you speak words of sympathy in regards to incarceration of addiction.

and yet i fail to feel conviction in your offering of feigned commiseration.

i suppose,

to understand the is of someone’s habit,

one must have lived the was of their own.

presumptuous,

don’t you think,

alms offered for atonement of sins supposed?

on what platform of implied accommodation do you feel justified offering allegiance?

prayers i hear –

utterance of intercession.

yet there you stand –

un-kneeled –

eyes un-closed,

hands un-folded.

and from the words you speak –

no consolation,

no reprieve.

to enter heaven crawling –

pleading mercy –

unclothed of all but humility;

more appropriate ending to my life –

than concealed in robes of presume,

carried ceremoniously unaffected

down the corridors of hell…

this piece for you – 

the abandoned one.

solitary confinement, 

it seems, 

in a world of (not always) smiling faces.

for the you that wishes to be he, 

or she, 

or really any of the they. 

for just one minute of any given day,

to understand feel – 

as much as the absence of touch.

this piece for you – 

owner of less than (it seems) enough.

shepherd without cause –

gatekeeper to an empty lot.

how often,

in life, 

do we pass each other on the street –

share paths –

travel in the same direction –

yet unaware the other exists?

today i saw a homeless man,

and after the initial wave of sadness left,

i found myself wondering if just maybe it was his choice?

while hard to imagine –

life devoid of the accoutrements we deem mandatory for contentment, 

maybe it was his way of avoiding the pain of indifference.

just maybe he chose to be lost –

less painful,

than merely being –

forgotten…

and just about now,

while the stars shine and the moon is slightly less than full,

we wage wars against ourselves.

in this moment, instead of holding hands, we throw sparks –

rekindle flames –

ignite with fear the fires of discontent.

what will it accomplish?

this war of indifference?

if in the end –

when the smoke finally clears –

we find all we’ve conquered –

is good; all that remains –

draped in darkness –

sad shroud of victory worn by kings without crowns –

left only to reign over the grave of morality.

and so it goes…

and just about now,

we boast and brag of conquests made in the name of jurisprudence –

encroach upon the boundaries of right and wrong –

yet fail to comprehend the majesty of benevolence.

and just about – now –

while making plans to ostracize God from our concept of creation –

we fail to realize the structure of our once great society is falling down –

thin walls of faith,

collapsing in upon themselves,

weakened –

by the senseless acts –

inhumanity of man –

and just about now –

the reality of our demise is heard –

not in the roar of mighty storms –

but subtle as the exit of day –

more personal than a whisper of consolation,

from the very lips of death…

(and now i lay me down to sleep ,

i pray the Lord,

my soul…)

doors.

designed to allow exit –

designed to prohibit intrusion.

for most of us,

addition of lock – no longer optional.

predetermined –

decision made based on past experience –

unlawful entry.

we imagine days before the knowing.

when convenience of passage was not only allowed,

but welcome.

seasons passed so quickly.

innocence –

unwilling martyr to the conquest of aging.

what do we do,

now that the key has been found?

safe we were –

indisposed,

ignorant to the obligation of trust.

what will become of our premise –

our assumption of character?

who will we be when separated from the mask of suppose?

pray?

for?

redemption from the sin of mistrust?

un-faith in the promise of absolution?

i suppose there is honor in forgiveness –

but nowhere in the constitution of salvation is there clause for arbitration.

and you there –

standing silent in the hallway of indifference –

key in hand,

what will you do?

you arrogantly presume control over my situation –

never realizing,

the door was unlocked all along.