Capitalize on the Time and Space

Capitalize on the time and space

Granted by the un ambition

Of your foes and comrades and enemies

Alike

Their lack of initiative against you

May well be and is

Your only chance at salvation

Salivate at the thought of

Escaping the noose and extending some

Breathing room this extenuating situation provides

Portends

And read the symbols of the winds

And then think of maybe

How to make amends

For your faults and address the shortcomings

Long lists of such

Your critics have amassed

Capitalize soon for

Your foes and comrades and enemies

May yet retrain their forces

Against you

And tighten the noose once more

By: Daniel Smallegange, all rights reserved 2024.

Pay No Mind

Pay no mind

Pay no mind

Time to sit and just unwind

Time to catch a wayward glance

Time to watch as strangers dance

Throughout the background

Out of the light

Into focus then

Out of sight

But through it all

Pay no mind

Pay no mind

Silent and still

Be not unkind

In thought or deed

Keep your council

Calculate the odds

Pick the best path

Through the fog

Enjoy the view and pass the time

But pay no mind

Pay no mind

And hope the gods react in kind

And hope the fates react

In kind

By: Daniel Smallegange, all rights reserved 2024.

The Fiery Pyres You Build So High

 Sifting through the ashes

Of all you have sacrificed

The aftermath of

The fiery pyres you build so high

To curry favour above and or

Below

To impress the neighbours you make these so grand?

Out of obligation or desire?

Expectation of a return on investment equal?

What is it you seek?

It is hard to discern

But gods don't listen mostly

In my experience

Neither those above in heaven

Nor below in hell

Your pyres of fires consume

Evidence also

Of all your crimes and deeds

Of all you wish discarded

Voodoo dolls decorate your living space too

They're crammed in all over the place

In every nook and cranny

Do these also fulfill your need?

So many pins in so many

Crude form creations

Enemies too you have to match

But what ever happened to those friends though?

The ones you said you had though?

I never seen 'em

And no dolls nor ashes

Represent them

And no visitors knock at your door

At least when I'm around

Maybe if you made dolls for them as well

But kind well meaning ones

These friends would provide you more attention

These friends you say you possess

But all I see is you alone

Sitting in front of your burning pyres

Tending offerings or removing proofs

At least they warm you in the night

These fires you burn so high

By: Daniel Smallegange, 2024, all rights reserved.

The Doctors Insist

 The doctors insist

Your eyes are the cure

They've written me a prescription

With this so inscribed

They've studied and analyzed the facts of the case

They say however

The cure might be worse than the disease

What's in your eyes might prove

Fatal or at least lead to

Unforseeable side effects and

Defects of the heart

Regardless they insist

The breakthrough is you

Kissing your waist might help also

This is unproven and

A theory of my own devising

Kissing your pretty waist

And biting your thighs

Is a hypothesis I would like very much

To test and assess

In the name of science

Your neck also

Elegant as it is

The doctors insist

And all the experts

So it's not really my fault

They've written me a prescription

With these things inscribed

I keep it close to my heart

Until the day we meet

By: Daniel Smallegange, all rights reserved.

Walking Down Along the Road

Walking down along the road

Looking down and all around

Seeking

Always seeking

Hoping to find a friend worth keeping

Hoping to see a soul worth meeting

As we walk our lonely path

Towards a day so far away

So many friends and enemies been

Vanquished from the field of play

As we too begin to grey

Walking up towards a bend

Uncertain if we're at the end

Or if we've come to a new way

And can begin a brand new day

To find that friend or

Seek our end

Walking down along the road

By: Daniel Smallegange, all rights reserved.

Your End, Anyways

Welcome my friend

Welcome to the end

Well your end, anyways

It's been quite a journey, has it not?

A chase, a thrill

Such sublime efforts of will

Moral gymnastics and intrigue

To reach this final sprint

A veritable treasure trove

Of love and loss, glory and guilt

So much blood and treasure

Gained and lost along the way

Now here and alone

Your finery and vestments stripped

Your allies and brave hope

A trail of corpses in your wake

While you never looked back

Oh, maybe once looked back

So much betrayal too

For beauty and love

Lust and greed

To fulfill those yawning needs

Too bad there's no time to dwell

On those questionable ends

Did they justify the means?

Welcome friend

Your end, anyways

Been long over due

Turn now and embrace it

Or fight

By Daniel Smallegange, all rights reserved.

Those Pesky Things

Walking away from the things

Those things those pesky things

That helped and hindered and passed the time

That we thought could never be left behind

Those things that seemed to make up

A part of our self

Our ecosystem

Those damned things

That fought the sadness and pain

Numbed it all away but also

Inevitably as the night progressed

Encouraged them to live and breathe

That left worse tastes in the mouth

Then all the stale cigarrettes and booze

Walking away from those things

Once thought unimaginable

Things we held so tight

Pesky pesky things

Ugly things

Walking away

Each step becoming easier

Each day our bearing less stooped

Now walking

With a smile we are

Freer

By: Daniel Smallegange

Picture is of me in NYC a few years back.