soul of the age

there is no law that says we have to think
in clear and sharp direct and honest mode
no reason ever just to break the code
that would in other worlds drive us to drink
our minds and hearts are always on the blink
we can't bear up under the normal load
and thoughts are ever ready to explode
the message is not hidden in the ink
not for us now the easy truths of day
instead the terrors of the highest heat
until the mind sinks under the vast weight
we are the losers for we've lost our way
our bodies are worth less than nought as meat
and when we leave we will go forth as freight

Squamous, rugose Hiawatha

Came to me a frightened spirit, came the spirit of Longfellow,
told me to indite this poem, as a message and a warning:

This is the forest primeval, the towering ravenous creatures
eager to eat hapless humans, haters of the Great Spirit
dwell here in immense numbers, with qualities squamous and rugose.
Dark is the night in the forest, filled with insidious chatter
of beings dark and malignant, hungry for human heartstrings;
long time now they have dwelled here, inside the limitless darkness.
But now they are ready to travel, seeking the blood of the lawful.

Now a voice came to Nokomis, as she readied for a journey,
readied for a troubled journey, full of ignorance and hatred;
said the voice unto Nokomis, do not mention Hiawatha
to the beings of the darkness, to the dark and evil beings.
Hiawatha has to fear them, for they hunger for his beauty,
for Hiawatha's male beauty, do the ugly monsters hunger.
Dread now came upon Nokomis, and she sought to flee the hunger,
flee the hunger of the Shoggoths, deep in rainy Minnesota.

But the Shoggoths were unwearied, on they came for Hiawatha.
Far the hero fled through forest, through the dark forest primeval
never resting from his travels, for a halt would bring his death-blow.
Still the Shoggoth came unwearied, and the evil being Cthulhu
sent his many emanations, through the lakes of that cold forest
seeking to trap Hiawatha, trap the man and eat his spirit.
At last tired Hiawatha, turned to face the coming evils,
faced them with his angry beauty, but his anger was for nothing.
Soon the Shoggoths made their dinner, soon Shub-Niggurath had feasted,
and the vilest demon, Cthulhu, for his lunch had Hiawatha.

karma meets dogma

a simple calm for which we have not paid
beguiles our hopes leads us down the road
to some dark places where the final goad
is that our true intentions once mislaid
return to haunt us for we'll be afraid
of what our hearts say when they are bestowed
as partial payments on what we have owed
in order to pretend we've made the grade
allow some words this time to be misspent
so that we may a liberal credit claim
and we will laugh when curfew starts to chime
yet then it will be too late to repent
every excuse will turn out to be lame
and we will face the charge for every crime

still we defy

let all the echoes die we'll still be heard
by those who most the naked truth should learn
to claim the lie will win is just absurd
let all the echoes die we'll still be heard

we are the ones who have the honest word
and in our minds the brightest fire must burn
let all the echoes die we'll still be heard
by those who most the naked truth should learn

those who deny the plain truth we must spurn
their faces must in memory soon fade
we take the straight path we will never turn
those who deny the plain truth we must spurn

what we achieve with hard effort we earn
the fire that rises cannot be allayed
those who deny the plain truth we must spurn
the faces must in memory soon fade

our minds and hearts require no magic aid
no magic powers and no magic bird
to teach us their as yet unseemly trade
our minds and hearts require no magic aid

enough that we may still lead the parade
each shining hero here was once a nerd
our minds and hearts require no magic aid
no magic powers and no magic bird