Poetry

The Fatal Flaw

Hamlet knows, and Brutus, too The fatal flaw that did you through The noble Prince with quiet grace Who stands alone in time and space Must inward look and seek control Over fires of the soul And never aid nor solace seek Among the mansions of the meek You show a face so well rehearsed While deep inside the sorrow's nursed You cannot let the anger through The way the lesser folk might do Horatio won't understand The voiceless words that turn your hand And Cassius, he was never there Never one of those who care. And so you always stand alone The island-man, the face of stone Though there are those who call you in To break now would be gravest sin We cannot touch, we cannot reach You, alone on your silent beach The fatal flaw that does you through Hamlet knows, and Brutus, too.

A Demon in Doubt of Unexpected Happiness

Listen—don't wake up You don't really need to know There's just things I need to tell you Though my mind is running low I've this crazy fascination That's been keeping my mind slow And the clock that regulates our nights Tells me it's time to go. You can't know me 'cause you love me. Go—don't move I can't bear to have you gone. It's just talk about forever Makes forever seem so long, And the mem'ries of forgotten Yesterdays can be so strong. I can't shake the great conviction That my choices are all wrong. You can't love me 'cause you know me. Hear me—don't respond. There's just something I should say I've a fear of self-destruction That I can't make go away And the higher that I go with you The more I want to stay Makes me fear the catastrophic loss That I might have some day.

The Sellers of Shame

It's such a shame You seek no glory Get no fame, But those who know you know you well. You say you're free To lock the door To turn the key, But those who know you, we can tell. And the sellers of shame, they always said That the evil in you was the turn of your head. They say it's a shame that you wasted your life But you never cared to be anyone's wife. And, oh, what pain To hide in the shadows Stand in the rain, But those who love you see you there. He's such a joy Another lover, Brand new toy, But when he loves you, does he care? And the sellers of shame, they always knew That you played for too many or sang for too few. They say it's a crime that you wasted your chance, But you never cared, you were there for the dance. And now you know, The less you move The farther you go And those before you wish you well. Anyway, We live tomorrow Yesterday And the sellers of shame hold the keys to hell. And the wielders of wisdom always could see That the price of your freedom was you'd always be free, But you never asked, and they never told So the love that you lost is the love that you hold.

The Sellers of Shame, Revisited

It's such a sin You sat at the table Played to win But the cards had been dealt 'ere you ever came "Cheat!" you cried "Blame the husband Damn the bride!" But the only deceit was that you played the game. And the Finders of Freedom always told That the faster you ran, the less you could hold. Yet you stood at the altar as the scene faded black With the power you manage and the courage you lack. "Slut!" you screamed In your favorite nightmare Madman's dream But the one crime committed was the murder of trust. You claimed to see That she was for you And you for she What you thought was love was nothing but lust. And the Seekers of Sanity, they alway said That the cost of control was the loss of your head. And you stood in the battle as the lines drew apart And the main casualty was the death of your heart. And the Sellers of Shame, they always knew That your sins were too many, your virtues too few But you didn't hear as you lifted your load And set your feet once again out on the road.