Author Archives: osolomeo

Concrete came late early this morning

I wonder if the driver’s ever done this before?

An engineer screams, “Let’s do it son!

“There’s no time to waste! we’re under the gun!”

 

Pump truck arching above like a mantis

Starts belching and spewing its liquid grey essence,

Drum after drum spins into the hopper;

“We’re rolling here; nothing must stop us!”

 

Pour lines constantly ebb to and fro,

“How many meters we got left to go?”

Finally the last truck gives up his load;

Yet we can’t stop or put things on hold.

 

No quarter asked — and none has been given;

Superman thinks he’s died and in Heaven.

But concrete’s really boss around here;

Until it says so there’s no being still.

 

Power trowel engines start with a roar;

Sounds like Indy’s just through the door.

Men are scrambling around me like ants;

“We must catch the edges as quick as we can!”

 

Whirling and churning the soft mud around

My trowel machine hums its purposeful sound,

Then when at last we rest for a while

I sit and write poems to practice my style.

— copyright, TC, 1995

I chased a pig on New Years Day

Tried to put it in my truck

But its mother had a say; my ear I had to pay

She bit it off and chewed it up!

 

It’s most disquieting I’ll admit

To view a monstrous sow

Crunch and chomp ones’ ear to bits

It spins the mind around!

 

It’s hard to tell who squealed the most

That enormous shoat or me

When I leapt to grab a nearby post

And smote her on the bean.

 

I chased her round and round the pen

Screaming terror-struck!

Praying that somehow right then

I’d have a stroke of luck.

 

My hopes came through, she dropped that ear

I scooped it from the ground

Relieved at last of my worst fears

She never gulped it down!

 

I kissed that ear, then wiped it off,

Next tried it on for fit

Strange to say, though some will scoff

It hadn’t changed a bit!

 

Oh, maybe slightly tenderized

Frayed slightly at the seams

Perhaps I’ll not win a glamour prize

Or consort with beauty Queens.

 

But the doc my ear did rearrange,

It’s back to my head attached,

No matter that some say looks strange

I’m glad to have to have it back.

 

Certain all will sure agree

Howe’er the deck be cut

‘Tis better it be here with me

Than in some great swine’s gut!

The artist with no audience

Plies his lonely trade

Knowing no one will sense

The value of creations made.

 

Is there merit in this work?

Common sense says no

But compulsions deep within him lurk

That cause these seeds to grow

 

Should he turn his back and say,

“Drive these visions away!

Would somehow I could only say

Keep these dreams at bay!”

 

No he can’t; the lots are cast;

Fate has struck its’ knell

He can only do his best

To strive for Heaven through hell.

• copyright, TC

Unrealized dreams,

They’re really losses

Often it seems,

They’re also crosses

Losses to bear

Crosses to wear

Losses to share?

Crosses? Who cares?

None it seems,

Except those who wear them,

None its seems,

Save those who bear them.

• copyright, TC

Children with their mother

Playing in the snow

Jumping stopping searching

No place too hard to go

 

Dash away! Disappear ’round yon wooded bend

Reappear, running near, “Hold each others hands!”

Look around, make no sound, spring for nearby targets

Climb the hill, dancing still, laughter in the bargain

 

Hide and seek, “No don’t peek!”

“Hurry kick the can!”

Squeal and grin. Race to win.

“Quick, let’s hide again!”

 

But time is gone; hurry home

Dinner’s waiting, warm

Wash and eat, next brush your teeth

Then tucked in safe from harm

 

Love’s aflow, mothers know

What children need to prosper

Children feel when mothers kneel

Safe as prayers are whispered

 

Lights turned out, Mom’s about

Hear her footsteps lightly

Close tired eyes, dream of skies

Hold your baby tightly

 

Now sink to bliss with savoured kiss

Love to all, sleep soundly.

I tried the markets the other day
Called my broker just to hear him say
“Sell some goods, son, you’ll do good
But just for fortune, knock on wood”
So, I sold some goods I didn’t have
Lo, behold, I didn’t do bad!
Well, I doubled up the next days’ trade
Boy, oh boy, I’ve got it made!

Then things went wrong
I don’t know why
Now all I do is sit and cry
If I had my cash back now
I know I’d get by somehow
(Or, I could try to win again
If I just had more money to spend)
But, it’s too late; the wife, she’s gone
Couldn’t stand the gambling long.

She took the kids; the assets too.
Now I don’t know what to do? I know!
I’ll take my revolver out.
Stick a bullet in
Spin the chamber ’round about;
Then place it beneath my chin.
The slug will propel its clout
Deep into my brain,
Certain with the speed it mounts
I’ll never feel the pain.

But what if things should go amiss
It’s happened times before
Perhaps I’ll miss deaths’ kind kiss;
Lie thrashing on the floor!
Of course the docs I would amaze.
Things like this of miracles made!
But I would spend the rest of my days
In a fuzzy, foggy sort of shade.

But, no, the more I think of it,
With all my tumbled, battered wit.
Perhaps my scattered, scrambled brain
Could finally figure out their game.
They’d come to me for sweet advice.
Everyone would treat me nice:
For I would have the clues you see,
The way that things will surely be.

Yes, thats the answer, oh so pure,
Where’s my pistol now I’m sure.
I’ll cock the hammer straight on back;
Pull the trigger with a whack!
Come to see me when I’m up
Surely I can bring you luck.
We’ll decide what moves to make,
I’ll only charge you half the take.
You and I, we’ll do so good.
But just for fortune, knock on wood.

— copyright Osolomeo

I only mention subsequent evil inventions

in hopes that revealing malevolent conventions

forestalls dread recurrence once known

I have a tale of horror to tell

known to none save myself

Its details warrant eternity’s hell

Its knowledge has crippled my health

This recent example of wickedness sampled

Pertains to friends that I had

Companions that loved me; whose lives I then trampled

Friends that now are dead!

I hadn’t intended such reckless extinction

designs never encompassed demise

Impassioned depravity brought forth a travesty:

Gazing in horror I took all their lives!

It began as a plan to defraud the man

In charge of assuring estates

My heart was brimmed with larcenous sin

‘ere he approached my front gates

I filled required forms with numerals borne

of fraudulent valued assessment

Knowing full well devised infernos’ hell

Would soon repay doubled investment

Said friends were enticed to consecrete nights

bequeathed to lust and debauchery

Never suspecting tragedy threatening

None ever imagined such treachery

We spent numerous hours engaged in showers

of morally bankrupt reliefs

And then as all converged on main hall

I initiated wanton release

Perdition was formed and incubus born

by methods contrived of myself

Oh, the horrors that followed ! Such terrors that swallowed

All who had entered that house!

Intended devices to evacuate masses

were laid waste by confusion and panic!

Multitudes burned as huge flames churned

And smoke engulfed basement to attic!

Horridly charred torsos; hideously singed corpses

Hung from scorched gallery railings…

Masses of humanity destroyed by insanity;

consumed by result of my failings!

As families of those whose daily life woes

were cancelled by cursed inferno,

met to retrieve their dearly bereaved

I never once mentioned what I know

Then, after the morrow ,as , engulfed in sorrow,

all viewed grim atrocities wrought

Official met, expressing regret;

and one issued reward that I’d sought

Such foul and fiendish, felonious feelings

flowed from out of that cheque

I couldnt hold it;

My soul I had sold it!

It became a noose ’bout my neck!

Strong swirling winds conceived from fire bins

Swept up and sucked breath away

Thundering clouds descended like shrouds

Blotting light from the day

All hearts stopped as apocalypse dropped,

cloaking mortals with fear

Everyone there was acutely aware

their own deaths loomed ever more near

Black skies split as infinity glimpse

revealed now dreaded Creator

“Eaternal repentence !” demanded Tri -Eminence

“Assure that justice is sated!”

Mere feet of clay melted away;

Instant punishment fell

I was sentenced to spend time without end

In the depthless recesses of hell

As I hurtled down, limbs tightly bound ,

Deep into satans’ dark pit

“Wait!” said Almighty, this mustn’t go lightly

“I believe I’ve a judgement more fit!”

The next thing I knew my mind went askew ;

I was quoting the lines to this tale

Now when anyone asks it’s my endless task

to repeat what I know only too well

I’ve quoted these lines millions of times

Professed to the world of my sins

So please do not question this shameful confession

‘Lest I’m compelled to say it again

I’ve only mentioned previous evil inventions

in hopes that revealing malovelent conventions

forestalls dread recurrence once known

You can numb your body

But you can’t dull your soul

Temporarily forget the things

You don’t want to know

But that lingering feeling

Down deep in your being

Incessantly probes memories

Your mind’s seeing

Then if you let them

They’ll make you be sad

Or if you allow it

Make you go mad!

I wish I could know the things that I can’t

But even still, I hope there’s a chance

That I might have a reason or sign

A vision, small purpose; some slight peace of mind

 

I wish I could be the things that I can’t

But even still, I pray there’s a chance

That I may see the way that I am

Then try to be all the better I can

 

I wish I could change the things that I can’t

But even still, perhaps there’s a chance

That if I learn from all that I did

There could one day be value in the fact that I lived

 

I wish I had learned the things that I didn’t

But even still, some things that were hidden

Are revealing themselves in ways once forbidden

By circumstance, fate and time

 

I wish I could fathom sometimes what is real

I might somehow be able to steal

A bit of insight into secrets concealed

Beneath the concentric circles of my mind

TC

There once was a poetaster scheduled to go

Circumstance and fate had destined it so

The devil had him tight in his grasp

Chances were slim that he’d blow the task.

 

But the Great Lord looked down and his mirth was soon smitten

By a whimsical line that the poetaster had written

So God stayed the hand of the devil’s vile plan

But Heaven just watched, biding their time

Watching the poetaster, judging his lines

Of course, the man never knew what was up

His expressions flowed so fine for a time

He wrote words of beauty; with substance sublime

But beezlebub dried mere mortal’s precise pen

The Lord wasn’t pleased with the bard’s work anymore

He knew that Hades was warping his core

So the Creator agreed to let the poetaster pass on

But the Almighty had other plans up His sleeve

He retrieved the rhymer just to Lucifer peeve

Well, the mischiefmaker screamed and whined, “It’s not fair”‘

Then God thought it over, Moloch was right.

So He offered a deal that set hell alight…

“I’ll send him down if everyone listens

Lucifer laughed and agreed to the deal

He knew any new lines he’d be able to steal

So the poor soul went down, straight into hell

The demons shrieked and howled in his ear

There’s no way in the world he could write down here!

But then Gabriel took personal interest in this

They filled the poet’s thoughts with beautiful verse

Each day Satan listened and tried all the worst

But it was no use; the Powers that be

Mephistopheles couldn’t stand it; his powers disappeared

Each time the verse maker’s lines he would hear

So he sent him back up, to reside near God’s side

But it wasn’t to be. Every day after then

The poet’s new lines were sent down to him

The Lord makes him read them to all of his men

So, whichever way you happen to go

The song makers’ lines you may come to know

If you go down, enjoy them there

Ah, but if luck should send you on up

Perchance with the hymnest you’ll be able to sup

Get him to write you a short little ditty

He’ll do it sure; yes this I know well

It’s the only way he can stay out of hell.