Winner of the 2024 S. Gordden Link Poetry Award
Angles, Anglos, and anger
Culminate into a compromised state
Searching, and searching
Seeking value from destitute hands
Somewhat benign, but mostly mundane
Nothingness billows from these newly created chimneys
I could either play possum
Or blossom from this microcosm
Loneliness fits the bill here
Meander with whatever the day brings
Strum along to the sad songs for solace
Pick your influence, then indulge
All aboard the truth train
Chug along, and they won’t leave anytime soon
Dream up some grandeur, sure
But the destination is the same, forget it
Although disillusioned, there’s fight and spirit here somewhere
I don’t go down that easy, sorry ‘bout it
The day’s dealings are a toss-up
But I seek to blossom from this microcosm
Some cards that are dealt are startlin’
But I bury the banter and jargon
There’s no green door to barge in
To save a dream that’s a hard bargain
The doubts might charge in
But these experiences I'll harken
The dogs will keep barkin’
But tranquility widens the margin
For self-improvement, I dig deep
Not for you, not for them, but for me
After all, I could play possum
But eventually, I’ll blossom from this microcosm