Spencer Moseley

The fan spins, errk eek errk eek errk eek... The unknown tethered by a muse's fragile twine,  MLK subdued, no reason to care No reason to dream. We've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. Time is a construct,  Constructed by peasants on the road to decay, Trying to grow a broom stick with staw In rocky ground. What is truth? The stars dimmed, Unshining on a cloudless night. Hiding their light from the wise men and shepherds, Who yearn for hope. Hut, hut, turn your back to the forest and your front to me. The only lights, the lights of Babel, High on a pillar of irregular stone,  Crumbling at the slightest touch. Immediately rebuilt. May no one ever eat fruit from you again. The rulers who rule rule badly, While those in denial raise flags. And the rulers give speeches, visit dignitaries, And Atlas threatens to cave. Proud men don't like having to look up.

The streets looked so good from stage left, I'll miss the people.  I was more down to earth with them. What if this isn't fun? I bet it's not fun.  He crept out, crowd cheering. He said a joke or two, what a laugh. He longed for stage left. Wished he could run. His mind a blur, his heart in his head. But he went back out,  The crowd roared applause He charged stage left,  The manager indifferent. But he couldn't return— The streets, a shadow. Of the stage he now knew Knew intimately, not fully. Time will make me more comfortable, He hopes. But the streets look good too.

  T iny, prickly, toothpicks dance like fireflies. Blues swept with yellow and pink. Light nods off, and dim-lit stars emerge on canvas, arranged by Zeus— Cassiopeia stirs the sea god's wrath. Like three wise men, who conned a king, the cows lie down, a tempest brews. Cloudbursts rupture  Loki's pedestal.  Why is tonight different from all other nights? Tolerable yet intolerable discomfort, A Glaucus-trade made,  Diomedes laughs. As sunlight wakens, s ingularities vibrant, a phoenix emerges, soaring higher than Icarus. Toothpicks to nails, Why have you forsaken me?

A lonely boy pressed start His video game, staticky, turned on He saw his mother Chills VR headset taking him to another dimension Where science and literature are one He stops, he freezes He finds a Doritos taco loco, uneaten on the floor Bends down to touch it Sees a different planet It has centaurs and dragons, oh my What’s next? A shooting star? He can’t remember how he got here  He ventures into the nothing, not sure if nothing is something or privation of something  His head, not spinning, alarms him.  The British are coming Their redcoats aflame A strawberry daq is calling his name Never so frustrated, never so parched.  He’s mentally healthy, not torn apart But his lightsaber is glowing, it wants to attack  It’s not red, not green, not blue, not purple It’s some shade like Guadalupe, not in our spectrum.  His mother emerges Am I not here? Who loves you and holds you and wants to be seen? I can’t tell you I love you I fear you’re far off On your own ...

Sometimes there’s nothing to do But sit with that emotion Twisting, turning, thoughts unfolding Leading nowhere.  My head’s a mess, your love is rest I wish I was like you.  You’re kind, you’re loving, you laugh a lot And nothing seems to bother You’re like a work of art unlocked And all the world’s your oyster.  I only want to be someone that you would find on par A peer, accepting, self-sustaining, living in his truth Instead I find I’m just too anxious, given to complaining.  I’m that toxic energy that you avoid with care I’m too dependent, far too needy and given to despair I wish I wasn’t who I am or where I find myself So if you find it in your heart to love me, run.  Won’t bring you down.  I judge, depressed, I’m sad a lot, I don’t know who I am I mourn the loss of who I was some many years ago  All hope is lost, trapped in this box And nothing’s here to save me. 

Jealousy emerges, I see others' success.  I wonder why I have all this regret Where did the time go How much time is left Will I ever accomplish whatever comes next? In that moment I come to that bridge to mourn the time past, or see my success Because looking more closely, there's more that I've done Only I know all the battles I've won.  The times I listened to someone complain The millions of times, I pushed through the pain The days I awoke to work and make bread The times I was honest, the times that I led. The lonely nights, just me and my dog The tears, the sorrow, the friends I have lost. Life has been messy, it's worn me down hard The truth is I'm not sure, how I'm still here at all. I may not know why, where, when or how But I do know tomorrow I'll accomplish my dreams Some call that faith, some call it luck For me it's just love and wading through muck.