No and No
This is the noise that keeps me awake,
the tie-dyed sentiments flung
from dirt that can’t be un-dug,
and this is me saying no
to a wish that “no” isn’t an answer to.
The curl, pulled straight.
The antidote, failed.
Nothing good can come of this
and that’s why I’m here.
This is the lookalike and this is the duplicate
and I am the difference
that goes unnoticed
until it’s too late.
There’s something, and nothing,
and something from nothing,
but I walk on the outline of the void-
I won’t fall in from the push;
my recoil does all the work for me.
Let’s not and say we did
before we have to pretend,
or at least until we get caught.
This is the noise that keeps me awake
and this is the escape I can’t seem to make
when I least expect it
but that’s what I’m doing now
and no one’s gonna tell me otherwise
even if they wanted to.
Like a joke not worth explaining
to people who don’t understand laughter,
I can’t help myself from myself.
Everything is Terrible and I Think You Know Why a drum that whispers riddling death sentences backwards pointing fingers fragmented pretenses march prudishly fluid pretending like it's nothin' still raises your voice to it master of survival cunning noise calls to rise and fall crusted mistrusted bloated trap set eyes of blistered 8-balls change your habits big bucket of double oh-no emptied over your broken skin burnt premise shame so indignant do it again shut down but can't be stopped government secrecy forgot time hops drug shops crooked cops the land's name the photographer cropped what happened you don't claim to know slim chance fat circumstance eyes like bullet holes act your age not your relevance take count of what's left mental calendar rubber-stamped courting slow death at a right-to-life camp train the robots to clean up mice can freshen the environment you signed your god's pre-nup it's coming to collect past rent unfolding stomach sweating churns life showing reruns beyond overtures eyes made of cigarette burns watching the world spurned To the Love(s) I Lost (via Leonard Cohen) Everyone knows it as my fault, not yours and mine; your voice carries louder over my interpretations and lesser designs. I can't name your names because there's too many, and when I drink to forget you remind me of memories I know better than to hold on to. I can't, but I can, even when they're more the enemy that I wish to comprehend. You vested my suit and lies; tied up my goodbyes. We could say nothing and let's just; rather than we tried.
Norb Aikin has been published by Eliezer Tristan Publishing and uses his time wisely on Twitter (@aikinNorb). His first poetry collection, 100, has been positively reviewed widely and his second, Mutants, recently was released for Kindles with a paperback It’s a slim follow-up to 100 and features some older material along with his current WIP. Look for the full release of Also Mutants in the Spring of 2020.
Fevers of the Mind 
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