How Much Of History Is True?

Twixt life
and death
birth and evaporation
lies inexplicable glee
and honest hopeless despair;
steady the craft!
too much is just enough
to determine holistically
a bigger picture
of despair
redeeming
death’s decline
in euphonious cacophony
of euphoric joy.
Thy tractor beam
of salvation.

Octopus Beak Butthole

Time starts out slow
ramps up to draw out
or close at a furious
whimpering pace
dragging one and all
along indefinitely (for
the ride).
Its goal is to wear
you out, prop you up
to weave fantasies of
comfort that forestall
a thought of total
destruction and its
consequence.
So gorge on drugs.

Jackalope Boy

I’m a cowboy dirt farmer
I’m hardscrabble!
I can take it
and let me tell you I can dish it out
I’m talking wisdom!
Hardscrabble prairie practical wisdom
How to survive!
How to handle extremes of heat,
cold, blizzard, tornado, and fellow
prairie immigrant folk waiting
for checks (in fear of Indian [Native American]
attack)
No, the prairie, that cottonwood hallowed place,
is no place for non-sissies.

How To Write A Poem (or live a life)

Start
and see where
truth takes you.

Pistachio !

You get a lot of nuts
acting that way nowadays;
sometimes the world is strange
all the time.

Life (after death and before birth)

We become the Earth
and look
we fly over sands
at waters’ edge
it’s a skill and an art
I see
as we
flying, being, living,
free
experience we,
ourselves
in the outline of God.

Ocean of All

I’ve never squashed
a ladybug
looking out my window
as the time passes by
time, time, time, time, time,
time, time, time, time,
is on my mind
probably only lives couple weeks
anyway.

O time some kind
of craft
flowing river no reverse
‘cept in consideration
to be
worthy craft
to the sea.

Runaway

Cute grinning
mantelpiece pilgrim
into rich water
swimming above
her abundance diving
for jewels pearls
from a broken strand
scattering
across the floor.

Renaissance 2022

Is it sane to allow
the irrational to rule the rational?
Lawless to control the lawful?
Violent to intimidate, threaten,
and do violence to the peaceful?
Liars to cow the truth?
Deceivers to pervert science?
No! Remember John Locke
and Patrick Henry! Revolt!

Randall Rogers is a Midwestern writer.  He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife and two armadillos.  Armadillo by morning….