Author: musical

This is it, 2020, welcome to the latest chapter of modernity,

Gotta get with the times, certain terms can no longer fly, don’t wanna alienate nobody,

Y’all were deemed guilty by the court of public opinion, your solid foundations suddenly shaken,

Better get to work on re-brandin’ ‘lest you find yourselves in untimely cessation,

Must’ve spent months on end brainstormin’, this brand done reached expiration,

Came up with a winner, eventually, sounds similar to the original,

Announced it triumphantly, Redskin Lollies are history,

Now reborn as Red Rippers, new name but the product remains the same,

‘Twas a good move for a while, before an epic faux-pas was noticed,

One that went above and beyond throwin’ shade at Native Americans,

Way to neglect your research, turns out Red Ripper’s taken,

Belonged to the late Andrei Chikatilo, AKA: Red Ripper, AKA: Russia’s worst serial killer,

An epic fail worthy of a comedy show, could’ve come from the writers of Friends and Seinfeld,

Now you got candy named after a psycho, don’t matter that he’s long dead,

Negligence upset the apple cart, better get workin’ ‘cuz a new shitstorm’s bound to start,

Good luck with damage control, that’s the way the story goes, y’all played yourselves.

The year 2020 down to its final two months,

Less than 100 days now, time flies even while under lockdown,

Some days feelin’ like Sideshow Bob walking into multiple rakes,

But for the most part engaging the creative brain so can’t really complain,

That beast still low-key lurkin’, gonna hang for the forseeable future,

Gotta do our thing anyway, come hell or high water,

Bottlebrushes have come and gone, Jacarandas bloomin’ in their place,

Attracting folks and their camera phones, gotta take snaps of that purple haze,

Magpies in full troll mode swoopin’, better take off when you hear ‘em clicking,

Hell hath no fury like a protective parent, even in the animal kingdom,

Distancing is key in public spaces, as of now crowds be dangerous,

The dregs of society still putting in that work, displaying the worst of human behavior,

Social unrest and natural disasters still persisting, adding to the list of catastrophes,

The story of 2020, quite frankly, this annus horribilis from the twenty-first century,

Some semblance of freedom restored for many but can’t give in to complacency,

There’s hell to pay should an ignorant few take so-called liberties lightly,

Ain’t no endgame in sight, don’t be swayed by false headlines,

Heartbreak hurts most when expectations are continually denied,

Christmas is right ‘round the corner, how it goes we’ll soon discover,

Prayin’ for better days and soldiering on, can’t cry forever about shit that ya can’t control.

Dear Joe, I’m at wits end tryin’a come to terms with this shit,
Feeling empty inside, like I’d lost faith in humanity, sorry if it sounds so drastic,
Thought I’d found a real one, it was true romance in the beginning,
After years of playin’ and unions that done imploded, thought I’d found one with whom I could commit with,
But just like that it ended, can’t speak for her but I tried to put in work,
It’s fucked up when things don’t go your way despite your best efforts,
Can only hold on for so long, in the end I had to let her go,
She was my world, my everything, in her it’s like I’d finally found a home,
Came up rough and took my knocks, my chance at a good life dashed with barely a parting shot,
Thought we’d built up something solid, turned out to be a mere house of cards,
Didn’t need no Big Bad Wolf, life huffed and puffed and blew it into shards,
And now I’m stuck in limbo, caught up between wanting to move on and hold onto the past,
Conventional wisdom dictates go for the former but the heart can’t forget ‘bout what we once had,
That’s about the size of it, thought I should let somebody know,
Ball’s in your court now, what say you, Joe?

Dear Brother, you ain’t provided a name so I’ma call you brother,
Quite a load that you done been carryin’, sorry to hear ‘bout this union imploding,
Break-ups are a drag, they won’t always end with zero fuss,
One half might up and leave ‘cuz they feel that they’re with the wrong one,
Ya did the right thing, Homie, it takes two to make it work,
Wasn’t meant to be, gotta set her free, even if it fuckin’ hurts,
But while I sympathize I also gotta drop some hard truths,
I’ma spell it out for ya, brotha, where you done set yourself up to get screwed,
No doubt your love was real but you committed a fatal error when you fooled yourself into believing that home and happiness can be found in another person,
That’s why the fall-out cuts deep and now you’re suffering, you dropped the ball and went all-in with your feelings,
You put your eggs in the one basket rather than cast the net wide for your investments,
Truth is it’s an inside job, only you have the power to make you happy,
You’ll finally be ‘home’ when you accept it, sorry to sound all sappy,
No doubt a significant other can color your life into something rosy,
But the sad truth still applies, everything is temporary,
That includes people, don’t overlook the free will to which they’re entitled,
They may ride or die with ya but there exists the possibility that they may also quit on ya,
That’s the game of love, Bruh, it ain’t always warm and fuzzy,
Gotta stay ready, always, in case ya get hit with somethin’ grimy,
You see how easily friends can grow apart, even lifelong ones can go different directions,
Sadly couples can transition from lovers to strangers or maybe even rivals,
Tomorrow ain’t promised, Bruh, neither are happily ever afters,
No point trying to find clarity and certainty within what may be temporary,
Understand that home and happiness comes from within, can’t find it in status, places, people and possessions,
Invest in the one constant you have control over, the one staring back at you through the mirror,
How will you share love with another when you can’t even show yourself some?
Self-care ain’t no narcissistic endeavor, Brother, in life the successful continue to level-up,
Focus on self-improvement, explore the options around you, fuck what others are doing,
Opportunities in life and love’ll come knockin’ once you start growin’ and movin’ mountains,
Loving another shouldn’t come at the expense of yourself, stand your ground when you have to,
Don’t let ‘em get one over you, don’t let ‘em treat you low and walk all over you,
For now cut your losses and move on, there’s plenty of fish in the sea,
Wish ya nothing but the best, King, hoping that you’ll soon find your true Queen.

Took the kid for a walk, a five-year old bundle of energy,

Everyday wondering where the time’s gone, she’s growing up fast already,

Working from home most days to bond with her, these formative years are precious,

More so than wads of cash and priceless diamonds, better enjoy her now before suitors come ‘round knockin’,

Took her to the park before a text message from the missus changed y’alls itinerary,

“Can you run down to the shops?” you complied and replied with a “yes, sure, Honey.”

Hopped in the car and drove down to the nearest shopping center, detoured to the nearest newsagency to take a gander,

Just for five minutes, tops, before carrying out the mission,

The little one set off running, beelined to where they stacked colored puzzle books and comics,

You hung back and checked out mags featuring cars and sports and what’s printed on today’s papers,

Peeped over towards her, gotta keep her within your field of vision,

Ruffled her hair as you passed her, allowed her to continue perusing,

While you slinked over the other side, the shelf that featured subjects that were forbidden,

That’s secret men’s business, the type that featured titles with near-naked chicks on the cover,

Tried to keep it discreet but your moment of perving’s ‘bout to be shattered,

The little one wonders over wide-eyed as to what you’ve been ogling,

“Daddy why are you looking at dirty magazines!?” she screeched,

Good lucky tryin’a convince her that a man’s got needs,

Folks within earshot are eyeing you like you tripped the lunk alarm at Planet Fitness,

Some are snickering while you’re blushing, no smooth path to get away from all this,

There’s a time for everything, Bruh, that’s what Ecclesiastes and the Byrds were on about,

Can’t do that shit while kids are present, congrats you done got caught out,

You walk out of there with her to the sound of muffled laughter, you should have known better,

Bowin’ to temptation’s a sign of weakness, fool, ya played yourself!

This is it, time for a change of pace and scenery,

More than an hour was spent indoors glued in front of the TV,

Time to get the bodies poppin’, get the vitamin D fix in while the sun is still shinin’,

‘How ‘bout a game, y’all?’ Get the competitive juices flowin’,

Found a ball in the living room, a game of volleyball was unanimously voted,

Was tame at first but slid into anarchy quicker than one can scream ‘Brexit’,

Five participants, game played two-on-two and first to five goals,

The fifth served as the referee, waiting patiently til it was time to change roles,

You’re the oldest of the bunch, entered the arena with your so-called rep on the line,

“Can’t let ‘em beat me,” says you, “I’m the best and fairest this game is all mine,”

You went in hard and ready, eyes blazed like a predator,

Throwin’ your weight around, beating your chest like a silverback gorilla,

Point after point scored but it was all in good fun,

Intensity cranked to the max but ain’t no beef started between anyone,

All had their time in the sun but you were determined to snag MVP,

Gotta serve these young cats notice that alpha status ain’t for free,

Ball’s served by the opposition, time to blow this ball to Kingdom Come,

Swatted it hard, sent it over the fence in your quest to be the special one,

So much for mad flexin’, now the game’s suddenly halted,

Ball’s lost and you’re the clown that belted it, now it’s your job to go retrieve it,

Pulled Pops away from conversation with Unc like you wanna drag him to the Principal’s office,

Can’t go out in public unless a responsible adult’s around for supervisin’,

Ran towards that ball, it’s on the grass just past the pavement,

Bent over to pick it up while your cousins are shouting at you to return it,

Youthful exuberance overcame common sense, combined with ego it can lead to silly consequences,

Fuck throwing it back the right way, gotta hot dog it like a circus performer,

Tried to throw between the legs like Nick Kyrgios returning serve,

Missed the target, slotted it into the neighbor’s yard with no one home to return it,

Now you’re blushing, cursing your idiocy, your cousins rightfully berating you furiously,

Pops shaking his head wondering how his kid’s capable of such lunacy,

Standing there like a fool pantsed in the school ground in front of everyone,

The top dog is gone and in its place stands the king of the chumps,

It was fun while it lasted, because of you it’s prematurely ended,

Scurry back into your hole, fool, cuz  ya done played yourself.