Let It Bern

To persist or give up, the question’s raised during life’s many crossroads,

Each option got different outcomes, can’t always predict what follows,

May involve total commitment, no second chances once the path’s taken,

Could mean the difference between abject failure and achieving greatness,

Often hear about it when devising life plans or among troopers in perilous missions,

With it comes the extra burden of rapid-fire decisions,

In the game of love such a conundrum can arise, at times the brutal truth’s eschewed for comforting lies,

Such is the case when love’s declaration is rejected, one of two paths can be taken,

The spurned can take it on the chin and move on, or engage in actions that can tarnish reputations.

You summoned the courage and nerve, ‘fessed up to your special someone,

Ain’t no happy ending here, sadly they done turned you down,

Staring down a fork in the road, your rep depends on your decision,

Resist the bad advice, block out your delusions,

Choose the path of dignity, put in the work and level up on the daily,

Fuck the romance novels and movies, they’re works of fiction for a reason,

‘No’ means ‘no’, fuck that ‘I’ll try harder’ shit, there’s nothing you can do about it,

Realize that you’re not for everyone, what you have is irrelevant,

People got types and preferences, like it or not they’re entitled to it,

They ain’t into you, Pal, life decided you’re better off separated,

Suppose that wish was granted, you think it’ll be worth it?

Where you’re running yourself ragged but they freeze you out despite your best efforts?

Won’t be fun for both of y’all, such a life will drive you up the wall,

Sounds depressing, don’t it? Guaranteed you’ll end up damaged and heartbroken,

You’ll achieve nothing by begging and simping, except maybe a restraining order,

Likewise, you have no right to trash ‘em and turn ‘em into tabloid fodder,

Can’t accuse ‘em of abuse just ‘cuz they turned down your offer,

Don’t be spreading rumors ‘bout ‘em to dissuade other potential suitors,

Such actions expose your fragility, it comes at a great cost,

It ain’t sweet revenge, friend, just announcing how badly you’d lost.

Please keep your heads up, the ones stung by rejection,

Props to y’all for your courage, takes plenty to admit your hidden feelings,

It may hurt when love remains unrequited, it be like that sometimes,

Best to move on with confidence, look on the bright side of life,

You may not be for ‘em, but don’t waste your days stressin’,

Learn from your experiences and focus on self-improvement,

Cut your losses and let go, the best is yet to come,

There’s plenty of livin’ for you yet, to be spent hopefully with ‘The One.’

It was just a game of soccer, Friday sport among students,

Started out civil, descended into anarchy, school kids sure are devils,

Made doubly awkward by mixed genders, at an age where they can’t stand each other,

Boys inevitably come out swinging, the gentlemen within still non-existent,

Teacher playing multiple roles, coach, referee, scorekeeper and even firefighter,

At times putting out multiple fires, the heat of competition stoking young tempers,

Threats to halt the game fall on deaf ears, it’s like D-Day on Omaha here,

A tough kid named Davey’s among the ruffians, short and scrawny yet pugnacious,

Felt slighted when a girl nicked the ball from him, this was abject humiliation,

Saw red and shoved her, sent off immediately, red card wasn’t needed,

The game ends not long after, Lil’ Davey’s still in hot water,

Made to help pack up the equipment, that’s just half of his punishment,

Assaulting a fellow classmate and makin’ ‘em cry is tantamount violent crime,

He’ll be forced to pick up papers, sentenced to detention, the school equivalent to hard time,

Teacher demands that he write her an apology letter, here’s his chance for early parole,

Just had to say ‘sorry’ but immaturity butted in like an angry billy-goat,

Defiantly he picks up a pencil, scrawls his thoughts across that paper,

The message simple but the impact as potent as fireworks,

“I’ll get you for this,” it read, straight-to-the-point, no filter,

Just like that his fate was sealed, heard it loud and clear from the Teacher,

“Gather your things and go to the principal’s office, call your parents and have ‘em pick you up,”

“I won’t tolerate that from you, Kid, go home and think about what you’ve done,”

Davey complies, probably relieved to go home early on a Friday,

Done exposed himself as a fool and sore loser, but for him it’s probably ok.

Thursday afternoon, sports and recreation,

Get ’em out the classroom, young bodies gotta stay fit and active,

For some it’s a chance to blow off steam through healthy competition,

While others prefer to goof off for the final two periods,

Such was the case for a group ninth-graders, grappling and wrestling in the grass like they’re Stone Cold, Bill Goldberg and The Undertaker,

The year’s 1998 and pro wrestling was all the rage, boys will be boys and hormones be surging at that age,

Finally out the classroom, the aggression’s repressed for too long,

Male hormones crave physical competition, blame it on testosterone,

That fucking ‘hands-off’ rule, the bane of many play-fight sessions,

Settlin’ differences with fisticuffs will have ’em pushin’ for detention,

On this day the whole tribe’s locked in royal rumble but it’s all in good fun,

Covered in dirt, body slamming one another like they saw on television,

Got the teacher’s attention, there will be hell to pay,

Eschewed scolding and screaming in favor of mind games,

“Why are you guys wrestling? Don’t you know the rules? Hands-off policy, boys, quit acting like fools,”

“But it’s all fun, Sir, ain’t nobody hurt, no disputes here, that’s for the birds,”

“Perhaps you guys would like to perform in front of the whole school during the next assembly? Show them your moves and become instant celebrities?”

The proposal was fire, the boys were up for it, little knowing there was a rather big caveat,

“I want you boys to go home and start eating,” says Teach, “then rock up to school wearing nothing but your best briefs,”

“You guys will be SUMO wrestlers, are you still up for it?”

“Aw hell naw!” they all shout, “ok, ok, we’re done fighting,”

Satisfied with his mental victory, Teacher wonders off,

While the boys slink away for now, come the weekend the rematch is on.

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.

All things must pass, come to an end, everything’s temporary,

Common clichés that we hear on the daily, ease of acceptance also varies,

Youth and athleticism fade eventually, so can looks, money and status,

Change is constant and immune to resistance, some sit back and accept it while others fight hard to delay it,

Relationships are no different, not all remain rock solid,

Some friendships are permanent while others last only for a moment,

Not all couples make it to the altar while others learn that vows won’t always last forever,

Maybe the decision’s mutual, an expiry date’s slapped on some unions, it’s unfortunate but neither party’s left irreversibly wounded,

Then there are couples shattered cuz one half committed the ultimate betrayal,

It need not be a death sentence if the guilty repents and reinvents, both sides pick up the pieces and become whole again,

But more often than not it can’t be salvaged, call it dead on arrival,

It’s flat lines on the life support system, 9-1-1 ain’t resuscitatin’ nothin’,

The Scorned reacts in one of two ways, both on extreme ends of the scale,

Maintain the stoicism of a trooper or embrace the path of the hurt and enraged,

The former quietly turns the page, busy working on starting over to give in to the rage,

The latter trashes their ex at every opportunity, often through methods nothing short of cringy,

Warning the masses of that jerk’s true colors, metaphorically tarring and feathering ‘em,

Putting up signs around town and debasing their cars and prized possessions,

If all goes well that coward’s crimes will go viral online, sending them duckin’ and dodgin’ but with nowhere to hide,

No one loves a cheater, therefore the masses must sympathize with the former lover,

Revenge served cold and the audience will cheer and applaud you for it,

But going overboard will leave some disturbed by your actions,

Since when do responsible adults resort to childish tantrums?

We get that you’re mad but was airing your dirty laundry part of the game?

No one asked to hear the dirty details, have you any ounce of shame?

We get that they pushed you head-first, fully-clothed, into a pool of indignity,

You could have climbed out and stayed out, instead you done cannonballed back in there willingly,

You eschew a dignified response in favor of bitter, obsessive behavior,

Now you’re bleeding supporters, but rest easy, they ain’t siding with that cheater,

But some may wonder if your shortcomings drove ‘em into the arms of another,

And they’ll surely be concerned ‘bout your kids, this can’t do ‘em any good,

You’re setting ‘em up for ridicule from their peers ‘round the hood,

Gotta be tough coming to terms with parents living separate lives,

Yet you compound their trauma as you vent to them constantly like a bitter ex-husband or wife,

Juicy gossip spreads faster than wildfire, ‘cuz of you other kids’ll be pointing and whispering,

Wondering aloud why their Mom or Pops were hoein’, it’s a recipe for humiliation,

‘Twas you who done bleated out loud ‘bout how your other half thirsted then flirted,

Simped over then snogged another before fucking ‘em behind your back many times over,

Fuck any good that they’ve done previously to you and the children, strike that shit off the record,

They deserve to burn for eternity, tortured in the Ninth Circle by The Devil and his minions,

But it’s your fault alone if your actions render your kids misguided and damaged,

An environment of toxicity and anger will lead to severe consequences,

Bitterness towards both parents, trauma manifested in an inability to love another,

Passing on the curse of family dysfunction, compounded by severe anxiety and depression,

Infidelity hurts and wrecks lives, it’s the actions of selfish cowards lacking the balls to break-up,

Your anger’s understandable but force-feeding others your feelings is hella fucked-up,

Move on with your life quietly and with dignity, work hard and let your successes do the talking,

Make that fool regret their actions, you’ll come out a winner while proving yourself a true role model.

Saturday at mid-day, on the western line inside a packed train,

Typical cast of characters filled the seats, couples young and old, Mommies and Daddies with energetic kiddies,

Young adults and teens, the jaded and upbeat, some occupied with social media and selfies, others readin, buried under Marxist theory,

In the midst are a group of women, on the cusp of middle age but they ain’t trippin’,

Bits of their anatomy not quite what they used to be yet their personalities remain kinda bubbly,

Laughing and carrying on, at times competing with children for excessive noise,

The others trying to stay poised, got no other choice,

Back to that group of gossipers, in a past life must’ve been high school cheerleaders,

Dressed to impress, complete with bags and bling, veterans of conspicuous spending, somewhere out there Thorstein Veblen’s spinning,

Their laughter and chatter a stark contrast to a woman seated across from ‘em,

Aged in her late 50s and maintaining a quiet dignity, got her eyes closed and meditating though the noise around her is deafening,

The leader of the loudmouths spies her, sizes her up like a lioness eyes its prey,

Turns back to her girlfriends, the cheer squad captain within came out to play,

‘Take a look at her,’ she sneers, ‘don’t you think she’s kinda ugly?’

From there one snide remark after another nothing short of cringy, talking smack about someone while they’re sleeping, it’s childish and petty,

They’re from different backgrounds, too, the bullies and the bullied, the former hiding behind probable language barriers, talk about cowardly,

It’s like Mean Girls in this joint for those within earshot,

Suddenly the quiet one’s roused by a phone call and here’s where things get hot,

“Hello?” she addresses her caller, “I’m still on the train,”

“Apologies for the noise, the crowd here’s insane,”

Turned her eyes toward the loud bunch, stared holes through them all, perfect set-up for the almighty coup de grâce,

“I’m just sitting here,” said she, “apparently looking rather ugly,”

Four words with a catastrophic effect, those noisy broads silenced in an instant,

Their faces beet-red and blushin’, penetrated their heavy make-up,

Y’all thought she was sleepin’, y’all should’ve known better,

So much for your flashy threads and expensive jewellery, no one gave a fuck it was a waste of money,

One ignorant move was all it took and now they’re staring and y’all are shook,

Those within earshot wide-eyed in astonishment, shit was cold but well-deserved,

Enjoy the ride, still a long way before your respective destinations, ‘til then people are gonna pass schadenfreude and joy at your misfortune,

Should’ve kept the beast in its cage, now y’all got eggs in the face, it was never gonna end well, y’all done played yourselves.