you down low
You won’t smell the roses
And strike the right poses.
If you walk backward
And risk being awkward
If you uncross your legs
And hang silk on pegs
If you read manga fast
When first page starts last
If you circle the drain
Without taking any strain
Then down becomes up
And a Great Dane is a pup.
If you shut your lips
And sit on tips
If you chew your food
And extract all the good
If you blow hot and cold
And be timid rather than bold
If you give up your sight
So that black looks white
Then death becomes life
And lies becomes rife.
Inside Voice
One has to know, one has to care,
Of who, what, and where,
Of the time to stand up, and when to sit
When to volley the ball, or make a big hit
How to make a splash
Whether to be the flash
If to raise the alarm
Or turn on the charm
At the rally, on a plane
In the crowded rush hour train
Of the time and place
When to exit the race
Of the mood in the room
The best words to lower the boom
Of the temperature of the soup
And the mission of the group,
To run with the pack, or bring up the rear
To lower the volume, modulate the fear
One needs to be sure, one needs to set the tone
Letting things be, or be the dog with the bone
No matter the cause, thinkers think twice
Holding that ignorance is man’s mortal vice.
To atone is to turn away
And start a new day
To learn how
To act now
To count the cost
And admit when one is lost
To deal thoughtfully with dangers
And cautiously with strangers
To run if there’s a fire
And carry a spare tire
To learn how to sing a new song
To rest after a night long
To rise with the birds
Wasting no time on mean words
To practice what one preaches
Seeking what the good book teaches
Cherishing one’s dreams
Living within one’s means
Working for a better way
Speaking out when there is something to say
One has to try, one has to swallow the pill
Surrendering self, ruling over free will
One has to aim high
Figuring out the how and why
Shunning evil, digging for gold
Resolving one’s soul would never be sold
Managing need, sparing no pain
Daily making a bargain
To live by smart choice
And raise only the inside voice.
Loans and Liens
If you loan me your blouse
And I run through your house
Naked and needy
Horny and greedy
And you called me a louse
With the morals of a mouse
Then I would levy a lien
Over your happy face mien
I would spit in your tea
For the whole world to see
I would write on your walls
And send you prank calls
I would hold your dog to ransom
And call your grief handsome
And if you did nothing to stop me
Refusing to exact a fee
Turning the other cheek
Until it is battered and weak
Sitting at my feet
My touch your torrid treat
Then soon you would be a silly goose
With your heart tied up in a noose
Wasting precious time
Feasting
