capitalistic desire

/
 

here’s to the capitalistic desire
to sacrifice our lives
in order to have the
most fancy coffin
just to flex on
our friends
that we didn’t have time for
and to afford a headstone
chiselled with a quote
espousing the value
of hard work
and dedication
to something beyond ourselves
that no one will read

This poem is from the book, ‘A Requiem For What Could Have Been: Poetry For The Broken’.

Read more from the colleciton, download a free copy, or purchase as a Paperback, eBook, Hardcover or Audiobook.

 

To Purchase The Moon

/
 

I sacrificed the sun
To purchase the moon
Working hard
From dusk to noon

But all you see
Is me locked away
Stuck in my room
Unable to play

I’m trading my time
For you to live
It’s the only thing
I’m able to give

I’m so sorry son
I know you need more
You need more of me
Of that I’m sure

I hate how this world
Forces us apart
I long for the days
I could apprentice you to my art

But that would just be
A different kind of pain
What if you didn’t want
To work in my same vein?

Thus my attempt
To lift you high as I can
I want you to become
A fulfilled and happy man

There is no right answer
Beyond a cry and a shrug
Other than to read you a nightly story
And depart with a hug

Just know I’m always thinking
Of you and your brother
I love you both
You two and your mother

This poem is from the book, ‘Wage Slave, The Unpaid Overtime Edition’.

Read more from the colleciton, download a free copy, or purchase as a Paperback, eBook, Hardcover or Audiobook.

 

Sacrifices

/
 

I wonder if
On the day I finally
‘Make it’
I will regret
The sacrifices
It took
To get there

This poem is from the book, ‘A Requiem For What Could Have Been: Poetry For The Broken’.

Read more from the colleciton, download a free copy, or purchase as a Paperback, eBook, Hardcover or Audiobook.

 

Stop Rushing

/
 

Stop rushing.
Take a break.
You are not lazy.
Trust that you will get it done.
You always do.

To perform optimally,
You need to rest.
You need to recover.
You need to heal.
You need to take a breath.

So do so.
Give yourself permission.
Pour the cup of tea.
Feel its warmth.
Taste its subtly.

The world will still be there.
Your work will be waiting for you.
Return to it with fresh eyes.
Embrace it with new energy.
Attack the day.

 

What Moves You?

/
 

What moves you?
What do you enjoy?
What do you wish existed?

What puts you into a state of flow?
What do you do for fun?
Focus your efforts there.

Money, fame and rewards may come.
How much is enough? Always more.

A fickle dream that can never be reached.
Thus, you will never be satisfied.
Instead, you should embrace the process.

Let your actions speak for themselves.
Let the art take center stage.
Open yourself to the muse.

Let it work through you.
Let it guide your hand and
Buttress you with self-imposed discipline.

Success is an internal state.
No level of external reward
Can replace your inner truth.

So have fun.
Lean into the projects that bring you joy.
Make your work another form of play.

 

What Moves You?

/
 

What moves you?
What do you enjoy?
What do you wish existed?
What puts you into a state of flow?
What do you do for fun?

Focus your efforts there.

Money, fame and rewards may come in time, but don’t let materialism drive you. It is a fickle dream that can never be reached.

How much is enough? Always more. Thus you will never be satisfied, never truly happy.

Instead, you should embrace the process.

Let your actions speak for themselves. Let the art take centre stage.

Open yourself to the muse.
Let it work through you.
Let it guide your hand and buttress you with self-imposed discipline.

Success is an internal state.
No level of external reward can replace your inner truth.

So have fun.
Lean into the projects that bring you joy.
Make your work another form of play.

 

Your Actions Are A Prayer

/
 

Your actions are a prayer,
To the Gods of functionality.
Your mind, your body, your spirit.
Honour them.
Wake early.
Sit in silence.
Then move,
Attend the iron church, or run, or dance.
The Gods smile upon those who act.

You are what you do.
So study your craft.
Work on your craft.
Share your craft.
Take criticism and praise in the same breath,
You are neither as good or as bad as they say.
Embrace the daily grind.
Work when nobody’s looking.
Work when nobody cares.
Work when you are doubting yourself.
Work, because to you, work is play.
Push through all resistance.
The lights are never all green.
There is always a reason to stop.
Don’t.

Your actions are a prayer.
You are what you do.
So act like the best version of you.
This is the true power of
Faking it until you make it.
Of embodying your true calling,
Of greatness.

This change will take time.
There is a lag between action and reward.
And when it does come,
It won’t be announced with fanfare.
Growth will be incremental.
Small gains,
Tiny improvements,
Minute advancements.
This is as it should be.

So act.
Act as a prayer to the Gods of functionality.
And have faith.
Faith in the process,
Faith in the future,
Faith in yourself.
And remember,
You are what you do.