Vultures

A young soul past the edge
of seventeen sucked back in,
as if his 22 years met negative 10
and skipped back six paces. Then,
facing a little bit of déjà vu,
he began to suffer through
the very same predicament
he bid adieu to…

The gimmes’ roll off their tongues
so quick, it’s insane; flung
at his head nonstop by the ton…
It’s amazing he doesn’t grab a gun
and end the misery of it all.
It could’ve been his downfall;
instead, he hit it like a baseball
over his memory’s stadium wall

But now the past rushes back
relentlessly, going full force; it yells
“Do this”, “Go there”, “Do that”;
with flailing wings, the vultures expel
a battle cry with a potency
so deadly it could kill a whale…
Now he has to find the energy to either
fight his family or surrender and fail…

He prepares like a warrior whose goal
is to keep everything under control
preventing altercation; the ample soles
of his feet planted firm; his soul
ready for the task at hand:
to protect himself as a liberated man,
So he continues to improvise the plan
as only a willful refugee can…

As the vultures claw at his gift,
wanting Donna Karan for thrift,
he continues to dig and sift
through this ambiguous riff,
searching for that particular song
effortlessly swimming along-
side his pain; paddling strong,
leading him to the place he belongs… the land of

sanity, a place where vanity
never shows its face, where man can be
himself without judgment; he plans to see
everything he can, and be free
to do as he pleases without a mother,
sister-in-law, cousin or brother
trying to force him to be
anything less than the best of me

Status quo busted, the battle must commence.
Mustering my strength for the defense
I proceed forward, much to their dismay;
hence the power struggle is at bay
Deep in combat, there’s pain in my wings
attacks from every side, they’re not sparing a thing
Slowly trailing, I kick it in drive, take a dive
and fight for the right to stay emotionally alive
…I can’t take it!



All I really want is peace
of mind for me, or at least
some sort of decent lease
on life; possibly a priest
to pray for the proverbial beast
in this folklore’s central thesis
cuz I spent too long trying to please
others, disregarding my needs

It’s about time I file the cease
and desist from the increase
of mental anguish I’ve faced
over the years, try to erase
the tears that ran down my face
and the fears I had, and replace
them with the beautiful memories
of the vultures’ hidden grace…

To live my life is the plan, no longer silent
to the vultures, embracing the time I spent
attempting to avoid and circumvent
the inevitable period called the present
Therefore I talk to God and repent,
requesting a bit of his deliverance
from the storm, and a heart of patience
for the good intention of my parents

Perversity runs in my veins,
a battle of which I’ve taken the reins
All I need from you is understanding;
not trying to escape, but I’m standing
alone; don’t want to be demanding
But it’s time you treat me
like the man you raised me to be...