Ministry of Flowers
Hey
Hey wild-eyed lonesome one
There’s a spot for you here
There’s a meadow where you can make
All you thoughts clear
And you might be full of
Questions about this life
And answers seem too far to grasp
Well, that’s alright
Hey bright-eyed stargazer
There’s a spot for you here
A darkness where the only light
Comes from the sky
While you search the heavens
Don’t forget about life
It’s a lot to take in right now
So take your time.
Fear
The tiny things that tickle you:
A trickling of desire brings a prickling severe
A rippling of sensation that’s ringing in your ear
A feeling of elation as your destiny draws near
An inkling of awakening that you just barely hear
A simple imitation to soften your veneer
A spark of inspiration that makes your mind more clear
And all the while you’re thinking that life is too austere?
So let live moths and bees, and be at peace with fear
Ring
Rings unbroken and ringing out:
A chime, a chant
A chilling deposition
A rhyme, a rant
A blissful misconception
A ring, a ruse
A constant misdirection
The Wrotery
Remember to open doors slowly
Because your west is someone else’s east
And you don’t want to get caught up in
Giving directions to strangers
You’re on the hook ad infinitum
To find, to make, to inscribe directions
For everyone lost on their way in life
You don’t want to get caught in that
You’d be Head of The Wrotery, fool!
Oh dear, what kind of mistake might that be!
There’s no end to that sort of job, no
But now you must be on your way
As for me? Oh, don’t worry yourself
With any concerns for me. No really
I urge you to just be on your way
Thank you for all the kindness, though
Ministry of Flowers
I promised I’d keep beaconing on
All while harboring your light
Still you would snuff out the candle just before it burned out
And even the tide threatens me now
As the dissonance sets in
On the bank of the sea where I set away to roam
Nobody wants to see the coming
Of an encroaching ending
So close out this chapter with a glorious mad laughter
Nobody wants to lose a close friend
To a faraway stranger
So I send you away to the Ministry of Flowers
The Hauntery
Delivered here when you arrived were the
Bouquets that best described you in your life.
They were assembled from your very essence.
But, to your disappointment, no flower of the
Franklin tree was present that day. The ornament
That would best describe and most please you
On your worst days was absent. This is how you
Came to the conclusion that you had arrived at
Your final destination.
You moved to look outside the window but quickly
Discovered that there was just a wall. It was barren
In a way you couldn’t describe. The texture of the
Paint — if it was even paint — held a quality that gave
No happiness, instilled no fear, and ultimately left
You wondering if it even existed. The wall had zero
Effect on your disposition, gave you no will to stay
Or leave, left neither sweet nor bitter taste in your
Mouth.
The door to your room had a viewport into the
Adjacent hall. The light from the passageway was
Warm and inviting, and as you considered leaving
You noticed a star emblem and banner below the
Viewport. The banner under the star held the word
“Restricted.”
The star emblem looked to be of a military style, but
You knew that your quarters had nothing to do with
Military. Nothing had anything to do with military
For many years now. Everything was now part of
The Ministry and there was only peace. You felt
Immediately relieved again, just as you did when you
Arrived. You fell asleep, knowing you’d wake again
Tomorrow safely in the hands and under the everlasting
Care of The Hauntery.
Twenty Eighteen
Twenty eighteen was another year
And these words have come due
I write them down myself
But really, I write them for you
It’s been a while since I’ve heard you speak
But your voice, it still rings
In my head now and then
I won’t lie, your silence — it stings
In seventeen I thought we’d be fine
It was weird, so to speak
How you left suddenly
Where I sit, your life is oblique
Twenty nineteen will be here so soon
What would I like to say?
A microphone I’d hold
To my face: “I hope you’re ok”
I hope things for you are brighter now
I miss you and your glow
And the light that you left
Didn’t fade; I didn’t let go