the ends justify the means,

it is said – what is the end?

a golden cloak, a diamond hat, a silver tongue,

a humble heart, a stoic spirit, a grounded road,

none matters more

than a heated argument, a philosophical debate

going nowhere

when lust and love cannot merge as one.
they try, they get close, too close,
they become friendly, romantic,
then like polar opposites that spark
sizzles out, not meant to be.

love and lust they are from different worlds,
the exit door does not lead
to a common room –
not finding the pivot, the paradigm shift, the fulcrum,
no ties can be made when the trumpet sounds.

i love you,

i hate you,

and our debacle was never about reconciliation
though it appeared that way,
what we’ve been taught to do, but real life
is messy, the fine lines are too often ignored,
emotions, words, how they begin to take
life on their own – who is controlling who?

a spell caster loses the illusion,

a cat forgets how to meow,

when a dog forgets how to bark,
the cat remembers only the fish, the lights spotting
on floor, dashing away –
the dog only bones and meat, to sit, to roll over,
to never growl, to be cute.

they meet each other, learned all the rules,
then a twist in fate, became lost in the jungle,
a cat forgets how to claw, hiss, disappear,
a dog forgets how to growl, bite, run away.

a bone, a pound of flesh, excitement, fish,
made an impact, just not
particularly useful when a house of cards falls.

and changes they always come don’t they?
predictions, plannings,
they get stomped by unseen powers,
no – you can’t fight them
with a golden cloak.

spirits feed, hearts yearn,
the initial act brought applause,
the temporary short run is –
easy.
derailed, spikes, unforeseen,
a careful experiment gone wrong,

then a magician is called a humbug.

the audience is neutral, the audience is silent, numb

as the curtain closes,

with the final cast coming out as the veil gets pried apart,

each choice made, each spirit entering,

each path walked, each character forged,

gold cloaks don’t stay gold,

the silver lining falls from the sky with the rain,

then beast, animal and men

wear the signs, the symbols, the marks

of processes aligning to higher powers.

there is always a higher one,
you’ve never met your match, or slinked to safety,
slumber so the stronger does not stomp.

catches you unaware,
the heavens no longer remain silent,

and all lies get dissolved.
then spirits, bones, fish, excitement
all became part of the debacle
on a plain
where worldly possession no longer matter.