I've been saving up for this
saving face
grappling gracelessly with every last technique
at all conceivable
believe me, every squeaky clean syllable
that rolls out and falls into place
slams an invisible history
of delete keys, mistakes
and backspace after backspace
down onto the page
(ed. note - delay) 

…this page

but this is my stage
my training ground
the mat where I practiced
and perfected my attack
where I waged war against the rat-a-tat-tat
of machine gun fire
like bullet ants marching through cracks in the pavement
a single statement written in sidewalk chalk
can have more impact
than stacks of single-handedly distorted weapons reports
and bold-faced lies italicizing words like
freedom
certain inalienable rights, examined in a different light
are just shackles, old and rusted manacles
like the right-wing rigged right to remain silent
in an unjust trial
designed to persecute the defiant
where old and power-hungry white males
perpetuate a maniacal third-world riot act right into a third world war
and act like wiping blood off their hands
striking oil in someone else’s sand
and liking Jesus
will appease the masses long enough to line their pockets with money
to grease that green machine
so they can buy more time.

someone told me once that I was afraid of conflict.
I didn’t disagree.

but time is money,
and honey, I’ve waited way too long
to waive my right to remain silent
I’ve been holding my breath for so long, my face is violet
and when flower power comes face to face with self-righteous violence
the innocent suffer.
so I can’t and won’t stay down and wait another second to uncover the real face of this nation
ruled by faceless corporations concerned only with their own survival
with a gun in one hand, and a pen in the other
cooking the books
and slowly rewriting the Holy Bible so it looks like the sixth commandment,
“Thou shalt not kill,”
wasn’t ever there.

Well, I know the First Amendment
I can and will stand and say any goddamn thing I want about the state of the United States of America
I’m an American
this is my life, my liberty, my pursuit of happiness
and it just so happens that in love and war, anything is fair
so be prepared
instead of this level-orange terror alert
we’re not informed, we’re told to beware what might happen
until every accident that flashes across the news is another attack
another bruise on Big Brother’s ego
another chance to go stare and gawk at the TV
jaws dropping seven stories, dropping bombs and saluting Old Glory
that’s the story at 11,
and it’s as gory as they come.

Our loved ones are going to die.
We’re so preoccupied with killing our own kind, with an eye for eye
That we’re blind to little miracles
like how or why our faces don’t itch
with all that wool pulled over them.

But it’s hysterical, it leaves us in stitches (seriously!!!)
Don’t bitch, don’t ask questions, just listen to me
I’m springing up from the mat
I’ve been training my legs, and my seven stances
are as strong as they come
I’m coming in for the counterattack
and beating the drums of war
and when I’m done,
I hope you trust that duct tape you got from the store
to protect you from the onslaught,
the next Kristallnacht,
Gotterdammerung, an apocalyptic Ragnarok,
the great nuclear holocaust everyone’s been waiting for.

I’ll be down in a bunker
running my forms
teaching myself to be a soldier for peace
a warrior at peace with himself
and the world that ignored his voice.

It’s our choice.
The illusion of powerlessness will only fuel the revolution.
Pumping gas into a Rolls Royce and cruising like missiles
across an intercontinental highway
isn’t our future.
So apply the bandages and sutures
because building bridges and finding alternative sources of energy
instead of divorcing ourselves completely
from compassion, love, and humanity
is an answer that we’re ready for.

Let’s plan a wedding for
the citizen and his government
We could reject the idea of representation and go directly to the source.
We have the internet,
a world wide web that tethers and connects us
and what’s more, our established power structure
doesn’t work or function properly, obviously.
We haven’t forgotten the last election, have we?
Remember the one between Bush and Gore?
I mean, I expected a certain degree of complacency to be displayed
but the race to the White House finish line was bought and sold
and stocked with potholes from the start,
and although there was some ruckus raised
the fact remains that people we’re not even sure we put in office
are thinking for us, making laws and god-awful speeches, censoring our art
and killing in our name.

We know there’s no one left to blame except ourselves.

But we can take the power back
from this eleventh hour charade, this staged passion play of false American idols
and real consequences
I can see the future clearly, I threw away my TV
and instead of watching ESPN
I’ve been working on my extrasensory perception
This is something we’re all involved with, it isn’t small or insignificant
It’s ridiculous how important this is.
Please pay attention to your actions, and why you do things
Passive-aggressive interactions, group dynamics, head games
There’s so much we could do to promote unity,
that it’s funny to me how divided I find us
Your remote controls you (it does!!!)
so get up off your ass and turn the volume down
stop pretending you can drown out the sound of suffering
by sitting around.
this is a trilogy, not a miniseries,
stay tuned
stop changing the channel
and when World War III, the battle royale, breaks out and rattles windows
in Manhattan homes, while a terrorist tiptoes around
unnoticed in the hallowed halls of our capital
choking on a pretzel, chuckling and joking about how the national debt still
gets bigger
with every bite he takes out of education and rehabilitation
to fund potential tragedy
to pump our immune system so full of vitamin C
that we attack bacteria preemptively, and wipe the world clean of evil
we’ll see our history in the making, ladies and gentlemen
we’ll see the layers of bullshit caked on out-of-court settlements
for organizations geared toward making the rich stay rich
special interest groups, loose lips sinking oil ships
spy planes
and other little blips on the radar disappearing
as soon as our enemy starts fighting back.

We are the enemy.
We must overthrow ourselves.
War is coming, and we can either kill our fellow men
or slay the dragon of this draconian, outdated democrapitalism
that takes power from the people with a smile, a bomb, and glad-handing.
Because nothing will change until we figure out a way
to stand up at the same time without planning it
and say, “We are one.”
The time will come soon enough.
Until it does, wait patiently and pray
for the brightest of tomorrows
through the darkest of todays
This is the prologue to a story full of death and pain
that can culminate in something truly beautiful.

We will witness the birth of a new age.