Daniel L. Raven | Wordsmith: 2017

Along the way, along the line

Weaving through the buildings
along the parks and streets
we walk forever together
but never do we meet.

Your dreamful eyes
mesmerize, but scare the same
those dreams, those thoughts behind them
are pawns in this life’s game.

I honestly don't know
what to make of you
I feel there’s so much we can gain
but nevertheless, I do not close
the gap between us
because I think we're better this way:

No summaries, no multiplications,
but an unsolved pair
of linear equations.

Do we travel together forever?
On different sides of the road
just walking on, eyes front
stealing glances across the asphalt moat?

Or do we meet just once
sitting on a park bench
feeding pigeons, checking phones
and smile when we both look up and glance?

I honestly don't know
what to think of you
I feel there’s so much we can say
but still, I do not close
the gap between you and me
because I think we're better this way:

No fusions, no elaborations,
but an unsolved pair
of linear equations.

19.09.2017 © Daniel L. Raven [Count Daniël Luchies]

Turmoil of life

Look at my life, look at my choices
so much strife, so many demanding voices
head first we dive into the abyss of complexion
hoping not to hit rock bottom on our way down.

Look at my love, look at my chances
it’s never enough to just step the dances
the heart has it rough in these games of affection

try not to tear it till a balance is found.

The mess that is love is a pool of disaster
we go down the slide only faster and faster
one side is frozen, the other in flames
and balance precariously on the edge of the knife.

Look at what’s left after all has been said
what’s still alive after all has been bled
what’s still in play after paying your debt
but whatever is left will have to make do
cause there is no escape from the turmoil of life.

27.08.2015 | 25.02.2017 © Daniel L. Raven [Count Daniël Luchies]

Labels

Arguably benign
collecting dust, which eventually
will blow in the wind.
Forgetting not
graciously heroic
intrepid justification, knowing
within the limits of life’s stint.

Everyone judges.
caught up in name brands
but no grudges
for labels are for soup cans.

Don’t fit a frame
even if it’s easier
to understand
get to know someone
put impressions to shame.
for labels are for soup cans.

Mistakenly nerdy
or perhaps quite
right.

Smart kids, nerds
popular kids
jocks and girls with fake tans
take risks
and think nothing of it
for labels are for soup cans.

But reasonably serendipitous
triumphantly understood
validating wisdom
so that others might.
Might what?
Perhaps never be mistaken.
Perhaps might.
But in the end
it’s all right.

We might be labeled
for life
but what really matters
is what the labels hide.

30.01.2017 © Daniel L. Raven [Count Daniël Luchies]

The marvel of geekdom with a touch of class

There’s nothing wrong with a touch
of imagination’s figment
even though it sounds a little hokey
to go all fangirl over Loki
there’s really nothing to lament
to geeking out too much.

As long as you hold your head high
and keep your chin up
and flick your hair
with grace.

Who would not want the Geller-Bing thing?
Or put a scalpel to a heart
like Yang’s gloved skillful hand?
To visit some imaginary land
to play and act through any part
recite, dialogue and sing?

But hold your back straight
and neck aligned
and always keep a smile
on your face.

So, we make-believe
on colorful screens
where
the stories shared
always end fair
in well-lit scenes.

Just remember
in real life, you don’t get any pass
so always stand tall
with grace
act well and smile
with class
whatever you face.

29.01.2017 Daniël © Daniel L. Raven [Count Daniël Luchies]

Painted smile

My smile is painted
and faded
and looks like a fox baring sharp teeth
flashing in the light of day
standing between a lost rabbit
and an empty stomach.

How to choose?

My entire being is a mask
tasked
with keeping up appearances
for as not to show the world
my true self, my demons
my corpulence on pride and material objects
that define me as a species.

What did we lose?

The world outside my skull
is full
of noisy multitude
but there’s silence in my head
broken only by the whirring of cogs
of the mental machines
the ones that
observe, record and calculate
to find questions to answers
we never voiced out loud.

Is life a ruse?

There’s so much wrong with the world
so much disorder in the natural order
we are monsters
preying upon ourselves.

There are no true words anymore
no heroics in this wide world
there is no one to stop us, no one to reign us in
we will not be able to save ourselves.

The heroes of stories and lore
have lost and turned to villains
they will bury us alive
in graves we dug ourselves.

The world outside my life
is full of war and strife
filled with who can scream the loudest
but there’s a disturbing quiet in my head
the cogs have all stopped turning
the mental machines have stopped
their incessive gathering
of information.

Overflown but out of date.

The mask has fallen from my face
cracked and faded
showing the world my real me
as I appear to be
my true self, my demons
now run amok and gather chaos
with the rest of you.

Welcomed but loved in hate.

My painted smile is running from tears
flowing from fears
that the teeth and the bite have gone dull
from chewing the tough life
that I can no longer stomach
the harvest from the barren fields
that I will disappear
from sight, from mind.
And such is fate.

Extinguished flame and the void left thereof

I remember still a time
‘t was not that long ago
when I was burning bright
my fire a source of light
in the darkest hour night
and even at the noon of day.

But many mistakes were made
and now it’s way too late
to rekindle that lost time
of fire and of passion
of rhythm and of rhyme
and the intense burning
of the fire and the flame.

I keep playing it over and over
thoughts run through my mind
thinking “what if I had done this”
or “what if I had done that”,
but thoughts as such are useless
to be thought of after the fact.

So now I am alone
sitting here and crying
the tears sizzling in the flame
that’s now slowly dying.

I want to fix these wrongs
for bettering I’m vying
but I don’t know how
and I’m only futily trying.

There was a fiery flame
burning through my heart
an existence I never knew about
until you came dancing in my life
I had my chance at the stars
but forgot to hold on tight.

And now that flame is gone
blown out by the breath of night
I keep trying to go back to that time
when that passion ignited and burned
and hold on to that flame
so tight.

I am here still all alone
looking like I’m crying
but the tears have all dried
by the light of smoldering embers now dying.

I don’t know how to fix these wrongs
no use in vying
but don’t know how to stop myself
from keeping on trying.

It is lost and I am lost
the flame has died and so have I
the ashes cold, in wind they blow
in the whisper of your last goodbye.

You wanted my all
but I didn’t give my all
and I am to fault
for that.

No one to blame
but myself
for the shadows
and the void
as I fade to black.