I
C-section
New Born
Parental protection
Feeding time
Crying dawn
Crying day
Crying dusk
Cry away
Crawl
Climb
Stand
Fall
First walk
First talk
First sentence
First speech
II
Running around
Jumping around
Standing around
Sitting around
New clothes
New toy
New tooth
More hair
III
Standardized scheduling
Mentality crumbling
Rebellious questioning
Late night hustling
So called "friends,"
With these so called "partners,"
With these so called "educators,"
With the so called "positive aura"
A dreadfully distinct system
Of cells interlinked within
Cells interlinked within
One stem of authoritative state
Crying dawn
Crying day
Crying dusk
Cry away
"Why don't you get a job? she says
"Why don't you win an award?" he says
"Aren't you bored with your spare time?" she asks
"I only work Mon-Thurs, which is nice" he replies
When will this systematic virus
Be eradicated from our lives
Don't take away your youth
Live it before you live your life
All these voices I pick up
Sound like a reciting
Of Finnegans Wake
Plain broken linguistic
SAT and ACT
GPA Grade A
My thinking cap is rotten as I
Wait for Summer's day
IV
The numbers nine through five
Orbit around my bleeding head
As the repetition
Makes my split ends recede
With the light coming down
Covering your shoulders
Saying "what is that sensation?
"What does that sign say?"
"Fancy seeing you here"
He says to me
"How's the family?"
He says to me
"How's the wife?"
He says to me
"How's your health been?"
He says to me
"How's the church?"
She asked
"How's the job?"
She asked
"On and off again"
She said
"Beautiful weather today!"
She exclaimed
Time moves forward quickly in
Motion at twenty-four hour segments
Of recurring water cooler talk
I'm going out for a walk
Alas! New development!
Moving on up!
So delighted that he's
Sucking concrete through a straw
V
Situated here in the Cimmerian Shade
I look back at myself
And I see the mess I've made
Holding tightly to me
How many optimists does it
Take to change a lightbulb?
None!
My nurse changes the lightbulb
Kids are out and graduated
Studied the Maths and Philosophy
Godspeed to them
And the hopeful economy
I'm no longer afraid to die
Because that is all I have left
Other than the falling sky
And it's blinding light
The wife comes tumbling in
With liquid down her face
She says "why must you leave now?"
"This is such a disgrace!"
With the light coming down
Over my shoulders
Say, what is that sensation?
What does that sign say?
Soul flash from start to finish...
YOU ARE READING
Start to Finish
PoetryA poem about a man growing up and living through repetition and societal norms. Inspired by the song Beautiful Blue Sky by Ought
