I was five years old
When I learned of my father’s mortality,
He isn’t dead but I still question his morality
Pondered over crab legs at the chinese buffet where I turned eight
Where I learned of
The ancient zodiac’s claim that I am a rat
Insults on the playground
With options ranging from raging dragon to crouching tiger
Who would want to be a rat?
But the mighty tiger is endangered
And the dragons are long gone while the rat lives on
Thriving in a world desensitized to mouse traps,
No need for the rabbit’s luck when you’re the one dealing craps
Seven out line em in, the don’ts they win again,
Don’t touch that, don’t go there,
The ancient babylonians called me the wandering water bearer,
Atlas with the whole world on my shoulders,
Shell backed traveler who loves birthdays and no longer fears the thought of getting older,
Steady growing boulder, sisyphus with the laundry list of a narcissist,
Starving tantalus with a thirst that can’t be quenched
Some of my best dreams are had on a park bench next to modern day nostradamus screaming his head off at demons only he can see
Asking myself if it’s okay to be in a world my friends chose not to be
Strangers see my tent and avoid my eyes like the black plague
I ask for directions and they act as though I asked for crack cocaine
But what should I expect as a rat thriving in a world desensitized to mouse traps
A world that champions mental health over the internet
While ignoring the cries of help from the schizophrenic baphomet in the city streets
And we can go ahead and blame the stars or the world’s elites,
But the truth is,
We’re all guilty
Poet Douglas Kearney and composer/producer/drummer Val Jeanty link up for a a compelling LP that feels like the written word come to life. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2021