Why Do I Want What I Can’t Have?

When the little yellow canary calls himself taking a nap, here goes my black and white creature that has no business climbing on this lady’s furniture—trying to get at the bird.

Why must I be so greedy and sneaky? When the owner of the two pets comes in and sees what the bad cat does, she catches me in certain positions.

Sometimes, she even catches me with the bird in my mouth. Why must I be so greedy? I know why: I never eat anything. The bird is the only thing I can put in my mouth for a little snack.

I don’t know how to open my cans. I don’t know how to ask for anything. All I can do is meow and don’t nobody understand my language.

So until someone feels the need to feed me some real cat food, the bird’s a goner. You dig?

So one day the bird says to the cat: “Cat, why do you disturb me when I take a nap?  Why do I wake up in your mouth all the time? What is wrong with you?

“Don’t you see that you’re my dinner? I’ve been wanting you for years. It’s been so long since I ate anything that you got old and probably dried out by now. I think I’m going to move next door. I hear they have a mouse named Tom that walks around like he own the place. They always got you locked up when they need to let you out.

-Shimica

CHOPPED THROUGH A FAN

BACK TOGETHER AGAIN
DON’T STOP THE BODY ROCK
DIGITAL
ANALOG
FUTURISTICALLY FINE TUNED
VICIOUS RUMORS
A K-SPERACY
THE FEDS ARE COMING
DIGITALLY
REMASTERED
I HEARD IT SOME PLACE
MAYBE IN A VIDEO GAME BACKGROUND TUNE
OR SOME OTHER CASIO KEYBOARD CREATED
MINDFRAME
SLO MO
TIN MAN CRANK IN MY BACK
IM LOST IN OAKLAND
WONT MAKE CURFEW
I GOT MY BOTTLE
FOR SUBHUMAN
PRIMATES
ONLY
TAKE HEED

-Kerosine

Red on Red

Tuesdays and Thursday and Saturdays and Sundays
12:45 or seven O clocks waiting for lunch while the clock…one day is cold then the next is hot we have no control so the complaints should stop. Shit by 12:00 cause the toilets will lock. Some down for robbery some down for the glock. We’re all down bad and not in our glory we all have our own name and our own story.
Some guilty
Some innocent
Some did it some didn’t
Some quiet
Some loud
Some calm
Some wild
Some straight
Some gay
But under these circumstances we are all the same. Eat at eleven bed at eight deadline Sunday Monday too late in line for the machine or in line for the phone wait’n for the judge to sentence us or send us home.

-Mariah

Untitled

So the day has come, you have welcomed yourself into my life.
Not knowing that you, something so small, could take your kids, your husband, and your wife.
I took control, you are mine now.
When you are not around I find myself crying.
My veins are calling, they need you now.
But this is the first of many times today, why me, please, tell me how.
I made you steal. I made you lie.
But I did what I do best, I made your family cry.
Your hooked on me until the day you die.
When you say that you’re done, you don’t want me anymore.
I will remind you of all the hearts, and souls that you tore.
And once again I will be
back in your vein.
And just like that you will love my aching pain.
The things I will make you do to keep me around.
My chains cannot be broken; you will always be bound.
You think that you can leave me; you think you can be brave.
Just count the thousands that I have sent to their graves.
The day you found me, you must have had some bad luck.
Now you have nothing, not even a buck.
I wish I would have listened to ones that I love.
Because I’m talking to them below, from way up above.
The last thing I remember is the dope I craved
Imagine how I feel seeing my family at my grave.
Please don’t cry, please don’t be sad.
I’m no longer a sufferer, so for that, be glad.
I’m sorry I’m not there to be with all of you.
All the opportunities I had, I let them turn blue.
Be careful, because something so small can truly destroy you.
When you think of me, please think of happy things.
With you at all times an angel now sings.
Sings of all the things I love about you.
And how much I miss you. Boy, this is true.
Joy and happiness, your angel now brings.
Just know that you don’t have to worry, just think of my beautiful wings.

-Heather

(creative response to the movie The Burning Bed,
starring Farrah Fawcett)

As I look at the fire in her eyes, it was my
surprise. Help me, she cried.
I don’t know what to do or who I can turn to.
Help me, she cried.

He’s beating me and I’m afraid to leave, even though
he’s not afraid to make me bleed. Oh! How can I stop
him? Do I really want to leave, or do I desire to stay?
Which way can I go? Which direction can I run? No, no,

I’m not having fun. Help me, she cried. I cry, too afraid
to try, to try and fight back, fear of losing, fear
of abusing myself–look at me, look at myself. Who is
this person in the mirror? Where did I go?

Help me, I cried. I look like I just died. Where is my
pride? I refuse to hide anymore.
The fire in my soul has overcome my inner peace, I’m
raging with fury. Help me, I cried. Forgive me,

she cried. I can’t take the pain anymore. I’ll wait
in the dark until he’s asleep. I’ll wait. I’ll wait.
Forgive me Lord for my future sins. Now I’m about to grin
as the desire for peace comes over me. As I pour

each drop of gasoline around the bed, waiting
for him to turn his head because of the smell. Oh well,
we both can burn in hell if he awakens. But he’s still
sleeping, now I got to go creeping, creeping

out the door, so when I throw the match
it won’t catch the tail of my dress.
Oh, what a lovely mess:
the flames of my fire and desire.

-Diane McCoy

Svalbard in the middle of no place at all, somebody makes this a very important place.
A satellite with invisible rays sends information thousands of miles away.
It gives us displays of things we could not see, thus broadening our world view.
Opening our arms
Saying that Mother Nature has taught us how to dream.
Compare a rock to a beam
Compare reality to a dream
Just think, many years ago somebody said that they would pass information with an invisible light in the blink of an eye.
How insane you would say?
Maybe even the thoughts you portray could not perceive that one day you would see through walls!
What I speak of is fact no fiction
Not scientific theory.
Only progression means something in the hands of time.

-Maurice Palmer