Hedged

Hedged

by dan ankers

Hedged in

I’m wedged in

but I make it through the best

Yes, the best that I can

Beneath labored duress

I find so much stress

and it turns into strength

Of which, I have got spare tanks

Only, these full tanks of essences cannot be seen

unless you have eyes

for the light that is green

I see them in homes

these folks through their windows

shadows and echoes

of their own pasts and other people’s enviable lives

Always waiting

Yes, they are always waiting

for the now to ignite

Never

suspecting

or perhaps, shunting those thoughts aside

that only from within

does such light provide

and never without fighting

the terrible ghouls which guard it

The first of which clung to us all

when we were thrown so rudely from the garden

The first of all fears

which was created when we were expelled from our mothers wombs,

and brought first, to mind, visions of goblins and tombs.

Or whatever passes for that, when you are an infant lying down for a nap.

With all of those eerie eyes, peering across the black, which never seem to blink

or smile back.

So break through, I shall

And break out, I can

Because I cannot be stopped now

by myself, nor a woman

or a man.

Yes, Even in death, I will find new breath

Here in life, I am inspired by things yet unseen

Planting such seeds;

replicating what’s green

Of the type, which never decay.

The Fire's Edge

The Fire’s Edge

by dan ankers

Into the path; be brave

Like a serpent of flame

Wending through; a servant of time

On a precipice with unsteady footing

Courting disaster, at every lopsided

wane

I’ll behave

To left of me; Freedom

To the right of me; Enslaved

Immolation; this life through persecution

Or to skip the test and flee past

the master’s gate

I go my feet are straddling

twice tomorrow

Though, by only one, will freedom

gain

Because a new one

Because a new one

by dan ankers

With my singular type of flow, I hustle and go;

do not respond to those who overshadow

Because ‘shadow’ is the word for demons, horses, and dogs

And the last time I checked, I was not so categorically flawed

So hear me now, this is me, triumphing over myself and no other

As the forces of this world, stare and tempt me to stutter

Yea though I walk through the valley of self destruction

I take a detour every time, at the junction of impeccable function

Ok

There are missteps and there are flaws to my halls

but those who live here

are only human

after all

The day will come

The day will come by dan ankers When will the day come when we will all walk in the sun? When the lies we all tell ourselves will be outshined by the light And the darkness of our shadowselves will be mere playthings, in moonlight Memories of former selves long left behind in adolescence Many gone but few remaining still retaining precious lessons And the coldness and the darkness of the old world will retain, only fragments of its formerly shameful glory upon this earth, here and there a trifling stain Though this world we’d barely recognize we’ll all feel it in our collective hearts and when it comes by one-fine-day it will be as it always was that way, all along and the world will only scratch its head to remember, what has gone and we will go on with a whistle and a tune with the sweetness of its song.

Take a Chance

Take a Chance

by dan ankers

To impress someone

with your message

that’s loud and clear, just how you spoke it

all you have to do is let it out

and that’s really...

what this crazy fuckin world is all about

Some people

just wanna watch

they try to keep their hands clean

don’t even touch

don’t leave a message

don’t leave a mark

eatin’ up this crazy world

just like a shark

not Cleopatra

she’s wearin’ make-up

Leaving impressions

upon the world

she’s supportive

and aggressive

about the good things

that burn inside

It’s not a game

This is the time

This is the season

What’s on your mind

We gonna start this new year in doubt?

Or are we gonna

turn this

motha fucka

out?

Someday

Someday

by dan

for Syd

Someday, the star I see above your head and in your eyes

will match the glow of cameras all around your smiles

as you walk onto the carpet

you dramatic rose, aflame

I’m so glad I found you

You are special

People like you

are rarer

than earth-like planets in the cosmos

Goldilocks

is what they’re called

and so your face is framed

Golden Locks and all;

Special and unique

There is no need to classify

Adoration is what you seek

Go ahead and find it out there,

because I know that you’re deserving

Just don’t get lost along the way

and know your family loves you

Remember all the hugs you

Got

So good and lovely

Your face is meant for better things

but remember not to stray

There are so many great things right here at home

that will never go away

Like the sisters you have got

and your brother too

Plus your momma loves you a lot

She’d move the world for you

So when you’re big and under lights

and all guys want to date you

just remember those who loved you

those who’d not forsake you

remember all the tears you’ve shed

the sisterly fights you’ve had

The loving arms that have held you

like those of your dad

We all do love you truly

we really do

And, why am I telling you all of this?

Because Sydni, I do

TOO!

Others may miss

Others may miss

by dan ankers

There are secret castles;

secret beaches

Hideaways, for secret creatures

that necessity has simply deleted

from our conscious minds

The beast of

Progress has fully imprinted

it’s ugly patterns

upon our times,

jarring us all from the lofty jeweled-perches

we once climbed,

and marring our once perfect

faces

with its grime

I barely know of these beings, myself

Save for once, when I’d got lost

and I found myself among them

face down in calming sand

When I awoke

there was a party

going full-swing, all around me

and Someone handed me a glass of something sweet and said

Enjoy

He...at least I think it was a he

was taller than a mid-sized tree

but he? was dainty and polite, all the same

He? had a name, too difficult for pronouncing

and there was wisdom in his eyes, unrelenting

but not one ounce

of a condescension

often seen in human beings

when they know things

unrevealed

These ancient creatures

I once met

they held no malice, nor contempt

and that is why

I’ve missed them

ever since

And sadly

it is for that reason

they were abolished

from our dominion

For progress

holds no place

for feelings or random

thoughts

It is a race,

and the least of all in beauty

so often succeeds

But these beings

they were perfect

Both in their uniqueness

and in their grasps of others

worth-ness

And it strains me to this day

to find out why

We cast them out of hell

For that is where we are now, truly

decked out in all our worthless

jewelry

Mere rags and bits of evil given meaning

Not at all,

like our long ago condition

Quencing the wrenching thirst

Quenching the wrenching thirst dan ankers I got lost somewhere around the middle I was caught; despairing Second fiddle While I walked around Lost within my mind While others watched (a world apart) Around the borders Loneliness and disillusionment were in place; That mask of order And as I carried yet my dreams and collected them within a protective sheath Made out of hope The sheriff of that desert town found no relief The wild wild west of oneself is not a place to find peace. As I strode, my horse beside me because his face said, “Sir, Please don’t ride me” Found myself among cacti and the wolves And as the moon It did climb and it approached the morning time And at first light my horse did change his tune His neighing begged we both take flight and so we chased the rays of light that led us both to much stranger places And past the borders of the mind where lies a maddness; another kind I found myself refreshed and too, my mare This new world was full of trains and wizards magic phones and talking lizards but the freedom there looked good to me And my horse did lay down to pasture There was me My only master Without so much as a God to hold me back And now I walk and now I’m free My horse long gone or was he me? And was I just pretending to be chained? Well I guess I’ll never know Battles come and battles go but only through the wind may we be affirmed Until such time as we are one We must still face the setting sun and the darkness deep within shall call us back But every time we heed its dark seduction we’re learning more things overall and I guess that has to be good enough for me Because no pipe dream is there to please me Never was apparently see the trick of night is abuse through second hand illumination Now, I am freely pondering wavelengths Palpable and nobly wrought I am now the worm who’s never caught I guess the lesson overall is always heed your horse’s call and when the time comes get on its back and ride Take your time but take your chances Don’t miss out on good romances and above all else for god’s sake lose your mind

Fighter

Fighter

by dan ankers

for Missy Holloway

Chuck Norris

and the mythical Bruce Lee

were both bad-asses

but they were nothing like me

Those two men were not even

made from the same raw substances

as I am

My life has been shaped by events

which would induce

the vicious Honey Badger

to relinquish its claws

and forgo its quarreling ways

and to pursue a gentler path in life

(Perhaps by writing poems

or

selling hot dogs?)

And the stuff of my mind is as durable

and as multi-faceted

as a diamond in all its glory

and

yet it can be infinitely pliable as well

and travel without so much as a struggle

through the

waking eye of any needle

As for my body;

you may destroy me

However, you will never truly defeat me

In my struggle

and your folly

you will only complete me

Because

No one may undo

that which has been fought for

and claimed

through both the fires of hell on earth

and the icy pangs of aloneness

So do your worst to me

and

I will be back

to fight another day

And soon

it will be your turn

to yearn

Before long

it will be your day

To Burn

And, spiritually enlightened warrior that i am

I do not wish for that

on any woman

or any man