In His Image

The hare-lipped                                       The stillborn

The club-footed                                       The myopically near-sighted

The walleyed                                           The retarded

Those with heart murmurs                      Those with Spina Bifida

The juvenile diabetic                               The hereditarily obese

Those born addicted                                Those without limbs

The dwarfed                                             The congenitally angry

The truly ugly                                          The stone deaf

The scarred                                              The pink-eyed albino

The hermaphrodite                                  The cross-eyed

The miscarried                                        The breech birthed

Those with Down’s Syndrome               Those strangled by their cords

The very mute                                         The dead twin

The Idiot Savant                                     The unwanted

The sterile                                               The illegitimate

Those with dead mothers                        Those with infantile paralysis

The bleeders                                            The fetally undernourished

Those expelled by a kick to the groin     Those larger than the birth canal

Those with cleft palates                          Those full of lead and mercury

The heart murmurers                              The aborted

Those born of rape                                  Those without immune systems

The unresponsive                                    The fish-fingered

The mutant doomed                                The lactose intolerant

The autistic                                             The oxygen starved

The pre-natally infected                          The hopelessly premature

Those born to children                            Those born to prisoners

The very frail                                           The infant cancer victims

Those quickly perishing from unknown causes     Those born without fathers

The unknowingly blind                           The chronically normal

Not So Far From Here

    The December 2004 earthquake released about enough energy to power the United States for six months

Not so far from here a vast destruction rules

          Not so far from here women weep inconsolably

Not too far away parents mourn for their lost children

          Not too far away a little girl sobs for her mother

Far too close the towns are shattered

          Far too close there is mud and dirty water everywhere

Almost here is the overwhelming smell of decaying flesh

          Almost here the artifacts of daily life are strewn about in confusion

Much too near half-naked people wear everything they own

          Much too near the sounds of wailing fill the air

Within our own villages there is no clean water

          Within our own villages we have nothing at all to eat

Not so far from here the cars and buses are scattered and jumbled

          Not so far from here life’s possessions lie broken everywhere

Not too far away the sea has left corpses a mile from its shore

          Not too far away unrecognizable bodies wash up upon the beach

Far too close the injured linger without treatment or even a bit of shade

          Far too close the sun beats upon discolored flesh and broken glass

Almost here a foot protrudes from the shade of a collapsed structure

          Almost here the fishing boats perch upon the ruined houses

Much too near the people are still muddy long days after the great flood

          Much too near the death toll still rises every hour

Within our own villages bulldozers perform burial ceremonies

          Within our own villages relief workers toil without sleeping

Not so far from here salty tears stream down upon their muddy cheeks

          Not so far from here malarial mosquitoes emerge from the flood

Not too far away a glance reveals artifacts from one more destroyed family life

          Not too far away shouts of the living mix with the silence of the dead

Far too close rotting bodies poison drinking water

          Far too close dysentery and cholera shadow dazed survivors

Almost here entire cities must rebuild themselves from beneath total rubble

          Almost here many millions simply have no homes at all

Much too near a man with nothing places one flower upon a single grave

          Much too near the memory of the black water stirs up fear again

Within our villages the living simply have no lives left to resume

          Within our villages the shock numbs people into a mute disbelief

Not so far from here those who fled find nothing to return to

          Not so far from here are too many in need to be helped in time

Not too far away in the heat the flies begin to swarm

          Not too far away roads are bulldozed clear of once-valuable debris

Far too close the hometown landscape has been warped into powerful desolation

          Far too close children have no schools and parents have no jobs

Almost here the aged sit on the streets under plastic tarps

          Almost here wounds fester untreated for everyone to see

Much too near the dead arrive upon the incoming tide along with more plastic debris

          Much too near the bloated bodies decay into anonymity

Within our villages there is no running water or electricity

          Within our villages the great tide filled the land with sewage

Not so far from here there has been no food for many days

          Not so far from here the weaker begin to perish once again

Not too far away the colors of destroyed lives are all of a muddy brown

          Not too far away desperate hands reach out in supplication

Far too close unpaid volunteers work tirelessly for days on end

          Far too close many good spirits have been overwhelmed

Almost here pockets of faith and trust survive

          Almost here video captures this great collage of human suffering

Much too near the once fertile soil is now laced with toxic salts

          Much too near the faithful wonder at the will and mercy of their god

Within our villages orphans cling to each other for support

          Within our villages heroes honor the dead with their service to the living

The Plague That Took Us

It killed not just living creatures but harmed the very earth that spawned it

          It fouled the blue waters and sullied the clear blue atmosphere

It destroyed many of the ancient microbe communities deep within the soil

          Its poisons spread evenly all throughout the vast planetary ocean

Many plants and animals species were totally extinguished

          Rats, roaches, weeds, flies and dirty pond scum prospered in its wake

Vast tracts of ancient forests, both tropical and boreal, simply disappeared

          It clearcut the valleys and rained thick silt that choked the life from the rivers

It grew in speed and power as it spread and multiplied

          Smoke and noxious gases blocked the sun wherever it was concentrated

Wandering fishes of the wide seas did not escape its deadly influence

          Evidence of its presence rained down to the deepest ocean trenches

Its burrowing unleashed sequestered toxic metals into pristine mountain streams

          Diverse plains were reduced to vast & sterile, monocropped factory wastelands

It ignited wood, coal, petroleum and natural gas immediately upon their polluting extraction

          The wastes from these activities ensured that little could return

It shattered the biospheric web without malice, foresight, understanding or regret

          Its simple movements alone became synonymous with habitat destruction

Evidence of its presence was visible to those orbiting in space

          It could even bring on global climate change with its vast toxic emissions

Sometimes it killed on purpose, more often, blindly, via simple collateral damage

          It ended great migrations and blocked the ancient spawning runs

It leveled mountains and dammed rivers, melted glaciers and turned the rain to acid

          It altered precipitation patterns, global winds and the ocean’s circulation

The world’s precious little fresh waters carried off the burden of its toxic runoff

          It joined meteors and volcanoes in producing a global mass extinction

The overwhelming noise of its progress filled land and sky and sea

          Its emissions changed the sunsets and its light even hid the very stars

Strangely it always sought out and killed vast numbers of its own kind

          There were parasites and viruses its habits raised against it as well

It even managed to spread into the atmosphere as far out as the moon

          In inhospitable environments it carried its own sustenance and protection

Often its effects were so destructive that this plague itself could not remain

          A savagely virulent minority were like the tyrant queens of drone honey bees

Little remained after its passing as it often spoiled what it could not use

          It arose so very quickly that many other species could not co-evolve

It was as if the life force experimented using entropy upon its own creations

          Even its closely related genetic cousins were not spared its savage attack

It burrowed in the earth, sped across the ground and flew through the sky

          It showed remarkable resilience despite incessant intra-species slaughter

It seamlessly integrated violence into nearly all of its behaviors

          Its activities managed to alter the planet’s carbon, nitrogen and hydrologic cycles

It wiped out entire symbiotic communities by targeting a single species

          Spreading invasive weeds sprang up to replace wild flowers in the shadow of its passing

It spread across the nurturing earth like a hideous mold on an agar plate

          Fires, explosions & smoke seemed to be by-products of its very respirations

Even ancient reptiles and amphibians perished in a geological instant

          But, many insects & microbes survived its onslaught and even preyed upon it

It could live in its wastes on dirty water and seemed content in its own fouled air

          It altered its own evolution by absorbing the radiation and mutagenic chemicals it released

Just the spreading runoff from its actions often crippled distant life forms

          It melted glaciers, expanded deserts and increased UV penetration

It metastasized in unplanned, cancer-like nodes nurtured by devastating supply vessels

          The tentacles between its colonies radiated destruction on all sides

Its success seemed to lie in its complete disregard for its own survival

          Its unconsciously generated diverse forms of emergent destruction

More powerful than a disease, its effects were like those of a geologic force

          Its behavior exhibited no discernible purpose, rhyme or reason

But when its resources were depleted, it disappeared as quickly as it came

          And after several hundred million years naught but a plastic trace of it remained

Unexpectedly Into Forever

It comes early on a Saturday, out of school and without a care

          Leaving only thousands of glass shards that sparkle in the air

In a darkened room mercifully at last the long struggle finally ceases

          Leaving behind nothing but the small comfort of the ritual cleaning

After a brief and overwhelming chest pain he codes within an hour

          never had the first sign or symptom to even slow him down

Reaching for her coffee while talking on the phone she drifts to the right

          Taking out a rider who is smeared to the pavement underneath his bike

Slowly the minister backs from his driveway rehearsing his Sunday sermon

          A terrible bump and his trusting little girl is pinned beneath the wheel

A friend slides off a rainy mountain road, rolling again and again

          Those left behind are forced to ponder who stays and who must leave

A small tree planted and cared for does not awaken in the spring

          A  small part of the caretaker is consumed by his own futility

A simple misstep results in a long period lying alone and helpless

          Just as the life force slowly leaves an insect kicking on its back

Working to restore power for thousands of impatient customers

          A sudden massive jolt scrambles his life processes, all at once

Unable to sit and too weak to cough, barely able to whisper

          Fluid fills her lungs and she drowns in a bed up there on the 25th floor

Unwilling to continue coping after long & drawn out years of depression

          Sudden inspiration is followed with a quick shot to the temple

Sparking the grill loaded with unburned natural gas

          Intense explosion scatters consciousness in a fine aerosol mist

Finding a loaded weapon in the drawer next to daddy’s bed

          A smiling brother’s head is blown open, smothering the echo of his laugh

Taking a relaxing swim at a beautiful beach on a dream vacation

          The undertow silently claims another panicked victim

Working hard to save money and make a better home for his family

          The ladder slips and father falls leaving them all on their own

An improvised explosive rigged as a roadside truck bomb

          Sends bagged parts of a son home with honor in a neatly-draped coffin

Another overcrowded ferry capsizes miles out in that dark and stormy channel

          Hundreds quickly drown but others manage to struggle on for hours

Twister rakes a mobile home in which poverty’s occupants desperately hide

          Opened like a can of sardines it paws away at those inside

Oversized but lacking conscience and ignorant of moral authority

          One home boy shoots another and earns a better education in a prison

Five young graduates ride fast on country roads well after 0’DarkThirty

          And with great laughter they leave the road and suddenly end their lives together

Tiny apartment dweller is fascinated by mommy’s smoking paraphernalia

          The shiny lighter brings bright flames, smoke and fumes to where he hides

Massive sixteen wheeler crosses into the other lane as the driver falls asleep

          A coincidental family trip is ended at a randomly solid bridge abutment

Somewhere in the Andes creeping up a narrow road, an old bus blows a tire

          Forty people roll and roll into a colorfully indistinguishable blend

In the hectic traffic of a crowded southeast asian city, someone takes a chance

          And yet another cyclist spills out his brains upon that wet, warm pavement

Mother deer leads her fawn across the road for the very first time

          Speeding armored family SUV takes her out and drives on, just a bit shaken up

High on drugs and life, young men take to playfully climbing on the rocks

          Just a slight slip and that quick fall ends one life, a quick hundred feet after

One more uncontrollable burst of red-faced anger starts another day

          A sudden brain blood clot leaves behind nothing but a mute and crooked face

Loyal retriever grown too old, stands next to master’s hunting rifle once again

          Knowledge of the discharge ends when that bullet exits from his head

The miracle of a butterfly flutters through the sunlight on its appointed trajectory

          In a fraction of a second mounted inside out on the grille of my speeding vehicle

Last One Liners

Passed away over coffee on vacation down in Flarida

Were killed when the vehicle in which they were riding

Expired at home surrounded by friends and family

Died later upon the operating table

Resuscitation efforts failed after the rescue

Drowned in bed from lung congestion

Found cool and stiff on the couch next morning

Probably never felt a thing

Succumbed to extensive multi-system trauma

Passed away quite suddenly without any prior history

Died at home after suffering long from the illness

Expired on the pavement from excessive blood loss

Mostly women and children killed in a crush at the famous mosque

Was ejected from the vehicle involved in a rollover

Went into shock and never regained consciousness

Choked to death on a food obstruction following a drunken laugh

Sudden onset while doing yard work, earlier this Spring

Inhaled his own vomit which stopped effective breathing

Darted out in front of a slowly passing car

Taken ill at a family gathering

Hemorrhaged rapidly from a burst aneurysm

Expired alone of unknown causes

Passed away at Good Faith Hospice

Pronounced dead below the embankment

Suffered a coronary during a morning swim

Dozed off and struck a large oak tree

Died from a previously undiagnosed allergy

Ruled an accidental overdose

Became the latest victim of the outbreak

pronounced dead by officials at the scene

expired later from several gunshot wounds

perished in her crib from unknown causes

collapsed and never said another word

struck by a vehicle turning in front of his motorcycle

investigators said alcohol may have been involved

stabbed repeatedly at a holiday gathering

beaten to death outside a liquor store

shot in an apparent robbery attempt

killed in a dispute over a drug deal gone bad

failed to negotiate the curve

names were not released pending notification of kin

conveyed to police Sunday at approximately 3:00 AM

reportedly the victim struck his head

listed officially as Dead Upon Arrival

honored an Advance Directive to withhold any treatment

recovered his body at a depth of approximately ten feet

forced to euthanize the victim’s over-protective dog

driver of the semi was cited for improper equipment

confirmed the killing of the US diplomat

showed signs of an extra-judicial execution

autopsy confirmed she died of strangulation

opened fire at a checkpoint and killed at least sixteen

suspected suicide bomb exploded outside the luxury hotel

One villager was killed and 10 others wounded by grenades

savaged her in a cheap blanket after she was strangled

both murder suspects were wounded and later captured

found unconscious in the apartment and later charged in her death

cause was believed to be a massive heart attack

have been publicly hanged where the bombings took place

suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic emphysema

cause of death not listed, pending a coroner’s report

following unrest six weeks ago

showed grainy images of the beheading

slaughtered thousands when the disease was confirmed

began again with acute chest pain triggered by chronic stress

died when a hospital lacked the supplies to treat him

Let Your Gods Strike Me Dead

Strike me dead if your musty books and archaic mouthings are not just empty bullshit

See me off to some fairytale eternal perdition if only I won’t ever have to see you again

A pox on your fictional jealous final judgments and everlasting rewards

Your comical vestments do not awe me and your pomp is way outdated

Do not try to explain the world to me with your antiquated inventions

Strike me dead if you do not just prey upon the feeble using dusty fairy tales

These Christian and Islamic myths are but especially virulent forms of thought control

Your expensive shrines are merely tools in your delusional self-promotion

Can you ensure that I will not share a place in heaven with the likes of you?

Your theological studies at religious universities are a useless waste of time

Strike me dead if all your learning is worth even one day of honest community service

Foolish debates over fictional scriptural minutiae do not constitute research

The brutal wars you sanction time and again are evidence of a deep sickness

Your uncritical promotion of man’s separation from nature is truly evil

Your moldy scholars have not advanced a new thought for a thousand years

Strike me dead if love, mercy and understanding flow from your actions

Strike me dead if a woman cannot equally serve God alongside men in this life

Torture me in hell if humor is not just as holy as your dark and brooding grimness

That natural catastrophe is punishment for non-believers is simply sinful nonsense

Mumbling that our misfortunes are signs of his mystery is but a smelly crock of shit

Demanding his retribution on the infidels by the faithful is a heinous crime

Strike me dead if your large part in the New World genocide was simply god’s will

Purporting to interpret god’s word on social issues should land you in psychotherapy

Saying that god requires beards and burkahs is pitifully comical, at best

Fondling frightened boys in your church ought to have brought on His lightning

Mumbling obeisance five times a day only impresses the poor, ignorant and stupid

Strike me dead if dietary restrictions have anything to do with heaven

Your criminal sales pitch is solely based on calming a fear of the unknowable realm of death

Fomenting deadly sectarian violence over ancient nonsense should land you in jail

Declaring the primacy of one faith over any other should be treated as truly feeble humor

Saints and their miracles are merely a transparent form of childish fiction

Strike me dead if self-serving pre-masticated dogma is not the source of all your wisdom