the reaper

"step into my office"

sit still
and close your eyes

ok, let's not talk right now
just - breathe 
in and out
there you go 

Jesus, you're lookin' good today

t h e   r e a p e r 

it's a concept that's ages old

it seeps out of the cracks

of an ancient cesspool
and into your disturbing dreams at night

often revealed in what whispers
you know - the worm ones

stuck in your throat
pulling them out
throwing them on the floor
and running away from them
because they want to return
and consume you 
and all too often
do

articulately acceptable
certainly accessible

allowed to fester

even multiply

because they got all the angles down

the loop-hole loopster

the tantalizing trickster

ready to 'serve'
right

"bend over ... you're going to like this"

"this is a slam-dunk"


yeah, like that - stand there now
just like that

wow 


ok no guarantees

(and no refunds)

but ok, we got this - "in the bag"
no worries - relax baby
take a chill pill 

yeah, just keep doing
what you're doing here
nice

"I think we can work something out here"

it's all in the creepy conquest

it's the shady lawyer or immigration consultant
(who always looks good - toned, trim and tanned always)

could be an investment broker or a

parent (in sales) at the PTA meeting

who 'likes' you and wants to lend

a helping hand

is all

moving up from behind
sizing you up - checking out
your amazing ass
imagining the pleasure 
composure

always on the prowl

for that next opportunity

to seize the moment
 

deluded, desperate

but cucumber cool

on the surface

almost always a 'respectable' member

of the community - with framed testimonials

on his office wall - italian leather 

and a track record of satisfied customers

in plain view, with all the trimmings

the Armani suit, Piloti shoes - new Lexus

the trophy wife and the vacation home
in an all too familiar family
fumble

regardless - all good
i mean - ok


it's all in the numbers
trapped in the (twisted) tracking
just look at my (fudged) KPI key performance indicators
they're mint

it's all in the stats

 

always ahead of the game

and always on your side
  

"I believe in an America where millions of Americans

believe in an America - that's the America millions

of Americans believe in

That's the America I love"

Mitt Romney (January 2012)

god bless america

it's all in the 'pitch'
those familiar handy hand gestures
formulating the facade
only visible - to those
who have been there
done that

appealing to your most vulnerable 

weakest link

what you see - is what you get

catching you off guard
sinking in the seduction

timing is everything in the art and science
of persuasion 

it's in the robot software 
that parses your words to filter
you into the blow-job of your dreams
once you crack
the code 

and once you're on the grid
detectable by radar - you're IN
congratulations 
then

it's in the small print at the bottom of the contract

ready to be exercised at a moment's notice

the deceptive disclaimer

in a hidden agenda

that only THEY know about

so trust me
i'm really a good guy - really
i have nothing to hide
i'm on your side
really

"no worries ... I got you covered"


your family will benefit
your (smoke-show) wife Trixie, little Billy and Suzie
all on the receiving end after you qualify
after you make this important choice to move forward here
let's do this

it's all outlined in the agreement
and it's a no obligation deal
with a free taco bell meal
for 4 - complimentary
all free

just think of the memories
you'll have

we just need that $500 deposit and your signature
debit or credit - and we're a GO!

i mean geez - does it get any better
than this?

angel milk dear sir
fluffy pancakes, like you've never tasted before 
think - fresh fruit and
maple syrup

dripping




t h e   r e a p e r  




all you gotta do is comply
do this and you'll be glad you did
what was your name again
  
stacked cords of wood
that never get
burned

even in winter 

no real warmth


no worries, just relax
i've got something to show you
hyper-ventilating
switching gears



hypnotize me
feed me

homophobic

my mother says - to get things done
you better not mess with major tom



h o m o p h o b i c



 





1980

i've heard a rumour from ground control

oh no, don't say it's true


like ok - you know i'm not supposed to be out with you
and that if we're seen together - i'm like DEAD
but whatever - sipping on a warm soda
trying to look pretty - toenails
freshly painted pink

in observation
OMG - don't look

but over there - is this guy - in the corner booth sitting alone
he's wearing lipstick - eewww!


growing up in a small conservative town
in the 60's and 70's was so strange
guys were guys - girls were girls
there was absolutely

 no question


it was a time if/when a guy looked the least bit feminine
or a girl looked the least bit masculine

freak-show - outcasts

a haunting decade before playstation
and the internet - before easy access
to porn

ah ya - young minds tend to wander 
so what's it to you anyway?

right - you wanna roll with me - but
you don't want any of your friends
to know



 





back at the booth across from a girl with nice tits
and is lookin' real hot right now

ya laffs - that's Bobby or Bobbi (what he prefers)

"ya, i do that" - exhaling smoke - alley, club music pounding at a distance

"blow, e, love hash - right" 
laughing nervously - long pause - awkward moment

"ok, like you - are so fucking scared right now 
shitting your pants, and that's freaking me out,
gotta go"

the memory flash evaporates
back to Brianna (sag)

headshake - right - back to
reality


don't worry babe - he's harmless
cremepuff - carnival show - crash and burn
fudge-packer - (leaning over whispering) - fucks guys

omfg she gasps before tightening
(yes we said oh my fucking god, even in 1980)


shunning light - embracing night
dreaming of his destiny in a padded room
no quarter

so yep - bonafide freakshow
back to a week ago - outside the all-ages club
on the outskirts of town - where teens mix


so ya - Bobby Bobby - Bobbi Bobbi Bobbi
come over here, a little closer - where we can chat
so - what the fuck actually just happened back there

little buddy?

grade 12, like me
ok OMG
 
he does arts and I do shop
feeling agitated - ah ok - let's just relax
don't pay any attention to him (it)
because that's what he wants
to be different and noticed
for who he really fucking
IS - and
wants you to see 
who you really are too

pathetic
so tell me more

catching my breath
oh yeah - yep, he has friends
freaks just like him - hanging in his basement
parents in absentia - clueless
the whole town knows
what that's all about
except their
parents

always at the casino


they switch houses, but we always
catch up with them

watching







they got a message from the action man

i'm happy -  hope you're happy too

smoking dope and listening to strange music
(bowie and human league mostly)
i'd love to be a fly on the wall
listening to that

not that i'm interested
nope - ME?  not a chance
i'm in total control
of my destiny
sister

just curious is all
what they talk about ... do
truth is - quietly leaning forward
me and the guys?
well - weeze be kewL
(witta Kapital L - ole school)


and all under the radar baby


h o m o p h o b i c

 


i never done good things
 - i never done bad things

i never did anything out of the blue

.


calm down - stop crying

ya we kicked Bobbi's face in a few times
nothing heavy really babe - promise, but ya
always returning to that same booth
after having been bulldozed into landfill
in techni-colour trench-coats

more make-up caked on to cover it
almost daring us to do it again
ya, me and the guys - are cool
(slight twitch)






 



then came 1981
after a decade of gender appropriate
experimental music/art
wondering what was next
never ever expecting
i mean - OK


WTF


MTV - cool ya and - Duran Duran, The Police, Tears for Fears
Bowie - Michael Jackson, Queen, Elton John
ah, so John Lennon dies and THIS?
is what we GIT??

remember the Village People?  barf
prog rock disintegrates - and we get hosed?
fakkin' DISCO?

wait a minute - all these superstars
are fucking freaks, and people
are actually into this shit










time and again i tell myself
i'll stay clean tonight
but the little green wheels are following me
oh, no, not again
 

hours, weeks, daze in a maze
soap on a rope - yes the mind wanders

watching this shit on my TV
getting high over and over
familiar knock - sittin in yer usual spot

rolling a j - looking at me ... "holy shit dude!"

ya,  it's an ear-ring fuknuts!
it's like "cool" now

get over it




h o m o p h o b i c

 


they say great art is timeless 
allowing the observer an opportunity 
to take in something new
every time you 
allow it in


simple - less is more - interiors vs. exteriors
a higher spirit vs. religion


my mother says - to get things done
you better not mess with major tom


so yes, there was a major shift in 1980

like a big wall coming down
from black and white into greyscale
and then into colour - lo-fi to high definition
finally allowed to think

both ways
without shame, blame, games

and - that wandering into a black sky
with my mom - telling me how it's supposed to be
can still be healing