to roar and stomp about

Houses in Trouville - Raoul Dufy 1933

yes friends the world is on fire

even the hurricanes know that the world is on fire
that the ice will melt and the waters will rise
that the time is short and hope is shorter still
the earth is in retreat shaken to the core
by its rape and its grief
let us stand together now in the hull of this existence
brother and sister beneath the tug of humanity
beneath the light of an indifferent sun
let us stand together and scream "no" with one voice
such a powerful voice that even the stones tremble
and the great mother will wake from her long sleep
to roar and stomp about
yes the world is on fire and we will burn too
and with us will burn this endless greed
this wanton lust for what we should not have
that which we have taken anyway for so very long

james lee jobe

the mad blue of your fire

the harsh sound of steel on steel when the guard slams
your cell door shut
that eternal youth that hides behind your aches
and your gray hair and your heart attack
and your stroke and your wrinkles of time
your fear of failure and your even greater fear of success
the prague of your mind and the berlin of your soul
the Istanbul you dreamed of
didn't deserve
and buried under rocks
under shadows
under the cruel winds of february
under the mad blue of your fire
you were alone after your birth
and alone before your death
your parents were pages from a book
that you didn't finish reading
they were the dogs that ran through traffic
they were the hardness that you failed to earn
the softness that left you weak and foolish
but there is still time
the hand hasn't reached out for you yet
cast off the ragged bowline
and push away from the rotting dock
let the current take your craft away downstream
where you can light a white candle
whose flame has hope
the mad blue of your fire
where you can sit in the galley and finally eat the meal
that has been waiting for you all of these years
claim the life has been yours all along
your own course charted by no one else but you
and the mad blue of your fire
the mad blue of your fire
just let go of that weight that has been holding you
down

james lee jobe

Please help support this blog with a small donation on the BUY ME A COFFEE link below. Every little bit helps! Thanks, jlj