Mongrels and Misfits

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Mongrels and Misfits Page 5

by Beth Patterson


  But then no one else can claim you

  And I envy whomever might then tame you

  I was born to interfere

  A hero’s tale dethroned

  A maelstrom knocking fences down

  To pastures not my own

  A crow that robs a songbird’s nest

  Does not cry out in sleep

  And some subversive spectacle

  Is how I earn my keep

  Know I would do anything

  To put to rest your fear

  Even if it means to disappear …

  I am not the girl next door

  But no need for alarm

  I’m just a simple heretic

  Who wants to do no harm

  All I want is clemency

  Or else some peace of mind

  Can I mute the anguish

  Of the blameless flying blind?

  My mind will not go crazy

  And my body will not die

  I am the drug you said you’d never try …

  I would challenge madmen’s lies

  That rise up like a flood

  I would risk my sanity

  And purity of blood

  With one eye on the hourglass

  The other sheds a tear

  I can’t contain repentance

  Exit solace, enter fear

  The truth that still entraps you

  The chains that set you free

  The poison that might save you, and there’s me …

  I was born to interfere …

  I was born to interfere …

  There a great imbalance at the grisly banquet table

  As some people slowly starve to death, and other are force-fed

  You cannot hear my silent scream, for now I am unable

  I am forced another morsel and wish that I was dead

  In the name of honor, we must suffer

  In the name of pride, we must pretend

  In the name of fate, we must carry a burden

  And make martyrs of our hearts to defend

  ... our honor

  Now, I am a common criminal, a thief of sacred thoughts

  There is a plan laid our for me to counter all my sins

  Do not mourn my execution, for my penance will be bought

  Just be strong for me and rest assured one day we will win

  In the name of secrecy, we perish

  In the name of discipline, deny ourselves a joy

  In the name of morals, we must sacrifice a loved one

  And hunt down another mystery to destroy

  ... our honor

  In the throes of desperation, we raise our voices high

  Haunted by the deep blue sea and burning summer sky

  I’ve never begged for anything, but now my time draws nigh

  If it truly is your will, might this cup pass me by?

  In the name of honor, we must suffer

  In the name of pride, we must pretend

  In the name of fate, we must carry a burden

  And make martyrs of our hearts to defend

  In the name of secrecy, we perish

  In the name of discipline, deny ourselves a joy

  In the name of morals, we must sacrifice a loved one

  And hunt down another mystery to destroy

  ... our honor

  Fly south, my friend, and winter here with me

  And we’ll rewrite the script that you create

  A lion’s den, a prison of your fate

  I would rejoice to see your wings set free

  We’ll harness tools of coaxing disarray

  A tribute to your sweet, sepulchral craft

  Perhaps defy the will of She Who Laughed

  For all twelve tribes could not keep me away

  If jocular is not your native tongue

  Sometimes great tidings come in guise of doom

  Perhaps you would indulge me in the gloom

  More striking when the comic trap is sprung

  The singing of the insect is a salve

  Beyond the lull, a thought remains to taunt

  If I can’t give you everything you want

  At least I’ll give you everything I have

  A journey to the center of your soul

  Is where the self begins, a part made whole

  Creatures born of habit, we are drawn to the familiar

  It duly casts the strata between phobia and philia

  The ordinary and proper is what the public seeks

  The zenith of the bell curve, and the rest of us are freaks

  They hate her because she’s beautiful

  They scorn his stellar intellect

  They pity tragic figures

  They revile the malformed reject

  If you shed the comfort zone

  And break the mold of fashion

  Dare to be anomaly

  But never lose compassion

  Blessed are the average, favored by evolution

  Blessed are the plain, for they will never face persecution

  Blessed are the mediocre, cherished is their kind

  Blessed are the anonymous, made in the image of divine

  The longing for belonging is a dominating trait

  Raise gregarious chants, unified by love or hate

  A tough road for the heretic who starts a revolution

  Independent beatniks find the loneliest solution

  They chase the lone wolf standing

  They attack the sick fish in the school

  They shun the cat who walks alone

  They snub the sacred fool

  Your conscience must transcend the thought

  Of paradise or pain

  Hold steadfast to your own truth

  Your imprint shall remain

  Blessed are the average, for they are society’s backbone

  Blessed are the plain, for they will never continue alone

  Blessed are the mediocre, causing no one pain

  Blessed are the anonymous, for they are destined to remain

  The collective conscious consensus makes for a public dream

  Where the power of the myth falls into a tight regime

  With no divine utopia to maintain the status quo

  With all things created equally, as above, so below

  Blessed are the average, favored by evolution

  Blessed are the plain, for they will never face persecution

  Blessed are the mediocre, cherished is their kind

  Blessed are the anonymous, made in the image of divine

  Blessed are the average, for they are society’s backbone

  Blessed are the plain, for they will never continue alone

  Blessed are the mediocre, causing no one pain

  Blessed are the anonymous, for they are destined to remain

  Rise up!

  Into the labyrinth

  Cut down to just a tenth

  Nothing to face but your thoughts

  Omen and oracle

  Phantasmagorical

  Casting and drawing their lots

  Cast the final stone or simply vanish in a heartbeat

  Throw a phony trail or turn around and make tracks

  Lose yourself in spirals or find yourself as incomplete

  Hide away from logic and slip through the cracks

  Robbed of an innocence

  Plagued by a pestilence

  In a sense, that would be fine

  Counting the missing lights

  Working up appetites

  Searching for something divine

  Some would gladly take a leap of fa
ith into the darkness

  Some know deeper hells than just a quiet despair

  Some would walk away to flee the prospect of a falseness

  Some are terrified to face emotion in there

  Malbec and sassafras

  Smoke and the looking glass

  No time for stake in a claim

  Calling and camouflage

  Saving and sabotage

  Sometimes are one and the same

  Nothing to be done but bunker down like in a hurricane

  Try in vain to change or just accept what you see

  Look into the truth or simply shatter like a windowpane

  Rest assured there’s not a thing to fear from me ...

  Look to the powers past comprehension

  Gather this day in tense apprehension

  Nurture and sanctify, bring us relief

  Heal one another and overcome grief

  Trembling dark willow is where we hung our lyres

  Myriad voices now question what transpires

  Sacrosanct legacy, are we searching blind?

  Never again the burning humankind

  Torrid streams of emotion behind us

  Solid land of devotion below us

  Blazing fires of passion before us

  Swirling winds of compassion above us

  Plain tongues of longing, denizens of song

  Send us the courage to go forth and move on

  Land within sight, we anticipate the call

  Restore our lives and bring grace to us all

  Pounding wave on the broken shore to us

  Terror banished to nevermore through us

  In each future endeavor, we see it

  Should it change us forever, so be it

  Sleep, sleep, my baby dear

  Don’t cry, or they’ll know that we’re hiding down here

  Then when it is safe, we will hurry for the plane

  And you’ll never remember the war

  The sounds of the streets won’t trouble your dreams

  As I cover your ears for to block out the screams

  The smells of the gunsmoke and teargas and blood

  Are only a part of the war

  So sleep, sleep, my baby dear

  Don’t cry, or they’ll know that we’re hiding down here

  Then when it is safe, we will hurry for the plane

  And you’ll never remember the war

  If your father could see you, he’d be so full of pride

  He protected us well, and by this he died

  He’s gone on to a place that is peaceful and bright

  And he’ll never be living a war

  So sleep, sleep, my baby dear

  Don’t cry, or they’ll know that we’re hiding down here

  Then when it is safe, we will hurry for the plane

  And you’ll never remember the war

  Hush, hush, my baby dear

  Don’t cry, or they’ll know that we’re hiding down here

  Then when it is safe, we will hurry for the plane

  And you’ll never remember the war

  Come on, pretty girl, let the tears flow free

  You don’t have to hold them back for me

  It’ll be okay, from what I’ve heard

  The world’s gonna send you a lyrebird

  And when that bird flies from its cage,

  The world’s gonna put you up on stage

  And when that stage wins you no fame,

  The world’s gonna send you a crooked game

  And when that game tries to steal your light,

  The world’s gonna send you a shining knight

  And when that knight denounces you,

  The world’s gonna send you a final clue

  And when your heart begins to break,

  Listen to my words, for your own damn sake

  If you resolve to end the hurt

  Then give the world its just dessert

  And if that dessert’s not good enough

  Then give the world a talk so tough

  And if that tough can see you through,

  Then give the world some sweetness, too

  And if you see it in their eyes

  Then teach the world to recognize

  And if you overcome at last,

  Then vicious lies won’t come to pass

  And if you live, or if you die

  The world’s too big to at least not try

  It’s the scariest thing you’ll ever do

  But if you make ‘em smile, you just might smile, too

  When the sounding call resonates, the response never hesitates

  In timeless recognition, perfect light upon your face

  In the language of destiny, in the stars’ choreography

  Burns a flawless path toward you across lifetimes and space

  We are one microcosm

  We’re the same microcosm

  We’re the only two people in existence, me and you

  Here and now microcosm

  Seamless bond microcosm

  A heartbeat suspended, microcosm of two

  Force and flux readily form a perfect epitome

  A divine axis mundi on some grand stellar plane

  Fatalistic love collision from an underworld mission

  A trek through the mines towards that bright golden vein

  We are one microcosm

  We’re the same microcosm

  We’re the only two people in existence, me and you

  Here and now microcosm

  Seamless bond microcosm

  A heartbeat suspended, microcosm of two

  Let us set aside turmoil and breathe safely together

  Just like two old people slow-dancing in the dark

  A centrifugal nucleus, a whirlpool of hopefulness

  Like the first morning sunlight after nights grim and stark

  We are one microcosm

  We’re the same microcosm

  We’re the only two people in existence, me and you

  Here and now microcosm

  Seamless bond microcosm

  A heartbeat suspended, microcosm of two

  You and your tongue

  Like a madman with a gun

  Rationality escapes you in no time flat

  For tales never admitted

  For crimes never committed

  You’re as promising as what they call a football bat

  Unyielding urchin spines

  Unexploded land mines

  Shell-shocked, skittish beast

  No rhyme or reason in the least

  Suspicious snake-eyed charmer

  A rabid rat with armor

  Fugitive fuse on fire

  A cat on a hot high wire

  A dragon hoarding treasure

  A blade wielded for pleasure

  Cruel streak from the start

  Impassive iron heart

  Volatile vixen in a cage

  Strategically-aimed rage

  Delirious serpent scream

  Viper in a fever dream

  The drama seems elemental

  And the litany judgmental

  And so now you curl your lip at such atrocity

  Well now, I’ve got news for you

  Perhaps I’m a monster, too

  And I’m living in my own perfect monstrosity

  Your pallor paranoid

  As you investigate the void

  The path of most resistance

  Makes a howling in the distance

  Half-human whelp redeems

  Suspicious utopian dreams

  From the pes
tilence of a germ

  To the roar of the battle wurm

  Proud abomination

  Recalcitrant revelation

  A freak of nature’s breed

  Soon finds others of its creed

  A mingling of frights

  Poison garden of delights

  They dance with such ferocity

  When it’s the perfect monstrosity

  The drowsy mountains warm themselves

  In the layers that their tenants provide

  A patchwork quilt of greens

  And gold-white grain shining in the sun

  The rugged stone walls thread themselves

  Askew, winding up each mountainside

  Til they fade into the mist

  And the peaks and sky are blended into one

 

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