Here on Earth

by Sam M. Phillips

I dwell in hell,

So hard to tell

Fact from fiction,

Rhyming diction,

Timing restriction

Causing friction

Between each thought.

.

Caught in line,

Art so fine,

Cannot climb

Up and out of step,

Watch me drop,

It will never stop,

Even if I reach the top,

Or maybe it will—

.

Sure way to kill

My motivation

Is to provide the situation

I dream of most,

I want to boast,

I want to coast

Through to success,

Be the best,

Above the rest

Through destiny and fate—

.

How I hate

Hard work and challenge,

I’ll have revenge

On my egoistic,

Caustic character,

Contractor of too much,

Why do I want such

Difficult things to attain?

.

I can’t stand the strain,

My brain hurts

As my mouth blurts

Out another set,

Does it get

Any worse than this?

How I miss

True direction

And a structured situation.

.

Capitulation before ideal,

How to steal

Reward from nothing,

I’m just bluffing,

Stuffing my throat

With ways to gloat,

Bloat my guts,

Cut my struts.

.

Ruts we drive in,

Striving for surviving,

Never arriving,

If we did

We’d know we’d slid,

And so we’ve hid

From any motion—

.

We can’t stand emotion,

We prefer to stagnate,

It feels great,

At least for a while,

We use all our guile

To make it our style,

But live in denial,

Aching for more—

.

But it’s a law

Of the universe

That what is worse

For us

Is what we must

Move toward,

Always forward

And never back

To where we lack

Any true will—

.

We need to fill

Our heads

With all our dreads,

And challenge ourselves,

Even if it delves

Down into parts of us

That we do not trust.

.

Lust and anger,

We are no stranger

To these drives,

Each one survives,

Drives us on

For as long

As there are lives

To be lived

Here on Earth.

***

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THE RINGED GIANT: Eight Science Fantasy Novelettes

Saturn themed tales of space, hackers, aliens, inter-dimensional travel, gladiators, airships, and enhanced space cows!

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