"Jack O' the Shadows"

Fire Blooms where my gaze lingers.
Smoking Asphalt marks my tread.

I smoke dinosaur bones in my pipe.
Its petrochemical stench covers the land.

I turned the destroyer of worlds into a cowboy.
Avatars and Demons my friends.

Cut me and I bleed green acid.
Run from me you cannot, deny me you can’t.

I speak to your from shadows and flame.
Eyeless sockets covered by Raybans.

Tombstones make my teeth.
Rattlesnakes cover my head.

My skin has turned black.
Covered in ash, blood and smoke.

Midnight crossroads my haunt.
Blasted, played out, oil fields my home.

I make women weep and wail.
step out of line and I will scourge you.

Jesus’ thorns make my flail.
I will hunt thee, with root, rock, horn and tail.

Eye that man on the corner smoking a cigarettes,
Mustard gas breath covers the stench of a killing ground.

Souls are my meat, and fodder.
I will place my hooves upon your neck and sup from your inner feast.

Death, Evil, Corruption, Politics, Cancer, Toxic Waste, Aamon, Oil smoke, SIDS, Devil, Baal, AIDS, Cruelty, Intolerance, The Beast, Skin Walker, Windigo, Old Scratch.

These names and more I have worn proudly.
Let me visit you and be named anew.

Suffer not my laughter, Strike out at me from hell’s Gibbet.
Let me revel in your agonies.

Think on that promotion, lover, power, money, sensory revels, sexual deviance,
that so cheaply, enticed you to give away what can’t be bought.

Think on me when you think you have sympathy for me.
Feel my pity as the mill stones crush your bones.

When you are used up and nothing much is left,
I will make a sack of your skin and string your fingers around my neck.

I sit in the dark and smoke dinosaur bones.
Brimstone’s stench and fire mark my passage.

Burning asphalt echo’s the tread of my hooves.
Young Poets and foolish politicians are my companions.

Think on me and shudder.
Jack ‘O the Shadows has passed you by.

About This Poem

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Region, Country: NV and NC, USA

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Comments

dbaker

18 years 10 months ago

Joe your comments......

Joe, I sat down one day and thought long and hard on what choices cost us. I have seen politicians quite literally get away with murder. I am a newspaper reporter... Seen folks trash a loving spouse for another person that was "new" and as part of my Philosophy of life, I know that at some level they never ever get away with it. Maybe it's a moot point, but all of us have in our life time been presented with the choice of what is right and what is easiest. That is what this piece is about. I was also listening to a lot of Johny Cash when I was writing this. I must also be completely honest, I "borrowed" the name for the poem and main character from a Robert Jordan series of books. -David Work, stretch, take risks, visualize your future. Become the poet you have always longed to be. All that is needed is honest effort.-DSB

dbaker

18 years 10 months ago

Yeah your right...

Actually, Joe your right it has too many images or what ever...I have been wanting and needing to edit or pare it down quite a lot. Now as far as the reporter thing goes...I become a reporter less than a year ago. I spent 15 years as a union electrician. I had my fourth heat stroke, and had to find a new line of employment. On a personal note, Afghanistan was a nest of vipers that needed to be cleared out. Iraq, was and is just a corporate war being fought for profit for international cartels by our friends and neighbors. Mark my words, G.W. Bush will go down in history as one the worst President in our nations history. His administration will also go down as the single most corrupt one to have ever disgraced the Oval office. This is not the venue nor the time to go on a serious rant, but think on this, "The bottom line." Every decision made by him or his administration follows that line of reasoning. "Bottom line, what can we profit from________" If you use that line of reasoning you will see who has profited and who will loose.-But then again, it's just my opinion. -David Work, stretch, take risks, visualize your future. Become the poet you have always longed to be. All that is needed is honest effort.-DSB

barbsdad2003

18 years 10 months ago

Wow, David!

Re your opinion(s) expressed in your comment above, I must say you (and I) have at least 20/20 vision in these matters. Incidentally, my last eye examiner gave me the number---with spectacled correction (I've been wearing glasses since nine, nearly 60 years ago)---of 20/10. A number remarkably better than 20/20 ... which I add here in explanation for those who might not know the meaning of it. I think I achieve that through my trusting of backyard wild animals to choose what's edible for me, a trust that allows me pretty much to avoid the supermarkets. Saves money, too! Regards, Chuck

weirdelf

18 years 10 months ago

Loved the poem and the comments

Not many poems get 5 stars from me (if it was out of 100 I would have given it 92 8)). I shivered. Also good to remind us foreigners that not all Americans are greed obsessed morons.

dbaker

18 years 10 months ago

Thank You.

Thanks folks for appreciating this piece for what it is. I promise that someday soon....soon I swear I will edit it down. -David Work, stretch, take risks, visualize your future. Become the poet you have always longed to be. All that is needed is honest effort.-DSB

Candlewitch

18 years ago

David

I loved the poem and hated it at the same time, because I know that every word of it rings true. Sometimes I am ashamed to be a part of the human race. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I also read your comments. I happen to agree with you on Bush and his administration. The day he was elected I sat down and cried- I cried for a couple of days. How can one man be so evil and fool so many people. I still think that the election was rigged. Always, Cat

dbaker

18 years ago

Cat

I don't care what a persons religous background might be. The evil that currently sits in our oval office is just that evil. They can dress it up and call it conservatism or nationalism... I am with Ferris Buller on this one-"If it ends with an "ism" it can't be good." There have been several articles one of which won the Pullitzer for in-depth reporting of the Bush/Gore election. They came to the conclussion that Gore by not contesting every single vote lost the election to a corrupt group of Republicans. All one has to do is look at what happened to the State District Attorney for Florida. She was completely bought off. Her election costs alone should have said something when she ran for the US Senate. Her election came free of charge. The entirety of "W's" administration has been the whole-sale selling off of America. Medical Insurance has become something that only the wealthy or the unionized can afford. Each year of his administration health costs have gone up by 75%.-525% since he has taken office. We are fighting a war in Iraq that was intended to pay back his money men. Who incidentally spent over 300,000,000.00 Million dollars on getting him elected to office. The unabashed treatment of US workers by large corporations-Enron allowing Enron executives to escape their company with millions of dollars, while the workers retirement money was used to pay off some of the debtors. Airplane Pilots-Hundreds of Millions of Dollars were allowed by the Federal Government to be stripped from employee retirement packages to pay off debts and debtors to save an over charging and bloated industry.-Incidentally if any of the CEO's for any of the airlines had to live on 56K or less a year, they would have to declare bankruptcy. Let us not forget the Supreme Court of the United States and its ruling in the first election fiasco. Incidentally most of the Supreme Court Justices are hard nosed Republicans. They are all unilaterally for large business not, and I repeat NOT for Americans-I cite their allowing Imminent Domain, simply to raise a city, or counties tax rolls. Example you have a large piece of property that you are using for farm land. The county receives X amount of monies. However, if a large corporation wants to build a large apartment complex and a shopping center on your land...IT IS NOW LEGAL FOR THAT COUNTY/STATE TO STEAL YOUR PROPERTY AND GIVE IT AWAY TO THE DEVELOPER FOR MERE/PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR!!!! Because it will bring in more money to said county/state. No one has ANY right to own their own personal property. I could go on for hours. Thank you for your lovely spirit and emotional experience when you read this work. I am glad that it spoke to you. I just know that nothing this outrageous this raw will ever go unpunished by the Karma police. I just hope that my county will survive 8 years of Bush and another 4 years of John McCain. Niether of the two Democratic canidates have any business in running for the presidency and I say here and now, that neither one of them will will the presidency. I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS RANT! I JUST HAD TO GET IT ALL OFF MY CHEST! -DS Baker