Thursday, April 30, 2020

habits



it feels so normal

until it’s not

watching TV

eating your dinner

habitual activity

ingrained in your psyche

a well worn path

trodden every day 

the evening meal

partaken at seven

though its components vary

it anchors the day’s end 

bundled with Jeopardy and Wheel

you settle into the comfort

you nestle between the moments

you sense that all’s well

until it’s not and

reality floods back and

once again you note that

beyond your four walls

nothing remains the same 

nor will it ever be the same

©KarenCasady2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

nothingness



define today as a no day day

not remarkable in any way

a shapeless blob of time

spent doing nothing in particular 

non memorable

marked only by a morning trip to Starbucks and

hope that today’s cold brew would be better than yesterday’s

it wasn’t

yet hope stirs for tomorrow’s coffee and

tomorrow’s walk and

tomorrow’s nothingness on the patio and

projects considered and discarded and

tasks that need doing but lie forgotten and 

promises made that remain unkept and

desires unfulfilled and cold and

a body losing its vitality and vigor

now only restorative sleep remains

©KarenCasady2020

 

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

voiceless



when you’ve been told you have nothing to say 

because

you no longer do productive work 

because

you are idle 

because

you no longer have value

because

you are sacrificial

because

you add nothing 

because

your voice is a mere whisper 

because

your commentary makes no sense 

because

your words hold no relevance 

because

your mind has narrowed 

because 

your world shrank 

because

you no longer cared

because

you were done 

because

productive work is endless

because

it goes on and on with or without you 

because

there are always new projects 

because

clever people have ideas

because

other clever people fall by the wayside 

because

work multiplies 

because

the puritans say it must 

because

the world will end without it 

because

arbeit macht frei work sets you free 

because

you can jump on and off at will 

because

you choose solitude

because

you choose quiet 

because

you want to

©KarenCasady2020

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, April 27, 2020

a word please



why does that surprise you

why does that not surprise you

one and the same

words reflect acceptance 

they assuage the inner tumult of

encountering minuscule unimportant incidents

an epiphany captured in those words

blocks dreadful internal chatter

“he didn’t do it…he never does it…doesn’t think to do it…he should do it…he won’t do it…he did it wrong…can’t do it right…”

the need for vile litany vanishes

supplanted by “why are you surprised”

followed by “why are you not surprised”

the one and the same

the instant relief

the surrender

the acceptance

the new tool deposited into your toolbox

useful

durable

instantaneous 

long lasting until it’s not

©KarenCasady2020

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, April 26, 2020

almanac



you like the weather cloudy and chilly

not so roses and sunflowers who like it 

warm and sunny

and this juxtaposition puts you at odds with your favorite flowers

the former of which grow in your yard

the latter of which you buy at the store

the both of which you call traditional as far as flora and fauna go but with a bit of a stretch and a change of customs might come across as modern obtuse

and take their place along with wriggly furry or scaly stiff critters that may or may not reside in your house…

 

one learns to catastrophize when one grows up never trusting

never relying on anyone

this deficit also causes a lack of childhood dreams 

there was no room for them

they join hometown memories in an void just out of reach of your reality

but still you seek and one alley leads to another 

never a dead end just a constant maze of hallways and passages so complex

that getting through and out the other end seems impossible


but it comes to you that you always wear jeans 

ever since the early hippy days when they were de rigor and to not wear them constituted out of uniform 

and this anchors you and jars loose visions of dead animals dogs cats birds a baby possum half decayed corpses of pigeons baby squirrels and rats eaten and discarded by the very owl babies who nurtured your children

 

and your lovers also the stuff of dreams and concocted imaginings and so you remember that you do dream and not everything edges into catastrophe and sometimes you lust after benedict cumberbatch and once you fancied that donald trump told the truth and you wish the former dream to never end while latter awakens you in a state of dread or hope and you cannot determine which so you return to sleep and catastrophizing and floating through endless mazes and hikes to the hollywood sign.

©KarenCasady2020

Saturday, April 25, 2020

sarkasmós



irritability takes on a new voice

yesterday it could not be heard 

it hid behind a wall

whispering its impatience 

rolling its eyes

making its existence known

through tendrils of quiet annoyance 

and creeping acrimony 

causing subtle havoc and noxious chaos

but silent irritability fades from view

left behind at the roadside

it now must fend for itself 

in its place resides a new voice

strong in its words 

ancient in its derivation

for sarcasm stems from

sarkasmós Greek meaning

to tear flesh

and so it shall 

in all its glory

bite rip and sneer its way

through whatever stands before it

all the while accepting full responsibility 

for its paltry pettiness as it gleefully 

awaits opportunity upon opportunity 

indeed yes indeed

©KarenCasady2020

 

Friday, April 24, 2020

screaming



when the not-so-solid part of you

writes a note to the solid part of you:

it says “I’m gonna scream” and 

the solid part writes back 

“We are aware of your issues”

but the not-so-solid part can’t see

because it has already started screaming 

so the solid part takes note and 

sends out loud talking points that 

pass through the not-so-solid part because 

it has worn thin and can retain nothing

so the screaming turns to bellowing 

punctuated by great long breaths that 

rumble the solid part of you 

shaking it to its core 

leaving it no other choice but 

to scream louder than the not-so-solid part of you

this sound works because it is:

deep and 

sonorous and 

calming and 

it overwhelms the not-so-solid part of you 

just in time 

before any words leak out of your mouth and 

instead you re-channel your energy and 

make instant coconut pudding.

©KarenCasady2020