Stuff (or, Ode to Consumption)

flashing before me is the feed
that calls my name as if I need
the crap that comes across the screen
but I know what they really mean

the story of stuff is a frightening tale
that bends and breaks without fail
our morals, our love, our time on earth
are deteriorating with every thing’s birth

how can we stop this sick disease
that they tell us is all we need to please
ourselves on a planet being destroyed
swallowed by corporations’ void?

stop, stop, stop, at every door
of every store that sells you more
of every item you really don’t need
so that our future will take heed

your families, your faith, are on the line
you can make a difference with this design
hug your kids, buy things used, go to the park
but never say that I left you in the dark

Shape

What—or who—formed this shape?
am I a trapezoid trying to be a triangle
or a triangle trying to blow myself
up into a cone?
not sure

pokey though
pokey and prodding,
peeking out and stretching
my angles as far as they will
s    t   r   e   t   c   h

it could have been her
with all the no’s
it could have been him
with all the passivity
it could have been me
a round ball in the beginning

but I bounced back,
eventually
finding the format that suits me best
(I may have been fourteen)
I’d had enough

and now I stand
angular as ever
unable to fit into the
cookie cutter they’d imagined

instead
looking up from one edge
and down from a corner
I see myself, the perfect
unnamable shape,
formed by my own desires.

20 Rules to Live By

For myself and my daughters.

1. Enjoy life. It’s too short not to.
2. Set goals for yourself. Put them in writing so you’ll follow through.
3. Choose your dreams wisely.
4. Motherhood is the most important job in the world. Remember that when your kids have been bickering all day and you just want to shove them in front of the TV.
5. Be open-minded. Accept people for who they are and don’t waste your time trying to change them.
6. Eat healthily, but enjoy treats. Life needs a bit of sweetness.
7. Make time for yourself and your personal pleasures no matter how much else you have to do.
8. Honesty is always best. Two-faced behavior is atrocious.
9. Exercise regularly. You might not get sick all winter. Or all year.
10. Be a leader for the next generation.
11. Protect the earth. It’s the only one we have.
12. Give your time and money and clothing to charity. And not for tax purposes.
13. Sleep at least seven hours every night.
14. Reflect on your mistakes, but don’t dwell on them. Change who you are because of them.
15. A good marriage can keep your life on the right track. A bad one will shove you off into the ditch. Marry the right person.
16. Don’t force other people to believe what you believe. Just listen. And share.
17. Education is never ending and is the best way to keep your mind open.
18. Love should be the focus of all you do.
19. Travel. It will open your eyes to more than you could ever imagine.
20. Keep your friends close and be for them everything that you want them to be for you.

Rays of Light

It doesn’t matter to me what you believe
as long as you don’t try to make me believe it
because I am from my own hollow in the world
already formed like the giant maple of my youth,
my limbs outstretched and searching for my own answers
and your stinging, howling wind
will only make my leaves fall too soon,
leaving me barren,
unable to create the saplings of my convictions
that could grow thick and strong
in the rays of light between my branches.