This is not about the �Powers That Be�
or how a fistful of surreptitious empires lord it over billions

It`s not about the tattoo you should have gotten last summer
or the boy you met in Cancun
his superfluous impediments

It`s not about immigration, tax evasion, or perambulation

This is not an imaginary dimension
through which aliens convey higher wisdom

It`s not a smooth ride to a happening time
not a heartfelt dialectic romanticising the advent of the puffed cheese filling
or the crack pipe
or expensive Swiss watches

This is not another movie about a pirate that never existed
or a longwinded documentary about all the ones that did

It`s not an unfortunate set of circumstances that have troubled you your entire life
nor is it an omen of better things to come

This is not an emotive reunion between childhood lovers

It`s not about icecream cones and soiled diapers,
a stag reel of misspent youth, the goldfish that
wound up inside of someone`s cocktail glass,
or how invigorating it was to see your aunt clinch
first place at karaoke back in �74

It`s not about the latest holocaust
or the designer drug that your parents are taking

It`s not about the inane dreams of a wealthy hermit
his self glorifying charities

This is not about an actor dancing on Oprah`s couch
or the annual crime rate statistics for Newark

It`s not a clever joke that you plan to unleash at the next Christmas party
not a fast convertible to wind down the golden years in

This is not about a war fought over nothing
or the geniuses who set it in motion

It`s not about the Ross Perot Effect, a quiet weekend along the harbor,
how slow the old folks drive on the throughway, Jr. and his little league trophies
or the jackass who took us off of the gold standard

This is not about stealing oil from an already impoverished nation
under the pretence of garnering `Democracy`

It`s not about celebrity moguls
or the sweat shops they like to erect all over the planet

It`s not about fast cars and half naked women
or what Britney Spears was thinking when she took Kevin back

In no way does this encompass the tragic plight of the sea monkey
or the wild cougar of British Columbia
or homo sapiens

This is not a wild yarn spun coquettishly beneath the pines

It`s not a photo-finish that cost you thousands
or a two hour session with your therapist
about the goldfish that went missing from your bedroom

It`s not about your favorite contestant being unceremoniously voided
from the script of this week`s most popular reality series
how much she reminded you of the girl from Cancun
with the chipped front tooth and fake breasts

This is not about the computer that stole your job
or how everybody at the office is in bed together

It`s not about the freedom of choice
between two candidates that say virtually the same thing

It`s not a dim vale beyond which lustral eyes wander
among the orgasmic tendrils of Elysium

It`s not a raging against the fallacy of our soft enslavement

This is not your grandfather`s reactionary poem.

~ Jason Wilkinson

People are comedians
in the yuletide season-
funnier, flakier

They feast on food,
and add up pounds
in December get-togethers

They tell themselves
they have a few days to do this
until vowing to a new year's resolution

They would spend a lot as well
thinking they can start saving anew
come January

Then, January comes
The stores are empty again
as people become cash-conservers

Only the gyms are full, that you have
to wait an hour before you can have
your turn for the treadmill

But, wait until it is late February
to see how the mall crowd
builds up again,

and workout places
become occupied
only by true aficionados

~ Je`free

---

Sun

The sun is so bright that we can't see
The remotest stars are so gloom that we can't watch
Ever are things are most being easy to be.
To be the worst is as hard to be the best
Similar to be shortest or highest for endless
The sun which rises in the east daily what is the difference?
Difference is in the eyes and its nature
But always there is some confusion though baseless
Not understandable complexes of mind
Is the main culprit behind everything we see.
Though it is obvious that's end and over
A question makes a question and so on.
But the circumference can be drawn by axioms
However still we are hoary confusions are there
Our prosperity deeply affects whereon.

~ Mr. Umesh Ghoshdastider

---

filling the hole

with the noisy chaos of work
crews and a backhoe,
they've dug a hole in the street.

so i fill it with remnants of life,
one shovel at a time.

dream fragments,
discarded selves,
emptying the mind's closet.

neighbors gather to watch.
orange pylons & yellow
tape marking caution. kids offer
a wagon to help with the hole.

while psychic dumping, my anxiety naps,
falling off the couch.

the hole sinks and expectation rises.
my mental junkyard becomes a memorial.

now everyone wants a hole.

~ Richard Lighthouse

(ed:I was thinking of this standing in line in the store while all the patrons in front of me were debating their lucky lottery numbers wasting the clerk's time. -- jdc

Whatever possessed you
to dial, hoping to be caller
#15 for a pair of tickets
to Tosca, knowing
how he hates the opera,
knowing he has other things
for the two of you to be doing,
things that don`t concern
high notes, the luminous stars
or the beautiful death
of lovers?

~ taylor graham