vexillology

above a tattered fort
a ragged scrap
upon which scrawled
a drawing indiscernible
no learned vexillology
may parse its meaning
but to a few it declares
the freedom of youth
in the summer days
before the school bells chime
a childhood shrine

gingerly

if one possesses an abundance of hope
it is best to make your approach gingerly
the belly freely given may oft deceive
floofy bait to draw in an unwary hand
tranquility's duration just three scritches
before the gaping jaws of death brand you
with the stamp of the gullible betrayed

acquiesce

he held me down
and I confess
I did no more
than acquiesce
I thought
if I fought
I would die
so why would I

coup de grâce

some monsters
seem immune
no sword sharp enough
to deliver the coup de grâce
to slay the wild beast
with forked tongue
spewing fire and fury
where swords may fail
words may win and so
we whisper and wish

ersatz

so many today
live an office life
stuck with an ersatz
office husband or wife
and wonder at the strife
condemned to spend
all their time aligned
with the one that HR chose
and not the one
who shared their vows
no surprise then at the rows

bon vivant

wit sparkling
like champagne
bubbles rising
a bon vivant
in a sequin dream

pointillistic

viewed up close
it’s all a mess
a confusion of color
in glorious disarray
but from a distance
the picture clear
so we stipple the days
in pointillistic precision
to make a life