NO ESCAPE

Imaginary Garden With Real Toads

I knew her when she was twelve
such a pretty girl
shoulda coulda been 
Homecoming Queen
later on

but she was hemmed in
on all sides
by the trash

white trash

no one hauls it away
she never knew anything
but the trash

they say pull yourself up
by your bootstraps
break the cycle
but how can you
when no one hauls
the trash away

such a pretty girl
shoulda coulda been
a model
but there was no one around
to model a different reality               

saw her a while back
overweight
overburdened
two little kids 
each fathered by a different
dude
neither of whom could be seen
on the the local radar screen 

each of them said
see you later
gonna take out the trash
and they hauled their asses
out of there

the only lie they never told her 

MAN IN THE MIRROR

Imaginary Garden With Real Toads

Still just a dumbshit

in the delirium

of his own desires

though mitigated by

expectations diminished

his flag at half mast

waving in the breeze

looking for a nimble

pole dancer

to be his main squeeze

JUMP CUT

Imaginary Garden With Real Toads--d'Verse Poets Pub

HOW TO DO ANYTHING
print out my online instructions
but be advised they are lengthy
because "anything" covers
a lot of ground.

LAST CHANCE FOR 8 DOLLAR SHORTS
I've taken it in the shorts 
too many times
maybe my luck is turning.

COMMENT FROM MARIA
wait...
lemme check this...
okay...
never mind...
Maria is a whore.

TIM, YOU HAVE A NEW 
SUGGESTED FRIEND

I'm so distracted!

Gimmie an  A!

Gimmie a    D!

Gimmie an  H!

Gimmmie a  D!


COMMENT FROM ROXANNE
My reply: 
So happy
you've turned out the red light
at long last.

jump cut
jump cut

Oh, look at your cute little twins
we are Siamese if you please
I'm turning Japanese
I'm turning...
I'm turning...

I'm going back in my memory
to observe
The Big Bang
once again
I remember it 
as being...
loud

Where are my fukking ear plugs???

GOOGLE IS DOWN
GOOGLE IS DOWN
I'm melting!
I'm melting!

America
we are in big trouble.

Never mind...
just gimmie my damn phone!

HAPPY TALK NEWS

Imaginary Garden With real Toads

Now let's join the local
morning news team on Channel 18...


News Anchor KEN:
There's a big jaywalking problem
in our city--now we take you
to Stacy Blah, our reporter
on the scene down at the 
corner of Blah and Blah...

Holy crap, Stacy...
get out of the road...
you almost got hit by that bus!

Now let's go to Shannon for the weather...hey Shannon, there's some discussion
around the water cooler as to whether
you are a natural blonde or not...

SHANNON:
That's for me to know and for you to 
put it where the sun don't shine, Ken!

KEN:
Hey Shannon, I'm only relaying
the scuttlebutt from those who
observed you at the office Christmas
party--ha ha!


Now let's go to Jay for the sports report...

JAY:
Well, folks, the Cubs lost another game last night. They've got no hitting and they've got no pitching. You'll see them in the World Series again in another hundred years or so. If you're lucky. THEY SUCK!!!

KEN:
Keep it right here  
for more news you can use...
we'll be back with more
on the election after these short
words about your erection
from Frank Thomas!

Click.

EFFORTLESS

Imaginary Garden With Real Toads

You've probably always wondered
why the aliens 
(not the ones at the border) 
look the way they do
with their huge eyes
and heads and
emaciated bodies
but it's easy to figure out

Brick and mortar died
and it became so effortless
for us to have everything we wanted
ordered online and delivered
right to our door
from food
to the clothes we wear
to the cars we drive

We never had to leave the house
(except when the toilet was backed up)
we never got any exercise
we sat for hours upon end
day and night
staring into our phones
and it made our eyes
and our heads grow huge
and our bodies devolve into
these little stick figures

And you've always wondered why
the "aliens" look so strange
but they are from the future

And yes
they are us