The Rusty Environment of Modern Imagination
drenched in our digital age,
bereft of the cool, blue knowing,
the streets teeming with indifference,
people desperately lost in idol worship,
voyeurism, or other savagery,
clinging to distractions
where the gorgeous, elegant butterflies
of our souls have become trapped
behind glass to be swiped away
in seconds with a finger-tip.
Restoration Overture
Anxiety-addled,
lifelong procrastinator,
over-thinker, mood-alterer
with a wino soul,
and a heart like an old bridge,
rolled over daily by heavy diesels,
taxi cabs, and luxury sedans,
walked upon by faceless pedestrians,
a stinking cavalcade of cigars, exhaust,
modern noise, and piranha smiles,
rusting and weathering the bridge,
people leaving unexpectedly—
leaping from the bridge—
so many leaving…
forever altering the DNA of moments,
intensifying feelings, corrupting memories
like a computer virus, decaying the layers,
birthing a cursed land beyond the bridge
where no beauty is recognized,
but a restoration has begun
with sobriety as the cornerstone,
and perhaps soon this wino soul
can begin mapping a path away
from the traumas,
and towards the bright shores,
with bursts of inspiration and even
some actual raw happiness.
William Barker lives in New Jersey with his wife, two boys, and black cat, Ziggy. He runs a used book business. When he can unearth himself from the piles of books long enough, he enjoys translating the concerts and films inside his head into poetry and prose. He has previously published three collections of poetry, one chapbook, and had poems published by River Dog Press, Heroin Love Songs, Soup Can Magazine, Silver Birch Press, Laughing Ronin Press, Alien Buddha Press, Between Shadows Press, and many others.
