Poetry

Ozan Safak photo

By

Norberto Franco Cisneros

The Erratic Yaw Of Life

The unpredictable yaw of rolling seas

As in life, pummels us from one side

to the other randomly,

but follows the dictates of our capricious lives

Life, like the ghost of Christmas past

is here tonight and gone tomorrow,

but the bills keep mounting

like wrinkles on our faces the years piled on

Uncertainty sends many people into despair

with mental frenzy,

they wring their hands and worry,

what happens if the paychecks stop?

At night I hear the sound of eighteen wheeler trucks rolling by

speeding toward my precarious future

past the foothills

where the coyotes cry my lament

I feel like a watermelon cut in half exposed to the desert heat

slowly withering away

or a taco at Christmas time or a paraplegic in a footrace

those places where I don’t belong

Leisure time when needed seems so elusive

yet now all I’ve got is time and plenty of it,

but there’s nothing leisurely about it

and it’s not good

The yaws of life

seldom deviate from a straight course,

but like ships at sea they will rise and fall in a tempest

as planes in the air on a windy storm

Our lives move seemingly in a straight line, but often deviate,

we move unsteadily from side to side, up and down,

like loose apples bobbing in a bowl of water

following life’s paths of chance

with our minds frozen in a happy dream

remembering the past and our good times,

when life was more accepting

and we were happy

Hell Is Easy To Achieve

Those of you who climbed on his glittery golden wagon

How do you feel now?

Is it as bad for you as

the unfolding surrealism is for the rest of us?

May God guide you away from this self-serving narcissist,

and ignorant prankster pretending to be a shepherd

but knowing nothing of a shepherd’s life or needs.

Be wary of tricksters who will lead you

from the world of truth, knowledge, and critical thought.

God show us a path away from the clown with yellow hair

whose show of opulence weakens resolve

and speaks to the wisdom of the prophet who said,

“Give all your wealth to the poor, the sick, the old and be saved.”

Hell is too easy to achieve

Heaven not so

But the path of love has been laid

Follow it and let your soul be at rest.

AMEN…

Norberto Franco Cisneros

My poems have been published in the following publications: Indiana University Journal Chiricu; Avocet Review (Avocet Press); Snow Jewel (Grey Sparrow Press); Ilumen (Mouthfeel Press/ Sam’s Dot Publishing) and several others, including e-zines, Black Petals, Ruhatish and have been a Featured Poet in Poetry Soup