How would you describe
A straight male artist
Who found ways to put
Naked women everywhere in his art
And justified them if challenged?
How close is your list
To a list you would have
To describe Gustav Klimt
As he did just that?
How is your list different
From one for a gay artist
Who found ways to put
Naked men everywhere in his art
And justified them if challenged?
And what does that say about you?
What I liked most about Eve
Was neither her beauty
Nor her body
Not even her audacity
Or na-eve-vité
But rather
Her overwhelming curiosity
Somewhere in Heaven
Michelangelo is body building
To see how many muscles
He could make visible
To correct his art style label
From Mannerism
To Realism
And somewhere in Heaven
Michelangelo is also drawing
And painting and sculpting
All his body building friends
Who look like men and women he drew
The likes of whom he never knew
How would you describe
A gay artist
Who found ways to put
Naked men everywhere in his art
And justified them if challenged?
How close is your list
To a list you would have
To describe Michelangelo
As he did just that?
You are gas
Not water
For fires you try to douse
So restrain yourself
When you feel like helping out
The only times I ever play chess
I play against a grandmaster
Because I play chess
Just like a grandmaster
Did years or decades ago
Moving the pieces
As per recorded games
So my grandmaster friend
Can study each game
As if she were in the game
When I read things I like
But don’t know much of the author
I tend to leave them at their chosen name
Because I know people I wouldn’t like
Or would disagree with on some things
Can have good things to say
Maybe even great things to say
And I don’t want to ruin my experience
By getting more context
About them beyond their text
I had enjoyed and valued
My purpose in life
Is to ovulate well
And often
Then offer myself
For death by execution
For human consumption
You keep insisting
It is better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all
But for all your relationship failures
Do you ever wonder
If you’ve ever loved at all?
Do you really know what love is?
Would you recognize it
If you found it
Or it found you?
O what pressure must one feel
To be a poet laureate
To have every word from you
Expected to be so meaningful
Is it a burden to live with?
Or is it a challenge?
Is it relief to fulfill each time?
Or is it a thrill?
Does it limit what you say?
Or what you write?
And what happens when you fail?
Once
Or consecutively
Perhaps randomly
Or frequently
Do people end up remembering
Your meaningless words more
Or your meaningful less?
It’s all too much
For me to imagine living with
Though thankfully
I’ll never have to worry about it
But I can’t help wondering about it
I don’t have the time
Nor do I have the energy
Nor interest frankly
To fight every societal problem
But I don’t appreciate
Being condemned by default
To be a part of these problems
Just for my indifference
Without contributing to them
If you condemned as such
How many problems are you a part of?
How many more problems
Are you a part of than I am
In being so passionate
About just one or two problems?
Consider that
Contemplate that in silence
Before you condemn me
So loudly with your hypocrisy
Pick your causes to champion
Sure
I support that
I even admire that
Just focus on the cause
And those who oppose you
Don’t alienate the rest
With your default condemnation
Lest you want more opponents
Not necessarily for your cause
But potentially for yourself
microbursts 