To Begin

I'm a stranger in a strange land
of dangers and stage hands
mystics and madmen
and I'm dancing among them

Replete in semantics
of shallow pedantics
who pose as romantics
in wallet-fold leather
their shoelaces tethering
both feet together.
And next to them, brilliance
IQs in the millions
kings of the hill, hence
comes my frustration
a core fractured nation
delaying my patience
delaying my patience
delaying my patience until
snap

I feel like opportunity's passing me by
I feel like opportunity's passing me by
And if I'd just take a moment to look at the world I'm standing it, I'd see
The opportunity's there. Just open your eyes.

Too often do we look at ourselves and see verdant cravens of
carven viridian,
envious of craftsmen,
craving affection like
vermin in crow's feed.
Vitriol spit in tremble and facade, and all directed inwards.
We feel like failures, but we haven't taken the steps to succeed.
They say art is found in an artist's blood, but that art's gonna die if you're too afraid to bleed.
So take a step back, and realize that we're all born diseased.
Life is gonna kill you, whether you advance or retreat,
and I'll be damned if I go out lying face down in the street,
so neat and tidy, afraid to die, we
exercise our right to remain silent.
But there's too much violence in our silence.
We watch it grow from a lack of "no"
to a flat out "go ahead".
"Take my life away, today if possible,
because I don't want to argue."
I'll mutter misery, utter mute vexations
to bobble-headed peers, whose fears mirror
mine. Spineless yes-men, all of us
comparing sizes in cynicism, but all of us too afraid to say "no".
Too afraid to say anything, outside the huddle.
It's a small world, after all
and someone might overhear if you decide to disagree.



Performance of "To Begin" at CFSW 2011