Poem – Delusions of Grandeur (By Chrystal Berche)

Delusions of Grandeur – By Chrystal Berche

Stoned streets at dawn
Emerald pavements undulating with restless movement
the denizens and the damned all hurly-whirly mixed together
a macabre dance of pleasure and pain
Jaded eyes shimmer dollar bill green
basking in the glow of capitalism
the meaning of life measured in yields and gains
Lies roll off forked tongues as easily as rivers grow
and creep over their banks after heavy rains
Drown in the silt and silk

unable to sort the muck from the logic,
seeking threads of light in vast expanses of darkness.
Rise reborn

slip on fake snake skins at dawn to go out and play,
blinking at the sun like it burns
It all burns while we slither
slinking through vast caverns of the human mind
into caves we never tap into,
dormant and all but forgotten.
these places we fear to tread.
These lines we fear to cross.
fear stifles creativity
the creative shatter molds

while the weak just break them slowly
piece by piece
subtle changes too faint to see.
But the wild ones burn

yelling ‘behold! this is what’s left when the fire dies.
This panted face and devils grin
crimson jeans and affliction t-shirts
inked. Pierced. Painted. Dyed.
soulful windows staring unblinking at the masses,
seeing everything, devouring it all
Single minded determination,
life’s goals whittled down to raging mantra.

“Imma show you how great I am.”