When you’re in a jam,
as I so often am,
it’s best to stop and think
before you start to sink.
Do not succumb to doubt.
There’s always some way out.
Don’t panic or lose hope.
You’ll find a way to cope.
Ideas will take shape
and lead to your escape.
Maintain tranquility.
It’s freedom’s golden key.
There is no zone of safety anymore.
Turn any corner, you may find a war.
The fight may have to do with race,
with underworld or outer space.
The combat may use guns or knives.
It may cost limbs. It may cost lives.
One thing is sure: there is no place to hide.
The world’s a roller coaster terror ride.
It’s a shame computer games
contain so many guns.
Now aliens can shoot down dreams,
agnostics hunt for nuns.
Lucky kids who kill enough
ascend to level three.
Still we wonder at
society’s great savagery.
Diamonds explode into a dwindling sky,
but rain back down to earth as broken glass.
One carat perches on a silver cloud.
While the rest fall on the under class.
The people gathering these shiny shards
realize it’s for nothing that they bleed.
But they are persuaded that these crystal "gems"
are really all in life they’ll ever need.
When waiting for a train or bus,
stay clear of those who spit or cuss.
Despite their soft and furry backs,
don’t pet the rats that roam the tracks.
It’s good to bring a book or magazine.
And don’t pick seats across from the latrine.