Riddle me this, motherfucker!
I always wanted to start a poem that way
As if I have something to say
But tongues we tie get in the way
And trip us where we stand
Perhaps one day I’ll do another
Intensely passionate, but why bother
For now, there may be something more
We throw into the mix
A fix of sorts
While words distort
Some fine lines that we blur
Necrotic prose without a cure
but who’s to truly know for sure?
These prompts provided
Split, divided, truth we slyly bend
Until you reach the end
Suspend belief and so pretend…
an olive branch of prose extended
My words you must endure
Be careful as you’re stepping in
Wash your feet and let’s begin…

You know I’m prone to darker things
Parchments filled with broken hearts
Jam tarts dripping, void of flavor
Colorful, but that is all
Angel food cake light as air
Tasteless waste of silky flour
Seconds mixing into hours
How long did it take to bake?
Obviously way too long
Overcooking cake is wrong
Sugar sticking to the tongue
Like white beach sand between the teeth
A metaphor that’s not so sweet
But onwards, down the path we go

Once while strolling through the woods
I met a rabbit, white as snow
On second thought, I do not stroll
Walk is more precise
Though strolling sounds quite nice
Anyway, as I was saying
The rabbit, yes, so white
Bright blue vest, eyes of red
Funky hat upon his head
With holes to free his ears
Green tie and a monocle
Familiar face as I recall
From someone else’s story
Yes, I read the book before
No worries, follow, he assured
Inviting me to tea
Satisfy his curiosity
Who I was, the why, the where
My version of reality
Perhaps an opportunity
To chat about my poetry
A pocket watch he then pulled out
Like wool over my eyes
Said we must be going
But I sensed it was a lie
And so it goes, we go, we went
How wicked wordplay fiercely flows
How twisted time is slyly spent
How lonely souls acquire wrath
By chasing daydreams in our sleep
Counting blue cars, killing sheep
Further down the path…

Suddenly, a field appeared
Strange, surreal, stirring fear
A table in the distance
At the far end of the clearing
Was a circle full of faces
Gathered around to have a meal
It seemed to me the sky was falling
Just then I heard somebody calling
Bring him here to me
Tarry little, hurry, please
The king’s about to sneeze
Everyone must stand and
Put one hand over their mouth
Preferably the right
But just for spite, I used my left
“We’re all mad here!”
I heard somebody speak
It was a monkey in a top hat
And the guests were circus freaks
A lady with a beard
Who was clearly just a man
But she wore a pretty dress
And a pink bow in her hair
A secret that was safe to share
“People who don’t think shouldn’t talk.”
He/she said, my name was Fred
I said, “You stole those words!”
Fred said, “You are absurd!”
And screamed as if to raise the dead

Next to Fred, a reptile man
Sitting in his plate
It winked and hissed and blew a kiss
and said, “The future’s sorely missed.”
I said, “That’s my line, you read my mind!
And told him to fuck off
He hissed and said, “The truth is somewhere
lurking in your past, biting at your heels,
looking for another meal.”

Sitting to my left it seemed
A tattooed woman of my dreams
Ravenous beauty to extremes
Her name was Violet something
Her lips were black as tar
They glistened in the sunlight
Much like fireflies in a jar
Some strange poetic muse
A distant lover I once missed
I felt myself dissolving
As she leaned in for a kiss
She told me she was coming
As she wished upon a star
But I wasn’t paying attention
Wondering elsewhere with my eyes
Looking at her body
I was clearly mesmerized
The Queen of Hearts across her chest
Undressed, completely naked
She spoke so sweetly, hypnotized
Pointing just below her neck
She whispered in my ear…
“Have no fear, follow this line,”
“Where’s it lead?” I asked.
“To a rose garden,” she slyly smiled.

With much anticipation, I almost found the way
Just then someone called my name
“You there, TM, come here now…
Come sit by my side…for nothing will be hidden here,
all will be revealed!”
He spoke as if a friend of mine,
a father figure lost in time,
dressed in black like Johnny Cash
he drew a ring of fire
as all the guests applauded,
Except for the snake man, he just hissed
A chance for self-expression missed

Just then a midget (little person) with a top hat
handed me a feathered pen,
“I’ve just had a thought or two,
write this down, my friend…”
And so he climbed up upon the table
Raised his hand to silence, then
he spoke his little mind:

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.”

He smiled, then laughed, and took a bow
and everybody clapped
“Isn’t that fantastic? Wrote that line myself!”
He was ecstatic, off the shelf…ego center stage.
“Here’s another…write this down…before it flies away:

“Sometimes I’ve believed six impossible things
before breakfast,” he said, and the guests erupted wildly.

Then I raised my voice and spoke…
“Excuse me, hate to pop your bubble, sir,
but those words are not your own…
they belong to someone else
another book, another self
Everything’s been done before
Have you not heard?
Nothing new under the sun…
Plagiarists a dime a dozen!” I said above a shout.

“Wait. What! How dare you say that…about?
Who do you think you are?
Insulting our Miss Violet as she wished upon a star.
Pissing off the snake man when he winked and blew a kiss
Misgendering the bearded lady,
You must be entirely crazy!
Throw him from this place!
Be gone, be out, please disappear”

And so the white rabbit grabbed my ear
Brought me back into the woods
And threw me to the ground.

I looked up and said, “Wait, wait, before you go
riddle me this, motherfucker…
What is always coming but never arrives?”

The rabbit looked deep into my eyes and said…
“Tomorrow,” and then vanished.

TM DiSarro

©2024 TM DiSarro / MindScapes Publishing
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