I'M UGLY TODAY

I wish to rest, one day, on the beautiful freedom of loss

With no fear of the unknown, in submission, in acceptance

To laugh at my ugliness and not let hope distract me to denial

And to refuse to choose, for every road, will someday grow old

Awake alright, but haven’t we all closed our eyes?

I hope to, one day, not live in a world that judges and restricts

And focuses so much, on what’s bad and what’s wrong

Where they slaughter and find meaning, in their personal

Convenient versions, of holy books and religious songs

Unburnt alright, but haven’t we all felt the fire?

My memories will, one day, shimmer in the sunshine of remembrance,

And I’ll know how much I’ve had to give up for the sake of co-existence

Shackled no more to hypocrisy, my survival gizmo, I’ll let go and step down

The energy ladder, and feel the stability, one day, I’ll touch the ground

Unheard alright, but have you never shouted, “I don’t care”?

But today, I pretend and I’m proud, I’ve labeled black and white,

I've taken to the gun-point, and I kill to substantiate my might

I don’t care to appreciate the music in every sound

I've lost my smile, but who cares, I’ve won the fight

In the bottomless hunt for extremes, I feel we’ve overlooked the actuality of grey

In the quest for making tomorrow beautiful, I feel we’ve ignored the ugliness of today

Smile, appreciate, say thank you

YOUR WORDS, ALANIS

Their words can only be written, Alanis, their words can only be read

I’ll tell them not, for they’ve heard it all, but your words, Alanis, are you, naked

Let them bang their heads to hollow music

And let them find meaning in rented lines

In a world misspelt for the sake of eloquence

Your words, I’m afraid, they’ll never rhyme

Oh and I, I’m only a pair of clapping hands, appreciating what they don’t really understand

They wonder why you’re thanking India

And they wonder who you’re screaming at

Smile, Alanis, for they’ll forever fail to fathom

The uncombed chick and her green lipstick

Oh and I, I love the song where you metaphorically say, to those who live a different day, “I know, it’s ok”

From denial to acceptance, to diaries, to records

From the honest transition, to a vulnerable centerfold

From questioning yourself, to solving your own problems

Like a falling parachute, Alanis, you’ve grown old

Absorbing from all directions, reflecting in only one

From marijuana to spirituality, have you lost all fun?

From rubbing it in, to letting go, to lettering it all down

Are you a lonely girl, are you a crying clown?

Or are you only observing all flavors of your being?

With interpretations of your identities in the foreground

The transience of joy and anger, with peace underlying

Your words, Alanis, are they saving you the ultimate meltdown?

But tonight don’t care to share the shame, to entertain

Let your pen not evoke the pain you’ve withstood

Sing your confessions only to your narcissistic reflection

For your words, Alanis, are best left misunderstood

Oh and I, I only hope there’s a day, when you laugh and say, “I’m only a universe away”

Oh and I, I’m only a thank you,

Oh and I, I’m only a happy birthday

God bless you Alanis Nadine Morissette

Thank you for your words

YOU INSPIRE

You shouted my name the other day

And I was powered like I’ve never been

You are no god, your voice told me

And you liked the poem I tagged you in

You’re essentially sketched in the delusions of my wanting

And I’ll pen you down to kill this feeling

And the innocent need to insinuate

And to find my way through the dimensionless meaning

That you, my lord, affect me mercilessly, and I,

Blinded and open-mouthed, run against the breeze

I thought you should know the price I’ve paid

To rise to the depth of your subtleties

But I know you now, disappointed and how,

With one hand pressed against your chest

And the other in your pocket, you bend a little

And say thank you, more out of reflex

You’re essentially sketched in the delusions of my wanting

When I stretch every nerve to find some inspiration

And I’ve owned you, killed you, and painted you naked

On the walls of my intrigued imagination

You’ll soon be back to being the you, you were

Just don’t care to mend this defaced depiction

Don’t like this poem, oh, don’t listen to me

Don’t care to solve this apparent contradiction

Be the god you are, affect me, and then

Sit back, play your guitar and enjoy my pain

And I’ll write you a rhyme, one more time

Telling the world, you inspire me, all over again