Masquerade (Oduma)

I know you,

Masquerade.

Every morning you rise,

White shirt, khaki pants,

From the anthill on the parking lot.

Of our dreams.

And I follow you to the coffee pot

Where the coffee is black, no milk no sugar.

And your face says nothing.

And your eyes say nothing.

And your body says nothing.

Everywhere there is laughter.

And all the questions are answered

Masquerade

I know you.

You came from the anthill on the parking lot

Of our dreams.

The Cab Driver's Song [From Exile]

If you look through him,

What do your senses tell you?

Are you staring at this mirror?

Do you see yourself?

The river of images keeps coming back,

The waves keep returning

Lapping at your conscience.

The waves of the apocalypse return

Relentlessly dropping time capsules at your clay feet.

Time capsules of a past drenched in the blood of patriots.

But nothing washes these feet clean.

The waves return with the fish from Hades.

Fish with teeth that belong in sawmills.

We've been here before.

This is just another cycle.

The door opens.

And I walk out into the rancid air.

Life goes on.