Veneer

A man collects his treasures.
Treasures collect their dust.
He worries for his tarnished image
as if it too were golden.

The staff by which he measures
serves also as his crutch
supporting him and his vanity
serving only to embolden.

The arrogance of ignorance
feeds on foolish pride
and impotent importance
of which Solomon foretold.

Man dedicates and decorates with treasures
and desecrates his life
by polishing his image
as if it too were gold.

What does it mean?

softer than a nightglow
stiller than a shadow
I wonder who's in Winslow.
What does it mean?

You said that you were
which now seems absurd
I was unsure
what does that mean?

You're still on that boat
S.S. That's all she wrote
There's a hole in my coat.
What does that mean?

It's been a really long time
since I had my own mind
I'd wallow in some moonshine.
What does that mean?

from fairy tales to pearls
you never let a day go by
and so 'always' forever lies
beyond the stillness of your heart

the chill that I felt
would prove to never melt
we were always with somebody else
what does that mean?

it was not for reason or for rhyme
when I called you out on to the line
and your drama seemed much less sublime
in light of a broken spell.

I wonder if you ever cast a spell.

I wonder if you ever will...