I Defame, Therefore You Are

In the bowels of history

I defame, therefore you are.

_

The footnotes and appendices,

as the pages turn

and cities are born,

prosper, then burn to ashes.

_

As life breeds

and death bleeds.

_

Ozymandias.

What are the optics?

Where’s the solitary fuck

they loved you for?

_

In the aftermath of forgotten time,

when the pauper will take

the ceremonial dagger

and perform a tracheotomy

on the king

or nearest available individual

with purchased power,

whose plastic regime

brings forward

the devolution of society.

_

I’ll stretch across the land,

from pole to pole,

and my words will bring

insanity, uncertainty,

and the foibles of hope.

_

As in I

Flesh and blood

Muscle and bone

Want you

_

I as in the man standing here

Looking at you

I want you

To worship me

Give me obeisance

Pay my bills

For my art

_

There are times

you’ll sit

and just write.

No plan.

No journal.

No arc

or story template.

_

My literary seed

transferred from manhood

to literature.

In consternation

for everything.

_

I

As in I

The man,

not a myth

or social construct

Not the product

of some think tank

Want you

As in the audience,

my readers

Not my inner child

or my self-esteem

Those looking to suck up

my words—

_

I wonder if I’m really

the best man for the job.

The one I’ve chosen

for myself

not because of qualifications

or a recognised gift

or flair.

_

I see how much success

others have

and make the mistake

of reading their work.

But then I have people

telling me

I’m this great worker.

It feels like a lot.

_

No—

I’m speaking,

and you’re listening.

_

The inner cynic

takes you down

a peg or two

and keeps you grounded.

_

Grounded—

from progress.

Stunted by fear of failure

and fear of success.

_

My artless hyperbole

With flow

And finesse

_

You—

the payer of my bills

I as in the writer

you wish you were

I want you

To consider

Every day

_

Power comes from necessity.

Control.

Fear.

Uncertainty bleeds.

Hope is not promised.

Trust was never.

_

I want you

To fuck off