Here’s Looking at You Kid ~ Philip Brent Harris
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Peace is Purpose, Nonviolence is Strength, Diversity is Unity, Empathy is Empowerment
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Stop now, then continue, amble along city streets.
Stroll down brassy, brightly-lit boulevards, replete,
preening, peering at our distorted reflections, why,
sumptuous shop windows, blank-eyed passers-by.
Captured in, by all the lenses of many-eyed CCTV.
Daily life’s digital Camera Obscura in 360 degrees.
Don’t stare nor act furtive, an upturned collar, hide,
Don’t make them suspect you, see what lurks inside.
Somewhere, everywhere near and far, our images flit.
wait; flirt from screen to screen when we stand or sit.
Whether marching along or creeping down alleys dark,
mirrored, oil-mired puddles, curved glass panes, stark.
Mounted, hung high to protect all unknown strangers,
anticipated, predicted collisions unpredictable dangers,
strange symptoms to unknown disasters or future blast.
Till we become nothing except shades by shadows cast.
our outlines on daytime walls, backwards and forwards,
shrouded, secret silence woven of night’s black chords
Chivvied from our castles, in pursuit proffered magic.
Lured naked into stark light, freedom deferred, tragic.
In shambles, shackles, shuffling, whimpering, whining,
mumbling in madness, words behind words, declining.
Whisper words, wants, crafted character, skullduggery,
messed-up masquerades manipulations and mummery,
false face-fronted, camouflaged, concealed, who asks?
Poor people prey to pray, pose in profile behind masks.
Only our eyes shall tell, portraying our manacled marche.
Salient stories rendered, portrayed in paltry papier mache.
Our tales, of who we believe we are, will be; who we say
we have been, ever and always, will be, at least for today.
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Peace is Purpose, Nonviolence is Strength, Diversity is Unity, Empathy is Empowerment
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