Poems and Lyrics

Poem: The Lesser Evil Man

The Lesser Evil Man

“Vote for the lesser evil, man,
it’s the only way to vote”
well, if you take that logic,
then they’ve got you by the throat

we’ve heard this song before, my man
you say it every year
“vote the lesser evil man”
we hear you loud and clear

we’ve tried it all before, my friend
we clenched our eyes with dread
we pinched our noses with disgust
and voted, like you said

what a wise decision, too
just look around and see
our country is in stellar shape
how much better could it be?

you claim that it was worth it,
and that we did ourselves a favor
“we dodged a bullet and a storm –
it was a good endeavor”

well, you pulled your little lever
and then went about your day
but now your lesser evil man
took more and more away

“I thought we dodged a bullet, man
how did it go so wrong?”
it should be no surprise to you –
he was evil all along

“vote for the lesser evil, man”
but you choose not to see
both are vetted figureheads
of our kleptocracy

our country has new owners now
despite what you’ve been told
a lurid, sanctioned boxing match
that’s bought out, paid, and sold

they televise their roulette game
they place their bets, conspire
it’s all the same to them, my man
which pawn do you desire?

they still run the casino, man
they still have all the power
they’ve nearly got it all, my friend
this is the final hour

so here we are again, my friend
presented with a choice
it really is quite simple,
so take notice and rejoice

to play into their hand, my friend
or expose their rigged game
to strike a blow to the status quo
or keep it all the same

to snap in line like bleating swine
at their beck and command
and vote the lesser evil man
– a spineless, trite demand

or shake the chains of the remains
of vapid, bankrupt creeds
and claim a vision that we want
unconditionally

and choose to fight against our plight
even when it’s tough
to tell our callous overlords
that we have had enough

if voting is indeed our voice
then proudly say with me:
fuck the lesser evil man
and let good come to be

© 2020 Chris Paulus

Poem: Surreptitious Usurpers

Surreptitious Usurpers

these surreptitious usurpers –
sneakily stealing
slickly seizing
swiftly swiping
slowly sucking
like a brazen, sepulchral, slimy squid

these surreptitious usurpers –
are secretive and prodigious
grotesquely suspicious
subliminally vicious
sickeningly supercilious
conceitedly superior and vacuous

these surreptitious usurpers –
with uncompromising ruthlessness
with staggering thoughtlessness
with rapacious ravenousness
distressingly remorseless
act secretly behind subtle veils of seduction

and these surreptitious usurpers,
with silvery scales of a basilisk
with hearts, souls, and spirits of stone
with slithering tongues

spew slim veils of supposed reality
spread darkness and perplexity
sell story after story
send missiles for perverted glory
consolidate their ascendancy
praise their own pathology

these surreptitious usurpers
submerging us in seas of deceit
severing off our self-sustaining feet
subjugating and coercing as they cheat
stomping swiftly up the staircase to our defeat
almost complete

and the stupefied slaves –
slumbering and primitive
docile and submissive
stolid and passive
yet massive

soon the scales will slide from our eyes
the stupefied slaves will start to realize
and we’ll take you by surprise
overcome your lies
and send you to your demise

© 2020 Chris Paulus