2.3049 : 09/07/13 : Start Fire

Got your friction

got your lens

got your flint

your steel

Start fire

to start the cleanse

I can't tell you

how I feel

You got matches

you got lighters

how you laugh

at my paltry blaze

I'll find my own crew

lovers not fighters

and you'll rue our conflagration

one of these days

101 Curious Professions 94: Firestarter

what

2.3048 : 09/06/13 : Sell it All

Will I be an ad man

sell it all

fossil fuels

the bomb

a bridge

the fall

it's the height

of creativity

in the twenty first

I'll sell you

sugar water

till you die of thirst

101 Curious Professions 93: Ad Man

what

2.3047 : 09/05/13 : Master

Master of the special

and the secret sauces

If your plan was to battle

better cut your losses

because there is no source

like the sauce I'm slinging

and my campaign is clear as glass

despite the mud you're slinging

master of the crane, the wild,

the free style

while you unpacked smack

I went another extra mile

You know just looking at me

is going to make you tired

the time you're on my level

I'll already be retired

101 Curious Professions 92: Sauce Master

what

2.3046 : 09/04/13 : Reprieve

The new

apprenticeship

end of this

era of

admin

and pink slips

I'm in line

and I'll believe in it

I plan to find

my reprieve in it

101 Curious Professions 91: Apprentice

what

2.3045 : 09/03/13 : Age of Adventure

Yeah he's the one

who'll cast up the bones

in the face of every

lazy reporter

who writes that men

no longer have the stones

for adventures of the old order

the day's coming, no -

the day's arrived

the beginning of all stories

it didn't look like much

and not all survived

to this age of adventure

borne on wings of stainless houris

101 Curious Professions 90: Adventurer

what

2.3044 : 09/02/13 : Once Upon a Time

What else can I

feeling a worm,

and no man - I

meditate upon

another day

I put my foot down

and the thing

went my way

I want tales and

adventure

not soliloquy

stark and vital

not ironic

or twee

Once upon a time

I hit on a way

to break out

pray for lightning

to strike twice

for my way

to shake out

101 Curious Professions 89: Storyteller

what

2.3043 : 09/01/13 : Better

I see so many things

I want to do better

am I delusional

a narcissist

living by routine's

sans serif letter

dreaming I'm some kind

of secret anarchist

but this time I need my

real A game

Is it in there anymore

or was it ever?

is it real potential

a battery, a flame

does it just need me to

name and throw the right lever?

no matter if it's time

if I merit the reward

I know at least one path

I for sure can do

I can fake it and

work very hard

hope that's better enough

to do right by you

101 Curious Professions 88: Player

what

2.3042 : 08/31/13 : True Theology

These tales of the

scions of

the natural philosophy

they are another

Scripture in my world

a true theology

And will I write

true tales ever

or even pleasing fictions

knowing I'll never

qualify to

really walk those hallowed jurisdictions

Still I might make

the discipline

a story that could delight

If I keep one toe

in that world

and try and try and try

to get it right

101 Curious Professions 87: Theologian

what

2.3041 : 08/30/13 : Confabulator

Confabulator

in the service of kings

tarnished versions sure

ignoble things

you picks your poisons

and collect your coin

hoping it will kick up

something better to join

hope I end up

with some time to spare

come up with my own

little lies to share

A world of plenty

folks of good will

a common purpose

no reasons to kill

oh sure now that's some

confabulation

but if everything's stories

that's my busman's vacation

101 Curious Professions 86: Liar

what

2.3040 : 08/29/13 : And Everything

Is there any point in looking

for the great in the small

is there any point in waiting

for my starship to fall

Though a little bit of hope

is a powerful thing

it won't get me to life

the universe and everything

I read a story of a man

staring up at all the stars

Such little seeds

turn over such great cards

me I can't say I'm expecting

anything

all I ask for is

a trillion dollars

and everything

101 Curious Professions 85: Hitchhiker

what

2.3039 : 08/28/13 : Folly

Architect of folly

when will it be done

When will I accept

I'm just like everyone

to wit I'm only fit

to get by pushing paper

and there's no slot in

my life to take

an escaper

I built it up so virtual

already can't see the top

and once you get the

knack of it

well how would you

see clear to stop

the method of the architect

the paper scribed

in blue on blue

Someday my own

my lovely one

this folly will

belong to you

101 Curious Professions 84: Architect

what

2.3038 : 08/27/13 : The Axe

I'm trying so hard

not to wield the axe

So hard

not to wield the axe

though the effort

may impose a tax

for the sake of a friend

soft-pedal my attacks

by hell I won't give the topic

another minute

my God the world of time sinks

seems infinite

when people of good will

can't tell who's got

whose backs

Heaven help me you've got to

be careful

with the axe

101 Curious Professions 83: Axeman

what

2.3037 : 08/26/13 : Cookies

Screw art screw science

let's just make cookies

Revolution on the haves

by the just up and

tookies

Mainly

chocolate chip

raisin oatmeal

peanut butter

and snickerdoodle

and man with my

superabundant wealth

I'm gonna turn over

the whole kit and caboodle

Post capitalism

the cookie economy

recreate post humanism

with the invention of the

economnomnomy 

if it seems real stupid

look at the latest platforms

what passes for

representation

screw that

bring on the cookie

reforms

101 Curious Professions 82: Baker

what

2.3036 : 08/25/13 : Guardian

I am I a guardian

of a lost hour

If I were I lost it long past

maybe my fault

comes: the deluge

whether slow decay

or a long blast

maybe I'm losing

another as I drift

fall asleep inside

the flashing light

the one prepared

for me with all special fragments

but I couldn't tell you

because I can no longer fight

101 Curious Professions 81: Guardian

what

2.3035 : 08/24/13 : The Accountants

Blame the accountant

first thing

jail all accountants

failing the amounts

and the

check sums

solve your woes with

claymores

and dum dums

I'm no accountant

I told you

I can't count and

equations

give me headaches

as well as

conflicts

high stakes

oh well

soon it won't be

my problem

yes siree

one way

now or some new way

yeah make

Somebody else pay

101 Curious Professions 80: Accountant

what

2.3034 : 08/23/13 : The Inquisition

I'm not the inquisition

in this

I didn't ask to be

put in this position

I only call

as I see

never once did I

call out anyone for perjury

but I bet I'm going to

get the evil eye

from a few quarters

the unjust

onus

heaped upon we poor recorders

101 Curious Professions 79: Inquisitor

what

2.3033 : 08/22/13 : Dissing the Mob

My gracious manor

my lordship sure

buy what I can't get

by talent pure

not the explanation

just different times

less competition

and better rhymes

o snap

did I compare myself to Tennyson

I just might be

about as close as anyone

not talking myself up mind

just dissing the mob

And it's just me griping

that life's rough as a cob

101 Curious Professions 78: Lord

what

2.3032 : 08/21/13 : My Poison Garden

I've seen what passes

for success

for my kind these days

and there's another

kind but

I can't crack their ways

and there's another

wizards of a language

I don't possess

and what

kind am I

I don't know and am afraid to guess

the little here brigade

the little there

regiment

there's never room left

for me under

anyone's tent

but I can roll this one

up tight in leaves

of my poison garden

pour the resin over

soak it in

and watch it Harden

101 Curious Professions 77: Roller

what

2.3031 : 08/20/13 : Square

Draw a square

two lines

make four

two are clear

but what the others

are for

I'll give you one

though you know

you don't deserve it

and what's left

there

by all light

you better serve it

101 Curious Professions 76: Server

what

2.3030 : 08/19/13 : Nut Shell It

The vitreous crust

of the parasite classes

the change that formerly

moved slower than molasses

has quite reversed

the tide broke and run

The day I made the earth

it had well-nigh begun

They've written scores of books

on how it doesn't work

hardly one on how to fix it

me I'd rather shirk

but I can nut shell it

as easy now as later

we don't need activists

we need an exterminator

101 Curious Professions 75: Exterminator

what

2.3029 : 08/18/13 : Grind

There is a grind to everything

no real comfort in that

Goes from you can do anything

to here, you wear this hat

if you choose to do a thing

say for a hundred and one

don't complain when

you find that it's lost its fun

Back at this square again

the grind drills very fine

I think it's minus one

I know that it's all mine

One last thing on my mind

it's something I can't say

pack the grind in again

it will be back another day

101 Curious Professions 74: Grinder

what

2.3028 : 08/17/13 : Sea Change

What now

oh Lord what now

the knives are coming out

and I'm still stuck on how

I'm jonesing for

a sea change

but I've got no ship

and I can't afford

the terms

of an internship

So how do you learn

So where do you work

What happens when you're too damn old

to be a young turk?

I'll be your apprentice

but I need room and board

and at least a little bit

of gold

to rebuild the private hoard

101 Curious Professions 73: Intern

what

2.3027 : 08/16/13 : Pundits

Curse the pundits

the masters of debate

Their payloads of commoditized

and sanitary hate

God help us this is how

we choose what we all do

the marketplace

the media

the turning of the screw

God help me if I ever

Speak another word

let this be the last of it

that anyone ever heard

don't really mean that one

Couldn't if I tried

things arise and things fall

the pundits and their

packages abide

101 Curious Professions 72: Pundit

what

2.3026 : 08/15/13 : Master

Such a master

when the vultures

cease circling

I appear

have you been fooled

by all my

meekness and confusion

did you almost

come to share my

Good delusion

Every instant

never ceased to be aware

every moment

Oh you know I'm in there

and what now

is a riddle

my joke on the cosmos

why I just

ooze on up and osmose

101 Curious Professions 71: Master

what

2.3025 : 08/14/13 : Epic

Would another epic boot any damn thing

Does anybody want to see me dance and sing?

Did I really used to do it for the band

If so what the hell keeps it it before my hand?

It should be about a story but I lost my thread

Thing's got no backbone surely should be dead

Should I get into structure, the scheme obtuse

Would that nowhere tree fall any harder - what's the use

It's far from epic and redundant to boot

You got to take it out behind the barn poor son and shoot

Put us all out of your misery no one will miss it

What you waiting on now what you gonna kiss it?

101 Curious Professions 70: Epic Poet

what

2.3024 : 08/13/13 : Fortune

Wish I could see

the future

wish I knew the fortune

wish I knew

this bad old world

would manage

on its daily portion

wish I could believe in

praying for a

rich supply

failing that I wish

I could be sharper

but I'm not that guy

101 Curious Professions 69: Fortune Teller

what

2.3023 : 08/12/13 : Chaos Wrangler

Probably

got me dead to rights

guy

no chaos wrangler

well I am

I guess I have to

but I'd rather be an angler

Slow and steady patient type

but I'm not sure

how long I can wait

and the 

unknowing

disorder's

put me into

such a state

101 Curious Professions 68: Wrangler

what

2.3022 : 08/11/13 : Slate

Slate cleaner

hard reset

about the best

I'm liable to get

worn out

and again too late

and my hour is over

and the rest won't wait

101 Curious Professions 67: Slate Cleaner

what

2.3021 : 08/10/13 : Sleight

Rather than come through

here's a little sleight of hand

Talk about what

I won't talk about

hey now let's meet the band

a fan of cards, a little pass

think you're choosing

but it's just a force

I won't fool everybody all

the time

but I only have to

fool myself of course

101 Curious Professions 66: Magician

what

2.3020 : 08/09/13 : Haunt

I'm gonna haunt you

come Christmas Eve

Show you past and present

and still up my sleeve

the darkest future

a real horror-show

if that won't turn you

well I just don't know

101 Curious Professions 65: Ghost of Christmas

what

2.3019 : 08/08/13 : Shrink

I'm no one's counselor

my shit's not together

I'm sure nobody's shrink

barely know what I think

get back up on the horse

follow your light of course

not quite a self-help book

hey I'm still on the hook

will it get better soon

will I visit the moon

go ask your shrink to say

me I'm just here today

101 Curious Professions 64: Counselor

what

2.3018 : 08/07/13 : Trauma

Birth then walking

eating and talking

leaving and schooling

Who do I think I'm fooling

the trauma always builds up

life is a very very full cup

but is it full of wine or vinegar

you want a little water hah right sure

Would I trade it for the big question mark

I think I'll stick around and provoke the dark

it may be Stockholm syndrome still it's true

traumatic life oh I'm in love with you

101 Curious Professions 63: Psychiatrist

what

2.3017 : 08/06/13 : Criticize

Those who can't do it

can always criticize

Hell yeah, me too

It stinks and damn your eyes

never in my life

have I seen such abomination

gotta love the knife

so much more fun than information

every artist needs

nature to provide an enemy

been on the other side indeed

felt the vitriol so venomy

thinking sure I might

just enjoy wielding the lash

Say it should be more than a fight

shit babe I'm in it for the cash

101 Curious Professions 62: Critic

what

2.3016 : 08/05/13 : Works

Ozymandias

got nothing on this

look on these works

yeah that's your pants

you going piss

I'm pretty sure

nobody ever forget me

don't know what you want

but you're sure going to get me

101 Curious Professions 61: Warlord?

what

2.3015 : 08/04/13 : Nanny State

Yeah I could be

deemed a nanny

you should be so lucky

to wind up in my nanny state

Don't you feel strong

independent

Your fabulous fanny

Someday even you

might not be doing so great

If you pick up everybody

when they fall down

will they all just go

tipping off like pins

did we ever give the nanny state

a real chance in this town

I can see the answer by your grins

101 Curious Professions 60: Nanny

what

2.3014 : 08/03/13 : Digging

Scratch scratch

maybe just start digging

like my real first song

what kind of

crazy shaggy dog

I'm rigging

but you never know

how much how much

until you work it, gig it

You never know

how much

you're going to dig it

101 Curious Professions 59: Miner

what

2.3013 : 08/02/13 : Gone With the Grist

Maybe nothing anybody says

means anything just a low-res

simulation

and the real thing

is a snarling dumb beast

that I wanted to believe

didn't mean jack

and the beast was on the attack

and my dumb slack

was its movable feast

So someone said I might

be an essayist

What did he know

He's gone with the grist

And in case you missed it

I'm not much

to speak about

shall I tell you how

to approach a change

tell you which

Seats to rearrange

did I mention that I'm strange

just trying to dredge

one more peak out

101 Curious Professions 58: Essayist

what

2.3012 : 08/01/13 : Again, Solipsist

You called it the whores of reason

You said it not me

I hear the ranks are running over this season

It's work I wouldn't learn for free

I guess it's necessary, I've hired one true

not for myself but there but for the grace

if you get the gist

regardless of what has gotten said about you

I wouldn't bet my life I'll never

need you again, solipsist

Is it really this great law and order

that keeps the lid on this dim crusade

and all you solipsists camping the border

cashing money in on all the haterade

At least I know I'll never join your ranks

one moral screw I needn't twist

regardless of whether the whole outfit tanks

I'll remain my own tame

and harmless brand of solipsist

101 Curious Professions 57: Solipsist

what

2.3011 : 07/31/13 : Flavor

Dream of simple

milling flavor

wax and extract

touch and savor

But like always

don't know where to start

caught in transition

fail both science and art

101 Curious Professions 56: Spice Grinder

what

2.3010 : 07/30/13 : Quirk

So get back on the horse

sure but which one baby

I know what you all think

yeah well me too maybe

Got nothing against riding

I say nothing against work

So I tell myself but oh

well there is this little quirk

but I've got five sure pieces

that I know don't fit

and I see just right now

I've got no more time to sit

and try to pick the horses

from this little card

I've got to take what I've got

and ride that old screw hard

101 Curious Professions 55: Cowboy

what

2.3009 : 07/29/13 : Ask Me

Ask me anything

or better yet don't

I always think maybe you'll

notice this time:

generally you don't

I never used to think of such things

thought it would be automatic:

it wasn't

these days tell myself

nothing will happen

still disappointed when it doesn't

Well you couldn't

call it persistence

if you gave it up after 99 fails

maybe someone will want to

ask me something someday

maybe some will hear

these tales

101 Curious Professions 54: Information

what

2.3008 : 07/28/13 : Wretched Discourse

We should pay

top coin for silence

depress this

wretched discourse

the pitiable conflict

the downward trend

of course

What a show

what slings and whatsits

what pantomime

Silence should be worth

a fortune

and a bounty out

on rhyme

101 Curious Professions 53: (?)

what

2.3007 : 07/27/13 : The Only Worthwhile Goal Left

What things are unchanging

and what are just constructs

what's the tangent vector

of a postmodern line of ducts

allow me to reinterpret myself

as I rap this small grist

the only worthwhile goal left is to

become a post capitalist

101 Curious Professions 52: Post Capitalist

what

2.3006 : 07/26/13 : Super Heroics

God of Thunder

sure I once dreamed

super heroics

Young men worship

fighters

stoics

all that now

is closed to me

no magic hammer

destiny

and were my aspirations

more highly conceived

and was I deluded

and was I deceived

101 Curious Professions 51: Thor?

what

2.3005 : 07/25/13 : Jack of All Trades

I'll be your jack of all trades

sure I could do that

I'd rather be my own but

I guess I blew that

Well did they like what they saw

not my finest hour

Well hey I don't really want it

my these grapes are sour

always wanted to be the type

who mastered a single art

back to the jack of all trades

is that my destined part

there is no destiny

only circumstance and choice

may get me 8 to 5

you never get my real voice

101 Curious Professions 50: Jack of All Trades

what

2.3004 : 07/24/13 : Patient (2)

Proposing

to do the same thing again

doors closing

and me without my pad and pen

don't think of it

that way

not going

back to the asylum

but if I'm not a patient

what is my order

kingdom, phylum

and if they hand

me the keys

tell me to run it all

well they wouldn't

would they?

surely it couldn't

be the call

101 Curious Professions 49: Patient (2)

what

2.3003 : 07/23/13 : Patient

Too busy being patient

to wait up for you

and though I'm no one's patient

am sick, it's true

in deference to sickness

and fatigue's soft crush

I will opt out of further discourse

'fore my mind converts to slush

101 Curious Professions 48: Patient

what

2.3002 : 07/22/13 : Dirty

Dirty smuggler

yeah I pushed those

spices through

You know I made that run

faster than

anyone but you

but what this world

needs smuggled in

cannot be carried

in any ship

and no one

can believe the need

until they really

take the trip

101 Curious Professions 47: Smuggler

what

2.3001 : 07/21/13 : The Amazing

Take care

because the amazing

probably won't happen

so you better make the most

of whatever comes

Rough day

the afflictions

really snapping

trying to keep up appearances

in our privileged urban slums

If everyone took care

of their little patch

maybe it would be smoother

maybe things would start to flow

who will care

for all our fragile

exposition

if things go

they way they sure as hell

seem like to go

101 Curious Professions 46: Caretaker

what

2.3000 : 07/20/13 : Save the World

You say that I can't save the world

because I'm not special

and I'm not that smart

You say it's just a complex

I've got that makes

me even want to start

Sometimes I think it

doesn't really need it

but there's so much bad everywhere

sometimes I just don't know

why I even try to care

I pick away at my

own little corner

and I hope somebody's got perspective

And I admit inside I still

think that I could give it a go

but I know that I'm not really objective

101 Curious Professions 45: Messiah

what

2.2999 : 07/19/13 : No Cows

I am a poor cow herder

couldn't find a single cow

it was all strictly virtual

made it seem worse somehow

as you have done with unreal things

so shall you with the actual

a scary theory but

I've got no cows and that's factual

101 Curious Professions 44: Cow Herder

what

2.2998 : 07/18/13 : Fad

I think we need

and old-school fad

not a gadget

or an app-

egad

some enigmatic

trinket

Some lucky charm

silly

simple

no chance of harm

if I could fix

the gears of chance

that's the lottery

I'd romance

bring us together

make us feel nice

how it sits in our

hand

just like Roman

dice

101 Curious Professions 43: Purveyor of Fad

what

2.2997 : 07/17/13 : Wage Slave

Is there any cure

for disappointment

Is there any cure for regret

I quoted freedom

as the price of it

Swore I needed

every minute

I would get

is it so bad to wish for

someone else

to come in with the save

though I may be

storing disappointment up

I must believe

there's some workaround

for the wage slave

I'm not so proud

I've always been willing

I just can't afford

any more

of what it was always killing

101 Curious Professions 42: Wage Slave

what

2.2996 : 07/16/13 : Secret

Many want the paycheck

but not the work

many want distraction

the slack the shirk

All want to be special

the sparkle, splendor

no one wants to guard

your secret agenda

Let you in on a secret

want doesn't matter

I don't expect anything

served on a platter

least of all my head

but I can front a warm body

and I'll skip all of the rest

of the la-di-la-di

101 Curious Professions 41: Secretary

what

2.2995 : 07/15/13 : Comedian

Holy hell

I'm dying up here

I'm in a cold dead set

and one thing's clear

I'm no comedian

and this isn't funny

I should have stayed at home

dialed for money

Didn't put the work in

on my routine

get out the hook

I'm done with this scene

101 Curious Professions 40: Comedian

what

2.2994 : 07/14/13 : Of Fact

If I could live up to the name

I'd be worth a cool million

am I still hooked on that game?

Sure while my ink's all vermillion

but while I try to squeeze through

with my essence intact

I can see myself I'll tell you

as a finder of facts

I think I'm good at this

sure I may be deluded

Could it by my elusive bliss

So many years I fretted and brooded

probably I'll never hear back

probably the answer will come in much lower

but I'll still chase my fascinating fact

and try to take this next track

a little slower

101 Curious Professions 39: Fact Finder

what

2.2993 : 07/13/13 : So Smart

Should have

I'm not joking

Should have

been a plumber

I thought I was so smart yes

my way for sure

was dumber

I wish I had the lingo

I wish I had the tools

to everyday

be useful

and how I'd charge you fools

the problems

in the plumbing

this world is backing up

And I just shrug my shoulders

But I'd say giddyup

If I just knew the fixes

If I just packed the parts

I'm trying to find

my version

thought it goes

in fits and starts

101 Curious Professions 38: Plumber

what

2.2992 : 07/12/13 : Brick

A hundred things

flying around in my head

I get made once

how many times

must I sleep in this bed

seven thousand more

and then some

I'll ask for forgiveness

for everyone

What are we doing?

Stacking brick on brick

What are you building?

an illusion, trick

as long as there's structure

content can go whistle

as I'm gilding this lily

as I'm grasping this thistle

101 Curious Professions 37: Bricklayer

what

2.2991 : 07/11/13 : A Viking

I could have a

little bit in me

by way of the Swede

who knows

it could be

what's left to explore

what's left to conquer

I'm not the type

bit of a wonk here

no ship for a Viking

no passage no tribe

a dumb modern fable

too dull to describe

101 Curious Professions 36: Viking

what

2.2990 : 07/10/13 : 555

I'm partial to sixes, nines, and twelves

I used to say the answers

Could be on the shelves

I know a thing or two about nineteen

there was as song

oh - it was just like a bright silver screen

between five and thirty four

If someone asks me what

the number's for

I'll say I can't say

but I've got your lucky one

drop a little silver

and I'll net you a plucky one

thirteen seven

got no superstition

but a pretty little spiel

about superposition

quantum uncertainty

and similar hooey

still at five five five

it all goes kablooey

at five five five

all these fates

will line up

and deposit a new

taste

in my dusty cup

101 Curious Professions 35: Numerologist

what

2.2989 : 07/9/13 : Hooray

Hooray for you

oh human race

I know you'll manage

not to quite blow up

the whole place

and not quite to starve out

or fry

and skirt the

narrow line

'round making

killer AI

Hooray for all you

the status quo

won't quite sink you

all the way

and don't you know

though you'll never make it

Past planet four

though you won't come close

to learning life

without war

Somehow you'll keep on

stumbling through

Oh boy here comes

my hat off to you

101 Curious Professions 34: Cheerleader

what

2.2988 : 07/8/13 : Whether

Whether or not I look up

something will come down

So I better chase the hook up

Failing faith in the

former master plan

I guess I've got to become

my own weather man

Whether the weather gets crazy

like they say it might

I have to earn my daily bread

and sometimes stand and fight

injustice all around

till at the end of my tether

I'll rave out of doors

and to hell with the weather

to hell with the weather

come out and face me

I know you've made it

clear as a bell you can replace me

but I'm still standing

whether it lasts well you now

that it cannot last forever

but while it does I'm going to blow

101 Curious Professions 33: Weather Man

what

2.2987 : 07/7/13 : Perfect Game

Making games of everything

might be the better way

we've made a fight of everything

Wouldn't you prefer to play

Let's sit around make up the rules

the pieces and the board

we might just come up with a game

that couldn't be ignored

if we made a game of

taking care of one another

play pretend that anyone's

a sister or a brother

I'm such a stupid optimist

I know but just the same

It's worth a minute of your time

to dream about that perfect game

101 Curious Professions 32: Game Designer

what

2.2986 : 07/6/13 : Songwriter

Is it too obvious

be a songwriter

make it all vivid

make it all brighter

discover the secret

of the hooky pop

I'd give anything

man I'd never stop

101 Curious Professions 31: Songwriter

what

2.2985 : 07/5/13 : Greed is With Us

If you're such an artist

why ain't you poor

If I'm a greedy heathen

why don't I want more

really what use is art

anymore these days

they tuned us up so

greed is with us always

I'm turn my back on the world

I'm shut all doors

no words not a whisper

what a vacuum abhors

is the press of being

is the press of outer noise

the asylum is all around

and what the shout of art destroys

101 Curious Professions 30: Artiste

what

2.2984 : 07/4/13 : Not Crazy

We're not crazy

because we keep doing the same things

We're just

out of Ideas

and persistent

after all the

presidents prime ministers and kings

at least we tried

to be consistent

What can we do

we're put in charge of the asylum

just to do our best to

keep the peace

What are these chunks

and where on earth do we dare pile them

dear God what I wouldn't give

just for release

101 Curious Professions 29: In charge of the Asylum

what

valences and peaks

"A Scientist" (with its dubious repetition in the penultimate verse... a flub suggesting to me I had a rhyme in mind then got the line I was on mixed up and inadvertently failed to complete the couplet... what the theoretical real line may have been the world will never know...) finds us at the end of volume 2.15 of the Songs of Days, Black Book a.k.a. "Wait for the call". Independence Day 7 years ago kicked off volume 2.16, Wisdom aka "Plan Ahead".

what

2.2983 : 07/3/13 : A Scientist

I cast the stalks down

just to laugh at the result

recalling times when

my poor methods were occult

past superstition

the travails of blame and fault

I'll tear down this riddle

why my spirits and my salt

tease out its components

find its valences and peaks

reel it out and graph it

in its valences and peaks

in those long years passing

though I struggled to resist

in my inmost heart

I must remain a scientist

101 Curious Professions 28: Scientist

what

2.2982 : 07/2/13 : Beam

The center is heavy

the fulcrum's fit to snap

I need your easy yoke

but all I feel's the strap

oh to get enlightenment

shot in like on a beam

to see each particular thing

just as it might seem

I need a resting place

I've balanced on this beam too long

and cannot shake the trembling

feeling every movement's wrong

I'll find a firm foot

and though my window is scant

I'll take a perfect turn on it

the sticking place you'll see me plant

101 Curious Professions 27: Acrobat

what

2.2981 : 07/1/13 : Cosmic

Could I coach the cosmic all stars

of the mental minor leagues

Let me enjoy one last moment

of mystery and intrigue

Oh no my own career down here

falls too short in distinction

If I could boil down an essence

Some kind of intinction

Some kind of distilled wit

Of wisdom for my kids

to draw out their own cosmic play

the numerals for their grids

101 Curious Professions 26: Minor League Coach

what

2.2980 : 06/30/13 : River Passage

See my eyes

at river's edge

big surprise

below the ledge

I'm crossing rivers

on the daily

book river passage

board and pay me

I should be tireless

So much I am not

I shouldn't be restless

wanting things

I haven't got

but it's too hard

taking away what is needed

but I'm not going back

here now my tolerance has

been exceeded

101 Curious Professions 25: Ferry Man

what

2.2979 : 06/29/13 : Memory

Is memory a curse?

Am I even asking

as if it were a question?

could memories

reverse

if so might I

offer a suggestion

I have no place

to stand

to suggest

what might fall after

I know the bargain

keep the pain

to keep the laughter

101 Curious Professions 24: Mentalist

what

2.2978 : 06/28/13 : Traveler

Traveler

to seek to sell

to go beyond stars

wouldn't that be swell

the markets down here

no longer exciting

oversaturated

uninviting

who else will have

this unique flavor

choose your dark

or your light savour

choose your salt

and your solution

it's traveling

it's evolution

101 Curious Professions 23: Traveling Salesman

what

2.2977 : 06/27/13 : Redacted

Oh I'm sick of it
let's take stuff out
the
was redacted
I whipped
about
I can't tell you
what I
already
grasp your
and hold your
steady

101 Curious Professions 22: Redactor

what

2.2976 : 06/26/13 : A Scrivener

As I can't seem to believe
in the next-level network shit
Since I can't wrap my words around
to cook up the next global hit
Since even my wife doesn't read it-
no worries I've forgiven her
I swear I'm giving up the quest
and going back to being a scrivener
Yeah though I'd prefer not to
well was that ever relevant
careful in the bedroom honey
Seems we've got this elephant
What do you do with a dream deferred
Charged off and sent to collections
I can tell you all about the rubber stamp
and several duller clerks reflections
I guess I only earned my
room up in the tower
Stipends are in short supply
and you know, full many a flower
be all right with a scrivener's life
learn to adjust my preference
So as to not be clapped in chains
if you can dig my reference

101 Curious Professions 21: Clerk

what

2.2975 : 06/25/13 : Bait

Cast a thousand hooks
it seems my bait was not enticing
is it my fault I got the crumbs
some got the cake and all the icing
What are you fishing for
oh what meat would fill you
these days I'd take anything
would some small token kill you
I used logic I used love
my self reproach fit like a glove
I tried dark wrath, absurdity
could you whisper something new to me
waiting for a mentor
with a lump in my throat
tell me cast out on the
other side of the boat

101 Curious Professions 20: Fisherman

what

2.2974 : 06/24/13 : Map Pins

A working poet
but what's the work to be
redundant don't I know it
can this poor jerk get free
A hundred map pins
Every false start, stall
can't shout above these dins
nothing to shout at all
wait for my summary
you'll wait all night
more flash and flummery
I'll be all right

101 Curious Professions 19: Working Poet

what

2.2973 : 06/23/13 : Courier

I stood and I knocked and I knocked
do you deny it
You said you'd be around forever
and I always said I buy it
Whatever made me an obsessive
a perfectionist a worrier
tell me the message I'm not a prophet
just a courier
I thought I was finest
in a future past that never came
I thought I had a core ethic
elevated me far above the game
but I find I'm no better
than the message I carry
used to be afraid of armageddon
now I'm afraid of January
but I've got no play
but to carry and not complain
the only upside I deliver
but you can't ask me to explain

101 Curious Professions 18: Courier

what

2.2972 : 06/22/13 : Long Haul

I'm not steering this
or sometimes it doesn't feel it
If I could see a fresh idea
I'd for sure steal it
stayed up way too late
waiting for another little squall
just another night
on the long haul
only one question these days
whither work?
my back against the wall
that makes me feel like such a jerk
will the long haul ever end
will it get rougher, and steeper
call me if you need me
I'll be back in the sleeper

101 Curious Professions 17: Long Hauler

what

2.2971 : 06/21/13 : Artist

I need escape right
now
I am too tired of this
to think
too tired
and on the brink
I could be an
escape artist
and ditch all these constraints
a day will bring the real test
will I be among that day's saints?

101 Curious Professions 16: Escape Artist

what

2.2970 : 06/20/13 : Asset

I'm embedded
yeah from birth
displayed as an example
what an asset's worth
but what's the mission?
none will tell
and I know no other member
of my sleeper cell
how will I know
when to activate?
who tells me where
to direct my hate?
don't blow my cover
but I could use a little sign
a pair of cosmic crosshairs
my gyro to align
I can tell I'm important
by the way I feel
everyday I wake
thinking today it gets real
everyday I drift back
back into sleep
I might like to change
professions
but that curve out's steep

101 Curious Professions 15: Sleeper Cell

what

2.2969 : 06/19/13 : Box

Can I just
toss it all over
make boxes
stuff them
with the stuff
someday
show them what shock is
when I pull out
my perfect predictions
from the box
prove the visionary trip
wasn't just talk

101 Curious Professions 14: Boxmaker

what

2.2968 : 06/18/13 : The Bones

Riches aren't destined
why can't I give it up
I am doomed to be a gambler
rattling the bones in a cup
All are doomed gamblers
the outcome guaranteed
we gamble our whole world
and there's none we'll heed
Not wise ones not scientists
Not our elders sure hell not lyricists
Hand the dumb game to politicians
the business suits
theres no puppet master
but the few
spoil the fruits
And I am chasing
twelve the hard way
And thirteen for luck
on this grim bard way

101 Curious Professions 13: A Gambler

what

2.2967 : 06/17/13 : Watching

All deadlines
I won't be making
wasn't quite a plan
and the daydreams I'm shaking
I need to get off
the night watch
and change things up
despite my pronouncement
there remains the cup
this last watching
Same as it ever was
and watch as a watcher does

101 Curious Professions 12: Night Watchman

what

2.2966 : 06/16/13 : Preacher to Worms

Seek my congregation
in the lowly reaches
to testify to what
worm gospel teaches
Preacher to worms
Recognize no higher order
People don't deserve to hear
from my divine recorder
Carry my box out
after the hard rain falls
raise up my arms there on
the sidewalks of the malls
speak of the good kingdom
that lies within
and the heaven that awaits
inside my compost bin

101 Curious Professions 11: Preacher (to Worms)

what

2.2965 : 06/15/13 : Deserve Fine Ends

Deal me a royal flush
out of the devil's picture book
I confess: I wish to be
one of the idle rich
I never could contrive
to be one of those who just took
so it'll have to be raw chance
So cook the spell up Mr. Witch
So sure I will be charitable
remember all my friends
And every Sunday
I'll load up the plate
I'm certain I deserve
my fine means deserve fine ends
I'm certain that
You'll choose this as my fate

101 Curious Professions 10: An Idle Rich

what

2.2964 : 06/14/13 : Archivist

Wanted to be a mover a shaker
it seems maybe I'm not that kind
destined to be the archivist
Sorting out all that is left behind
The papers the photos the records the bills
remember when it was all stuff
these days the ephemeral lives up to its name
but in the mindshare zone it's real enough
nobody's paying, guess it's a vocation
guess it's likely all it will ever aspire too
but I keep it up for one alone out there somewhere
I know you'll find it it one day and it will inspire you

101 Curious Professions 9: Archivist

what

2.2963 : 06/13/13 : Pocket

Pocket cottage cabinetmaker
that's when I knew I was
a mover and a shaker
I've been a beller
and a royal biscuit baker
now I'm cabineting
the cottage in your pocket
with my moneymaker
corner castle keyhole greaser
make sure that everything is
quiet when you do release her
I worked my way up
with sheer skill and charm
well and with a greasy little tool
about as long as your arm
Pocket cottage cabinetmaker
I'll never forget my root
as long as it may slake her
in the back of the cottage
underneath the castle stairs
way up in every parapet
I'll bang them out in pairs

101 Curious Professions 8: Cabinetmaker

what

2.2962 : 06/12/13 : Each Earthly Object is a Pasteboard Mask

My private playthings
this handful of jacks
each earthly object is a
Pasteboard mask
You say it's merely chance and fault
that's brought me to this place
Aw have you never seen the devil
Show his face
I'll be the captain
I'll be the law
this vessel ain't no boat
but let's not hem and haw
I'll put one last dollar down
on making an escape
If it doesn't fly this time
I swear I'm turning in my cape

101 Curious Professions 7: Captain

what

2.2961 : 06/11/13 : Each One Serves

Maybe I'll just be
the dishwasher in that Buddhist hall
someone's got to do it
God knows I got the skills and all
only long forks and platters
each one serves their neighbor
even perfect harmony
requires a little unskilled labor

101 Curious Professions 6: Dishwasher

what

2.2960 : 06/10/13 : Diver

Minneapolis sewage diver
yeah I could be
some kind of poop McGuyver
They say
he wrangles a turd
like nobody's business
So glad we got him
'cause there's no end to this mess
Make it a metaphor
now that's an insult
I only want to start a little cult
of the five or so admirers
of this holy wreck
then again I might be better off
in some dim tank of dreck

101 Curious Professions 5: Minneapolis Sewage Diver

what

2.2959 : 06/09/13 : Paperback Writer

How'm I ever gonna
find the time to write the book
Dear lord I need a chorus
and a real sexy hook
I am a faker a cheater
and a biter
Stupid as it sounds
I'd still like to be a paperback writer
they made me feel so happy
when I was a boy
the little rocket sticker
on the spine they would deploy
back when I thought for me
things could only get brighter
but I need to accept
looks like I'll never be a paperback
writer

101 Curious Professions 4: Paperback Writer

what

2.2958 : 06/08/13 : Pitch

In only ten days now
my pitch will drop
no backing up this time
we never stop
When I become the pitchman
listen then:
For I shall never make or do
again
Come all and listen
Come when I propose
Speak of all the things
Someone should do those
Someone to learn the craft
and plot out every stitch
get on you toilers
I'm onto the next pitch

101 Curious Professions 3: Pitchman

what

2.2957 : 06/07/13 : 100 Days

First calendar
ten by ten
keeper of metric time
how's your when?
I set day one
when you realized
I'm fly
one hundred
by one hundred days
just a standup guy
one shouldn't get
caught up in the numbers
I should relax
and not sweat
getting counted with the bumblers
easy enough
to multiply the remains
seven thousand forty three
enlightened refrains

101 Curious Professions 2: Keeper of Metric Time

what

2.2956 : 06/06/13 : Smoke

behold my library of
fresh cut wood
I've got the lore to burn it
just so, good
condense the smoke in
my collecting bell
it isn't good for you
but what the hell
all art is just
collecting smoke and fog
my wood museum
is a travelogue
here take this vial
agarwood
one hundred years
put that on your barbeque
it brings strong men to tears

101 Curious Professions 1: Smoke Collector

what

2.2955 : 06/05/13 : Alternate

Alternate endings
and histories
gratuitously multiplying
mysteries
the old what if
written extra large
too dismal to contemplate
So sad no one's in charge
take what weird comforts
there in things could be worse
only one road apparent
it's everyone's curse

what

2.2954 : 06/04/13 : Quotidian

this the quotidian
anything new?
no by definition
anything to say?
Not yes not no
as before, to come
as above, below

what

2.2953 : 06/03/13 : Our Ways

Say things are falling all apart
say that things are fine
You've got a right to your opinion
just like I've got mine
but the truth doesn't care
what anyone might think
and when I think about our ways
my heart does tend to sink
I've been thinking too much of bad luck
of sickness and death
forget the living in the moment
and taking in my own breath
the easy fixes
just dim lights on a crooked path
trying to prop up the continuity
and dodge chaotic wrath

what

2.2952 : 06/02/13 : The Principles

Would I do better in
and hour than a minute
is it all first stroke
all in how you
begin it
Could someone please
delineate
the order of the
principles
was it the elements
the revenants
then the invincibles
I used to think
I was pretty damn smart
and I would know
how and where and when
to start
When the game gets
deadly
to whom should I go
well there's a saying
about that I know

what

2.2951 : 06/01/13 : Prediction

So that one prediction
failed again my
predilection
for the pen did not
a getting there
achieve
And snakes are all
eating their tails
I'm all about
beating
dead trails
what recourse
when there's nowhere else to leave

what