Trapped In Paradise

Is that an oxymoron?

If I told you why I was trapped,

I’d have to kill you.

It’s not a bad thing or a bad idea.

Where I am is Shangri-lha, about 30%,

more than I’ve seen elsewhere.

A wiseguy like me is just a bright flower

on the side of the road, that distracts drivers

and causes accidents. I don’t mean to, but,

there you have it.

Language has been the cause of many things

good and bad. Wallace Stevens said that poetry 

is a destructive force: it destroys misconceptions 

about perception. It shines a light into our shared 

experiences. A little should appear on all social

media platforms to aerate the bullshit, to distract

the rabble from their rabid reactions, if only for 

a moment. Getting a little bit of something good

is better than getting nothing at all. And, getting 

nothing at all is better than getting something bad.

For example, smart Mexicans speak English.

It’s a good filter to know who to relate to.