Bad Blood

Bad blood eventually becomes
The infrastructure all come upon
When suddenly finding oneself
Caught up and captive
In red tape and systems
Which won't dare or heed
But hide in the shadows
Occluded by vagueness
Stonewalling ideas
Rooted in greed.

Secrecy protects
Ulterior motives
Preventing solutions and
Straight common sense

No news is possible
No facts can be found
No opinions well stated
So gossip abounds

Free flowing progress
Dries up or goes elsewhere
Preventing some new blood
From healing the wounds of
An old bad blood network
Too hidden to see
Stunting the quality of
The whole community.

Kelly Voelker

Without and Within Memories

Without memories
Without a doubt
I can transform anything
From dismal to devout.

Without memories
Without a doubt
I could transform
A neglected room or house.

Without memories
Without a doubt
I would charge after
What I was without.

Without memories
Without a doubt
My life full of treasures
Fortunate to live out.

Without memories
Without a doubt
I would govern
Ideals I sought.

Within memories
Are my doubts
A true filter for these
Would create a new ease

Such as it is
Such as I AM
I will sift through
And mark some memories
As Spam.

-Kelly Voelker

I AM for now

I AM for now

A spirit symbol 

Not a name 

No ownership 

No fame

The Sun and Moon of Spirit

When my spirit faces the sun I string optimism 'round Problems and neglect. I see promise in the condemned Misused and historic relics. When my spirit faces the moon I realize I was seeing the world Through a lens of the future Not seeing right what is important In this particular reality. Not in this town Not at this time Only in this world At magical moments Appearing just often enough To keep my spirit facing the sun As an example or moment To outlast who won And during the moon I'm still here but not seen Waiting for a better day To improve what I see. -Kelly Voelker

Getting Caught Up

What would it take To get catch up with the pace Does it feel like you'll always Be losing the race? Have you fallen behind while In route of your dreams? Perhaps you have realized Nothing is as it seems. Not dreams, not your visions Not your career or provisions Not easily acquired Or maintained within hours You reasonably expected Or thought would suffice Instead you are living On borrowed money and time. What would it take to Achieve something more simple Within easier reach Not likely to stumble When satisfied within means Of a natural human Caught up is the person Who at heart is more humble. -Kelly Voelker

Feeling Alive

If not a cog in routine By what other means Shall one feel alive In this one and only Moment in time? Do you make plans For to feel this in grand Ways and splendid procession Of beautiful vehicles and things? Does one fiddle with details And manage to balance Though forward momentum Drags on and to challenge? Does one keep on moving Through space and so time Feeling each second As forward and towards Various declarations unsigned? Do schedules and clocks Demonstrate a progression Or do they block The retention of seconds Held to one's own As a moment of presence? Do constant sipped beverages Feed safeness inside Does inhaling the smoke From a ritual side Keep you in principle Engaged in this Small but true break From succeeding at tasks Meant to gain what's at stake? -Kelly Voelker

Occupy your Neighborhood

Looking out at
A day in January
Nothing moves
Winter's sequence
Slow serene.

In the upper register
Of a monochromatic sky
A small hawk tests the wind
Another follows left behind
Until two hawks glide
Side by side.

Another day of winter's still
A house cat traveling
A visual thrill
Disregarding property or fear
Meandering along, through
Between and to
A random destination near

Be the only, be the one
The moving focal point to see
The singular spectacle
The star attraction
Moving through it as you would
Only you, especially should
Occupy your neighborhood.

-Kelly Voelker