World of Impostors

Val enjoys writing prose in rhymes by always leaving a message of a life truism in each piece.

Introduction

So we use alcohol, drugs, fancy clothes, possessions -- anything just to create a little myth of our happiness, maybe even character and cool appearance. Then we also play a role, and if we can't think of anything original, well, there are plenty to choose from for a "role model".

Now, while I am writing this, as if I can hear a reader or two protest: "Hey dude, don't be a spoiler trying to ruin the only game we can genuinely play!"

How true, we've been playing our impostors' games for so long that they feel like genuine expressions of who we are. Without that socially motivated self-image, our very survival instinct would start sounding its alarm signals, because we would feel stripped of all self-preserving strategies in this dog-eat-dog world.

Well, I got these three pieces of my rhymed prose that follow; so, if I haven't succeeded to ruin your mood with this introduction, feel free to torture yourselves with this pseudo-poetry of mine.

After Cigarette Smoke Settled Down

I could still remember that certain overly stern dude

who, seeing me smoke said "smokers are phony"

but he was always in some critical, crappy mood

so I took that remark as just full of a baloney.

Now that decades have passed how I don't smoke

and I see all chemical crutches as a fake cool

my "steady smoker's nerves" were a joke

as I was just a pathetic addicted fool.

Quitting was like dying, like one day at a time

without it my personality felt like full of bluffing

it was like committing some unforgivable crime

in that life void of lighting - up and crazy puffing.

But that was not me, and the dude was right

now I see all addicts with those same eyes

killing an addiction is truly worth the fight

so we don't feel like merely a disguise.

It's been even longer that I quit all booze

even my coffee, all in cold turkey fashion

suddenly to face that every lame excuse

for not seeking in life a healthier passion.

Facing my truth was a push for this new quest

I call it spiritual for exploring the me-unknown

looking for a version of me closer to my best

after abandoning that phony comfort zone.

Religious Hypocrisy

Love is in any religion most prominent word

but what do we see after millennia of its use

global hate making religions a sheer absurd

no deities to change us since Ares and Zeus.

On Sundays we go to the regular mass

Mondays we go on to hate with passion

to demonize, to curse, mock, and harass

in every available and imaginable fashion.

Reminds of "The Godfather", movie telling all

with mobsters appearing religious and true

but killing as if an answer to a divine call

with religious leaders giving same clue.

With a cross in one hand and a sword in other

we practice our faith which history can prove

lying by calling every human being a brother

unable to jump out of that hypocrisy groove.

It's like we just reserve a moment for prayer

imagining it will wash our soul of every sin

giving Jesus on Crucifix a prolonged stare

but still with boiling blood under our skin.

As for me, I've been told to be closer to God

than many a run out of the mill religious freak

my love for the mankind maybe appearing odd

but it's been cultivated privately, being my unique.

So you won't hear me ever preach of love out loud

about God, about angels, and a message divine

I'm not really mingling with any religious crowd

for, my kind of loving doesn't need a shrine.

The "Alcoholics Unanimous" Pledge: A Satire

"Let there be light! -- said almighty God

and beer got created smooth and "light"

with all drunk believers giving it the nod

once more delighted at their God's might.

Sober ones might call them losers

maybe just jealous about their highs

scared to enlist among happy boozers

the excuse being full of some cheap lies.

So, let those rivers flow of that blessed wine

that nectar from gods and goddesses alike

what's more noble goal than feeling fine

achieving that outlandish mood spike.

Those taking care of our national wellbeing

should be people with a "spirited" vision

as spirits guide them to easy agreeing

and no happy drunk causes division.

And the weaker our will, the easier we follow

let our bottle stash remain our holy shrine

even with heads pickled and hollow

let us all stick to our good wine.

© 2021 Val Karas