The mind boggles the spine tingles You find silence stare into space behind eyelids Is that a floater or a vision? Can’t tell if it’s visual stimulus or residual mental shit but I’m with it Life ain’t shit and I’m livid but sticking with it Staring at the shadows on the wall because I couldn’t stand it all The bright lights the sex the fights the kids playing on swing sets the sun sets The four dimensional chess of the day to day The color palettes the flickering of flames Constant bickering the platonic blue in the sky Heaven is a place where there’s nothing to do It’s done Heaven is a place where two fingers extended is a bunny hopping It’s quiet there Time to think, there’s no sun and no moon it’s all one It’s a quiet catharsis I’m narcissistic I’m carsick let’s pull over and park here it’s dark here can’t even see the shape of the shadow We’ll start there/ heaven is nowhere Anyhow Let’s skedaddle Get the fuck outta here Configure the inner ear root down ground through the toes The inner organs align with the planets It goes on and on... The mind boggles... The only constant is change I promise you my mind is insane Look, I’ve been going through some problems and it’s probably the same Thing that I’ve been through before, look I remember that first line But every time it gets this way it feels like it’s the first time It feels like the end Like not another step But I’ve got to fucking get myself together this is not a joke and this is not done yet This is not a test and I’ll probably forget the lessons anyhow I am just a fish that swims about but I never noticed the water...

I feel love here but that’s not all and it can change in an instant Physical being a strain on the system The spirit is willing but the body is weak and plus the brain is resistant Campaign for change and yet the pain is persistent The mind seeks a pattern and then wouldn’t you know it but every day is no different The mind seeks a pattern and wouldn’t you know it but every day is the same Same old argument, just circling the drain Playing a part like Bill Murray Been here before but I’m still worried Every day it’s the same Drink Listerine, brush my teeth with crystal Nah, I'm actually living clean, just feeling wistful Can’t put that bullet back in the pistol and that’s surely for the best But even so the mind wanders right on schedule It’s both routine and incredible Maybe it was written but that shit was illegible A poorly drawn map on the back of an envelope Only shards remain and now they’re placed on a pedestal Can’t decipher the meaning, that’s part of the allure No one knows just what the thing is for I feel love here but that’s not all and it can change in an instant Physical being a strain on the system The spirit is willing but the body is weak and plus the brain is resistant Campaign for change and yet the pain is persistent You know you made it when your meetings are arranged through assistants And you can’t be bothered to take the blame for your missteps You can’t be taking any missteps Can’t be missing shots even the ones not taken Ought to be a beautiful use of negative space And the basic breath in and out is probably not worth your time Something is supposed to be happening

The word on the page, dead as a whale carcass at the bottom of the ocean A spark of life is imparted as it’s spoken, I got you open The drum break broken how it’s supposed to be Ghost in the machine is hard-coded like god wrote it Triplets decoded as the information flows Fruit flies hovered as the still life decomposed Even so the canvas captured the golden hour, produce rendered immortal The viewer enters a portal It’s all there the paint dries the image is never frozen Pigment on the canvas and the lead becomes golden The light of creation, the philosopher’s stone, the fire stolen Listen close, that’s no monotonous drone it’s a resonant frequency I’m letting it speak to me And you should do the same The world is rebuilt in each moment Doors of perception blown wide open Dorothy in a technicolor world kaleidoscoping

If I pass go, I’ll probably be the last to know This cat’s flow is sort of marginal Admittedly, but it’s for me mostly not for you Process over product Something I feel I’ve got to do I’m talking about practice without end The comedian standing still until it gets funny again It’s hard to explain but keep trying The word yes written on a vaulted ceiling in eight-point Arial Climbing up to see it feeling skeptical But it’s just as good as they said in the reviews A technical tour de force Meditation on the human condition And there’s always more of course Different ladders to climb to a different message See if anyone will listen Realize the vision, realign the system People time just isn’t on the calendar Nothing much around here for a scavenger But there’s always a few scraps, those early worms drawn to the surface by the sound That ever-present hum Cassette tape hiss as the earth’s magnetic field subtly shifts Suddenly the plans are scuttled Your man’s befuddled Just as sane as you

Well I don’t know what I was trying to find Looking through the whole house but it wasn’t mine, not really Teaching my daughter tricks for dancing on the ceiling I’m Gene Kelly, I’m Gene Krupa I’m King Koopa All these years later I know the code for Contra Still remember my friend’s phone number I saw him recently and we exchanged polite greetings Nothing else to say, back to dancing on the ceiling Securing my own oxygen mask and deeply breathing Pronouncing all the silent letters quietly seething without reason Without limit, I’m Master P But never even been a fan actually I feel like I’m a different man, maybe I am, that’s the key But Gus Johnson got the key Probably so did Philly Joe Despite the historical record it’s hard to really know The past was checkered, laid out in black and white Tossing and turning I was up half the night Trying to find the one, it’s got to be around here somewhere The rhyme is done when the rhyme is done Got a couple ideas, wonder if their time has come But it’s always right now, half the planet’s dark Can’t even see the target when I’m tossing the dart Hey I’ve been lost from the start Exploring the story’s possible arc, the character’s growth The narrator unreliable Navigation system broke, spitting smoke, sputtering I’m sitting there muttering It’s therapeutic Got the maps application but I barely use it Destination so distant, the route taken hardly makes a difference The parallel lines converge on the horizon Non-Euclidian, time diminishing A couple mutually exclusive singularities and I’m just sitting in The corner losing my religion all about the visions I’m a simpleton Televised event, Snoop and Martha Stewart crip walk at Wimbledon Strip malls on everything Don’t it always seem to go What the hell is going on, strictly on a need to know basis Found some virgin forest and they paved it Named it arbor view without any sense of the frame shift The place is peaceful, plenty of frozen yogurt and a sculpture of an eagle Clutching something Trust the process, country bumpkins turn to billionaires Couple million here, couple million there Soon enough you’re talking real money or as real as it gets They can poison the sky but it’s still sunny I’m chilling I guess, but still it feels funny Not attacking windmills when they’re spinning real smugly Word to Don Quixote

The work’s done when we’re truly indivisible Riddle me this, is there any thought that’s truly original? They’re replaying history’s hits and the crowd loves it The sage leaves it; the artist floats above it and also through it Well a fish that noticed the water and wished that it could go further would die on dry land Starfish should know their limitations but they can also build a new hand and arm if need be But me I’d freely admit to this: I’ve got to measure twice and cut once The stakes are high enough the river is wide and plus The way I understand it the ocean is deep I’m throwing up peace signs at all times it’s the thought that counts, sort of I heard that if you want it bad enough War is Over But then the culture wars became the whole culture Civil society full of soldiers and the military industrial strength and family sized Register the panic in these mannequin eyes...

Capitalist like an angler fish Dangling six weeks of paid vacation Management sits on yoga balls discussing a diversity initiative and the importance of communication Nine to five is how you survive but if you just want to survive you’re in the wrong place We’re trying to thrive I’m talking 10x returns The valuation’s only inflated after the stock price has cratered That’s hardly a problem after the major shareholders have liquidated I’m invigorated, dick hard as a rock at the board meeting We adjourn and I say gentlemen, let’s do it again but this time with more feeling And indeed it was better on the second time through Comptroller was hitting all his cues Like it’s a Broadway musical The financial projections were beautiful You couldn’t follow it with a mathematician Not knowing too much is probably more than half the mission Key to a successful acquisition Keys to the city if you play those cards right It's just the luck of the draw Now don’t go acting goofy asking what the fuck is it for It’s growth Got to get this shit sewn like a stockinet stitch So I’m trying to get rich like some chocolate chips American dream a bottomless pit Cause you’ve got to just get Until you find There’s no time to just sit Got your mind on your money and your mind on the fritz The mind tricks the body, body thinks we gotta stay on this grind and won’t quit Borderline manic, all the time panicked any moment it could vanish Smoke and mirrors, cash rules everything I hope it can heal us Banking system stay doling out some dope for the dealers Line up to get a fix, sign up for credit risk And then head out and try and get some better shit Act like you need to do it Attach some meaning to it When times are hard trust the invisible hand to lead you through it And that’s word to Adam Smith Plus life liberty and the pursuit of material wealth as a theory of self And substitute for happiness for your reptilian brain I’m chilling I’m feeling insane The mind is reeling I got skin in the game I’m buying and selling I’m watching the market And looking for some values... I’m buying low and selling at the peak Break it down and sell it at a profit to the meek You know that’s living the dream

Thinking about these things that I've seen, all these memories It's got to be more than brain chemistry The leaves that are green turn to compost annually A wheel within a wheel Vocabulary spill so I can tell you how I actually feel Passionately real, there's no plan B Glad to sit and chill inside this pande- monium Losing my mind, I'm not the only one Holding on until the hope is truly gone I'm moving on but staying right here Yeah, I'm afraid of the fear itself, but also the unknown Abandonment Gun violence You know I'm standing in the silence with a mind that gets distracted by the minor shit Blinded by the science even as it enhances the view Can't even handle the truth Don't understand what it do There's no use planning my moves You know life is not a game of chess It's mostly pain and stress and still we keep on saying yes- And Improvising through it Trying to identify the simple lines that combine to make the music of the spheres You know, a wheel within a wheel Vocabulary spill unless and until...

By the light of what grace remains I hate this game But I’m trying to find some love for the players in it Got a lot to say but I can really only stay a minute A shame, isn’t it, but it stays sweet-scented And I say a rose by any other name would be a miracle Rather, a marigold with roots in some compost Lovely how I let my mind float as this time goes by And every sunset’s a signpost I try and focus on these three dimensions But my daughter keeps on getting bigger and these days just keep on ending I saw the sun rise today so I can prove that Every day’s a new day whether the same shit or new shit Hard to know just what the truth is They say that time is an illusion But this is mid-life and I’m trying to understand some things before I’m through with this Every single sunset’s a signpost I’m looking for directions I’m asking stupid questions Take the beat and loop it make some new shit Repetition is the movement Perfection is the target Zeno’s paradox can lead you to it I’m halfway home... (Chorus) The time’s coming, it’s so late The mind keeps running but there’s no escape I try to slow the pace, there’s no hope for that The mind keeps running yeah I’m known for that I got plots and schemes or maybe hopes and dreams I guess it’s both those things I’m trying to grow some wings You know the world keeps revolving, on earth, as it is Your worth, has to get connected to some revenue The fashion is just flashing the material I’m after the ineffable Once you find it, kill it, find out what it meant to you Kill it on principle, kill it then begin anew You know the world keeps revolving As it is in heaven, change is the constant I’m asking stupid questions, aimed at the target, it’s moving Not sure what I’m doing but committed to the process Mysterious as Loch Ness Experience the lightness Experiment with kindness I’m here to see what life is Then get the hell out

Mankind affects the climate but can't predict the weather You know I'll infect your mind with the sickness, it's getting better I spit whatever comes to mind when I am of the mind to My mind moves with a mysterious swiftness Bear witness If you can bear to watch or rather listen to how I'm doing this And doing that, this goes to you in back Moving back and forth, the head nod's involuntary The breath slows, stress goes to zero Asymptotic Just ask your people how we got it if you didn't know We got lyrics to go, the music's all original And this is all a game but it's as serious as life And if you think that was a paradox, I guess you didn't follow me Now follow me The answer's got to be out there somewhere Just got to ask the right questions FIxate on the correct obsessions As I bless the sessions with these existential, self-referential, extra lovely offerings Slick as silk socks on an ice rink Everything can change in an eye blink But I am And therefore I think That nothing's going to change my world

The poets sit silently contemplating the variety of emptinesses on the blank pages Sipping a cup of tea content with all the wisdom of the ages A BDP tape plays somewhere off in the distance Heads nod in appreciation of the historical significance All the ideas have already been had No more need to grab the pen and pad The eyes don’t want to see it and the ears don’t want to hear it No reason to write another lyric Drum breaks already broke There’s only twenty six letters and twelve notes A new joint is just a fool’s errand Nothing left to invent That time already been spent This right here is not exactly Beethoven’s tenth New ideas rarer than a giant panda A million monkeys working together couldn’t tap out a single worthwhile rhyming stanza You could try to find an answer but you’re better off mining for bitcoin That same million monkeys can surely guess a password History repeats so you can see the future by looking backward Backward looking by future the see can you so repeats history But what’s life without it? And here I am writing about it And why not?

Surrounded by love but there’s also venom in it I’m trying to do my thing up in it At times feeling like some sort of dimwit Fiddling with knobs so I can filter out a certain part Make a living from the job but living is the work of art I’m Michelangelo’s David, combined with kinetic sculpture I’m spinning out In and out of consciousness Got to stay on top of things cause that bottom is bottomless Explore it like the Nautilus Ignore it like political promises While choosing the lesser evil The devil you know but when that face show, it’s still oh, I never expected to see you Hope you’re here to do what’s best for my people But let’s be truthful The devil’s greatest trick was being useful This is my home but it’s communal So welcome back What’s mine is yours Take it with no sign of forced entering Not so much as an awkward line of questioning Just settle in as a rent-free resident Take the upper floor any time you feel like visiting It’s alright but not the future we had been envisioning Vision isn’t everything Right here in the present cause the future’s too limiting

Write it and spit it out, grab it out the ether Got to get it out, hear it through the speaker Just to figure out, what this shit’s about Follow the bouncing ball A coiled snake whenever the iron is warm Slight breeze in the eye of the storm Birds chirping in the quiet of dawn And what’s left to be said? Holding my baby daughter as the sun rises in the east-facing hospital window, wife in the bed Spiders in the attic already spinning their webs to catch the sunlight So it goes Harvesting the seeds from a tobacco plant born from an idea Call it playing god if you will Vows exchanged in that same sun’s rays mentioned previously It’s a big web Relaxing with the family outside the museum, head full of images Hiking on the the Lafayette Ridge and it’s panoramic The crack of the snare Surprise of a poem The seventh mile of a trail run, heading home Just got to get it out the ether Never really considered a different route Maybe you didn’t either I guess maybe you had to be there

(In god we trust) There’s no president that’s dead enough to represent this union correctly Washingtons go to wifey She’d rather have bitcoin ever since it got pricey (Spending them Jacksons) Talking about whose face is on the twenty Who the hell is holding paper money? Who the hell’s exchanging goods and services? I’m trying to get paid for doing work that’s rooted in worthlessness And what’s the point in doing shit? Better to maneuver with irrational exuberance Once you sink your tooth in it you find it’s sweet as honey Spends so well you probably won’t care if it’s even money Maybe the system’s broken Sell the a capella ad-lib as a non-fungible token Control the means of production if that's meaningful to you And if it’s beautiful that’s cool, so much the better A lot of people like that but really just get that cheddar Just do whatever catch the fever, watch the throne, watch the floater That’s a creature, that’s the spirit I’m a true believer, this is not a lyric That is not a pipe, things are not alright although all told they’re really pretty good...