exile in poetry

o exiles
driven back into
the cluttered murky warrens
of your half-assembled dreams
take heart

we all feel like this
all of the time
some just think there profit
in pretending it not so for them
but they’re wrong
we all feel like this
all the time

o exiles
you know things that you couldn’t know
living your whole life blessed
I’m sorry but it’s true
had it gone right the whole time
you’d be well-intentioned fumblers at best
and probably assholes
almost certainly assholes

o exiles
those who would have
crushing failure forced on you by fate
the way greatness is thrust upon
superheroes in picture books or
world leaders as told in history book lies
it’s okay
you didn’t ask for this
you didn’t deserve it either
but at any rate it happened
we are exiles
in one fashion or another
underground or on main street
obvious or deep within our skin
this is what we are now either way
our expectations met the light of day
and were left wanting
this is where we are now
time to make the best of it
clutching fast the
shabby long-ignored truths of a life lived out of bounds
let us bring them back into the happy world
and rub it in their fucking faces
shame the keepers of shiny morning smiles
into making things a little less shitty
before we burn out too

o exiles
this is the victory lap
this is the back leg of the task!
we have gone off to that awful well
broken our spines dipping down the bucket
and pulled the sweetest water
limp back into the city with a song in your hearts
HERE
I FOUND THIS
I AM BACK NOW
I HAVE BEEN THROUGH MUSTY DEPRIVATIONS
AND A KARMA TORNADO OF SELF-DOUBT
AND I CARRY BETTER THINGS BACK
FROM THAT AWFUL PURGATORY
THAN YOU’VE EVER SEEN IN ALL YOUR HEAVENS
drink it up
Drink It Up
DRINK IT UP GODDAMN YOU, THIS IS GOOD FOR YOU
THIS IS AMBROSIA OF PERDITION
AND YOU’RE TO CLEAN YOUR FUCKING PLATE GODDAMN YOU
because
because
the exiles already had to

o exiles
you were ahead of the curve
and now is our time
to shine