the money shot in poetry

there’s less money in telling people
“don’t listen to anyone as your guru
not even me, you gotta find your own
path inside of you, by your own math”
than “I know everything and if you just
give me all your money and you can too”
even though the former is what’s true

people murdering each other over whether they
cut the crust off of peanut butter sandwiches
makes at least a little bit more sense than
murdering each other over religious differences
because I can at least confirm that I have in my
lifetime seen an extant peanut butter sandwich

it’s not that I’m insensitive
it’s not that I’m inflexible
the gurus are just either running
some confidence scheme or they’re
crazy but again try to be sensitive
if one or the other offends you, guru
I’ll happily give you the other label
if you don’t want to be called mad
I will happily call you a grift
if you don’t want to be call a con-man
I’ll happily say your mind’s gone adrift
but one or the other, sir guru
one of the other, my brother
trying to find your truth outside you
is a good way to find your soul smothered