8917 Echiquier
[by S. David][art by Fitnat Katircioglu]

What are the rules
How do you play
This game and
This game is it
Just a game when
The situation
Changes so fast
So musically
So fluidly watch
You see more
Reflections of
Reality so very
Bizarre but so
Is reality and
Anyway who is
Playing and
Are there stakes
We know nothing
About anyway there
Are sneak attacks
Moves no one
Can contemplate
But is it just
A game then
So what life
Is also that way
What are the stakes
What are the rules
Whose turn is it
Anyway

30§ [Orig 8/20/11] http://artistepeintrefitnat.jimdo.com/

9037 Trojan Defense
[by S. David][art by Michael Cheval]

Formidable
Ah and noble
For a certainty
His pursuit
Must succeed
His gamesmanship
Incomparable
And he had
Begun the chase
By ensuring she
Knew the rules
Of the game
Though she was
Sweetly coy
Temptingly he
Offered her
A sacrifice you’d
Call it a knight
She knew it
As a horse he
Set it as
A Trojan Horse
The prize for
Success would be
The key she left
Nonchalantly
Dangling
To her suite her heart
The belt she wore
To preserve her
Chastity
Perhaps all three
For was he not
Too a prize
To be gained
In exchange

36§ [Orig 12/23/11]http://chevalfineart.com/

9007 War
[by S. David][art by Drew Tal]

There are ghosts
Here
Ghosts and visions
The past
The past
Weighs heavy
And the weight
Is never
To be released
For if there are
Differences
There will be
War and
Suffering and
Death and
True believers
Fanatics and
Professionals
Will seek
Conquest
To what end
There is no end
There are reasons
Then is no reason
There are only
Excuses for
War
Silly stupid
Plays on words
Those who offend
Must defend
Against an offense
And it is in
Truth always
An offense

35§ [Orig 11/25/11]http://www.drewtal.com/

9015 Aggression
[by S. David] [art by Tarak Mahadi]

Burn
Rape
Destroy
Ah the good
Old days
When
Young bucks went
To vandalize
Their neighbors
Another clan
Tribe nation
Prove you are
A man
Rape the bear
Wrestle the woman
Damn fools
No no no
Formalize the brutality
After all
We’re civilized
Riot loot and
Oh yes fire still
But we’re civilized
Code duelo
Foils pistols
No no no
Competitions
Athletics
But still
What about
Those without
Muscles in
Their heads
Serious chess
War games
Today to
Empathize with
The violence
Feels good

39§ [Orig 12/02/11]
http://www.brooklynartproject.com/profile/Tarakmahadi?xg_source=activity

9014 Fade into You
[by S. David][art by Nyahzul]

Fragments
Bits pieces
Of memories
Oh heart
Oh love
Disappearing
Time does
Soften edges
Pain
Ecstasy
An ache
A glow
And yesterdays
Fade into you
And you
Fade into
Memories
Are you
Happy

19§ [Orig 11/29/11]http://nyahzulart.com/home.html

9050 Light my Way I
[by S. David][art by Nagualero]

Staring
Comfortably
Sitting
Storing the
Thoughts
Going where
Thoughts will
Scattered across
The night and
Some stray that
Had lost its way
Caught irked
Had the night
Reach deep and
Watched it rise
From within
“What use
What worth
What end
This comfort
Nothing
Nothing done
Has meaning
Beyond
The moment
Oh for a spark
For a light
To lead me
On a path
That has value
And lasts”
His mind raced
Tossing this
That thought
Aside perverse
Then a light
A flame in
The sky and
Some God
Laughed
Held on high
A match

42§ [Orig 12/30/11]https://www.facebook.com/nagualero OR
http://www.nagualero.com/nagualero/ABOUT_THE_ARTIST.html

8618 Ying Yang
[by S. David][art by Nata Ibragimov]

Dichotomies
Dichotomies
Lead to
Taxonomies
Make
The pieces
The parts
Easier
To see
Finding
Differences
Labeling
Separating
Thee and me
Boundaries
Yet
Yet
Recognition
A little bit me
In you
A little bit you
In me
But
Remember
Don’t forget
Just parts
Parts of
A whole
You and I
Become us
Become we

31§ [Orig 11/27/10] http://www.nataillustration.com/

8879 New Beginning
[by S. David][art by Nadia Wolinska]

Spirits
Avatars
The Gods of
The past
All observed
All helpless
Science
Art
Faith
All helpless
There was
There is
None
No explanation
Reality
Will not hold
Surreality
Cannot
Contain
Time no
Longer forced
Into
Linearity
A point
The point
New
Beginning

27§ [Orig 7/17/11]http://www.universallogos.com/

8872 Spaghetti to your Onion
[by S. David]

Can you hear
Can you hear
There are two parts
To this conversation
And it’s lame if we
Keep repeating the same
Thing over and again
Not a circle nor even
A spiral think rather
You are an onion and
I am a hard-nosed piece
Of spaghetti that gets
Lost and returns again
Again cutting through
Even traveling along
A layer’s edges I’m
Trying I’m trying to
Explain but it’s not
Always the same looking
Looking starting in the same
Place you’re my ground but
Which part of you I sometimes
Go a wandering but there’s so
Much in your world in mine I
Don’t always have a chance to
Revisit you is it a curse
A blessing do you want me
To always come back you’ve
Changed sometimes in my
Eyes sometimes your call
Starts you’re so strong in
In the same place but sometimes
Sometimes I’ve changed even
When hearing your call again
But this isn’t even all hello
Again new sauce eh

34§ [Orig 7/15/11]

8841 Alice and Others
[by S. David] [art by Karla Capralli]

Finally relaxed
It did take a while
And now she’s
So at ease
It looks like
She’s replaced
The queen and
Simply now is
Holding court
But it isn’t
Her party no
No rather she
Just dropped in
After following
Some cupcakes
As they were
Flying by and
There he was
Dapper and mad
The hatter and
But
Where was
His vest she
Had seen him
Wearing a vest
When it all
Started that strange
White rabbit
Ah but tea
And cupcakes
It was enough
She did feel
At ease

33§ [Orig 5/23/11] http://caprali.com/photos/

8922 Fallen Unicorn
[by S. David] [art by Beth Carter]

It’s just no good
No more
Wrong
Wrong world
Wrong time
Harder and
Harder to find
Another
But
Can’t leave
Stuck
Had to
Stay behind
The rest
They left
Once
Once upon a time
Ah nobility
Song and praise
And of course
Petted
Loved
No more
No more
Little girls
To adore
Him so
Side stepped
Into
The last dimension
Open to him
Pan’s there
A few others
Pan’s running
An inn
Keeps for him
A trough
Of applejack

38§ [Orig 8/29/11] http://www.bethcarter.co.uk/

8500 Difference [ic8]
[by S. David] [art by Dave Foss]

There is
A story
To be told
Beyond
Love
Beyond
Sex
Though not
Beyond
Desire
A juxtaposition
Naked or
Nude for
She exposes
Her soul
Gives
Beyond
The body
Worth
To enfold
To encompass
Gentle desire
In
A failing
World

25§ [Orig 9/03/10] http://www.davidfoss.com/

7717 Remote Control
[by S. David] [art by Laurie Lipton]

Years together
A good statistic
And yet
Age health
But the passion
The passion was
Not quite dead
Yet too much
Though was
In their heads
Fortunately
In both
Their heads and
Even at times
The same time
But sometimes
One or the other
Could not
Yet they did
Love each other
Made love to
Each other
Sometimes
By memory
Sometimes
By remote control

26§ [Orig 4/27/09] http://www.laurielipton.com/

8565 Yggdrasil [untitled]
[by S. David] [art by Dave Foss]

Life
Life
The World Tree
Spawner of life
It’s roots
Run deep
Its branches
Spread tall
The seasons
Though
Still govern
Though
Few remember
Even fewer
Return
But return
She did
Homage
Or prayer
Or something
Else
She stood
Reached back
To touch
To feel
The bark
Its roughness
To the Heavens
She looked
Intoned
A chant
To the All - Father
A perfect
Offering

34§ [Orig 10/18/10] http://www.davidfoss.com/

8958 Tired Swing
[by S. David] [art by Saskia Kahn]

It matched her
Body
Mood
Reality
She did not
Sleep
Well too much
On her mind
How to end
A relationship
That was
Ending
Here they were
A kids’ park
Sitting on
A tired tire
Swing
Motionless
No energy
From her
No help
From him
Both lost in
Their own worlds
Each wondering
How to
Say goodbye

27§ [Orig 10/08/11] http://saskiakahn.com/

8868 The Art of Politics
[by S. David] [art by Ekaterina Smirnova]

But the blood
Was up
The frenzied fed
Crowds grew yes
Feeding frenzy
All art lost
“Peace peace”
Cried
The organizers
“Perhaps wait see
We can achieve”
But anger hatred
Ruled the art
Of politics bowed
Stones flew
Armed fear
Responded
Civilization
Wavered
It is only
Veneer
Rules must be
Enforced
Civilization
Group minds
Give the lie

28§ [Orig 7/07/11]http://www.katapostrophe.com/portfolio/menu.html

7718 Leashed Passion
[by S. David] [art by Laurie Lipton]

They are
Barbarians
After all
Have to be
Civilized
Have their
Passions
Leashed in
Learn to
Accept
Society’s
Limitations
A long process
An entire
Childhood
And not always
Effectively
Imaginary
Playmates
Of all types
And species
And even with
Loving families
There are
Temper
Tantrums
Destructive
Urges and
Imaginations
That run wild
And free

31§ [Orig 4/27/09]http://www.laurielipton.com/

8955 If Things were Perfect
[by S. David] [art by Johannah O’Donnell]

But they’re not
Perfect
Even here
A world you
Do not know
Cannot see
And probably
Would not
Imagine
But she
Faced
Discrimination
Bigotry
Racism and
Specieism*
Call it
What you will
For even
The thought
Of loving him
But he was
Willing to
Suffer all
The insults
Challenges
For choosing
So far
Beneath him

28§ [Orig 10/08/11]http://johannahodonnell.carbonmade.com/
*poetic licence

7961 Shadow Dancer III
[by S. David] [art by Dave Foss]

Form
Figure
Almost
An abstract
And yet
Against
The windowpanes
Bright
Casting
Shadow
You knew
She danced
She posed
Poised
And yet
She did not
Invite
Her nudity
Did not
Apprehend
Thoughts
Of lust
Of seduction
Only art

24§ [Orig 9/20/09] http://www.davidfoss.com/

7533 Spiritus
[by S. David] [art by Craig La Rotonda]

Needs
Desires
Wants
Conflicting
With
Reality
Bring me peace
Bring me love
Peace of mind

Hello there
You with
The quiet soul
The sweet spirit
Come teach me

I looked
I saw
Her so peaceful
Centered

And the dove
Flew
From her
Shoulder
To mine
She opened
Her eyes
Turned
Looked at me
“Can you
Share
My reality”

30§ [Orig 1/07/09] http://altpick.com/craiglarotonda