*Maintenance*

I’ve got to do some inside Maintenance, before
I can even consider having company.

I’ve got way too much junk in here, and although I could use some company, I’m dreading the ringing of the doorbell, because
I am far from ready to
Let anyone in.
Fortunately, I’m not expecting anyone.
Unfortunately.

That gives me all the more time to clean up and get to work
On the rebuild.

You can’t expect someone else to clean up your own mess.

I’ve got to do some
inside Maintenance,
Before I can even think about having some company.

I must roll up my sleeves and begin to seal the cracks that go beyond my surface,
And repair the flood of thoughts that clog my future.
I’m drained—
and in desperate need of indoor plumbing.
My soul leaks and everything is so damn drab and bland.

It’s way past time to get to work.

And when remodeling is complete and that doorbell sounds…
I will gleefully let you inside—
And we can begin building a
Happy home.

From Art of Mind III: The Evolution of a Trilogy
Copyright © 2013 Clyde Aidoo

*Empire*

I will take these two hands and with cracked then bloody knuckles I’ll build an Empire.
I will build a fortress out of rubble,
I’ll wear myself down to a stubble.
I will then make an autonomous list:
Then I will rule
with an Iron Fist.

***

This is My Empire.
It is my own.
From My Blood,
My Sweat,
My Struggle and hard work,
My Great Black Sea
from a body of hurt.
Intellectual compromise is forbidden—
I dictate law,
And so it is written:

1. What I say—Goes.
2. What I think—Flows.
3. Every line must be real.
4. Thou shalt not steal.
5. I shall write from a pure-driven place.
6. One who writes for money shall be ruled a disgrace.
7. Vain motives will result in shame.
8. Thou shalt not write in pursuit of fame.
9. Unoriginal work is the Ultimate Sin.
10. I vow to always go All In.

I welcome
Any Gender
Any Race
Any Creed:
This palace was not built
on Greed.

Even if it must be in order to endure.

Every emperor, king, and ruler
could not govern on heart & soul alone…

So I will venture where Caesar never dared,
I will equip for a battle that
Augustus never fared;
I’ll turn a Dark Age into Palatine,
and I will build it
With Hardly a Dime.

But when I build it—
Will they come?
I’ll stand by my kingdom until
kingdom come.

And should this forsaken fortress soon collapse:

My efforts will rebuild & double
&
I’ll begin once again,
rebuilding from rubble.

From Art of Mind III: The Evolution of a Trilogy
Copyright © 2013 Clyde Aidoo

*Sign*

Jay’s BBQ Potato Chips—
2/$5
Only we are too busy trying to read each other.

We both roam about this aisle—
But neither is making a move.

I feel the tension as strongly as the Peach Snapple that’s in my hands,
but without such a touch—I can’t be sure…
I feel that She, Too, is seeking confirmation of a potential barter…
But what if she really is reading the ingredients of Chef Boyardee?
Maybe we’re just another two random people placed next to one another…
but This, She, & I-Pray-Me-To-She:
Sure does feel special.

Though I can’t be certain: I feel our dire advertisement—
We Read:
“Show Me You Feel This;
Give Me a Sign.”

From Art of Mind III: The Evolution of a Trilogy
Copyright © 2013 Clyde Aidoo