Never too Blind to See Reality

my eyesight’s getting more blurry

everyday but I don’t worry

I'm, still, able to see too many

fraudulent fakes who don't have any

love for people who have a clue

about the atrocities that they do

and every lie they will use

to keep all progress off the news

I can’t stand listening to ignorance

Forest Gump had a better chance

at comprehending economics
than any of these redneck pricks
who create problems they can't fix 

let's take them all out to the sticks

line them up along the border

while they’re gone we’ll restore order

when they try to build their wall

we’ll find replacements for them all

when they're returning to D.C.

we’ll call homeland security

ship them off to Guantanamo Bay

their own policies ensure they’ll stay

I hope that by twenty-sixteen

all the inequalities that I've seen

will be nothing more than folklore

there’ll be no reason for a class war

no more violating rights and liberties

no more troops being sent overseas

my eyesight gets worse every day

I don't need eyes in order to pray
for humanity to have more humanity
I'll fix my eyes when the truth is pretty
my whole life the truth's been ugly
and these idiots keep acting smugly
like Fox News when they tell stories
they think that killing will bring us glory
a huge storm of lies that keeps pouring
because the truth is, just, so boring
with a president who has integrity,
intelligence, resolve and dignity
it infuriates everyone who's ignorant
manipulated by the one percent
it's good their voters are dying off
we, the liberals, are smart not soft
they hate anyone who is different
claiming "Jesus" makes them do it
my eyesight might be getting worse
but the words I speak are a curse
to all of the greedy, fake haters
who will, soon, be facing their maker

©July 2014 – Tamara Imes-Nicholas

Mother Means Heartbreak

I know how often I told you

how much I, truly, love you

how often I said how proud I am

of what an intelligent young man

that you’re becoming

and how un-becoming

we’ve been to each other

but, son, I am your mother

I don’t expect you to understand

I never wanted to raise my hand

to you, no I never wanted to

be your mom and your dad too

I know you’re angry with me

angry at things that you don’t see

this isn’t how either of us want to be

and no matter what you think of me

no matter how much I seem to be

blaming you for many things

please believe me when I say

that I will never walk away

I will always have your back

no matter who comes to attack

I hope you know within your heart

I am not scrutinizing your part

that you were sent here to play

I forgive you every single day

I know you forgive me too

for the anger I show to you

please know none of it is true

out of the shit I say to you

because most of it belongs to

everyone else except for you

I’d trade my life for your happiness

I know I’ll never be at my best

with how my life’s become a mess

which leaves me feeling so hopeless

I’m tired of being let down

I’m sick of causing you to frown

you don’t deserve to be treated badly

you deserve a mom and dad but sadly

you’re stuck with the worst part of me

I, really, wish you could still see

the mom I used to be before

I lost everything and so much more

the best years of my life were spent

with you and your dad before he went

and I wish I could give the world to you

I wish that neither one of us knew

how fucked up most people are

tonight I wished upon a shooting star

for you to have all you’ll ever need

and all you’ll ever want without greed

the scariest thing in my life has been

not being able to know if or when

I’d ever be a good mom again

I felt so happy on that day when

you told me I was a good mom

now it seems like my life is all wrong

maybe I’ll be blessed one last time

to know all your respect is, truly, mine

even better to know I prepared you

for the fucked up shit people will do

never again will anyone hurt you

forgive me for all I put you through

I know you know I never wanted to

but want has very little to do

with what life gives us “chosen few”

just remember what we came to do

remember that we have to go through

painful lessons that we’ll hold onto

long after we’ve done all we agreed to do

my heart will forever belong to you

no matter what you do or don’t do

©February 21, 2015 – Tamara Imes-Nicholas

Some Assembly Required

nobody tells young women and men

what to expect when either has children

yes, we know they don’t have a user’s guide

it would’ve been nice to know about the slide

with a long, downward spiraling descent

leading to desperation that’s permanent

a noose made from years of tears and regret

the random memories we’d like to forget

most of us know we’ll never find perfection

it doesn’t correlate with the “human condition”

there is one thing that all of us are told

a love so deep it never grows old

many of us heard fragments of discontent

not taken very seriously as they came and went

fast forward to my own tiny, little bundle of joy

nurses go crazy; blonde curly hair on my boy

I heard, all the time, how fast the times goes

everyone agreed about how fast they grow

in reality within the grand scheme of all things
even good moms and dads are just human beings

what you’re told and who told you isn’t relevant

there’s nothing easy about being a good parent

© February 13, 2015 – Tamara Imes-Nicholas

Getting to know you

Take this poll since you never leave comments about loving or hating what you read.

Thanks and have a blessed day.

Take the Watch off Your Wrist

pardon me, but I (most) definitely insist

upon telling the whole world why I’m pissed

well, at least, one of my numerous reasons

from my list that gets longer like the seasons

regardless the length listing all my complaints

number one upon my list has many constraints

confining countless ex-cons who’ve rehabilitated

unable to get jobs – recidivism isn’t fabricated

criminal justice system is clearly an oxymoron

the patriot act’s responsible – desperation pours on

drowning the goals, potential and (even) hope

they learned to create trying not to drop the soap

wealthiest country on earth – most incarcerated

pray we don’t elect any more mentally exacerbated

our government is supposed to be exemplary

meanwhile its policies treat citizens on the contrary

like I said earlier this is, just, one of many on my list

if I wasted your time take the watch off your wrist

©February 12, 2015 – Tamara Imes-Nicholas

Batter Up

kaleidoscope of energies

melodrama causes spirits to collide

they're quintessentially extinct

franken-fiber replaced all that was real 
stopping up my bowels making bloated cramps

I'm moving past resentment towards discernment

after anger seethed from every pore

the fire of love burned deep in my heart

mere words cannot articulate their hatred

a war of wills waged and raged over fate

surpassing all their players in this game

eyes forward, focusing, fixed on my goals 

discretion, unlike freedom, is not God given

I'll hit their balls, relentlessly, out of the park
gamblers get out your cash - bet big and fast

my batting average is better than theirs
which doesn't matter when they're a "no show" 
they lost track of time trying to find their balls

©2007 – Tamara Imes
Edited (rewrote) February 13, 2015 - Tamara Imes-Nicholas

Thank You!

I, just, wanted to give (another) shout out to all the people who have stopped by to read my work.

So, for the last month, I am showing readers (viewers) from the U.S., Russia and France. (Listed in the order of "most views.")

Thank you for taking time to read my work, I truly appreciate your taking time out of your days to have a look.

Again, it would be very helpful if some of you (even if it's just one person) would comment on whatever you've read. I need to know if you like or dislike what I am doing.

Anyway, thank you very, very much for taking time. I love all of you for doing so.

I Refuse to be a Cliche

cliché for me to say

how we hurt those

we love the most

I don’t have to try,

it seems, these days

even when I’m

making a joke it hurts

how was I supposed to know?

he always knew when

I wasn't serious before

hell, for the longest time

it was all I could do 
to get him to 
take me serious

when I wasn't joking

now, with all the pain

my body’s in daily

added to the stress

created by my inability 
to move us forward

I've tried everything

I can think of while living 
the definition of insanity

as I kept trying the same things

hoping for different results
been doing this shit too long
to expect anything
especially results that result
in my employment
within professional professions
where I work circles
around my peers and supervisors
sadder than my exile
from careers that pay well
unable to obtain, even, a
"less than minimum wage" job
all the while knowing,

deep inside, I’m out of moves

which terrifies me as a mom,

having zero control of

where he and I are headed 
despite trying so hard 
to change the energy 
within me and, after 
succeeding at that,

my boy walks in without
any conscious agenda

dismantling everything

I've worked on all day

he’s much wiser and more mature 
than all the kids his own age

he's had his eyes opened wide

to see, first hand, how 
fucked up people are, 
even, if they’re family

but it is a very important fact 
I've been trying to explain 
(my attempt to ease the blow)

it was he and I against the world

but, lately, it’s been him against me

and, that, I cannot take - ever

I’m struggling to hold it together

within the circumstances

we've been in for too long

I know it’s taken a toll on him

it shouldn't be this way for us

what more do You want? 
You, the one who's running the show, 

haven’t I proved my loyalty?

I may have questioned things

for a moment here and there

but I have never been fool enough 
to deny your existence, no,

not with all I've experienced

that would be more than ignorant

and is sure to add more 
insult to my many injuries 
that keep giving me hell

let alone what my psyche

does to me during shit like this

but, I have done this dance

over and over and over 

enough to spin me in circles

if the goal is to get me spinning

why not help me to stop 
in the opposite direction just this once?

I know, without doubt, 
this isn't how it’s supposed to be
not for someone like him and me

this IS NOT MY fucking legacy

so keep all the darkness
so far away it can't see me 
let alone fuck with me
its had plenty of my time 
to interfere with everything
my hopes and my dreams 
which (together) form my destiny

©February 5, 2015 – Tamara Imes-Nicholas

Everything is not Okay

I could lie and say

that everything is okay

but I don’t lie anymore

so I’ll give you a little more

Truth, you need to hear

my son, now, lives in fear

because you don’t care

when shit hits the air

still, I will keep my word

and, to him, it’s absurd

but I keep my promises

even if you don’t honor us

when my bank’s back

and life’s fully in tact

I’ll take care of all you

who never thought I’d do

everything I set my mind to

and created despite you

and your false beliefs

that have, only, caused grief

for my son and me who

stick together like glue

it’s sad I can’t say the same

for y’all and me, it’s so lame

I’m not saying this for fame

the fact, I have to say it is lame

oh well, it is what it is

I’m no longer a kid

so, I forgive you two

and all the things you do

that show us no love

square it with God above

©February 2015 – Tamara Imes-Nicholas

Alito’s Doom

you’re sly

as a white lie

“conservative bastard”

is what I cry

making light

of Rowe vs. Wade

I see through you  

black as a spade

it’s comprehensible

that you would pass

no checks and balances

but you’re the mass

majority so we see

democracy on its ass

no consequences

for the upper class

I’d sooner die

then embrace you

as our next justice

your tax is due

and I’m collecting

for the people

with your story

there'll be no sequel

your time will be up

then it’s time to pay

for your indulgence

I’ll have my way

for all of you

who are ignorant

Alito’s doom

is My judgment

©2005 – Tamara Imes

The Symphony

ostentatiously it sits

in a vase on the table

next to a basket of fruit

where an equally flamboyant fig

fetches my attention

purple is my favorite color

the orchid is loud with

its vivaciousness

while the fig lays, quietly, waiting

God created these two, solo, acts

and how beautifully they perform alone

but, together they create a symphony

Tammy ©2004

My left hand

I look at my left hand

I see lines of life, love and heart

it feels soft though it is strong

with the many struggles it has endured

much like a Hawaiian orchid

it has color, though it is not purple

it is still beautiful in its own right

because it has yielded to nothing

yes, it wilts and wrinkles with age

having more lines to show from it

and, as the orchid dies,

so too will my hand, body and brain

but not before they, both, bring joy

one to dazzle with just a glimpse

the others to bring forth beauty

with words typed on a page

for those who care to look upon it

©2004 – Tamara Imes

Edited 2015

Board with Games

unemployed

un-enjoyed

masterminds’

master plan’s

making some noise

(no one gets destroyed,

well, maybe some toys)

who like to play games

seeking their fame

they all smell the same

go by the same names

“cocksucker, ass-kisser”

a “miss” or a “mister”

a friend or her sister

your wife’s getting blisters

from counting your money

I know you’re no dummy

don’t look at me funny

who’s running what?

is it “some what?” or “so what?”

it’s no different the loss

if you’re not the boss

expenses keep growing

without you even knowing

caught it all in a glimpse

haven’t mentioned it since

what a messenger am I

if I don’t, even, try

delivering sensitive material

to people so fragile?

but back to my plan

oh yes, back again

I need to move on

to see a new dawn

so with closure in place

I’ve cleaned out my space

to bring something new

not much left to do

©December 18, 2007—Tamara Imes-Nicholas

Edited 2015

It's No Surprise

so what do you think

about this nation of ours?

the economy stinks

but there’s money for war

the president lies

then that's nothing new

if he told you to kiss his ass

that's exactly what you'd do

some say I go too far

I bow down for no man

take your guns and your war

shove them all in a trash can

I've said it before

hell, I'll say it again

Bush can kiss my ass

I'm not a republican

they're closing women's shelters

for all the battered wives

they support outsourcing jobs

it doesn't affect their lives

so go ahead and rejoice

for Bush's victory

while more blood is spilled

don't celebrate next to me

©2004--Tamara Imes