Garammatically-Challenged Wake-Up Call

Wake up fool, You late for school
And the teacher ain’t nun to
Proud u pist the bed
Whut is it with u N-Eway
Hidin’ under cuvvers, pretendin'
U give a dam about N-Ewun but yerself
Wake up, u best hope the sun
Don’t cum right up and slap u
cross the face, heavun dont like
No chick'n whistler lay’bouts wid
Eyes that go no higher den his neck
Putcher pants on and get to work
U no N-Ebody else who weak ass
Aint dressd n scuttlin’ to make
Sumthin a’deyselves, d’ya hear me
Cap’n Cantbedunn
I’m speakin’n da only langwidge
I no you unnerstand

Definition

What is the name of that flower
budding in the dark, a secret growing
without the sun, hidden like it's not supposed to be
Its only light giving, vague as a single star
you pick out of a crowded field sky
Winking back every once in a while
You reach for it and smile in its rays
Pretending they're arms reaching back
to you, just you

What do you call that mistake
You know the one you make
over and over again and on purpose
Falling into familiar traps
The kind you find an abnormal security in
No food, no water, just a life
Coiling in the corner for warmth
The bars tread scars and mark who
You are, This is not all who you are

What is that phenomenon
The thing when a butterfly flaps
Its gossamer wings in one part
of the world only to touch off
a hurricane in yours, causing tremors
that shake your being, uprooting your shit
Landing only broken houses
And the only thing your left with
Is what you had when you started

Who is that, whatsitsface
the strange angel taking you
by the hand and leading you nowhere
Blue wings shaped around them like a heart
And you're forced to lie
and say you're just as imaginary
not hurt by its ambivalence
As it ascends to the place it holds
in a heaven you don’t belong

What’s that paper mache mask
you've got everybody fooled with
made with the discarded and glue, offended
when someone can see right through
Or maybe they can't and that's what offends
Can't see how the golden yellow brilliant
fades to a sad violet and even
painful purple, Beautiful in its lament
But gaudy in its art

What’s another word for a vessel
strong as glass, weak as an excuse
The truth, put on display, some ambient light
Accenting you’re not as smart as you thought
and the chance to learn keeps
slipping through the cracks
Dripping and soaking the earth
You once stood on, drained now
You stand proud, parched and empty

What do you call when you’re the only one
who believes in love anymore
The childish notion you forgot to grow out of
That flower unfolding in the dark
feeding in secret, but as real as its name
blooming for all those who care to see
If you ask the right question
If you don’t fear the right answer
Hold that thought and let me
look up its definition

Ballad

Promise sits not far from me
never really that far from me
her welcome glance stained by tears
an accepted sadness, accented
by her melancholy smile
crinkling, sculpted eyebrows
dare to meet each other, just halfway
and at least to me, it always
seems the sun is setting in her eyes
she wants for a better answer
just a chance at something great
at home, promise is a four-letter word
a prophet without following
a household term, short for "not yet"
in her native tongue it translates
"you better have a back-up plan"
promise, an anagram spelling
"be happy with what you have"
"your second choice"
she sits, unassuming checking her watch
as the minutes travel across her face
silent, biding for a train of thought
to carry her, far away from here
looking off into space
over an unincorporated landscape
blurring the road that would take her
from point A to point L, M, N, O, P
she expects the clouds to part any day now
for Perfect, thee perfect opportunity
to start walking, or maybe...
just until Patience finds her
until he holds her hand
cradles it in his palm, in the warmth
of his fingers
Patience wants nothing more than to
see her laugh
because she IS his better answer
a chance at something great
just listen as he whispers this to her
in short and measured breaths
careful not to say too much
to hurry any meaning, to risk losing it
Patience knows it will take time
A quick start will burn just as quickly
he nudges her gently in steady rock
assuring, confident of her beautiful strength
her spirited promise
and while the chatter surrounds
murmurs of how blind he is, rumors
Patience falls deaf, his chosen handicap
don't ever believe in what you hear
believe in what you see, his motto intact
and right now, he sees Promise
believes in only her
seeing them together serves to lighten any mood
as unrealistic as that sounds
and I wonder, can it be enough
how much longer will it keep
before she runs off in fear to something faster
before he loses sight of her potential
before they settle for hearts
not too broken
Promise and Patience
are they enough to keep each other alive
pain is tolerable the more you get used to it
everyone's second choice
also called "this isn't so bad"
and watch Patience smile
as he sits not far from her
never really that far from her
happy with Promise
happy that he loves her
and that will have to be enough
Patience waits...
he waits for Promise