I Chinga, Making Changes

[Lightning Rod]

I'm making some changes in my life
It's about time, but it's always about time

I'm not going to sleep anymore, only pass out
I'm giving up my bad habits, like working and waiting

I won't smoke unless I am awake
but oh, I forgot, I've given up sleep

I'm swearing off frivolous sex and having impromptu children
but that's no problem because
only post-menopausal women look at me anyway
and that happens rarely

I'm giving up all pretense of being a poet
it's a bad job to start with, but at least the pay is no good

yes, I'm making some changes in my life

I'm going to take up the Jew's harp
(I know that there is a less ethnic name for the instrument
but I can't remember what it is.)
either that or the dijeridu

I'm not going to make decisions anymore
we see where that has gotten me
nor am I going to learn from my mistakes
who wants the same old mistakes?
I want to learn new mistakes
mistakes that nobody has ever made before

henceforth I will only procrastinate in the future tense
I will only say I am going to do something when it's already done
this will free my time for the important things
like not doing what I meant to do

This changing your life thing is very intoxicating
I could get hooked on it like some people get hooked on plastic surgery

I need a new ID
this name is old and rusty
and it's not like I would miss my credit rating
would a sex change be too severe?
perhaps just a change in atmosphere

I think I'll sell resort property in the Antarctic
there's bound to be a market
the investors will be swarming
when I harness the power of global warming

the possibilities are endless
when you are making changes in your life

there is a book about this,
it's called the I Ching
I know it's a trivial thing
the same old sixes and nines
but it's a handy manual to have
when you are making changes in your life.

[Doreen Peri]

About half way through you get the rhythms going and catch your stride and then rhymes come in and becomes a really good piece.

[Lightning Rod]

About half way through you get the rhythms going and catch your stride and then rhymes come in and becomes a really good piece.

oh, well
half a good piece is better than nothing

[Doreen Peri]

Was just saying it gets better as it goes because I like it when you use rhyme and rhythms .... it's more musical that way. The beginning had some good lines, but it reads like you caught your stride with the rhyme and rhythm, the music of the piece, about half way through. Not trying to criticize. Who am I to say? I only know what I like and my favorite pieces of yours are the ones which are more lyrical, more musical. I know you say you're not a real big fan of rhyme but you use it very well.

[constantine]

it picks up gas, but is a riot from beginning to end. i like the pacing.

[Doreen Peri]

Agreed....

funny as hell! cracked me up the whole way through.

[constantine]

"it is to laugh!"

[Doreen Peri]

Right!

and if i don't laugh, i'll cry
and lightning rod has always kept me in stitches.

"smile and the world smiles with you"

I was actually looking at my face in the mirror the other day and it dawned on me that when my mom or dad said, "don't DO that" (when I was moping and frowning) "or your face will stay that way!" .... that they were RIGHT!

It was starting to STAY in a perpetual frown. Scared the shit outa me.

And that's one of the reasons why reading Lrod's poetry is a good thing.

"it is to laugh!"

ca-ching!

[Lightning Rod]

yeah, I don't know whether to be a poet or a stand-up comic
(I know that when I try to make it stand up, they laugh. That's a good start, isn't it?)

[constantine]

yeah, i'm a sombre reptile, but reasonably happy...i guess...maybe

[stilltrucking]

thanks clay

You wrote my life story

I'm not going to sleep anymore, only pass out

that's how I live too.

I loved the hell out of this one
and I am not just saying that
thank you

I like the term Jew's harp too
but then you know how I take everything too litterally

on a personal note I regret to inform you that I am dead,

[hester_prynne]

Indeed LRod, changes do weird things to a person.
I can testify to it, and I love this poem as it testifies to it.
Meanwhile, I keep chanting "octomek octomek" in my head.
It's fun and it overrules my worries during these metamorphic times......
H

[WIREMAN]

my mind is going thru them changes
how do X the work???????