NAMELESS I (from the album “MONOLITHIC TONGUE”)
Eclipsed
Per aspera ad astra Dying world Lunacy Mundane regularity Deep in space we’ll find Deep meaning for our lives Dimming distant star shines light on who we are Terrestrial trap Gravity Dark descent from apogee Earth-like world Discovery Destiny, light, liberty Per astra ad aspera Hope Signs of life We raise Greetings in flight Send songs Sounds of our lives Kind thought waves Warm images, sights In our civilized world You will find Intelligence Science refined Our world now eclipsed It is true Yet we seek nothing but Friendship from you Conceal, lie and hide Our superstitious minds We crucify Confine Our fate: To control, kill, enslave To assimilate, to save Our camouflage is Faith Don’t resist our constraints We impose, mold and shape To propagate ourselves To replicate Our urge, but to thrive On other forms of life This race of Starry-eyed parasites Two-thousand years pass silently Are we alone? Or are they strangers to civility Assuming superiority Eclipsing the dreams Of a species stuck in infancy? © Joshua J. Reynolds, 2017. All rights reserved.
But A Thought
The dreamer awakened Clear, lucid elation Vivid intensity fails to break Deep meaning unquestioned The deluge of time Or delusions of mind? Reflection now weakened Mere wordless sensation Limited memory passed its peak Force faded, forsaken Slight impression gone Sadly moving on Irrevocable validity Oblivion Reality, easily lost Only solace: that it once was The unseizable moment A useless thought Ineffable memory Dissolved to naught Life, barely a blink in a lifetime Wandering forlorn among empty eternities Foolish fantasy, forever forgotten Faintly a flash to infinity © Joshua J. Reynolds, 2017. All rights reserved.
COMMUNION OF PAIN
She’s done with the day Closed door and shades Leave the world outside The time away fails to pacify Seclusion of thought tears her up inside Fear of herself slowly petrifies No more alone Yearning to atone Abject, bound and prone Burning she moans as blood pours Of master and lord Relieved by his pain Freed by her own His grief dominates her whole Sustains her soul Bent down and restrained Purpose to obey To exchange disquietude of solitude For the certitude of servitude Most gracious and loving lord I kneel down before you and ask that you lead me in my hour of loneliness That you allow me to know your power and presence Direct me in the midst of this storm I need to feel full of the love you have for me Lest I forget I am never alone because you are always near I long to feel your holy spirit fill me with its full force and quiet my fear All must happen according to your will, my almighty, all-seeing father While I am but your weak and humble servant I rejoice in my salvation though the blood, tears, and suffering of your only son Amen Fantasized to satisfy Invasively gratified Subdued but dignified Sadistically fortified © Joshua J. Reynolds, 2015. All rights reserved.
EMBRACE THE END
Land war Terror Mutilation Subjugation Mass murder Torture Condemnation Persecution Forced conversion Group enslavement Bowing and prostration Oppression Inquisition Needless guilt Coerced Confession Worst crime of religion: Instill the fear of death Incinerate Suffocate Burn, poke and flagellate Boil and crush Slice, stab, rape Drown or worse fates Soul is body No sensation Death nothing Soul is body No affliction Dreamless sleep Yet you prepare for what -- Prolonged decay Senility Deficiency? Why do you care so much For withered days Debility Deformity? Embrace the end Escape sick stagnation Fatigued, forsaken Frozen in frustration Ventilate, revive Cancer still thrives Irradiation culminates your life A walking corpse avoiding Condemnation A withered soul writhing In isolation Why delay release Declining peace Fearing salvation? Pain seeks annihilation No matter how long you inhale life’s fresh sweet air An eternity of death awaits you and remains just as stale © Joshua J. Reynolds, 2017. All rights reserved.
HELL IS OTHERS
In a world of absurdity Of purposeless uncertainty There’s always freedom to choose Bad faith brings bad excuses for inaction Freedom lies in trouble Sisyphean struggle Neither right granted Nor politically enacted Free to try if willful But not to be successful Hell is other people Confusing ‘free’ for ‘able’ Hell is others Hell is you Free from your guns Free in prison Free though a slave Free not a race I am my own Immune to their suspensions Amendments and exceptions Liberty’s implanted Not legally contracted Hostage situation? Or lack of motivation? Lineage, knowledge, suffrage Provide no real advantage Hell is others Hell is you Free from surroundings, hormones, past decisions, titles, roles and class Habit, upbringing, cultural conventions, party, club – I, neither citizen nor class Particular existence precedes nature and essence Free from all gods Free from all law Free from all kinds Free from all minds I am mine © Joshua J. Reynolds, 2017. All rights reserved.
A POLITER SHADE OF GREY
Contrast and oppose Freely unequal? Or equal as slaves? Leaden clouds looming Desaturate the day Monolithic tongue diluting Spitting politer shades of grey Neutralized wavelengths Censoring shades Frequencies of life Compelling constant strife Freedom fossilized Conform and die Offended spectra feel the red’s too infra Dusky grey from chroma too pale Coercive dogma fuels Linguistic euthanasia Compliment to curses Reality remains Darkened dust dispersed Declares the dyes of day © Joshua J. Reynolds, 2015. All rights reserved.
Misanthrophile (from the album “Depths of Distrust”)
Servitude
Lord is my shepherd My holy father Ancient metaphors Fitting masochistic whores Kingdom of my master Slavish brood Programmed to praise selfless servitude Serve your God Serve your country Serve community Platitudes Downplay your salvation Commendation Coercive use Bless our dear leaders Government keepers Fascist overlords Lavish lifestyles tax the poor Render unto Caesar My blood flows for you Slavish brood Programmed to praise selfless servitude (Serve) the public (Bow) the company (Kneel) the patron Downplay your promotion Compensation The taboo truth Celebrity idols Reverend role models Empty impostors Worthless lives to be ignored Bind my mind to symbols © Joshua Reynolds, 2014. All rights reserved.
Servitude dialogue
Shrink: Do you want to explain that? Why do you say humankind is a slave race?
Misanthrope: Well, the vast majority of people are like prisoners chained to a rock, watching empty shadows flicker on a wall, confusing them for reality ‘cause it’s all they’ve ever known.
Shrink: Go on.
Misanthrope: People identify with these shadows. They can even take pride in familiarity with them. But they’re not real. They’re symbols, or images, even though they command thought and reaction. So people ridicule, outcast, harm or kill anyone who rejects the shadows.
Shrink: But don’t people desire freedom?
Misanthrope: Not really. They idealize freedom. Fear forces them to embrace promises of security just as long as the label ‘freedom’ is slapped on, like a bumper sticker. Look at the herd of willing sheep at airports. Imposed structure makes them feel safe — salvation through bonds. Symbol-worshiping slaves need a master, their shepherd.
Shrink: Tell me more about how you see human beings.
Misanthrope: We’ve been over this before. Most are irrational, symbol-minded sheep who get off on serving others and self-sacrifice.
Shrink: I see. Why do you think that?
Misanthrope: It’s the bumper sticker mentality. No need for thought. Just flash a logo, badge or some other image and get an automatic response, like giving orders or cracking a whip. Haven’t you ever seen a crowd at a ball game? Puppets.
Shrink: But solidarity creates meaning. Distance yourself, and miss out on a sense of participation and purpose. Everything will seem foreign – thus the self-destructive behavior associated with your disorder.
Misanthrope: My disorder?
Shrink: Bitterness prevents you from fully functioning in the community.
Misanthrope: Fully functioning?
Shrink: Yes. But fortunately we now know that distrust is a mental illness that can be treated with proper therapy. Now, I’m going to write you a prescription for….
© Joshua J. Reynolds, 2014. All rights reserved.
Windowless I
Lies They all lie Freak show media Consciousness machine Tribal game hurls out Reflexive conditioning “Thou shalt not alter the consciousness of thy fellow man” “Thou shalt not prevent thy fellow man from altering his own consciousness” Freed from my filter Panoramic sea World of white light whirls Into backwards memories Mind betrayed by space and time The three collide Raw sensations amplified Conscious state clarified Gauge explain Weigh narrate Analyze Fabricate Eyes portray a frame unseen No boundaries Sympathetic unity Synchronous harmonies Insignificance is my significance My significance is insignificant Arrogance a place inside Some grand design My separation justified Windowless I © Joshua Reynolds, 2014. All rights reserved.
At Bay
Submerged amongst the waves again Endless downpour drowns my breath within Delusion deepens my dread Hope looming in a light ahead Sun dries solid ground My breath unbound Soothing welcome breeze Not what it seems Lost amongst the sand Nothing but waves on land Trust and faith in man Slipping through my hands Drifting awry On the open sea Deception justifies Disordered being Asylum Forces submission Salvation Is oblivion Sunlight all around My refuge found Living life at ease Nothing’s what it seems Lost upon the land Back to where I began Trust and faith in man Shifting as the sands © Joshua Reynolds, 2014. All rights reserved.
Our Father
(with hyperlinks to sacred text)
Destroy life on earth
Drown the innocent
Sick and elderly
Defenseless infantsDash some kids to death
Before parents’ eyes
Loot the homes of foes
Thrash and rape their wivesIt’s in the book
It’s in your heart
BelieveKill all male children
Kill their mothers too
Keep the virgin girls
For your sexual useCurse the children who
Scorn a hairless man
Watch while savage bears
Shred them where they standHe so loved the world
Stone the thief, his kids, and more
Stone his cattle too
Stone to death those you deplore
For opposing youForce your enemy to eat the flesh of their own sons and daughters
Kill the man who refused to impregnate the wife of his brotherIn his own image
Raining fire down on towns
Torch thousands of men
Grind to salt those you allow
To see your sinsBurn and sacrifice
Your young girl to me
I shall grant you bloody victoryBash brains to bits against stones
Toss bodies out to rot aloneGive virgin daughter to mob for rape
Slay this one, slay that one
DecapitateDrive sword right through
Pregnant woman’s guts
Slice her open
Tear and rip her upStarve and torture
Carve the corpses
Infect the genitals
Hamstring the horsesSpread disease
Leave nothing to breathe
Mercilessly taunt and slaughterStrike the slaves
Send a plague
For I am the Lord, thy FatherOn and on
The list goes on
Of beneficence flawed
Fear and fright don’t qualify
As love for your god© Joshua Reynolds, 2014. All rights reserved.
Ritual
It’s a useless waste of time Useless waste of time Forms imposed change nothing Why fool yourself with lies To believe in something? Useless waste of time Why try? The blind bind To ritual games Their fears pacified In false security You hide in your mind Narcotic states of faith Ordained thoughts to mirror Immortality Paint, pierce, remove, resize Mindlessly mutilate and mime Replay the paradigm Paint, pierce, remove, resize, baptize The grind designed To stifle change The years pass you by In mock stability You follow your tribe Flaunting the flesh with marks of paint Mindless masses grapple With eternity Right hand raised Left on this book So help me, God An oath I took Paint, pierce, remove, resize Mindlessly mutilate and mime Replay the paradigm Paint, pierce, remove, resize, baptize Don’t ask why Reason denied Why pray? ‘Cause it’s our way Should I Even reply? Why pray When it’s all the same?! © Joshua Reynolds, 2014. All rights reserved.
Reality Constrained
Desperate and drowning again Decay Chaos Constant turns Wandering waters Of vague variation My mind abides The absurd I flee Yet I am frozen Eyes darkened despite the day Familiar foreign faces ahead Unfrightened Facing the dead Record to preserve the frame Repeat the pattern And fabricate Life Routine a random interruption Reality addiction Lucid but lost Impose illusion Ignore the cost Rule Habitual act A gridded map Trust the tool Filter the facts (Same shape retained) Remold recast And feign Invention Unbound and boundless again Exchange Loss Nothing learned Wasting through a world Of disintegration My mind denies What’s occurred I gain Yet I can’t grasp it No distance remains the same Substantial dissolves into mist Unfastened Change persists Submit to suffice as sane Numbing narcotic Assimilates Life Construct compelling constellations The real is artificial Useful but wrong Supplant thought with groundless gods Goal Home to heal A sacred seal The wanderer saved (Shelter attained) Ingrain the real And gain Salvation Narcissistic games Cultivate Freeze, sedate Propagate Arranged and deranged again Enchained Bound Freedom yearned Confusing whirl Of high definition My mind derides Structure I join Yet I’m unwelcome I follow formality Strange symbols whose sense I resist Unfocused On ritual bliss Connect and joined the enslaved Chronic enchainment Automates Life Program to avoid apprehension Order, a nurturing drug Convenience lies Decline the digitized anodyne Toy An artifact A molded mask Censor, redact Sculpture strained (It can’t contain) It won’t surpass Disordered motion Life won’t slip away Life can’t slip away Life won’t slip away Life has slipped away Life will slip away Life must slip away Life will slip away Life should slip away © Joshua Reynolds, 2014. All rights reserved.
The Source
From Chaos waters Time first nods From Night born the light of Day Mother Earth, raped by Sky, bares Titan gods Bound and locked away Mutilated by his son Raining blood, utters a curse Child devoured, prophecy is done Father burns, lightning is hurled For ten years storm-god rages on Forests burned, seas boiled away Final threat, flaming roar, eyes hundreds strong Crushed by mountain, slain All birth grows from what it is not Fated in cycles of war Aggression devastates But fails to dominate Destined return to the source By cosmic planning Time moves on Four seasons, fixed stars and Fate Warming sun up at dawn, the moon’s motion Gods give Nature her rightful place Uncompleted world undone Divine image, a creature to serve Fruit of truth, tree of life, temptation Fire burns as man yearns to learn Innocence, a place of peace (Painless bliss, joyous feasts) Prosperous, a life of awe (Peaceful deaths to live with gods) But imbalance must be righted Your delight can’t last for long Opened eyes, mind enlightened Happiness, an illusion Curses, anger Race doomed to failure Forever toil Until blood turns to soil Time of Iron, man’s decline Faithless children born with hairs of grey Cities sacked, parents slain, jealousy and lies God’s image proves its own hate Inundated by the flood Helpless cries damned to drown at birth Love divine buries life deep within the mud Will Father learn when taking his turn? All birth grows from what is not (Force from flaw, sick from sane) Fated in cycles of war (Win needs fail, frail needs strength) Transgression throws its weight But scales fluctuate Destined return to the source (Death the price for our gain) © Joshua Reynolds, 2014. All rights reserved.
Windowless I Publishing 