If I hold ideals,
Am I not obligated
To live them myself?
—
In failure, I grow
Into someone with the chance
To fail yet again
—
Life: a sacrifice
To the gods, or to our fate
Willing or afraid
—
My life is fleeting
The amount is just a crumb
But the taste is sweet
– Shaman Romney 2019
Suffering from brain drain
From going against the grain
But I can’t complain
Because I no longer have to explainMy mind gets to be blank
And if I have to be frank
I have stopped the crank
It’s this stillness my thoughts finally thank.But I don’t get to cheer
The time to restart is here
And as it draws near
The stillness of my mind will disappear
– Shaman Romney 2019
You need a strong foundation
To build something upon
Whether you build a nation
Or build the ParthenonThis is a phenomenon
That ignores your station
Refuse it and you’ll count on
A life of frustration
– Shaman Romney 2019
Wasting away
The hours in the day
What can I say
Do they matter anyway?
It’s worth what I pay
If it shows me a way
From all work and no play
– Shaman Romney 2019
Cyborgs are already here
You and I have become them
Cellphones and headphones appear
Means to a digital endWe are one with Ethernet
Progress leaps so very far
When we finally reach the end
Will we still know who we are?
– Shaman Romney 2019
What is beauty?
The crimson petals of a rose?
A brilliant sunset on a warm summer’s day?What is beauty?
The blisters from a hard day’s work?
The crowd of people gathered at your funeral?Is beauty even something we can truly know?
Something we can point at and say,
“That is beauty.”Or is it kept in our mind, in our thoughts, alone?
Wrapped up in a subjective thought,
“That is beauty.”
– Shaman Romney 2019
I need to burn off my deadwood
Shed all my unneeded layers
Remove all my “would” and my “should”
Keeping only the needs and caresBurn past my first degree nonsense
Second degree things I care for
Ignite a fire so intense
I burn to my first degree coreWhat’s left when the fires are done
Will be my most critical part
For when all my useless is gone
I’ll have a fire hardened heart
– Shaman Romney 2019
Are you insignificant?
Unimportant, on your own?
Just a single tiny speck
In a universe unknown?Or are you instead a node
Interwoven with us all?
Bearing your part of the load,
Sending ripples when you fall?Does nothing in life matter?
Or do all our actions count?
Do all our choices scatter,
Regardless of the amount?Make your choice and live with it,
Whichever one that may be.
For you, either one may fit;
I know the right choice for me.
– Shaman Romney 2019
I’m a chameleon
I’m a shade
A faded thought
An empty memory
An illusion brought to bear
By the insanity of one unaware
Of his place among himself
Let alone the world
– Shaman Romney 2019
Too long.
It’s been too long.
Too long since I last head your song;
The sweet melody of your laughter
Ringing throughout the house.
Now, there is only a melancholy melody
Slowly fading as the distance grows
Too long.
It’s been too long.
– Shaman Romney 2019
Shame on The Universe 