ages 0 and up

[*unfinished/unpolished*]

by yara

Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 03:41:28 -0600 (CST)

it's a raucous game of chutes & ladders
i keep hitting bottom
or so i think
til i spin the wheel, grab hold of the dice
gamble with no fear of fate
then i find out what dante tripped out on
in volume one

playing let's pretend in thrift-store clothes
a 24-7 game of charades
i play with you as you play with me
but i'm the only fake
or so your rules say

there are no lies
since truth is a matter of perception
where you stand
depends on where you sit
on what's her name's seat of luuuuv or on the trite and tattered hot seat
whichever
whatever
whatnot

let's pretend i never meant the things i said
let's pretend i never did the things i did
let's pretend i don't feel the way i do
call it penance. have i paid my dues yet?

i didn't think so.

what goes around, comes back around
twice the size
maybe as big as a 400lb gorilla
and you know where he sits

the injustices of which you speak
are no more or less criminal than those which you commit
there is a time for righteousness, my dear (can you hear the sneer?).
this ain't it.
before you fuck my mind
let me put my clothes back on
i'd hate to start the next round
looking like the slut you insinuate i am

my rules are but one that branch to many
and don't think that they're good and kind
since i certainly am not
i've never been a golden girl
merely one that sparkles and fades
i've done as i've been done unto
and vice versa
but you, your ever-ambiguous rules morph with a toss of the pigs
or your whim
whichever comes first
as you climb up your ladder of coolness
and slide into the bed of your choice

sometimes i make it up a level
pass go and collect $200
but i see you're way ahead of me
crushing fingers and stepping on bodies
while caressing their skin and promising words of air
it makes me wonder what winning is
if this is indeed the game of Life

yara 2/24/96