when your investments hit bottom

when your investments hit bottom
and it's the season that summer's at it's end
And the cosmos shakes inside your bones
And your mind's too brittle to bend
Watch your step
if you're in the mood to comprehend
what all this language means.
Just remember you're in the company of people it's dangerous to offend.


if you come across a girl with some sparkle,
ask her to point out the destination on the map,
to where negativity does its caterpillar/ butterfly act.
At the moment I'm good for nothing except maybe taking an afternoon nap
I need to dream
before I snap.
Everyone looks dirty
I can see them set their traps.

Cassandra is a bohemian
she dresses up her demons
And walks with them downtown.
She's obsessed by Adolf Eichmann
How he was so ordinary
She proceeds with her sermon
Fortunately it's in one ear and out the other
I give a look that's pure deadpan.

All the variables have been itemized
Someone says it's time to shape up or ship out
You get the feeling there's not much of a choice
and next to no clout.
If you're thinking about calling in sick
don't get caught in a moment of self-doubt
Except for the essentials , keep your mouth shut
There's nothing to talk about.

The security is ubiquitous
like ice in January up north.
The advice you get is to pray and tell the truth.
And then you're beckoned to come forth,
to reveal everything for the common good.
They say it's good for your net worth.
They take your picture
And explain the process of your rebirth.


A moonlighting pharmaceutical company rep poured me a drink,
then he passed me some pills.
He said it'd fix me up for what was to come.
Either quietly acquiesce, he said, and accept the cheap thrills
or get an introduction to harsh interrogation
and make do with fighting windmills.
I got a flashback to when I was six
felt a chill
and coughed up the pills.