Open to Interpretation

Open to Interpretation

it's already here
proving us already
no better 
than what we were
before it descended
this thing
rather than uniting
our opposite poles
doing nothing
but proving
how utterly
we've fucked up
the laws
of magnetic fields
again

open to interpretation
the causes
reasons
effects
and affects
defending those interpretations
for what they need to be
what each of us
needs them to be
to justify reactions
emotions
feelings
based on fear
ignorance
foolhardiness
idiocy
whichever
we feel
or affects us 
the strongest

drawing our battle lines
even now
of 
'fuck you stay inside'
versus
mass hysteria
and cowardice
responsible versus irresponsible
ethical versus apathetic
freedom versus the greater good
the lines were already drawn
long ago
by conditioning
all of us
proving to be
the joyless 
bickering offspring
of proud pavlov
and skinner

planting our flag
somewhere on 
or between
the extremes
of shivering
terrified bunnies
and recklessly 
proud daredevils
so welcome
and enjoy
there's plenty
of tables and seats
at the Golden Corral
of unending labels
provocations
and accusations

accuse 
blame
bemoan
in our panic
castigating
vilifying
in our hysteria
our leaders
and neighbors
political 
cultural 
and economic structures
villainized
all ripe for the picking
all ripe for looting
and loathing
and plunder
predictable
when anything turns up
that shakes things up
just like before
just like
any fool
should have known

there's hope
by many
we'll come out of this better
but don't count on it
it's hardly made us better
yet
and when it's done
expect nobody to concede
no matter 
who was right
since any correct answer
is only a move or two away
from declaring
it was ultimately
and abjectly wrong
and all the fools
and all their sides
are always
in the same place
"over there"
predictably
the way it's been
the way
it's most likely
to remain

so fight
over being right
so we lose sight
of doing right
fight
for being right
cause trying to do right's
pretty goddamned hard
trying
to do right
instead of being right
pretty fucking tough
accepting the ambiguity
accepting its dubiety
of sometimes
being wrong
such a hard fucking thing
for the egos
of those
needing to be
right
to accept

trying to do 
what's right
so that today
and when this thing passes
we can crank
Whole Lotta Love
and it'll fucking rock
hopefully
as the first few times
we cranked it
and an ice cold Bud's
gonna taste as good
as sucking anna nichole's
young titties and twat
and we'll enjoy it
cause we truly
hoped for joy
we'll enjoy things
cause we been trying
and we tried
doing what was right
instead of justifying
pissing and moaning
terrified and hysterical
needing something
to give a sense
of control
something concrete
like the absolute 
of being so fucking right 
and that everybody else
in the absolute
was so fucking wrong

instead
of warring
over absolutes
of acids and bases
constituted 
for violent reaction
understand
we are alive
in the here and now
cautious
but celebrating
what we got
and giving ourselves
the break
of not always being right 
so when this thing's over
we can appreciate more
of all that we had
like sex and booze and music
even God
all of it
so much better
than the rancid taste 
of your own 
fucking egos

hopefully
we'll be singing
and drinking
and fucking
instead of
defending
and justifying
always being 
so goddamned
right

hopefully
that's how it'll be
cause the same old shit 
as before
the same shit as now
hardly makes it seem
like this thing's
worth struggling through