The Paradox of Oz

This poem is for all the Wizard of Oz and Dark Side of the Moon fans out there...


To the faithful few and young in heart,
Dedicated fans from the start.
Speak to me, in a delicate way.
Listen to what I have to say...

Hold your breath then breathe the air.
We all have our own crosses to bear.
Objectively observe the philosophy of time,
Metaphoric riddles and satirical rhyme.
Think of something more to say.
Tomorrow's just a day away.
Live to learn and learn to share,
Strive to go where other's dare.
Each year's shorter day by day,
Time keeps slowly ticking away.

Don't let troubles tear you apart,
It takes courage to have a heart,
No need to think to use your brain,
So lie in sunshine, watch the rain.
Wait for someone to show you the way,
Think there's something more to say?
Quietly desperate, in an offhand way,
Lose your balance, land in hay,
Pose for a statue while on the run,
Look for darkness under the sun.

Somewhere a rainbow arches the sky,
While cyclones appear and houses fly by.
Run Toto run, you're the chosen one,
Evil finds a weakness in everyone.
Sympathy's musical jestered throng,
A symphony-sweet angelic song.
A land exists in a lullaby,
Where troubles melt then liquify.
Wish upon stars and moons fully bright,
Where darkness lurks, and day is night.

A cinemascoped world of black and white.
An open door to any colour you like.
Where diminutive people seem larger than life.
While good and bad witches sport red-rubied strife.
Adventures seem easy when there's one road to choose.
It's us against them, there's no time to lose.
Follow your instincts down roads of yellow brick,
Be wary of diversions, walk cautiously quick.
The lost seek guidance, it's a circular cause.
A lesson learned blindly, it's the paradox of oz.

Look for new friends along life's way.
Race against time towards an early grave.
Remember it's not the peers you choose.
It's they who decide who'll win and who'll lose.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Lunatics laugh to fill empty space,
Listen for heartbeats of immortal men,
Tear-rusted soldiers made of tin.
Totem-treed faces cast apples adieu,
Fire-balled threats, "and your little dog, too".

And when the road taken seems full of despair,
Be weary of Lions, Tigers and Bears.
It's courage that divides the weak and the strong,
Fear that decides whose right and whose wrong.
The bite of a dog is worse than it's bark.
A friend's one to hold, not tear apart.
Virtue's eclipsed by the valor of men,
Their will to survive, their struggle to win.
God only knows what a man will choose,
Faced with a choice and nothing to lose.

If castles loom in the future ahead,
And it's there your mind's sole purpose is lead,
Don't fritter and waste hours that make a dull day.
Don't twitter with flowers that may cause delay.
Far, far ahead across poppy seed fields,
A Sorcerer's castle of emerald and teal.
Press on toward your goal, even when tired,
It'll be good to warm beside the fire.
And if on first try you're turned away,
Identify what brought you, don't dismay.

Once you've discovered your pot of gold,
Watch for evil's telltale hold.
Equine, kaleidoscopic hues,
Fearful citizens' optic views.
Gigs in the sky, words etched in the clouds,
Threatening scrolls of surrender abound.
A meeting of the mind, in the plural sense.
Opulant sorcery frugally spent.
An impossible task, one sure to lose,
Unmeasureable odds, no choice to choose.

Us and them, me and you,
Up and down, black and blue
A galiant quest for a tetrad crew,
A dubious trot, a trepid coup.
Up and down and round and round,
A conjectured plot from emerald town,
A jestered jaunt on jittery knees,
Where evil lurks among restless trees.
Believable spooks and winged monkeys loom,
So which is a witch and whom is whom?

Down and out, there's no place to go,
With or without, tossed to and fro.
It can't be stopped, this maniacle bout,
Who can deny what the fighting's about?
Rich is rich and poor is poor,
A lunatic lies behind a locked door.
A vessel of time, mourned solitude,
Visions sublime, sworn restitute.
Unlock the door, don't throw away the key,
There's someone in my head and it's not me.

Run Toto run, soar once again,
Seek the heroics of ordinary men.
Winkies march in cadenced unison,
Valiant efforts of courageous friends,
Circumvent afflictions with axe and sword,
Breakdown constrictions with dissonant accord.
Though toils and troubles may bolster your fear,
It takes heat and rain to make rainbows appear.
No matter how difficult life seems to get,
Witches are harmless as long as their wet.

Seek that which brought you to the edge of doom,
The sourse of your purpose, a magical broom.
Return and find refuge in false sorcery,
Chrystal ball visions of devine destiny.
All that you touch and all that you see,
Is that the essense of what you believe?
Seek what eludes you, don't blankly assume,
That everything under the sun is in tune.
Conspire to clip fate's binds that loom,
Sever faith bourn tetherred balloons.

When all else fails and there's no hope, it seems,
Recall life's learned lessons, played out in your dreams.
Look for reminders, the means to all ends,
That which defines you, your family and friends.
And if the band you're in plays a different tune,
Imagine you're safe in your own solitude.
When the sun is eclipsed, it's light all consumed,
I'll look for you on the dark side of the moon.
Take solace in knowing that a mind's helpless roam,
Is three heel taps away...there's no place like home.




Copyright © August 2009
Kevin Mooney

kmm027
080109