private fantasies

in the best case scenario,

we take to drugs & alcohol,

we harness our god-given abilities

to self-medicate, to self-deprecate

other times, though, we take to buddhism,

to this over-the-counter

local anesthesia, anti-aphrodisiac

if push comes to shove,

when we’re running low on cash,

short on ideas or enthusiasm

we take to redefining success & failure

in layman’s terms,

disappointment, the pursuit of happiness,

to introducing ourselves

to the yin & yang,

the art of crossing arms & legs

& sitting down

waiting for friday or settling for five o’clock

the other business days,

we say the hell with ambition,

with the nuisance of having to overdress,

to impress or undress (pick your poison)

we say we’ve had enough of the seeds,

the weeds,

of expectation & its wall street demands,

its over & under,

high / low risk reward or punishment 

on bad hair days, we take to hazing,

silly initiation rituals, 

to private fantasies

or things not to be tried at home

we value what’s obtainable, expendable,

what reminds us of better days

we go cuckoo for cocoa puffs

c. a. campos, 2011