Chad Lilly  'A Day in the Mind'      Poetry On The Horizon On the horizon of poetry I see dawn's light rising in the east, I can see the darkness recede and poets born of the Word speaking in verse inspired, original, and written directly from the well which all of us drawl our breath. I see profound renewal and death immeasurable; one following the other in cycles of spinning transition . . . I see expressions changing on the face of people wading through Dr. Seuss and Danielle Steele, to hear words arranged like the atoms of perfect flowers . . . while the crowd stands and stares in silent understanding. I see the measurements of time quickening . . . the pace and price of material life exceeding daily; beyond what peasants can afford to pay on a slave's wage; and the apathy thickens like a sickness spreading by word of mouth. I see traditions thrown to the ground and foundations collapsing beneath the weight of this house divided . . . while poets recite their lines and meaning into the hearts of readers seeking the poetry on the horizon. First Law of Thermodynamics I'd be lying if I said the future smelled like flowers or felt like cotton . . . a liar indeed to say that everything's going to be OK, when its not even OK now. Somehow . . . I feel the truth is closer to genetically altered cows that grow in little plastic tubes and give birth to calves of their own next Tuesday, somehow . . . I see our fields overgrown with drive-thru prisons and rehabilitation centers designed to make you feel at home with incarceration. Somehow . . . I sense we're being watched by anyone with a motive and camera; that the walls have ears and eyes and while our pens plead with congressmen, the voting lines grow longer with those in support of a police state to arrest the chaos and make us feel safe and secure . . . while we pretend to be free. I wish I could see a way around the effects we've set in motion, Indeed, I'm looking for a more soothing point of view; but every action produces an equal opposite reaction and objects set to motion, remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. From Where I'm Sitting From where I'm sitting I see shadows dancing to the music of madness, sounds of laughter mock all outcomes, and pages wait to be written like history in the making. From where I'm sitting drawn shades obscure the outside world, unassociated faces fill the void, images and intentions speak lawlessly, unbound potential flows in a rapid stream of energy becoming thoughts and things both intangible and concrete; and the view is outstanding. From where I'm sitting I can not hear the sound of unrealized dreams dying or people plotting to kill them . . . here, the silence is comforting and the audience receptive to quiet narratives and prose composed by a hand as distant as it is near; from where I'm sitting, I can hear my own voice clearly.