He Knows All About It.

Louis Shalako

He knows all about it.

He knows all about authority.

He knows all about bureaucrats.

He knows all about pain.

He knows all about pensions, and poverty, and deprivation.

He knows all about landlords.

He knows all about food banks.

He knows all about soup kitchens, and Christmas Hampers, and one hot meal a day.

He knows all about cops, and doctors and lawyers and judges, and public health officials.

He knows all about this town.

He knows all about its people.

And he knows all about being written off.

He knows all about tenements, and slumlords, and walking down the street, numb from the waist down.

He knows all about things that go bump in the night.

He knows all about losing his home.

He knows all about being booted.

He knows all about living in someone’s basement while he looks for another place.

He knows all about sleeping in his car.

He knows all about hunger and thirst, and the cold and the wet.

He knows all about the government.

He knows all about the insurance company.

He knows all about it, people—he knows all about it.

He knows all about you, doesn’t he?

He knows all about the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

He knows all about the ODSP and the CMHA and the OPP.

He knows all about it.

He knows all about the drop-in centre, and he knows all about your outreach program.

He knows all about a hot drink and one blanker per customer.

He knows all about Animal Control.

He knows all about men in white coats and carrying big nets.

He knows all about Tasers and .40 calibre Colts in a polished leather holster.

He knows all about N-5s and Form Ones and he knows all about the T-5000 once a year.

He knows he’d better not be late handing that in.

He knows all about his rights—and exactly what all that’s worth these days.

He knows exactly what he can do about it if he doesn’t like it.

He knows that nothing, absolutely nothing, is expected of him—nothing good that is.

He knows all of this very well indeed.

The only thing he doesn’t know is when it all might end.

He doesn’t know when there might be some relief.

He doesn’t know who might help him, or why they even should.

He doesn’t know how far he should go—or when he should go there.

He doesn’t know exactly where to draw that line in the sand.

He doesn’t know how to talk to you.

He doesn’t quite know how to get through to you people.

Until he figures that out, he really doesn’t know much at all, does he?

END

Thoughts On Love.

Louis Shalako

Once they’re in there, they’re in there for good.

You will never forget anyone that you have truly loved.

They are in your heart forever.

I can remember every person I ever had a crush on, too.

Even hatred fades with time, and age, or wisdom.

But love is the stronger force.

I’ve often wondered, what would happen.

If I ran into someone from a long time ago.

Would we even recognize each other?

What would it be like, after all this time?

We would be two completely different people—

And yet we would still be the same—wouldn’t we?

It is merely the circumstances that would be different.  

Would it rekindle, that old flame, that once was there?

Unless one or the other or both had really let ourselves go

It might be all right to find out.

END

The Inky Cloak of Blackness.

The inky cloak of blackness prevails

The terrors of the night unfold

The pillows mashed, the covers rolled

It never fails—

They gnash their teeth and scream and yell

Evil laughs for evil is bold

Evil is as evil does, and as it dares

And so ever rarely does evil fare thee well

And in the dim red eyes of the darkness

In existence since times before old

There is a word, a message, a glance,

A stare, a look; such an intimate dance.

It was long ago, when our hearts went cold

And long, long ago, did they foretell

The message is lost now, and no one cares

But it is this, and I say it unto you.

The likes of you—and your kind—can all go straight to hell.

End

It's All in How You See the World

Otgonbayer Ersuu. (Wiki.)

I look back into the past and think and nod

Things remembered and things forgot

I shake my head and shrug my shoulders

All of that is gone

In all of the questions

In all of the events

All of those faces

All of those places and all of those times

Only one thing remains the same

That would be me, who I am and who I was

It is the basis for all of my terms of reference

But I still can’t tell you what I don’t know

I don’t even really remember all that much of it

I need some thing or some one, to remind me

In the future I will try to be a little more observant

It might be wise not to ask too many questions

And there are some things I will never figure out

But when it comes down—and sooner or later, it always does come down—

Then who is who

And who is what

What is true

And what is not

What is useless

And what you really need—

Well

That’s really all up to you, baby.

I guess it’s all in how you see the world.

END 

Our Heads Didn't Explode, Eh?

Our heads didn't explode, right? Eh?

2013 was a profound learning experience.

And that’s okay, because knowledge is power, power is money,

And money is sex.

It’s not what you got,

But how you use it.

Money talks,

Bullshit walks,

And action speaks louder than words

I can't even tell you what love is

I lose my objectivity, and it happens fast.

You'll have to figure that out for yourself

We all got our wish list

Of shit we got to do

Yeah, before our time runs out.

More than anything

I want to have some fun—and so we do.

Now this is really living.

I hope you brought enough for the rest of the class.

Share what you got,

Look after your friends

And if they sort of tolerate you, well, that’s half the battle.

Here’s looking at you, kid.

I’m only going to say this once so I’ll just spit it out.

We’re wishing you and yours,

All the best from Louis Shalako (…and other staff members as well. – ed.)

To you and yours in 2014.

Live long and prosper.

And remember to take a day off once in a while.

2013 had its moments, 2014 will too

What the fuck, eh.

At least our heads didn’t explode.

Written by Louis Shalako

The Wing-Walker

Robbo. (Wiki.)

There’s something crazy, hilarious

Yet something sublime

We go over the harness

Snap in the lines

She going to wing-walk

For the very first time

One classy lady – delirious

I can’t believe, that this can be serious

She’s so darned cute —

In her helmet and curls

She has no parachute

She’s one heck of a girl

Taxi out onto the strip

Carefully weave from right to left

I tell her on the intercom;

‘We’re going up next.”

She signals to go

As I throttle up slow

Her knees start to shake as I let up the brake

The air starts to flow

The plane want to go

Feel the power through the seat

Glance at the gauge, engine has heat

One quick low pass

Ten feet up, above the green grass

I push her up into a roll

And that crazy woman lets go

Now, there’s no danger —

She’s tied on there pretty good

But it did kind of startle me so

And after a while it was time to come down

The old biplane’s wheels touch the ground

The real challenge still lies ahead

But I’ve never really cared for what anyone said

I am going ask this strange girl to marry me.

The Tiger.

Louis Shalako

You may wonder why I walk this way

You may ask why I sit this way

How come you never walk a straight path?

You may ask

Why are you so quiet?

You ask

Where did you learn to listen that way?

And why are your eyes so strange?

You may well ask

I am a tiger

A lean and hungry tiger

A wet, cold tiger

A lonely tiger

One with no home range

A tiger has no friends

Only enemies and prey

I’m a very tired tiger

Yet I cannot sleep

My ears will hear the wind in the trees

And in the darkest hour of night

I will arise and move on again

I am a tiger

Sometimes it’s hard being a tiger

Sometimes I want to weep, but don’t

‘Cause I’m a tiger

I guess that saying I’m a tiger is to say

I’m always hungry, always alert

Always watching

Listening and smelling

Waiting

For you.

  

Park Bench.

Louis Shalako

公園のベンチルイ b. シャラコによって

公園のベンチに座っています。

本当に多くを行う

座っているし、しばらくの間と思う考えた

その時はあなたを見た

私がロビンをさっと

助けることができなかったが、笑顔

私たちの目も、本当にロック

すべての中の互いに

葉に落ちて来たと

すべて私の耳の周り

私の心に再びスピン始めた

すべての年を通じて

私を思い出すことを知っています。

あなたを覚えて

それはもう一度会えて良かった

ブルーを感じていた原因

あなたの夫が探している私を見た

彼は私の目にとまったとき

彼はのような奇妙な探していた

私は本当にわからない理由

あなたの両方が私の過去行った

単語を言わなかった

ちょうど私の自身のビジネスを気に

鳥を見て

何も言ったまたは完了するには

あなた大丈夫だを見ることができます。

すべてのそれらの狂気の感情

本当に決して去っていきました

今では私は古い得ています。

それは大きな間違いだった

私は決して実際に償うことができます。

それは単にあまりにも遅

思い出をありがとう

彼らはすべての私は本当に

あなたはまだ若いと美しい

私はちょうど酔った古い酔いどれ

それが私の愛するもう一つのチャンスがあった

それを行うにすべての再度

私は正直わからない、私の小さな一

場合は、1 つのものを変更できます。

 

Original

Sitting on a park bench

Sitting on a park bench

Not really much to do      

Thought I’d sit and think awhile

And that’s when I saw you

Robin skittered by me

Couldn’t help but smile

Our eyes well and truly locked

On each other all the while

And as the leaves came falling down

All around my ears

My mind began to spin again

Back through all the years

I know that you remember me

And I remember you

It’s good to see you once again

‘Cause I was feeling blue

Your husband saw me looking

And when he caught my eye

He was looking kind of strangely

I really don’t know why

As you both went past me

You never said a word

Just minding my own business

And looking at the birds

Nothing to be said or done

I can see that you’re okay

All those crazy feelings

Never really went away

Now that I am getting old

It was a big mistake

I never really can atone

It’s simply way too late

Thank you for the memories

They’re all I’ve really got

You’re still young and beautiful

I’m just a drunken old sot

But it I had another chance my dear

To do it all again

I honestly don’t know, my little one

Original

Sitting on a park bench

If I could change a single thing.