John Frazee resides in Boynton Beach, FL, USA (temporarily) I also reside under the impression, that like the infinite number of monkeys at the infinite number of type-writers someday I will accidentally create something worthwhile. I rely on you humans to evaluate the results of this experiment. Published in Skyline magazine, OMNI magazine, The Horror Zine, Twice the Terror, The Horror Zine Anthology, Death Head Grin Anthology, My Word Wizard, Aphelion, StoryMania , The Horror Zine Magazine and The Original Van Gogh’s Ear.
Bacchant Recollections
by
John Frazee
Life wasn't always this clear, wasted many years in confusion
I might seem confidant now but once held major apprehensions
I would fall asleep in midair and wake up with contusions
It was much like living through a series of dramatizations
Stood on infirm soapboxes making baseless declarations
While avoiding scrutiny by government organizations
Deeply under the influence of illicit medications
It got so no one believed any of my heartfelt confessions
Decided to face this world with little or no preparations
Accepted employment with woefully few qualifications
Rated within my species I was a poor representation
Still I rose to the top of my field despite these limitations
I met my first wife residing in a house of detention
A cult of druids made me their project for restoration
Once got caught up in some paramilitary operations
Pleaded my case to a jury without representation
I followed many but never felt the need for dedication
Some were true messiahs quite lord like, but most were aberrations
This was where I bore witness to many a crucifixion
Was a true believer before accepting realization
As is evident I possess no skills in communication
I'm trying desperately to avoid further complications
As god is my judge all these facts are true without exception
In this my autobiography of bacchant recollections
Contemplating Vincent
by
John Frazee
I find myself without direction, completely uninspired
From the stark blank canvas I can feel a presence eminating
A stagnant century old breeze wafts across my studio
Where could that sweet smell of absinthe be permeating
I'm commanded from afar by the tortured soul of a god
From what source of power is this energy generating
A surge of inspiration unlike any I've ever felt
While my minds eye staggers, my hand is not hesitating
I am flattered by his spirit, an honor to be sure
I bask in his glow yet find his presence discomforting
I should have accepted him with open arms, however
This attack on my color scheme, I was not anticipating
No one alive has the nerve to trespass where I toil in paint
How these images propagate is truly fascinating
The colors, the strokes, the intensity, there can be no doubt
I am sure now it is Vincent I have been contemplating
Kamikaze
by
John Frazee
I'm a kamikaze pilot
My name you do not know
I'm the one who killed your son
It was a glorious way to go
I'm a fresh faced doughboy
And I'm developing my skill
I had to shoot your brother
When he tried to take my hill
I'm a suicide bomber
With a low regard for life
I had no reason to hate you
Till you murdered my child and wife
They say I'm an expert marksman
And its a skill I always had
He was simply a target in my sight
I didn't know he was your dad
I find it easy killing your kind
Because you're of a different race
It's something I learned in pilot school
That's how I became an ace
I don't care who you are
A frenchy, a brit or a yank
I didn't even see you there
When I crushed you beneath my tank
I didn't give it to much thought
As I pulled that hand grenade pin
You may not know to look at me
It was my very first mortal sin
I was proud when my bullet
Put him in his flag draped coffin
I never realized that bullet
Had in turn made you an orphan
I am not a violent man
At home I'm considered a dove
Forgive me, you see I had no choice
But to kill the man you love
I'm sorry you and your family
Have such an empty life in store
I never meant to take his life
That's the price you pay for war
The Piper
by
John Frazee
Paying the piper, his dues keep getting tougher everyday
Resting or rusting, I find the difference hard to define
Arising each morning with hope of something, anything new
Nearer the beginning or the end it is such a thin line
Deliberately unconscious amid piles of memories
I find myself pathetically clinging to thoughts unknown
I am rummaging through recollections of a past unseen
Could things have turned out differently, did I leave seeds unsown
Memories so deeply twisted are slowly unwound
Mixed with others I have known they can't possibly all mine
The who, what, where and when the facts just keep on coming
They push past me too quickly I must deal with one at a time
What happens to these ideas when they vanish from the mind's eye
Why be so bloody concerned about visions within my head
Who cares if what I am thinking goes up in a puff of smoke
Will I be stuck with these awful thoughts long after I am dead
Stranded hopelessly alone in this crowded restaurant
As far as the waiters concerned I'm just taking up a seat
Better order another cocktail, before they insist I leave
Have no idea how I got here or who I'm suppose to meet
Roaming without direction, I'm sure I've never been here before
Walking around in circles with no destination in my plans
Running into solid walls that I know were not there yesterday
Dealing with everyday life is like navigating foreign lands
Searching through maps I had drawn in order to find my way back home
While debating my future it seems both sides are equally torn
While ignoring the warning signs my intuition sends to me
Further and further I travel till both my soul and soles are worn
Mistaken
by
John Frazee
What if I am mistaken
And the makers of weapons are right
Will we use the bombs as peacemakers
Or to just start another fight
What if I don’t know any better
But to believe in what bigots say
Do I leave my brother bleeding in the street
And on Sunday, kneel to pray
What if I am misinformed
About what the courts insist is just
Should I stand by and watch
As the scales of justice rust
What if I simply misunderstood
And all men are treated in kind
Shouldn’t I find a single case
Where the system is color blind
What if wrong is what I am
And right is the domain of the powers that be
How do I look in the eyes of a child
And tell him he’ll never be free
What if I am incorrect
And what church elders preach is gold
Or are their ideas, like withered bones
Have simply gotten too old
What if I were misdirected
By teachers who’s facts were untrue
How do children recover from
Being served up lies in a stew
What if I miscalculated
And we must live on time we borrow
As we rape our mother earth
Shred her skin and suck her marrow
What if I am wrong
And what the wise men say is true
What if there really is a God
And this is the best that he can do
Fourth Street
by
John Frazee
Walking down these streets together
Free from any harm
Walking down these streets forever
Always arm in arm
When exactly this took place
I really can’t recall
It was either early that winter
Or very late that fall
The arm I held that bitter day
Belonged to someone you don’t know
For the sake of finishing our story
We will simply call him Joe
Details seem a little sketchy
Was it rain, snow or sleet
The one thing I am certain of
It was positively Fourth Street
We knew those streets
We knew them all so well
That street went to paradise
That alley led straight to hell
It all seemed so instinctive
So easy to choose the right road
If you take to the streets of New York
You had better know the code
The scenery changes, the surface too
Like cobblestone to tar
That Starbucks on the corner
Once was our favorite bar
If friends had lost us in the night
Here is where we’d meet
The name of the bar eludes me now
But it was positively Fourth Street
No matter where we started from
There is something that we found
We ended up in the perfect place
By merely following the sound
They weren’t just streets to us you know
They weren’t just places to roam
They were part of our heritage
Our life, our world, our home
The sidewalks seem so different now
Without his familiar arm to hold
I never thought I’d see the day
When the pavement felt so cold
Of these two things I remember well
First the time it was too fleet
The second one I swear to you
It was positively Fourth Street AM Again
by
John Frazee
I woke up late this morning
My hair tied in a knot
Somehow my slippers soaking wet
And the coffee’s not even hot
This AM started out all wrong
And I’m looking for a fightI
wish I could remember who
I went dancing with last night
Once I had such hopeful plans
But plans often go askew
Now I can’t find them anywhere
I just haven’t got a clue
I ran to see my best friend
To find out what I had done
He said I’m no friend of yours
And went to get his gun
I went off searching high and low
For a friendly face to find
But all my former friends would say
Is man, you’re not our kind
Got to figure just what I did
To sink to this level of disgrace
To make every living soul I know
Want to slap me in my face
I finally discovered why
I was eyed with such disgust
The fault lied with two pals of mine
My friends alcohol and lust
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