Dreams of Power

Cold sweat in the zero hour, dreams of power
erased upon waking, no relaxation, muscles twitching and shaking
face the day like any other, dreams of power, money-making and reality overtaking 
and walking to the corner got you looking over your shoulder in the night time
that's the wrong time
the wrong face in the wrong place, for floorwalkers
in the guise of camera's hidden eyes, and nightstalkers
and security crews, dreams of power haunt them too
radioed the news, who they spied out in full view
a no-good, down-low, low-down attempt at ascending
to fit the format's demands, no dissenting
locks-out, trimmed nice and neat and natty
paranoia ties a knot in the throat, the rope
dreams of power, application rejected
can't be that dejected, stamped and inspected
and destined for the underworld of judges, wardens, lawyers
that's soul-asassination for confused warriors, and soldiers are
put through their paces, the street corner's home to a world of dislocated faces
some guy steps up and speaks of races
but can't deal with technology, redundancy, and dreams of power
black steel in the hour
and the griots talk of riots and tell the unofficial tales
of exonerated cops and how they got off
but it soon come, like Genghis from the steppes of Asia
hitting harder than the combined blows of Ali and Frasier
from the glacier, dreams of power, and glass shatter
verdicts that don't matter, contracts ain't worth the paper
they're written, as dictators of local notoriety
play at celebrity, dreams of power, anxiety
now, who's trying me? duress and second-guessing, who's denying me
and why, and what underlies a cold reply?
and how to neutralize, change from the inside
clenches up a free and easy stride
like a fist raised halfway, or a latter-day
radical verse reworked and shaken in a soft drink ad to spray
doubt and dismay, and dreams of power
star-gazed and gold-crazed dreams of jeeps and mercedes
from old to new school days, get-rich-quick games
from numbers games to fake brand names, cocaine to Amway, and dreams of power
night terrors, fear-breeders, hope-cheaters, day dreamers, mind-drifters, time-shifters
the innocence-takers, the non-wakers
Dreams of power
Dreams of power



copyright A. Bansfield, 2002