Closer To Life

Now,
If I hear,
Just one more time,
Yet another noxious celebrity,
Another agony aunt/uncle,
Another New Age chat show Oprah-Christ,
Babble in forked-tongue:
"First you must love yourself,
Before you are able to love anyone else",
I promise,
I will puke the blood of a thousand dodos,
Pull out from my ears the tails of wailing mermaids,
Weep the tears of the Martian Pyramid Pharaohs,
Piss the holy ectoplasm
of one apologetic millionaire stockbroker,
Crunch on the teeth of a dead Icelandic troll,
And then?
Then gaze at a waning moon,
And whisper..
It just ain't so.

It just ain't so.

And as I water-board the first self-help narcissist,
With the boiling snake oil of the last deep-think toxic dalek,
I'll wonder what kind of air,
Do such sages breathe.
You have to love yourself first?
Why?
No thanks.
I don't want to love myself.
I don't.
Sorry.
And I don't need to love myself,
To love someone else.

Respect yourself,
If you think you're deserving;
Like yourself,
If you like;
And love another,
As you can;
Then, maybe,
If you're lucky,
You'll be touched by an open heart,
That yearns to,
Belong,
To another;
Two hearts, now,
Closer to the senseless beauty of Life.