Spoken word artist Lloyd Garrison returns with another piece, looking for sense in the case, looking for comfort in a topsy-turvy world. How do you cope? What do you turn to when the answers seem elusive? Where do you look when the questions are relentless?

Karma

KARMA

I will be the first one to admit…

if KARMA wanted to…it could wear red lipstick and 9-inch heels just to gain the attention that comes with being an undercover celebrity…but it chooses to ride clean with low profile tires and hide in the shadows. All KARMA needs is space and time to send a direct facebook IM to the world that reads: “men lie…women lie, but the eye in the sky always tells the truth.” 

I know what you’re thinking…if Karma is so real…why are some people able to get away with a crime and serve no jail time? But I can’t even ride around the block without being stopped by a cop for having a busted headlight. How does that make sense? 

Why do all the best jobs go to the most unqualified people? But there are millions of qualified people who are unemployed and hungry in the midst of  global pandemic. How does that make sense? 

Why are some people able to storm the capital and live to tell their story? But others would have been gunned down for the same 15 minutes of fame. How does that make sense? 

Please tell me I’m crazy…because life is just so confusing to me at times. All I can tell you is you aren’t crazy…life, never promised, serves us lemons and lemonade depending on the day…but a fair shake was never part of the agreement. But the great thing is…life is worth living when you live it the right way….by treating others  with the same level of respect you expect and deserve from them…or you can wait for Karma to come knocking on your door one day. It may not arrive today…or it may arrive tomorrow…but unlike UPS…it still remembers your address….and Karma always delivers on time. 

You may not understand what I am about to say to you…but I am going to say it anyway because you need to hear this…KARMA is that bitch you don’t want to fuck with…the one that slashes your tires in the middle of the night while you are sleeping. Don’t take my word for it…everyone is entitled to their own opinion....and I respect how you feel….but some people still feel what happens in the dark should stay in the dark…but do me a favor: tell all those people who feel they can sweep all their dirt underneath the rug….to keep having birthdays…one day someone will blow out all of their candles from an undisclosed location…tell all those people who operate from a position of arrogance instead of humility to keep taking the people they claim to love for granted…one day someone they love may refuse to love them back…tell all those people to keep ignoring the law…one day someone may help them close on their new home…a 6 by 7 cell next to a drunk. 

Somewhere along your timeline there was a time, a place, a face, a name, and a game you began playing when you thought Karma was a joke. But you forgot you never know who is watching you. KARMA can show up on anyone’s doorstep at any time, any place, anywhere without a search warrant. All Karma needs is a reason to pay you a visit. 

I heard you when you said that part-time job you had at Taco Bell fired you for no reason, but did you really think you could get away with your drawer coming up short every week?

I heard you when you said you were just keeping that rumor alive about your co-worker…but it had nothing to do with them trying to commit suicide twice in one calendar year…but at least now you know you never know what someone is going through. 

I heard you when you said checking out those Instagram models during your downtime is harmless…but you got a WHOLE WIFE and kids at home who love you more than life itself…maybe that’s why you get the cold shoulder every time you roll over and try to “get some.”

I am not here to judge you…what you do behind closed doors is your business…I’m just saying…whatever you do...just be careful…
KARMA has a license to carry in all 50 states. 
KARMA may not get you now….but when it comes for you….it shoots to kill….and it leaves no bullets in the chamber…
Karma is and always will be the real deal….
whether you choose to believe it or not.

©Lloyd Garrison – 2021

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Mr. Lloyd L. Garrison is the CEO of Hidden G.E.M.S. by LG. Lloyd received his Bachelor of Arts (2001) and Master of Arts (2005) degrees in English from Miami University in Oxford, Oh. LLoyd’s goal is to spread messages of hope, love, peace, and truth through the power of the spoken word.  

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For the first 100 days of the Biden administration, this website will feature a new poem of What’s Next!? These pieces can be calls to action, calls to attention, or calls to anger. They will light the way and guide the fight. They will get us moving and keep our momentum. They will be filled with hope, with anger, with sorrow. They will get us into good trouble and point out the trouble we need to stop. They will be polished gems, or rough-cut drafts of rage, or in-process pieces searching for peace. They may be haiku or tanka, limericks or lyrics, verses free or fettered.

#100Days100Poems of What’s Next!? wants your poems, your prose, your visual art (photos, drawings, sculptures), your music, your short films and animations. Interpret the theme as broadly as you’d like.

If you would like to submit to this endeavor, please send an email, with your visual art (as .jpg or .pdf) or your poem saved as a word document (.docx) to waxyandpoetic AT gmail DOT com. Include a short bio (2-3 sentences) and social media/website information. All rights remain with the author. Please address any formatting preferences in your email. Waxyandpoetic.com will post submissions time permitting, with at least one per day beginning 20 January 2021.

Read, follow, share, submit, live, love, spread light! Don’t forget to use #100Days100Poems !