Pay Attention

Baby, you got to read it
is what they say
Then, maybe,
you'll understand
better.
Don't assume that any fool
can pretend her or his way
through the veil
of a hefty dose of righteousness
and a smidge of cynicism, to boot.
You were never good at pretending.
Simply dress-up. Not even
make-up, really.
Your vintage face,
some say,
was made for sucking
up.
But the way you talk
tells me it's high time
for you to read a book.
Your idle loquaciousness
is getting drafty.
And your dream reverie
is caught between
remorse and disbelief, probably.
Well, you can choose not to
believe,
but the last time I checked,
ghosts were made to
haunt ya.
And if they can't convince you
well then,
they can try,
or
the facts will
the stories
the anecdotes
the news
and the pain, really.