It is indeed an honour to be the very first to visit and leave their mark here sir Damian .. am under no illusion at all .. A fine read & no messin .. Message received loud n clear .. Neville 😎👍

The perfect description of that famous American Antichrist: Donald Trump. I feel for you all over there, your great nation being forced to change into a Fascist, Racist State. Great summary of your pain, Damien – you always write so expressively, never afraid to speak out! Take Care, Harriet-Jacqui, Communist Woke Hypercritical England.

Outstanding piece Damian. Can relate and I’m with you on all these points. Great!

Write on Damien. Creative and to the point. Precise even.
I have a family of all different sides of the political spectrum. We had to make a point
not to get overly heated in our group texts. I’m not loosing my loved ones over politics. If I feel
overly emotionally invested then I take a break from all news outlets. I’m not letting whoever is president Republican or Democrat ruin my day for 4 years or 8.
Unfortunately somehow it’s came to that for other families.

Sorry for the ramble!

Thanks so much for reading and your kind words, NTD. So glad you connected with the write my friend. That it is on both accounts. Appreciate you.

Damian

There’s grief under the anger here—the ache of watching something familiar turn strange in your hands.
You don’t rant; you reckon, and that steady disappointment cuts deeper than any shout.

You’ve touched on what I refer to as “The Beast System”, and we are all guilty of supporting it. Our clothes on our backs and technology in our homes and gasoline in our cars and produce in the grocery store are all brought to us by usury & exploitation of third world populations, natural environments, and the illusion of false scarcity. I don’t judge any political affiliations or religious viewpoints because we are ALL guilty, regardless of how we choose to see it or word it and I love the accountability you are taking in this piece. Do we even recognize society at-large these days, even in comparison to the recent past? You are eloquently pointing out why we here in the West can’t have nice things, creating some cool rhymes & flow in the process.

Most appreciative, Damian!

I’ve lost family and friends to this terrible time with the colostomy bag in chief. It seems there are those who simply can’t respect the idea to disagree and let it be. They’re almost violently adamant that we’re the corrupt ones who need indoctrination. And when we refuse to drink the Kool-aid, they turn on us. I disagree with their beliefs, but unless they get nasty, I just don’t engage on the subject with them. It is hard when someone you’ve known and respected for your whole life turns on you over this situation. It makes me sad to think of their realization dawning when time ends for them and they’re forced to witness their wrongs. And what they threw away because of it. Nothing about this situation is good. Too much loss, on so many levels. I’m feeling the sadness and frustration in this one, my friend

I was drawn to this because of the Title. It got me hooked.

It’s taken me by surprise though. I didn’t expect it to be about a relationship falling apart.

But it is very well written and I admire your inner strength throughout the stanzas.

You are excellent at describing a messy and difficult situation. x

“Designed to create conflict out of confusion”, I think pretty much sums up (along with the entire ending stanza) about the current state of affairs. People fall for these illusions and they will continue to do so.

Amazing write.

One thing about you, you’ve got swag. Your confidence drips from every word, and I absolutely love the playful undertone of this. You rode the rhythm, acknowledged your style without getting too explicit. I’m still on the rhythmic flow.

Passionately penned, Naaj. Excellent write my friend you really brought it with this one. Amazing wordplay, that rhythm stays in the pocket. Much respect..brother. Appreciate you.

Damian

As you know dude we love your word flow and play, this is so tight with the sexy Velma Dinkley. To cool

That right there is Velma! Watch the smart ones… Fiery piece here, Naaj! 🔥

This is deep and takes the mind to a place that makes you ponder what we are witnessing today, could it be avoided if we just remembered past events instead of letting it just fade into the back ground

Tight rhymes, amigo. Sing your songs, even silently. They still hit.

hello dearest Damian this made me sad the horde is so ficke my friend I feel you ❤️

Well damn. This reads like a whiskey bottle that learned to rhyme. I can practically hear the guitar echoing off brick walls. You really said, “Let’s take a road trip with regret,” and made it sound cool. Brooding in the best way. I’m into it.

A beautifully chaotic board, fitting for a poem about drifting identities, inner shadows, and the erosion of meaning. You’ve written something that feels like a road‑worn blues song fused with psychological noir.

Cool piece. Dark, intelligent & moving.

I got the feel of a New York City late night blues while reading this excerpt of a journey.
C Train, getting off at W 4th St, an urban couple getting frisky and fussy in public, a homeless man marking his territory,
a rat scurrying beneath the 3rd rail as the lone guitarist curates those city blues.

Straight diggin this vibe, D

Much respect

Naaj

“Dark passenger”…now that’s a concept i like to delve into very much. Relating to this wholeheartedly. Maybe a tad too much lol.

I don’t know where this one took others, and I’m refusing to check yet. But to me, this reads as those who are watching evil taking the stage and are documenting what they see. It reminds me of a name much in the news these days, and the vile things perpetrated and orchestrated by him. But that one man couldn’t have done any of those things without a lot of collaboration from a lot of others. Many of whom are currently destroying our world. The blues in the shadows fits this vibe so perfectly. And regardless where it takes people, it takes us, my friend

Not sure why I imagined a literal cat with guitar… But then it has this bluesy feel, nostalgic, that delta-blues style.
Cool write my friend.