Ego Of Sly Pettiness

Ego Of Sly Pettiness
© Surazeus
2026 04 26

The strangest aspect about the Third Man, 
who lets cool rats play pool with his eyeballs, 
is how he paints planets on bowling balls, 
then stands outside gate of the factory 
and plays dissonate melodies of despair 
on broken guitar with five rusty strings. 

Embracing ego of sly pettiness 
through innate talent of the snarky jibe, 
the Third Man takes his face off in the glare 
of spotlights gleaming on the creaking stage, 
then shouts electric satire of despair 
in silent void above highways of cars. 

Empowered by negative interdicts, 
stones of contempt hurled with mocking insults, 
the Third Man tangles lines of sizzling words 
in tattered wings he found on jagged rocks 
by sea shore with eager Icarus fell, 
then pontificates on world theater stage. 

Stacking bricks of baked mud in pyramids 
on solid foundation of shifting sands, 
the Third Man builds cave in heart of the Earth 
where ghost of his ancestor with sharp stick 
fights monstrous dragon of the wounded soul, 
then barbecues burgers in the state park. 

Pretending he is not the seventh son 
who falls in love with fourth daughter of Death, 
the Third Man spreads honey on molded bread 
while bragging about every game he won 
till the butterfly girl in hippie skirt 
marries the banker who runs Babylon. 

Excited about joining the circus of clowns 
who tour country towns sea to shining sea, 
the Third Man milks the sad cow before dawn, 
then stands outside grocery stores to preach 
about the second coming of the king 
who will appear on the purple giraffe. 

Exhausted by attempts to fool the squares 
who live normal lives, working eight to five, 
the Third Man leans against greasy phone pole 
and watches cars zoom past for ninety hours 
till wise tortoise of the waste land arrives 
to teach him lessons in morality. 

The most boring thing about the Third Man, 
who sews secret messages inside shirts, 
is how he is an expert at spreadsheets 
and longs to work as the accountant clerk 
at the company that sells kitchen ware 
because his girlfriend who died loved to cook.