GlowbyWords

The Rapture of "A"

2011-05-17T18:56:00.002-05:00

A fellow who calls himself "A"

expects to be raptured in May

By June he'll awaken

to having been taken

but NOT being taken away!

The Cure

2011-05-04T22:17:00.001-05:00

They say the cure for love is hate or indifference.

However, these are medicines my system can't tolerate. Their side-effects are more sickening than the symptoms themselves. I can't even bring myself to swallow placebo substitutes.

Having no pro-active treatment plan available to me, I've no choice but to let the disease run its course. Being an illness as common as the common cold, I trust that my natural defenses will eventually kick in and relieve my suffering.

I'd much rather sweat it out than take the cure.

Defying Denial

2011-02-24T21:58:00.005-06:00

Put out the lights
Forever mustn't see
how we defy him
touching in the dark

Let denial rest
Forever can wait
a few sweet moments
for surrender to awaken

~~~

La luz apagada
El futuro no debe ver
nuestro desafío
al tacto en la oscuridad

Dejemos que el rechazo descanse
Por siempre pueden esperar
algunos dulces momentos
para la entrega despertar

Mayan Astronomer's Dilemma

2010-11-01T00:26:00.003-05:00

Imagine you're a Mayan astronomer.

You and your parents and your ancestors have all been trying to work out how the sky works. After many generations of marking, observing, and recording, you've worked out how to predict the movements of basic objects in the sky. You've got a perfectly functional calendar. No more guessing when to sow, or harvest, or have this celebration or that.

How do you preserve this knowledge you've gained for future generations? You have no way to express your analog observations as numeric formulas ... you don't have calculus - not even algebra. There's no technology to build some kind of mechanical clock.

How would you express what you had learned to future generations?

You might chisel about 1500 years of it into a rock, and hope they get the gist of it.

Curious

2010-10-23T20:43:00.002-05:00

I don't know if you'll always seem more beautiful each day. I'm curious.

I don't know if having you forever will stop me from craving you. I'm curious.

I don't really know if You are The One. I'm curious.

I don't know if I could ever love another. But curiously, I'm not curious.

Essence

2010-10-13T00:47:00.000-05:00

Holding you dear but not close
In touch without the touching
A part of my heart, apart

Your essence is all I have
Your presence is all I want
The part of you that's missing

I Could Be Me

2010-07-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

I could be me if I really tried
I could reveal all I feel inside

But who could know I have nothing hidden
In our world that much trust is forbidden

And who could bear my secret insanity
my inner voice's shouts of profanity

I am me to the extent that I dare
And I'm not to the extent that I care

Love at Tenth Sight

2010-07-01T01:29:00.001-05:00

I believe in love at first sight
and at second and third sight too.
Until the fourth or fifth sighting
you might not see what is true.

The sixth or seventh could reveal
that thing you've been looking for,
with ninth or tenth revealing,
what you most adore.

Flexing My Pig's Wings

2010-02-22T19:42:00.004-06:00

When I joined the Skeptics Society, my premium was a lapel pin - a pewter flying pig. I wanted a card so I could say, “I'm a card-carrying skeptic”, but what the hell. My wallet had enough crap in it anyway. I saved the pin but never wore it. It's not a cross I need to bear.

I joined because I'm fascinated with the ways people fool each other, especially themselves, and in particular, the ways I might be fooling myself. I'd like to better understand my world and the people in it. I think it helps to find widely held beliefs that are actually bullshit. After a while you see patterns...recurring themes in the mechanisms of deception, self-deception, and misunderstanding.

My goal is simply to minimize my delusions about the world by eliminating previously conceived misconceptions when I can, and guarding against accumulating new ones. I would like to become totally free of beliefs in untruths or half-truths. But honest skeptics know it's not possible, or will only happen when pigs fly.

Ethics

2010-02-14T23:21:00.002-06:00

Ethics: To obey the edicts of honor and willingly lay your head on the chopping block, without a fuss, during the inevitable consequences of obeying the edicts of honor; remembering that if you happen to keep your head, you must continue to face it in the mirror.

Cat Lady's World

2010-01-20T19:42:00.008-06:00

Cat Lady's world is so full of cats
that a lot of people say she's bats

What number of cats must she tame
for Cat Lady to earn her name?

It's way too many, we might agree
But what is too many? 3? 33?

Does only the number define her
as hardcore - an over-the-liner?

Must the kitty decor, in her house and on it
be so cute it could make Minnie Mouse vomit?

Does each windowsill have a furry sentry
guarding Cat Lady's cat penitentiary?

Are they rescued, or sort of stolen?
Are they fed well, until they're swollen?

When she's sought by the opposite gender
do fur, poop, and claws always defend her?

Get to know her, you'll see she's really sweet
just nervous to trust someone with two feet

Her heart is too tender. Her kitties save her
from too much unpleasant human behavior

Some like pets for their human-like presence
She treasures most their nonhuman essence

Cat Lady's cats are friends till they die
People come and go. They cheat. They lie

These faultless creatures that fulfill her needs
can't falter like people judged for their deeds

Not Too Weird

2009-12-06T11:15:00.001-06:00

Random actions with a theme of fun
Different to an agreeable degree

Stimulation without irritation
On the line between kinky and sick

Obsessing through acceptable channels
Well worn by the weirdness of the world

I Knew It

2009-11-22T01:28:00.005-06:00

Before I saw your smile dance across your eyes and lips

Before savoring your delicious scents and sweetness

Before my fingertips wandered your velvety warmth

Before our hearts beat together with only flesh between

I knew you were beautiful

The Aftertaste of Afterlives

2009-11-14T21:54:00.007-06:00

Variety is the spice of lives
Different eras
Different wives

Each has its own unique flavor
Some too bitter
Some to savor

After all the courses are served
Rest forever
Rest deserved

(See also: In Line at Club Afterlife)

In Line at Club Afterlife

2009-11-14T21:50:00.005-06:00

Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow! Long line! Seemed like a lifetime! *heh! heh!*

Yeah. Heh heh . . . So, what was your plan?

Plan?

Yeah. Your plan for getting in. What's your religion?

Oh! Yes. Well. I'm Christian.

Do you believe in Christ and that he died for your sins?

What sins?

It's not important. Do you believe in Christ and that he died for your sins?

Yes, of course. But I'd really like to know which . . . uh . . . I mean what sins you are...

Enter. Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Name?

Judy.

Faith?

No, it's Judy.

. . .

Oh, I see! Yes! I have lots of faith.

Yeah, Judy. I mean: What is your faith?

Mayan.

Yeah. Seriously Judy, what's your religion?

Mayan! They were at one with the universe and graced by the seeds of humanity delivered by aliens with wise benevolence to raise our souls from the depths of our material animal existence!

Yeah. OK Judy . . . How did you die?

A guy shot me in a drive-by.

Did he mean to shoot you? Were you sacrificed?

Huh? No...The son of a bitch was shooting every damn thing that moved! Why?

Did you at least die on a slab of stone, drained of all your blood? Was there a ritual?

Huh? Well . . . part of me was on the sidewalk, and part was on some guy's lawn. But I actually died in the ambulance. There were a bunch of people standing around saying, “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!” over and over and over . . . that's kinda like a chant, right?

*whispers* Listen Judy...You seem like a nice lady. Just say you're a New Ager. Everybody nice basically gets in, unless they think they need a do-over, or they're convinced they're evil, or whatever other crap their latest best-sellers say. So Judy . . .

Are you a New Ager?

I'm a New Ager!!!

Enter. Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, Aya! Good to see you!

Hey.

Hang on a sec . . . Let me check your score this time . . . . . . . Ah! OK. Awww . . . sorry babe, you got a 91% enlightenment rating this go 'round. Nice showing! Betcha make it next time!

Thanks. Well, OK then. Hey, I'll see you later

Yeah. Much later, I hope. *winks* Have a good one. Hang in there!

Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi! Pleased to meet you! My name's Jim!

Yeah. Hi Jim. . . . So, what plan are you on?

Plan?

Yeah. Your afterlife plan . . . What's your religion?

I dunno. You mean, what do I believe?

Yeah. Why should you get in?

Uh...I was a pretty nice guy?

Yeah. Did you ever screw anybody over really bad?

Well, it depends what you mean by screw...

Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Muhammad, what are you doing here?

I would like to enter heaven, please.

You know I can't let you in until the resurrection.

Please! I absolutely guarantee then when the resurrection occurs, I will certainly be on the list. I have many friends who will attest to my worthiness, and I give you my personal assurance that I would be an excellent addition to the community of heaven!

End of the line. Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Name?

Patrick.

Catholic, right?

Aye. Howdja know?

The hair.

Aye.

Patrick, you're in the wrong line.

Wrong line?! I've been here for ages!!! I saw no friggin' sign!!! C'mon, gimme a break! Lemme in!

Sorry Pat, I'm not certified for Catholics. Your line's over there.

Aw, c'mon! Just lemme in. I'm a good Christian! What's the difference?

Yeah. That's the thing. I don't get the difference. That's why I'm not certified yet. Sorry Pat.

Sorry?!!! CHRIST man!!! Haven't I suffered enough?

Apparently not.

*sigh* Ah well, never mind. I should've known there'd be a friggin' bureaucracy up here as well. Have a good day, sir. I'm sorry for wastin' your time.

Don't be sorry, Pat.

Nex...

No, really I am! I'm very sorry for goin' off on you like that. It can't be easy, your job. I'm really very very sorry! I feel really bad.

Yeah, I know. *makes notes*

Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello sir!!! I'm Frank! Have you heard about the...

Yeah. Yeah I've heard. And have you heard, Frank, that you guys have to wait until the end of the world before you get in?

Yes, but if you'll just give me a few moments of your time, I have wonderful news for you that will...

End of the line. Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello Jowar. What's your excuse this time?

Hello, sir. Thank you so much for seeing me again, and for considering me for entry into your beautiful...

Jowar!

Yes, sir?

What's your excuse?

Ah, you see sir, I regret to say that I am completely unworthy for...

Jo!!! Your excuse! Let's get on with this.

Well, I refused to give alms to a desperately hungry leper. Yes. And also I kicked him! Yes. I think I might have knocked off one of his fingers! Perhaps more!!!

Yeah. Bullshit. You haven't got it in you.

No seriously! After I gave him all my change . . . OK, well, I did that . . . but after...Oh! I am so clumsy!...my foot knocked over his donation can as he was reaching to see what I'd put in...and he said, “OW!” very loudly! Oh, it was terrible! A horrible tragedy! It's ALL my fault! He had only eight fingers before...*gulp*...before I further mutilated the poor man! I know I can live a better life next time, and learn to not be so clumsy, and to consider others properly, if only I can have another chance.

Yeah. Bullshit. But I understand. Get outta here, ya nut!

Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK sir, what's your deal? Why should you get in?

I led a heavenly life! I had the biggest house and the fastest cars. I made shitloads of money. I did only the best coke. I fucked the hottest chicks. I totally kicked ass down there! I had the awesomest time!!!

Yeah. Awesome. Christian?

Oh yeah! You betcha, man! All the way!

Do you believe in Christ and that he died for your sins?

Abso-fuckin-lutely! He's my main man, dude!!!

Enter. (asshole) Next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Step up, please. What's your name?

Justin. Hey, I think I remember that last guy from high school. Small world! . . . or after-world . . .

Yeah. OK, Justin . . . So, how did you plan to get in?

Plan?

Yeah. What's your religion?

I don't have one.

What do you believe?

Believe about what?

*sigh* What do you believe in?

Oh. Nothing, really.

So, how did you expect to get in?

I didn't. I didn't really think it existed!

Bullshit. You couldn't have got in line unless you believed.

Look, I had a lot of time on my hands. I saw the line. I figured there must be something good at the end. I thought I'd check it out.

Bullshit. You're a believer.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...Alright!...OK!!! I guess you got me. I'd always hoped there was a heaven, but I seriously doubted it. It was more of a hope than a belief, basically.

Same thing, basically.

OK, so now what?

So, who do you believe... excuse me... who do you “hope” gets into heaven?

People who did more good than bad, I guess.

And did you do more good than bad?

Yes, I think so. At least I always tried. Does that count?

Do you think it should count?

Yes. Yes I do.

*shrugs*

Enter. Next!

Tamed for Shame

2009-10-23T21:40:00.002-05:00

I'm guilty of feeling ashamed

For things that I ought not be blamed

I've been married, you see

Trained to find fault in me

Even before the crime has been named

Junk Drawer

2009-10-17T11:43:00.001-05:00

When you find a little something
and you don't really know
with what it's supposed to go
Put it in the junk drawer

When you have some kind of part
separated from the others
hoping to join its brothers
Put it in the junk drawer

When you've lost some tiny trinket
you won't have looked everywhere
until you have looked deep in there
Go look in the junk drawer

When you want some random object
to inspire a silly mystery
or tell forgotten bits of history
Go look in the junk drawer

My Warm Sunny Rock

2009-10-07T00:06:00.004-05:00

I hold on to you
my warm sunny rock
when my cold blood
needs help to flow
after dark nights
in darker places

A chilling wind
can froth the sea
and frost the shore
but can't chill me
when I hold on to you
my warm sunny rock

(for Melissa)

HOPE gives

2009-10-06T23:55:00.002-05:00

Honest words give truth
Open hearts give love
Proven trust gives devotion
Earthly desire gives passion

First kiss

2009-10-03T14:20:00.004-05:00

First kiss

Finally!

Waited enough

Silenced lips meet

Testifying passion

Dreams and desires

Perfect moment

Of imperfection

Answering and asking

To touch more

Romance

2009-09-06T11:27:00.005-05:00

Scents powdery soft and sharply stinging

Flavors sweet and salty

Visions blurred and keenly focused

Caresses tender and furious

Promises breathlessly breathed and screamed

Dreams hopeful and haunted

The Rule of Keys

2009-09-03T23:34:00.002-05:00

I believe the more keys I have, the more troubles I have.

Some take pride in a heavy jingling ring of keys. They represent precious possessions, trust earned, status achieved.

But to me, keys tell of things that must be kept from “them”, that the world demands are locked . . . things to pay for, maintain, and fix . . . things that I'd better have a spare key for too, or I could be screwed. They break holes in the pockets of my jeans which they'll pull down to my knees if I don't wear a belt. And each opens or operates a thing for which I need to remember which damn key will work!

A full key ring is like a collar with many leashes, pulled by various objects and places that I think I control, but as much or more, they rule me.

I'd be happy with only one key, to the door of home. And I dream of a world where I can just leave it under the mat.

Why do fools fall in love?

2009-09-02T19:20:00.006-05:00

“I'll love you forever.”

Have you told someone before? Been told?

It was true, wasn't it? . . . For a time, at least.

Love inspired the “I'll love you...”. Hope inspired “...forever”. But hopes can fail. Forever can end soon. Yet you can easily fool yourself, and someone dear, that you are able to see forever. So I say...

You must be a fool to fall in love!

...it's essential to the process, and a precious gift to us all. First you fool yourself into knowing that your love is forever. Then you can fool the other well, who hopefully is likewise fooling themselves and you of the same . . . of forever.

You need a foolish heart if you want a forever that lasts forever. Silence this foolishness, and you'll be a much greater fool. You will never find the forever love that fooled you before. You will never fool it into lasting forever, for you and the other fool, who you'd like to fool around with for eternity.

Why do fools fall in love?

Only fools fall in love!

Ooooo wah, oooooo wah,
ooooo wah, oooooo wah,
ooooo wah, oooooo wah,
Why do fools fall in love?

Why do birds sing so gay
And lovers await the break of day?
Why do they fall in love?
Why does the rain fall from above?
Why do fools fall in love?
Why do they fall in love?

Love is a losing game,
Love can be a shame
I know of a fool, you see,
For that fool is me!
Tell me why, tell me why?

Why do birds sing so gay
And lovers await the break of day?
Why do they fall in love?
Why does the rain fall from above?
Why do fools fall in love?
Why do they fall in love?

Why does my heart skip this crazy beat?
For I know it will reach defeat!
Tell me why, tell me why?
Why do fools fall in love?

Poetry

2009-08-28T21:40:00.003-05:00

Min words max meaning

Human Animal

2009-07-05T00:49:00.002-05:00

Birds and bugs and bears
fraternize freely
with damned foreigners
unpatriotically violating
our sacred invisible borders
marked by mistrust's musky pissing
Just one creature must cross carefully
to meet his imagined sub-species
having the same blood and mind
but a flag that waves strangely
It's the beast that believes
he's best of all
but he's really
only merely
human

Trust

2009-02-22T14:59:00.001-06:00

Born blind in faith
Raised on proof
Thriving on secrets
Longing to be shared
Gifts exchanged
Crafted by hearts

I Believe in Love

2008-12-26T22:43:00.006-06:00

I truly do believe in love
but oddly not in God above
I'm strange in this, I know it well
Yes of course, I'll burn in Hell

To see love's acts of creation
requires not such imagination
I can see its hand move our hearts
and sometimes other private parts

I need no Book to know its rules
with stories of its kings and fools
Love often reveals a fable
I learn the moral when able

It shares its gifts every day
whether or not I choose to pray
At times its rapture excites me
or its wont angrily smites me

I have faith in nothing but love
it's my one exception thereof
I confess Allah, Zeus, and God
this fault in my faithless facade

I'm loyal in my devotion
to love's gospel of emotion
that speaks to my heart like a soul
and teaches me how to be whole

Tracking an Angel

2008-11-30T20:13:00.001-06:00

My dog and I walk each other around the lake every day. We never fail to keep our appointment. In winter, after the ice-fishermen's huts say it's OK, we walk its inside perimeter instead.

Almost every inch of shore is someones back yard. Some families shovel away snow to make little skating rinks, and some kids inevitably carve out a big hockey stadium. The fishermen throw their pitifully small catches onto the ice, to become crunchy snacks for Deedee my dog.

When we walk, I often admire her dogginess - the way she can read a story in the scents of the road. We normally pass a dozen bulletin boards, full of neighborhood news, but my nose isn't keen enough to read the articles.

But on the lake's ice, after a few inches of snow, we are more evenly matched. The snow prints might not tell me the species, age, and gender of the creatures who passed, but at least I know something has passed.

One day I read a story in the tracks that she could not - even if she hadn't been buying her nose in the new fallen snow, looking for frozen fishy chips. I almost missed the message too. My nose was also buried, but in the warmth of my winter coat's collar. Just two steps short of it, I skidded to a halt.

It was a perfect little snow angel - very perfect and very little - about 10 yards from the shore. The artist was no more than 3 feet tall. I assumed it was a girl. Little boys don't have much appreciation for such things, or such attention to details. She'd swept the wings quite clean - down to the ice - with her arms and legs, and had rolled her head back and forth, to give her angel a full head of hair.

And after finishing this portrait she mysteriously vanished! I saw a single line of tiny footprints leading from shore to angel, but not a single step leading out in any direction!

I stood there admiring her creation of magical beauty and illusion. She had made an angel by flapping her wings, then disappeared from her canvas, probably delighted with the spiritual mystery she created. I wondered if her parents would be angry with her for going too far from shore, or would they dote on her, as I did, at her perfect execution of this rite of childhood. I wondered if she took longer to retrace her steps backward than she did to make her angel. Had I ever made an angel so nice? Could I make one now?...

Then I heard the jingling of dog tags as my buddy ran up to rejoin me. But she ran right past, and crashed straight through the angel. Goddammit Deedee!!! I had wanted to explain to her this type of track, but instead I wanted to make some impressions in the snow - using her! I called my apologies toward the house where the little girl's tracks began.

We continued our walk while I cursed gently and often. Deedee glanced guiltily back at me, clenching a frozen crappie in her teeth.

Estrangement

2008-11-15T00:40:00.003-06:00

Estrangement is strange! To be successful you must cooperate with a friend in an effort to make strangers of each other. Despite all other disagreements, you agree on this. You know each other too well to want to know each other well.

The Volume to Fill

2008-10-03T17:59:00.002-05:00

I want to know the volume
of tears I have to cry,
to grieve a loss
or regret a shame,
until my emptiness
seems near half full.

I want a cup that measures
tears I have spent
and those I still owe,
so I can hope to pay
my debts of sorrow
fairly and in full some day.

But do I fill the cup faster
believing it has no bottom?
If I deny its finite volume
and limits to its fullness,
can pain drain sooner
and floods of regret pass their crests?

I'm filling a cup I can't see.
So today it's an ocean
whose cold misty rains
keep me inside
wanting to know the volume
of tears I have to cry

before it ends.

Fear is my friend

2008-04-12T20:12:00.002-05:00

Fear is my friend. He usually visits uninvited. I don't ask him over, that's why. I see him enough when he brings me his scary warnings. He's a Drama King...he doesn't know how to relax.

When we were kids we hung out a lot. We ran into each other all the time. Then at some point, Fear's negativity really started to get on my nerves. I began to avoid him, and not rely on him too much.

We still meet from time to time. But I don't put much effort into facing Fear. He gets in my face more than I like anyway. He barges in uninvited, tells me his feelings, I deal with him as best I can, and then we both move on.

Sometimes I'll have him over to watch a good horror movie. We go to amusement parks together too. He's a valuable ally and an old friend, but I like to keep a good distance between us. I can't trust him. He has steered me wrong too many times. We keep in touch, and just get together when we feel we need to.

When he stops by, I just can't lock my door. He has saved my ass a million times. He has made me an ass too...but much less often. He has stopped me from jumping to my doom, but also from climbing up to see some sweet views. When I ignore him and he's right, he tells me, “I told you so!” for ages.

Yeah, Fear is my friend. But I make our visits as brief as possible. When he's around, my other friends tend to stay away...especially my two best friends, Hope and Love.

Maybe Fear and I will go our separate ways some day. We meet less often as years go by. It's hard to imagine living without him. We've been together for so long. Maybe it was meant to be...that some day Fear would get along without me, and that I would be Fearless too.

Out of this world

2008-03-29T00:20:00.001-05:00

From darkness into light
From toddling weakness to nimble strength
From comforted safety to daring adventures
From beloved taker to loving giver
From innocent ignorance to jaded knowledge
From nebulous confusion to gathering wisdom
From animal desires to spiritual hopes
From corporeal being to ephemeral memories
From light into darkness

One Date

2008-01-12T00:11:00.006-06:00

I hadn't dated
in thirty years
not counting spousal outings
I'd been de-spoused
for two or twelve
depending how you count things

Although the wounds
from that battle
weren't nearly really healing
I found someone
while not looking
and found her most appealing!

I hadn't tried
to ask her out
but not for lack of wanting
Half a planet
laid between us
to make our dating daunting

Then one night
she said to me
in the words of a sweet email
“Come visit me”
“Oh Yes!” I said
to this distant unseen female

And so we had
a date so great
I wished we hadn't waited
We had a blast
a total gas
for two straight weeks we dated!

One year has passed
since that one date
made naught the world between us
We two are due
for number two
It's too long since we've seen us!

(Dedicado a Sandra)

I Carry You

2007-11-17T20:08:00.004-06:00

I carry you
and my burden is emptied
I carry you
and my emptiness fills

I carry you
in a secret private place
I carry you
in a smile I can not hide

I carry you
in my arms for moments
I carry you
in my heart forever

(for Sandra)

In The End

2007-09-02T20:06:00.002-05:00

In the end, those dirty dishes
sitting in the sink
will find another washer,
or maybe sit and stink

In the end, the nagging bills
piling by the door
will find another payer,
to remit them or ignore

In the end, the old dust bunnies
underneath the bed
will cease to breed profusely
as they are underfed

In the end, the autumn leaves
that have fallen on the grass
will stay where they belong,
without piling in the trash

In the end, the wrinkles, spots, and hairs
that challenged the beauticians
will finally get a lasting fix,
by experienced morticians

In the end, the chores and hassles
for which life seemed too short
will surely seem, in the end,
like great and pleasant sport

Dearest Diary

2007-08-19T00:05:00.003-05:00

No secret too shameful
No thought too trivial
I give you all
In absolute honesty
And faithful trust
Feelings sublime and foul
Moments monumental and mundane
Love, hate, indifference
Hope, fear, confusion
My words are our words
Our words are a book that binds us

(for chispa)

Decisions

2007-08-04T20:24:00.001-05:00

Soup or salad
Paper or plastic
Choose with a whim
You can be elastic

Do or die
Now or never
Choose with wisdom
Hoping you're clever

Stay or go
Love or leave
Choose with your heart
Though it can deceive

Hope or despair
Believe or deny
Choose with your soul
It can not lie

Late Hippie

2007-07-15T00:03:00.001-05:00

I flew my freak flag
in the slightest of breezes
without fanfare or causes
as I walked without worry
into silenced battlefields
strewn with tie-dyed daisies
grown from seeds of dissent
sown by those whose flags
had waved wildly and justly
against the winds of war

Simple Life

2007-07-06T19:02:00.001-05:00

In an effort to make life more simple
I try to find ways that in principal

would be less complex or give me more time
to savor this life and all things sublime

So I traded my car in for a bike
Now all 21 gears are broke, so I hike

My new country house that's ever so quaint
needs a new roof and a coat of quaint paint

I bought most every time-saving appliance
To make them all work requires rocket science

Remote controls make the devices play
Which one controls which, I really can't say

Each step I take to make life less demanding
Adds a few more steps, or more special handling

The simple life, for me, lies ahead
to greet me when I'm finally dead

Only when I Rest In Peace
will the complications cease

Second Chance

2007-07-06T19:00:00.005-05:00

I'd have no chance without second chances
to keep good friends or sustain romances
I may trample toes on our first few dances
But with each new song, our fun enhances

Astrology

2007-06-27T20:21:00.005-05:00

I'm a Taurus, but this is no bull...

A very convincing test of astrology was conducted in France in 1979 by Michel Gauquelin, a dedicated and renowned astrological researcher.

150 people on the street agreed to have their horoscopes done, and then to rate the results for accuracy. Each was sent a professionally prepared horoscope. Both the subject, and a close friend or family member were asked to judge its accuracy. The results...

Subjects: 94% said it very accurately described them.

Friends & Family: 90% agreed. Very accurate.

Some respondents wrote letters of praise saying, "I didn’t believe in astrology until you did my horoscope, but now I do!"

But the thing is . . . they all received the same horoscope!

It was prepared using the birth chart of Dr. Marcel Petiot, the famous French mass murderer. Apparently he was just a regular guy...perhaps very much like you and me...
...and 141 of 150 people surveyed.

Secrets

2007-06-21T20:20:00.001-05:00

Keep a secret...
To hide a shame
To fool a world
To play a game
To keep a trust

Tell a secret...
To thrill a child
To earn a friend
To hold a love
To save a heart

Spicy

2007-06-10T23:54:00.006-05:00

Spicy is sexy

It's kinky cuisine

A pinch of fire
sparks keen desire
like a sharp smack
kindles cravings

Juices rendered
from stinging flesh
flow to the feast
through pulsing blushes

Gorged and sated
embers smolder
tingling lingers
prolonging the glow

Love, Undefined

2007-03-12T22:51:00.001-05:00

In English, no word says "love" better than "love". Other words describe types of love: adoration, affection, desire, worship . . . Yet "Love" can describe any of these feelings, or all of them together, or the indescribable feelings between or beyond. If you mate it with certain little words, like "in love" and "in love with", its meaning intensifies. But these phrases - like "Love" alone - still defy definition. They mean different things to different people at different moments.

Actions are much better than words, in describing love. However, they are also limited. Actions can also be misunderstood, as can inaction. No act, or night of action may truly show the depth of someone's feelings. Behind a few stuttered or misspelled words of love may lie greater sincerity than volumes of poetry could ever hope to emote. A few moments of affection, shown with only a weak smile or shy kiss, may attest to more passion than a thousand nights of frenzied orgasms.

Ignore the word "love" for now, and think only of the feeling - that wonderful, complicated, overpowering feeling of nearly painful intensity . . . When felt, it needs to be shared and communicated and understood. Sharing it with words and actions can be a great pleasure, or difficult and frustrating. But making it understood is impossible, I think, unless the target of your love also feels like you do.

Words and actions can only approximate these feelings. Their messages are incomplete. To be understood well, your lover must share your dream for love. With this bond, you both supply the missing parts of the messages, with pieces found in your hearts. With this bond, the words and actions of love become clear and obvious, and very well defined.

Dumb Lucky Numbers

2005-07-24T19:04:00.001-05:00

I wrote another letter to my Aunt Babe. I’d been saving them to files named “Babe01", Babe02", etc. This was my thirteenth letter. I’m staunchly non-superstitious, but I named it “Babe14”. I think the practice of thirteen-avoidance adds a little interest to an otherwise dreary numbering system.

Apparently thirteen became labeled unlucky because it’s one more than twelve, and twelve was once considered really cool. It's the base number of our ancestral counting system, and a handy sum for counting and commerce (especially donut distribution). You can divide it by two, three, four or six, so it holds the combined cosmic power of all its factors. Thirteen breaks the tidy total of twelve, robbing it of its constituent factors, and spoiling its niftiness.

Seven was probably the first lucky number. Cave painters of the upper paleolithic favored it in their artwork: seven dots, seven dashes, seven wildebeest stuck with seven spears, etc. . . Since then, it has come in and out of luckiness. We still see seven as a really super enumerator, but in other necks of other woods, it’s despised as a demonic denominator. Thirteen has also come in and out of favor, but tended much more toward the dark side.

Why doesn’t eleven get the bad rap instead of thirteen? For a time it did. In some places it still does. Eleven is depressingly one-shy of the magic twelve. It spoils ten's divisibility, like thirteen does to twelve. The base-12 counting system the Sumerians started was replaced by base-10 from the Egyptians. However, twelve's haunting by thirteen still seems the spookiest.

And what about nine? I never really cared much for number nine. It’s how many fingers you have if you’ve been unlucky in the workshop. If we simply eliminated nine, dyslexics could never confuse it with six. I guess, since it’s divisible and square-rooted by another lucky number (3), it seems friendly and agreeable to most folks.

Some might say that digital discrimination is wrong. Every integer has the same integrity; every counter should stand up and be counted. Isn't each value is just as valuable as the next? Shouldn't all numbers be considered equal? Hell no! They aren't.

On the other hand, if numbers were judged by their true value, the highest number would always be the best. What a dull world it would be, if every time you asked someone to pick a number from one to ten, he always chose ten. Would infinity then be the one unlucky number? How is that thing divided?

Pick a number from one to ten . . . OK, got it? . . . Oh, that number again?! To be fair to all numbers, you really should rotate your choices from one through ten. Each should get a fair chance to succeed or fail, regardless of its social standing. Or maybe you should be democratic about it. Carefully note the outcome of each one-to-ten you're asked, and elect the number that wins most often. If wagering is involved, maybe you should record your profits and losses instead, and choose by the bottom line.

Our numerical prejudices have at least one tangible benefit: When we must make arbitrary decisions, like choosing one to ten, our bigoted values toward values gets the job done. Logic, reason, and mathematical ability are useless for this. When we choose our lucky number, and it wins, we feel magically empowered and in tune with the universe. However, the other nine out of ten times, we feel cheated - abandoned by the cosmic forces of our numerical key to good fortune.

We can always choose a number we don’t particularly care for, like for example, nine. If it wins, we're quite sure we had a psychic moment. If it loses, but loses to our lucky number, we feel foolish for having ignored our old reliable friend. And like a jilted lover, we’re not likely to get lucky with it for a while. On the other hand, if our non-lucky number loses to another non-lucky number, it seems like a correct guess is impossible; the game must be rigged; and life is unfair.

Don't you wish there were more magical numbers like 7 and 13? There are! Numerology has the lowdown on what numbers really amount to. There are myriads of meanings for one through nine. Eleven and twenty-two get extra special supernatural status. By putting you name, birthday, etc. through formulas, you can calculate your “Life Path”, “Expression”, and “Soul Urge” numbers. These analyses can help confirm your impression that you’re strong-willed, caring, adventuresome, creative, and like moonlit walks on the beach.

I consider myself utterly non-superstitious and a devout skeptic. My faith (or lack thereof) was once put to the test. On a Sunday (the 7th day) in May (5/7 or 7/5), at about 7:55 P.M., I caught the biggest bass of my life – almost 20 inches (50.7 centimeters). It was about 5 pounds. My birthday is 5/5/57. Fives and sevens appeared everywhere: 7 dots painted on the lure (not including fake eyes), five ferrules on my fishing pole, seven sections in the top tray of my tackle box, etc.

I might have taken this as overwhelming evidence for five and seven's magical powers that day. But I remained unconvinced. It was the second cast of a $6.99 lure, which I took from the sixth section of the third tray in my tackle box. The battle started at 7:55 PM, but that's 19:55 military time. I didn't get the creature in the boat till after 20:00. No self-respecting U.S. American fisherman measures his fish in centimeters. When I next picked up my tackle box, the contents spilled out into my canoe, since I had forgotten to latch it. (It took five minutes to straighten the mess out. I was still freaked from my five-minute fight with that five-star fish.)

Anyway, on 7/5 at 5:57 P.M., there’s a good chance I’ll be out on the lake, with that same seven-spotted “Chug’N’Spit” lure, making it chug and spit in the face of fate, and fishing with a faint faith in the forces of five and seven. But even if I catch a seven-pounder, I’ll never concede that luck played a part . . . well maybe a little . . . but it could only be the only kind of luck I really believe in – dumb luck.

UH-OH! We'd Better Drown a Lizard!

2005-07-24T17:25:00.002-05:00

Did you slip up and have unprotected sex? Don't want to be a mommy or daddy? Not to worry, try this safe and natural method of birth control: Go to the pet store (preferably with your coital companion) and pick out a lizard - any one should do. You can have fun giving it a name, like maybe Oops132. Take it back home, and simply drown it in a bowl of the guy's urine. Yes, its as easy as that! Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79) recommended this as a good procedure for preventing pregnancy.

Unfortunately, he recorded no further details on this quaint and completely organic method. Many important questions beg for answers. Do you drown it before, during, or after the act? (Better get 3 lizards just in case - Oops 132,133,134.) Does the man have to pee right on it, or will a dunking do? Must you completely snuff poor little Oopsy, or could you pull him the drink, on the brink of death, reviving him with a little mouth-to-mouth if needed? Does it count if he's just really scared and only thinks he's going to die? How should you dispose of his remains (paper, plastic or plumbing)? How can you tell when he's really dead? Lizards don't tend to move a lot anyway. Could a chameleon couple prevent pregnancy by drowning a human in liz-whiz?

I guess a consenting couple should experiment with the technique, to see what works best for them. If this method fails you (and it will), I think you should name your first baby girl Liz, in honor of those who gave their lives so that she might not have hers. And, if you only have one baby every hundred times you do it, the system is 99% effective, right?