Category: Manipulation

Metamorphosis 2

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The decision
To fly to the sun
Seemed easy enough at the time.

We just wanted nice.
Agreeable.
Not prone to violent swings.

But staying aloft
The thermals failed
And pushed us to extremes
We watched each other die
Many times.

Each corpse
Each empty shell of our former selves,
Fell to earth.
Resolute
We flew against the cold
Wings stronger than previous

Where were those children
Looking for false dreams
Perpetuated by fools?
Through sheer will
With one lifting the other
While the skies folded in on itself
Did we find ourselves
On the other side.

Love is an odyssey whose only guarantee is that no one in it or practicing it will or ever should, stay the same. It is terrifying and painful, and wonderful.



ESCAPE-ISM

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This is where I go
When the world goes mad
Everyone telling me
I must choose a side now
I must pass judgment now

Every man
Is my brother
Good, or not good

I mourn my brothers
Whose lives are so broken
That they find themselves
Forcefully subdued

I mourn my brothers
That find themselves
Bestowed with power
Beyond their control

I find mourning much more pragmatic than picking, or making a side, which will ultimately yield nothing of value. It requires circumspection, introspection, and a willingness to suffer at the hand of all truths.
However, as long as I have lived, and from what I’ve witnessed, mankind simply lacks the wherewithal to make this the standard.
Seemingly, we just want vengeance, dressed up in all sorts packages. That approach will never address the core problems. When will we learn?

Pink Fog

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audio accompaniment: “44444”

Finally.
We walked in your forest
And were transported
Absorbed
By the language
Spoken between tree and root

To a place 
Found only in the mind.

I stopped to weep.

At the bridge
Tears of joy
Fell into the river.
Drops united
Flowing to the sea
Finding
The great expanse

“We mustn’t stop,
It is forbidden”
“Go ahead,” I said.
“This is my place.”

They were coming for me
Masks revealing only their eyes
I removed my covering
Breathed deep and long

Atom by atom
Evaporating
Into the pink fog

I went for a walk in my favorite forest on Monday. It’s ok to walk, but no stopping? No meditation? No appreciation for the connectedness of nature?
Put me in jail if you must, but I refuse to “visit” a place I call home.

multiple exposure photograph with birds added (manipulation) – I wanted to make a square, but it just wouldn’t work

Lettuce Give Thanks

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Today, it will be 90 degrees Fahrenheit. A few weeks ago, it was cool and rainy. So much for the Southern California spring!
Here are 2 minutes of a rainy scene in our garden:

The garden has changed a lot since then. We have many lettuce plants that are doing well. They will want to bolt if it stays hot for too many days in a row.

The photo is a cropped/stitched image of some breakfast radishes from the garden of last year.

They are sometimes bitter
And grow up too fast
But underneath
They really are sweet
And love to blend in

Sorry for the title!

It’s a Big Sky

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My daughter
It is good to see you fly

Against the wind
You have learned this skill.
Many have tried
To ground you
Pulling feathers
As they retreat.

Cowards

I am friends with midnight,
Knowing its darkness
Has come for you
And each night
I died many deaths
Knowing the confusion
That was defining your life.

We were helpless
Watching this tragic play.
Yet, not hopeless.
Wings grow strong.
Watching you run
Broad wings strengthened
Lifting our beloved.

Above it you soar.
And those below
Take note.
A measure of pride.
Or, a measure of shame.
Recompense
Of earned scars.