Home

  • Time on the Edge

    “Here we are again, ghost.”

    The ghost nods in solidarity.

    Standing with my toes two inches from the edge and leaning forward slightly to examine the details that fade into the depths below, I shrink. The ghost says nothing as usual.

    The lure of the void pulls me closer, so I take a seat at the edge of the world and look out into great mystery. Behind me echoes distant laughter, and I remember knowing how to play that instrument. Though I haven’t in what seems a very long time.

    The ghost pats my shoulder and wraps around me while I think about my options.

    As sun sets into nothingness, stars appear above me. I lay back to greet them, swinging my feet off the edge. The ghost draws pictures in the sky.

    The void is a temptation that guides me to reflection as I gaze and long for wings to fly.

    Having grown no wings, I return to my people.

    One last look over my shoulder. Don’t forget to wave goodbye to the ghost.

  • Decay and Madness

    It struck me as my eyes lingered out the window upon a couple having an argument so fierce they missed the opportunity to utilize the cross walk at the appropriate time, consequently springing through traffic like a game of Frogger at the last moment to get away from one another.

    Where was I? Oh, yes.

    Look at them argue about some trivial matter when they could be saying, “Good day to you, fellow.”

    A defense mechanism, surely… However, a poor choice to turn an uncomfortable situation into a life-threatening one.

    Suppose a second couple, driving a car, were having an argument so fierce they missed the changing of the traffic light. Mindlessly swerving right over the tiny frogs, who pray for just one more chance to make better choices. Given a second chance, would the frogs make it home, safe from the distractions and dangers of the road?

    And what of the couple? Will they continue this day complaining in conversations with others about the slimy creeper that nearly got them killed crossing the road? Would they see that they are both frogs? Or will each insist that inside is a Prince if only a Princess would let him kiss her like the storybooks say she must?

    I’d kiss all the frogs if that shit actually worked.

  • divorce

    I wanted to say thank you for setting me free,

    from the pain, the loss, and the misery.

    The rest of this poem was the best part,

    but I forgot it between waking up and sitting down.

    Something Else Instead: The Super Hero

    If I’m such a hero, why can’t I save myself?

    I have xray vision when looking at others,

    But glance in the mirror, and there’s nobody there.

    I lost my eyes in the fight. I can’t see anymore.

    Blinded by love, but not like before.

  • Repeating History 101

    I don’t have to say much when it comes to the idea of history repeating itself. It’s been said in the most exquisite ways. Cycles exist and control most of our lives. The difference between a cycle and a circle is that a circle doesn’t take you anywhere new, but a bicycle might.

    The only way forward is innovation. If your idea of a solution is doing something the way it has been done before, you are standing in a circle. Take the first step and learn to be curious of new ideas.

    “We’re going to meet a lot of lonely people in the next week and the next month and the next year. And when they ask us what we’re doing, you can say, We’re remembering. That’s where we’ll win out in the long run. And someday we’ll remember so much that we’ll build the biggest goddamn steamshovel in history and dig the biggest grave of all time and shove war in it and cover it up.”

    Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

    “How in hell did those bombers get up there every single second of our lives! Why doesn’t someone want to talk about it! We’ve started and won two atomic wars since 2022! Is it because we’re having so much fun at home we’ve forgotten the world? Is it because we’re so rich and the rest of the world’s so poor and we just don’t care if they are? I’ve heard rumors; the world is starving, but we’re well fed. Is it true, the world works hard and we play? Is that why we’re hated so much? I’ve heard the rumors about hate too, once in a long while, over the years. Do you know why? I don’t, that’s sure! Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave. They just might stop us from making the same damn insane mistakes!”

    Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

    “Is it only in the army in the Philippines that Americans sometimes commit deeds that cause all other Americans to regret?

    Theodore Roosevelt, [1901 relating reports of water torture in the Philippines to lynching in the south]

    “The problem with the idea that history repeats itself is that when it isn’t making us wiser it’s making us complacent.”

    Lisa Halliday, Asymmetry

  • An Experiment, A Curiosity

    Phase 1

    Customers at one local grocery store, on a particular day, will have their entire cart paid for by the experiment. After having their groceries paid for, they will be allowed to go through the store one more time.

    Customers who are interested in being a participant in the experiment will be given a code they can use to activate a complimentary membership in the research portal. Active participants will be issued a debit card they can use to purchase anything they need in the store. Yes, this may allow participants to take advantage of the funds, but that is an expected variable. For now, we are considering abuse of the system as a sub-research topic, if it does come up. Anyone abusing the debit card will be limited to purchasing every item in the store and no more.

    Data will be collected anonymously to answer the following questions:

    • How much were customers expecting to pay for groceries?
    • What items did they select?
    • How long were they in the store?
    • If a group, demographic details related to familial relations and age.
    • If they chose to make a second trip through the store after the first checkout, why?
    • If second checkout, what did they select, and how much did it cost?
    • Is there a difference between the shopping habits of experiment participants vs the self-paying customers?
    • Does the ability to take anything they need have any effect on the lifestyles or health of the participants’ families and work relations?

    Once a customer has activated their account for the research portal, they will receive notifications of any surveys, interviews, or other aid opportunities that become available. To expand the scope of the experiment, active participants and investors must work together to determine how to use the findings of the experiment.

    Phase 2

    If interest in the experiment grows, more investors and businesses may become interested in piloting experiments of their own. We would like to partner with anyone seeking to explore this and related ideas.

    The debit cards could be utilized anywhere cards are accepted, and multiple test groups can be created for research purposes. Our goal is to acquire as much data as quickly as possible, and this will require teamwork and partnerships with like-minded organizations.

    As information is gathered, economic and social enthusiasts will be encouraged to examine the data for trends and interesting findings. Communities will be formed for the purposes of illustrating possible futures and nurturing visionary ideas. Devils advocacy is initiall important, but should only be carried out in a curious manner with genuine intentions of seeking solutions. Any attempts to derail or shut down an argument which does not intend harm upon an individual or group will be met with minimal tollerance. Offenders will have the chance to defend their intentions for authentic debate, but only if they first put down the shovel.

    Phase 3

    Once general approval has been met in relation to changes that can be brought before the state or federal system, the people will have a representative group of passionate professionals to support the issue through the beurocratic process. Updates will be highlighted consistently and ruthlessly until changes are implimented.

    If you are interested in discussing this further, please stay tuned.

  • Helter Skelter

    Everything falls apart. Do we pick up the pieces or set fire to the rain?

    What is it that you want? How do you know? What if it changes again?

    When I close my eyes, I see you roller-skate past me bouncing to Waterfalls. Turning, dipping, spinning, smiling. I’m blinded by the lights.

    Fast-forward, I have everything I ever wanted. Running with arms open. Closing in… The ball slips and fumbles into the arms of a rival. Interception. Halftime. Bring it in for a motivational speech by the most jaded of us all. Don’t call it a comeback. Do you even sportsball, bro?

    Sometimes there are no words, only hearing. No touch, just feeling. Distance is an illusion of the mind. I can’t get you out of my head. La la la. La la lala la.

    In the meantime, how about a little more music? The intricacies of tone and tempo can not be written or read. Hard as we try, our storytelling is only as great as the listener’s imagination. The most moving symphony upon deaf ears brings none but the players to tears.

    Fun fact: I love being Rick Rolled, and don’t really understand why it’s not enjoyable to others. That song never fails to put me in a better mood. Bonus points for getting me to do the dance.

    Are you like a crazy person? I’m quite sure they will say so.

  • A Path to Communism

    For the last few years, I have been brainstorming revolutionary ways to change the system so that it works for everyone, even the laziest do nothing and the worst parents ever. Actually, it’s especially for them. Please allow me to explain. Incredibly complex and incomplete, these ideas are in flux and open to push and pull by anyone interested in creating something new for humanity.

    I will begin by addressing the problem. This is the problem. [Note to Self: add this shit later, I don’t wanna think about it right now.]

    Due to the pressure and heat applied by oppressing forces, the coal workers have caught fire and are burning everything down. Fire has the power of destruction and creation depending on what it’s fed. Left unattended, we know the widespread damage it can do. We must tend our fires. We need time and resources to tend our individual fires. Without doing that, we will let down Smoky the Bear.

    Resources and community have been disintegrating for decades. Some blame this on society, while taking no responsibility as a member of that society. Perhaps we don’t need to assign blame. What if we all just climb out of the melting pot?

    Because any universal agreement on how to best run the country is not likely to be found any time soon by our current representatives, I would like to propose that we discuss some ideas for ourselves.

    Here is my idea. Just one of many, please bear with me.

    There is a theory that communities reach a max population before they become toxic. Knowing this, we could intentionally design our cities to use this information effectively. This would result in some smaller cities with distance between them. Members of the communities could visit and travel between the others as they would like. Each community would be allowed to have their own culture and way of doing things with a few global guidelines. Guidelines because with enough support, a community should be allowed to meet the needs of their members. Safe and honest discussion is key.

    I will leave it up to each community to decide what to do with themselves, but knowing humans and what they might be interested in accomplishing if given freedom to do whatever they want…. I expect some really cool stuff to start happening. We can talk about this later.

    Now, the idea is a Path to Communism. Not turning the United States into a communist country. The original idea behind founding this country was freedom for people to be who they are and seek their dreams. We have seriously struggled to get to where we are now, which is disappointing when we consider the beautiful words signed by so many of our leaders. To those who have not given up on making changes, this is for you.

    The government needs to release it’s choke hold on The People. Businesses need to be required to fully support their employees or shut down. Humans should not be required to work to exist in our country.

    I’ll give you some time to calm down, so you can listen to what I mean when I say that.

    I like to think of Native American culture when I think of the ideal civilization. Everyone works together and finds their own unique place among the tribe. No one starves. No one steals.

    I have never lived as a Native American (that I am aware of), so I can’t comprehend all the things that are not included in my words here. I will not try to. Those are not my stories. I am simply inspired by this aspect of what I have witnessed in Native American and other tribal cultures.

    Many Americans feel the urge to work digitally and move out into the woods. Why don’t we let them? What if we helped everyone who wanted to move right now to move. I know, very complicated. I’m not saying like this week, and I’m also not saying just throw money at them.

    Not everyone wants to rough it, but what if we helped those who do? What if we helped the “drains on society” to go somewhere where they will be a benefit to the community and not a depressed lonely person unable to get by on welfare.

    What if a mother of four, living with an abusive partner, knew that she could leave everything and take her kids to a community where their needs will be met and they don’t have to rely on being in a toxic relationship for food and shelter? How much better do you think those four kids would grow up? As adults, would they be less likely to repeat generational trauma in their own families? The answer is yes.

    People complain all the time about how bad children are these days. They blame the parents. What are the parents doing? Working. Why? To protect the children from homelessness. Why don’t the parents teach their children manners or play with them like they should be doing? They are exhausted and have no support. Should the try harder? Are the parents really the problem?

    I ask this because my own parents blame the parents, so I blame them, and then they say they did the best they could. I agree. They did the best they could.

    Could my life have been better? Yes. Does it need to be? No. Shouldn’t we still try though?

    If we try, we could keep the US running the way it is now, but anyone who needs to escape the systems should be able to do so. I bet there are people much smarter than me would could run some numbers on how much money that would save in “entitlement programs.”

  • Family Time vs. Wage Slavery

    This will be a short post, I hope. It’s very late/early at 12:22 a.m. as I write this, but I must write SOMETHING in order to fulfil the promise that I made to myself.

    I experienced so much within the last 36 hrs that I am simply overloaded with material and need some time to let it settle down in there. When the workers return to their desks, I’m sure they will begin again with business as usual.

    Did you know that the US government successfully implemented a program that encouraged parents to spend more time with their children. Yes. And people were upset that parents were choosing to spend their time with their families rather than at a worthless job producing crap. More about this later….

    Goodnight, lovelies. ❤

  • The Broken Spoke

    My mom will tell you stories about going out dancing in her youth. That’s one of my favorite ways to think of her. Free and wild and passionate. I can relate to that. Adventure is definitely in our DNA. Did you know that DNA has memories?

    Biological memories from our ancestors that help us navigate the world subconsciously, like breathing. [Note to Future Me: Please add information and sources here about DNA and Biological Memory to spice things up a bit.]

    Not only that, but the things that our mother experiences while we are in-utero have a lasting effect on our lives. [Note to Future Me: Again, please back this up with the facts, so we can blow minds.]

    The effect society has on pregnant mothers leaves an imprint upon their babies that will influence their families and ripple outward globally. If we want to figure out why the world has gone mad, let’s start by taking a look at the treatment of pregnant people. Then consider the living conditions of new parents. For a moment, do not focus your reactions upon the failures of the parents to support themselves. Instead, look through the perspective of the infant.

    Completely innocent at birth (by today’s standards, at least). Children require constant attention and care in order to grow into a healthy adult who contributes to society and pulls one’s own weight. This adult has no say in how they will be raised because, at this time, they are roughly 1/10 the size of their final form and unable to communicate telepathically. Their quality of life depends entirely upon their family’s ability to interpret and provide for the child’s every need, while also remembering to stimulate the development of neural pathways in their brain. Oh, and avoid becoming homeless or starving in the process.

    I feel like I’m starting to get to the point, here. Thank you for your continues interest in changing the world one dent at a time. I will do my best to inspire a brighter future.

    In this country, we care a great deal for moms and unborn babies. Pregnant people get treated like royalty… Until their not. When it’s not cute anymore. Not exciting for fun anymore. When it’s too loud or boring. When it’s causing trouble.

    I grew up in a trailer park on welfare to divorced parents in the 90s. Fortunately both of my parents shared custody and were generally cordial about attending my school events and birthdays.

    With as much relationship trauma as I’ve experienced, no one can tell me that I was raised in a healthy environment. However, no one (except for me) had better say shit about my parents. Be nice to them or I’ll do something nasty. Please, I need an excuse. Go ahead.

    That’s right, I have relationship issues. I already said that.

    When I try to discuss my ideas for changing the system, a skeptical sentiment I hear often is “How can you recommend changing a system that you actively participate in?” I don’t quite understand the question. To me, it seems like the best person to analyze and make changes to a system is someone who is an active participant and experiences the daily life consequences of such a system.

    On the other hand, my parents (and those like them) will question an immigrant’s right to have a say in the governance of the new land they have settled into. Again, not sure how this argument has spread so far when common sense says “Knowledge is Power.” With the intensity that our system tries to muddy our education system and keep us separated from one another, one would think it to be obvious.

    For the bourgeoisie to maintain power, we must be kept ignorant and isolated. The opposite is curious and connected. Curiosity is frowned upon in our society, and connection has been plagued by social media for over a couple decades now. Before Covid-19 was cool.

    Of course, we can’t blame it on the technology. We created the technology, and we chose what to do with it. This is what has happened. There is no THEM. Only US. We did this to ourselves, and we are responsible to fix it.

    I can see how immigrants might be a trigger for some small town folk who have lived their entire lives within a 200 mi radius. Projection and cognitive dissonance are not easily overcome. While that sounds like peaceful/boring way to live, it works well for the majority of humanity. Civilization has reduced the need for all of us to maintain a nomadic existence, but technology has now released us from some of our chains and we are determined to explore.

    A “Seasoned Traveler” would be thought of as a wise person with valuable insight. Why do we not feel this way about immigrants? Why do we see them as lazy and entitled? Would that more likely be true of someone who never left their home town? Does one’s energy level and ambition have anything to do with their right to have a say in the governance of the place they live?

    Everything is a cycle. Let’s break the wheel.

  • Daily Genesis

    ‘The Beginning’ is a myth. Something that we believe exists, yet is pure illusion created by our linear experience of time. However, as we place so much attention and expectation on the beginning of an experience, it becomes common knowledge that everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. This is how the world works. Right?

    Pure Imagination. Now, that is the true illusion of reality. So frustrating to those who have lost it. Unable to see through the glass because it has been mistaken for a solid object, when in fact, it is the slowest moving liquid on earth at room temperature.

    Many will agree upon a few unalienable rights; but have we considered discussing a series of equitable entitlements? In the forming years of The United States of America, great minds came together with passion and visionary ideas to create a world better than the one they grew up in. This is 1776 all over again, a cycle. Except this time, there is no foreign enemy to rally against and blame.

    No. We can not write grievances against a King who rules greedily from afar. This time it is our own history which haunts us. Our own choices and decisions. Our mothers and fathers, who did the best they could with what they had.

    It is now our time to do the best with what we have. History has it’s eyes on us. Now is the time for us to write our own stories and ensure there will be pages and ink left over for those who live in the future to write about worlds inspired by the one we create today.

    Change can be scary, and some fight against it with their entire being. Fear is a hell of a drug. Love is likewise. Both utilize situational blindness to achieve their greatest potential, and act as an effective cure for the other.

    How do we define a cycle? We must identify patterns of cause and effect, measure its diameter and circumference, count the spokes, and analyze for any defects or damage. The difference between a circle and a wheel is what it carries. A circle has many meanings depending upon it’s use, location, and interpreter. A wheel has limited use individually, but increases effectiveness when used in pairs.

    Wheels live in cycles. Wheels break and need repair. Eventually, even the best built equipment succumbs to a lifetime of wear and tear. A wheel that breaks quickly will likely be replaced by something of similar quality, especially when replaced by the same property owner.

    A durable and strong wheel may last a long time and carry it’s passengers many miles more than the economy versions. It’s important to note that some do not have access to the knowledge or resources required to build a wheel like this. However, those with a set of satisfactory wheels are no less intelligent or important than those equipped with the best. The same applies to those who have no wheels at all.

    This is not over.