Here stands Volume II, the efforts from 09/04/2025 to 03/01/2025. Welcome to the show. Welcome to the show.

03/01/2025

Last Page

Slow down Jack

there's no hurry

The end will come even with worry

You have nothing to prove

except to yourself

put other people judgement up on a shelf

The future is bright

even through the fog

Follow what's true

what feels right to you

After all you've gone so far without a fall

Count your days like you count your blessings

and don't stop until you've numbered the stars

Burn Gold. Stay Gold

Be an Unwavering Beam of Light

02/28/2025

Uwharrie 

Forested trails share with

the inside outside world man created

Children wander though life

following blazes of education to carrer to family and again

Sometimes they lose sight of the path

foredge some mushrooms and find salvation or destruction

Other times they chose to stray to piss out whats wrong

or to go off to see whats beyond

But at the end of the day

It's just a walk in the woods

02/27/2025

Late

Who do you bargain with

When you let yourself down

Do I ask forgiveness

from the heavens

myself

or something else entirely

I don't know

But maybe I'll forget

that's a sure fire weapon of the mind

There's no transgression

if nothing happened

02/26/2025

Mule

These days are long

I toil I toil

But soon the days will be short

I'll rest I'll rest

It's cyclical

fast slow fast slow

It's how its meant to be

It's the path of our ancestors

They worked hard then they rested

we work forty hours a week

then small rest

One day we will get more rest

I'll rest soon

02/25/2025

Worker Bee but Happy

I work all day to sleep all night

I wake up ready to fight fight fight

to solve the problems, change the tide

I know fortune is on my side

Drink a cup of water, maybe another

Give a little ring on the phone to your mother

Walk the block then turn around

Pick up a penny you found on the ground

Today's a good day. Tomorrow better

They mold to your hand like a glove made of leather

Never for granted I cease all I can

finish the day off with a cool fan

Cause every days a treat, even the bad ones

It's simple and it's free like hot cross buns

02/24/2025

Magic Carpet Ride

Come ride with me

on my magic carpet

we can see the city

from up above

and the sewers down

below

It runs on hopes and dreams so no CO2

But can't go longer than fifty miles

but inna a pinch it can take you anywhere you want to go

if you believe you want to

So come fly

02/23/2025

Revolving Luggage

Clasps to the brown leather briefcase 

snap close

as the once boy travels from day to day

Every day he wakes to find

a different piece of luggage

he will carry thought the those sunshine hours

Sometime over the night his dreams

will swap in and out what's in the bag

and leaves every morning in silence

That's how it has been

and how it always will be

Always on the move

Always changing

02/22/2025

Counting Sheep

The Sun glares down

on the golden flock of sheep

being shepherded by a lone man

and his dog

The Sun is setting and long shadows

stem from the few remaining trees in the grazed land

The man sits down upon a rock

and the dog nestles his head by his feet

They both sigh

and begin to count the sheep

before the daylight runs out

P.S. Wrote this in ~3 minutes from 11:56 to 11:59

02/21/2025

I can't recall recalling

Forgetting memories not remembered

causes the same sensation

of a word hanging on the tip of your tongue

Paradoxically spiraling and derailing the train tracks of your mind

It's frightening then it's gone

and it's whispers are then

too forgotten

leaving a lingering unease but that too

is forgotten

02/20/2025

Distant Fires

Cold outsides

make warm insides

thanks to fires so far away

The ice won't melt

until energy is about

then all the water can flow away

These fire they boil water

that coils around a series of turbines

They travel by wire to your own electric fire

to keep the cold at bay

P.S. I had an old Heat Transfer professor who grew up in Siberia in the USSR. He told us many tales of the cold. He was funny, sexist but funny. He told of trying to tan by the windows not knowing that they were UV treated so no dice. Apparently a tan is quite the big deal out there in Siberia. He would also tell of the power plants that heated up water. The hot water would be piped to the whole city keeping it alive in the winter. There was only one power plant though. So if it went dim the town would freeze to death in a matter of hours. Scary.

02/19/2025

Snow Thoughts

It's fun to fall in the snow

and make angles out of water

The angles stay still but are beautiful

I like the antics of the snow

it is refreshing and childish

The cold bites gently

snow balls don't hurt

I like the snow

but only for awhile

It makes it hard to do normal life stuff

02/18/2025

I was clearly half asleep writing this

I work all day

I sleep all night

I eat too much

but my belly's still tight

I count my sheep

and they count me

off to the land beyond the sea

P.S. My belly may be tight but from being stuffed like a bird

02/17/2025

Who's got time for all this

Everyday I write these dang poems

They take maybe 15 odd minutes to write

longer if I try

Sometimes I think about writing them all day

others at 11:30 PM

I do it for myself

to make me happy

and to express

I share them in hopes that my stories are valuable

to others

to make them smile, chuckle, and maybe think

It also makes me feel less alone

02/16/2025

Holding up the line

Small steps sum to greatness in waiting

as long as you keep walking

you'll make it to the end

Along your journey don't forget

to stop and breathe

look back to see how far you've gone

and look ahead to see where

your future might find you

But move along bud

The worlds waiting

02/15/2025

What to do when you turn 31

The clay disk slots down

and comes to rest on a cold metal chute

PULL!

The pigeon is thwacked by a spring powered launcher

The sun rays catch its back until instant transmission strikes

SHATTER

In all directions. Never to be put together again

It's flight was short lived but purposeful

P.S. Shot a gun for the first time. It was a shotgun. I shot at fake birds. They are made of ceramics. They are called clay pigeons. They fly a set trajectory with some give or take. I placed the gun against my shoulder. I shot and hit my second and third shot. I hit 10 of the 50 birds. That's 20% and was tied with the only person in the group who had shot before. The gun didn't knock me as much as I thought it would. It was fun. It was like fireworks when the bird exploded. It was very satisfying.

02/14/2025

Sitting on the End of Space

The dirt compresses under the weight of my hands

as I lean back with my legs hung out over the end of the world

I kick my feet and some peebles fall South

and no matter how long you wait

you'll never hear them hit the bottom

It's a little unnerving to stare into the vast expanse

but it's the only place where the stars burn

an unobstructed bright

I have seen birds fly

maybe angels

out there

I wonder where they go

02/13/2025

Code Monkey

My eyes are curved but my screen is not

I wonder if they flatten as I rot in front of the lines of code

flying by to run simulations

Its for a good thing but maybe not for my stature and eyes

I digress

02/12/2025

Long Range Killer

I have been to the Holy Lands

I have been to the Far East

I have climbed mountains

I have crossed rivers

But I have never sowed a field

nor spilled mammalian blood

All the killing has been done far away,

unseen

But am I clean?

I think not

but it's odd

02/11/2025
Hope

Hope is invaluable

Hope is why we got here

Hope is what will lead us

Hope is intoxicating

Hope is dangerous

Hope is liberating

Hope is food

Hope is permanent

Hope is fleeting

Hope is beautiful

Hope is everywhere

Hope is faith

Hope is intangible

Hope is visible

Hope is blinding

Hope is light

Hope is all we have

Hope cannot be taken away

P.S. First one of these in a while eh?! I was talking with my professor today about some questions I had about my project. She was able to clear them up and show me a path. During our talk I asked how she was. She was stressed about the world. The world is crazy now. The NIH and other Research Funding are at stake. Because of one man's action, and 535's inaction. But I told her I was hopeful. I told her that I remember School House Rock and I know this is not the way this land operates. And she thanked me. Hope is everything and Hope is something they can never take away

02/10/2025

Reflection

These days I just happy to be alive

My friends sustain me

My family is healthy

I am strong

My future is bright

The chaos in the world around me

is frightening

but I persist and will persist

I am alive and I survive

02/09/2025

Forgiveness

To forgive is to trust

The equation is muddy

but is a function of time

There must be some knowledge,

some understanding of who each other are together

Malice and manipulation is subtracted

apology is added

compassion multiplied

tension divided

But that's just math

forgiveness is a feeling

it becomes true all at one

there are no half measures

Forgiveness is bilateral

Forgiveness is trust

02/08/2025

Used Canary

The canary survived the coal mine

but it never seemed the same again

Its yellow feathers, now soot'n

don't stand out against the dull gray skies

Children no longer point

nor do bird watchers stare

No other birds stop by to say hellos

to the canary's quaint nest amongst the concrete

It had served its purpose

and has been thrown away

into the background

But it is alive and that is everything

02/07/2025

Buried History

Fettered edges of the map sprawled out on the floor

tell of the time before landed property

Tress, rivers, lakes, mountains

all illustrated, all unnamed

A few trails dash the otherwise virgin landscape

But that's not true

People call that land their own

and they hunt, pray, cultivate, love, birth, and die

in these land

They have and has as the cement mixer sputters alive

"Fixed it!"

02/06/2025

Last Call

To everyone else in the bar

it was a night like any other

but to the few it marked the end of something

A man stands up with a short glass and begins a toast

"Around me I am surrounded by friends who I can call my brothers

and from each of you pours an unwavering beam of light.

And although this may be the last time we are all together physically,

I hope we can see each other's rays forever!"

He raises his glass. Says L'chaim

Then weeps

02/05/2025

Future Nostalgia

These days of future past

bring a shallow melancholy

to the tepid depths of my heart

A sense of future nostalgia

ware assault on my senses

even though there is nothing yet

to miss

This Tralfamadorian perspective

fuels equal parts hope and fear

as I know these golden days will end

connections ping more infrequently

but there has been immense growth

I am excited to see who I will be

and too of those who I call my brothers and friends

I just hope they write

02/04/2025

Written Reactions

These words reach eyes

I never get to see

I don't know how they react

How they feel

nothing

When I read these words to them

they say they're nice

and maybe they like some

but never any more

I never thought this arrangement was by design

separate

but at the end of the day

this is mine and for me anyway

02/03/2025

Straw Houses

There are times when things

must burn

even the natives conducted

prescribed fires

Organizations without organization

catch ember when the smallest sparks fly

Their inefficient heat dried out all the kindling

and in an instant

a great ball of fire

You could act to prevent the flames

damp the lands with silver oxide spawned clouds

but what good would that really do?

Some things must burn

02/02/2025

Rest

The rest is coming to an end

and the fight

naturally comes near

So I soak up the sun

below the setting sun

before I return to sleep

02/01/2025

KKC

One two bang the drumb

three four run out the door

breather deep long strides

survive the tide

Go quick there's not much time

prepare to feast

don't waste time

the race isn't won

It'll make you ill

and its not frankly a thrill

but we are all here

so you must go on

There are no foes

the enemy is the action

and in the fight

we are all united

01/31/2025

Weather

Something about the rapid change of weather always make me so tied

Its as if my body is so shocked at a seventy degree January it rather hibernate until things go back to normal

rain has the same effect and I slumber

Weather is unpredictable but my response often is

01/30/2025

House Plant

Even though the pot was fully rooted,

so much so the tendrils poke out of the drainage hole,

the pathos still grows towards the sun

forever higher and reaching like Adam

Cells stave and shrivel then are born again

rhythmically

due to man made droughts

One day it will break free of its cage and reenter the soil

with its brothers and grow

again

bigger than it will ever be alone

01/29/2025

Fuzzy Rats

Fuzzy rats all bundled up in wool sweaters and caps

swing on the snow covered playground

Their little whiskers now frozen

reflect brightly the street lamps above

and look like tiny white glowsticks

They play because its fun

and that's all the reason there needs to be

01/28/2025

Memories

I can't remember what I have forgotten

but I can remember

why I chose to forget

As the days go on

these memories too slip away

and I am left with a mind

filled with antique relics

of different times

Some weigh down my real estate and prevent redevelopment

other still shine beautifully like the old Parthenon

However I've never had an eye

for ancient architecture and can't tell whats ought to go

and what is historically significant to preserve

01/27/2025

Tin Solider

The tin solider puts down his rifle

that has sat upon his shoulder since birth

Paint chips and patina mark his uniform

so much so his rank has been washed away

only to be remembered by time and oily fingers

In the place of the unfired rifle

a shovel and white flag rest

Before him lies a fresh grave 

and a sullen look in the painted eyes

as the weapon plummets below

The solider buries the weapon

never to be seen again

01/26/2025

Clouds

Poem

Divided       Paths

      Converge

Then          Separate

P.S. New poem format?

01/25/2025

Monkey Tree

On the tip of the tree

the monkey swings with his eyes shut

to the next branch

His eyes are open before he jumps

but he has a habit of closing them

at first he did it for fun

but now its just a habit

Maybe it's faith

but the blind monkey never faulters

and those who have seen him fly

remark on his grace

The strange thing about it

is that the fellow sleeps

with his eyse open...

at least he sees the stars.

01/24/2025

Life with one hand over an eye

Sitting upon a jagged shore

a blue eyed boy looks out

to the horizon

The child knows the horizon obscures

the rest of the world

and also that he cannot see it

Seeing only part of the truth

makes him feel as though everything he perceives

and knows

has been shrouded by eyepatch

The rock around him are sharp

and make taking a step towards the limits of vision

near impossible

Only if some could tell him

whats on the other side

P.S. Went to the counseling center today

01/23/2025

Lighthouse

The lighthouse casts its beam on the empty sea

hoping to shed hope for a misguided ship

But they seldom come

but the light does not waver

because it can't

for if it does tragedy will unfold

The unbroken light reflects off the waves

creating a masterpiece seen by no one

it's a shame

But the light still shines

forever more

It has a job and never falters

The light goes on

01/22/2025

Marble Slab

There are times in life

where you get to have a clean slate

A blank slab or marble

stands tall waiting to be chiseled down

under the muse's guide

What visions the artists ponder,

a function of experience and hope,

to create what he hope to be his magnum opus

And if he fails he can start again

and maybe model with clay in a different place and time

To chisel the slab again

01/21/2025

Snow day

The sun goes down

and the snow starts to fall

and all the good people come out of the hall

to seize the night before it goes

Snow angels

Signs turned sled

no way in hell am I going to bed

I love the snow

01/20/2025

On World Affairs

A lot of things happen in the Big World

history happens out there

but I am not convinced it matters much

to me

Complimentary Colours

Black White

Red Yellow Brown

beautiful colours on a Navajo tapestry

but for some reason cause trouble

when worn beneath clothes

Me You

Us Them

We speak like our choices are only red or blue

Science Media

Culture Religion Money

cloud the mind and mar the Truth

One World

Two Systems

benefit no one, not me, not you

Hold Hands

feel the stories in my palm and me yours

Today like all days

I rose from my slumber as a human

and will rest as a human too

No time between morning and evening will I cease to be

Human

None of us will

and we are neighbors

let us seek peace together

01/19/2025

Mustard

Yellow mustard smacks the tongue

like a young Mike Tyson

as the jaw bites into a kosher dog

betwixt two buns

There is something about it that tickles the brain just so

and steals the culinary lime light

That's not all. Theat pungent paste kill cramps

faster than listerine

when put under the tongue

It's friend ketchup could never waltz around

with a counterpart like Dijon

without being called a cheap American gimmick

Mustard is a must for any self respecting chimpanzee

to add to their processed meat

01/18/2025

Ileostomy

There's nothing wrong with your insides

being on your outside

after all it's a good thing to

wear you heart on your sleeve

Our medical science does wonderful thing

some of which sound quite odd

but they keep us alive

If another gives trouble

about your condition

remind them that you are Alive

that you have Survived

where others have failed

Sure a scar or two or more lingers

but you are alive

and it is beautiful to be alive

01/17/2025

Medical Elation

Hospitals are amazing

I am happy

because we at at some summit

We do not know for sure

that that wretches cancer is gone

but we know we have slain its ugly head

Life will never be the same

but everyone is helping

and we are all routing for my mother

I Love my Mother

She is so strong

and beautiful too

01/16/2025

Good Riddance

Today was a good day

Not because the birds all sang in tune

nor that all pennies found were heads up

Today was a good day because medical science killed evil

I'd have liked to watch them throw that tumor

into a volcano never to be seen again

I'm not sure that would have been enough

There are no words to describe my anger towards disease

It is vile and we killed it

Today is a good day

01/15/2025

Short Winter Days Feel Longer

Long days and long nights

drain the part of the soul

that's excited to live and jump around

but tomorrow always comes around

to either beat you down further

or give you reprieve

It ebbs and flows like most things

Today has been long

tomorrow longer

but I'll get by

01/14/2025

Sleep Attack

The sleep is soaking into my skin

its black daggers dig into my back

as I try to catch some zzzs

I'm not sure if you'd call this poetry

When I was a boy I found a few sticks that I still remember and am fond of

There was a sturdy brown one which had a split end that I found at the beaver dam on the creek

Another was bone white that I found by the rocky shore, maybe in New York

The last which I certainly still have in the trunk of my car is a maybe four foot long piece of bamboo

It is simple and innocents to like sticks and I do

I had some rocks

I remember a small piece of quartz I thought was for good luck

I had some purple amethyst looking thing and a quartz geode

Leaves too, or clovers rather

pressed in a hardcover of the polar express

I still have some ginkgo leaves in my keepsakes

They're my favorite

I could never capture the wind but I do still have a toy harmonica and I used to play the trombone

I like snow globes too

My first words were "wow" when I saw a snow globe

I guess I've liked them since then

Pretty good first works I didn't know English at the time but wow upside down is mom which is nice

I love my mom

She's the strongest person I know

Caring too

I know I make her proud which makes me happy

I love my mom

She is sick which is evil

It makes me cry

I want her to live forever

I don't think I'd be half the man I am today without her

I know she reads these and will cry

I am crying too

I Love you Mom

to the Moon and back

I know you are fighting for me

and I am doing the best I can for you

I Love you so much

01/13/2025

Dreams

I don't dream

It's lame

If I did dream I'd hope it'd be about flying planes over boreal landscapes

Or walking through an overgrown garden outside of a temple made of glass

Or of love, never fleeting and cute things like holding hands

But I don't dream

and I don't have nightmares either

I just sleep

01/12/2025

On AI

Our brightest minds now toil

day in and day out on how to make machines

to do the jobs that give purpose

No longer is the goal to give back

time and quality of life

Rather we choose to automate

our arts, our stories, our designs

For who do we do this

What light glares at us at the end of the tunnel

Some comatose state of mind inundated with pointless media and recycled air

This work does not aim to make our lives better

It doesn't elevate the working class

It just lines the coffers of the few

whose fortunes could feed millions

01/11/2025

Haptics

Our science may be able to blow up mountains

but we still can't figure out how to make a machine feel

Our motors can spin thousands of time a minute

and hover with active magnetic bearings

but without knowing where everything is happening

Our hands can feel feel the ridges of a coin,

its temperature, its compliance, its shape

in an instant

all while we look, hear, taste, smell, and feel everything else

Humans feel

01/10/2025

Snow in Raleigh

It's snowing I'm drinking

I'm warm

I'm unicycling I'm drinking

I'm happy

I'm with friends I'm making

good decisions

Let's have another

and another too

Give me another shot

Let's have fun

I Love the snow

P.S. Can you tell I was flush in the face writing this??

01/09/2025

Blue Collar Appreciation

Although I don't work retail now

and don't spend every night

hucking diaper filled trash away anymore

that part of me that did will always walk with me

So I always smile and say hello to all

those who toil in blue collars

because they make the world happen

Because when I worked

and someone didn't even acknowledge my presence

when I bagged their bread while there were

5 open self checkouts and just one me

I'd always put their heavy soup on top

01/08/2025

Straw Man

The fragile man casts stones

from his glass house

not knowing his foundation is nothing more than paper manchette

He, who is lazy, will claim you are too

He, who does not work, will calin you don't either

He, who lies, will claim you lie too

But like cream

the truth rises to the top

and we all know what happens to the man in the glass house

It comes crumbling down

01/07/2025

Greed and Health

It's funny how we always want

what we can't have

even if it's no good for us

Something about eating a cake

and having it too

It's strange

Who ever did the wiring upstairs

liked together too many wire for the modern age

Sugar is everywhere

You can watch a man on a screen in your pocket

It's too much

I just want to be healthy

01/06/2025

Silent Snow

Snow rains a quiet serenity on the land

it sticks to the trees and carpets the ground

building a white world of sound deadening cotton balls

A soft crunch follows every step

along with a perfect mold of the bottom

of my rubber sole

Ice rain is miserable

so is sleet

almost every combination of wet and cold

except snow

Snow in the South is as beautiful as it is rare

It is always unexpected and we are always underprepared

01/05/02025

Talking to the Moon

Moonlight guides me

down to the old sycamore tree

It laughs. I laugh

at all that troubles me

The Moon speaks through the wind

"Hush my child"

and I smile at the stars relieved

What can I do for you

I say to the Moon

the Moon replies

"Drink more water, it helps with the tides"

I nod my head and drift off to dreamland

with the Moon watching my back

01/04/2025

Thought

I don't know why but I do know what happened

Fortuna

The pot of gold

at the end of life's rainbow is already at your feet

if you stop to look down

Down deep where your heart lies

serenity lies

Good friends and fortune

are one in the same

it's just a game of perspective

like a prism

catch the light right and

you can make your own rainbow road

01/03/2024

Thought

Does fear hold one back or push one forward?

Winter Stillness

Over the ice still lake

a branch reaches to the other shore

exhausting its leaf fur in its efforts

so much so that it has shed down to the last maple hair

leaving its bark bare to the wintry mix

Our last lonely leaf looks

to his left, then right

upon seeing no neighbors

he allows gravity to win the war

Down the slopes of air does our organic fan ski

almost as if dodging slaloms

But no worries the flyer make a graceful spruce goose landing

into the ice bath

only causing a small symmetrical wake where it made seafall

The wind now still creates

an absent harmony

with the quietness of the lake

almost as if Mother Nature pressed pause

to use the restroom or pop corn

Like most things, the moment fades

and the brown boat floods with water and sinks into the depths

never to be seen by mammalian eyes again

Leaves live beautiful lives

01/02/2024

Hot Air Balloon

Scorning warmth brushes my cheeks

as the ice laden air cuts my fingers and lungs

Above the mountains the hot air balloon stand still

on a rich blue background

looking down over the basket the goats look like gray dots

State Of Mind

My mind echos like an empty vase

and it reverberates down my spine

crosses the lung and shakes my heart

the hollowness ping around

ricocheting indifference

sucking the marrow out of my soul

It crept out of nowhere and I hope it scurries away

as quickly as it came

P.S. In my old house we used to have a large scarlett glossy pot with gold flakes. The gold was scarcely marbled into the red. The inside of the pot was all gold and when I was a boy I would stick my head in the mouth of the vase and feel its cool conductivity on my face

01/01/2024

Sand

Enjoy the highs of life

when you reach the peak

and see the rainbow

The pieces all snap together

with the briskness of the opening of a cold coke

But like all things, it fleets

That's why you have to hold on with all your might

The golden sand

falls between my fingers

12/31/2024

Perspective - Grateful

The end

is indisconcerable from the beginning

when life is viewed as a series of cycles

Widen the perspective and witness

how the loops of life march forward

intertwined like a knit scarf

with a clear beginning and an unwritten end

My scarf has been line with the Gold

of family, friendship, and good fortune

and when my stitching swayed

light pulled me out of darkness

I stand here now, eyes glazed at the expanse ahead

with hope

Ellie Wiesel taught me you can never take away a man's hope

and that alone can sustain any hardship

12/30/2024

All your cookies belong to me

Everything is in motion

and all the chips are headed my way

of course there are a few that slip by

but thats okay in the grand scheme of things

The future is one part present

two parts past

a cup of luck

and a clove of chance

Some ingredients come in the box

others you have to bring to the table

but together they determine

if your cookies is thin and crispy

or soft and plump

Either way you make cookies

and either way I am going to eat them all

12/29/2024

The Lost City

Up, up above the clouds

do towers climb spiting Babylon

with its construction of concrete and steel

The horizon now rizen

creates a distinct silhouette

something to remember and hold dear

Built up, not out

to save time and money

each story with stories

of tenets past and present

More, more multiply into the sky

make a sequoia city

for tailless apes

Nature commands all things must grow

P.S. When I was a kid and saw Charlotte's skyline I would ask if it was the Lost City from Dora. Simpler times

12/28/2024

Declaration of Self

I am alive, a son, a poet, and an engineer

my favorite colour is green

pink my favorite to wear

My favorite question to ask?

Spirit Animal

I like to ride bikes, climb rocks, and do

I love vegetables but I have a hard time getting behind

brussle sprouts

I am from the South

and I am a Jew

I am proud of both but much more the latter

I like to dance and sing

and I have really tried to perfect clapping

My eyes are blue

my stature modest

and I am missing a tooth

I enjoy my friends

and my time alone

but I rather not be alone

I hope to better the lives of those around me

I try

I love Pad Thai

I don't eat Chick-Fil-A

or pork or shellfish or gelatin or catfish or bugs

I can unicycle, yo-yo, and make paper cranes

I could talk about myself all day

but I'd probably get bored

I am me, always have been

always will be

I change a bit each day

but I'd still call myself the same ship

I've gotta adios myself now

Chao!

12/27/2024

Hanukkiah

The boy stared at the light

the flames flicked and cast inverted shadows

on the wall behind

It was the only light in the room

The candles stood proud despite their shrinking stature

as if they lived to die in this fight

with their commander stood above the rest

Fire is mesmerizing

no wonder the Greeks thought it was a gift from above

So we shine them bright

with chutzpah for eight nights

together and share this wonderful world

12/26/2024

In Memory of Dawn Doty(Wife, Mom, Grandma)

When he sat on the bench

he did not know what he would see

even though he had sat there a number of times before

The clouds a different mural

The fountain spews forever new

and the public play their lives

before his eyes

He thinks too of what he see
and has seen

and how he fits in and what has changed

Change is the constant inconstant

at least the bench doesn't walk away

P.S. I like riding my bike to Freedom Park and sitting on benches

12/25/2024

Light

Not by might do we find the light

for it is already there to be seen

Tradition

Tradition is a beating drum

resonating rhythmically

adding beats to your days and years

Chrismukkah

It does not happen often

but when the Christian and the Jew

share a day like today

the world become a bit brighter

P.S. I came across this poem by Charles Reznikoff. I hope to one day be able to write a poem as simple and beautiful as it.

12/24/2024

Giving Thanks

To be thankful is to understand

that another has put something

beyond themselves before themselves

In order to be thankful

there must be a belief

that others are free

And to believe that others have free will

leads us to the belief

that others are of the same kind

Another being being the same

breeds respect and rights

and the end of being alone

That is something to be thankful for

P.S. Got to enjoy one of my favorite Christmas traditions. A Swedish Christmas. I may not know the songs, or the stories, but I do know what history and tradition means to a people and am honored to be invited to indulge.

12/23/2024

Chasing the Sun

Sometimes people chase the Sun

to stay in the light

as long as they can

-Forever day

Other lie until the night

Most rise with the day

and settle with the night

Balance is best

with most things

Perspective comes with balance

along with wisdom and peace

Life can be a tightrope

and no one wants to be caught

with too many groceries in one hand

12/22/2024

Playground

Playground sets made of steel and rubber

bring happy memories

The hard plastic slides

eventually bruising ass after

one too many descents

Or the audio pipes that carried sound

from one end of the structure to the other

Climbing on top of tubes that teachers forbade

Swinging so high in the sky

that the clouds didn't seem so far away

Playgrounds are a great place to play

12/21/2024

On Luck

When you believe in luck

luck will come

whether in a game of cards

or traffic with cars

A positive posture

and a neglect of negative

can paint life

in the loveliest light

It's all a game of perspective

like a glass prism

shing the rainbows

latent in each passing moment

Wait for the sevens

and the pot of gold will already be waiting

for those lucky few

12/20/2024

The Letter

I am reminded of a letter

in which a bad thing happened

to a good man

This leaves the man with two options

to follow the trodden path of idleness

or to plant his feet firm down

in the eroding loam and do

what is right

Misfortune is a ceratiny of life

the reaction, a choice

Regret and fear may motivate

but as long as there is a try

a good thing has been done

and no one is condemned to act alone

This will be how humanity repairs the world

-together we will try

12/19/2024

Roundabout

I know this feeling

I've been down this road before

and every time I travel

it kicks my ass and posions my heart

Apathy only delays and diminishes my soul

as does the uncertainty snow on my mind

Oh it's nothing

Nothing's real unless you make it so

Why do I play these games with myself

Feelings are a fool's errand anyhow

12/18/2024

Wednesday

Wednesdays mark an arbitrary division in the week

being all nestled neatly in between the weekends

Has Saturday always been the Sabbath?

What if we are resting on the wrong 7th day

Maybe it should lie where Wednesday now sits on the calendar

Monday has Garfield

Tuesday, Ruby and Tacos

Everyone knows Wednesday is hump day

But what about poor Thursday?

Best I've heard is the frat

"Thirsty Thursday"

Thursday's a respectable day too

and I think it deserves better

At least it doesn't have the Sunday Blues

12/17/2024

Interview

In and out for a five hour bout

Just so you can get to know

all of me

You fly me in. Tell me to dress casual

Then strip me down to my core

Tour me around your parts

and show me all your fancy toys

then take me to a sushi lunch

Don't stress

We just want to see if your a good fit for us

And if we're a good fit for you...

And when it's all said and done

you send me home in a cab

and chirp "hope to see you again"

12/16/2024

Scenes from an American restaurant

The volcano made of mashed potato

is speaking gravy all over

the neat row houses of green beans

The little pea people plot

their escape on metallic saucers

without knowing where they are lead

The wall of carrots has just toppled

and the only high ground left

are on the islands of grilled chicken

It's a calorific tragedy devoid of hope

because if the gravy lava doesn't getcha

You get forked

12/15/2024

Rage

There are times when a great ball of energy

comes crashing down the mountain

Kicking and screaming

Knocking down trees indiscriminately

It does this because the energy must go somewhere

and will do so with the path of least resistance

Causing passersby to become victims of rage

Eventually the rock will come to rest

and will be repulsed by its destruction

12/14/2024

Cloudicles

Clouds always reside in the same sky

They don't simply wander off the horizon

No clouds are of essence that

reappear and disappear due to concentration

When a lot of cloud particles come together

our eyes attune to their fluffy or less dense

wispy whites

When they bunch closely together 

they cry rain down from the sky

A squeeze

Hail. A tighter squeeze

These cloud particles, cloudicles

want to distribute evenly across the heavens

but the wretched wind controls them at will

The clouds just want peace

12/13/2024

Community

It is kind of amazing

to bring people together

and see what it forms

Who laughs Who is shy

All sorts of things

And they come to fruition together

A social song and dance

where strangers become friends

I value community and try my best 

to bring it with me

like a polly pocket

12/12/2024

A-438

I have always believed that I have the most in common

with those who I am physically close

for we are alive and we are human

When I tapped on the body

I was hoping for a response. But got none

I have touched a dead hung man

I pray that he could feel my warmth

but I know he couldn't

I hope he touched many lives before

he left

I hope his parents are okay

I hope those who were with me are okay

I hope that it is all okay

I hope I did everything alright

I don't know how to feel

Somewhere between fear, sorrow, terror, shock, stress, anxiety

I will be okay

I wish we was okay

12/11/2024

Cold Feet

The feet always get cold first

which is odd because then...

how would you make way toward the fire

Crawl?

Goldfish Mind

Flipping through the pages

tells the story in silhouette

No detail complete

but together there's something

And that's all there's time for

just a series of snapshots to rely on

Eyes glazed over each sheet

Memory greedly takes more away

to some forgotten dessert

which grows in size every moment

making each oasis of truth further and further apart

The story lies ahead unwritten

and behind forgotten

so take in all that can be seen Now

before it slips away

P.S. I really dislike my housing supervisor

12/10/2024

I get my kicks from Champagne. Your alcohol doesn't thrill me at all

Who put all these bubbles in my white wine

They are flickering on my tongue

like a pulsar star

making me feel tingly warm inside

I drank it out of a flute

but it had no valves nor whistle

although

I think if I'd've hit it with a mallet

It'd make a harmonic high pitch scream

Now that I am filled with Carbon Dioxide

and a bit of toxic inside

I am floating around the room

like Snoopy at the Macy's

It's amazing how some sparkles can elevate your spirits

12/09/2024

Tralfamadorians

Time happens all at once

Beginning, Middle, and End

A collapsed wave form

Now is no longer

Anytime is Everytime

Can I change history?

Would I want to?

I do know I'd probably replay the highlights

like a binge watching potato

It would be awful hard to go on

with memories of future past

P.S. I watched Arrival with my Ginger Giant

12/08/2024

Puncture Prone

Soft gravel with skinny tires

is a recipe for disaster

if you soften your grip

but if you keep your head down

on the ground

and follow the path most trodden

You won't fall on your face

and be cut up in all sorts of ways

Everything will be alright

No tires will POP

even if every second you think

it might

12/07/2024

Triangle Pride Jazz Band Presents "Jazzy Holidays!"

Sight is the only sense with a switch

and it is the key to truly be

We can all hear the music

but you can see it too - with your eyes closed

Every kiss cinematic

once the curtains are closed

The orchestra swells

and colours ignite

painting a picture no eye could see

The black, a canvas

for my mind to wander

So take the time

every now and then

to shut your eyes

awake

and tell me what you see

P.S. Got to see my friend, who creates the world he wants to live in, play trumpet in a Jazz concert. It was amazing. All of my cycling friends were there. I hope I remember the performance forever. Also one of the saxophone players was very cute.

12/06/2024

End of Semester High

Oh how amazing it feels to be free

from stress

all of my life used to be a mess

not anymore. Everything is swell

I walk my walk, talk my talk

deep into the night

I have no fear

So I drink a beer

and maybe another

and another so

Oh how I love to live

I am drunk like a mink

I sure hope I don't shrink

What a time to be alive

P.S. Was drunk

12/05/2024

The Wind

Does the wind know where it goes

or where it has been?

Or does it just flow

Down from the mountain across the plains

wrestling the leaves on the trees

till they dance down from the breances and come to rest

like a ballerina touching down from a double twist

No the wind has no agency

nor memory of the past

its reckless like an indoor horse

pinballing across neighborhoods

But I don't mind.

I try to catch the wind

12/04/2024

Bragaw Parking Lot

It doesn't matter if it matters

Either way you feel the world around you

Inside every mind is a Universe

that can only be viewed by its owner

If someone steals a glance

the Universe becomes theirs

like a seperate user on an internet computer

Whether or not this life, or the next for that matter

was written down by some Unknown Creator

or just happened to be for the sake of Being

is arbitrary

to the fact that I think

I am breathing

I am living

and I Love to Live

So I do, even if it's all a Farce

Because I can control the Universe in my Mind

We all can

P.S. I always love my conversations with my old piano playing, ping pong paddling, life loving, friend. Every conversation becomes cerebral, just the way I like it. I like the kind of conversations we have. They are rare, and reveal a little more about who we are and what we see

12/03/2024

In a Day

A lot can happen in a day

You can cry. You can laugh

You learn

You never know what the day will entail

Miracles and mishaps all in one

Its okay to dream even if it's just for a minute

Each day

P.S. This one is disjointed and brief for I wrote it intermittently from 11:45 PM - 12:00 AM while watching The Internship with friends 

12/02/2024

Under my Feet

I like to dance with my Shadow

It copies everything I do

Including writing this poem

under electric streetlight

I like making shapes and hand puppets

a show for one by one

Shadows are nice because even if you're alone

They remind you that you always have yourself

and yourself is alote

much more than a rocks got

I wonder if my shadow feels the same about me?

12/01/2024

Ode de Habanero

Habanero peppers make any dish interesting

They have the perfect balance of spice the flavor

They unfortunately gas the room

when you sautee them in a pan

at least for me

I cough I wheeze

I even sneeze

But in the end

I have a savory stir fry

11/30/2024

Yellow Eyes

For some reason yellow comes to mind

yellow eyes aged like wine

Black pupils Red Veins

No Iris

Just dull yellowish eyes

staring into the void

I don't know where they are looking

There is no reflection only gloss

I cannot even see my own eyes

Are they my own?

11/29/2024

Firefly Cries

Deep, Deeep down amongst the toads

that hop the water of your mind

a small firefly blinks ... -. -. -. ...

It cries because it is alive

and it is alone

Sound piercing my own ears

causing me to act

no matter what despair

I can't stand the firefly crying

so I do everything I can make it stop

I run, I ride, I laugh, I pray

But the cires never go away

11/28/2024

Equataion of Trust

Trust is an equaiton

of histroy and time

Every interaction

a notch on the ledger

On the grand stick

the cuts run deep

with memory

So much so that it no longer fits in my hand

It's jagged

One day my calluses may smooth it down

but that will come with time

and new history

Maybe people change

11/27/2024

Beyond Oz

Yellow brick roads exist outside of Oz

Inside every soul lies a dream

Some buried under a pile of leaves

Others risen to the top like creme

Reguardless the mind searches for meaning

and for every path eixists

a journey yet to be

No one has ever been down the road before-

every path the road less traveled

the dawn creates a new world every day

Fight off the monkeys

Take off the mask

The only smoke and mirror

lies within you preventing you

from being the best you

11/26/2024

Shakey Memory

When I look back I seldom recognize myself

My past romances seem like distance moons

obriting my mind... satellites

There are parts I miss

There are those I don't
I don't mind the seldomness

as much as I used to

I do misss the affection

but that's only natural

I don't remember how

I convinced someone to give

it to me though

Maybe I'll try again

Just to remember

11/25/2024

Jaunt at Night

Oh how I rage against the dimming light

I rest all day to conquer the night

The streets empty

The sky full of stars and dreams

There's no one to judge

I am free

to pee behind a tree

or run a muck

I don't have to give a

The night is the canvas

and I the brush

11/24/2024

Noodle Kugel

Egg noodles make great kugels

when mixed with cinnamon, sugar and the like

The hard top crust adds bite

to the sweet chevy delight

Dotted raisins add a burst of surprise

to the savory tastes of sunrise

and all bring a smile to my face

It tastes good today

and if there are leftovers

good tomorrow too

One of the finer dishes

made by a Jew

Just shoot me a call and I'll gladly make it for you

11/23/2024

One way trip

Snow topped hills

bring chilly thrills

through my rose coloured ski goggles

As I twist and curve

cutting ice like a nerve

a sly smile grows across my face

At the bottom lies

lines of lost autumn

and a pearly white snowman

I notice too late

and to much my frustrate

I collide with our frosty friend

My eyes now black with coal

and my torso covered in snow

I come to a complete and sudden stop

11/22/2024

Fluttering moments before rest

Tired eyes

Consume me

My cold bones still thawed

I law in bed

Cuddled tight

with blanket and candle light

One day I'll be warm

and awake

Not now

11/21/2024

Contrast Bath

Cold smiles Cold feet

Cold shoulder

Hot flash Hot  Pocket

Hot Streak

It's all black and white

Neither side is too bad

I like the cool blue

I like the warm red

Nothing makes hot chocolate sweeter

than the cold

Nor a cold coke tastier

than a hot summer day

All you have to do is dress the part

and the climate will suit you

P.S. I remember a Jubala bike ride about a year ago when one of my friends was talking about doing something bad and then something good to their partner. Then my other friend said it was a contrast bath. That was funny. Much funnier then than me shoddly writing down the incident but whatever. I think I used to be much funnier, more loose. Now I feel all tied up, afraid of consequences. I guess that's "growing up" but is that the me I want to be?

11/20/2024

November Rain

I love the night sky

when it rains

the clouds absorb the moon and light catches

the falling mist

The asphalt, a slick noir

and oil drips cast rainbows on the ground

Streetlight like lighthouses

guide you through the dark

bringing you closer to the warm bed

that awaits you

It is a fantastic thing that it rains

11/19/2024

Sleep Deprivation

The lack of sleep weighs like a hangover

Wake with a headache, irritable

wanting to curl up and lie

Unlike a hangover

Kidneys and Livers don't scream

and your gait doesn't remember

wobbling too and fro

Take a nap

Cut the crap

Pick up your ol' knapsack

and tackle the day

It's not Sunday at Chick-Fil-A

wake up WAKE UP

11/18/2024

See of Eyes

Through the dark mist

the myriad of eyes stare directly at me

I look back at them

fixating on one pair

They are blue and tell stories familiar

I am indifferent to the eyes

Assuming they do not look at me

So I do not look at them

They are all strangers eyes to me

save a select few

who draw memories from my pasing gaze

I would see more if I let the eyes

match my own

I am more likely to smile

at a strangers eyes than one familiar

I don't want the eyes on me

but I long for a concentric connection

My eyes wander

The more my eyes dance

the less I am sure

My eyes look up and see nothing back

then a wink of a star

There is one set of eyes

I will never lose

and I still have my own

P.S. My 11th grade english teacher hated the word plethora or was it myriad

11/17/2024

West Virginia

Betwixt between coal mines and welfare lines

lies a river bisecting stone

Each hemisphere clad in sandstone

Allowing for hand sized holes to form

Now overgrown monkeys throw themselves up and down its hills

ritualistically for leisure

Taking in the works of nature

but leaving only a few tourist dollars

and nothing more

No worries the land will live on long after we're gone

11/16/2024

Sinus Headache

The ice pick in my left temple

is driving me mad

It steals my focus

and makes me cry

I know it is only temporary

but it feels as though it will last forever

beyond the day

I pray that sleep

will set me free

from this pain

11/15/2024

New River Gorge

On the highway in the tunnel

we both held our breath

Before the state line we raised our feet

to jump into West Virginia

The sky grew dim

our headlights bright

Winding down the gravel road

we find an unmarked home

Unearthed the lockbox and turned the key

The journey has begun

11/14/2024

Heat Death

Below zero there is no motion

It all stops

There is no negative where all things

go in reverse

Nothing

The world in a steady state of rest

Nothing to look forward to

No ability to look back

Scientists say this awaits the Universe

Something like that

Where it all stays still

It is terrifying

11/13/2024

Ode de 3D Printing

Out of nothing comes something

Through a heated nozzle it spews

liquid plastic onto a warm plate

creating a physical recreation of what the mind's eye can see

In an hour or two or five

you'll have a little bracket

or a peanut butter hatchet

or whatever you'd like it to be

As lost at it is less than 12" x 12"

You can make the world in whatever colour you want

11/12/2024

Cold

A little plague here and there

reminds you that you are a biological system

not some machine that exists outside of nature

As little segments of DNA and bacteria

float around your insides wreaking havoc

your body screams

Your joints harden

Your head swells

It feels like its all coming down

Until it stops

It is a miracle to be alive

11/11/2024

Crazy Talk

Who walks the line between

the sane and insane

gazes all sides of the human existence

Seeing what is there and what is imaginary

allows them to dream like no other

However one side of the balance beam hold great peril

and you'll never know if you've fallen in

So take precaution

before you

walk the line

11/10/2024

Seasonal Beverages

Warm lemonade is just as sweet as an iced on on a winters day

The warmth and the pulp dance around your mouth

setting your taste buds to disco

You can enjoy a seasonal treat anytime of year

There is nothing to fear

You are allowed to enjoy the finer things in life

11/09/2024

What to do at the end of the line

Some people think it is best to go out in a blaze of glory

To treat the end different from the beginning or middle

I am not so sure that's the way to go

To change yourself for a perceived end

Nothing is ever really over

till it all is

Keep being yourself no matter the occasion

and you will be remembered for who you are

not what you think other people want you to be

11/08/2024

As Far as the Eye can See

Stand on top of a mountain

or on the shore you can see for miles

In a city you can only see

for a few blocks

As man-made structures block your sight

But the view is still there

if you can unobstructed your eyes

with your imagination to see

the land for what it is and

where true beauty lies

At least no matter where you are

You can always look up at the heavens

and see its vastness 

where distances are counted in time

where it all began

11/07/2024

Another 5 Minute Rush

It's getting late and I need to rest

so tomorrow I can be my best

Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Stars

You are all so far

but to me you burn bright

That's why I love the night

11/06/2024

What I see

A weight comes over my eyes

Heavy as a breakup

But I hold my eyes open

For I still must see

What lies before me, just a bit longer

What once was no longer is

and my pupils need to dilate

onto this newfound light

I know not what lies before me

although I have a clue

and I hope it does not come true

But I gaze nonetheless

for I can see my family and friends

and as long as they remain

in my periphery 

All will be well

11/05/2024

Squirrel Chirps

I wonder what the squirrels chirp about in the morning

I wonder if they wish the night away

I wonder if they dream of flying

Amongst the clouds the shadow them below

Do they speak of leaves, trees, and honeybees

or of tariffs, imports, and social policies

I guess we will never know

uless little squirrel ears we grow

Their lives a mystery to us just as we are a mystery to them

I just hope they enjoy the sunrise like we do

11/04/2024

Memory

I can no longer remember how I got here

but I am here

I do not know why I believe what I do

but I do

I dig though my filing cabinet

and can find snippets of reality and reason

but never it all

There is some deep down truth

buried somewhere in there

I've heard it called the Soul

I guess I've got one of those

I reckon everyone does

11/03/2024

Limits of our Cranial Sorting Machine

The robot put things in boxes

It did this all day and all night

The robot does not know why

Mainly because it can't think

but also as it's programmer

didn't even bother to comment

some explanations for this machines

eternal damnation

People in boxes, ideas in boxes, objects in boxes

It doesn't matter what it is

just that it fits with like things

so it's easier to sort and find 

Sometimes the arbitrary sorting is off but there is no changing

an assertion once made

We try but it takes time

P.S. I do not like the human desire to put everything in boxes. So black and white. It has led to great turmoil.

11/02/2024

Alarm Clock

Technology meant to save

frustrates when it lets you down

The gears allegedly in mesh

skip setting a domino of errors

culminating in an axle snapping

ending the life of the machine

It doesn't matter if you've skipped maintenance

Some things must fail

Not much separates man from its machines

for there is a part of man in everything it makes

P.S. My alarm did not go off today. Resulting in me missing my Canoeing trip I have long looked forward to

11/01/2024

Never Change

Never Change

That's what people say but never mean

They imagine you only as you are

and not what you can be

Frozen in Time

When time and place separate

new snapshots are shown

The continuum shattered by reality

People change, for better or worse

Toddlers to Child to Teen to Adult to Parent to Grandparent

and if you are lucky Great Grandparent

The walks of life come

even if you resist taking steps

10/31/2024

On Motivation and Productivity

Yesterday held a hundred smiles

for I was in constant trials

Much like a hydroelectric dam

the more the world sends my way

the more powerful I become

But more rivers run dry

and the lights grow dim

So I wait for a downpour

so my turbines can roar again

10/30/2024

Firefly Algorithm

The fireflies fan out over the dark swamp

searching for substance

They follow the smells and blink brighter

as they grow closer to their feast

The others seeing the growing light

change their heading to converge

on the sweat treat now uncovered

They do this every night

and they never grow hungry

The swarm sustains the swarm

P.S. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_algorithm

10/29/2024

Summer

Hummingbirds

Summer breeze

Silver wings on honey bees

Fresh watermelon

Fireworks and fireflies

Jalapeno poppers and chilli fries

Deadly heat, flipflop tanned feet

Clear skies, wandering eyes

Ocean spray, a hint of Old Bay

Shades of coral and light blue

Hotdogs in stands

Big ass fans

Swimming pool

Sex on the beach

Jimmy Buffet with a seafood buffet

Bright green trees

Sunkissed knees

All for a quarter of the year

10/28/2024

Dancing Ducks

Microwave dreams

made of popsicle stick beams

collapse quickly and completely

When you half bake a cake

do you take it out of the oven and start to chew?

No

Take the time to get your ducks in line

before you go to the show

'cause no one want to watch

poorly choreographed duck dancing

least of all yourself

P.S. Low inspiration recently. Sometimes when someone smokes cigarettes outside my apartment I can smell it in my apartment. I can smell it now. This, respectfully, pisses me off. I have been wanting to use the phrase "Microwave Dreams" for a few days and do not think I did it justice and hope to use it again another day.

10/27/2024

Foosball

Men on sticks slotted in wood

kick the quarter sized ball around the arena

Four people stand controlling the rods

spinning them with haste and precision

Their eyes eternally focused darting around

chasing the pearlescent plastic

The ball ricochets between the tiny players

maneuvering with purpose

Soon the ball finds itself slammed against

the plastic chute

It falls down and a disk is slid across a tiny rail

It is an electric game that brings me much joy

P.S. My freshman year of college I used to play foosball with my friends in the Honors Quad. We played almost every day. I was able to play two people at once and win. I love foosball

10/26/2024

Birthday

A year ago I looked back and I looked forward

Now I look backwards and forwards

I see gold on every horizon

My personal trinity of past, present, and future

narrate a tale of good fortune

for I am the author

I have capture a life in which everything I dream of comes true

and I have never softened my grip on myself

I am me

I am true

There is nothing I cannot do

So get in line

To witness the greatest show of our time

10/25/2024

Selfish or Self Interest?

At this point I am no longer interested in waiting for things to go my way

Now I make my own favor

If I want, I do

If people fail me, I do

I may be a rock but I have sails

I can change course

despite the winds and tide

It's not that I don't care

if you are for me or against me

It's just that I am always with me

Get me?

Well I've gotta go now. Bye!

P.S. Had a great time today on the 5th floor of Hunt Library with my ginger giant. We were sitting outside on the balcony(?) and taking a meeting. I had accidentally shot my Nerf gun and it plummeted down the 5 floors onto the pavement. I was able to find the dart after it landed after looking around for awhile after the meeting. I like not having alot of class work. I get to do everything I want when I want. It's really fun. Oh I also had a great lunch with my player piano. I remember about 2 years ago I was in Turlington Den with my old boss and I played the song Shut Up by Madness and he was able to play along with the song in moments. It was one of the most impressive things I have ever witnessed.

10/24/2024

Living Art

Bonzai is one of the few living arts

every piece dynamic

no prune final

as new leaves always spring

A picture is a flash then a freeze

After the chisel is put to rest

the marble is sealed in time

only to be weathered away

Life is poetry in motion

We try our best to imitate

but we can never achieve true beauty

The best we can do is to reimagine

the nature about us-

That is if you don't believe it is already perfect

P.S. Went to the State Fair. My friend talked to some people from the NC Bonzai Association(?). The man said that Bonzai was the only type of art that never ends. I agree in technicality but I also disagree. I believe that art can have different meaning to different people over time. The art physically may not change but its expression does. The first time I heard Cat's Cradle has a much different meaning to me then than it does now. In that way art is always changing. 

Later in the evening. After I wrote this poem I discussed the nature of art. I posited that art could be defined as human expression. My friend said that engineering was art. I mostly agree. But I think there is a difference between art and creation. I think it has to do with the intentionality of the creator and maybe even the perception of the viewer. Is a screw art because of the wonders of science carefully crafted to serve a purpose art? Or is it just a screw? I am not sure. I don't mind that I am not sure. I think any definition of art should be ambiguous as to not exclude art where it is true.

10/23/2024

Bench outside of EBIII before MAE 531

And he sat on the bench

outside of the classroom

in spite of time beckoning him

to automaton throughout the day

The sun spoke to him in 1000 languages

and translated them though the heat on his ear

spelling out the secret to serenity

Take a moment to rest

Take in the beauty of the world

It is always there

all you have to do is witness it

After awhile the sunkissed student rose

and strolled to lecture

with a piece of peace in his pocket

P.S. Today was a good day. Biked in the morning. Climbed in the afternoon. Ran at night. Found a new song today that I liked.

10/22/2024

Otter Poster

Amongst the seaweed and the stars

the sea otter floats on its back in the salt water

Its deep brown fur, saturated, blends into the darkness

of the night sky and the spray

Small rolling waves rock the friendly creature

like a mother cradling a child and singing lullaby

except crashing swells and seagulls play the melody

The constellations now spell

"Go to sleep"

and the otter's eyes flutter closed

drifting into slumber and surf

Holding onto his favorite sheep shaped rock

P.S. When I was in elementary school I made a poster on sea otters for a project. I remember it vividly. It has orange and blue construction paper and magazine cutouts of an otter(go figure). It also included a series of color pencil drawings of otters and what they ate. Little otters with little food on their bellies. Otters used to be my favorite animal. Now I have an affinity for flying squirrels but honestly upon reflection I think otters might be #1. I wonder if that poster still exists somewhere or if I have thrown it away in one of my moves. I hope not. I am both very sentimental but also very minimalistic. The otter in this story is holding a sheep shaped rock because I have a stuffed animal sheep. His name is sheepy. My cousin gave him to me when I was visiting my family in New York. I have had sheepy as long as I can remember. There was a time he was lost. That was when he was in dinosaur land. He got packed away with some dinosaur toys and I missed him dearly. But that was long ago. Sheepy has been one of the few constants in my life. And for that I love sheepy. I don't really care if it's childish to sleep with a stuffed animal. Me and sheepy have been everywhere. I took him to Japan and Israel. Ooh I found a picture of the poster. If I have a picture that probably means that I threw it away. But I still have a picture and a memory. Enjoy!

10/21/2024

All the dopamine with none of the serotonin

Inside the plexiglass cage

a meek lab rat pounces

on a pressure sensitive pad

The button drips a dose of dopamine

into the rats bloodstream

through fine translucent tubes

The rat continues to press down on the button

despite its levels reaching steady state

The rat can't get no satisfaction

but it tries... it tries