strange echos have been rebounding off the walls lately
noises that i heard once, but have since forgotten
it is odd that i wish to pursue such curiosities
i only hope it is not a trap; that i do not fall into the abyss

it has been months since i last shed a single tear for you
yet this night, i regret, it has happened once again
it is because of no fault of your own that i lament this
for you are beautiful, as i have stated constantly

i only wish that in some distant life we meet
under no pretence of social normalises
for you were mine and i was yours
if only for a moment, it was truly bliss

beautiful. wonderful. plentiful. pretty.
loving. joyful. caring. tender. gentile.

all of these you are, and you don't know.

two worlds are tearing me apart
though desperation is not in play
i see two paths before me;
one is green and one is grey
i cannot decide where to pitch my tent

it has been over a year now, since the journey began
and i still suffer from the same mirage on the horizon
i travel down an endless road, seeking to find respite
i see a blurry vision of you waiting, with that perfect smile

your eyes pierce mine as our gaze connects
my heart bursts into a sprint so to win the prize
i trip, i fall hard, my face is last to scrape into the ground
my heartbeat slows, the heat lifts, you are gone

i recount these memories with fondness
as if they are a thousand years old and quickly fading
contentment is a choice and slowly i am choosing such
you changed me, i had wished i could protect you

i will still raise my glass to you, my dear friend
for bitterness is not really my thing, it is sad
and there is great joy to be had in loving you still
loving you in a distant way, a healthy disconnect

for derek

my heart is filled with great joy and excitement
providence has chosen to grant our prayers
news of your peril tormented me so
for the loss of your bright light in this world is unimaginable
get well, stay well, my friend
and may peace always surround you

we have been created for a purpose.
this is common knowledge, yet it is rarely formally recognized.
why does this concept cause us fear?
for it this truth which should instill in us sanity.
do i know my purpose? do you know yours?
i think so. we are given clues. gifts. talents. etc.
but it seems easier to run a marathon of distraction.
if only our flight burned calories--everyone would be fit.

there is a red mist gathering on the horizon
blurs of green and mysterious grey appear
there are mountains there, great grassy peaks
nestled up against an infinite ocean
the sea caged only by the distant stormy sky
quiet comes, it breeches the clamour of nature

man is yet a footnote in this place
his touch is rare, and then only a soft brush
creatures of oddity keenly roam the landscape
their perception untainted by industrialization
hope is present on this land, peace is the life force
calm presides as the caretaker of this dreamland

inevitably, this land, it must be reached
for found it is, and i am called, it beckoned me
with my staff in hand i shall forge the precipice before me
once again, the certainty of my return is unclear

....

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01122007/postopinion/editorials/boxers_low_blow_editorials_.htm?page=0

sen. boxer,

clearly you do not deserve to have children or grandchildren, since you would so tastelessly use them as ammo in your second rate political debates. congratulations on making an ass out of yourself. it is those like you who keep me from ingesting the toxic medicine of the liberal prescription. these things should be plainly obvious to you, but then again it must be difficult to step back and take a look at yourself, way up there on your hypocritical high horse. no cheers to you.

sincerely,

good sense

thick and ominous clouds reveal themselves in the distance
only to my surprise they are not at all evil
the smoky skies rest upon nearby mountainscapes
anticipatory hearts wait anxiously for their welcome

...

last night i was attacked as i slumbered. while in repose i felt a dark presence come upon me. i felt a sharp jab in my side, then another. after the third offense i awoke to find a grey being, hooded and cloaked, hunched over my body as lay there. his visage was a cold one, with sharp eyes of piercing black and a cruel grin carved deeply into his rigid jaw. the creature cocked his head to the right, then to the left and proceeded to make a slight hissing sound. it was then that i realized that he was in fact uttering words, a speech so laced with hatred that i did not promptly recognize it as spoken language. as he spoke to me, i tried to discern his communication.

then to my horror, another being--this one a much more severe color of charcoal, swept to my side in front of his predecessor. his countenance was so veiled in the darkness of his garb that i could not make out a single feature. he began to speak in that awful hiss. i knew then the creatures conversed not with me but with each other. did they know i was awake? could they see that i saw them and knew that they were there? did they know i was listening to them?

a long shifty arm of the latter presence extended toward my face. i felt the silky web of a spider brush across my profile. i dared not push it away, for fear of a more terrifying result. after an eternity of a minute or two, a great and dire fear came to rest upon my soul. like a slug exposed to the grains of excruciating salt, my innards writhed in torment. i had to act quickly, for i loathed the jurisprudence of the pair, and i dreaded the swiftness of my demise if i was caught before i could liberate myself.

with a trembling hand i hurriedly made the sign of the cross in front of the lords of doom. i made the sign yet again and again, and upon my final effort my arm, now a heavy bag of sand, fell to the bed--rendered motionless--still as a glassy sea before a storm. i had failed. my only defense was itself defeated before the battle could begin. then, as i lay helpless in my own home, i opened my eyes, previously shut by the hopelessness of my ruin. still paralyzed, i captured a foggy glimpse of the trespassers’' retreat. the ever fainting hiss moved further and further away. a cryptic hand of myst and bone reached out to snatch away my soul in a last act of vengeful desperation. and then it was quiet. i sank deeply into weariness and i drifted into the sleepy abyss.

snow gently falls to caress the earth and blanket our hearts

gentle footprints hint at a sojourner's former path

trees are comforted by their annual companion

and homes are tucked warmly in their angel white beds

today i travel northeast into cooler climates
i hope to find peace and rest in the mountains
crisp clean air to purify my lungs
and then i think i shall smoke my pipe
i shall return on the fourth day

insurance companies are the devil. one pays them thousands of dollars for personal protection and they show their gratitude by giving an obscene gesture of the finger. when it counts, one cannot count on them, for they are fickle and reckless. their sport in holding power over the life of another sickens me. one day, i shall find a way to put these dogs in their place.

and did i mention that i have traded for a new smoking pipe. this shall accompany me on my travels, and soothing leaves will be of great comfort. tis a very true and dear friend, my new churchwarden; one who will quite possibly outlive me.

i sense that a great journey lies in the not too distant future. in which direction shall this voyage take me i do not know, but the destination is sure to be far from home. as i follow this mysterious path i will be sure to encounter new friends, and possibly rediscover some old. it is not the dark secrets of this upcoming adventure that haunt me; rather, it is my uncertainty about my return that causes me concern. i hope i will obtain a reliable map before i bon voyage.

to the mrs. -

it is hard to talk to parents period. i find that as time goes by, the older my parents get, the lines of communication begin to fade. this is not to say that fear or loathing is the cause of such breakdowns, but rather different thinking; our paradigms drift further and further apart. but all of this is just fine. it is what happens in life. it is to be expected. how we deal with these changes is the measure of our fortitude.

with regard to your values, i am encouraged to find that you have put your thoughts into concise rationale. it is in this mode that you will find clarity and peace of mind. concerning the morality of your opinions, there is much to be said about the questionable justifications of others, especially christians, and their respective ultimate goals. on a personal note, i appreciate your unconditional compassion--more than you may know. in response to civil liberties, though, i encourage caution; for often the liberties of one man are the chains of another. and by the way, did you hear that jesus might not have been a republican? apparently it is making waves throughout some communities.

finally, i hail your honesty and your devotion to prayer. you will experience the peace of the almighty simply because you allow providence to pilot your life. you are engaging the difficult questions of life and it is inspiring. i will leave you with these words:

"God calls us to respond to life, not merely to react to it."
-From Finding Peace by Dr. Charles Stanley


-Jack