There’s a lonely monster I know by the name of Stan. He wanders the desert to avoid the face of man. We ran into one another once on a camping trip. I was with a tour group until I gave them the slip. I came across Stan warming by a lovely little fire. I assured him I wasn’t scared; he called me a liar. With his eyes downcast, he told me about his past. Then I told him about mine, though he never asked. We agreed we were both the biggest lost cases, not good with people and ashamed of our faces. I remember the stars were quite beautiful that night. Then Stan stood and stretched to his full height. I was shocked and speechless, to say the least. He was a hulking form, a most magnificent beast. I apologized for staring, and he chuckled a bit and declared me his long-lost mutual hypocrite. See, together we each judged ourselves the worst, as though from birth we both had been cursed, though he had told me to give myself a break, and I had preached that he deserved a fair shake. When I eventually said I had to rejoin my group, he patted my head, though he had to stoop. We agreed to meet at this same spot once a year to sit around the fire and drink some beer. I’ve never told anyone of this once-a-year plan, but I visit a lonely monster by the name of Stan.
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey; along came a spider, who sat down beside her, and frightened Miss Muffet away.
The very next day she came out to play, determined to overcome fear; the spider returned, and Miss Muffet learned, to say hello with cheer.
Now that she’s older, Miss Muffet is bolder, and nothing affects her outlook; she stays outside, takes everything in stride, and continues reading her book.
No matter where I go, there I am, at the center of my universe, with every vector of possibility extending outward to infinity and beyond. When I can settle and still the turmoil of my soul, I can see the heavens in my own being. I know the sun does not truly rise in the sky, nor is the horizon the edge of the world, yet I live as though I believe the earth is flat and this is all there is to my being. It is a lie that the past creates the present and the present creates the future, when memories of the future can inform the present and change my very perception of the past I thought I knew. I can live tomorrow’s dream today if only I choose to look beyond the veil and accept that I am a wizard, rather than a human bound by fate. I am the relationship between nowhere and now here because I have localized eternity to this point in time and choose to focus on this present.
@Home Studio – 143rd poem of the year
Chopra, Deepak. The Way of the Wizard: Twenty Spiritual Lessons for Creating the Life You Want. New York, United States of America, Harmony Books, 1995, pp.109-115.
Runner ups for the Eternity photos to accompany my poem:
You are not the kind of book with a slick jacket I can collect on my shelf; nor can I mark my place with sticky notes, gum wrappers, or old receipts.
You are an audio book with raucous laughter, one-liner quips of witty dialogue, random philosophical musings about religion, and societies latest great failings.
Sometimes I need to slow the playback speed and crank up the volume to discern the subtle nuances of your narration and tune my ear to your frequency.
Other times I realize you’re on full blast in the middle of a raunchy scene in public rather than coming through my headphones like a gentleman.
My granddaughter left a gift of lavender bath salts for me on my desk with a sweet little message written in half cursive half print on a sticky note. She left one for her DāDā, and probably everyone else in the house as well, because she loves to leave treats for others when she finds a way. I am glad my prickly, lovely, argumentative, emotional, explosive, beautiful, forgetful girl has a heart full of love.
“Vengeance is mine,” sayeth Ceasar, until his apemanity kicks in and he is able to be better than human and allow mercy to unfold naturally. Who gets to determine the value of a life on this rock hurtling through space we call home? Does intellect trump simple existence or one form of communication imply worth over another? Is birdsong less a language than human speech or an elephant’s rumble less valid than words? Someone I know once said their life would not be affected by animals going extinct and it made me sad because I believe the tiny pieces of our humanity that perish with each species we forget to save hasten our own souls’ decay.
@Home Studio (after watching War for the Planet of the Apes at Greg’s house with Greg and his family, Debbie, and Celinda on 5/18/24) – 130th poem of the year
Matt Reeves et al., War for the Planet of the Apes. Los Angeles, CA, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2017.
Runner ups for the War of Apes photos to accompany my poem:
One, two, three…maybe four prescriptions need to be filled because I grow old and less able to take pride in health and vigor like I used to, as though I somehow earned the youthful ease with which my joints bent, and my muscles contracted instantly, and every sinew responded to my whim with instant graceful movement; those people who complained of aches and stiffness were somehow at fault for their functional inadequacies and I did not recognize my future reflection in their eyes because that woman’s lined face was contorted with pain.
I bought the Sceptre Curved 24-inch gaming monitor1080p R1500 98% sRGB HDMI x2 VGA Buid-in speakers, VESA Wall Mount Machine Black (C248W-19204N Series) – the sound is not very good, but I like the visuals for the work I do, and it was $84.97 on Amazon. I bought the Hiearcool USB C Hub, USB C Multi-Port Adapter, 7in1 Dongle Compatible for MacBook Pro, Chromebooks, etc. for $18.84 on Amazon. It seems to be working fine. I also bought the Logitech MK295 Wireless Mouse & Keyboard Combo with SilentTouch Technology, full number pad, lag-free wireless, 90% less noise for $29.99 on Amazon. I like them well enough and must have a number pad on my keyboards, so I like this one. I also got a LORYERGO Laptop Stand for Desk to make more room and have a better angle on the Chromebook for $12.74 on Amazon. This one is wonderful. I think it is helping with neck pain, too. Lastly, I got a SUPERDANNY power strip surge protector with 22 AC outlets and 6 USB charging ports for $27.99 on Amazon. It is a bit of overkill, but I was sick of not having enough outlets for things. Oh, and for back comfort, I use my cat as a lumbar pillow. He is not for sale.
@Home Studio – 122nd poem of the year
Runner ups for the Tech and Cat photos to accompany my poem:
rebekahjmarshall 