A Relic From 1977

Rifling through boxes full of the remains of my youth and I found this, written when I was 14. Bear in mind I was listening to a lot of folk music at the time.

I'm not going to listen to your lies anymore

I'm not going to let you turn me inside and out

It's the end of the road

 The door is closed

The punch has been thrown

You've scored a knockout

It may seem odd, it may be contrary

To what you were hoping to find

But I've torn down my defenses

 I'm open to attack

The victory is yours for the taking

It's the naked leading the blind

I'm not going to listen to your lies anymore

I'm not going to allow you to tie me up in knots

It's a new day dawning 

And I see the light

Of the sun or an oncoming car

Either or it looks to be a million megawatts

It may seem cruel, it may be heartless

Then again, maybe it's par for your course

With a heart as cold as yours

Dying for attention 

But lacking in substance

One only has to question the source

I did not write any notes as to what motivated me to write this at that time and my memory is dodgy. I think it was written about either A. Crice or some other teenage crush.

Man, I peaked at a very early age.

The Land Of Abandoned Hopes & Dreams

It's out there somewhere, the repository of billions upon billions of hopes and dreams.

Some of those hopes were for reasonable goals that were quite achievable - such as finishing up a degree with only one semester of college left, or completing a novel and only needing a chapter or two to finish.

Only to fall short of the necessary drive or ambition or self-discipline required.

Some of those dreams were not flights of fancy or wild, impossibly improbable aspirations - such as the vision of a new, larger home for a growing family or a new car to replace a beat-up old clunker.

Only to have the marriage fall apart or the loss of a job eliminating the funds necessary for the new endeavor.

Those are the kind of things that happen every single day.

And have been happening every single day since the dawn of time.

There Are A Lot Of Crazy People About

There are people alive today who think we live in the worst possible times.

Those people are ignorant.

I do not mean "ignorant" in an insulting manner, I mean ignorant in a they-just-don't-know manner.

You know what was common a thousand years ago? 

The world was ruled by titled aristocrats, from the heavily walled castles of Europe to the thatched huts of Africa. These aristocrats may have been referred to by different titles, but they were aristocrats nonetheless.

And you know what, in essence, an aristocrat was? 

They were people who ruled by force. That's it, that's the beginning and the end of the definition of aristocrat. They had the might, so they had the right. Cross them and die.

Basically, a thousand years ago, everyone who wasn't an aristocrat...was a slave.

It didn't matter if you were black, white, brown, yellow or red...a thousand years ago, if you were not an aristocrat, you were a slave.

Think about that. On every single continent on this planet, in every single country/kingdom, the vast majority of the populace were enslaved.

There are people alive today who believe we are all slaves in one way or another - slaves to the grindstone, slaves to the wage, slaves to the ruling class, etc., but that is just bullshit hyperbole used by people to exaggerate ones discontent with the current state of one's life. 

A thousand years ago, it was real slavery, as in the King, or Duke, or Chief, etc., gets to decide every single day whether or not you get to live in a certain area, or work a certain job, or even live to see another day.

That's abject slavery, and all but the ruling class in every land throughout the world, lived under those conditions.

Plus, no indoor plumbing.

Big Little City On The Prairie

The Monolith On Estes & Dartmouth

There is a vacant lot on the corner of Estes & Dartmouth in Lakewood that I drive by from time to time. This morning I noticed something a little out of the ordinary in the middle of the field.

It is a block of concrete in the middle of what looks to be the concrete foundation of a handicapped accessible yet-to-be-built building.

Or maybe it's a concrete pedestal for a soon to be erected large sculpture. 

A very large sculpture. 

There are no signs or plaques around or on the monolith. It's just sitting there in the field, all by itself.

I have to believe there is more coming, at least in the way of landscaping. Most people who go through the trouble of erecting a monolith usually go the extra mile with some nice landscaping. 

I am half-tempted to put the Alien Bob mannequin in the middle of it, and I am completely surprised that something of that nature hasn't been done already.

Seriously...I can't be the only one tempted.

Articulated Expectations

What do you say after you say "How are you?"
And the reply is "Never worse."

Having No Voice But Speaking Nonetheless

Flattened, like a salamanders tail

Fragile, like a CEO headed to jail

This time the act was too egregious to ignore

A conspicuous wariness 

That revels an untrustworthy nature

Once upon a time

You could have turned a blind eye

But that time has gone by the by

It's all too much 

For one to have to carry

It's all too much 

For you to feel sorry

Nevermind

Is the only word 

Worth saying

When you are asked 

What you were thinking

About the direction

The ship was headed

Before

It started 

sinking