Simple things –
A blue Jay at the feeder
Calms my brain like water
Poured onto a brush fire;
There is life outside of me,
Unconcerned,
Without anxiety (maybe)
Standing as example
Breathe…
You live in love
Expressed daily
In the small things
In the big things
In embrace
And shared meals
Breathe…
There is a Jay at the feeder

what kind of fool
is suspiciuos of joy
that they would seek
to be comforted
from its horrors
to be reassured
that it is not real
and the world is still black
beneath its bright blue shell?

and what kind of nightmare
would wrap their arms around
and whisper calming lies
to sooth them into complacency?

it seems exhausting
and doomed to failure
a pathetic dance of idiots.

Surrounded by life

Surrounded by love

I am;

Hearts beat near me

In tune with mine

And I’m reminded

That this,

This is good

To be

Connected

Still standing

As testimony

To an unwritten future

Moving forward

Wide-eyed and eager…

Hopeful.

I learn through pain

Like a man who

Punches himself in the face

Again and again

To believe it will hurt

It has always been

Like some self-inflicted sin

It is the arrogance

Of not trusting the lessons

Of others

Over experience;

What foolishness.

It is quiet

Here

In this space

So silent

In this place

Between my ears

No worries

No fears

Empty

Like a well

Run dry

Who watches

The watchmen

I do

I see all that they do

Every secret thing

Recorded in a log

Though they are confident

They operate in a fog

They will be held to account

Who watches

The watchmen?

I do.

The surrounding darkness

It glows in the night

And silence is her cloak

Save for the distant sounds

Of Arabic coming from the porch

Across the street at 2am

A neighbor speaks to loved ones

On the other side of  the world

Afraid to awaken his house mates

Not worried for me in mine

This is a single evening

Lying awake in the forbidden hours

Waiting for sleep to chase me down

Knowing it probably won’t come

But a man can dream

Unless he’s awake.

It’s easy
to become a fascist
to become a hater
extraordinaire
when you
put your mind to it

first –
you must become
the victim
even when you’re not
just convince yourself
you are hard done by
tell this to yourself
everyday and every night
and you will believe the lie

make sure
the people around you
only reinforce your pain
let them go on and on
about how you deserve
to have a better life
and here –
just put on these blinders
they’ll help on the journey

once you’re the victim
it’s easy to justify
every horrible action
because “they” deserve it
for what they’ve done
to you

take your brothers and sisters
your parents and lovers
and send them away
for the culprits
you finally see them as
with these new eyes

sure,
you will be angry
every single day
but…

remember –
they are the problem
and you the oppressed
lock them cold in a cage
until they have confessed
the beauty of your numb view
praising this new wardrobe
your emperor’s new clothes

A very kind letter about my last column on profiting from hate.