Catharsis

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Sun, 20 May 2012 23:48:50 -0400

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Sun, 20 May 2012 23:48:05 -0400

User's Lament

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:45:39 -0400

You were supposed to be my anti-drug, a reason for me to stay sober.

Yet I see you cringe a lot, as if my touch got colder.

When I see me I think of you more than I’d really like.

When I think of you, I feel subdued under your cataleptic light.

Fiends, goblins, and incubi may serve the purpose to terrify,

none are as scary as you to I,

none scarier than your empty eye.

Your empty heart.

I should have known from the start,

I could never play the part of all that’s absent in your soul.

An always hungry selfish hole; not filled through any other hole.

Justification and manipulation.

Exclusion of details that make the difference.

In clever ways it’s made to be me,

a pathetic one with delusional dreams.

It was never so, it never happened.

Am I to accept, or shall I challenge?

Either way I’m left alone.

It’s for the better but not at all.

I won’t be pathetic for longer more,

but for now I retreat to what I know.

The grass is green, but the white’s not snow.

A foreign place you dare not go.

I couldn’t handle your mercurial state,

so now I’m back to what I hate.

What I hate is what I need,

To once again fill the hole you could not.

Beware the demon with angels face.

they’re in every town,

every place.

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Sun, 20 May 2012 23:45:22 -0400

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Sat, 07 Apr 2012 04:00:00 -0400

We Are Beautiful Animals

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:46:55 -0400

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger a brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people sharing all the world. You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.

John Lennon,

Imagine

There was one event in my life that truly made me appreciate nature’s beauty. This was the time I went camping with my cousins in Minnesota. Initially I thought it was just going to be another occasion I got to spend with my extended family; I was wrong, this trip changed my outlook on life and my own lifestyle.

When my cousins and I arrived in the woods of Minnesota, we were looking for the cabin we arranged to stay at. We were surrounded by trees, greenery, dirt, and what I hated most of all, bugs. I don’t hate all bugs, but the concentration of mosquitoes in this area was of a ridiculous and menacing nature. We walked along a solemn dirt path for what seemed like a mile until we reached the ever-longed for cabin. It was made of a magnificent wood and design that forced you to give respect to who ever built it.

In the cabin I went to the room that I shared with two other family members and started unpacking my suitcase. My suitcase consisted of clothes, insect repellent, my fishing gear, grooming and washing materials, my laptop, and my most importantly my iPod. At the time I really didn’t know that I would have no use, or even time for the latter two materials.

The first day we didn’t do much besides eat dinner and talk around the fire. There was no electricity in the cabin so watching TV was definitely not an option. My cousins and I cooked fresh food consisting of garden veggies and a lamb fillets that they bought from a market. This dinner along with talks around a fire contributed for a very enjoyable night. The initial shock of being so disconnected from the hubbub and clockwork chaos of the world around me would take some serious acclimation, but it was humbling and more than anything…splendid.

I woke up the next morning to the refreshing smell of dew and the beautiful sights and sounds of the woods. I saw a brilliantly colored woodpecker pecking at a tree that stood at least 20 ft tall, and I heard all the different types of birds sharing their secrets to one another. The wildlife intrigued me so much that I opened a book of local wildlife that was sitting in the vast collection in the main room of the cabin. I then made it my duty to catalog all the creatures I saw or heard.

After cooking a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, we set forth to fulfill our agenda. First on the list was to go fishing and swimming in the nearby stream. On the way there I was attacked by ravenous mosquitoes, but eventually I got used to it. I recorded a toad and chipmunk in my catalog, but no animal of real importance.

While fly fishing in the stream, I caught a beautiful trout that I could tell was as unhappy to see me as I was to see it. While reeling him in I realized that through his mouth I also hooked his eye and he was in terrible pain. Every time I tried to yank the hook out he twitched in agony, so I lay him in my bucket of water as is and decided that his fate was to be dinner tonight. Ignoring the unpleasant thought of a creature of God in pain because of my doing, I proceeded to go swimming with my cousins to quell my anxiousness. We all took turns swinging on an old rope and splashed into the clear-water stream. The feeling of the cold water, muddy sand beneath my feet, and heat from the summer sun was enough to convince me I was in paradise.

Later that same day we engaged in a nature walk to see the various flora and fauna the woods intended us to see. Walking beside my family with none of the worries of school or other affairs was extremely therapeutic and made me feel as if I would never have to go back to civilization. At the time I would have wanted to stay in those woods forever, living carefree and enjoying all the beauty Mother Nature provided for me.

On the walk I spotted various fungi and plants that were extremely pleasing to look at, nothing you would ever see in the suburbs or city. But the thing that made the walk really worth it was the spotting of a Canada Lynx. The animal was either a Canada Lynx or a Bobcat, but to me it didn’t matter, it was magnificent. While this predatory cat could have inflicted some damage on us, something about it said “I am at peace, I have no reason to hurt you and you have no reason to hurt me.” It stared at us intensely for a good minute then slowly and relaxingly walked away into the woods.

After enjoying a delicious trout dinner that night, I thought to myself in my bed, “how could something so beautiful be right under my nose? Why can’t I live her all the time?” I still sometimes ask myself those questions when reflecting on the trip, and every time my mind wonders and imagines the beauty of the Minnesota woods before I can bring myself to answer them.

Before I knew it, a week had passed, and it was time to leave this Zion, this heaven on earth. While packing my suitcase to leave, I realized over the course of one week I never once used my laptop or iPod. Before the trip I would have never contemplated not using technology for more than a few days, but after the trip I wanted nothing more than no technology ever. I’m not really sure if my cousins enjoyed the trip as much as I did, but I know for me it represented a pivotal change in my philosophy towards life as well as an escape from the everyday stresses put on us by society. The connection of the mind, body, spirit, and nature is one that can never be fully broken. Deep down in all of us we share this profound respect for all things living around us no matter how far the manufactured psychosis society has put on us pushes us away. We. Are. Animals.

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Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:46:27 -0400

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Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:26:00 -0400

What is Art?:Andy Warhol's Penis

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:23:51 -0400

Where is the line between art and nonsense drawn? Who makes the distinction between what is art, and what is garbage? These two questions define the problem that many people see in contemporary art today. As time progressed many different types of art forms and variations on different styles emerged. This transformation became a breeding ground for; as Gavin McInnes, local Chicago-land art critic put it “meaningless art produced by the hipster children of middle class suburban families.”

In an interview with Carson Daly, McInnes goes on to say that the modern art today has become a somewhat taboo subject, mainly because critics are afraid of “questioning the genius of certain pieces.” McInnes explains that he believes many of the new artists on the scene, and their works of art are filled with false symbolisms, and are basically just garbage.

A good example of a piece of art that dwindles on the borderline of pure genius and pure garbage is a piece by Andy Warhol, which landed its way into the Modern Art Museum of Chicago. Andy Warhol has been dubbed one of the greatest visual artists of all time; he has also been affiliated with being an advocate of American- Bohemianism and being an artist who produced very Avant-Garde pieces. But his “work of art,” which is now in the Modern Art Museum of Chicago is just a snapshot of his own penis. That piece has triggered large controversy in the art community. How can a picture of a man’s penis be considered art? Artists and critics opposed to the piece stand by that question with great confidence, but there are also the majority of people who believe the piece is genius.

While thinking about the piece by Andy Warhol, I tried to think of why the supporters of the piece believe it is captivating. A few questions that came to mind were, is it just because of Any Warhol’s prestige in the art community? Is there really a deeper symbolism in a man’s penis than what is just evident? And as I pondered those questions I thought lastly, who decided that it was truly good art?

The main point is that, has society learned to function by flocking to what is so called cool, while nobody is even sure who dubbed it cool in the first place? If so there is no difference between a work of art and a shirt from Abercrombie and Fitch.

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Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:22:28 -0400

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Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:00:59 -0500

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Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:38:11 -0500

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Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:11:43 -0500

Finding your Spirit Animal

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:04:00 -0500

The wolf by nature is a social animal. With an instinctive sense of loyalty the wolf thrives in packs and is one of the few members of the animal kingdom that mates for life. Developing singular relationships with each member of his pack, the male wolf chooses his mate based on dynamic of the relationship given his position in the social hierarchy of the pack. In the case of a faltering group dynamic, or an alpha induced rejection, the wolf can stand alone leaving with dignity, poise, and strength. The lone wolf can thrive just fine without his chosen mate or pack and in some cases join another.

I Am the Wolf.

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Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:57:02 -0500

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Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:45:28 -0500

Demos Kratia

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:39:48 -0500

By 1 o’clock the word had spread.

50 students shot down dead.

Picket signs held oh so high fell to the streets where their bodies lie.

Armed with nothing but pride and hope.

Their lives were took for what they spoke.

Why do the kids who use their heads now lie down in pools of red?

No one there will tell you why.

Expect no replies, just women’s cries.

To speak out against this mighty force is to nail your coffin or even worse.

A mother awoke to boil some tea,

For her son’s return from university.

Looking around she was struck with worry.

He had not returned, she hoped he’d hurry.

Two junta soldiers, at her door stood.

She knew the news would not be good.

Your son was killed yesterday,

And now the dues you will have to pay.

For the wasted bullets we ask of you,

About 250 birr, that will do.

250 for him and 250 for me,

For I shot one and so did he.

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Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:38:00 -0500

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Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:10:27 -0400

Black-eyed Angels Swam with Me

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:43:23 -0400

As I lay in my bed, consciously putting my weary physical being to rest, I awaited my next journey. My mind body and soul began to reach a precise balance, and the energy that I am was elevated in a phantasmal manner. No longer afflicted with physical limitations, I am as free to move as the air we breathe. In moments like this, where the twilight winds carry only a dead silence, I see through my mind’s eye, the truth. I soar through dimensions, passing astrological bodies and burning stars as if they were my neighbors, and in a sense they are. My mother being of the sky, and my father being of the earth, I am of the universe, and I own it as much as it owns me. The moon, in its celestial authority, reminded me of my worldly servility; so I touched down to earth to feel the cool dirt beneath my feet. Running one way while the world spins the other, I go nowhere, but also everywhere. Running with an expedient pace through forests, the leaves and branches caress me with a light wisp, and I’m surrounded with a hypnotic aroma similar to that of sage and rosemary crushed between scrutinizing fingers. As I was running with no particular destination in mind, I found myself at the mouth of a river. This river was unlike any body of water I had ever seen. Unlike the vast and roaring expanse of an ocean, this river was purely tranquil. The motion of the water was so smooth; it was like the water didn’t move at all. So I swam. As I jumped in the river and swam, black eyed angels emerged and swam with me. Their movements of a synchronized and mesmerizing style were the ultimate oddity. They playfully submerged themselves beneath the surface of the river, and as I followed in suit they smiled and sang to me in their divine tongue. With a gentle kiss, these messengers put an end to my elysian excursion and laid me to sleep in the very bed I rose from.