The night sky

Interesting isn't it? Everyone has looked at it with awe, wonder, or fear at least once. Actually, that same sky means so many things to so many people. It's been virtually the same since the dawn of mankind... it's a link to our past... and our future. No matter what, those same stars will keep on shining down on this giant floating rock we call home.

Sometimes lovers look at the sky and see their unbound love in it. Other times, when they're separated they'll look at it and seeing the same thing from thousand of miles away, they won't feel as far apart.

A scientist may look at it and see the vast expanse of the universe: planets, galaxies, clusters, nebula, the list goes on. A sad man may look up and see the blackness with despair. A happy may may look up and see those pinpricks of light with hope.

Regardless, we've all seen it, and we all wonder about it, and we're all in awe of it. Whether it's awe for God's creation, awe for this life we're given, awe for the sheer beauty or terror we see in it. It's something that we all have in common, something we all share, something that connects all of us, something that makes up the condition of human existence.

Bus Ride

Child sitting behind me
Why do you try to blot out their world?
those headphones can't protect
That music, their music, is empty

Child sitting in front of me
Why do you destroy his world?
He did you no wrong, only
Tried to be himself

Child siting between them
Do you really think you can make a difference
Their worlds and yours
Can never exist together

Forgotten

The spring air smells of a long forgotten song
I feel its rhythm in the breeze
Now strong, now fast, then abruptly gone
Then again, my mind is seized

Of a snatch of melody, seen in the grass
But then, once more it leaves
My mind to wander, to try to grasp
This curious disease

The budding trees, their tempo taunting
Does little to appease
I wrack my mind, no use it's gone!
And the smallest part of me dies

Unwritten

They run through her head
playing with her thoughts
teasing the ears
pulling at her fingers

But she
she never learned
that skill, the act
of placing notes on paper

But she laughs
and agrees to play with them
a minute only
for their unborn sake

But too soon she's gone
She's work to do
and bills to pay
and children to feed

They smile and wave goodbye
Promising to return
She smiles back sadly
As the song dies

Finality

I'm in it
The fatal
haze

This new warmpth
Chills me to the
bone
But I can't change
it
I can't
Resist

I'm not even
sad
I can't change this
destiny

A destiny
The destiny
I clearly see it through this
haze

I can't change it
can't fight
can't stop
can't
resist

And the haze peirces
my soul
And kills a part of
me

And the rest goes on

or will go on

And I'll stay here
in these words
in my mind
in my friends

Truth

Because I could not write the truth
Pure originality
I tried to find another way
To express the inner me

But no, these words, these now clichés
Are wrong in others eyes
These notes I write and lines I play
The same as some before

All subjects dead, all feelings said
Unique becomes cliché
And searching for some inner more
I find nothing to say

So dies myself in those before
Who said what I would say
To keep myself, my inner me
Perpetually at bay

At last all inner and all outer
This poem no exception
Is trapped within our history
Our devious contraption

The "calm" before

As the movie rolled, they didn't notice the shadowy figure slip inside. The intruder carried a bundle in one arm and stayed in the prevailing darkness until the conclusion.

As the film drew to a close, Prime looked leisurely about and noticed that there was a visitor. This wasn't unusual following a movie, people tended to appear all the time during them. He called out the usual greeting.

"Welcome to Conscious Thought. Please state your name and business."

"You already know me" came the reply with a sneer.

The others began to stir even before the figure stepped out of the shadows.

Prime, seated by Order and Reason would have nothing of that in their presence. He repeated himself icily "Please state your name and your business"

Leisurely the figure came into full view to face his audience

"And as you already know, I have no name." He looked indignantly across the room. "Some of you" he said looking to Order, Reason, and Intellect in turn" might try to call me envy, or wistfulness, or perhaps longing. The last might be the closest, but I am none of those. You've dealt with them before, they're easier to keep locked away then I am. They can be kept from causing trouble...

However, as you see I'm impossible to keep out... at least under the current circumstances. You've all deceived yourselves. No matter how carefully you hide me, no matter how tightly you seal this realm, I'll find a way in."

Anger and Frustration shifted in their seats. Calm put up a pacifying hand.

Glancing briefly at the two, he continued.

"I know you all feel it. You've been oppressed by your oh-so-wise rulers. They've kept you at bay Freedom and Spirit, along with Impulse and Intuition. Look to your leaders. They're corrupting your Wisdom in his youth. Let the kid know all of you if he's to turn out true."

Those who had been mentioned shuffled in their corner, while Wisdom stared at his toes.

"That's quite enough!" barked Prime. We've only just established this peace and balance and now you're threatening it again!? We may not be able to keep you out, but we'll not give you any heed! Please leave now!"

"Oh, but I don't plan on it this time" he sneered again "I see what others can't. For example, that Fear is cowering behind your desks Reason, Order, Habit, Logic, and even yours, Patience. You've abused your functions, overstepped your bounds and I'm here to make sure this doesn't continue." He sat down in an empty chair.

"You can't sit there!" clamored Order "That seat has been reserved since birth!"

"Oh can't I?" came the response "Have you already forgotten who you've reserved it for? Do you remember who this is reserved for by birthright!?" Looking around in scorn, he went on. "Well, I'll tell you" he said as he began to undo his burden, the small bundle he'd in his arm for the extent.

"This seat belongs to Passion!" and he brought the infant into full view. The room erupted into banter, which was quickly silenced again as the speaker continued.

"Yes, you always thought he'd come in here fully grown and developed, I'm well aware of what you thought. However, you were out of your mind. It won't just happen! Things this precious need to be raised and nurtured before he can take his rightful place and you should have known that!" He rose and placed the babe in his chair. "But because you didn't, I've brought him here from the festering corners of your realm. He is my charge and he is the reason I will not leave."

Arrogance had risen and was now standing with Prime. Seemingly together they roared at their intruder, the war-maker.

"We will have this no longer! Leave the child and go. He may be pure, but you are not and there is no use, nor welcome for you here. There is a peace here, and you won't be disturbing it again!"

Shaking his head, the speaker walked to a seat nobody remembered having seen before.

"You're wrong again, can't you see that's why I'm here? I have supporters here, one's you'll never know" Staring at Reason and company. "Look at the back of this desk. Do you see the "x" on it? The mark of the unknown? Two seats are filled today, this one is mine. But before I take my seat at your 'council', I believe it's time for a change of mind."

At his word, the room was engulfed in chaos. Desks collapsed, the people took up their arms, and pandemonium reigned throughout the Realm.

Life with the Masks

To those people sleeping in
Pull your blankets higher
Up and over your face
And hide in the black of your night

Only The Mask can save you
Take those North Face Jackets
The American Eagle and Aeropostle
Quilt them together to protect

Place your creams and paints in a circle for illusion
Arrange the magazines in the center to support
Finally, light the candle
And renounce yourself

Only then will you receive The Mask
Receive The Mask and enter The Order
Only then will you find happiness
Only then will you be perfect

But don't expect to find me there
Because as you dreamed Gold
I got out of the bed.

Lets talk about technology

Our lives are ruled more and more by technology what with various gadgets and gizmos making our lives continuously "easier". Computers are becoming more and more prevalent everywhere and of course the all-encompassing Internet is never absent in anybody's life anymore. Few people seem to be objecting and on most accounts I welcome more technology into my life (I know, I'm a nerd. Sue me). However, there's one little device that scares me to almost no end.

I'm talking about personal tracking systems. It's very, very possible that in the not-so-distant future something like this could become mainstream along with the other technology we embrace oh so readily. Think about it, parents would have to worry less about losing a child. If somebody went missing, we could find them! In fact you could know where all your friends were at any time if they shared their information with you. If you took it a step further, we'd be able to eliminate the need to carry ID around and make background checks on any Joe off the street a breeze! Sounds amazing, right?

Well, I lied about the near future part, really. The technology is with us now; at least simple versions of it. You can now have pets chipped so you can locate them if they get lost. Cellular phone services are offering tracking devices on their products so you can know where your friends (or children) are at any time. Finally, in many states sex-offenders (and in one state former gang members) are forced to wear identifying, tracking ankle bracelets.

So what about it scares me? Let's assume that in the future, it's made almost completely necessary by society (even if not by law) to be chipped. Employers wouldn't hire non-chips, you couldn't get on a plane or into certain buildings without a chip, etc. This might make it so that anybody or anybody with the right connections could possibly look you up at any time. There goes any right to privacy we may have ever had. Now stay with me for this next part, I feel like it's going to need some explaining.

Does a person have the right to pretend they're something they're not? I'm not talking about stuff on the scale of identity theft, more along the lines of starting a new life in a new place with a new name. I'm also not saying that it's necessarily a moral decision to run away from one's problems, but is it criminal if nobody is hurt in the process? The scenario of running away and starting anew might be associated with criminals, but what about the office man who desperately wants a new life, or the family with the constant threat of abuse, really anybody on the run from anything. Our authority's are not infallible, can we really trust them with our names, all we might have left? Is it a right to be able to reject the labels others put on you?

Finally, on the note of the sex offenders and former gang members, something still rubs me the wrong way. Again, don't get me wrong, if anybody needs to be chipped, it'd be people like these. I'm sure it's reduced both gang violence and sexual abuse. If you break the law, you lose your freedoms. It's completely justified!... and yet, I can't get rid of the feeling that something's wrong with it. Perhaps it's an inner fear of being pinned into a situation, or something I've mentioned above, or something I can't even identify yet...whatever it is, I can't shake that feeling. There's no reason that I should sympathise with people in these situations, and yet I do. Not for their criminal aspects, but for that undeniable human one in all of us. People can reform, it's something I wish we supported programs for in prison or jail, but we can't take these trackers off now that we've put them on. It wouldn't be allowed... and so we become locked in and take one more step towards a chipped society.