Over time
Simple actions become habits
Which then lead to character
Character leads to success
And prosperity

Miraculous results
And a rewarding life
Even monumental achievements
Thus flow from simple actions
And habits
Over time

MorningSunDirtyDishesDwindlingFridgeOhNowTheKidsAreUpWhere'sMyAss­ignmentDueDamnThatDogWrongShoesRightShoesCan'tForgetTheLunchCarNe­edsGasLaundryLaterProfessorAssignedANOTHERPaperCoffeeBreakMyLibra­ryChairIsTakenWhyOhWhyDidIHaveToGetTheCubicleNextToTHEMStaringAtA­ScreenInsuranceCompanyCalledForgotToCheckTheWaterHeaterGottaPickU­pThatNewCoatForMySonWhyOhWhyIsTheClockSoDamnSlowManMyBackHurtsWhy­Didn'tIGetAStandingDeskIAlmostForgotOfficeHoursFINALLYTimeToClock­OutMomLookAtThisDadSheHitMeDidNotDidTooDAMNThatLaundryIForgotItOf­CourseTheProfessorWouldLeaveFiveMinutesEarlyOhGottaBuyPresentsFor­CousinStaceyOhFUCKDidYouJustSpillGrapeJuiceOverTheNewCarpetYouDid­IShouldn'tSwearAtTheKidsEvenMoreMountainsOfHomeworkNowTheBaby'sSc­reamingTheDishesAreStillDirtyHiHoneyI'mHomeCan'tTalkGottaGetDinne­rReadyLooksLikeALongNightAtTheLibraryAgainAndTheLawnNeedsToBeMowe­dGodI'mSoTired-

"Can I do that for you?"

"Here, let me take care of it."

"Don't worry honey, I took out the trash already."

Silence.
More than silence.
Space. Freedom. The radiant light crossing the distance between the worries pressing your spine and a task checked off by someone else when you weren't looking.

It is an air valve popping loose.
A throat suddenly choked up even as the tension melts away from your muscles. Sacrificial love replacing the items on your to-do list, one by one. Your mind free to think again, to live again.

An oasis in a blinding desert, planted by another person, fertilized with their perception, and watered with their care.

It's not just that a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. It's that you're now weightless.

They have shouldered your burdens with a tender smile.

They have helped you learn to fly again.

NO MORE am I confident in what this world has to offer
Its people are selfish and crazed
Chewing up and spitting out the meek and mild souls
Imprisoning an empath to suffering and pain

NO LONGER can I look upon life fondly
With that pure yet innocent gaze
I've been stripped of the wonderous excitement that curiosity can bring
And replaced it with an anxious but violent haze

NO MATTER the extent to which I try to recover
My mind keeps taking me back to those horrific days
Where a person or persons exorcised their demons
Placing those vivid memories on a continuous loop of play

NO DOUBT I'm broken and tainted
Which is quite short of filing it all away
I cannot condone or explain exactly why
Those that slaughtered my reality did NOT somehow pay

I like America’s Got Talent,

especially when they have dog acts.

I love dog acts.  I cry at dog acts.



I wish dog acts would bark and chase

those young kids and aspiring adults

who sing opera every year and

get into the semifinals off the stage;

chase the pretentious dance troupes

and acrobats; half-funny comics;

the children who sing lustily in adult voices;

the seniors with fading contralto dreams;

the day glow CGI artists who

illustrate on a big, dark canvas;

the magicians with their card slight of hand,

even the ones who just do regular magic—

right off the stage with a bark and

a push of their snouts.



Dog acts are pure.

They sit.  They heel.

They stay.  They obey.

They even sing, dance and draw too.



All acts should be dog acts.

All dreams should be dog dreams.



Every million dollar winner,

mongrel or pure bred,

should have a 100% canine heart—

even though they would trade it all

for a pat on the head, good treats

nice walks with you and belly rubs.

War the death bringer
Acts of destruction
Man causes genocide
As humankind tears apart

Nature brings life
It brings peace and knowledge
Man is oblivious to this fact
As man is too occupied causing pain

Split apart
But we are all the same
Stupidity smells upon our kind
As the cause of War is man

Ah, you must be Alice, call me old hatter
My ears have been ablaze with implicated chatter
I just can't seem to ration out my rationale in a rational manner
And secondly I've lost all the firsts that I had gathered

There's the door
Please do come in
I won't let you
leave again
this door won't shut
the way winds through my head
I'm growing so tired.
we are not going to bed

Ah goodnight, Alice, you're back
I left you a note and it came out so flat
I put the wrong end in front
so only you may see
I tried to be blunt but it just isn't me