All these negative thoughts have a lasting effect,
can the same be said for positives? Is it any wonder
the self-help industry is booming, the power of
positive thinking, the creation of new neural pathways
that we can walk, hand-in-hand, to our deaths
two negatives don’t make a positive
but they can make a short-circuit, bypass a whole
section of brain, invert it and turn it on myself—
“you’ll never know. Hah!”
When did this happen? What was the turning point,
the one I didn’t notice, the moment the potential flicked from
positive to negative? Perhaps it coincided with the toast
popping up from its slot, a subtle but sudden noise that
masked the trip of my internal psyche switch
so by the time I reached for the the crust—
far darker than usual, although not quite burnt,
my inattention has led to the
Catastrophe of singed sourdough,
casting a pall over breakfast
And it’s all my fault. No other explanation, even the
slightest error haunts me—he, magically having borne
these butterfly wings, whose flutter can upset the peace talks
on the other side of the world. Well, that's a bonus, isn't it?
To have that power after all these months out of control.
Exploring the somewhat fickle and flighty nature of thought, the arbitrariness of what we sometimes decide is good or bad, and the unwarranted blame and guilt we bring upon ourselves.
Dedicated to Patrick.