In the farthest reaches of known space, a single starship lay juxtaposed against the stars. The ship was named Destiny. The cold metallic shell hummed with energy as it sat motionless. There were large chunks of wreckage and shrapnel surrounding the Destiny, the last bits of oxygen burning away.
The Destiny was a silver and blue X-Class, a state-of-the-art high speed ship, currently the fastest in the Nine Galaxies. It's pilot was a female Extro-sapien named Jade. Her species was descendant from ****-sapiens, a long forgotten species from the Third galaxy. Extro-sapiens were humanoid, though taller than their descendants. They prided themselves on their indestructible immune system and immunity to all known poisons.That, coupled with the fact that their skin was strong enough to repel most blades with ease, made them extremely hard to ****. Extro-sapiens were nimble hunters, naturally armed with razor sharp fangs and claws. Jade was a bounty hunter, taking contracts to hunt down criminals or to escort VIPs in hostile areas for generous sums of currency. Her target's ship now lay in ruins, it's now-dead pilot floating in the void of space.
Jade walked from the cargo bay of her ship to the cockpit, stripping away her suit and clothes, tossing them in their respective rooms before sitting at her throne, not a stitch of clothing to be seen. It was relieving to be free once more.
She glanced over the various screens before her, some with pictures of her target either on a wanted poster or in the sealed container aboard her ship. She swiped the images to her left, compiling them into a message for her client before sending them. Almost immediately there was a soft chime as her client started a video uplink. Jade quickly grabbed the large headset from the floor and placed it over her pointed ears. She swiped her finger over the right earpiece and it clicked to life.
Jade growled and crossed a hand over her chest just before the screen shifted. An image of her client appeared before her, a reptilian humamoid adorned with gold rings on his short horns. Jade heard him hiss in surprise.
"Bounty hunter, if I had known you'd be so stunning, I'd have met you in person."
Jade's dual vocal cords echoed faintly in the cockpit. The sound of two angelic voices rolled off her forked tongue. "Flattery will get you nowhere. Besides, a night with me would cost you a fortune."
The man laughed, "Worth it, in my opinion."
Jade growled, "You have your proof of death, Silva, I expect you've wired the credits to my account?"
"Of course, of course! Though I could add a little extra if you simply move your hand."
Jade narrowed her eyes. "A show like that would cost you at least a million. Because I'm worth it."
She heard him chuckle, "Indeed you are." There was a pause and then he smiled, "Feel free to move your hand now."
Jade flashed her fangs, "Of course, you don't mind if I check first, right?"
Silva shrugged and Jade used her free hand to pull up her bank account. Sure enough, her initial payment had been received, along with the extra. She grinned and lifted her hand away from her chest. "Feast your eyes, perv."
She grinned as the reptilian choked. "Now that is worth a million!" He grinned from horn to horn, "I'll let you know when the next contract opens."
Jade returned her hand to her chest and growled, "This stays between us. Remember, I know where you live."
Silva's expression didn't change but she could tell that he flinched. "Of course. Until next time, gorgeous."
The video screen faded away and Jade quickly began to transfer her payment to other accounts. She sighed and turned to her right, seeing a map of the nearby systems. She spotted a contract pinned on a planet a few hundred lightyears away, and she gawked at the price tag.
"Ten billion units?" She whispered, "I could retire early with a payday like that."
She furiously began to type in calculators and coordinates. Her computer's voice echoed I'm the cockpit, "ERROR, PLEASE RECALCULATE TRAGECTORY."
Jade bared her teeth in anger as the holographic screen projected a diagnostic of her ship. One single line of text blinked slowly, enveloping her attention.
"FUEL LEVEL LOW, MAXIMUM SAFE TRAVEL: 40 LIGHTYEARS."
She swore under her breath, growling deep in her throat. She adjusted the microphone on her headset and cleared her throat. Her dual vocal cords echoed faintly in the cockpit. "Destiny, lock in coordinates to the nearest space station. Lock down cargo and prepare to engage hyperdrive."
The hologram buzzed to life as the various systems reacted to the sound of her voice. As Jade waited she shut her eyes, gently running her fingers over her bare chest. Jade's was proud of her body, hating to cover such beauty with clothes. Her arms, legs, and back were covered in ornate tribal tattoos. Jade had spent three continuous days enduring the hand poked tattoo, and she felt very proud in displaying the art whenever she could. She let her hands wander about her curves for a moment before stopping. Jade blinked a few times and shook her head. The bells at he tips of her long silver braids jingled. Jade whispered to herself, "There's time for that during lightspeed." Since she worked alone, she took every opportunity she could to relieve her tensions, as it allowed her to focus on her work without distraction. Companionship meant liability in her line of work.
She waited patiently for the computer, leaning back in her fur lined throne. Once all systems had finished their tasks, a soft voice echoed, "Hyperdrive on standby."
Jade took a soft breath. "Engage."
The starship lurched forward, the engines roaring ferociously behind her for a moment before the sound dampening system kicked in. She heard a familiar beeping and glanced up at the hologram, seeing the countdown from ten seconds. She felt the comforting shiver of excitement she always felt before launch, smiling softly to herself.
She braced herself in the chair and said, "Open view port, engage shield."
The large metal screen in front of her pulled away, revealing the grand masses of stars and planets before her. Jade took a deep breath and counted down, "Five. Four. Three. Two. One."
The ship screamed forward, and the starlight formed a beautiful tunnel around the Destiny as it traveled through hyperspace. Jade slumped back into her chair and closed her eyes. "Destiny, Disengage interior gravity field."
Jade felt herself lifting off of her chair, becoming weightless. Her braids jingled softly as they spread around her like a lionfish.
Jade pulled off her headset, letting it float in front of her as she stretched, running her hands along her body again and she shivered again. She twisted in midair, turning to the sealed door behind her. She touched the panel next to the door, feeling the familiar cold screen. The door opened and Jade floated into the corridor. She turned left towards her quarters and entered through another door. The walls were decorated with digital posters of various terrains she had visited during her travels. She drifted toward her bed, covered with a fur blanket and pillow. Jade wandered to the storage locker next to the bed, opening it delicately. Inside were a few personal mementos and data logs, and a small decorative box on the top shelf. She shivered as she thought about its contents. "Later. I think I need to sleep for now." She gripped the stability handle above her bed and lay down on the warm gel bed, covering herself with the fur. Jade breathed a sigh of relief as she relaxed, closing her eyes. It was at that moment that she felt how tired she really was, her muscles ached and groaned as she pressed a button on the side of the bed, changing the density of the gel to allow her to sink. The warm gel creeped over her legs and belly, then her chest and shoulders.
Jade groaned as the gel encapsulated her, covering every possible inch of her. Her mind wandered as her hand hovered over the other controls. "Massage or no?"
She bit her lip and pressed the button once, feeling the gel start to pulsate around her body.
Jade shivered and said to no one, "Who needs a man when you have tech like this?"
She spent the next few hours in the massage bed, finding her way into the decorative box partway through. Once Jade had thoroughly massaged her desires away, she climbed out of the gel, thankful for the weightlessness. She was no longer confident in the use of her legs. She pressed the first button twice and the gel began its cleaning process.
Jade retrieved her toys and placed them back in the box, pressing a button similar to the one on the bed, closing it and placing it back into the storage locker to clean.
Jade stretched again, invigorated. She floated back to the cockpit, checking the projected time of arrival. "Ten more hours. Plenty of time to get my gear ready."
Jade floated back into the corridor, this time twisting to the right towards her workbenches. The room was dark, save for a few blue work lights. As Jade hovered in the doorway, the overhead lights snapped on, casting a soft white glow around the room. She floated towards the first bench, where her gun hovered in a stasis field. It was almost four feet long, with three rotating barrels. Most bounty hunters favored energy weapons and plasma rifles, but not Jade. She preferred metal bullets that could shred flesh and punch through doors with ease. Her weapons would not fail her in case of electro-magnetic pulses either.
Jade floated to the next table, where her boots and mask hovered in another stasis field. Her boots were strong, heat and frost proof, and had a strong magnetic field to allow her to walk in zero gravity or even upside down. She had recently installed a pair of thrusters to them, which would allow her to fly for a short period of time, enough to get her out of harm's way or to a better vantage point.
Jade's mask was armor plated, angled to deflect any incoming rounds with ease. Two tubes connected the mask to an air reservoir that sat at the base of Jade's neck, underneath her braids. The eyepieces doubled as eye protection and target analysis. One of the lenses was cracked beyond repair and Jade swore. She hovered over the table and delicately disassembled the mask, letting the broken lens float freely away while she installed its replacement. She reassembled the mask and slid it onto her face. There was nothing at first, then the internal computers activated and she saw clearly through the mask. She glanced over the diagnostic data and nodded once she was satisfied. She took off the mask and set it back in its stasis field.
She turned to the final bench. Where her bodysuit lay in a crumpled heap of woven uranium and steel fiber. The bodysuit fit her like a second skin, adhering to every curve she possessed. The uranium fibers acted as an energy source, powering all of her necessities. The black suit shimmered as she touched it, reacting to her skin, begging to be worn. She smiled softly and patted the heavy fabric. "Soon, darling."
Jade glided to the door, leaving her gear behind as she returned to her living quarters. She hovered in front of the full length mirror, looking over her body. She smirked and purred, "Gorgeous as always."
Jade went to the storage locker and retrieved a large metal crate from the base. She took it to the mirror and opened the crate, revealing thirty blue feathers, each roughly a foot long. She had collected one for each of her braids, and she began to tightly weave the feathers into the tips of the braids. In the middle of each of her braids was a strong electro-magnetic core that, once activated, spread her braids like a lionfish. They would act as a distraction, allowing her the element of surprise. The magnetic field they created also acted as a strong shield.
Once the last feather had been woven into her hair, she then wrapped each braid in strips of the same uranium-steel fibers as her suit.
As the last of the fibers had been tucked into place, Jade grinned. The powerful fibers would amplify the effects of the electro-magnetic cores. Jade smiled at their resemblance to whips. She wanted to test them, see if they would crack like an actual whip.
Jade returned to her workshop, donning the bodysuit and her control gloves. She floated into the main corridor, which was wide enough that she wouldnt hit the walls once her braids were fully extended.
She took a deep breath and touched the her thumb and forefinger together twice, activating the electro-magnetic cores.
The sound was deafening, forcing Jade to scream involuntarily and clutch her ears in pain. She was shaking, her vision blurring. Her ears were ringing as she was finally able to hear again.
Jade reached up and felt her fully extended braids, marveling at their rigidity.
Once her hearing had completely recovered, she tapped her fingers together, deactivating the cores. Her braids floated limply in the air and Jade curiously went to the cockpit, sitting in her throne.
"Destiny, analyze decibel range of sound from main corridor."
After a moment, the ship's voice echoed, "Decibel range of one hundred ninety."
Jade shuddered, she was surprised she hadn't been deafened by the sound. She shook her head softly and looked at the projected time of arrival. "Seven hours."
She yawned, "Time to sleep then. Destiny, wake me up thirty minutes before we reach the station."
"Affirmative."
Jade lifted herself over the chair and ventured into her room. The gel bed had finished cleansing and she pushed herself onto it, feeling the familiar warmth. She focused on slowing her breathing and she closed her eyes, passing quickly into deep sleep.

In her dream, Jade stood on a slightly raised metal platform in the middle of a desert. The platform was massive, with sand covering the edges. Jade looked around, seeing nothing around her. She looked up into the sky and saw a single massive sun orbited by twelve planets and a ring of stars. Jade looked around her again and saw a massive wall of water closing in on her from all sides. She shut her eyes tight as she heard the water rushing around her.
Jade felt herself being carried away by the current. When she opened her eyes, she was back in her bed.
Jade blinked and sat up, unsure of herself.
She thought she could still hear the water rushing past her ears.
Jade shook her head and the bells brought her back to her senses. She could hear Destiny's alarm ringing within the bed and she pushed the third button, silencing the alarm. "Destiny, restore gravity.
Jade felt heavy for a moment, then the gravity stabilized and she rolled her shoulders. The countdown was now at thirty minutes.
Jade retrieved the headset from the floor and slid them over her ears. The screen in front of her had brought up a diagnostic of the space station. A light flashed on the instrument panel and Jade pushed it gingerly. An alien voice came over her headset, "X-Class starship, please respond."
Jade positioned the microphone in front of her mouth, "This is X-Class, go ahead."
There was a pause, then, "This is the Space Station Ender, please state your business and expected stay."
Jade hesitated, then said calmly, "Refuel and resupply. Expected stay no longer than forty-eight hours."
A minute passed, then another. Finally a response came, "X-Class you are cleared to engage docking procedures upon arrival."
Jade smirked, "Affirmative. ETA twenty-five minutes."
There was an audible click as the call ended. Jade sighed and pondered the contents of her cargo hold. She stood and turned to the back of her ship, going to the very end of the corridor to a locked panel.
Jade typed in an eight digit combination and the door swiftly slid open. The walls were lined with large storage compartments, though Jade wasn't worried about those. She counted her paces and stopped four paces from the door and she sidestepped right twice, touching her gloved fingers to the floor. The sound of gears and hydraulic pistons echoed throughout the room as a six foot by ten foot container lifted from the floor. Jade ran her fingers along the side of the container, opening the multitude of doors. As each door swung open, stacks of weapons and explosive devices became visible. This was the cargo that her target had been carrying. Since it no longer had an owner, it was worth a lot of money. Jade couldn't resist the possible fortune, bu

a stripe of asphalt on the blanket of green

I stare wordlessly out into other people's lives
peeking past the violet-tinted windows of the freeway
as your chat-chatter spills from your coffee cup
filled to the brim with handshakes and impatience

You clutch your earpiece tighter, scowling
as I trace the horizon across the glass
smudgy fingertips that sigh boredom

and the Mexican workers in orange vests
peer back at me curious and wave
turn to their left and shout something in Spanish
tongues dancing, slick with dust

I smile as they crumple their lunch sacks and
pitch them down into the rubble then hoist
brick by brick, stone by stone
no natural-made boundary
into the chalky air and perch for a while
to mop the sweat from their brown
creased faces and sing rowdily to their neighbors
and the immobile in the SUVs

You lock the doors fast
and pat your hair into place
I've got no time for this construction
you say, can't they build this highway somewhere else?
as you drum your fingers along to the siren song
of CEOs and business connections

You're just the same as the rest of them.
Man forever building bridges
that will only topple down.

It's their way of living
that you have no right to judge
"It's spring and summertime.
Blossoming flowers along my jogging route.
Cherry blossom trees too."

"That's nice. We have a cherry blossom tree
at school as well."

"The flowers weren't blossoming last time I went jogging.
The cherry blossoms are only pretty for a couple of days.
The trees down there look so dead all the time.
They weren't dead last year when we moved here."
I wondered if I ought to take off my earpiece.

"Yes. I agree."

"Your father ought to stop buying junk."
"Yes, he ought to."
"Has your mother always been skinny?"
I nod and stir the same old *** of instant noodles.
I like my parents just the way they are.

Curiouser and curiouser.

"It's their way of living
that you have no right to judge."

your laughter is interrupted
and the punch line crumbles onto your lap.

as you answer your phone
          the chair hardens
                    svelte
                    to skeletal.
          every corner in your bones
          grinds
          against every edge of wood.

as the earpiece exhales
          the grey seeps in from the dusty dome
          and a wheeze of cloudy cold
          floats, foggy, over the sill
          and freezes firm your loose lips
          before a smile can stretch them.

you rise
          and the door evaporates
          at your touch
                    a droplet
                    to your violent,
                    expanding
                    gasps.­
          the croaking in your ear
                    feeble
                    but ‘fine’
          traps your tongue
          under stacks of pennies.
          your heart
                    singular
                    sympatheti­c
          beats fast enough for two
          bodies.

you stand on frail, fractured leaves
          and try to cram crutches
          and buttresses
          through a receiver,
          but your fumbling fingers
          won’t speak.
          your neck buckles
          and bends
          under the heavy phone
          call.

back inside
teetering on your bony seat
you try to sit on your hands
          scoops of your scattered words
                    ‘my leaving
                    was the healthiest thing
                    that has ever happened to her–’
          foreign and
          hollow.

A famous alumnus is visiting the university. I got an invitation several days ago to a small, socially distanced, masked, focus group. It was to be early on a Saturday morning - so, why not? I was excited to see her - I’m a fan.

We were a diverse group of about 20 (covid tested before admittance) students and I was in the back row. Seating was offset so everyone could see everything perfectly. I craned and swiveled, when her entourage came into the room. Then, there she was - I’m sure I was grinning ear to ear (behind my mask), we clapped, excitedly. She wore a navy business suit. A jacket over a black blouse with slacks and black shoes.  

She gave a talk, about the challenges America faces. On YouTube, her speech-giving voice always seemed artificial, cold, harsh and brittle. Here, she was low-key, motherly, whip smart, personable and humorous - everything I had hoped for.

Then there was a question and answer session (NOT easy questions - did I mention whip smart?) followed by a no touching reception line. And ***, she’s a foot away. She seemed a lacquered and corrected sort of person - professional - I guess you’d say.

Everyone was gently elbow bumping with her, so I did too. You’d say your name and class. “Anais Vionet, freshman,” I said. I wanted to say “I’m a BIG fan” but I thought I might come off as either fawning or even worse someone bent on wasting her time.

We both smiled, me behind my mask and I bobbed a goodbye nod, but as I went to step away she said, “How’s your Grandmother?” I was shocked but I managed to say, “She’s fine, thank you.” To which she replied, “Please tell her I said hello.” I just nodded, “yes” as a sort of “I will,” and stepped away.

I glanced around, there was no handler by her side and she wasn’t wearing an earpiece - how she knew me I have no idea - but now I think she’s considering a run in 2024. My grandmère would be a whale of a donor.

What a bizarre encounter.

One day, I went to a doctor’s clinic
with a chief complaint of headache,
but he didn’t mind me being sick.
Instead, he lit a cigarette and took a break.

I asked him “why are you
insensitive to me while being so attentive to the patient who just left recently?”
But all he did is, he pointed at the window…
There I saw that patient took off with a BMW.

Then he started getting my history,
with a blink of an eye,
he finished so quickly.
With such short span of time,
I doubted if my disease will be treated,
for even his steth has no earpiece, he put it on my chest auscultated.

He then grabbed a pen
and prescribed me penicillin
to which, my goodness, I am allergic in.
I asked him to change that medicine,
but he insisted ‘coz the med. rep. is his girlfriend.

Later, he charged me
of a very high professional fee.
I begged him to lower that fee, hoping for a bit o sympathy.
But only heard him say..” I have so much bills to pay.”

Are we this kind of doctor for tomorrow, who will just add to the patients’ sorrow?Or those doctor who truly cares,
even to those who have nothing to share..

He sipped that ice cold drink so refreshing
outside of a quaint cafe.
Watching the people particularly the girls
tapping the table he was tense.
This his first mission as a covert operative
trying to be positive.

Just told to expect a package to be delivered
nothing more disclosed.
His earpiece buzzed as a young woman sat
placing her coffee down.
Using trigger words in their conversation
she responded without evasion.

Getting up she smiled politely saying goodbye
then quickly went away.
Under her saucer he saw a piece of paper
pulling it out he read.
Look under my side of the coffee table
difficult as it was unstable.

Nearly tipping it over pulling the sticky tape
being firmly held.
Concealing it trying not to look awkward
joining a passing group.
Concerned there was somebody stalking
he started quickly walking!

His fears were confirmed when he heard a pop
a bullet fired close by!
Through a silencer then there was another
taking evasive action.
Informing the surveillance team in the van
then into the underground he ran!

Planning a route for his own safe escape
he knew the terrain.
Finding the spot he had put a gun and torch
now he was prepared.
Shaking from the cold and possibly fear
there were footsteps near!

As they came along side he jumped out
the bright beam on.
At the same time firing his magnum gun
a grunt and a thud.
Then at his feet a body laid motionless
no emotion did he express!

He informed the team of what had occurred
continuing with his task.
Others could be close behind for the cargo
so delivery was vital.
The destination was at last radioed through
knowing what he had to do!

First mission and first blood his career had begun!

The Foureyed Poet.

Ear holes closed to the world
Hands thumping to the beat
All made in the same mould
How they enjoy this moronic feat!
You would feel they are not from womb
But batches generated by machines
Clones consigned to doom
Mechanical dolls in their teens!
It’s no yielding to passion
For music that touches the heart
Just an unquestioning submission to fashion
That once acquired defies to depart!
Their earpiece shuts out the world
And with it goes the fine art of hearing
Cursed and made in the same mould
They never know how sweetly the birds sing!

two cats i own were bathed today,
the larger male started to
sniff the female out,
started to hark a purr out
into a meow which sounded
too fierce, i had them on
the windowsill, each time he did
so i wetted his snout,
and cut him short from full exaggeration,
unlike brown-nosing expected
he gave up... she was frail and welcome
2 pounds' coin wide-eyed,
- you smell like she does, why are you parhing?
- i'm not a cobra about to spit venom, i'm a cat
- you're about to blind her eye with venom
  akin to a spider building a spiderweb for milky-eye...
- i'm harsh meowing,
- you're rhapsody in hark mad!
-  i smelt skunk.
- so you did, trot down the stairs.
- lazy society breeds philosophers / zoological up-keepers;
- lazy society breeds anything...
- cannibal's yawn being a mouthful...
- and a large mouth...
- two kept an earpiece to keep the slogan:
  the walls have ears... earned each a
  slammer and slogan a stiff door opening itch...
unlike well-oiled hinges:
for an aid... a slave woman named
didgeridoo had her humming ready to box box box
beat a heart among livers, supposing
each had a rhythm... it's hardly necessary
for your high-school friends to want you to fail...
but expect them to turn you into a necrophiliac...
just so there's a story for their grandchildren...
i'd ask to cage them for their partaking in
unresolved imagining of things... they wished
to have encountered...
rather than... a cold lamb sandwich.

In my hopeless fantasies,
we’d run into each other
on the street somewhere
with a bar in walking distance, maybe,
but I can’t. Really, I can’t.
It’s nothing against you,
really it’s not.
I’d love to find you one day
sitting across from me
on the late train home
or inside my box of
sugar-free cereal that will
help my heart or whatever.
They say a watched *** never boils
and I’m not sure I’ve taken my eyes off you.
It’s not fair to you. Really, it’s not.
Maybe you’ll get this when we meet
in however many years
when the puddles are too small
to drown in. And maybe you
learned how to swim.
Can you teach me?
Can you tell me where you’ve been?
Who you’ve loved?
Tell me the stories you never were able to.
I’ll know them by heart, better than my own.
Tell them without a microphone.
Without an earpiece.
Without your audience listening.
An empty theater clinging to your life,
a raft they never were sent.
A new memory to crave.
A chaser to a burning shot.
The shot itself.
Are you a performer or a teacher?
Standing in front of a tuplet crowd,
the audience whispering answers to questions
that the back of the room
hasn’t even reached yet.
Those chapters were ripped from their books.

Today
such sadness got in the way,
                        of a blue cloudless day,
                                       spotless.

She quit, she said she has had enough,
she is done,
the black clouds
of poison and
thunder have... Won

They coil around
without constriction,
pressure and a little restriction
to prove they ARE real
and her life
is in
       complete
                     disrepair.

My eyes saw the tears
fall and my ears heard the sobs
and heard them
land through earpiece of the
phone, our hearts broke
together, but only I heard it
and only she felt it.

The air became still.  As more clouds
moved in and began to leak out of
my phone.

Today sadness won, she has
no spoons left with to defend
herself, I hope that sleep will
put in new ones overnight or
some one will find the ones
and give them back with all
that tarnish gone.

Would she get out of bed,
be able to lift her head
off of the pillow, if she
started the day already
with no spoons?

I have searched and searched,
crawled on my brittle knees,
I must be blind after all or maybe
the spoons are all deaf, they
don't hear my call or my prayer,
God,
         please
                    forgive my
                                      weakest moments
                           when
                 I am
        not
able
to be
the
cushion
the
shock absorber
the
comforter
the
teddy bear
the
blanket
the
listener
the
finder of the spoons.

So let it rain so it hides
my tears, please rain,
wash it away, wash the black
clouds, take them away.

I must go she needs me...

walking down the dark corridors
turning behind every few seconds
scared of what was going to be behind
fear that i go through while waiting
sitting alone in the classroom
dull dimly lit
seemed so eerie
the four walls of the classroom
that seemed to cave in
u have no idea
blasting music in my ears
hoping i won’t hear anything
any whispers
closing my eyes
hoping i won’t see anything
any shadows
hoping that u would come quickly
and keep me company
laying my head on the table
eyes closes
earpiece on
but every single small noise i hear
i awake
feeling scared
or hoping it was u at least...

I'm on autopilot
So I can talk to myself
Stop trying to hack into me
I need the space
Maybe I'll never come out
But if you break the circuit
Between me and my robot
You're not going to like what you see

There's a connection buzzing in the back of my earpiece
I can hear static voices trying to reach through to me
But I don't know how to tune the connection
I'm not even looking for the dial

So I threw your voice against the wall
It's always been hard when you're in a hole
I'm trying to guide this plane, but I'm just descending
Never thought I'd need a co-pilot
Never thought I'd hear again

Till I heard your voice speaking from the corner of my room, "I love you"
When I'm naked on the ground, confused
You taught me how to walk again, you gave me shoes
This is seven-twenty-seven three to ground control, I think I'm going to be okay

poems from my most recent self-published collection {name calling}, available on Lulu:

~

[boy with bible]

scissor his hair
with fingers
from the hand
of your longer
arm

picture him
as a hardscrabble
mystic

gay

/ the frog shepherd

~

[entries for loss]

can we stop this talk of the baby cut in half and ask why this town has two graveyards. show me a dog showing an angel where to dig. the brothers have all gone underwater to raise money for hand signals and the sisters have taken from a tale of snowfall an ****** to amnesia’s headstone. the parts of the movie you look at

vanish. it’s my fault there’s a god.

~

[entries for yield]

in laundromat
my stomach
moves
my bed

my blood wears a blue sock

and a fly goes down on melancholy’s crossword

my sister is here to have gum in her hair
and hair
in her mouth

tooth is the ghost beak is not

mom makes us wear most of it home

the animal’s first time as something else

~

[entries for transformation]

i.

is there blood in something born outside,

a history that works in one ear?

ii.

time touches nothing. is the *** of my bruise

/ a scar

~

[entries for water]

seasons by the look and smell of him being beaten.

a hole in a fingerprint. doll overboard.

~

[a letter, silent]

a letter, silent

dropped by a word
into window’s
bible

–

cot, diving board, empty pool. southernmost

search

for earpiece.

–

medusa

her headless
horseman

good pitching beat good hitting
on summer nights when Gibson took the mound
and my heart listened
cotton blanket kicked aside
through one earpiece
plugged in a plastic green transistor
radio, letting in
the world
one pitch at a time

a letter, silent

dropped by a word
into window’s
bible

–

cot, diving board, empty pool. southernmost

search

for earpiece.

–

medusa

her headless
horseman

Stealing Reduces A Man

    By the Intrepid Traveller....

"Never in my life have I met humans as civilized as the Japanese. They're the true saints".

During my first trip to Japan, a colleague from the US forgot his laptop at the park of all places. We rushed back there and the place was closed for the day.

Everyone was relaxed except me and my friend. Even the Taxi driver wasn't bothered. He promised to drive us there by' 9:00am next day because Park opens 8.45am.

He assured us we would get it back, that Japanese do not steal because stealing reduces a man.

That statement almost knocked me to the ground, this was 2012 not 1912.

I think anybody who is afraid of making heaven should visit Japan before dying because that's closest to the best humans can get to.

And that will give the person a picture of how organized heaven might be.

These are people who apologize because you heard the sound of their ringtone.

About 90% of Japanese leave their phones on silent mode so as not to disturb the next person.

They all have earpiece and are thinking of stopping having horns in cars because nobody uses it.

Long and short of the story is that we got there the next morning and the attendant took us to where we sat and behold the laptop was there.

It’s not by mistake that they are prosperous. The gross mentality and personality of a people determines their level of wealth.


"Stealing Reduces A Man"- Can we just have this on a billboard in every open place in our Nation?

Thank you.

©️ And Edited


Christine, Joanne Kelly and Tom Macafferty aided by Cindy and Jim
seething with racist envy, amoral, dysfunctional and deranged.
conspired together and burgled their neighbour
the bare-faced thieves  really do not see how it reduces them morally, emotionally and spiritually.
No one is perfect and we all have our flaws but self respect, probity and integrity should be values we hold high above all else.
Shamed and disgraced  they disguise plain theft & create justifications for their heinous unpalatable actions.

Habitual criminals who have been reduced do not care about how low they sink and totally reduced, all they do is look to drag others
down to their levels by hook or crook. After all in satan's democracy there's no room for the innocents.
Viva solidarity..........

i wrote a paranoia poem when i was in school:
once...
maybe being diagnosed as schizophrenic
has made me more adept
in focusing for splinter moments
of listening to people: IRL...
and some honing in device of an earpiece
at the same time:
maybe i am hearing voices:
wait...
i am...
this just makes me stand out like a ******* clown
on parade!
not a clown about to put his make-up on!
disaster...
unlikely for many to know:
English Authoritarianism is sort of:
savory: it's not sweet:
there's plenty of fiber:
not a lot of flamboyant philosophizing...
enough work-arounds and other:
flamboyant terms: for ergonomics blah blah:
but the English way is:
let's get **** done and forget about
puritanical "justices" of idealism...
i like it:
i'm only now realizing how Left Politics
works in England:
it's... ******* beautifully:
muchos grunchos:
it's none of this media Americana exporting
ideology *******...
i was born in Poland
of pure pedigree:
that translates into English as that born & bred
macabre...
i love the English Left!
it's FASCIST!
currently: ugh: what's the date? the time?
12th August, 2024...
2 minutes to noon... almost an Iron Maiden
song...
eh?! the English left is like the American left
of the post-Soviet experiment?
no... i'm pretty sure the English left
are the authority over containing a people
than the right ever were:
the conservatives of England:
are the true liberals:
people are so muddled i don't even know
if i can knit...
so people thought the Labor party was
full of these quasis: ditto heads of enforced
language policing:
sorry... ha ha: all seems slightly covert...
but that's how the chameleon plays it:
covertly: silently... with an OOPS!
thank goodness i'm on the receiving end
of a mantra akin to:
god, this heat of Augustus is unbearably sane...
sanity project:
for the most part:
all the sane people are solipsistic...
the insane people are trans-dimensional...
i will no reveal my personal interactions
in the workplace:
i'll sooner write about the great ******* i accomplished
seeing as the woodland pigeons are adamant
on making their homosexuality known...
and how they adamantly court:
almost ****-encouraging:
while the crows sort of... word with pecking
without tongue: can't this frivolity be left
to the burden of the night?
no! the pigeons stutter: then wobble:
then bubbles spontaneously appear:
while i deal with parasitical worms in my eyes
that i hone in with my microscope of scope...
i've reached that age where i was young
and now i'm semi-old...
and now i understand English Authority:
forget British Values: blah blah...
now i understand: English Authority:
it's so... oh so subtle...
i wish i could say it only takes the right
measure of posturing and silence...
but it's also associated with
the synonym antonym and the name giving force
of how human chess is played:
how human chess has to become
a game of backgammon...
but only the left in power has allowed me
to see this...
the English right, liberal-conservatism
has blinded me for so many years!
i was blinded by the English right-wing
liberal-conservatism... too long!
i like peace: i like calm:
if that comes at a price of psychological
tyranny: so be it...
freedom of speech ought to be freedom:
if there's something worth: being said:
if there, is, nothing, worth, being, said:
then what freedom is it?
               i don't even think it's a question:
i listen to birds squabble
i listen to dogs bark...
       i listen to cats meow and escape those meows
imitating human speech:
     what freedom of speech:
something irritable: inconvenient:
some... "unheard" of truth?
knowing how truth operates: it becomes covert
and the marrow
and the burrowing dynamic of a mole...
truth doesn't get silenced:
it might get ignored, for a while...
but it's not silenced: a truth is a breath
that's a breath without the lies of words...
freedom of speech is a filtering dynamic...
but feel free: say what you want:
and try to breathe while you're at it...
don't want you to suffocate on your...
ahem...
the English left is this newly unexplored
territory of: a return to school:
rebus...

                 it's not what the media thought
as pronoun contagion... propaganda...
i'm not going to claim the genius of the equation:
but when all manner of sensibility and sense
becomes exhausted: the authoritarian Left
of England seeps in: steps in:
**** **** they chant...
yeah: the "NAZIS" are in power:
and i just feel fine: this Augustus heat is...
sweltering... i'm thinking: jolly-ball-jelly-baby
jellyfish dancing on Thursday when
Taylor comes back from cancelling
her mimic karaoke from Vienna...

but people fell in and out of love in ****
Germany... didn't they?
let's play...