This. My beautiful artists of all persuasions, a storm is coming. A hurricane of creativity, a storm of cleansing rains, a refreshing rainbow of rebirth in a safe haven of beauty. I am a new moderator to this incredible movement. OH BOY!
Category Archives: Human
To Honor Kali
The Goddess Kali-ma
I hear her voice as twinkling smooth as wine
Her lips sparkling words like silver sweet
Precious in their divine
Guiding hands to keep me warm with a caresses gentle bliss
Heated breath of her lover’s mouth emblazoned with her kiss
I walk with her on star-lit roads
I hear her sigh the night
I hear a tiny cricket’s call
The wisp of an owl in flight
I smell the scent of impending rain
The trickle of a nearby stream
The blush of moon blessed breezes
Floating through my dreams
Intimate imaginings spring forth in passions song
Spooned soft against my lover’s thigh
Eternal night prolonged
Pressed tight with lust to feed at her breast
I feel the release of my birth
I respond to her smoldering touch
I’m embraced within her earth
Pass it onward!
That was that
This and many other really funny shirts can be found at: http://amorphia-apparel.com/
When I was little, I just wanted to be something.
I wanted to be a firefighter like my Grandfather.
I wanted to be a doctor like my cousin.
I wanted to be successful with money in my pocket
and a home to return to at the end of the day.
But then the abuse happened.
I couldn’t see myself anymore doing anything
because the pain was just too much.
I found I could get temporary relief,
very temporary,
if I just took one more hit from the pipe.
The only thing I wanted to do was run.
I wanted to run as far away as I could
from myself.
But then I ran too far and I couldn’t come back.
When I was little, I only wanted to be loved.
I can’t even be that any more.
It was an accident. I didn’t mean to do it.
But it happened and I can’t come back any more.
If I could tell you one thing,
I’d tell you to love yourself before it’s too late.
I couldn’t. You can.
The picture used belongs to http://amorphia-apparel.com/
Pass it onward!
Alchemy of Death
Solemnity spoke
I mailed a package off to the Spirits,
after staring at death with mournful eyes.
Gravely I dug into the hard earth
Return to Sender stamped in neat letters
on the cardboard coffin holding,
protectively, its morbid contents.
I checked to see if perhaps,
maybe,
I was mistaken.
Suppose that the heart still beat,
the breath still attended life,
the soft mewls of a hungry stomach.
I wasn’t wrong.
I wasn’t anything but lost
in the harsh tears following death’s
cool touch.
Dirt reset to conceal my pain,
I wondered how much postage
it would take to have the tiny package
returned to life once again.
Pass it onward!
Brushed Out
Clumps of dirt, dust, and debris rotted my brains
whenever I tried to speak to passers by
I’d hold my beggar’s cup earnestly pushing
for loose change to fall chiming into the depths
speaking foul breathed words of backwards intent
Clumps of zombie flesh fell from my body
repulsing potential friends, disgusting possible employers
until
I blinked my eyes to dream and you coalesced
pristine
extraordinary
You made strange sense of my chaos, spoke to me
with careful brush strokes through my tangled words
Ever so gently you tugged at my self-loathing,
conditioned my confidence,
curled my toes with affection,
showered me with the truth through your actions
as you loved my pieces back together.
With frightened squalling wails of labor,
forsaking all others
I was born into redemption with your hand embracing mine
the day I agreed with you that I am worthy of love
Pass it onward!
These Are My People: Jamie Lopez and JuJu
https://www.facebook.com/artistjamielopez/timeline
Jamie Lopez is a prolific painter with a distinctive style and color palette. Her innovative exuberance melts happiness into every brush/pen stroke. THIS ONE IS SOLD!
She lives in self-inflicted padded walls
Created with cotton balls,
Elmer’s glue, squished on fun
By her autistic son
She schools him on the finer points of life while
She’s splashing in the shallow end
Of the dating pool
Yelling,
“MARCO!” in the language of JuJu.
The responses are comical if not misplaced
By distorted males riding by on penny pony floaties
They shout “CABBAGE!” or “BOK CHOY!” or “PETUNIA!”
From the deep end where she already dipped her mug
Into the drunken pissy beer and found the taste repugnant.
She rejects the self-proclaimed wise men and gurus
Whom are no more effective than arm-chair quarterbacks.
Instead she paints herself a wisdom
Of spiraling owls and feminine curly tailed girls
That return prosperity in accordance to her schoolgirl happy.
When she looks at her beloved son, she realizes,
She is his Sherlock, he, her Watson.
Where she is prismatic and lively
He is repetitive and monochromatic
But they take out the crayons together one by one
Exploring every color of the world as a dynamic duo
Some days, when she’s a grounded bird and doesn’t want to fly
Juju nurtures her with yesterday’s worms and reminds her to seek the sky.
Pass it onward!
When he left, he took:
Every one of my canvases and paints but not the colors
every light bulb in the house but not the light
every shade from the windows but not the curtains
every blanket from my beds but not the warmth
every canned good from my cupboards but not the bread
every animal from their house but not the pets
every gift he was ever given but he left empty handed
every hug and kiss sprinkled with praise but not the love
and I let him go because he asked with action not with word.
Pass it onward!
Common Enemy
We have a common enemy
That hands out shackles of poverty
As Mistresses and Masters of iniquity
Provoking our inequalities
Promoting the division of you and me
Which adds dollars to their bloated prosperity
While we fill their sales on their corporate sea
With no trickle down reciprocity
I work for them and they give to me
Silver pieces for my soul adding up to forty
Which they take back in taxes from me
While claiming this the “Land of the Free”
Then they take food and shelter from our progeny
Claiming that we’re, simply, “Just lazy.”
Pass it onward!
Moving Day
My arms are full of boxes heavy with my heartfelt memories.
I look at the darkened windows that feel like a medical flat line
The front porch light that once greeted my arrival is turned off.
The driveway where my children created Michelangelo is barren
The study window from which I witnessed the drama of “Oak Tree Living”
Looks nakedly back at me without holding the allure it once did.
I turn my back to face a new adventure brought to me by U-Haul.
With teary resolution and no tag-backs, I whisper to the sunrise,
“Goodbye my lovely haven. Good day my place of rest.
Whomever crosses your threshold, may they be ever blessed.”
Pass it onward!
Tips from people in long term relationships
These are just round about tips from several people who have been in successful relationships for 10 years or longer. If you have words of wisdom to impart to the newlyweds, please feel free to leave comments. This list is in no way inclusive nor exclusive. I wish all couples the love of a lifetime with their best friend.
Be who you are
Do what you do
That’s the reason
They fell for you!
Take them down off the pedestal
Let them walk on the ground
They are human, just like you
I promise, no messing around.
Do little things that bring a smile to their face
Like putting both seats down or hugging them ‘til they feel safe.
Trust is not easy to acquire
But if you cherish and nurture
You’ll find dreams are inspired
And the wings you needed,
Are now ready to mature.
Forgiveness and compassion
Are found within trust
You gave them your heart,
Remember you must. (Yoda moment)
Fight naked, because it’s difficult to stay mad
At someone yelling while they’re in the altogether.
It’s okay to get/be/stay angry at your partner
But there is never any excuse for intentional cruelty.
Do not ever assume that they know why you’re upset or angry.
If you are angry, take time to cool down to figure out WHY you’re upset.
Breathe until you feel calm enough to talk to them like an adult, not a child throwing a tantrum.
Remember, you chose them to be your best friend for life. Friends don’t intentionally harm one another.
Communicate freely. What are you dreaming about? What are your fantasies? What do you wish to accomplish in your life? Do you or do you not want children? Do you or do you not want to own a house or property? Will you have a joint bank account while maintaining your own as well?
Love without expectation. There isn’t one way to love someone. Be flexible because they are human just like you. You can love them through anything but you can’t love them through abuse of any kind or through violence.
Sex is important but it isn’t the end all. Do not be afraid to say no. You’re not obligated if you’re not feeling it. NEITHER of you are. But, do not neglect your basal needs either. It’s okay to masturbate if you want to and your partner doesn’t. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get them revved up.
Have a job or pursue outside interests that are solely yours. That way you have new and interesting things to bring to the conversational table. It maintains the first credo of be who you are and do what you do. You can have hobbies that are shared or interests that are both of yours, but it’s pleasant to have something oddball to bring along.
Divide the chores happily. If you’re better at laundry than your partner, then you do it because they may be better at doing dishes. There are no hard and fast rules, but if they’re divided by what you actually like to do or don’t mind doing, you’ll find a happier partnership across the board. Example, I fix the car, my husband hooks up the electronics. He loads and unloads the dishwasher, I cook and bake for him what he requests. He cleans the cat box, I clean up the dog poop. And if I get sick or he does, we do theirs too because that’s what partners do for each other.
Learn to cook. Both of you. Find your specialty dish. Eating out at restaurants is expensive, limits your interaction with one another, and makes it easy to fall into ruts. Cooking together allows for intimacy, trust, and conversation as you figure out a new recipe or method of cooking. YouTube is your friend for learning new ways to do things in the kitchen.
Your best friend is first, always. When the wedding vows (typical that is) say “Let no man put asunder…” It means that your best friend is your goto chick/fella. Example: Money does not come first even if it is scarce at first. If it costs over 20 bucks, consult with your partner. You’d be surprised how much trouble it can save unless you’ve previously discussed your budget for this or that project. Kids are not the boss either. Your best friend first, you can make sacrifices for your kids together.
Learn how your partner works. That’s part of the joy. My husband, for example has a hard time verbally expressing himself, but he makes coffee for me on Sunday morning. He takes out the trash without being asked. He picks up his clothing and puts them in the laundry. I make sure he has lunch packed and dinner cooked. I make sure his clothes are clean on my laundry day. I leave him love notes and he gives me secret codes to his heart. I have a lifetime to figure out whether or not he likes white socks best new or warm from the dryer (new every time).
Geek out to a minimal of one thing together. Make it YOUR thing. Date night has to be outside the house, even if it’s for a picnic in the yard at least once a month.
Start saving money for a house now because living in an apartment sucks. If you can’t pay for it in a month (other than a car or a house) then save up until you can. Protect your credit so that both of you can enjoy a solid life together instead of worrying about money.
Don’t be afraid to go on vacations alone for a weekend or a week. Sometimes missing them is necessary and recreates that feeling of, “Man, I really wish you were here.” There isn’t a place where anything stays where you were so behave as if you are married and the best part of you is safe at home. Do not jeopardize your marriage for anyone, it’s not worth it.
Please do not ever fall under the assumption that things will always be just as they are right now. Change is the only other sure thing besides death and taxes. Roll with it. Nobody knows what the hell we’re doing. We’re all just winging it. Do the best you can with what you have and remember that your partner is in it with you.
Mare Martell 