The match burst unexpectedly into a flame
The tender tinder caught
An ignition of late-night discussions
That pursued verbal intercourse
Vulnerability exposed; naked
An incredible view from the mountain
Where true north was marked on our compass
The heat and warmth of intention
Splayed out in tranquility and mutual reliance
Invited to an adventure of a lifetime
We blazed new trails through trials
But apathetic time broke the compass
And people do what makes sense to them
The safe place became a wasn’t
And a not now, not ever.
The allure got eaten by silence
When all I wanted to hear was
“Don’t go.”
Category Archives: Personal
Dead City
I found myself in puddles of meltdowns
Oozing through the sidewalk cracks
The rawness of naked exposure
Seeping under the weeds.
I had to scrape my gooey emotions
Off the concrete where I stuck
Like melted gum on the bottom
of my own shoe
with a bullshit shovel shaped like my heart
To breathe took my breath away
My heart found no rhythm
In the pulse of the city
Where buses shuttled souls
By necessity or convenience to appointments
Where a prescription for life
Was offered but often denied.
Hollow Easter chocolate bunnies
Held more inside them than I did/could
They were far sweeter than me, too
Because my angry bitterness bit my hand
Gnawed on my fingers
as they pointed blame
At the shallow façade I masked myself with
Pass it onward!
WORST HOLIDAY ALBUM EVER!
[DARK HUMOR ALERT]
As we enter the holiday season, there’s a new album that’s dropped and it’s AWFUL! I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything worse than this. Whatever you do, don’t listen to any of it. You’ll instantly regret it. The Hits keep coming.
At The Speed of What The Farts (Radio Edit)
Winter GTFO
- Dead Starter Blues
a. Sample Lyric: “Gonna take everything in my account, have to empty that dog out.” - Dying Dog (Euthenasia)
a. Sample Lyric: “She’s thirteen years old and blind as a bat, she can’t hear her name and she’s fading fast.” - Bed Bug Boogie
a. Sample Lyric: “I got welty itch from my head to my toes, that’s how the bedbug boogie goes.” - Bitterness and Regret
a. Sample Lyric: “The ailing heart showed up at my door, catheterized on the hospital floor.” - Monkey on His Back
a. Sample Lyric: “All my cash went up my nose, what I have left is my dirty clothes.” - So Many Leftovers, Nothing to Eat
a. Sample Lyric: “I’ve had so much corn chowder it waves hello, and warms up again for another go.” - Delerium
a. Sample Lyric: “Nine days have taken their toll on his brain. He now sounds like he’s not sane.” - The Boot
a. Sample Lyric: “Broken foot, faulty hip, growing old can kiss my grits.” - Never Ending Gray
a. Sample Lyric: “My love, the sun has gone away, I hope to see it again someday.” - The Darkest Christmas Tree
a. Sample Lyric: “This tree will never win awards until I find the farting extension cords.” - Presence
a. Sample Lyric: “Stuffs wrapped and under the tree, wondering who is there for me.” - Shitty Ditty
a. Sample Lyric: “Waking up in the middle of the night, discovering my fart took liquid flight.” - (BONUS TRACK) Cold Friends
a. Sample Lyric: “They used to laugh and joke a lot, but now they’re in a wooden box.” - AUTHOR’S NOTES:
This is written in originally Comic Sans for the simple reason that it’s an awful font. Everything on this “album” has happened during the past month to me or to my Bestie.
Pass it onward!
Homeostasis
Survival mode stepped to the side
Allowing an informal reprieve from chaos
An acknowledgement of mutual security
The stability that came to dinner
Pulled up a chair and feasted gluttonously
On a childhood fantasy for totemic inclusion
Seized the steadfastness of a kinship
Situated in a sprawled right relationship
Ladling the gravy of laughter over
Legendary stories of affinity
A communion of flavorful moments
Savored in a homemade assurance of loyalty
With an abundance of whipped cream
Pass it onward!
A Pilgrimage
Death offers the warm embrace of peace
A loving homage to the newly deceased
Life used to stay busy; feel overly productive
The spiral of drowsing is overwhelmingly seductive
No more errands or things to do
No more arguments of personal truth
With warmest lust on the coldest skin
An allegiance unfurls with the shifting winds
What was once taken for granted truly is sated
The breath comes no more from the body related
And yet as a witness to the dearly departed
A journey, a pilgrimage, a trail never charted
Speculation like specters gather for court
Dressed in saint’s clothing, suspended transport
the breathing world is holding hands with Death
leaving lamentations from the loved ones bereft
Pass it onward!
Blooming Pebbles
Each breath is a step towards Death
Yet we take for granted the breath
not the inevitable destination.
Remembering to breathe is acknowledging life
It is the act of inflating our lungs
with air that has formed words
of love
of hate
of anger and grief
Exhaling out our life’s resistance
to succumb to a fate
written finitely on the pebble
which blooms as our gravestones
in our final hour of mortal coil.
Pass it onward!
Daily Rituals
Kawphy Time and Morning Prayers
Each day I make a fresh cup of Kawphy (familial spelling handed down from my Grandfather (Bapa) on my mother’s side). I have one of my friends over, or I call my Bestie, or I call my mother before the first sip is tasted.
When my partner has their cup at the ready, I recite this prayer:
To your ancestors
To my ancestors
From my spirit
to your spirit
to OUR spirit
Thank you Grand Rapids Fire Department
Bless this holy water.
Context: My Great-Grandfather and my Grandfather both worked for the GRFD. It is common family belief that the next part of the ritual originated at their place of service.
Then we both take a noisy first sip and in unison say:
Ahhh, Nectar of the Gods!
The morning ritual is complete. I did this every day with my mother, but she doesn’t always remember. My Bestie has taken up the ritual as a way for us to start our day together.
Gratitudes
At the end of the day Jen, the aforementioned Bestie, would sit with her son and they would do “Gratitudes.” It’s a truly sweet ritual. One evening she was lamenting that her son had already gone to bed and asked if I’d do them with her.
Absolutely! We take turns sharing thing we’re grateful for either in our lives or during the day we’ve just had. I asked if we could do three external (meaning things that happened or we did) and one internal (positive things about who we are). She agreed.
Today, for example, I am grateful for my gift of wordsmithing, of being able to meet people where they are, for my friends, and for my parents still being available.
Once we’ve both stated the things, we complete the ritual with:
We are grateful for these things and so many more.
I wanted to share them with you because they’re important parts of my day. Which daily rituals do you honor? What helps you live the life you’re building with gratitude?
Pass it onward!
Repost: Roots Dig Down
Pass it onward!
Revolution
The winds of change do not blow lightly
They are destructive, devastating, overwhelming
But they are necessary to create stronger; better
My feet are rooted in the mountain
My eyes are drinking in the sky
My arms are outstretched to embrace the shift
My thighs are heated for battle
My belly hungry for the crusade
My chest is bare, unafraid and unaffected
As I breathe in the promise of new dawn
I exhale revolution of heart and mind
Calling my sisters and brothers
As thunderous as a siren’s song
Into this life.
Into this body.
Into this time.
Pass it onward!
My nature
It is in my nature to return to nature
Nurturing my spiritual gifts
Reveling in loam and water
Allowing my soul to tendril
Deep into the rocky soil
Pulling the wisdom into my hands
Pushing out that which no longer serves
Light and dark are the same
Intuition singing a celestial choir
Feeling in my bones the pulsation
The undulation of the Universe
Welcoming the power that is mine
Acknowledging the sacrifices made
On my behalf before I was born
Into this life.
Into this body.
Into this time.
Mare Martell 