We've Moved!

Arthurs of Ophelia has officially launched!

Please feel free to visit the new website at anytime--in fact, we implore you to! www.ArthursofOphelia.com

Alternatively, you can find us on our social media sites as well. All the cool kids have.
You want to be cool, don't you? DON'T YOU?!?! 

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Cheers,
James

Post Script: PLEASE be advised that our website is NOT Internet Explorer friendly! Please update your web browser to the 21st century! You'll thank us, trust me!

What if...

What if god had a daughter...instead?

Work in progress

The maelstrom of panic swirls through her head.

Memory

Memory is the most joyful and destructive element of what we call the human experience.

Arrogance

Never let your arrogance fool you into believing your words and thoughts are right or relevant.

Caution

If you're the type who enjoys the sound of your own voice, caution yourself from being the only one in the room who speaks.

Humour

No 1s or 0s were harmed in the making of this sentence.

...

May 7/8. An unimaginably (beautiful) decadent experience.

Mother's Day

Happy arbitrary day to female mammals who produce appreciative and viable offspring day, gentlemen. Happy arbitrary day to female mammals who produce appreciative and viable offspring day.

...

May 4. Arthurs of Ophelia Productions (Inc.) 'officially' begins.

Redux

Her need to illustrate her importance is so invariably large...that were you to ask her something like 'how old were you when you first learned to tie your shoes?'

She'd stare right at you and answer with some such nonsense about having learned to tie her shoes (getting her dexterous and gifted start...in all shoe related matters) while simultaneously undergoing the rigorous ordeal of developing as a fetus.

Thinking

 The ability to think straight is often thwarted by the necessity of having to socialize with dimwits.

The Weakling

He has a weak leg--immeasurably so. And so he hunches over each time he walks. Not because of any pain, but out fear that were his leg to give way he's that much closer to the ground.

MMX Revisted

What is felt now, looking back, thinking back...is the unfortunate belief that I have become inexplicably capable of being inauspiciously enthralled by the most obstinate, asinine, and silliest of women.

Moment

The compliment immediately caused me to self reflect rather confidently project any reasonable reason for my standing there.

Redux

The chilly wind grabbed my lapel and blew it tight against my coat; my scarf, luckless and having had enough of my shoulders...took flight, off and went.

Some hero I'd make.

The Draining Types

Her need to illustrate her importance is so invariably large...that were you to ask her something as mundane as, hmm, let's say, 'how old were you when you first learned to tie your shoes?'

She'd stare right at you at and answer with some such nonsense about getting her dexterous and gifted start (in all shoe related matters) while simultaneously undergoing the rigorous ordeal of fetus development.

...

April 28. 'I find you very interesting, James. Very. I am extremely intrigued by you. This might not be the best thing, though. Tell me more about yourself.' (Potential employer/interview #23).

Sensitivities

She took everything too personally...to such a bewildering degree. I mean a farmer's wife, sickened by the flu, could sneeze, a mile or two away; a farm or two to the north. And she'd still assume it was her new perfume (or some such nonsense) wafting over the fields reeking havoc on her neighbor's senses.

The Universe

 Scalloped potatoes are the universe's way of saying, "You know what guys, you're right, life does suck sometimes, but you know what? Try these. Mmmm right? RIGHT? Yeah, that's right! Gobble them up, my little minions, gobble them up."

*Yep, that's what the universe sounds like. Exactly what she sounds like.*

Writing's Seduction

A simple wish really...to give this sentence the charm to convince the next sentence to get a little handsy with it.

'Nope, not a chance, I say...' is all it fears it'll will hear, though. 'Nope, not a chance.'

MMX Redux

The brunette instilled confusion, the older of the two...wisdom. The blond? Soul. It was a year of superfluous gifts--not one of which was a calm and rational friend.

What...

The saddest sound of all is pity.

Rewards

(X): 'Who the hell died and made you king?! Huh?'

(Y): 'Ummm, my grandmother?!? I used to change her diapers. That and the day before she died, I found her nude and on her bed (having lost all virtue of prudence, privacy, and discretion) spread eagled, and cleaning her whoo whoo!'

(Z): 'Yep, that sounds about right. All hail the new King! All. Hail. The. New. King!'

Hero

The chilly wind blew the lapel tight against my coat; my scarf, luckless and having had enough of my shoulders, took flight...off and went.

Some hero I'd make.

Ideas

One is easily dismantled. If, for example, a man wraps himself in an idea that at first squeals in delight, welcomes and dances...then retreats and recoils...

...accepts and rejects, approves and renounces, spits at and applauds...

...only to recoil again.

Redux

Fear will convince you to scream 'FIRE!' Wisdom will nudge you to call out 'SMOKE!'

Mother's Day

Now that all is said and done: There was 1 massive heart attack, an open heart surgery, and a near-fatal sternum infection. There was Propofol and Fentanyl and 6 days on a ventilator. There were 3 different hospitals, 2 ICUs, 6 calls to 911, 7 ambulance rides, a stint in rehab, and 3 near-death experiences.

There were 64 dutiful-son hospital visits, 2 cardiologists, 3 heart surgeons, 5 doctors, 36 nurses, 5 social workers, and 9 kind orderlies. There were 5 forty-hour days.

There was a cancer scare and a cluster cycle, and 2 rounds of steroids. There were X-rays and blood tests, wills and pills. There was English and French, 2 different cities, 3 different homes, and 6 different beds.

In the last year, 'I've seen so much, in so many places, so much heart ache, in so many faces...so many dirty things...you couldn't even believe...' but I am proud to say that my mother is out of the infirmary, alive and now well, and I have finally become...I have finally become a man.

Lady Luck

Should it be discovered that reincarnation exists, I am certain it will be found that Mussolini was a terribly good friend, that I was responsible for the extermination of a thousand gifted children, perhaps the slaughtering of an entire infant population, or maybe I was a vegetarian.

Opposition

What is especially true for the success of any social group's longevity is the need to find an opposition.

MMX Redux

Had I the chance, you two, I gladly would have saved your fathers. And you? You, I gladly would have saved your mother. But you, well, let's just say...I wish I could have muted both your parents.

MMX

The brunette instilled confusion, the older of the two...wisdom. The blond? Soul. It was a year of superfluous gifts.

...

March 28. Two weeks, one business, two positions, three meetings, five managers, two telephone calls, one peculiar coincidence, applauds and accolades.

And yet.

A e i o u...

A man's detriment is a woman's imagination.

Shadows

It is often rarely considered... just how 'clingy' our shadows truly are.

Conservative V. Liberal

The Conservative tells us what we cannot do. The Liberal tells us what we can.

Dung

(X): 'You know, I would like nothing more than to introduce that man's face to a steamy pile of manure...'

(Y): 'You're so poignant.'

(Z): 'Cow, dog, or elephant? Wait, I'll surprise you. Hold on.'

Perspectives

 I watched the moment strike me from the point it was tossed. As if from behind a child when seeking the attention of his father will throw an object at his head.

Redux

It is befuddling to learn just how vocal, inspired, and propelled our emotions can when they first set out to prove they exist.

Redux

The revolt began with a whisper in a crowded room
on a morning meant more for 'choo-che-choos' and 'la de dahs' than a boy's coming of age.

Time V. Experience

Time will bend your heart. Experience will bend your mind.

The Big 'C.'

The number one cause of cancer is procreation.

Turtles

(X): 'So (rubs his hands) what do you guys wanna do?'

(Y): 'I don't know. Maybe throw some turtles at the elderly and disabled?!?!'

(Z): 'Score! Let me get Whiskers!'

...

April 19. Productive. Reclusive and unsocial.

Wounded Dancers

(X): 'A good-hearted, employed, and sober fella, huh? Ha!'

(Y): 'He sounds just like her father.'

(Z): 'Ba dump bump.'

WARNING

Warning: this sentence contains subtle wit and ferocious hilarity. Oh, and a non sequitur; because red wagons are fun.

Sigh

The man is impenetrable to any thought other than his own.

Pedestrian

 I find any variation of the criticism 'that's pedestrian' to be rather pedestrian.

Emotions

It is befuddling to learn just how vocal emotions can be when they first set out to prove they exist.

Of Them All...

Of all the great caring men in this world...I seem to be the least among them.

The Ballet

There is little wisdom to be found (and equally little to be gained) in watching a grown man weep.

There is little wisdom to be found (and equally little to be gained) stumbling upon a grown man weeping.

Literature V. Mathematics

Though mathematics relies on numbers, it is still governed by words.

Under The Bridge

The troll is an often misunderstood character...who is perhaps more disappointed in his lack of height than we are in our lack of confidence when confronted by him.

Human Judgement

All Human Judgement ought to be muted then placed in our dreams...in those wildly pitched moments where we find ourselves engage in self dialogue--when chased (let's say) by a platoon of dust bunnies rising readily on the colour blue...set in regions yet to be discovered, on nights governed by refrigerators.

If for no other reason then to imprint the absurdity of the criticism more fully into our conscious mind.

...

April 13.

1163 days
27,912 hours
1,674,720 minutes
100,483,200 seconds
166 weeks (rounded down)

Re-do Redux

Our progression as a species, our evolution, has provided (many of) us with a multitude of superfluous gifts.

Political rhetoric, vanity, gossip, idealism...

Redux

Our progression as a species, our evolution, has provided (many of) us with a multitude of superfluous gifts.

The most popular, it seems, is our ability to socially humiliate our fellow man.

Evolution

The greatest benefit to evolution is social condemnation.

Redux

Shamefully, focusing on a common enemy, rather than a purpose, is the most fashionable way to unify one's...goddamn fuckin' vegetarians...

Fighters

Shamefully, finding a common enemy, rather than a purpose, is the most efficient way to unify any social group...

Ambition

The most challenging place for an ambitious man to stand is in limbo.

The most challenging place for an ambitious man is limbo.

Masks and Capes

That the merits of the day have made a life of crime this appealing...

Naturally

Her Arrogance, naturally frustrated by its usual business of exile, strolled around the courtyard rather cheerily this mornin'.

I was undoubtedly blessed.

...

April 11. How does one not only effectively engage in, but seek out as well, everyday small talk?

Memories

It was a beautiful memory...enough to take a nap to.

Two Types

There are (at least) two types in this world...two grandiose types who continually annihilate any chance we have at understanding our purpose as a species.

The first is the religious fanatic; the second is the vegetarian.

Redux

That men enjoy war as a distraction to our attempts at understanding women...is far too great a probable fact.

Nom nom nom...

Huh. So this is what a baby dolphin tastes like. Hmm.

Value

Less is more. More or less.

Energy

I registered a terrifying behavior recently and further sustained it with great volume.

The Sa

There are many noble creatures in this world. To clarify, if by 'noble' one understands it to mean 'unnecessary.'

A Conversation

"Petulance, Petulance, what do you strive for?"

Petulance says "nothing at all."

My Penniless Case

I had felt something squirm in the corner of my wallet. When I went to investigate, a small creature, no bigger than a locket, jiggled and wiggled from out behind the pocket; it then huffed and puffed, and earnestly screamed 'Indigence! Indigence! You're living the dream!'

Then with a wave of its hand and the rolling of its eyes, it motioned it was done and jumped back from where it had come.

Functionality

I am opposed to any activity that does not carry (as its central mandate) the ambition to be functional.

...

April 1. We are an insidious, self-serving, revolting, and loathsome species.

Dismissive Cleopatra

The Empress of her Kingdom decided to pick and choose which of his words suited her best. And he, the loury slave to her intent...(CENSORED BY HER MAJESTY).

She grabbed and squished the tail of my soul. And sliced off all she could chew.

Confusion is a plentiful and renewable resource...

Her face slumped. His did not.

Telos

Sociologically, psychologically, evolutionarily, what if a belief in god (whether he/she is fiction or not) serves a purpose? And what if this purpose is not unlike human's innate want for sex? Our far too over zealous want for sex is what propagates the species, yes? So what if a belief in a higher power helps keep the species alive as well? What if its goal is to give us hope? What if this 'hope' is an evolutionary trait?

...

March 30. Clearer thoughts have run through my mind. Like a buffalo in the land of birds. Today's outcome will again be forgotten.

Tragedy Comedy
19 14

Blue Milk Crates

I peaked over the fence to catch a glimpse of the good life...when the crate I had been standing on fussed and tipped under my toes.

Hookerdom

Rejection is as old as prostitution. In fact, I do believe, it's what inspired whoredom in the first place.

The Straw and the Camel's Back

The moment perched herself on the back of the camel, pulled the 'last' straw from out of her knapsack and crippled that cud-chewing mammal 'til it could stand no more...

O and P

My Optimism and Pessimism share a house.

O occupies the room just down the hall; and P rents the room just passed your shoulder. They share the common areas (the kitchen, library, living room, etc.). But mostly they keep to themselves.

O is a genuine and happy sort, but often absent minded. P is neat and particular--some would say overly so.

Yesterday, O left the mustard out, forgot to do the dishes, and even left the fridge wide opened. He trotted off to bed without thinking twice about it.

P, in retaliation, covered the toilet in cling wrap.

Oh the hijinks these two get into.

The Audience

Never write for an audience. They're insidious, self-serving halfwits hell bent on disappointing you.

(X) V. (Y)

Essential to existence (to all life) is mitosis; that is to say, division. And from the stand point of human cognition...once division occurs definitions are essential; the original cell is A, the new cell is B, so on and so forth.

On a molecular level...for the greater good...cells work in harmony with each other. Cell A functions in a particular way that Cell B does not or perhaps Cell A functions in a certain way simply because of Cell B. Either way, Cell A does not boast how much greater it is to Cell B. And Cell B hardly has the time to boast how much greater it is Cell A.

Perhaps this is because cells (in and of themselves) are not conscious of their division or their definitions. Functionality (it seems) does not require consciousness.

Detrimentally, however, human socialization is guided by consciousness more so than functionality. And so it is...that when we divide, let’s say, Human A from Human B... the harmony of ‘division’ is thwarted.

Consciousness, funnily enough, adds a third element to the equation. In addition to: 1.) division and 2.) defining, consciousness includes 3.) opposition. Group B is not just a division from/of Group A. Instead, Group A (from A's perspective) is far greater than Group B. And strangely enough (it is boasted) Group B (it believes) is far superior than Group A.

Human Vegatarians

I wonder if the brontosaurus ever mocked, criticized, or snickered at the T-Rex for being a meat eater...?

Thankfully, the benefit of evolution is social condemnation.

Maternal

His now disfigured mother, at 17, made a 'talented' living as a go-go dancer while in Montreal.

In 1945 (at the age of 22), his grandmother, terrified and sobbing, was raped by a platoon of Russian soldiers en route to their 'liberation' of Berlin.

His grandfather was an airplane repairman for the Third Reich, a Jewish sympathizer who abused his wife. He had a weak chin (if at all) and bedded every floozy this side of Frankfurt.

Before he was twenty, one uncle spent over a year in an iron lung paralyzed by polio. And the other, 40 years later, drunkenly fell down the stairs of his dilapidated home and landed so awkwardly against the wall that he asphyxiated himself.

Sigh

(X): 'Is there anything more comedic than a 'curious' wife blaming her pregnancy on divine intervention?'

(Y): 'Sure, being the husband who believes her.'

(Z): 'Ba dump bump.'

The Nervous Control Freak

Why he was here surprised no one. Why he refused to leave...that perplexed us all.

My First Night at the Americana Motel

The Americana Motel was like ten feet away. My passenger, having puked already (a couple of roads back), was well on her way to doing it again. We needed a stop. And we needed it now.

Once I Had a Little Game

I have played Conversational Chess for a number of years now. It's an exercise in tact and courtesy, altruism and diplomacy; but mostly it's a performance in keeping the monster in me miles away from the fool in you.

Advanced but Primitive

She reminds me of a mentally swift and easy-going neighborhood dog...who miraculously knows how to talk. Yet spends the entirety of the night 'humping' your leg...without ever breathing a word.

The Reason

God isn't dead, silly. She's crippled. Or grounded. Lying in a ditch some where. Or maybe she's being molested by that creepy uncle of hers...

Either way, the universe's (ultimate) Fancy Pants is busy. and has no time for you. So get over it.

Déjà vu

Déjà vu is your mind recalling the elements of a dream; the atmosphere of that experience.

The ethereal quality of the dream, the lack of specificity in the memory, and our immutable desire to be far greater than what we are...forces us to view this moment as a spiritual awakening. Shamefully so.

'Dramatic'

What profit do you gain from uttering that word? I suppose one could argue that it is just a word and therefore no harm had been committed. But here were are, yet again, and here we shall remain, yet again...questioning just what it is that inspires you to open your foolishly snippy and abhorrently simple, incontinent and caddish mouth.

The Day I Met Ophelia

I had scarcely begun remembering her name when she started in telling her story.

Salute

Good luck to the man who knows how to play to your weaknesses. I mean you do, right? Over and over again, obsessively so and without remorse.

Fear V. Wisdom

Fear sees fire. Wisdom sees smoke.

Reductions

(Pronoun) (auxiliary verb) (verb) (definite article) (noun) (preposition) (noun); (verb) (adjective) (noun) (noun). (Conjunction), (pronoun), (adjective) (noun) (preposition) (definite article) (noun), (pronoun) (auxiliary verb) (verb) (preposition) (definite article) (noun) (preposition) (adjective) (noun).

Loyalities

 I had no intention of abandoning my post. None at all. My post, however, had other things are her mind. And loyalty was not one of them.

Loyality

I learned everything one needs to know about loyalty, luck, and love...from a back issue of Mad Magazine.

Lemon Wedges

She uses her judgment like a weeping whore uses her tears,
Who does so to gain little more than a momentary upper hand in a situation she never should have participated in to begin with.

Copyright Infringement

Hardly Aware of What She Does

She sits in her room rubbing perfume & self-help books all over herself. Sinking into the abyss of her decay.

...

March 23. There is little left to learn in completing another (capable) man's chores.

Tragedy     Comedy
    18              14

Absinthe

Her Honesty finally collapsed...to the kitchen floor...into the maelstrom of all it shared.

Contingency Plans

So much for plan A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J.

Decisiveness

Many of us become remarkably decisive at the most inopportune moment.

Scoundrels

I was approached by a succession of scoundrels today. One by one. One after the other; each shaking my hand, praising me for the immoral feat I had just accomplished.

Until, finally, the last scoundrel approached, promptly smiled, tilted his head and in a low guttural voice...perniciously muttered:

'Join us, James; join us.'

And I did.

Thieves

Thieves are wise. Lazy, but wise.

...

March 20. It is found at times...that a torn tendon, internal bleeding, and a rather unflattering disposition will inspire even the most well intentioned physician to mutter the word 'Cancer.'

Tragedy     Comedy
    17              14 

Oregano

Oregano is the putrid whore of the spice world. And what's worse...she's quite content with that distinction.

An Infant Rebellion

The revolt began with a whisper...in a crowded room...on a morning meant more for lullabies than a boy's coming of age.

The revolt began with a whisper...in a crowded room...on a morning meant more for celebration than political plot.

Chubby Souls

She grabbed and squished the thigh of my soul. Its fat oozed through her tiny fingers.

Things

Creativity is the belief in the practicality of things.

...

March 17. The burden of Sisyphus hangs to my ear. Push to one end of the spectrum only to fall to the other. Rejection/Praise/Praise/Rejection. The gallantry of mediocrity has never seemed so necessary.

Tragedy     Comedy
    17              13

Roaming...

A number of thoughts are roaming through my head. Some felicitous, others bright. But none with enough stamina to make it through the night.

21st Century

21st century socialization is a cold and uncomfortable room with far too many revolving doors and twice as many odoriferous guests.

Publishing

Burdened by having to make the necessary gestures, to thrust my way past the overcrowding of doubts.

...

March 16. There is little in this universe more uplifting than a participatory activity without meaning. The lyric of the day will be forgotten. Hopefully.

Tragedy     Comedy
    16              13

Employees...

Her Patience is terribly understaffed.

Ethnically Diversifying the Social Milieu

Needed: 1 oppressed South African, 2 eccentric Norwegians, 6 Brazilian models, a smathering of Russian bourgeoisie, and, umm, 1 or 2 real-estate savvy South Koreans. No! 3 real-estate savvy South Koreans!!! 3! That should make for a good enough start.

Sinking...

He sunk into the depth of her decay....

Canons...

Diplomacy and Empathy are the hallmarks of the Intellectual.

My Dear Ophelia...

My Dear Ophelia:

It is in our most quiet and reflective moments, where we are guided by constitutional reserve and intelligent virtues, where our stubborn countenance is born again, stoic and fixed, that the stalwart marrow of my heart still gnashes and gnaws its caged limbs, its voice though muted, smothered and subdued, still calls out your name, your unparallelled frame, indelible embrace—its want to propagate our spirited story. 

So, today and in the days to come, uncouth and silently prowling our great moon-lit  stage, let us live, Ophelia, not like a weary stifled witness, but like mad starving children, wildly roaming the city streets—purging the calls of our histories, giving our lives form!

Humbly yours,
W.C.

Spring

The peculiar onslaught of continuous joy--an injurious loss of productivity.

...

March 15: The cluster cycle has subsided. A laborious lesson in patience. The benefits of western medicine.

Tragedy     Comedy
    15              13

Consumption...

She is purging the calls of history; giving new life form. And I, four rooms down the hall, I am gorging on the feast of old friends.

Pa-pa-power...

Leave the dead and the gods to the dead on the gods.

The Breakfast of Champions

Assholishry is an impatient sport.

Assholishry is a quality play for the asinine sort...

Assholishry is a dying art.

Analysis...

Womb free since 1977.

Glorious...

The popularity of alcohol shouldn't surprise a soul. Not a one.

Caring is Creepy

Though contagious, 'Jungle Fever' is curable.

Roles

So long as human beings identify themselves with what exists between their legs...half the population will have no reason to relate to the other...

Angels Dance & Angels Die

Shamefully: Of all the angels? Beelzebub is the most creative.

Period...

This is a sentence about the upside of death. It's not the greatest sentence; but it's still a sentence. And now...now...this is a sentence about bowling. This sentence is slightly better than the first one, but by no means categorically great either.

Biomechanics....

I am often perplexed by how shameful the human body looks when it slips on ice and flails its arms about...

Groping the air hoping to catch some invisible friend.

Women...

Watching an inherently strong woman's vulnerability peak out from behind the shadows...is, by far, the most attractive and ingenious display of character...anyone of you will ever muster.

...

March 11. The premature/unnecessary testing of cancer again. Optimistic.

Tragedy     Comedy
    15              12

Cupid's Itch

Jealousy is the herpes of the 'feeling' organ. Anger? The gonorrhea of the intellect.

It's a Wonder...

Arrogance strolled around the courtyard rather cheerily this morning.

...

March 10. The Love Ghosts are on the move again, Gentlemen. We received the telegram, late this afternoon...from the eldest of the two.

Tragedy     Comedy
    14              12

Just Play...

Were she able to sell the deeds of her youth (a penny a piece perhaps) to gain the good fortune of smiling again...

I imagine she would.

Arrogance...

Arrogance spits when it speaks.

A Summer's Ghost...

It is a rarity finding someone in this universe who can slap you with a stop sign like she can...

What is more, and even more uncommon...is finding someone who wish she could.

Pride...

Pride's greatest foe is Experience. Naw, it's true...pride told me--in that rare moment of honesty (we all go through).

So, let's tickle Experience, shall we? Coo che coo, Experience; coo che coo.

Appreciation V. Achievement

All human errors are dependent upon the want to achieve. That is to say, dissatisfaction...with what one has already gained.

Loquacious Honesty...

Her Honesty appeared dizzy and woozy; sickly and pale too. It swayed to the left and then to the right. But I'm proud to say, it hung to the task of catching itself. And it did. Until it puked.

Tight Ropes

She put her best foot forward. And so lost her balance. And fell.

Shiny and Red...

Careful, man: She bites after she cries.

Work in Progress

Oh, to have been a rebellious angel watching the desperate, poor, and confused lick the heels of hope the legislators of the Celestial City carelessly designed and comically set out...

Reincarnation...

Should it ever be discovered that reincarnation exists, the merit of time travel will become absolute.

The Night...

She tied on her disguise like a child would a bow. And sought out to drink as much as she could throw...

After a night of drinking and the hiking of her dress. She was found warming the floor with her cheek and her breath...

Work...

A rejection will mythologize what might have been gained.

Surprise...

She ties on disgust like a child would a bow.

Photography...

Photography (like music) is quick and proficient. Photography immediately strikes the senses. Literature, however, saunters and limps; she tardily takes her time en route to delight.

Ideas...

The joy of coaxing an infant idea to climb out of the abyss, to tug on your ear and whisper her story? Immeasurable.

To Life's Most Ambitious Door Knockers...

The detriment of having skeletons in our closets isn't that the exist. It's that they're craftily skilled at making sure we ne'er forget that they do.

Knowledge...

Knowledge is a peculiar force. On the one hand it forever changes; on the other? It'll cause even the most plastic of men to become stubborn (abhorrent) mules.

Doubt V. Certainty.

Of whatever the sort: the value of certainty, the merit of doubt...they are both misguiding.

Uneducated...

I had grasped the lesson my servant taught me, carried it with me long after she left...

But unequipped to know where to take it, I eventually misplaced it, and so sought another moment to remember.

Pleasure...

The pleasure of the moment perched herself on my shoulder, stretched her neck and chirped a song.

Surprisingly

I had seen her cowardice scatter--then scurry to the corner--long before I walked in the room.

Failures...

A failure ought to be seen as an isolated social misstep, rather than a pervasive character flaw.

Remnants...

She is a petulant, impatient child with a heart of gold and a mind just floating in the breeze.

Over Confidence...

My 'Over Confidence' got a little handsy with me tonight. And so being a gentlemen (of a certain degree) I happily returned the favor.

By night's end, with my hand under her shirt, just over her bra, she...

Connections...

Sometimes an entire marketing department is required to keep an amorous connection alive.

War...

The possibility...that men enjoy war as a distraction to their attempts at understanding women...is a great one.

Ambition's Flaw...

It is falsely believed that the more one craves something
the more likely one will acquire that something.

Existence...

Existence is the power to instill as many new ideas to as many new people in as many new moments as you possibly can.

Paragraphs...

I let the paragraph out. And immediately sough to get it back.

Elegance...

Some are born into elegance. Others, like plastic dolls, just illustrate it. I am a firm believer in eugenics.

Fragility of Socialization

Few of us are prepared to realize just how fragile our friendships truly are.

Spoiled...

He is more a spoiled brat than a needy one.

...

February 20. The Cluster Parade has now begun. Listen to their engines hum.


Tragedy     Comedy
    14              11

1997

The Sixties fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. Even to the actors who gave us the colour...tie-dyed...submarine scene. Ken Kesey and his O.K. Corral, peace arcades and drugged-out slumber parties.

The Story...

I had left my story on the desk and walked out of the room to tend to some affairs. When I came back that night, exhausted from my chores, I noticed my story had, strangely enough, sprouted some limbs and a pocket full of plum.

You'll be surprised to know that this did not perplex me. Not in the least. Watching her scamper 'cross the room, though. Crawl out the window and wave goodbye? Now that did.

Windows and Histories

For no discernible reason whatsoever, I will, every so often, grab and toss a large enough object with sufficient enough weight and crack a window in my head simply to watch the history of everything I've done here seep in.

When I do this...the moment is by no means amusing. Utterly frightening really. And so I am quickly off...to the other room, on the phone, dialing up the repair company.

The Excitement of the Herd

To some we are impenetrable. Others...malleable at the slightest touch. We all are. Everyone of us. Because this is the nature of socialization.

Alcohol

Alcohol will at first hoodwink then sucker punch your soul.

Ode to Wordsworth

And there they lay. The remnants of our youth. Their necks splintered by the traps set out by Experience.

Running...

We had been up all night. Running. Mauling things over. When the sun woke, rubbed her eyes, and clipped our heels.

Creativity...

Her creativity is taking a shower. And I'm drilling a peep hole and breaking out the Vaseline.

The Rolling Stone in Paris

She's a creative man's dream.
But an intelligent man's nightmare.

Arm-Chair Politics

Contemplation with inactivity will gut you like a fish.

Whipped and Hog-tied...

I've been whipped and hog-tied by a number of insults over the years. Weathered and beaten by them too. But none more damaging than: 'I don't think you'll be a good father.'

(You 'accidentally' poke the neighbor kid with a lit cigarette half a dozen or so times on like three different occasions, mostly for fun...and all the sudden you'd make a bad father?)

The insanity of that one (and the certainty in which it was delivered) still frightens every atom of my being.

The Poor Decision Demon

The Demon dwells in the forest. In a long-abandoned cabin dating back to old charcoal-burning times. It is lonely here. And so is she.

Murmurs of the wind echo through the trees. A fox limps across the rotting porch. My visit here is unnecessary and the cold is bitter.

Skeletons...

Befuddle your skeletons before shoving them in the closet.

All But Her...

Petulance set in and suffocated all but one of the evening's guests.

Strangely Enough...

Losing your cool will fictionalize the elements that spark your anger.

Manhood

Manhood is being responsible for burdens you wish didn't exist and sadden by the lack of responsibilities you wish you had.

Over-Zealous...

Over-Zealous Altruism is often flirty and charming, buxom and sleek. But she's nearly always accompanied by eventual Anger.

Mistakes

The secret knock was given. And looking through the peephole we saw Empathy...on time, smiling and finely dressed. The guard to my left looked at me and nodded his approval.

Much to our chagrin, many of our mistakes begin this very same way.

Moments...

The enormity of the moment frightened the next moment so badly that the follow-up moment to those first two moments stood and puked.

Sometimes...

Romance is a love affair with your imagination...

...

February 13. Aura Migraine. The loss of a good friend. Sense of freedom. The shame of hearing a mother cry.


Tragedy     Comedy
    13              11

Just 'cause...

Let's play a game of peekaboo with our funny bones.

The Social Race...

I am often in the habit of rarely keeping up with those I get to know. Until a inevitable moment occurs and the sound of a bullhorn (or some such nonsense) echoes the possibility the race is soon to end.

The fear of this stings me, immeasurably so; and so I lengthen my stride, quicken my pace, and soon enough...

Soon enough, I'm at the finish line, out of breath...

And waiting.

Remember This...

Anger is the most primitive form of emotional manipulation...

A e i o u and Sometimes y.

The girls' faces are slowly sinking away...

Many shades exist in the departed.

Altruism...

Sometimes Altruism imposes too great a responsibility on us. And so we rebel against it...like a spoiled child when asked to complete a mundane chore.

Cannot Remember Why...

There is both an enormous risk and an indelible benefit to losing one's memories.

Confusion...

Confusion belittles me. So does small talk. Small talk is filled with courteous assumptions. Confusion? Not enough of them.

I Need a Brand New Friend...the End.

The challenge is finding a friend who gives you the control to be exactly who you are--whatever the moment, whatever the outcome. One who hands you freedom to feel or not feel.

In the end, this is what it means to love him.

*stupid stupid stupid*

Psychoanalysis is not an appropriate substitute for introductory small talk.

...

February 8. Phantom Clusters increasing in frequency. Slightly befuddled. Hesitantly optimistic. Gertrude's birthday tomorrow.

All n' all...

All he ever wanted was a hard day's work, the ability to make a woman blush, and the temperament to make her laugh 'til she lost all urinary control.

Liberty...

Liberty begins with no less than three glasses of wine.

Hatred...

I abhor fear--especially in others.

Mountains...

A relationship is not about climbing a mountain.
No, no, no. It's about building one.
And then throwing each other off it half way from the top.

Freedom

The critic is a necessary component to the exercise we call art...

Chaos...

The grit of a negative experience is our immutable want to change it.

If...

If you cannot be talented, be creative. If you cannot be creative, be accepting. If you cannot be talented, creative or accepting? Settle for being good looking.

Death by Pony...

I knew a woman once who was really into unicorns. For her birthday one year, I bought her a pony and in an attempt to make it look all real and such, I creatively glued a horn to its forehead.

It was swell. She loved it. Really did. And I would have too, had she not spooked the fuckin' thing and got her head kicked in.

That was definitely the silliest of funerals.

...

February 2. Pneumonia. Medicated. At rest.

'tis the Season

Cupid seems far more interested in firing his arrows than he is in properly aiming them.

Sometimes...

I sometimes drink to believe in others...other times to forget that I can't.

Gently...

Strife excites me. Success as well. But strife...more so.

Aye...

Truth does not lend itself to happiness.

Instead, it lends itself to understanding, which leads to happiness.

The Switch-a-Roo...

Intelligence is not perceiving your partner's contradictions, it's being in the habit of completely ignoring them.

...

January 27. Disappointment. So much depends on the audience.

Tragedy     Comedy
    12              11

...

January 15. Unprecedented.

Tragedy     Comedy
    11              11

Truth...

He runs after truth like a toddler learning to walk, who furthermore, does so blind folded and on a tight rope.

...

January 13. Optimistic. The knowledge of work--again. Seduction of exhaustion. The entertainment of sleep.

Tragedy     Comedy
    11              11

Gigs...

Dealing in certainties is a young man's gig.

And, oh, how I long to be young again.

Two + A Bird...

Unaware of the ghastly scene set before her (the merits of which still muting us both) the song bird stood, she blinked, and she began to chirp.

Building Rome in Clinton...

& that's where she stood. Boisterous & new, on top the roof top, yelling. Screaming really...

'I want you.'

'I want you, James'

I had heard her--a couple of buildings over and a few floors down--I did.

& when I told her not to jump, to wait, to wait until I got there, I meant it. I certainly did.

Oh, but fella...it's in moments like these that they all become deaf.

Detriments...

Anyone who strives for something with particular intensity, is often suspect of exclusively striving for that something and nothing more.

Scrapped Notes...

Dearest Ophelia:

I do solemnly regret to inform you that I have had the most recent pleasure of sleeping with your sister.

Notwithstanding, I must also admit that the two of you are unlike in every conceivable way. You? You being unique in your cowardice to applaud adjustment. She? She being acutely aware of intuitively knowing just what to do.

W/ great care and the hope that you'll one day admire your sister again.

Humbly yours,
WC

Types...

The presumptuous types rarely afford you the pleasure of feeling present.

Imagination...

And so it had finally passed: my imagination, having heard enough of my rationalizations, turned to me, gnashed its teeth, and shuffled off to bed.

...

January 10: nostalgia for my youth.

Tragedy     Comedy
    11              10

Progress...

Mutism ought to be encouraged. It should. But only before one is asked to speak, not after.

Rewards...

Her proximity to me (not an inch or two) may have remained the most unfortunate element of the moment...had the book I had been holding not been of perfect size and weight...to wipe the sardonic smile from her face.

Control...

There is no virtue in always being cool. There's no virtue in pretending to be either.

Dancing...

On par with a sure sign of intelligence (a great indicator of it and the surest way to gain his intelligence) is not what you say about your life, it's what you choose to omit.

Prisms

Oh, the freedom she is afforded when feeling seduced, is of little importance to the cells she creates when conquered.

Today...

A cage went in search of a bird and found it's prey.

Be it Political or Religious

An advanced sign of maturity is the ability to use humour, rather than anger, in response to hypocrisy.

Lessons Learned...

The nature of a gift is its illustration of how well you have come to know someone; it is an extension of why one has come to know you.

So be assured, Gentlemen, well intentioned though you might be, the wrong gift will THUMP every one of the reasons why she wanted YOU to gift HER in the first place.

Values...

Learning to appreciate what stands in front of you..rather than what could...ought to be essential.

Unless you're about to get punched. If you're about to get punch...then...

More Productive

She found his cock more convincing than his character.

Princesses, & Swarovskis, & Pillow Sniffers...

Naive and youthful, proud and presumptions...oh, the unattainable is forever attractive.

Laws of Attraction--Redux

A new Attraction begins with an 'atta boy,' a well intentioned pat on the romp, a playful pop to the shoulder. But then Attraction catches a cold or something. It becomes gravely ill. Barfs. And retreats. Breaks a fever and faints. Smashes its head on the table. And then pisses itself.

It's quite the show really--it really is; and most of us wouldn't change it for anything.

Laws of Attraction....

Attraction depreciates in value the moment it begins.

Communication...

Let it be known now and in the days to come: that in the spirited candour of our loose speech, where the sounds of our thoughts thump and drop their way from out our lips, where we remain hungry in the maddening of our chamber's echo, gnawing on the careless evening's only plot.

There is kindled in me, and in the man I have become, an eventual regret for what we just did.

Sorry 'bout that.

And so it is...

Muzzles and earplugs are the hallmarks of enduring relationships.

Wisdom...

Though we should applaud her ambition, never praise a guest who gulps her wine.

Not a Mad Dash...

Inebriation ought to be an evening-long journey.

Getting Across Town...

I dare say, shooting the messenger is far easier than convincing the messenger to shoot the sender.

L.F.H.

The strongest and most independent woman I have ever met...not once uttered the word 'feminism.'

Honesty...

'Honesty' is like that handmade sweater your grandmother gives you. Good for one or two social occasions, but never in moments where success is essential.

Fever Solace...

What bothered him was not her stubborn independence; it was her stubborn belief that her stubborn independence was somehow advantageous.

Control V. Wisdom

For some...anger is ready, dripping, and on the tip of their tongues.

Mistakes and Loses

We spend more energy cursing our mistakes than we do fixing them.

Warriors V. Givers...

Each of us is part warrior and part giver.

And I believe our successes (whatever their form) are dependent on the degree to which we let each part surface...

Courage or Stupidity

When faced with losing a loved one, it takes courage to give into your neuroses.

It takes courage to give into your neuroses...rather than a loved one.

A Mother's Shame...

A mother's shame (once instilled) is a molester to girl.
A mother's shame (given years to exist) becomes a rapist to a woman.

Archiving...

How lucky was she that her father was a doctor?

Quite.

The Beauty of Nature...

Death? Well death can get awfully handsy sometimes.

Emotionally molesting too.

But it's in her nature, so we'll forgive her.

Such a Wonder...

Sensitive and fragile, angered and weak; but never open or vulnerable.

Challenge, Rarely Demand

He admires women who challenge, but rarely those who demand.

To Success....

Let it be known, now and in the days to come, that the stalwart marrow of my hope still gnashes and gnaws its caged limbs, its voice though muted, smothered and subdued, still calls out your name, your unparallelled embrace.

Perceptions...

‎It is hard to take people seriously when the elements of their anger/insecurities seem to change with each new day.

Love...

Love is not a reality; it's a value.

Value

Believe more fully in your strengths than in your weaknesses.

The Utility of Romance...

Re-writes...

Anger is for pussies.

Anger, given the chance to fester, will destroy you.

Standards...

Having standards in your life is good; so long as they are not to the exclusion of what is good.

The Buddy, The Guy, And The Fella...

Hypocrisy walked in the room carrying her favourite weapon--a .45 calibre Smith & Wesson.

A .45 calibre Smith & Wesson she affectionately named 'The Double Standard.'

Gunless. Shirtless. He went down swinging without a hope in hell.

And Yet...

Despite our nature, humankind is menacingly flawed at the whole herd thing.

It's a Wonder...

He found living up to her standards draining and difficult. She found them entirely impossible. It's a wonder.

4th Floor Living Without a Yard

Hypocrisy is NOT a minor character flaw. But neither is impatience.

Joy

The joy of self gratification is the joy of having to please no one but yourself.

Little Warrior...

He could protect her from everyone...everyone but herself.

The Burden...

The burden of continual success? Eventual failure.

Disappointment...

Disappointment, given the chance to fester, will destroy you.

Back to Square One

Deception is dangerous. For everyone involved.

Redux

There are few of us in this world more unattractive than the 'fibber.'

Except, of course, the fibber who thinks she's good at it.

Humming Birds, Walks, and Popcorn...

Reciprocation is essential to the survival of any emotional/physical/intellectual connection.

Down by the Mill....

A rumour had chased her today, but unequipped to gain any real ground...it simply caught up and licked the heels of those around her.

Switch-a-Roos

He grew weary of being wanted but never seen.

You V. The World.

One may grow tired of learning, but the world will never grow tired of teaching.

Mutism

Mutism is a deficit. Selective mutism? More so.

Value...

Do not want nor require anything more than the ability to embrace the creature you are, whoever you might be, in whatever moment you find yourself in.

Like, ummm...

When hope and vulnerability collide...humiliation is certain to follow suit.

The Nature of Life....

What is painful...is not watching our heroes die. No.

It's knowing our belief in them will (eventually) have no choice but to die along with them.

There is nothing like it.

Nothing induces a want to understand the universe like failure.

As sturdy as it may seem...

A moment will never say it...but its dirty little secret is that it's always fleeting.

The Truth of it....

Getting the chance to look at you, has been one of my greater artistic achievements.

Principles...

You are and will continue to be no more powerful and/or weaker than the individual you are standing next to.

April 2010

And Mr. Fiddlesticks walked back in the room--with his fugly and abhorent bride, Miss Fiddlesticks! Fiddlesticks!

This is not about you....

She is too strong to constantly play the role of victim. And yet...

And she'll wonder why he left...

She'll illustrate fear, insecurity, and sometimes jealousy...but never care.

She's silly.

States

Some are more apt to critize the things that make them confident than they are things that make them fearful.

Of your own devise

I envy the man who caged you.

Concrete...

His gift? The Chevrolet of contradictions. Hers? The Cadillac of mind fucks.

Challenges...

Sadly, there is something strangely encouraging when being second guessed.

Fortunately...

She admired damage; and he sold her drug of choice.

Once a Knave...

The ability to feign interest has proven--yet again--to be his greatest challenge.

Disgraced

The alcoholic ex boyfriend will forever ruin it for the rest of us (more spirited and capable) drunks.

Distress....

You will find that 'worry' will often perpetuate the simplest of challenges.

The Unexpected

Seems with each new chapter comes a dozen new lessons. He did not see this coming.

The Poor Fella...

It wasn't until he was 32 that he realized who he was; and who is was...was a fella who wished he could be 31 again.

The Truth of it.

You will rarely find someone who boasts about being 'important' meeting the standards of those who actually are.

Mr. In. Tent V. Miss Communication

In the struggle between intent and miscommunication...second miscommunication.

As he got Older...

As I get older, I seem more interested in making things work,
rather than destroying them.

What is also true...is that this sometimes bothers me.

What to do...

Add to the stories that make up the human tale. Don't reiterate them.

Flaws...

The oldest flaw in the book...is believing--in others.

Maturity...

Maturity is the ability to find value in multiple perspectives simultaneously.

Innocence....

Idealism's greatest adversary is reality...

Feelings

Were 'feelings' school children...I am fairly certain they'd be forced to take the small-school bus to get to class.

Fairly certain...

Insights...

It isn't until your dinner guests are ten minutes away that you realize just how filthy of a person you've become.

Rooms

Empathy walking in the room didn't surprise him. Apathy following suit? Now that certainly did.

Petite France

I had lost both the battle and then the war. And every soldier I sent in? Them too...

Narratives

The Quivering Forest

The fella certainly was devoted. But no where near ready.

No, no, no....

Narratives

Time

Time will race you. And time...time will win.

Frameworks

Should you find it necessary to understand someone by putting them into the framework of your own experience...

Don't.

It's Too Bad...

Intelligence did not evolve to compete against anorexia addiction.

Where It's At...

Consistency (not instability), Kindness (not ego-centrism), and Empathy (not apathy) are the merit badges of the Awesome Possum.

Show and Tell....

To tell someone who you are is to boast about who you are. And to boast about who you are is usually a sign that a contradiction is about to slap your audience in the face.

The Detriment of Fear--Redux

Fear is designed to motivate, not navigate.

The Detriment of Fear

Fear is neither skilled nor qualified to instruct or counsel. Its sole purpose (its only purpose) is to simply motivate--nothing more.

Remember this.

Fancy Pants, Kittens, Sunshine, and Robots.

I have never had a woman look so intently at me, and yet been so oblivious to the man standing in front of her.

Again...

Admittedly, I had seen the chimp. I had. With a smile on his face and a lump of brown goo dripping from his hand.

What I did not see, not two feet above me, was the swirling, whirling motion of the room's only fan....

The ghost

The ghost of my first love is walking away...

Life

Sobriety is the mechanism that fools--an otherwise intelligent--man into believing he is living a valuable life.

Things and things...

A woman is never more herself than when she's with a man other than you....

Puzzles and things...

It's not so much that she no longer cares; it's that she no longer cares to show you that she does.

The Facts of Life...

Life--being in the business of teaching--has afforded me two valuable lessons:

The first (and unfortunately the harder of the two lessons to accept) is that humility and kindness are not as advantageous as one would imagine.

The second? Well, the second is that you ought never universalize the perception another human being has made of you. Ever. Period.

Regrets

My biggest regret (were it necessary to make one) is the continual belief that those who not to like me are justified in doing so....

Power V. Corruption

Power will always corrupt...because, like any living organism, it has no long-term inherent sustainability. Change is inevitable and is power's greatest foe...

Yet...at the root of power (again, no different than any other living organism) is a want to sustain its existence--by whatever means necessary. But the only way to do this (because by its nature no living organism can do so naturally) is through corruption.

The Flaw of Cynicism.

To verbalize your cynicism is to misguide yourself into believing your opinion matters. On this front, the verbal cynic (without realizing it) has naively contradicting his (supposedly profound) negative view of the world.

To this end, verbalized cynicism is not an intellectually rites of passage. Rather, it is an illustration of one's inability to understand just what it means to be a hypocrite....

Tread These Paths Cautiously

The wise will always go two steps beyond what they believe to be the answer.

Learning....

More important than what you teach is how you teach.

In all of history....

Let it be known, now and in the days to come....

Whimpering is achievement's greatest foe.

Transformations

Subjectivity V. Objectivity

How do you cope with knowing that all you believe is little more than an element to an arbitrary argument?

The Difference....

His problem...wasn't that he intellectualized 'romance.'
It's that she didn't.

The Issue...

Were it discovered that human beings actually have purpose, it will be of the kind that has been given the least amount of consideration.

Advice...

Carry in your pocket an ounce of doubt for any certainty you may hold.

The Day....

I dream of the day when one's intellect will take precedence over her appearance.

Often Times....

There are many in this world who confused Intimidation for Leadership.

Run from this people. And run fast.

Veritas

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

Romance V. Partnership

Romance is based on lies.
Partnership is based on truth....

Evil V. Man

Evil, however hard it may strive to, cannot become man; for man is far more sinister and resourceful....

Simply put, Evil's evolution has not reached that stage of development yet....

Integrity

Shy away from the idea that you're the standard to which others should strive for....

Feminism and the Feminist

There is a notable difference between Feminism and a feminist.

Feminism is a doctrine that demands equality.
A feminist is a person (male or female) who interprets said doctrine.

Like a bible pastor, a feminist's interpretation might be flawed, but the doctrine is irrefutable.

The Nature of it....

The chip on your shoulder betrays your insecurities far more dramatically than your funny bone ever could.

The Problem with Geography

A chorus had been sung today--a few neighborhoods over and in a city or two to the north.

Character...

Achievement is not how much one acquires,
but how much one is willing to give away.

Reasons Against Intimidation

Intimidation works--because you have come to understand the limitations of your intellect. Because your want for power exceeds your understanding that you will never possess it--because others fear fueling your increasingly unnecessary aggressive behavior....

Reflections of a City

And the Night is Going to Fall....

Remember: Your constant need to illustrate your power will always make you the weakest one in the room.

When in Rome...

Prayer....

Do you know what an overly-smart and panicked child sounds like when he prays? He rationalizes, bargins, pleas, begs, hopes and expects. He sounds no different than a panicked 40 year old, just higher pitched and more hopeful.

Angst Und Verweigerung

Wenn ein Problem besteht, hat eine Person zwei Wahlen:
Angst. Verweigerung.

As the Company Left....

Six ways from Sunday and slightly to the left....
I awoke w/a start.

On the Right Track

 

Nailed It!

 

Reasons....

The attraction of alcohol is that it offers a being a
sense of enduring success w/ every minute momentary accomplishment.

Journeys

I forgot where I met her. But I knew she was close.

Post Card

 

Stating the Obvious

It is best not to argue with gravity.
She is far more skilled than any one of us.

The Problems with Pockets...

I had met a beguiling story today. Even placed it in my pocket to save it for later.

Like chocolate, though, these things never quite turn out....

Imagination....

She heard a sound thump and drop its way from the attic.

The fear of it pinned her.

Inebriation

Sure, she had the energy to staple the truth to his forehead...
Hell, she even tried once. Huffed and puffed too.

But it was her lack of intelligence to start the task w/ a nail...that was really her undoing.

Art-itechture

 

Arachnid

 

The Born Again

To advance his climb towards truth, the born again builds attractive ladders and scaffolds. Never realizing, however, that the material he has used is meant more to guide him sideways, rather than up.

Where it Happens...

I had met her in the cemetery, sunbathing.

Ode the most beautiful night of them all.

He Took a Face from the Ancient Gallery....

 

Lights, Camera, Action!

 

The Light at the End of the Bottle

 

To That Certain Type of Man....

Had you the inclination to gather every bar-brawling antagonist the world had to offer...to placed them in a room with their respective vices (fists, fights, addictions, and the like).

You'd have an idea of the type of room my mother found fit to socialize in....

The Supposed Evidence of Ghosts & Ghouls

I am afforded little joy in the notion that people put more faith in the supernatural than in the fallibility of modern photography.

Fertilizer and Egg

A father is not a man...but an archetype that ought to be: first applauded, then surpassed.

A mother is not a woman...but the sermon that gives you the confidence to surpass the archetype....

Stages...

In walks, stage left, the necessities of the conversation.
Stage right? The presence of mind to end it.

Imagination Running Amuck

By its very nature: a dark space cannot explain itself
(for the mind is far too busy speaking for it);
it has no room to get in a word edgewise...

Oddly Enough

It is found sometimes...in moments of panic, fear, and passion....
that the Rational often seems a supporter of the Imagination...
rather than (as it should be) its greatest competitor....

To Peculiar Men

I had been sitting here for no more than ten minutes when I was approached by two men asking for money.

The first: beardless and buoyant, bowed his head and offered a practiced speech--volunteered one too many thank yous and twice as many pleases.

The second, was not so much appreciative, as he was honest...simply scowled at the amount I had given him.

It is true, by night's end...at least three men were fed today.

Grooming to Appear Appealing

I had saved the life of a lie today by telling another. And when the second lie became breathless...I created a third...

So on and so forth.

It wasn't until the seventh lie that I realize:

what I had set out to do on this occasion still had not been done. That my hair's cowlick had still not settled...and that any lie to the contrary would by no means help the cause.

Awkward Moments

The burden was not so much walking into the room and seeing her in a blood soaked towel....It was more so seeing the shine of the knife my friend was holding....

Ode to those silly awkward silences...

Mistrials

Adam could not formulate a proper defense until long after his expulsion from the Garden (the appeal is not necessarily naivety, but a lack of knowledge and incompetence on the part of the attending counsel)....

From this and for no other reason, the powers that be ought to declare a mistrial!

The Grumpy Young Man

What had been described to me today (after all my regular business had been completed) lent little support to the reasons why I woke....

The Grumpy Old Man

I had opened my window this morning...not so much because I heard a bird chirping...But rather to give my boot better aim to stop any of that nonsense from continuing!

The Artist's Opening

Should it be discovered that the artist's work is meaningless...
One ought to remind him...that so too is his audience....

Feminism

Feminism's detriment (its greatest enemy) is not chauvinism; it's other women....

Coming of Age...

The path, mistakenly believed to me the right one, was paved....

The Young Woman

I had noticed early on...that she'd often make odd and critical observations of the men who stood in front of her.

These criticisms weren't, by themselves, an indication of her naive youth; making a point to verbalize them, however, was....

Emotional Architecture

The pleasure should ought to be attending the picnic in front of his walls....Not the clumsy world that exists behind them.

Dreams...

In my one hand I carry an object: the want to have more in the other.

Shelves and Spaces

And there sat on her shelf two objects: her past; and any reasonable explanation of why she left it there...

Simply for the Novelty

Applaud the mistakes you have made...crisply and cleanly pat yourself on the back....

Given the constitution of the world...

Oddly enough, regret, fear, and guilt...will always outplay appreciation.

Foundations

At the root of photography is vanity and remembrance....
In other words, evidence that you (once) exist(ed).

Seriously

There is no beauty in always smiling....

I've Often Wondered...

Will there be 12 men in the room when I die? Or only two...or will it be a mirror?

If it's the first, I hope I ain't wearing the frilly underwear. If it's the second, I hope I hid my cash. If it's the third? I hope I don't sneeze.

The Walk Home

And it was in that moment when I finally and rudely realized what was preventing me from advancing the second step.

One can hardly be said to walk well when one is inebriated, less likely (doubly so) after one has plunged (nose first) into the solid oak floor.

Unification of the Senses

Unifying the head, the heart, and the genitals to admire the form bent before me is the process by which I realize I am made up of at least three--forever separate--essential organs.

Ultimately

Ultimately the social milieu in which you are born is as inconsequential as the location of said birth. Both lead to false identities and diminish--feverishly--one's eventual originality.

The shirt and tie gig...

I was about as comfortable as an over-zealous Hindu in a slaughter house...

A Year of Capitalism

There were a dozen changes in me that I saw coming; 12 more that I didn't...But it's the three (I haven't even mentioned) that continue to scared the shit out of me.

A Story About Quiche in Ten Minutes

Curtain opens: Act 1: Scene 1.

"I'm in the mood for quiche," she said...

"Well, I ain't so that's enough out of you...."

*SLAP*

Curtain closes....

By
James--with-9-minutes-and-28-seconds-to-spare--Majoros

Another applause; another gift....

More often than not, I believe there exists in you (insert name here) an extremely high level of kindness and intelligence--both brought on by pain and natural wisdom--two characteristics that will forever exceed whatever superficial attraction you may possess....

The Goodness of Man

In my life:

I've ripped open my leg trying to climb a roof.

I've been hit by a car. After which I flew over said car and slid (unproductively) on the pavement fifteen feet.... I was lucky, though, for my motion was stopped by an awfully friendly curb--as it seems my head (skull) wasn't strong enough to beat concrete he took it upon himself to make sure nothing else 'bad' would happen...

I use to suffer fainting spells. As such, i've hit my head on the: floor, a bath tub, a bathroom door, a school fountain, the toilet and the pavement twice--twice!

I once jumped on my bed face first into a pillow...only to find out my mother bought me a cabbage patch kid and hid it under the blanket, just above said pillow...My nose (though more importantly, my self esteem) has been 'skewed' ever since.

I've done a lot of things and felt a lot of pain....
But nothing compares to my current inability to believe in the goodness of 'man.'

A quiet time...

It's so quiet in here you could hear a mute and shy mouse mime the alphabet...

You go to my head...

Anxiety will prevent an individual from seeing beauty in him or herself.... Egotism will prevent an individual from seeing it in others....

Like Bubbles in Champagne

My eventual wife will be rather fond of pearls.
Obsessed in a sense...

And if it's not pearls then something synonymous
like turtles
or tea pots...
picnic baskets.

Either way, there will exist a necessary competition...

I shall marry her for her face and photography....
I'll shall remain faithful for she'll be much more than that...
Much more!

Pissing on these ancient Aztec Indian walls

Pissing on these ancient Aztec Indian walls, I'm reminded of two things: -

Southern winds still make the act difficult
Such follies still stain my trousers
Such a wonder.

Recycled....

I am interested in anything dealing w/truth, honesty and any attempt to acquire them. Equally so, however--contradictorily perhaps--I am also interested in camaraderie, brotherhood and love....

Remember

99.999999999999999% of what we do is forgotten.

Irony....

When you realize there's a potential you might be wrong, you've equipped yourself with the capabilities to eventually be right...

The Office Social Milieu

Every moment is an unoccupied stage...
wherein one is forced to act without purpose or relevance...

Random Compliments to Random Readers

I could spend the better part of an eternity picking your brain...while remaining constantly enthralled by the true breadth of your wonderful character....

Socialization...

Possessing a strong sense of sensitivity to those around you is as endearing and attractive as the world's finest intellect...

Concerning things...

(Insert words here that mean something, make you feel funny in the bathing suit area, and makes you pee a little bit cause you're laughing so hard.)

Believe me there is a difference...

There is a tremendous and equally powerful difference between:

Confident and strong people and simply angry people who have convinced themselves of flawed ego-based fiction.

These are the days of our...

I didn't see my Cuban friend fall....

But when the calvary walked in...I was all eyes....

And while my maid was pretty, endearing really, she was awfully scared...




It is true, today was a strange day....

Emancipation

Believe me: Arguing w/ you is about as rewarding as finding you attractive...

Advice...

Stop letting your unbruised ego make assumptions your intelligent self knows nothing about....
--

Celebration

Talent is celebrated...

But so is mediocrity...

Purifying

The individual constantly trying to affirm his/her authority is usually an individual oblivious to the reality of a situation.

Condolences

The unfortunate truth about feminism is that it must include the idea of 'man' within its doctrine. It cannot fully separate itself from it.

Not only unfortunate, but also depressing...

Public Transit

I completely underestimated the level of ignorance among early morning public transit travelers.

What I Wish for...

A simple request...

Simply having my wants and needs match up and shake hands...

To say hello, of course...perhaps give one another a nice big hug...

A sloppy wet kiss...

Or at least can...

Whether to play the victim along side the prey, or the prey along side the victim--both of which being lead by a narrow-faced preditor, misunderstanding--is what drives my character.

Power

Power shifts; remember this....

The road less travelled

Believe it or not...alcohol certainly takes its toll.

With that, the eventual outcome of excess is a want to change the game you initially started...With that, comes a second bout of excess; perhaps in a sense, a more healthy round of excess--sobriety...though like before, its root purpose is no different--change, escape, difference.

5 o'clock at the wine rack

You know, it wouldn't look like I had a drinking problem...

If you fuckers did shift work.

I mean, jeez.....

Redemption...

The alcoholic's problem is not necessarily with alcohol...rather, it's his inability to be satisfied with his sober reality.

To be sure, this is a semantic distinction...

To be doubly sure, this is a drunk conversation....

At The Road Side Crying....

There is something innately beautiful about letting someone into your private world, what...with all the moats, solders, hedges n' all....

Yet, I'm the type who enjoys a good peeper, you know?

Rather than a guest.

You know the type, they camouflage themselves to match the hedges...

They bend branches...peer in.

Build attractive ladders....

I dig these folks, for like me, their guards are positioned at every post, armed and ready....

Thoughts...

Every boy desires to outshine his father....

In every son's mind, though....
Exists the voice of a father....

A voice that stops any of that nonsense from happening....

She Drove me Crazy...

Aw, guys, come on...it's not that she's drunk...

Her problem, if anything, is more with gravity...

The difference between Music and Love:

With music you have individuals collaborating--using talent to create a third entity.

With love, you've got two schmoes merely running into each other.

If music has taught me anything, it's that love falls short of being truly beautiful.

Moments

January 5: I miss the sounds of my childhood gymnasium....

Patience is a Virtue...no, no, no...

Virtue exists, not in patience, but in the attainment of experiencing what you had once not possessed...

In other words, there is beauty in negation and slow change...

An Exercise in Stating the Obvious

Did you know you don't pee when you're dead...and that fish swim when they're hungry?

Gonna Be...

I'm gonna be a big man some day...

I swear...

Oh, but what to wear, what to wear...

Lost little girl...

"This is no place for a graveyard...." she said.

"This is no place for dreams neither...."

Perceptions

Of course it make sense to you; if you're the one looking in the mirror asking the question....

Roles....

I'm just a boy who simply played the role of a genius...

That's all...

In Defence of Fiction

Tell me....

Tell me: what have you experienced...

that has not become a story?

The Natural Laws Concerning Non-reciprocation.

If you turn her off;
She'll turn you on...

Motivation and Weakness

The Optimist fails to realize he's scarred. But the Realist is all too willing to show him the knife....

I Like to Sing

I like to sing in the shower....

My audience?

The four walls....

Beyond that?

My unfortunate neighbors....

------------------------------------------

They're nice people, though....

So, we'll forgive 'em....

Concerning Steak and Head day

I'd give my left pinky toe...Nay, a tub fill of talent, to be able to get it up simply because a girl had offered me steak and head...

First off, I dig cooking...

Second, one's mouth is better filled with words....

Preference

I've always admired women who knew how to talk...

Rather than those who knew how to kneel...

Hope V. Faith

Hope is convincing yourself that something beautiful will eventually happen.

Faith is convincing yourself that it already has...

The Benefits of an Ideology...

An ideology affords a being two things:

* The gift of believing in something
* Patterns of behavior one uses to give oneself a sense of identity.

Note, this says nothing about the truth of one's reality.

Remember this...

Epiphanies are tricky....

The Arthurs of Ophelia

The Arthurs of Ophelia is a philosophical exploration of what it means to be human.

From the rational to the sublime...aphorisms coupled with spirituality...rational convictions coupled with spiritual insights. Comprehensive and unique, the Arthurs of Ophelia highlights the refinement of the senses and attempts to highlight the basic foundations of belief, value, brotherhood and love...

A Peanut, Post-it Notes and Elephant Shoes....

I will always believe in you...

A Sense of Loss

A sense of loss...

Here is again born the stature of a child...
A child is again born...

Take me from this weak misery--
Strong again, like a playground bully.
Strong again, like an oblivious smart child...

Here is again born the stature of a man...
a man is again born.

Declarations and Independence

Looking at you makes it easy to understand the concept of beauty....

Raconteur

Little Red Riding Hood's detriment wasn't the big bad wolf...

No, no, no...

Her detriment was the fact she had a grandma...

Lines

There is a fine line between clever and common....


And it all depends on the audience....

When the Doves Cry...

Why is god (spirituality in general) the only alternative to meaninglessness?

Don't Feel so Bad...

We're all at the mercy of my temperament...

Up to and including me...

In all seriousness

You could make flannel pajamas look good...

Potts & Pans & a Year Gone By...

Indeed, the act gloried in itself like a new-born infant,
uncouth & silently prowling its great moon-lit stage.

Majestic & wanting more, it was like Vishnu bent down and gave me a hand-job.

Indeed, I even think, though I'm not entirely sure yet, that a freckle or two just clean fell of my ass! So shocked and impressed by the experience they were.

Thank you...And sweet dreams....

James

Undefined

Her mind was like a child's flower, simply floating in the breeze..

November 2006

It was ten shades of suck. Is what it was...

Holes and Caves...

And the ladies are escaping the prison, gentlemen...

They're running mad, pail and soon caked w/ dirt...

And I, a witness to it, a few fences over & slightly to the left...

I merely applaud their show...

Ideologies...

To me, one of the great problems of feminism is that it can cause otherwise intelligent and rational beings to become wanna-be fighters. It can cause some serious conflict in people because they're trying to follow a doctrine that they are not yet fully intuned with. It will make otherwise thoughtful people angry mongrels who jump at any possible gender based infirmary--even when the infirmary doesn't exist.

Gifts...

One of the greatest gifts a person could give another is an applause...

Concerning my twenty something dreams...

Pow pow pow to Calculus!
Kaaabluewweeey too, with a couple of rounds of semi-automatic machine gun fire...two grenades...and a FU for good measure!

Doctrinaire

You know, I often go out of my way to convince myself and others of their beauty.

With you, though...I simply wanted to show off that I was already able to see it.

Ch-ch-changes...

Realizing you're a self-absorbed narcissist, does little for the ego...

Contradictions

Convincing yourself you're right says little about the truth of your conviction...

Concerning Masculinity

It's a role--not an extension of our biology....

Could I Have Been Anyone Other Than Me?

You know, with all the immoral and sinful activity in the world--what with all the gays, the drunks and the feminists...

I am still struck by one single idea....

We all--male or female--still have to put in eight hours of work a day....

Buddha Sun/Buddha Moon

Noun: Buddha Sun
\Booo da sun\

1.) a semi-affectionate term used to represent the positive, beneficial, effective and adept features of a person and/or situation

2.) a genderless distinction denoting the submissive nature of a male or female's momentary behavior and /or perception


Noun: Buddha Moon
\Booo da moon\

1.) a quasi-affectionate term applied to negative, risky, and immoral situations or moments

2.) a genderless distinction denoting the authoritative power of a male or female's momentary behavior or perception


Noun: Buddha Sun/Buddha Moon
\Boo da son\Boo da moon\

1.) a binary concept illustrating the dichotomized elements found within nature and civilized mores/customs

2.) the time within a 24 hour period where both the sun and moon are at equal distances from the horizon

3.) a genderless distinction illustrating the different, but balanced, characteristics at any given moment of a two-person relationship


Usage and History: The phrase Buddha Sun/Buddha Moon was first used by the 16th century Monk Xia Cho.

Originally the term was applied to the all encompassing idea of balance (i.e. the existing opposite, but equal in value, elements of any particular situation). As usage increased, however, the term became less broad and more psychologically specific to individuals within a partnership. Both today's usage and its predecessor are still common today.

Similar terms/concepts:
Night and Day/Tough Love/Yin and Yang/Good and Bad

Think About it.

Denial...........Anger........Bargaining.....Depression...Acceptance

A Fork in the Road

A fork in the road....

To my right? A monster

To my left? That monster's third ^second cousin twice removed...

I turn around and sigh...

Everyone's Gotta Little a Sunshine...

Dusty maidens, gladly grasp your violins...

Fathers? (tap, tap) forgive them as they begin their play....

Robes and Flunkies...

We bring so much of our own desire (and design) to a situation
that the truth of a moment hardly stands a chance at revealing itself...

I Like Fiction

I like fiction
& like everyone else
I long to believe the fiction
to be true

Just Like Him Tomorrow

Sir, come on...

There are two things you don't know about life:

1.) What I know...

2.) What you don't....

Assuming you know the fundamentals of the universe is your first mistake; thinking others should believe you? Your second.

Lose the ego and i'll stop peeing in your flower bed.

Deal?

Deal.

If Power is Lopsided...

Appealing to one's kindness when one is vulnerable never quite works out...

Would you Believe...

Believe me, if we spent half as much energy accepting people as we do in rejecting them, i'd have absolutely no reason to write this statement.

Oh...and, ummm, just so there's no confusion...yep, ummm, believe me when I also tell you...that ummm...


This Statement Just Isn't Worth it...

A Criticism to the Fool

And it's in those small areas where imbreeding is set to survive that I imagine you find a lovely place you've often called home....

Truth...

You limit yourself w/ the assumption that your act is convincing...

21st Century Accolades ...

The great epic of he's reign will be written by a chimp, edited by a monkey and sold by a whore...

The...

The detriment of life is that you can never truly withdrawal from it without first being motivated to close your eyes...

Desires...

She's striving to make the flaccid man appreciative....

He's striving to convince her there's more to the evening than his penis...

Man's Down fall...

Man's down fall will not be war or disease...

but his inability to realize he is no more important than the person he is standing next to....

Their Jobs...

The responsibility of a writer is to convince an audience that a fictional emotion not only exists but should be felt...

The task of a musician is to forever recreate a once existing achievement...

Sadly....

Continual success can perpetuate a hidden addiction....

Fifth floor living without a yard....

He became a drunk to have something different to look at...

He stayed a drunk because he grew tired of the mirror....

The real issue...

Our problem should never have been with Bush...
But with the idea that now...now anyone can become the President....

By the Brook

So i'm Standing by a Crystal Brook...

To my left?
There's a fish who's talking to me in jibberish...

To my right?
There's a fisherman who wants nothing more than to feed his family....

After a moments pause...
I look at them both...

Both of 'em...
Straight eyed and narrow...


and then I sigh....

Where to Find it...

Beauty exists in the interplay of error and applause.

The Best of You....

To be truly knowledgeable makes one vulnerable to doubt....

Thank you, knowledge...

The Lesson Learned from a Myth

I saw Prometheus tonight...

And, Friend, did he ever look bad...

Real bad!

But, no, don't worry...

No, no, no....

I will see him again tomorrow...

I swear...!

And he'll be optimistic...healthy really...

Smiling....

Because this is the beauty of Prometheus....





(Kyle, this one was for you! To my eventual wife...honie, this one made me cry.)

The Thaw

More thought has been spawned by doubt...

Than it has ever been by confidence....