Guardians
Dear god, please take away our superpowers
Dear god, please take away our superpowers
Dear god, please take away our superpowers
Why isn’t she praying? Ask her to pray!
Pray, Rosette, pray!
Rosette, you’ve reached the end of your mission, you have to pray!
Pray? Why pray? I liked my superpowers. I liked that I could talk to higher powers. I ignored their requests, but continued to reply them.
But I like having people to talk to
But Rosette, you have got to pray!
It’s the only way!
You don’t want us to bother you anymore right?
But I like talking to you guys! I whined to them.
Look Rosette, if you don’t pray we’ll be keeping our powers forever and we’ll forever be reading one another’s minds and we’ll never be able to sleep. Is that what you want?
But I thought you didn’t need to sleep.
Well technically you don’t when you have the powers, but don’t you want to rest, even just for a little while?
I like being able to talk to people with my mind. Even if I can’t see you guys, I’m glad I have people to confide in. Most people don’t even understand me.
Look now Rosette my dear, once you reach the end of a mission you have got to be stripped of your powers so you can be normal again. Get some sleep, go back to school. If you want to keep your powers you’ll be banished to hell for your greed.
I was unhappy still. Dear god, may I keep the superpower just so that I have someone to talk to when I am lonely? I promise I won’t use it for anything else. You can strip everything else, but when I say I’m lonely, will you send my sister Roxanne to be with me?
But that means Roxanne will have to keep her superpower too! She’ll never get to rest in peace!
I don’t mind. It was Roxanne. She’s my sister. She’s missed me so much ever since I died. I want to keep her company when she needs it.
My eyes filled with tears.
As you wish.
It’s only sauce.
I like his smile.
I think he’s sexy.
I’d like to go on a date with him.
″...accused of murder in the first degree...”
He’s kind of cute.
Now that his wife is out of the way.
″...evidence clearly left behind the scene of the crime- a sock and two sets of fingerprints is enough to identify Mr. Jonathan Samuels as guilty of murder.”
I wish they’d hurry up with this trial. I’d like to run away with him.
He’s looking at me. He’s got nice green eyes. I wonder how his hands would feel all over me...
His lawyer's voice cut through my daydream.
″...the defendant was watching a football match in the living room when he heard a noise. He went to the garage and found his wife on the ground. She had slit her throat and was dying.
He tried to stop the blood flow with his sock and left some prints on the door before he called the hospital and the police. Mr. Samuels is devastated he lost his wife.”
I could make him forget her.
He’s tall. Taller than I’d dated before. He’s got a strong jawline. I can tell he’s very authoritative.
The fat presecuter started to speak again snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Mr Samuels has a history of domestic violence cases against him. In 2011 he was found guilty of punching his then girlfriend Amanda Miskin, in 2013 he was accused of shooting his neighbour’s dog, in 2014 he was booked for throwing a flower pot at his ex-wife Ms. Morena Gray. In 2016 he was fired from his job due to anger issues by Comet Company Ltd. where he worked as a manager. Since 2017, there have been rumours in the neighbourhood that Mr. Samuels regularly beat up his wife, as confirmed by ten friends of the victim Mrs Mary Samuels. The marks on her throat as verified by a qualified doctor clearly show she could not have inflected those wounds on herself.”
A man full of rage.
I could handle that.
I’d handled that before. I’d even stood in court and testified five years ago.
The jury found him not guilty. They let him go. His lawyer was too good.
He almost killed me when he got out. But died in a car crash a day later.
I still find people like him insanely hot.
The other jury members looked solemn. My jury hadn’t looked like that. What had I done differently? Maybe they didn’t believe my story because I was still alive.
″...court dismissed till 3 pm.” said the judge.
We all stood up to go to the cafeteria. I listened in on the other jurors.
“He’s guilty.” said the woman in a blue tunic. Self righteous and so utterly mistaken. She thinks the world is full of good people and bad people. She’s the kid who never had to settle for the grey crayons in kindergarden.
“I agree.” said the man in a brown suit. He was the accountant at the bank I always avoided. Always smiling, happy, son-of-a-bitch.
The nine other jurors nodded in agreement as they sat down at the table, plates of spaghetti in front of them.
It was fascinating how, if you put enough sauce, it would look like splattered blood on your clothes by the time you finished your meal.
“He’s innocent.” I said suddenly.
The table paused to listen to me explain, if only because their mouths were full.
“He’s got anger issues for sure, but he isn’t a murderer.” I said.
My abuser hadn’t killed me. He’d always liked to see me suffer.
“I think someone else did it.” I said taking a fork and twirliing it around my plate of spaghetti. “He wouldn’t have slit her throat because he knew he would get caught. It wasn’t him.”
“But the evidence points straight at him.” started old Mr. Harris. He was a good guy, had three grandkids, lived an easy life. Couldn’t be bothered to know how I, back then, living across the street, got such frequent black eyes.
“It’s been planted to make it look like he did it. But he didn’t.” I said firmly. “Believe me, there is someone else involved. A scorned former lover, a wellwisher, a hateful friend---even a robber.”
I hadn’t had anyone. Maybe that’s why I lived.
We returned for the afternoon session shortly after, my eyes meeting Mr. Samuels as I entered. He was more good looking than I had imagined.
He was neatly shaved. I could almost imagine the scruffy beard growing in a few weeks, reeeking of alcohol and overburned cigerettes.
″...just received CCTV footage from across the street, Mrs Mary Samuels is seen with a man, who is clearly not Mr. Jonathan Samuels. This man on the 53rd second mark, slits her throat and runs away after an argument. This clearly shows Mr. Jonathan Samuels is not guilty. Police are looking for a middle aged man, 5 foot 11 inches tall...”
The jury looked at me and nodded.
In a couple of hours they would all agree with what I had told them.
“The jury finds Mr. Jonathan Samuels not guilty.” was announced precisely at 5 pm.
As we left the room I quickened my pace, so I wouldn’t turn around and ask Jonathan Samuels for a drink. I had to get back and see my therapist.
But he was at the door speaking to every jury member as they filed out of the empty courtroom.
“Thanks.” he said to me with a charming smile. The bastard was smirking now.
I’d seen that look so many times before. I ran out of the building, before I kissed him.
He knew his wife had an affair. He knew her lover was abusive too. He knew he would eventually kill her for him.
He knew. He knew.
I thought of those haunting green eyes turning red. He’d be more careful next time.
And now he was free.
Just like me.
I boarded the cab and held my head in my hands.
But was I really?
Mutiny in aisle 10.
“They only want us when they need us,” A chubby roll of Andrex huffed. “Look at them, grabbing at us, expecting us to always be there to wipe up their mess. Why don’t they wipe their own bottoms !”
The attractively-wrapped Angel Soft was fed up with his constant moaning, she had heard it all before.
“Andy, that’s what we’re here for. We are a staple product. Always here when needed. Can you imagine what they’d do without us?”
“That’s my point Angie ! ” The padded Andrex continued. “We’re valuable ! Yet we’re stocked right at the back of store. Never any special treatment, always cheap and available. But when there’s a crisis, a disaster, what do they want to stock up on huh? They come running to us.”
A young four-pack Nouvelle tissue wanted to join in and air her unsolicited opinions. Eager and brash ,she had a tendency to speak before thinking.
“I read somewhere there’s a psychology to it. They panic buy to manage their emotional state. Apparently they’re subconsciously taking back control in a world where they feel out of control.” Nouvelle stated.
“Popycock!” Andrex snapped back. “It’s just greed. Selfish greed. It’s the “me, me” world where all they think about is their own backside. We should go on strike. ”
Angel Soft laughed ” Strike? We’re toilet paper Andrex what do you propose we do?”
″ Just don’t show up. There will be a shortage and then what? It’ll make them think at least...make them show some appreciation.”
“That happened in Venezuela,” Nouvelle interjected. ” I’ve got Carrefour friends out there, it was chaos.”
“You see, ” Andrex continued ” They won’t know what they’ve got until we’re gone.”
Angel Soft contemplated the situation for a moment. She had heard things about this virus, she’d seen the look of fear in the shoppers’ eyes as they grabbed several packs at a time, she’d witnessed the panicked tussles in aisles. Then she thought of that little old lady who just managed to get the last roll on the shelf yesterday, shopping by herself, her small cart full of her basic necessities. She remembered the look of relief on the old lady’s face as she reached for last store-brand toilet roll and Angel Soft knew she’d always show up. She’d be there whether people appreciated her or not. She was a staple after all, a reliable, a trustworthy product in a world of uncertainty. She would wipe up their messes and their backsides , because they needed her.
She mentally rejected Andrex’s plan and straightened her pack. She was proud to be toilet paper and she would do exactly what was said on her packaging: deliver softness and strength at a price that won’t break the bank !
Ignored Truths
What a fool is a man who inquires,
"Where can I find happiness?"
As his child slumbers in his arms,
Yet we are all dense, hypocrites,
For who among us ages untainted?
Blame entertains two parties minimum,
We often hold the antidote; truth
Yet most let it spoil, sit unused,
Unwilling to waiver infectious appetite,
Truth sets free only those who seek,
Habitual creatures scurry deeper,
Quaffing toxins, fantasies ruminated,
Knowledge scours blinding hot,
Searing throes, but begetting sage wights,
Muscle accrued moiling limits,
Pressure induces reform,
Holding back increases tension,
Though forsaken, verity will ascent victor.
not ready
now
you have no excuse
to stand still.
now
that the world
started moving again,
you are expected to go
back to normal,
too.
and you are
not ready.
pushed out
into the blinding light
of the day.
all those crazy sounds
and dancing colours
buzzing in your head.
everyone blooming
and prospering
like spring.
and you -
you are this bare tree
that cannot recover
from one long lasting winter.
In April
In April, I found love, twice
And I paid the price
One was a crush
The other not so much
In April, I knew sunlight
And I also knew night
One made life beautiful
The other made it dutiful
In April, I knew flowers
I also knew power
As I left March to April's scent
I also left it to find what life meant
In April, I saw life bloom
And I read Eliot dress it in doom
It is out of this womb
That I saw a day loom
April's day is a difference
Between closeness and distance
Where a heart hurries a distant memory
And close memories are not a remedy
Because one April day my love was born
Another April day my love was sworn
I didn't find my love among the touched
And I touched that which I didn't care for much
So, can the next April be the same
Where I see a face that doesn't have the name
And tell myself some other time
I'll split the stale from the sublime
In April, I learned a lesson few learn
It's possible to yearn
But the clock has no hands to turn
This April: Change is everyone's cocooned concern
Men In Black
"Fifteen hundred years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was flat. And fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."
-Agent K, Men in Black
I can honestly say I never thought of all quotes, my favorite one would be from Men in Black, but here we are. This quote shows to me how little we actually know, but it's comforting because it simultaneously makes me feel that anything could happen, we just may not yet have the knowledge to understand that yet.
One sip, one look, one taste, one shot,
Then all I had was suddenly not,
I had everything, but didn't know,
Now here I lay, frostbitten in snow,
Wanting more at first inspired,
Left me successful, little to be desired,
Provider of my own family,
A home to which I held the key,
But then enough was not enough,
Advertised happiness actually handcuffs,
Holding me captive, leading me away,
While I smiled and paid bits more each day,
Family warned me, but I didn't listen,
New friends gripped, diamonds glisten,
Wallet stayed out, wallet lost weight,
No need to tempt me, no need for bait,
Spouse and children left, days later I discovered,
Bought a playmate to replace them, easily recovered,
I truly had more now, though not all good,
Troubles, debts, STD's, paranoid attitude,
Dreaded day came, no money to pay,
Shakes of heads, new "friends" scurried away,
Sold all belongings to get one last hit,
Needed so desperately just a little bit,
Don't recall the day I lost the house,
Laid drunken in streets, christened a louse,
No home to return to, a craving to fix,
I headed downtown, for people to trick,
Moments in between, no money to spare,
Sobering up, wondering why I was there,
I'd been happy, comfortable even,
Kids, a spouse to whom I should have cleaven,
My head fills with screaming, I realize it's my own,
Desperate to move, but I'm chilled to the bone,
This moment of clarity comes all too late,
Tears freeze in my eyes, I've accepted my fate,
As I've given up, a light shines through the haze,
An angel has come to save me from my ways,
The light draws closer, shines orange and warm,
I can just make out a figure through the battering storm,
A smile appears, but not one that seems kind,
Chills colder than the temperature run down my spine,
The glow I thought divine to get out of my rut,
Was merely the burn of a cigarette butt,
Hands grab my jacket, tattered and tore,
"You once possessed wealth, but I've always been poor"
He says with a sneer, greed shines in his eye,
"I may as well take this, for soon you'll die."
Too weak to fight, too stiff to clutch,
The lowest reason I owe them this much,
I laugh as he walks away, drifting to dream,
Jokes on him as I see light, a shimmer, a gleam.
Control, Freak.
They're all staring at me again.
I knew I shouldn't have worn this shirt.
Who wears a Star Trek shirt in 8th grade? I guess I do.
They're still staring.
Is there something in my teeth again?
Am I making a weird face?
Control yourself. You're fine.
But why are they still staring?
They look away for a second, but I know their eyes are still fixated on my akward construction.
Tiny damp pools are forming in my armpits
Did I forget deoderant today?
Did I even brush my teeth?
I quickly breathed into my fist and took a wiff
Now they're definitely staring.
If it's not my breath, what is it?
Does my hair look weird?
I knew I should have brushed it better.
I vigoursly threw my head upside down to collect my hair into my rainbow scrunchie when I heard,
"Excuse me mam?"
I wisked my head up to see a blurry outline of a teacher who was not my teacher.
"Excuse me mam, you are in the wrong class. We've been trying to get your attention for the past 5 minutes. You really were zoned out weren't you?"
I half smiled at the stranger as I carelessly whisked myself out of the classroom.
On my way out the door I tripped over my untied sneaker and heard the class erupt in laughter.
"Control yourself freak!"