Please Just Cook
Dear Future Man,
I write this not knowing if I will have raised you well enough that you would still listen to me. But if you would, just a few things:
1) Hygiene is important. You do not attract a mate by scent any longer, particularly your own unwashed scent. This is the modern era. Also, shave - studies have shown men's beards contain more harmful bacteria than dog fur. You are not a dog.
2) Nobody cares if you cry - just stop eventually. Get in touch with all the emotions you want, but once you're through that limbic system sit down and look at the situation from a position of reason. Remember your hormones don't fluctuate on a monthly basis while your body writhes in its own bloodletting. Use this potential for good.
3) Learn to live on a deflated ego. The world is not a kind place, even if it is male dominated. Don't expect to be the center of attention, the hero, or even the breadwinner. Instead appreciate the role of a supporting character when necessary. Remember Samwise? Be Samwise.
4) Do not rely on women. If you were a woman, Oprah would say you don't need a man. Women get told that everyday and, statistically speaking, they outlive you. Learn to channel that independency and do for yourself. Vacuum. Wash laundry. Dust. Knit. Whatever gets you out of gendered co-dependency. If you're lonely get a pet, even if it's a cat - just stop at two or you'll be doomed to bachelorhood forever.
5) Please just cook. Obesity and heart disease are rampant, and you're likely going to spend most of your life stressed out and sitting down. While exercise is important you can't outrun your diet. So learn to cook. Stir fry, soup, chili, grilled cheese even. Aim for a dinner plate that's half veggies and half protein with a side of carbs if you can.
If I teach you nothing else in life but this basic survival skill I will die a happy parent.
Live well, my son.
Goodbye Tiger Lilies
The ashes crumble underneath my weight
I remember the world I once made
before the Devil stabbed it with a fiery blade
mayflowers sprinkled the meadow with their snow-white corollas
the trees sheltered the animals with umbrellas
the sky turned into a goldfoil
the tiger lilies bedizen the soil
water as clear as diamonds
sand to soothe the rocky islands
bouquets of timber that seemed myterious and sinister
although not to nature’s listener
and now I look apon my land I will love always
a tear rolls down my cheek as I imagine it all ablaze
the hellfire turning my dasies into ash
ruining my meadow with a blazing slash
I imagine my tigier lillies crying
as their world of tranquility is dying
where there are no birds to sing songs
for there is no branch for them to perch on
only ashes
only ashes
so I must say my last goodbyes
goodbye to the komorebi
I loved seeing you in the early morning
goodbye mountains
goodbye clear oasis
farewell my whistling wood
I loved your mystery and secrets
goodbye tiger lilies
I will dreadfully miss your amber petals as they bathe in the golden sunlight
I think I will miss you most
goodbye tiger lilies
goodbye
Igne Natura Renovatur Integra
morning mists
shed serene
dew reflecting warmth
of the gentle sun
replenish the lands.
soft wind caress,
whisper songs of the shire
and green grass sway.
birds chirping, sing along
wildflowers quivering, dance along
children of the elements
chanting orisons
in a circle of life they stand
“may peace and healing spirits
be upon the lands!”
— a delight to my infinite soul.
silence..
southerly winds blow
incandescent particles
kindle fierce bright orange
roaring flame lash midair
columns of smoke soar high
crackling, sizzling octave
creating hymn of destruction
children of the earth, the arsonists conspire.
dying grass and twigs
gasp for their last breath
then shudder to ashes
i breathe them in
aching and grieving;
prodigal child of my elements
the epitome of untamed compulsion spit chorus of destruction.
while the skies
mourn its light blue
my moorland, my charred Eden
testify to the pyromaniac sins
no moral artefact of rhymes
in remnants of this inferno
the siren of wrong redemption
saddened my very core.
with the ashen skies i cry,
chanting orisons in each droplets,
in a circle of life we stand,
“may peace and healing spirits
be upon the lands!”
as the last tendrils of smoke fade away.
silence..
Pic: ©Telegraph UK