Blogger-Index

It's no secret that Blogger is lacking a lot of key features.  In some ways, this is beneficial.  By not having a quick and easy way to share posts it hasn't become an array of mindless images like Tumblr.  But in other ways, it can be, well, infuriatingly last-decade.  Most among the handicaps for me has been the lacking of a proper browsing mechanism.  If you want poetry blogs, or painting blogs, you can't get to them without some hassle.  Well, I think I found a third-party site that remedies this.  It's called Blogger Index and it allows you to search specifically for quality blogs in the field you so choose.  I've already used it to find several art blogs.  So, give it a try!

Enough

I just don’t think I’m good enough.

     I wish that I were good enough.

             If only I was good enough.

      I’ll never be quite good enough.

             I envy others good enough.

          Why can’t I be good enough?

   I need a mind that’s good enough;

   I need a heart that’s good enough;

   I need a laugh that’s good enough;

             I need a day that’s bright…

                           and good enough.

Paul-ease!

Ron Paul stated today no FEMA response was necessary for hurricane Irene. "A state can decide. We don't need somebody in Washington." He was then tied to a rock along the shores of Virginia where he promptly changed his mind.

An Italian Sonnet for Neville Longbottom

He clutched his remembrall though he’d rather

Forget the pain his parents felt for him

Until the point their minds went blank and dim,

Leaving him a legacy to gather.

Grandma didn’t help forget the matter

Nor Hogwarts teachers with assessments grim

Always finding the poor boy’s magic slim

With nerves and skill in hopeless scatter.

Neville transformed, matured with love from friends

Overcoming older, more skilled wizards

Living up to those who gave their sanity,

Health, devotion, past, futures and wits end,

He sliced Nagini’s head off with a sword

And helped Harry Potter save humanity.

The Floating Man

Jill had just had the worst day of her life.  Everything she held dear was crashing down.  Her mom was sick again and in the hospital.  She didn’t know how she’d pay the next month’s rent.  The love of her life was cheating with a friend.  It was true; she didn’t have time for him.  But she thought their love meant more than that.

She looked out the window while she still could.  The grass was dead; she hadn’t watered the lawn in ages.  How could anyone with three jobs in addition to everything else?  At least it hadn’t grown so much to get her fined.  Death was the better alternative.

Jill pondered this and gave a shudder.  It certainly wasn’t for her mother.  Perhaps for herself if so much didn’t rely on her.  How nice it would be to just end all of the stress and worries with one little slit, she thought.  Maybe a sibling would step up and care for her mother in Jill’s absence.  But a more cynical side told her they would not.  Ted, Johnny and Dianne moved far away and hardly ever called.  They weren’t ignorant either; they knew perfectly well their mother needed them.

The sky was cloudy.  But it wouldn’t rain.  The heat would hold adding to Jill’s misery.  She stared longingly hoping for the contrary.  That’s when she saw it.  Not rain but something else.  It wasn’t a cloud; rather some sort of shape.  There were legs and arms…

Jill gasped.  It was a man.  Had he fallen from an airplane, or been thrown out?  It couldn’t be, he wasn’t falling.  The man was floating with no chute or glider of any kind.  His face was stony and expressionless.  Was he dead?  Some law of gravity appeared to be broken.  The man stayed perfectly still not swaying the least in midair.

She picked up the receiver but paused.  What would she tell the police?  This might all have been her imagination.  Jill rubbed her eyes and went to splash water on her face.

When she returned to the window nothing had changed.  He was still floating there, expressionless. Did anyone else see this?  She can’t have gone mad.  She had too much to do.  Her night job started in another hour.

Slowly, however, dread left Jill and was replaced with calm.  There was something serene about the man as he floated.  Jill couldn’t explain why but the world suddenly seemed workable.

She blinked again and he was gone.  Jill noticed other neighbors with relaxed expressions staring out their windows as she had been.  Who was this floating man; why had he come?  Jill imagined him an outcast soul, pining for the ones he lost up high but realized this was silly.  Or was it?

The Devil

You once said that I’m the devil,

couldn’t play, couldn’t be quite like

the other angels.  Fire, brimstone’s

in my soul, lashing out and burning.

But my mark is not the beast.  It’s truths

that scar your mind; you disregard the obvious,

mistake my thorny crown for horns.  What’s more

a belt of skulls seems dark as I will only try to mourn

the innocent who suffered through your lies and hate.

My, oh my

We keep on singing

the same old song.

My, oh my,

where's the time gone?

The years go fast

and days seem long.

My, oh my,

where's the time gone?

I hear her voice;

I can't be wrong.

My, oh my,

where's the time gone?

I'm older now

but not as strong.

My, oh my,

where's the time gone?

Blackbird

I kissed her lips
and that was that.
We brushed hips,
away I sat.

Pondering, my eyes went wet
but then again hers did too;
I smelled her scent
and split in two.

Pack up all my care and woe,
Here I go,
Singing low,
Bye bye blackbird.

A part of me stayed in the chair,
the other went and kissed her neck.
All my faithfulness could do was stare
as desire went and had a peck.

It couldn’t stop, I couldn’t stop;
two halves of me now craving breasts
reunited to do undo her top;
despite myself inside I pressed.

Where somebody waits for me,
Sugar's sweet, so is she,
Bye bye
Blackbird!


I'll be home late tonight,
Blackbird bye bye.

Tea Sea

Have you all checked out the new Tea Sea blog?  It's quite amazing!  Not sure how she did everything, but it's totally interactive.  I might be creepy but I can just stare at it all for like several minutes at a time.  It's just that beautiful!  The way the Facebook, Twitter and Youtube icons pop up fills me with strange joy.  I'm like smitten with it, man!  So, yeeah, go there!  I know I am.  Maybe we'll run into each other?

For All the Smarties with Smart Phones

I've just gotten around to setting up a mobile template for the Spice.  So, any mobile viewers will now get a slightly different experience tailored to their smart phones.  There's still the dancing gnomes, there's still the same great posts only formatted a little differently.  So don't go crazy and break things.  It's okay.  Take a breath.  Count to ten.  Good, now we can enjoy the wonders of technology together.

World Shaker

I’m a world shakin’ son of a bitch;

Bad-ass, no-good, rabble-rouser

On a mission to fission

All of existence with a flick

Of the wrist.

I’m a comet, ice on fire

Rock crashing, heart pounding

Soldier from the sky

To change your fortune,

Leave a crater.

I’m sunlight beaming down,

Burning skin, destroying ants;

Bringing life and bleaching bones.

You can slow me but you’ll never stop me.

Judd Winslow: The Famous Rambler

Judd was down and out. He hadn’t had a job in years. Part of it he could blame on the economy, but that wasn’t the whole picture. Judd had only been good at one thing his whole life and that was precisely the thing he couldn’t bring himself to do anymore. It took a lot out of him remembering. The crowd, the love– a thing of the past. He had to find something else, develop a new skill. But what? He didn’t know.

Judd picked up the paper. Nothing; always nothing! A guy like him needed something real particular. His landlord would say particular don’t pay your rent on time. And as much as be begrudged him, it was true.
He decided to take what little money he had left and treat himself. Some ice cream, even a beer would be a nice distraction. The street wasn’t quiet. Gangs seemed to run it with impunity, but Judd couldn’t stop them. He thought about it. But it would just tempt him back to his old ways; that was something he couldn’t afford. The heartache was just too much.

The gang of kids was now stripping a car. Judd pretended like he didn’t see. The bar was just another couple miles away…

He managed to get there without much more temptation. Downtown was a little better, but not a lot. The thugs just managed to hide themselves a little better. They’d still steal and rob pedestrians, of course, but most always waited until nightfall.

Judd walked inside and ordered a Bud Light. It calmed his nerves being away from it all. Images continued to drift in and out of his mind; images of her. The alcohol hadn’t made him forget. She left him when he couldn’t stop. How could he when it brought so much?

He was three or four beers in. A nice buzz was starting. A loud noise blared behind him. Someone had swung the door open hard. It was unusual aggression for the time of night.

“Everybody put their money in the bag!” Judd hadn’t seen it coming.

“Everybody play nice and no one gets hurt, got it?” the voice continued. But Judd didn’t hear it. Other voices filled his brain. Judd, I can’t live like this! You’ve got to stop!

“Did you hear me, buddy? I said put your wallet, watch and what not in the bag?”

He didn’t hear him. He was daydreaming a nightmare. It isn’t a job, Judd, it’s a sideshow! I didn’t get married to a freak!

“I think he’s passed out,” an accomplice said, “just reach in and take his wallet.”

But something came alive in Judd. He started talking. He started rambling.

“Hey man, get off me! Don’t you know gun’s can really hurt a guy? I once knew a guy, seven feet tall that played basketball. He could’ve been in a league. A League of Their Own, now that was a great film, when Tom Hanks said there’s no crying in baseball. I went to see my first game when I was ten. Ten planets used to be one short the number in the solar system before they took Pluto away. They said it was a dwarf. I always liked dwarfs. Gimli was a load of fun. Did you ever have Fun Dip? My mom loved it. Had me bring her home some from store. Can’t ever make mom happy. I think I know all the lyrics to Don’t Worry be Happy. Ain't got no place to lay your head, somebody came and took your bed! Don't worry, be happy! The landlord say your rent is late, he may have to litigate, Don't worry, be happy!”

The burglars backed away. Before Judd could say another word they dropped their bags and ran out the door. The patrons of the bar were astonished. Judd imagined his ex-wife embracing him. She kissed him, told him how he had been a man all along and she was sorry.

No one showed any interest in Judd, however or even thanked him. They got their valuables from off the floor, assuming their hero was not right in the head. But Judd felt something inside again and that was worth more than praise or adulation. He could finally start down the long path toward being whole.

Gryffin-Claw-Puff

I've decided I want my own Hogwarts house called Gryffin-Claw-Puff. The Sorting Hat puts you where you want right? My common room would have gigantic cheese sofas and a Ritz cracker staircase!  The house ghost would be Humphrey Belcher, inventor of the cheese cauldron.  Likewise, he'd also be ghost architect finding new and creative ways to make everything cheese.  The password would each day be a different cheese; one day Swiss, another Colby and so on.  Not too surprisingly the Fat Lady would leave Gryffindor and stand guard for Gryffin-Claw-Puff.  Luna Lovegood, as well would become a professor and head the new house simply because she happens to be my favorite character.  And who could appreciate a house of cheese more than a girl who searches for crumpled horned snorkhacks and wears radish earrings?

Untitled

You once said we’d be together

But we never could be, could we?

Ink splattered hearts and open veins

Became the part of us that tore apart.

We stood still watching as our sweet

Nothings turned to bitter somethings.

Dormant parasites crawled to the surface

And finally we saw the feast that never ceased.

Time had ate away at us; picked our bones,

Sucked out the marrow for tomorrow.

You didn’t lie when you once said we’d be together;

But you were wrong and all along.

Wide Awake

Wide awake;

desensitized.

Ethnic tensions

and police brutality.

Crashing markets;

high youth unemployment’s

on the rise, a talking head

but not crushed skull reads out.

Soul searching lies ahead

for “broken Britain” as the cobra

is unleashed to wrap itself around

a city and unleash more venom.

Fireworks

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again? Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin like a house of cards one blow from caving in?  Katy Perry does.

A Quick Riff

Normal, balanced, well adjusted,
treachery inside the soul. They work
to fix you as they break you. Feasting
on your heart and other organs 'til
there's nothing left but mothballs in
an attic you once called your mind.
Memories sit dormant like records with
no hopes of being played. Chairs rock
but only slightly as the cobwebs hold them
back against the boxes and boxes and boxes
of old things devoid of meaning that you keep
yet only for the sake of being kept.
Nothing stirs the dust or rearranges;
sunlight merely acts in shadow.

Things I Miss

Late night hamster updates

Mouse trap, cheese cube talks

The boat ride on Lake Pichola.

Christmas at my Grandma’s

Harry Potter books and films

Reading in the summertime.

Kissing, holding hands

Drinking beer illegally

Dreaming past reality.

My old, red Chevy

Decent TV programs

Pogs and Pokemon.

Choices less impossible

Faith in my ideas and self

Being just a tad more ignorant.

Not thinking of mortality

Deeper questions of my usefulness;

Am I a parasite or just a leech?

New York Times Interview with Jasper Johnson

TRANSCRIPT

Jasper Johnson’s Interview from the Middle of an Old, Barren Cornfield

Published: April 17, 2026

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Jasper Johnson spoke in a 20-minute interview from the remains of what was once Chicago, eventually a cornfield, and most recently a burned barren wasteland. This is an edited transcript, as recorded by The New York Times.

Q. Jasper, how did you originally come to owning this large swath of land that just two decades ago encompassed a major metropolitan area?

A. Well, my daddy got it cheap; real cheap after the recessions.  You can’t turn down a bargain, right?  But my daddy, he was no statesman, governor or anything like that.  He knew farmin.  And that’s what he fixed to do.

Q. But how did he reconcile the fact that millions of people lived in a city that was by no means a farming economy?

A. He wasn’t no tyrant, if that’s what you’re sayin.

Q. Wikipedia, the sole source of reliable encyclopedic knowledge for the past ten years, states John Johnson kicked thousands out from their homes for refusal to farm.  Not only this he shut down the financial sector, most businesses and the historical theatres Chicago had grown famous for.

A. Daddy didn’t want people gettin no other ideas.  He knew deep down people wanted to farm, and he jus sought to bring that out in ‘em.  So, he had to break a few balls; most great leaders do and so did my dad.

Q. Moving past an obvious attempt at economic coercion, what was the final straw that caused the mass exodus of 2015?

A. Well, daddy succeeded in making Chicago the best farm in the Midwest.  But, people weren’t happy.  They got used to fancy livin and didn’t like the wages we paid them for the fieldwork.  So we had some damage control to take care of.

Q. This damage control was well noted in the news reports of the time.  You hired thugs to weed out dissenters and ran the former city as a dictatorship?

A. Hey now, Ms. Progressive, where did all your good ole reforms get us?  Nowhere!  The economy crashed.  We stuck to the free market like you all should’ve in the first place.

Q: A report from September 25, 2014 cited you turning the combines on farmers to instill fear.  Do you call this free?

A: Hell yeah, it’s our property after all!

Q: Did the actions of a suppressed people not surprise you in the least then?

A: I thought it was a bit ungrateful to burn the corn, after all the jobs we gave ‘em.

Q: And yet you tried to make them stay?  How do you justify that?

A: They owed daddy and me money for one.  Those good for nuthin’ workers didn’t pay rent.  Why wouldn’t we try and get a little something back?

Q: If you justify your methods, thusly, then surely you can’t justify the firing of weapons inevitably killing so many?

A: I did what it took to keep order for daddy and me.

Q: Do you mean order or do you mean profits?

A: Same thing.  There ain’t no order when the rich suffer.  Sheep need herded, after all.

Q: Is there anything you would have done differently in hindsight?

A: Tons.  I would’ve tried to get another state to help stop the exodus, maybe put down some more sedition and what not.

Q: Where do you think the former Chicagoans are right now?

A: Probably suffering under some socialist dictator.

Q: How do you see yourself as different from said dictator?

A: I’m a born and bred capitalist.  I make money for myself and not no government.

Q: Quality of life and other things don’t play into your equation?

A: Them people were doing just fine.  They had their independence from the state and earned a livin.  What every true American should want.

Q: Do you not reconcile that with the fact there’s no one left to govern?

A: I think they’ll see the downsides of Socialism in time and come crawling back to Jasper and John Johnson.

Dysfunction

‎"After dealing with the debt crisis, Senate negotiators tried and failed on Tuesday to end a stalemate over temporary financing for the Federal Aviation Administration, leaving 4,000 agency employees out of work and relying on airport safety inspectors to continue working without pay."

Or, in other words, no one I care about go on an airplane...

Negativity

Hello readers and those just passing by.  I've noticed a lot of negativity in the thoughts section below.  The last post makes sense being a more somber topic.  But, I would be remiss, if I didn't ask what I might do better in future posts.  Your thoughts, as always are appreciated.  I just want to give everyone the best reading experience I can.

Clockwork

There’s no planet on my shoulders

Or monkey on my back.  Something

Else has fused itself onto my spine.

The universe and irony have welded on

A gigantic clock to weigh me down.

Each tic blares to deafen just a little more

And take another precious piece of sanity away.

One O’Clock I’ve lost a friend.

Two O’Clock, I hear her voice.

Three O’Clock, I’m left with silence.

Four O’Clock, I crave the noise.

Five O’Clock, was that a scream?

Six O’Clock, it’s only tears.

Seven O’Clock, it’s getting dark.

Eight O’Clock, I need a drink.

Nine O’Clock, I’ve drank it all.

Ten O’Clock, there’s nothing left.

Eleven O’Clock, I hit the floor.

Twelve O’Clock I’ve lost myself.