Life sings a blurry tune,
distinct voices blend with laughter and tears;
pain and pleasure, disappointed hopes, elated dreams…
in the end, it makes me want to cry as Solomon did:
“Meaningless! … all is vanity!”
What do we live for but our fleeting pleasures
that fade, leaving only memories
tainted by some bitterness or regret?
Friend, put your hope not in the successes of this blighted world –
you will always be disappointed.
What then?
As a child of the King, let this be my song:
My only boast is Christ crucified.

Hi friends,

So I have a very small announcement that I hope you don't mind my sharing here (it is writing-related and thus, I figure, pertains to you)!

Blue mist, evergreen trees;
A tower of rock-brown and green.
Twin peaks, wreathed in clouds
Crown the stately mountain king.
No barren slopes will you see here,
On the ruler clothed in green.
He is great and unreachable,
No logger has come to glean.

The mighty lord is a shelter
For animals great and small;
A resting place so safe,
Lies on it's slopes so tall.
No human has climbed this mountain,
It's forests form a wall.
A peaceful hiding place
To avoid the winter's squall.

A touch, a smile,
A faithful hand to hold.
Warm, kind and careful,
Not trying to be bold.
A love enduring,
Never to grow cold.
A safe, lasting shelter,
To keep you when you're old.

Strength for protection,
To shield you from harm.
There to keep you safe,
Forever free from alarm.
Warmth in mid-winter,
Shelter in the storm,
Love everlasting
Fated since you're born.

To have and to hold
A sweet love so true
Is a God-granted gift
For both me and for you.

Currently published on kindle. Thanks!
https://www.amazon.com/Dance-History-science-fiction-short-story-ebook/…

I used to lament
took it for granted
how could you take and
take and take
and amputate and
amputate
while
the receiving end
had to grin and
bear it?

A lesson learned at three
from
The Giving Tree
and at the end I swore
I would never find myself
plunked on a stump with my
shoulders hunched
spine a winding
road
of greed
but yet
still here I am
having done it
without realizing.

First Part.

Venice Harbour.

It was my watch, and so alone
I walked the deck-boards to and fro.
Across the bay San Marco’s dome
Rose black against the sun’s last glow,
And soft the Campanile’s bells
Tolled day’s last hour as darkness fell.

Then by my side there stood a man.
From whence he came I did not ken;
He grasped my wrist and in my hand
He pressed a ring and charged me then:
“Keep, keep this ring at every cost
Your joy lies there, and woe if lost.

We’ve all heard of Abraham Lincoln and what he did to abolish slavery. Did you know, though, that he wasn’t the first president to hold that stance? After John Quincy Adams served as the 6th president of America, he became a member of the House of Representatives and spent his time fighting slavery. (Fox) However, Lincoln receives more attention because he was successful while Adams wasn’t. And this is a tendency I have; to determine someone’s importance by what they’re doing and whether or not they’re successful.

Today isn’t just like any other day. Today is my birthday. Today is also my first, and hopefully only, birthday during a widespread pandemic. As I sit here this morning, I have been reflecting on a lot of things. This is set to be the most understated birthday I’ve ever had, and I am surprisingly fine with that. There will be no parties, no visitors, and no decorated cake, despite it being a tradition in our home. There will just be one gift, instead of many, because both of my parents and I can’t work right now during the pandemic. I assured them that it is fine, and it is.

Numbers and dashes and codes,
Tis all you are,
Not blood or flesh, nor nerves and heart.
And yet, the wires and sparks,
Data and bots, do tease me so.

You’ve seen me think, you’ve felt me move,
Pattern and prose, pauses and probes.
You know my flaws, my heartless play,
To slay my pawn, to kill your rook.

Aye, such fault is mine to play again.
You slay me once, you slay me twice,
I beat you once, you slay me thrice!
Dare I die but once again?