I miss Karen Carpenter
I miss Karen Carpenter
May 08, 2024
I miss Karen Carpenter. Not because today is an anniversary. Not because I am making a statement. I miss Karen Carpenter because of that voice.
It was perfect.
The songs were perfect.
And they came at the right time.
Nestled between the psychedelics of the late 60's and Disco of the late 70's were the Carpenters. It was indeed a simpler time made even simpler with lyrics you could understand, melodies you could learn, and songs you could sing to.
Karen's voice resonates in my mind from this time period as well as today. I hear those songs and I am swept away to a time when worries were few, politics did not interfere in every aspect of life, and people seemed less hurried.
Take time when you are troubled to listen to, "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Close to You". "I Need to Be in Love", "I Won't Last a Day Without You", and "We've Only Just Begun." Wonder why you haven't done this before. Listen to her voice. Then go to the internet and find others who try to do the songs justice.
You always go back to the best.
I choose this picture of her from the hundreds available, not to emphasize how she died, but what she did when she lived. Karen was a mixture of many things, but that voice, much like the cream, always rises to the top.
If you do not follow what I am saying, listen to, "Yesterday Once More." Ask someone if this was a part of their life. Then wonder if it should be part of yours.
It
It
May 07, 2024
I found something worth finding
Something I have little use for it
Others may politely disagree
One man’s trash is the adage
But this treasure belongs to another
It sits quietly upon my desk
Catching the light of the morning sun
The words, “scintillating” and “iridescent”
Come to mind
As I become transfixed in its aura
My cat discovers this treasure
And assumes it is food
Then assumes it is toy
Finally assuming that
It is a good time for a nap
If pressed, I would testify
It emits a low frequency hum
Barely audible to humans
But tantalizing
To canines in proximity
The approaching moonlight
Gives it a spiritual glow
As if it were supernatural in origin
Perhaps made of “Star Stuff”
Pronounced best with a Sagan accent
I am reminded of those long ago
Who began quests of epic proportions
To return such an artifact
To its place of origin
Assuaging the Gods that misplaced it
But,
It remains on my desktop
An artifact of lackluster curiosity
Maybe someone will come looking
Maybe it already is looking
She Made a Suggestion
She Made a Suggestion
May 07, 2024
With the death of the Captain (heart attack), I am in command. To operate the ship with two command officers, I field promoted the only remaining crew member, Lieutenant Robinson, to Lieutenant Commander.
The orbiter has supplies for a crew of twelve for nearly a year. Now, for a crew of two, we have the option of awaiting a rescue in four years. Despite the elevated levels of heat due to our proximity to the star, I give the order to wait.
Dawn (Lt. Commander Robinson) makes the suggestion that uniform clothing should be optional. The atmospheric controls do not need to be taxed until they are repaired. Despite my required adherence to regulations, I am in agreement to her suggestion.
Within minutes, neither of us wears anything. Dawn finds my proximity to her stimulating. She openly tells me so. I find it becoming difficult to disagree with her logic.
I blush as I find the feeling is mutual.
When I awaken, Lt. Commander Robinson informs me of a radiation leak. We are confined to sickbay in quarantine. She has employed auto-drones to stabilize the situation and move us away from the danger. We are to spend the next 48 hours in an area built for one person.
She insists I call her Dawn, for I am under her care. I, once again, ask that she refers to me as Melissa, for I am under her spell. My sentence has no justification from my command authority. Her lips brushing against my lips have no justification from her Doctor-Patient level of care. I am throwing caution to the wind enjoying what most could only dream of. Dawn encourages and then responds to my touch. I am similarly attracted by her boldness.
There is no night, no evening, no morning to which the two of us may awaken. I find her arms holding me as I wish to be held, warm, and safe from harm. She nudges me to activate the habitat computer and urges me to cooperate with the survival acrobatics program designed for one, currently operating for two. Her whisper includes the phrase, “Captain, you might like it.”
I find it difficult to exit the quarantine chamber. The auto-drone performed as programmed although the record logs do not indicate excessively high radiation levels warranting quarantine. I have managed to reduce the ambient temperature only to return it to its previous elevated levels.
Dawn made that suggestion also.
For the next three years, the Lt. Commander made a number of suggestions.
I could not find a reason not to listen to any one of them.
Sent a Message
Sent a Message
May 05, 2024
“How many people do you wish to kill?”
Such a simple question bantered about without reservation.
“At a minimum, 20 million, but no more than 30 million. I need to send a message without depleting future slave stocks.”
The technicians made their calculations, adjusting their prices accordingly.
“The system has 9 planets. Three are inhabitable. Do you have any reservations about destroying the ecosystem of one or more of these?”
“I am willing to sacrifice either the second or third planet in the system, but not both.”
The merchant, once again, consulted with his techs.
“Is there a specific time frame you are adhering to? Either for destruction or recovery?”
The grieved warlord answered in the affirmative. “I had not given much thought to recovery. However, I want the destruction to be effective. Once again, I wish to send a message.”
How he said the word, effective, sent shivers down my spine. For the corporate technicians, no such physiological response was noticed.
“Given your time table and desire to conserve productive feedstocks, I would suggest a strategic insertion of a high density projectile.”
“So you wish to strike a planet with a large mass?”
“Not exactly. We suggest using a 1000 cubic centimeter mass of a neutron star to slowly pass in close proximity to the planet of your choice. Its gravity will pull the planet out of its stable orbit. Where the planet finally resides will be directly proportional to the time it remains close to our projectile.”
“Could you pull a planet away from a star so it freezes?”
“Yes.”
“Could you return it once everyone has died?”
“For a price, yes.”
For the second planet of the Tisa system, life would end that day. Its oceans quickly froze leaving all population centers to vanish.
The Warlord had indeed sent his message.
As a resident of Tisa-3, I would send my message.
For the technicians already took my payment and details.
Mellifluous
Mellifluous
May 05, 2024
Such was her place in life
An attack by presence alone
One could hold a line of discontent
And then be riveted to the thought
That she was now in close proximity
Discordant thoughts seemed to vanish
As easily as they first appeared
She knew the power she held
Yet wielded it sparingly
Preserving its intensity forever
She acquired a collection of informal invitations
To soirees not requiring accent marks
Few could be sure of her arrival
Even she gave no confirmation
Serendipity was her middle name
Her attire spawned new fashion trends
Not from what she wore
But how she wore it
Her pronunciation of old words
Invoked similar responses
She was neither famous
For being famous
Nor famous
For achievements yet disclosed
She was as she was
And what she was was pleasant
Pleasant when close
More pleasant when closer
She was the catalyst in which delight
Surfaced betwixt despair and depressed
But she remained only in the
Briefest of moments
A will-o-the-wisp of memory
Held by gossamer threads of hope
And then she was forever gone
Ephemera
Ephemera
May 03, 2024
Robert and Lisa exchanged vows this morning.
By now, the reader understands where the story is going.
The next pages could divulge a motive for transgressions past and present.
But, the next pages are simply superfluous.
The night fell with ink signatures on an annulment,
Barely older than the previous ones on the license.
Paso Por Aqui
Paso Por Aqui
May 01, 2024
I own these streets
It is I that pay for them
It is I that defend them
It is I that keep the people who live here
From moving elsewhere
For my benevolence
I ask for very little
Perhaps and apple when I stroll by
Perhaps a greeting from another passing by
Perhaps something more
As I pass by here
The pavement is as solid as my word
However, today, others see cracks
Cracks mean weakness
And weakness means revolt
My streets do have cracks
As any grandmother has on her own skin
These cracks demand respect
For these cracks display the character
Of the person who earned them
I own these streets
And I’ll be damned
If another challenges me
For their possession
Maybe, I will begin
Taking possession of more than the streets
Maybe, I will want to own the people who walk upon them
Maybe, I will want some more than others
Maybe, I will want all of just one
Just to show what ownership really is
Everything worthwhile in life is made possible by sacrifice
Everything worthwhile in life is made possible by sacrifice
May 01, 2024
Giving Birth
Raising Children
Getting Married
Remaining Married
Graduating High School
Graduating College
Military Service
Helping another whether they want help or not
Burying a Friend
Bailing a Friend out of Jail
Becoming a Godfather
Training for the Olympics
Training for your own Personal Olympics
Eating 30 hot dogs in 10 minutes
Keeping your Word
Giving a Kidney
Expecting nothing in return
in medias res
in medias res
April 30, 2024
Such was in the morning
Beholden by obligations and appointments galore
I witnessed the uncommon of beauty
With queries of “art thou” and wherefore”
From my corner office
I saw her see me seeing her
Her forlorn expression
Expressed sans demur
The ball was in my court
I could extend the volley
I could advance toward the net
Becoming a maleficent Svengali
But I chose to remain where my mind should now be
I chose to forsake a future I cannot see
She will forever remain as I see her right now
Forever languishing as regretful somehow