If someone finds this, my family or friends

Don’t judge me harshly, just know I wanted to make amends

If I’m not here to explain words less than pretty

This exercise in poetry is the story, may it earn someone’s pity

For flesh is weak, a lesson learned and it’s hard

My absence can be explained, I’ve gone to my final reward

THE GIFT

I love my wife, at least I think I do

And when I left I promised to be true

But AnBinh came to me, a love at first sight

And we lay together the very first night

Her breasts were as delicate as berries in cream

I drew from them essence, a sybaritic dream

I kissed the bud below her undulating hips

It blossomed to fullness between my welcoming lips

My fingers explored that special consummate spot

And breath became short, ragged and hot

She stroked my tumescence with trembling fingers guiding it within

And then the ecstatic rhythm did begin

Her pleasurable engorgement clasped my aching member

With a warmth like that of a still heat-filled ember

Her tear-moist eyes spoke of a metamorphosed consummation

And I was spent in transformative exhilaration

She whispered “you unlocked my secret with your caressing tongue”

“I’ve had ecstasy with you” I murmured, “beyond any I’ve known “

The thought of my wife across an ocean came to mind

I dismissed it quickly before this sin it could find

The sexual fullfilment and love filled a need and more

But some will scoff saying she’s just a wartime whore

But before you assign to her such a name, I implore

Think on a gift to this soldier none ever gave before

If someone finds this, my family or friends

Don’t judge me harshly, just know I wanted to make amends

If I’m not here to explain words that are less than pretty

This exercise in poetry is the story, may it earn someone’s pity

For flesh is weak, I’ve learned that lesson and it’s hard

I hope my absence means I’ve gone to my final reward

THE GIFT

I love my wife at least I think I do

And when I left I promised to be true

But AnBinh came to me, a love at first sight

And we lay together that very first night

Her breasts were delicate as berries in cream

I drew from their essence, a sybaritic dream

I kissed the bud below her undulating hips

It blossomed to fullness between my welcoming lips

With my fingers I explored the consummate spot

Her breath became short, ragged and hot

She stroked my tumescence, with trembling fingers guiding it within

And then the ecstatic rhythm did begin

Her pleasurable engorgement clasped my aching member

With a warmth like that of a still heat-filled ember

Her tear-moist eyes spoke of a metamorphosed consummation

And I was spent in transformative exhilaration

She whispered “you unlocked my secret with your caressing tongue”

“I’ve had an ecstasy with you”I murmured, “beyond any I’ve known “

The thought of my wife across an ocean came to mind

I dismissed it quickly before this sin it could find

The sexual fulfillment and love, it was that and more

But some will scoff saying she’s just a wartime whore

But before your assign to her such a name, I implore

Think on a gift to this soldier none ever gave before

A CAUTIONARY TALE OF HELL AND HIGH WATER

AS A PREACHER FINDS GRACE AND GREED ARE UNCOMFORTABLE

PASSENGERS ON THE JOURNEY TO HELL

He was a swashbuckling opportunist, but he had, through clever maneuverings , come to be known as a local hero, a label he in no way disagreed with. A preacher whose message was beginning to have influence beyond the locality in which it was heard. But there was a fly in the ointment in that not many knew about all his alternate activities, which were the real money-makers.

Cameron Wesley was a much loved face in and around Houston and if his name was mentioned it brought a smile of recognition and a nice word or two in recommendation of his sterling character. What would these credible people think if they knew of the incredible? They'd say YOU, the bearer of such news, were the foolish one, lying, the victim of believing character assassins, who wanted to destroy a righteous Christian man who was trying to deliver the Word of God. His Words had the patina not of lies but TRUTH! Cameron NEVER lied and if you didn't believe it, just ask him!

If you told his of dog fighting, cock fighting, puppy mills, horse trading for meat, land swindles involving endangered species and in Texas, being a petrol economy, OIL, you would most likely be run off, being called a maligner, slanderer of a good man! A recently purchased local television channel enterprise was adding to the cash flow nicely, doubling sales of his books (plagiarized from lesser known screeds…did the populace think he wrote books? He can barely read his sermons). The brochures, artful religious pictures were increasing his renown even further. His homilies and sermons, quoted and discussed, were adding to his godly reputation, with an associated increase in donations to his various causes, always circuitously finding a way into his own pocket. But his well-publicized charitable donations remained curiously untraceable.

But oddly, unknown to his public, this man's conscience was becoming increasingly burdened by the weight in stones he would be required to carry on his back for each deception, a deviation from grace that his defiled soul had sustained. However, Cameron's godly justifications were presented to the jury sustained in his mind, who often raised their voices to argue the merits of his behavior. Who would have believed such negativity? He always managed to handily win every disfavorable disputation his mind presented him with. He had God's grace, did he not? This was his belief, he was sure God led him in the direction he was meant to follow. And of course his escapades were not readily available for public consumption, grace aside. Cameron was much too clever to accidentally sully his reputation by allowing his name to be entangled in any legal wrangling with these sordid enterprises. He maintained a buffer zone between the true Cameron Wesley and his faithful public.

Grace and avarice were uncomfortable passengers in the vehicle of Cameron's soul. But It would cause one to wonder, however, why a supposed man of God would choose the creatures of God's kingdom as money-making tools. But as Cameron often said to himself, you just follow the easiest path to the cash! Did anyone really think, despite protestations of God's hand pointing the way, that he had some sort of affinity or relationship with the Almighty? How naive! Can't even the most obtuse figure out that all his paths led to Mammon? And that his endeavors were borne of covetousness and avarice? He was fond of saying he raised himself by his own bootstraps with God's helping hand, to his present prominence but that too, is a lie. God didn't provide it, he grasped and stole it, walking on the bodies of those from whom it was stolen! It didn't hurt that Daddy's money greased the wagon ruts of his journey to independent wealth!

He had his eye on a single masted sailing yacht, ocean going, an alternate source of power was the engine, when the wind wasn't up to speed. When you got right down to it, 250,000 was right cheap and he could afford it. He was rich and in any language that spells wealthy he chortled. RICH!……I AM……RICH! His voice carried to the unblinking sun! If there had been a question as to what his money could buy, Cameron had only to point to his wife, Annalise, a former West Texas bar girl, companion to cowboys, now a Houston high society matron.

It was 750 miles from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas on the Baja peninsula and Cameron signed JimBob Cornish, his real estate lawyer, and Anson Mallon, go-between in animal matters, as mates. "I'll go along with a landlubber sailor" said Mallon, "a man of God like you ought to be as safe as a bug in a breadbox." We'll have a hell of a time" promised Cameron, explaining the virtues of his boat the "Every Witch Way"!

The storm boiled up just about out of nowhere, but to be more accurate they weren't all that expert at reading weather charts, which would have warned them. Cameron, as was explained, couldn't read much of anything, and as a boat captain, he was less than qualified. The mast, old enough to still be wood, carrying the radio transmitter and lights had snapped in the storm, and was now hanging useless, rendering radio signals unreceivable, and twice as impossible to radio for help! By the way, how old is this tub? During the second night the boat gave up the ghost and capsized, after the storm had revisited, a hurricane's eye had no doubt passed over them and had they studied the weather charts, well……? Or did It indicate a lapse in God's watchfulness towards his wayward boy, Cameron. Everything went flying, GPS equipment, useless radio, maps, there had been nothing left to do but abandon ship before the actual capsize. "This captain ain't going down with the boat" declared Cameron. The three swam and waded to the beach, which looked as vacant as the sky, no civilization around. They were castaways but probably as close to habitation as a walk, although who could tell and in what direction? How you gonna take a chance? See what I mean? No water, how you gonna carry water when you're swimming? Water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink. Same for food. "Oh get over it you whining pantywaists, there's bound to be a town nearby." The sun was a boiling presence in the reflecting sky and lack of water immediately began a calypso beat.

BUDS OF A FEATHER

As Elvis once advised in a song, "enough with the conversation get on with the action", so that's what I did, I joined the army, you know, isn't it something like "Be all that you can be" and I wasn't half what I could be, I kid you not.

I thought I knew all about military being around it from infancy. Truth be told, you don't know how much you don't know. The MOS I wound up with I would not have identified with since before salmon grew fur but I ended up with fur, dog type fur. My pal, my mostest best friend was Crankcase, who was the handsomest devil on four legs responsible for this astonishing feat of mind control.

Well, you see another astonishing feat took place just about then when the president decided to go head to head with Sadam Hussein and off to OEF as Iraq was called, me and Crankcase. It's good to know what you're GOOD at and I'm not being a wise ass. Me and Crankcase got to be known for our expertise on missions. Well, when something's primed to blow up in your face, you do get to honing your abilities to find it.

We found our symbiotic relationship mutually beneficial, me and Cranky, like when I would Ratf$$k an MRE, Cranky could be counted on to finish it. I read his body language and he read mine. Get the defusers quick or maybe it's not a rush job. The bottom line was both our decisions, but this one time, even though we'd been blowed up before, this one time when I didn't stop, look and listen and I overruled Cranky, was what you might say the most stupid thing I ever did, literally and figuratively. When stupidity almost costs the life of another, it's like that Beatle song, You Got To Carry that Weight A Long Time. Anyway, suffice it to say, it blew, and it was Marsalama! Now me and Cranky are decommissioned Rummy's Dummies, him without a left front and me without a right lower. The hole resembled a nuclear bomb blast that should have turned us into hamburger. They tried to take him from my side but a screaming fit from yours truly convinced them otherwise.

I know what you all want and that's the happy ending …..dog and soldier became millionaires and lived happily ever after. Well, I have to tell you, things aren't all bad. They're talking about a movie with Cranky as the star of his story. You see the way they figure it is, a dog with the name Crankcase has got to have star power and

Me? I'm just the collateral damage.

There he sits, that brown-eyed devil, just giving me that Crankcase sly smile. He knows he'll have me laughing inside of five minutes, after he cleans up the MRE.

I DID REAL GOOD DIDN'T I BOSS? You sure did Cranky, but you gotta learn to clean up your language. People are gonna think I'm a bad influence.

Persecution of wolves has been going on since humans first arrived in Europe 43000 years ago so it's a complete mystery how the wolf managed to extricate some of its numbers in order to evolve into dogs. The human population, from the beginning, managed to wipe out every large carnivore that existed, and at the time all large predators went extinct including saber-toothed cats and giant hyenas. Wolves were no exception to this wholesale slaughter of killing off the competition except the wolf was clever enough to skirt this problem to a degree, allowing their species to survive.

Fast forward to the present day and you have a wolf at your feet in the house while out of doors wolves are still being hunted to extinction.

Hunting and cattle enterprises are going to be and are pushing their agendas forward to be the determining factors in whether wolves remain a viable species on the planet. These purely selfish, greedy motives should not serve as a standard for the elimination of an animal species vital to the ecological health of the environment. Notwithstanding the intent of legal instruments, history has demonstrated that societal values ultimately determine the survival of the wolf. In other words, we as interested members of the environment, the planet, the particular ecological system we inhabit, also have a voice and we should be able to announce to these special interest groups that their money and influence will not be the instruments allowing extermination of an animal species because of greed!

In the dictionary under the word UGLY here are a few of the people to be found. It is by no means a complete list and they all claim killing is not the point:

IF IT'S NOT KILLING, THEN WHAT IS THE POINT?

Prince Harry: the British Royals are well known for their love of HUNTING and shooting. In fact, it was a point of contention between them and Harry's mother, Princess Diana

Troy Gentry: He killed this CAPTIVE bear, was fined and probated, banned from hunting in the state where it occurred . Did that dampen his enthusiasm?

Theodore Roosevelt: After leaving the presidency he went on Safari, killed 11,000

Animals, which was paid for by the Smithsonian Institute, calling it a scientific study (oh REALLY) is that where Japan came up with the idea?

Miranda Lambert: isn't she hooked up with some guy named HUNT?

Paul Ryan: loves killing animals so much he wants his minor children to participate

These people either fear or would not wish death for themselves but do not mind inflicting it on the helpless, which is the epitome of cowardice.

A NEW REALITY

Thanks to the oceans no forest is safe. Every resource on the planet can be chopped down, dug up, overfished or otherwise killed and shipped via the oceans and this in turn pollutes and heats these waters.

China is the world's largest importer of logs, billions of tons. How many thousands of years does this represent? The earth is considered just one large cookie jar that mankind is exploiting and robbing until what's left are only crumbs. Everywhere Man goes giant footprints are left. Carbon emissions are heating the oceans causing melting of the polar icecaps which can be readily seen but the industrial complex responsible will deny it and governments allow them to go unchallenged.

Man is the only animal to foul his nest to satisfy greed. The melting of ice caps impairs the oceans' ability to transfer heat back into space. Thousands of miles away the earth's largest coral reef is dying due to temperature changes which impacts fish populations. What is the human race thinking? These few examples do not begin to describe the damages earth is undergoing. The damages and depletions described are not caused by nature or anything else……just one thing only……Man himself! Is the human race completely insane? Earth is a small …very SMALL planet …with finite resources. Finite meaning when they're gone…there are no more! What then? Greed will win but the human race will lose……the only species ever on this planet to be the vector of its own extinction.

There is a colossus in Rio facing the ocean which to humans promises heavenly eternity, while below this statue is some of the filthiest water in the ocean. When mankind wakes from the dream of heavenly eternity they will find themselves not in heaven but a dead rock of their own making. We all know that is metaphorically speaking……there will be no humans left then to find themselves anywhere……Where? Extinction……like the rest of life they sent before themselves. Now isn't that a thought. Extinct! Just like the insects sprayed and killed who pollinated and plowed and insured that earth remained a living organism and the animals killed, exploited and used and abused for greedy pursuits! Humans extinct! Imagine that? We'll see how important Super Bowls, hunting trips, new cars, luxury goods, military readiness, satellites in the sky are as this new reality makes itself known.

If mankind disappeared from earth tomorrow

There is not an animal who would display much sorrow

If this came to pass wild animals would come from their niches

And happily exclaim "Are they gone?Those sons of bitches"

Cosmic inflation explains how the universe came into being

From nothing and now into what you're seeing

Matter which we are able to account for here 

Can be explained in that equation E=mc2

Energy is matter and matter is energy

They're interchangeable a cosmic synergy 

Human race has no interest in an esoteric prime

Even though it helps explain why they're here at this time

The manner in which humans celebrate an

outstanding occasion

Is to focus on an object to mark the situation

The eats and decorations are the way things

are done

There are several outstanding contenders

ranking as #1

If these things are mentioned as shrubs or

saplings, butts and birds

Friends are unable to connect these words

Trees, hogs and birds are the usual choices

You'll hear the puzzlement in all human voices

A shrub or sapling? are you out of your tree

A bird? What sort of bird would that be?

And I think mentioned the butt of a hog?

Surely you joke or are you dense as a log?

Of course with an explanation it becomes

clear

These objects to humans mean holidays

are near

But all these objects have one thing in common

The only way to use em is you have to kill em

I can hear it now as the cry goes around

A tree? You're worried about chopping a tree down?

A tree was alive many years in the ground

It did more good in the forest than the ones chopping it

A place in ecology where it did fit

As for the animals, a pig or bird

Their lives were taken for reasons you've heard

Taking lives to celebrate special days

Proves humanity hasn't yet come out of their caves

CAUSE AND EFFECT HAVE MET AND THE MEETING WAS UNSUCCESSFUL  THE MODERATOR WAS TIME WHO LEFT.  IT SEEMS TIME RAN OUT.

The human race is a failed experiment! Of course it can't be said that the entirety of the human race is a failure. There are many, many who know what's going on, put themselves in danger, trying to show the rest of the world the reality of what is happening to this planet. They are the ones who stand "Far From The Madding Crowd". Their numbers are increasing but still indifference and apathy, self indulgence and greed remain victorious in this struggle for the rescue of earth and it's life forms and resources. The wanton waste and destruction that human beings subject the earth to makes for wonderment why life hasn't disappeared long ago. There is a virus loose upon the planet and earth is being strangled. It seems the human race is an anachronistic (this might not even apply--what time period would they be assigned to) misplaced species on a planet where they do not seem fit into any niche. The human race has some peculiar traditions, many of which are harmful to Mother Nature and as noted by Hubert Reeves, an astrophysicist "Man worships an invisible God and destroys a visible Nature, seemingly unaware that the Nature he is destroying is the god he is worshipping"

 A photo journalist, being interviewed, was trying to document just one instance in the killing of a marine animal, explained how the animal was being dragged to the side of the boat and the animal locked eyes with him as a spear was put into its brain and he (the journalist) said he watched this creature's soul leave its body. At that point this journalist was overcome and could no longer continue speaking. 

A large Ray with an imbedded hook was spotted by a diver who immediately began trying to remove the hook. The ray remained immobile during the procedure which was somewhat lengthy, and as the diver began stroking the creature, he became aware that this being was quite aware of the diver's efforts to help in securing her release from pain. 

The human race continues believing that these animals (and all animals) are theirs to do with what they will, that they are nothing more than animated products put here on earth for human convenience, discounting the fact that animals predate humanity by millions of years.