It is blue because we did it. Bled the sky in faith that rain was what we needed. Once we realized death was required to create, we paid the price of hope. So, the sky is blue. An echo of the bruises of our existence. As every baby stretches skin and leaves a mark, so too we exist within sacrifice. So the sky is blue. And it's fuckin beautiful.

Those eyes, following me,

So red, piercing

The air, focused on me alone.

Don't you see them?

They never blink.

They burn my skin!

You can see them.

Why won't you admit it?

They don't like company.

Acknowledge them.

They're closer and closer and closer

My God! They're here. Right here.

They stare at me, just waiting.

I can hardly tell they're getting closer.

But they are, nearly within ruinous grasp.

They gaze hard, over your head at me.

Just look, please look, just look!

They don't like company.

Who will they look at next? After me?

Remember me, when you see them in the rearview mirror.

Pity me, when you see them in the bushes.

They're closing, those crimson eyes.

I'm getting colder and weaker. It hurts.

You should have just admitted you saw them, too.

Diamond Ball worked at the DMV in the area known as the dugout. Every day she would field the same lineup of complaints for customers who battered her with questions. They would pitch a mound of manure served on a silver plate to her in hopes to catch her making an error and thereby score some points on the man. She would windup striking them down so hard they would balk and slump away. It was a good job.

No place to run,

no place to hide.

I see everything.

You want to know fear?

You want to suffer untold agony?

You will get your wish one day.

When blood seeps from your eyes,

mouth wide open but screams never heard.

... and I roar with insane laughter.

When you feel your flesh stripped away,

and the perversity of heat burns at your soul.

Understanding fear will never be your white light.

Know that your time is at hand

and you won't see it coming.

Until it is too late.

The poisoned apple of ignorance strikes against science once more. There is no justicein the sword which strikes like an eagle hunting an innocent puppy. I cannot ignore this horrifying love of misinformation. Not in this time. Survival rests on the truth.

As I begin this treatise, I must say I am afraid the populace will savor my demise. The scale of the fraud the world insists upon, is an injury to the rational mind. It brings to mind the flavor of a rotten raisin hidden among the grapes in the vat.

My ghost will laugh when the future vindicates me. The Earth is not the center of the universe. For as far as I can see, we turn our year around the sun, and therefore it is the middle of our heavens. The idea is as necessary as the bulb is to the crocus, which brings forth precious saffron.

My words will be held over my head as my spirit leaves my body. I am accused of the greatest hearsay a man may contrive; the Inquisition has spoken. I am under house arrest, forced into silence. Mark my words. I speak the truth.

Galileo

You shouldn't follow me because my presence is very unpredictable. I am only now showing up here after a three year absence. Having said that, I enjoy connecting with people on here and having chats in the comment sections. I have always found this site a welcoming space to express oneself, be that creative writing or political opinion. So, go on and follow me and see what happens!

You cast out your soul

in trade for possessing me,

without my consent

and your heart you tore,

bleeding out atrocities

for my will to rend,

but I was my own.

Full of grit-resiliency

and perseverance.

Lost the day you knew your name

conformed to gender,

culture, shame.

Likes, beliefs are they your own,

or seeds of thought from

parents sown.

Endless want, how it requires

a stern dictator

called desire.

Freedom elusive?

Conclusive.

There is much talk these days about the freedom to say what you want. It's our inalienable right to speak our minds, they are only words, they can't hurt you.

In the 90s, I was in the U Fleků pub in Prague drinking a house-made beer. We had just been to the Old Jewish Cemetery and were discussing, in English, the experience while looking through the book I had purchased at the museum shop.

Into the crowded pub came two skinheads that sat down right next to us in the only available seats, and after glancing at the cover of the book began making disparaging and threatening comments in German about Jews. My boyfriend spoke to the waiter, in English, telling him that these guys were saying horrible things, and that, together with the glances we threw their way, let them know we could understand their words perfectly.

Thankfully, they left after only one drink.

Soon the vacant seats were filled by two American guys. We got to chatting and I told them about what had just happened. I expected them (naively in retrospect) to agree with our wish to have the skinheads confronted, or better, told to leave, but instead I got a perplexed look, well, more than perplexed, an offended look. They have a right to say what they want, it’s freedom of speech, said the guy I was talking to.

Despite the fact that I grew up in the US, that was my first encounter with this interpretation. Maybe it’s because I grew up on the West Coast, maybe it’s because of my upbringing, but hitherto, my notion of freedom of speech was that you could criticize those in power without fear of persecution, not spewing out hate about others with impunity.

And all these years later, this freedom of speech argument/excuse has grown more apparent. Found in every comment section on the internet, I am thoroughly sick of it. Freedom of speech is being misused and abused.

If what you’re saying has the potential to reinforce marginalization and incite violence, then keep it to yourself. This isn’t censoring or inhibiting freedom of speech. It’s not fascism or extreme political correctness, it's disabling the spread of hate.

It's often the people most vocal about free speech that have something bigoted or racist to say or their opinions have connections to such things. And when people react, they claim they are being cancelled or controlled. So, they want the freedom to say anything, but no one can react? But people will react and that reaction can include telling you to stop. If you want to say nasty or outright horrible things about others, don't feign surprise that the bulk of society turns against you.

Furthermore, if what you are saying or doing aligns with Neo-Nazis, then you need to have a deep think about your actions while, if need be, promptly and publicly disavowing their presence.

But there are those who never seem to do this, instead they hide behind some vague excuse of innocence, dismissing it as nothing to do with them. Nope! If Neo-Nazi’s are drawn to you, or you find their presence in circles that you frequent (online or otherwise) then something is wrong. One should never align themselves with such a mentality for any reason unless you agree with it. There is no blurred line.

People should feel uncomfortable to voice hateful opinions. There should be unspoken taboos about what can be said and, for a time, there were. But steadily, these taboos are being broken. I’m well aware that the US imported Nazis into the country after WW2. I’m, of course, aware of America’s home grown white supremist, the KKK. I’ve seen the film American History X. Yet, when I was a kid it would have been unthinkable to see a brazen display of Nazi salutes in public. Worldwide, this mindset is becoming more visible online and in public.

Alas, this is a no win situation. Because if you “censure” people, it makes them likely want to say it more, empowering them with a sense of righteousness.

When does this "freedom of speech" become lies and slander? When does it become propaganda? When is it responsible for violence?

The version of the saying “Sticks and Stones” that I learned as a child ended with, 'but words will never hurt me'. I disagree. Imbued with the feeling of the speaker, words are mighty and can leave deep wounds and long lasting scars.

No matter how you learned that saying, either ending in words can or cannot hurt you, the question is, when do hateful words lead to sticks and stones?

And when will the speakers of these words admit to the hurt and potential violence they can cause. Be they potent innuendos or blatant hate.

I’m a mess of shit in a bowl,

spicy, smoked,

maybe left on the stove a little too long

and not stirred quite enough

so the bottom sticks to the pot

and no matter how hard you try,

you just can’t scrape it out,

and if you tried,

you’d scratch up your favorite bowl.

I’m andouille sausage and shrimp and crawfish and rice and vegetables,

a little French, and yes a little African

because my children, the people I love the most in this world

are brown-skinned and beautiful.

And it’s all mixed together

in a brown rue,

looking like a jumbled mess,

and tasting delicious, savory,

comfort with a kick.