Young children accept the world how it is presented to them; and as they grow, they begin to gauge their experiences against what they are being told. There are some that ignore the former and only believe the latter; however there are others that create their own

true reality

which matches,

and mends,

and molds,

both what they are experiencing,

and what they are being taught;

and I believe we call these kinds of humans,

Artists.

let's be (burning whine the cathatric sunrise) good people 

wake up one day in the amniotic 

wake up one day and be pure and good, let's be good people, wake up one day. 

earlier today I did 

bad people things

in a place where everyone trusted me

it felt bad and I didn't expect that. (let's be good people, let's wake up)

 (pure and beautiful. let me outlive my flaws? let me outlive myself? ((What am I asking for?)) shush. )

that terrible spin on comfort where it strikes me, 

belatedly 

that something in me is so pummled that it cares and cannot stop staring 

lingering by the car crash 

but never calling the paramedics 

Not my real name, but could be.

I went through some really rough times.

Always with a small pair of eyes

Looking up at me for strength,

reason, explanation.

Finally she asked me why

All these bad things were happening.

Why did he leave us?

Why is the world turning upside down?

The only answer I could think of

was bad magic.

After that, when things went wrong

She looked at me and we laughed

Instead of crying....and she said

It's just bad magic, Mom <3

Surrender the brushes,

The pallets, the paint—

You are much too in love

With pictures.

You work with colors;

Two dimensional,

Blending yet not

Becoming.

Love, when will you learn

To paint with the

Mind and not

Just eyes

Spend days locked

Away with a canvas

And you look to see

Paint-- not poetry.

Will those fingers

Ever Learn to

Feel…

He stood on the top

of the bridge and faced 

himself for an instant

looking into the river's reflection

of the clouds and the sky

while birds called out in fanfare

The autumnal silence of 

the trees delayed him from

making the move he had so

carefully planned out 

"No." he said 

He walked home

He made a pot of coffee 

He read until he fell asleep...

The Origin

1- 1 When it began, the Goddess sang-

Existence made its way.

Explosions carved the universe

As She unfolded clay.

2 The earth held nothing in its form

Aside from empty dark.

The Goddess crafted sod and sea;

Her spirit made its mark.

3 The angels She created next-

Of wing and feral might.

Emblazoned with a fiery core,

An army willed to fight.

4 And then She said, “Come forth, the light!”

She saw that this was good.

Amazed, the ushered breath and beast;

She crafted earth and wood.

5 A separation of the void,

She called them night and day.

A sphere of fire to keep the morn,

A moon where dark would stay.

6 Upon the realm of Midgard’s turf

In waters rushing flow,

The Goddess spoke and ushered fish

Beneath the undertow.

7 Upon the lands, the angels flew

Ensuring life evolved.

The smallest to the greatest spread,

A manifest resolved.

8 The Goddess called her angels back,

Decreeing, “Be it so-

That all I make shall reproduce-

Increasing ebb and flow.”

9 And Midgard teemed with floral growth;

The fauna filled the land.

The angels blessed the beast and bird

As was their first command.

10 Although the world begotten brimmed

In life of every thing,

The Goddess felt an emptiness

Compelling her to sing.

11 A garden formed of lush delight

Encapsulating all

Invoked as She unleashed a song

And wrought mankind in thrall.

12 The major chords she ushered forth

Ensnared the dirt and mud,

And in her image came the first-

A human, flesh and blood.

Lilith and Adam

2- 1 And so it was, creation bloomed-

The Goddess placed her spark

Embedding every living thing

Between the light and dark.

2 Around the garden walked abroad

A woman of the earth.

The Goddess smiled at what she saw,

Creating in her mirth.

3 She called her Lilith, wrath of storm,

The Goddess lullaby.

She raised her up above the beasts;

The angels in the sky.

4 And though all pleasures she partook,

A sorrow swallowed whole.

The Goddess made the woman sleep

To form another soul.

5 The moment She began her song,

A rib from Lilith spurned

Another- man- as Adam came-

And passion in him burned.

6 Now, Lilith did not like the man-

He tried to rule her form.

But she refused his thirsty lust;

No, she would not conform.

The Descent

3- 1 Rejected, he walked through the wood

Until he heard a voice-

“Dear Adam, you have much to learn-

My son, you have a choice.”

2 The dragon, once called Lucifer,

Had fallen from a star.

Enticing Adam with his lies,

He whispered, “There you are!”

3 As Adam stood before the beast,

A newfound feeling swelled.

“What can I do to make her mine?

To make her heart compelled?”

4 “Oh, Adam, you have every right-

Absolve your flesh in her.”

The great deceiver coaxed his prey

And Adam would concur.

5 Unknown to either of the two,

The Goddess crafted more-

She called them dwarves and others elves,

The myths of ancient lore.

6 As it would be, a dwarf about

The garden heard the plan.

He raced to Lilith, full of fear,

And thus betrayed the man.

7 The garden, Eden it was called,

Invited Adam home.

And Lilith waited, open arms;

Beside her stood a gnome.

8 “So, Mother has created more-

And here you wait for me.

I have a tale to share with you-

An act to set you free."

9 Upon these words, the dwarf appeared

And angels flew below

Arresting Adam ere he stood,

For what, he did not know.

10 “What meaning do you have for this!

I am of Goddess craft!”

Ignoring him, they tied him up

And placed him on a raft.

11 As Lilith watched him float away,

She noticed in his grasp

A piece of fruit from off a tree

Secured within a clasp.

12 The crafty dragon then appeared

And freed the man to dine.

“The Tree of Good and Evil- yes!

Behold- it is now mine!”

13 Of all they were allowed to eat,

The fruit from off one tree

The Goddess had forbidden them-

It birthed eternity.

14 As Adam fled atop the beast,

An an angel came to guard

The entrance into Eden’s realm-

A blazing, shining shard.

15 The dwarves and elves rejoiced to see

The man depart their land.

As Lilith utilized her skills,

The Goddess found it grand.

16 A blessing over Eden’s girth,

Reviving all inside

And laugher flourished plant to plane-

A gift she would provide.

Fallen Angels and Adam’s Daughters

4- 1 Outside of Eden, Adam’s lust

Increased as he would find

A race of creatures, humanoid,

In which his loins would grind.

2 The offspring grew in wonderment

And angels fell from grace

The same as Lucifer had been,

Succumbing in that place.

3 As Adam had him many wives,

So, too, the angels took

To bed his daughters, full of sin,

Depicted in this book.

4 Abominations they produced,

The giants and monsters spawned

Devoured the outer world around

As evil newly dawned.

5 And still they could not enter in

The gates of Eden’s port.

The Goddess kept her promises

And Lilith ruled her court.

6 The angels, each a different brand-

A lion, and eagle, and

A bull defended Lilith’s woods-

And kept filth from her land.

7 For Adam daily tried his best

To take back all denied.

And yet the Goddess blocked attempts

No matter how he tried.

8 The dwarves and elves and other kind

Among the woodland’s hold

Arose to worship Lilith’s Queen

And forged the Goddess gold.

9 Too closely to the outside world

A few dwarves ventured near.

The monsters sensed the wealth and vowed

To offer hateful fear.

10 Again, day out and in, they tried

But Eden’s troupe prevailed.

It seemed a futile quest, indeed

For every time, they failed.

11 The dragon formed a vengeful plan,

And Adam fell in line.

No matter how they changed the course,

The Goddess proved divine.

12 And I would know, for She is me-

We are one in the same.

The garden holds a hidden myth,

And Lilith is her name …

Mother, movement, civil rights-

These words are not enough,

Praising her in darkest nights,

Convincing, brave, and tough …

Rosa Parks, in fifty-five,

December, chose to change,

Chance the tribulation’s jive

So things could rearrange.

Southern ranking prejudice,

Compounded in its fuss,

Valued in its edifice,

To force her on a bus

Placing her beyond the rear,

Despite an empty seat.

Rosa Parks removed her fear

And planted firmly feet.

Busses were a public choice,

A transportation screen,

Rosa spoke her mind and voice

But met with the obscene.

Driver called the cops and fueled

Requesting her arrest

On that day injustice ruled,

As “white laws” would attest.

She, a woman of great class,

Prevailing in her cause

Would not let such hatred pass-

Discrimination’s claws.

Peace and civil liberty,

She sought a greater good.

Stood to thwart hypocrisy

As truth was understood.

Rosa let the caged bird sing,

America would hear.

Dr. Martin Luther King

Responded in his cheer.

Jr. praised her every move-

Responsive in his pride,

Equal rights, the cog and groove-

They could not be denied.

Alabama, in the South

A woman rightly proved

Action spoke as freedom’s mouth-

“No, I shall not be moved.”

Thunder under foot about;

Her race marched to her roar,

Gentle lioness’s shout-

Abiding shore to shore.

Black and white, uneven two,

Until all joined as one-

Making grey the common hue

As justice would be done.

Statutes offered pressed in shape

But Rosa Parks declined

Separation’s falling drape

Created color blind.

Equal as no skin tone made

A man or woman less,

Virtuousity displayed

Her presence would confess.

Truly she was awe inspired

In civil movement’s flare.

Perseverance never tired-

She held the torch with care.

Raising still the blazing marks

If prejudice may call,

Thanks to those like Rosa Parks

Equality for all

Will not slip into the cracks

Of failure, sewn in thread

Joining hands of whites and blacks,

Together, breaking bread.

Rosa now has gone away,

A mother, matron, queen.

Victory is on display-

Equality is seen …

Truly missed, defeating plights-

A soul that kindles sparks,

“Mother of all Civil Rights”

For you, Mrs. Rosa Parks.

     Falling to her knees, Acirema wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Many times she had been beaten, and many times she had gotten back up. Servitude seemed her only reality. Desperation settled in, but beneath each heartbeat nestled the sound of hope. King Dlanod laughed. She expected this.

     "My porridge was too cold. How can you expect me to eat it cold?”

Mustering the strength to stand, the young dwarf looked her king in the eyes as she moved to the bowl. In his anger, he had tipped it over. Hurriedly wiping up the mess, she dabbed the blood from her latest slap as she collected the utensils that had fallen around his routine seating arrangement.

     “Perhaps your porridge might taste better if you hadn't banned all the elves from our kingdom, sire? They cooked. We dwarves are miners and smiths, not short order chefs. Don't you remember the feasts you once had?”

     The orange ogre turned and slapped Acirema to the ground again. The wooden bowl flung across the room, skidding along the way. Shaking it off, the dwarf moved one knee at a time until she slowly collected the bowl and spoon she dropped from his attack.

     “You are not my advisor,” he sneered. “I do what must be done for this kingdom in order to provide peace, security and freedom. The elves, gnomes, and fairies got in my way. You're lucky. I loathe your race. But you do as you're told so I keep them around. Look at this nation now. The orcs, ogres, and goblins shall proposer under my intelligence! Everyone else can get in line or be destroyed.”

     Moving to the nearby window, the dwarf servant peered outside. The second sun was rising. Though she could barely make out the faces of those below her, she sensed something in each person making their way about life ... hope. A glimmer resonated through each step taken. And though many of them were headed to work on the great stone wall King Dlanod enforced as a tribute, the unity his reign cemented among the many tribes reassured her all was not lost. 

     Whips cracked. Chains clanked. But the music they produced formed a new beat in her heart; a rhythm in her soul. She called it freedom. Thinking of her former king, Amabo, she knew a leader could be wise and kind. In this moment she thought of her people.

     Looking back at her beastly ruler on her way to the kitchen, Acirema smiled. Things were changing. Perhaps she wouldn't be beaten down forever. Perhaps, if those people felt the same as she did, together they could make a difference. She rounded the corner and entered the chef’s quarter humming the tune of days to come. For now, she had to make the porridge ...

I have a dream, as all men bleed-

This nation will embrace its creed:

"Equality for one and all,

Let freedom ring and racists fall."

I have a dream, in Georgia's wood-

A peaceful feast of brotherhood

As former sons of slaves unite

With sons of owners, bite for bite.

I have a dream, and it is sweet-

That even Mississippi's heat-

That heat of vile oppression's snare-

Will disappear and clear the air!

I have a dream, let me begin-

No one will judge for shade of skin,

And my four children will delight ...

Regardless black, regardless white.

I have a dream, a dream today!

And no, it will not go away.

That color does not make a man-

The content of the person can!

I have a dream, a rising noise-

That little girls and little boys

Of colors black and white will stand

Together, walking hand in hand!

I have a dream, a dream today!

In Alabama, what I say

Will vex the governor until

Those racists words must simply still ...

I have a dream, the valleys, high,

And mountains brought below the sky

Along the rough now smooth and plain-

The crooked, straight, will all remain.

As I move South, this faith and hope

Is carried with me as I grope

The hammer to beat down the stone

Of tyranny from off his throne!

In this faith, we will lift the Lord,

In brotherhood; in one accord-

In this faith, we will all prevail-

In struggles, joys, or even jail!

And this will be the greatest day-

The day when all God's children say:

"My country, 'tis of only thee-

Arise, oh land of liberty!"

And if America will be

The nation that we long to see-

Then freedom must upon each shore

Arise and travel door to door!

From New York, we let freedom ring!

From Pennsylvania, freedom ring!

From Colorado, freedom ring!

From California, freedom ring!

From Georgia, we let freedom ring!

From Tennessee, let freedom ring!

From Mississippi, freedom ring!

From every corner, freedom ring!

And when this happens, we will sing-

The majesty this day shall bring

As all God's children, black and white,

Go singing into that good night ...

"Oh, free at last, oh, free at last!

We overcome our father's past!

Remember we must make it last-

Oh, God Almighty, free at last!"

*This is a rhyming paraphrase of an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech.