As cool winds blew through the vast and lush green meadows of Camelot in medieval England, a young knight sat at the base of a tree, quietly observed this picturesque scenery with a warm gaze. John Sterling was a young and charming knight who at the tender age of 25 was already made commander of a knight battalion. Few in England came close to Sterling when it came to valor and swordsmanship but none could ever seem to touch him. Sterling was knighted at 17, the news of which was almost considered a myth by anyone who heard it. Sterling got married to the daughter of a gravely respected and famously kind-hearted baron at the age of just 19 and although it was an entirely arranged marriage both he and his age-fellow wife fell head over heels in love after their courtship. Sterling’s long neck-length hazel-brown hair and his big dark blue eyes coupled with his striking and well groomed beard made him the standard of how a knight should look like. His lean, tall and muscular frame carried deceivingly great strength and his grave voice and unmatchable chivalry commanded respect wherever he went. Sterling was just someone who was as unforgettable as one could ever get and with sheer respect he also carried the mountainous envy of his fellow knights on his shoulders. Though these were relatively peaceful times in England, the threat of foreign invasions was always looming above the crown of Old England. And Sterling was no stranger to war or its devastation. He had seen his father get mercilessly killed in front of his very own eyes when the Scotts launched an all out assault on the Northern Province of Hamelshire. The assault on the Northern Province brewed into a full scale war and Sterling along with his mother was left without a home and without much hope and England was left in shambles. Sterling had sworn that he would never let anything similar happen to England for as long as he lived. That was the very reason why he joined the order of the knights and although he was denied membership at first due to his young age, the head of the order saw something unbelievable in little Sterling’s eyes, a fire like no other and a compassion like no other. Hence Sterling became the youngest knight’s apprentice in English history and went on to become the youngest knight in English history. Sterling had already seen action when King Arthur ordered the recapture of a small village from the Scottish on the outskirts of the Eastern Province. It was on this occasion that Sterling’s unforgettable display of valor and his unbelievable tactical genius won the knights an amazing come from behind victory. This became the very reason for his immediate promotion to commander. As the sun set down, the winds also began to disappear and Sterling went back to his home after a long and dutiful day. “Being a knight might seem fun and all, but don’t you think that a far better life awaits you outside of the knight’s order?” asked his wife Elizabeth. “What type of life my love?” inquired a calm Sterling. “A life far away from this city and its noise! A life far away from any threat of a barbaric invasion! A life far away from the never ending duties of being a knight! A life far away from the tiring routine that keeps us mostly apart!” answered Elizabeth. “Beth, why ask what you already know the answer to?” replied Sterling. “Don’t I have any right over you? Is it too selfish to want you all for myself John?” asked a gloomy Elizabeth. “My love, you will forever have my heart! But England has my soul!” smiled Sterling. “Sire! Sire! I beg the intrusion but this is urgent!” yelled the council messenger at the door. “What is it that warrants this disturbance?” Sterling asked while opening the door. “My Liege, the Scotts have launched a counter assault on the village that we re-captured! And this time their battalion is twice as big as before!”. “ Speak no more! Tell my knights to assemble, I am coming to lead the charge at once!” shouted Sterling. “Please John, I beg you! You barely made it out alive the last time. Let the cavalry deal with this one! You don’t need to get into this!” demanded Elizabeth. “I am the cavalry my love!” answered Sterling as her put on his armor and grabbed his sword. “I don’t want you to die! I just can’t lose you John!” pleaded Elizabeth. “A knight only dies once but a coward dies a thousand deaths!” exclaimed a fiery Sterling as he mounted his horse and rode off into the night.

What looks like useless leftovers to some

Appears to be a meal to those who have none

What looks like clothes too cheap and boring to wear

Are longed by someone because winter is something they can't bear

What looks like abundant time to kill

Is enough to make an innocent wish fulfill

What may look like a never ending youth

Is considered a myth by those who had to learn the truth

What some see as simply unconquerable bad days

Don't bother those that know the pendulum swings both ways

What may seem like just mere words and not a knife

Is enough to scar someone for the rest of their life

What may look like the same world with a lot of hope

Appears different each time when seen through everyone's kaleidoscope

Piercing through the funnel of defenders McLaren had his eyes set on the goal. He dribbled the ball through the storm of defenders as they all scattered to descend on him like rain. The crowd had a hard time pin pointing McLaren as he seemed to just disappear in a cloud of the opposing players. The referee was about to hand out a warning to one of the defenders when suddenly McLaren shot the ball with his lead foot. The ball seemed to have been fired out of a shotgun as it looked like a thunder bolt travelling across the field and into the net. There was a momentary pin drop silence in the stadium which then turned into a shower of energy and noise. The flood of emotions made tears drop out of each eye. McLaren's team knew that now there was no threat since they just extended their lead by 3 goals. "And that's why they call him Lightning McLaren, ladies and gentlemen!", yelled the commentator.

To me the allegory of the cave represents the base level of rationality. For one to be a realist he has to be able to break free from the confinement of the cave. The false perception of reality which one is presented with while being in the cave comes back to materialize itself and become one's true reality. Hence I use the term 'Boomerang of Reality'. Without freeing yourself from the shackles of the cave and seeing the source of the cave's 'perceived' reality in the bare flesh, one can never grasp the truth and can never learn what the real world has to offer. 'The death of fake reality reveals the truth of actual reality before one's eyes'. That's the best way I can sum it up. Now in terms of the cave's shackles one can argue that dogmatic beliefs or the indoctrination at birth is the main constituent of these shackles. Similarly the unanimously accepted societal beliefs and the pre defined 'acceptable' way of thinking are also shackles that bind us to the mouth of the cave. I consider understanding the allegory of the cave as the first and most important step in the path towards intellectualism and critical thinking, both of which are essential towards the completion of self actualization and the maximization of one's true potential!

Once Mack was slowly sprinting up the mole hill

In his hand was a bottomless pail he wanted to fill

He realized that he had an abundance of micro time to kill

So why not come up with a grand money scheme to later fulfill

He thought he’ll sell his pail for approx. 15.453421 bucks

And then he will buy 12 eggs laid by one week old ducks

Then he will quickly sit on those eggs for about four weeks

Hopefully he’ll see some cute little baby duck beaks

Then he’ll sell the baby ducks for 100 bucks

This quite frankly will be a lot of bucks

From these bucks there will come even more ducks

And from these ducks there will come even more bucks

After a month the little bucks will grow into adult deer

They’ll then be sold for 10 dollars to his dear enemy peer

With the 10 dollars he’ll buy 10 long iron nails

Hold on because there’s more that this plan entails

The iron nails will be melted over his gas stove

The gas stove runs on wood taken from his grove

And with his lightning quick bare fists he’ll forge a sword

The sword will greatly help him get his ultimate reward

He will challenge the king to a fierce public and private duel

That alone would make him look so cool or as the kids say ‘kewl’

He’ll defeat the king using two toes and demand a brand new pail

And then it shall be cleverly repeated this whole entire tale

“Mack!!!” his younger elder sister Mill suddenly and calmly screams

And that snaps him back to reality from his practical daydreams

But when he turned around he slipped

Or it might have been that he tripped

Mack immediately starts tumbling up the hill

And watching him with horror is poor rich Mill

“This is impossible!” says Mack, “And not just very awkward”

But then he realized that all this time he’d been crawling backward

So on Mack’s face appears a big smile, which was just an inverted frown

And yes, he broke his real gold and diamond crusted plastic crown

But along with his crown his dear pail also broke

And young old Mack with tears, started to choke

“Did you at least fill the pail?!!” asked softly, a very worried Mill

But poor wealthy Mack couldn’t answer; he was lost in thought still

“You know Mill; I’ve learned a very important political lesson today!”

“An apple a day really does keep the anesthesiologist away!”

I consider myself a 3 course meal. Each course represents different parts of me and different ingredients of my life. The first course will be a rich seafood risotto served with a side dish of warm cream of celery soup. The risotto's tanginess and strong flavor represents the excitement of my life and my passion while the creaminess of the soup represents the richness of my life and my empathy. The second course will be a medium cooked hearty piece of rib eye steak brushed with garlic butter and a roasted beef sauce along with roasted vegetables. This dish will be coupled with a side of creamy mashed potatoes, a side of vegetable tagliatelle and a final side of seafood ravioli. All of this is accompanied with cream sauce and BBQ sauce condiments. The steak represents my heart and my courtesy and the motivation drive of my life. The mashed potatoes represent the element of hard work while the tagliatelle represents my artistic sense and the influence of art in my life. The ravioli represents my grit which is what holds my life together just as the pasta holds the ravioli together. The roasted beef and BBQ sauces represent my anger and the fierceness of my life. The final course will be a coffee and chocolate cream cake with a side of vanilla ice cream and a fresh drink of ice tea. The moist and layered cream cake will represent the layers of pleasures of my life and my happiness while the smooth vanilla ice cream represents the hope in my life and my optimism. And lastly, the ice tea represents the calm and collectiveness of my life and my ability to think critically.

Staring at an empty pitcher when you're a thirsty crow

Or expecting harvest when there are no seeds to sow

Imagining, eating a freshly baked loaf of bread

While not having money to even buy a piece of thread

Expecting an 'A' when you skipped the exam

Or expecting an investment return from a scam

Praying that money falls into your pouch

While you haven't even left the couch

Being a hero on screen or as they say, in reel life

But not having done any charity in real life

Do you see where I'm reaching for?

Vicarious life is not worth fighting for!

Holding my past against me

Even when I said I repented

Telling me that I will never succeed

Even when I keep getting back up

Denying me every single time

Even when I never stopped showing up

Saying that nature never changes

Even when I keep saying that I changed

Laughing at my desperation

Even when I said that I have nothing else

Judging me without knowing what's in my heart

Is it a superpower everyone is born with?

Walking back home on a windy winter evening after attending my college farewell party, I realized that I didn't want that winter to end and I wasn't ready for what I was going to face later in life. I wished that time could stop, that my hair would stop falling out and that my youth would stop slipping away. I wished that I had taken things more seriously, that I hadn't driven everyone away from me, that I had at least enough money in my pocket to catch a bus, that I had at least considered the inevitable consequences of my instantaneous actions. I wished that I could somehow escape from the harsh realities of my life, that I could eradicate all the suffering from this world, that the long walk back home would never end. But alas! no winter lasts forever!

The chefs were in a lineup ready for the next dinner service. The pastry head ran around with a dough ball in his hand and his subordinate stood still with the coating batter bowl. The sous chef wanted to strike the prep chef for making the error of not peeling the potatoes before cutting them. The prep chef quickly dived to catch the potato the sous chef threw at him. The line cook wanted to pitch the idea of a new sauce for the lamb chops, but turned away. "One more mistake and it's a windup!", yelled the sous chef. "Mound the pie filling slightly in the center", whispered the pastry head to his student. "Trash is trash even if it's served on a diamond crusted gold plate!", the sous chef yelled again. "I wish we could hide in our own secret dugout", whispered the pastry head. "If our restaurant recommendation score will slump again, I won't balk from shutting down this culinary slum!", screamed the sous chef.