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 May 2013 strata gems
Josh
Do you want to live forever?
said the Gardener to me,
tending to a creeping thought
and watering the sea.

I replied, no, but thanks, you see,
I'd rather be a tree.
And spread my branches out
to
shelter creatures underneath.

A tree? A tree? He whispered tentatively.
Why, I can't remember what it be.
That word. That thought. That memory.
He shook his head and shrugged at me.

(So I scratched a crude drawing in the dirt
and The Gardener squatted there pondering at it a while,
robes lifted up above bony knees)

But I do that too, said he, jumping up quite suddenly.
Pardon me, but I just see no need - No need to be a tree!
Just beg a princely role of me
and I shall fill your fantasy!
I said, thanks, but well, you see..
I'd rather be a tree.

He paused for quite a while.
Then said okay, a little hesitantly.
Then said that he would not be that okay
until he sees these silly things called trees.
And until he sees the purpose of the thing it is
that means so wonderfully much to me
to
want to be a tree.

So he turned me to a tree and put me in a park.
Where couples came and families
and cuddling lovers in the dark.
And colored birds were friends to me
and I sheltered all of them beneath.
And spread new life through little seeds
and quenched the world its need to breathe.
And in the autumn dropped my leaves
to feed the insects in the weeds.
I stretched my roots in luscious ground and saw such beauty all around.
I was
old and happy as only a tree
could ever wish or hope
to be.
And then one day I saw a face, quite out of place, was watching me.

And he said..

You are very naturally a tree
and have done so extraordinarily well in green
that I will leave you be to live your dream.
And as he walked away, it seemed
he smiled happily back at me.
Under her dark veil she wrung her hands.
"Why are you so pale today?"
"Because I made him drink of stinging grief
Until he got drunk on it.
How can I forget? He staggered out,
His mouth twisted in agony.
I ran down not touching the bannister

And caught up with him at the gate.
I cried: 'A joke!
That's all it was. If you leave, I'll die.'
He smiled calmly and grimly
And told me: 'Don't stand here in the wind.' "
Even in the city
The canine activity
Keeps me up at night
These are like Julliard-trained dogs
Singing in 4 parts
But they'll never beat the coyotes
The rawness
The reality of 3 days and nights
An empty belly ignites
A passion for fresh meat
That these pooches can't imagine
I know what it's like to be hungry
I know what it's like to want something
I know what it's like to miss the taste of salt on your lips
And the sting of sweating
Out those hunger trips
I know what it's like to hurt
In the dirt
In the steam
And the thirst
And the hallucinations start
And coyote says
Hey honey
You come here often?
Let me show you how the world works
Let me show you
The rest of the world hurts too
Hey honey Jesus loves you
The rest of the world sweats too
You know that suffering is
Nothing new
It's what we do
And what we turn hurt into
It's the hope springs
Eternal
It's the good times around the corner
It's you
And coyote says
I'm gonna show you
How to trick the hurt
I'm gonna teach you
How to be raw
Honest
And the dogs are still barking in 4 part harmony
I'm out of the sweat lodge
Rolling in bed
There's a dream I can't
Quite catch
On the tip of my tongue
And it slips away
Blends into those Julliard-trained dogs
Barking a little more like
Howling now
Again with feeling now
The world is raw
And reeling now
Sweat it out
In 4 part harmony
Coyote is my spirit animal.... Or something. I woke up at 2 AM and this poured out before I could go back to sleep. It might not make any sense, but I think it is supposed to be spoken word anyway. Let me know if you like it or if it does make sense. Thanks
My sentences are forming on the remaining rusting hinges of over exersion
Awake - if my open eyes  and rote memory skills constitute my presence than I was with you guys for the last 14 hours

Please go now

Too many people in my room

Conversations strangling the beauty of a human voice

No wonder we like a talented vocalist so much

One person discovering the pinnacle of their unique interpretation of sound with emotion

Such a delicate process to find the balance that other people can escape into
Tonight there is nowhere to escape to


Instruments and a quiet place I can write- a rich palette to draw from -
interpret -
I really do hope this something I believe in is worthy
- I'm not sure I will ever be a mother but I have projects manifesting inside me-
their slow birth and evolution is fulfilling
Although ...
tomorrow.... I won't remember writing this, but ill sweat the subliminal loneliness that comes with a practical and self sufficient artist's patience.
Surly and divided
decidedly sweet,
you'll see the smiling me rush through the hallways
Are you spinning yourself in the echoes of many girls with  high heels on?
'I slept, and dreamed that life was beauty;
I woke, and found that life was duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, sad heart, courageously,
And thou shall find thy dream to be
A noonday light and truth to thee.'
1
Commander Alien outlines his strategy
for when visiting earth:
“We should not celebrate Christmas
so we don’t give away our presence”


2
one alien goes to the cat
and says to it:
“Take me to your litter!”
The other one turns to the gas pump and grunts:
“It’s really rude of you
to stick your fingers into your ears
When I’m talking to you!”



3
One alien goes into the shop
and orders his favorite tea items:
Gravi-tea and Mars-mallows

4
One alien goes to wash
in the meteor shower;
while the other comes to find
he’s had a ticket cos he
forgot to pay the parking meteor

5
But not all aliens are dumb though,
as this final tale will show

One alien goes to the pillar box
and tells the post box:
“Take me to your leader”
And the other alien shouts across:
*“Hey, you dumbo –
can’t you see he’s only a child!”
ordinary online jokes transformed through verse
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