There is one thing most of us would agree,
We do not like those who are selfish, and live a life of greed.
Through most of the media outlets. evil, filtered through mind manipulation,
Is recruiting more followers, every day, slowly removing, Jesus Christ,
From his own birthday, Christmas Day.
I was at a local watering hole, on Friday night, a longtime friend,
Walked in, a fluffy white beard, red pants, black boots, Santa Clause, right,
The holiday, is to honor the birth of Jesus Christ.
If you were showing respect, and dressed up like Jesus, today,
Many would laugh, others may start a fight.
When asked, most people believe in God, Jesus is his son, he sent, To save our soul, our soul, that is who we are, how often today,
Do you hear, save my soul, compared to, save my ***?
Many like to gamble, a bad bet, if you think we would be here today,
Without the first Christmas day.
It’s been many moon’s ago, over 2023 years ago, where was your soul?
The populated, parts of the world, were at, what many are chasing,
Wanting today, one central government, that controls you, everything, you have, do, or say,
One fact, they want to eliminate, teaching history,
In schools today, It was so bad before Jesus, most everything is lost,
Everyone wanted to forget the past, they even changed the, calendar, to B.C.
Today people like to name drop, talking about famous people,
No one, comes close to Jesus, he and his father, God, they have,
In the past, and in the future, always will be the first, and second spots.

We see and hear about broken families today, Jesus was conceived,
By a ******, his mom Mary, Joseph, her man, right by her side,
A hard working carpenter, The world has been so turned around since then,
Still going on today, How many men would consider living, staying, with,
A ******, today, love has changed from feelings of the person, their soul, to what I can get, run around and show,
We, our souls, have past, and future life’s, Christmas, is a time, to think, pray and believe,
Many want the most expensive gifts, just for tell and show,
Find discover, your own soul, the gift God gave each of us, you want to be, popular, you will never forget someone, who took time,
To touch you with their soul! Those expensive, gifts, large amounts Of money, are chump change,
Compared to eternity, have patience, believe, help others,
Show appreciation, we are here to build our soul, to perfection, Through our, actions words and thoughts, from our mind.
Jesus is still around us, incognito today, there are also prophets, Teaching, angels, who watch over us, and help in our moments,
Of serious need. The word has been out there, for a long long time,
Jesus, will be back,
On center stage, a second time, to save his father’s creations,
Will the calendar, change again, with memories of us forgot,
Believe, live by what you say, Merry Christmas, AKA,
Happy Birthday Jesus, celebrate, the most wonderful holy day,
                                        Merry Christmas

                                      The Original: Tom Maxwell © 12/16/2023 A.D.

I wanted you to love me
so I tried to play your game
I changed everything about myself
but for me you never changed.
I wanted you to love me
so I made myself so small,
but I loved, and cared, and nurtured you,
I wanted you to have it all.
I wanted you to love me,
I became a chameleon just for you,
I thought the harder I love, the better you'd be
but in the end that wasn't true.
I wanted you to love me
I changed my attitude, my clothes, my hair.
I  became so unrecognizable
you didn't even ******* care.
I will never be enough for you
no matter how hard I try.
I think it's time to let you go
I think it's time to say goodbye.
But God, I wanted you to love me
the way no one ever had
but now I've come to realize
loneliness doesn't sound so bad.

This grief changes shapes
It runs and comes back to me in different forms
Sometimes it's angry, sometimes sad
But lately, it's a sweet melancholy
That drifts along with the wind
Carrying the scent of pear trees and spring
It has lost its pain to the December freeze And now, it's a reminder of circularity
And the transience of this little life

Time moves
forward
Breakfast
ordered
Sunrise reveals
a new day
People scurry
anxious worry
Obstacles
get in
the way

Memories
measured
Guarded,
treasured
In the midst
of the dawn's
hopeful rays
Seasons changing
rearranging
Minds in
perpetual daze

No time for
caution too
close to the
auction
Our lot numbers
soon will display
Our main
distraction
too close to
the action
"Going once!
Going twice!"
as they say ...

We've arrived
at the end of
the day ...

Time to
finish our
final melee ...

Contemplating our
Fabergé egg





Mark Toney ©️ 2023

Fall semester starts tomorrow. It’ll be exciting - for a few days - but it won’t be long before we’ll miss the tanned bodies of summer, the cool, clear lake-water or lounging carefree, on bright, sand-like gravel beaches.

Tomorrow, things will be different. Our days will start earlier, they'll be a value - a new currency - to morning hours that went wasted on unproductive summer vacations. The change will be sudden, herk, there may be an audible pop of some sort, somewhere, in tonight’s darkest hours.

We’ll be going to the gym so early that we’ll be done and leaving before the first, lazy pigments of sunlight weave morning.

I imagine my room looks like backstage at a new Broadway musical, the very first rehearsal - when nothing’s set in stone and everything’s a mess. My clothes are everywhere. Why did I decide to reorganize tonight? Brilliant.

Peter wants to come over but.. “No,” I say, sighing, overwhelmed. “Look,” I say, as I slowly pan the Facetime camera around the war zone that my room has become.

“Oh, my GOD,” he says, jerking back in horror, like a Californian seeing a fur-coat, “Was anyone HURT?!”

“Ha, Ha, I say, sarcastically, suddenly too tired, “Breakfast at 6:30?” I ask.

“Sure,” he says, taking a tucked pencil from behind his right ear. “Guh-night,” he says.

“See-YA!” I say, pressing the red button and letting gravity guide my phone to a gentle rest atop the clothes-pile that’s concealing my bed.

Why are you afraid? Afraid of letting the world have your taste!
Zipped! Living in a bubble. No acquaintance with the world!
When did you lose the curiosity? It makes you alive

Your veil of ignorance makes you think they are monsters out to get to you
Look deep! Look deep!
The world is you & you are the world
It's a mirror reflecting back what's inside of you

Bring clarity! Bring clarity!
And tear away that veil
Look within, then look away
You may find yourself in a different being!