The Sublime Roundabout

Life is not black or white Life is various shades of gray I've tried so hard to make things right To turn the night to day But try as I will Some darkness remains, still And I don't know why I am not so naive to think That my efforts have great import That this ship would never sink If I could drag it to port But try as I will Some darkness remains, still And I don't know why My sister lays dying So very far away Is all of life just crying? Does the sun shine today? But try as I will Some darkness remains, still And I don't know why My faith is still strong And my hope shines so bright In a glorious future In a world filled with light But try as I will Some darkness remains, still And I do know why Because she takes part of the light of the world with her As she goes Into the light

"Take a moment to behold As still skies or storms unfold, In sun rain sleet or snow, Warm your soul before you go." -  Standing stone near Corgarff Castle, Lecht Summit, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland  Life is so short. Too short. I hate that it moves so fast, and then you're left with.. what? Hope? Faith? The grasp of the grave is pervasive, unrelenting, and so cold... So, so cold. It grabs at my heart and makes me gasp. I can feel it, this hand of death. It pulsates with my heartbeat, constricting, tightening, slowly and slowly and slowly. My heart is as cold as a stone and getting colder. And so. Impart your warmth to me, before you go. Share your light and your love and your life. Warm my soul, and I will warm your soul. And together, we shall defeat this thing called death. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. And when death does come for us, we will greet it not as an enemy, but as the last great sleep, resting in the embrace of o...

Have a look at this: http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-36036561 There are many ways that human beings touch the earth. Each footfall irrevocably alters the way the earth exists, and it's true that no one can step into the same stream twice. The truth is, as we alter the earth, the earth alters us. We are never the same either for our existence, and our experiences shape us in ways that are often as indelible as they are gentle. When I see these trig pillars, I am pleased with their simple, aesthetic beauty. But I find quite profound that these pillars are intended to be guideposts, to help triangulate people's relative position in the world, and to give a sense of orientation and place to their world. I love things that have meaning. And I love people who help me see that meaning. Thank you.

I had thought that Eventually, eventually Slowly, gradually... These traces you left on my soul Would fade, would fade, would fade... That the marks you left on my heart Would heal... And that the grip you had on my mind Would lessen... But I find that my soul still yearns For you And my heart still aches For you And my mind still resonates For you You... You... Always

It would be an error For you to think that just Because I write about deep or  Poignant feelings That I am morose or maudlin The truth is I feel many things deeply On all ends of a spectrum That runs not just left to right But in all directions I feel passionately I love deeply and truly (I'm always a bit surprised and dismayed that others don't Seemingly moving on from a love or lover quickly and easily With little regard for what had once been) And eternally And while this sometimes means I hurt a lot It also means that my soul thrills immensely At the glory Of the promise of a sunrise At the sight of stars sparkling in a velvety dark sky Or at the anticipation of love's sweet embrace

So I've written before a couple of times about my thoughts on gun control. The truth is, I believe that people should have relatively unfettered access to guns, but I also believe that training regarding their use should be extensive to the point of exhaustion. We require people to go through significant training when we issue a driver's license. It makes sense to me that a similar amount of training (if not more!) should go into licensing for guns. NPR did a story this morning about the thing: http://www.npr.org/2016/04/12/473391286/does-carrying-a-pistol-make-you-safer And what continues to interest me is the idea that a gun is somehow equivalent to defense. So, I want to be very clear. This is defense: This is offense: Defense: Offense: Defense: Offense: Defense: Offense: I don't want to belabor the point. And in my previous posts on the subject I've acknowledged the potential benefits (real and perceived) ...

What I loved about you Is how I made you feel sexy And you liked that

I reach out to you (once again) To try to touch you (somehow) But you cut me (your glances askance) You cut me (your words sharper than knives) And I bleed for a while (a lot) But I forget the pain (why?) I reach out to you (once again) To try to touch you (maybe this time?) But I find my reach (my ability) Has been shorter (reduced... confused...) And shorter (is this even me anymore?) Because I've been cut (once again) So many times (and always once more) All that is left (there is nothing... nothing...) Is the stump (a hint of something grand) The stump (something alive and beautiful, but gone) That was once my love (which would have given you so much) My energy (if you'd only received it) My desire (if you'd only believed it) My hunger and thirst (now I've retreated) My soul (utterly defeated) My heart (turned to ironwood) All just a stump All bleeding stops eventually

I am, quite admittedly, the world's worst foodie. My mantra is - if it tastes good, eat it. I'm not into trendy food things and table presentation (while visually appealing) doesn't really do much for me. I am a stereotypical American man when it comes to food - I want plenty of it. The end. Having said that, I do like a variety of things. I don't feel like this is a contradiction - food is food, no matter where it's from. And as long as it's good (subjectively) I want it. I admit to being a picky eater - there are things I just don't like, and they're pretty common things around here, things like pickles (too sour) and eggs (unless they're baked into something like a cake and you don't get the eggy texture), fresh tomatoes (or large chunky cooked tomatoes - but tomato sauce/ketchup is good) and cottage cheese (just. gross.).... I don't care about something being "organic" or "GMO" (because what isn't, if you think a...