It is hard sometimes,
to rise above it –
the fear
the hate
the things we covet
my own light dims
when anger rages –
the news
the trauma
locking kids in cages
No! Not me!
I will not fall victim –
to bullies
or monsters
I will cling to wisdom
no platform bully
nor energy vampire
can harden
or darken
my light which transpires
It is hard sometimes,
to rise above it –
the fear
the hate
the things we covet
but I will rise
on wings of doves
fighting fear
and hate
with nothing but love
I have been thinking
about how my mother
would bake cookies for strangers
Always with a smile
vintage cookie cutters
and love as sweet as sugar
“How can we love those we don’t know?”
I’d ask. She would reply,
“Just as we can hate what we don’t understand.”
She would look up from her ball of dough
into a pair of fresh blue eyes
not yet tainted by the world
“Some people don’t appreciate the effort,”
she’d say, “In a factory in a city,
someone made these chocolate chips.”
“Before the flour became a powder,
someone planted the wheat,
tended to the crops.”
“People don’t stop to think
and appreciate the effort.”
“They just bite into the delicacy.”
I have been thinking
about this a lot lately –
the lesson she taught me
Perhaps that is why I enjoy
the little things, so much,
because I appreciate time
Beauty and effort take time
in nature, in craftsmanship,
in ourselves –
Pretty faces fade
skin wrinkles
hair turns gray
But I still have those vintage cookie cutters
my mother’s smile
and her love as sweet as sugar
So today, I will give thanks
to a farmer, appreciate the effort,
and bake cookies for strangers
Day 351
Fall can stick around as long as it wishes!
Day 352
For the past four years I have attended a concert to celebrate my birthday. Unfortunately, due to Covid, that isn’t possible this year, but thanks to PBS, I was able to watch the S&M2 concert on television!
For those who are unaware Metallica played with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for the second time!
Day 353
Perfect Spooky Weather!
Day 354
I hope all of you had a faBOOlous Halloween!
Day 355
Another mesmerizing sunset!
Day 356
Waking up in the Tundra of Maryland
Day 357
My tripod broke, so this picture isn’t as clear as I would like it to be, but still, not a bad shot of la luna!
Happy Wednesday, everyone!!
Love & life lessons,
Kristian
“I pledge allegiance to the flag”
right hand over heart
just a child, I am taught to honor
while my country falls a part
***
I don’t yet understand the meaning of allegiance
yet I am expected to follow, “They’ll do as we tell them.”
and it’s a sad thing, being taught to bite my tongue
because asking for the meaning is seen as rebellion
***
How can we pratice what we preach
without explaining the meaning?
Taking an oath to serve and protect
when the lives beneath us are screaming?
***
“One nation under God,” we chant
claiming a land that’s united
but with blood shed and lives lost
I’ve only ever seen a land that’s divided
***
We dream in colors of red and blue
and avert our eyes from division
but when we sleep with guns next to our Bibles
“One nation under God,” becomes hard to envision
Another landslide of life
has brought us down
standing in icy streams
holding fast to unsteady ground
Time waits for no one
seasons change in the blink of an eye
the reflection shows a little girl
yet it is silver hair and wrinkles I spy
Can we adjust our sails
with the east wind
can the child within us
rise again
Seasons may have changed
and so have we
but love still grows
on our family tree
***
Can we handle another season
of raging tides
can we balance the beams
on bumpy rides
The last remaining bloodline
of a family that has passed
and with the ticking of the clock
I am holding steadfast
I don’t have the answers
and you don’t want to talk
but I am beside you
let’s have one of our walks
Seasons may have changed
and so have we
but love still grows
on our family tree
***
My tears have fallen
and I’m sure yours have too
and these icy streams are cold
but I am here with you
Maybe not in person
but we’re never far apart
just look at your reflection
and find me in your heart
We don’t have to speak
we can just watch the sunrise in the park
and when the sun refuses to shine
I will sit with you in the dark
Seasons may have changed
and so have we
but love still grows
on our family tree
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Written for my aunt, who is battling cancer. I love you, and I am with you, always. ❤
The Hitchhiker
The cool autumn breeze whipped through Max’s hair as he placed the duffle bag in the backseat of his Toyota 4-Runner, causing him to shudder. He pulled the checklist out of his back pocket, double-checking to make sure he had everything for the journey ahead. He had no idea how long it would take, and to be completely honest, he was getting tired of starting again, somewhere new. However, the thrill of the chase would always keep him moving forward, and nothing in life was without its pros and cons, he supposed.
After making sure all of the necessary supplies and items were in the glove compartment and console, he took one last look at his apartment before stepping into the vehicle and heading down the road. The sunset was dipping below the Appalachian foothills and he admired the beauty of it, thinking about a girl who used to frequently send him pictures of them.
He decided to head east on route 40. He knew it was more likely to be isolated rather than the interstate. He had a full tank of gas, four joints in the cupholder, and a cooler full of bottled water in the backseat.
He had just driven over the border into Alleghany county when he spotted her; a woman in a black dress, flashing her leg through a high slit.
“Well, that happened quicker than I expected.” He murmured to himself.
He pulled over to the side of the road just past where she had been standing. A smile crossed his face before he came to a complete stop, the excitement was already coursing through his veins.
*********************
A lopsided smile crossed Patty’s face as soon as she realized the vehicle was slowing down. She picked up her Hello Kitty backpack and made her way towards the vehicle, her stilettos clapping against the asphalt.
“It’s not everyday one see’s Elvira hitchhiking alongside a deserted road,” Max said, combing a hand through his hair before extending it and introducing himself to Patty.
She smiled as she took his hand and introduced herself to him before replying, “It isn’t everyday one picks up a hitchhiker on Halloween.”
“Touche.”
He opened the backdoor, holding out his hand for her to hand him her backpack.
“Hello Kitty?” He arched an eyebrow.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
“Oh, this is going to be fun.” He thought.
He smiled at her as he fiddled with his phone.
She wondered what he was doing, but remained silent.
“Elvira” by the Oak Ridge Boys flooded the car, and Patty let out a chuckle.
“Where are you headed?”
“Home, I guess.” She replied, sounding unsure.
“Where is home?”
“Oh, right.” she chuckled, causing him to smile. “Baltimore, but I know that’s a bit of a drive.”
“I’m headed there myself, actually.” He lied.
“Oh good, so I’m not putting you out of the way then?”
“Not at all.”
Max and Patty made small talk as they traveled for about an hour and a half before the vehicle started making a clanking noise and Max pulled over for the second time that night.
“I’m just going to check under the hood, see if I can see anything.”
“Help yourself,” he said as he pointed to the joints in the cupholder.
“No, thank you,” Patty smiled.
Once the hood of the vehicle was up and she was out of Max’s sight, she reached for her backpack, pulling out the gun and placing it in the holder on the garter she had on her left leg, which was covered by the part of the dress without the slit. She replaced her heels with Chuck Taylors, just in case she would need to run, and lastly, she applied a fresh coat of lipstick the faded red on her lips.
“Showtime.”
As she closed the visor and turned her head towards the passenger window she saw Max staring at her.
“Like what you see?” She asked, arching her eyebrow.
“Mmmm.” He grunted, lifting the machete that was hanging at his side. “I might have to keep part of you as a souvenir.”
Patty screamed.
Max laughed, maniacally. “You should know not to get into cars with strangers, for one of them could be a serial killer.”
Patty dropped the terrified persona, no longer needing to throw him off.
“And you should know not to pick up strangers,” she replied, putting emphasis on “the words “pick up.:
“For one of them could turn out to be a serial killer, as well,” she continued with a sinister smile as she lifted the gun to the glass and pulled the trigger.
Happy Halloween!
Love & life lessons,
Kristian
Day 344
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” – John Muir
Day 345
I made it rain blood on Mortal Kombat 11
Day 346
Up with the sun
Day 347
Even the moon plays hide and seek
Day 348
I got dolled up for my Pittsburgh boys. It must have worked because we won!
Day 349
Civic duty completed!
Day 350
Halloween nails!
And a close up
I hope all of you have had a wonderful Wednesday!
Love & life lessons,
Kristian
How could I not believe in magic
when there are galaxies in your eyes?
When the stardust in your hands
longs for the touch of my thighs?
Don’t you find it strange
how we’re a part of something bigger?
How you know what words to use
to ignite my flame and pull my trigger?
Perhaps the atoms in your lips
once belonged to a shooting star.
So place your light upon my neck
and kiss away my scars.
All that makes up our bodies
were a part of life forgotten
in our breaths, so labored,
in our hearts, so wanton.
Maybe the particles that make up your body
once danced with the particles that make up mine –
billions and billions of years ago,
it’s how my soul recognizes your shine
So come and touch my skin, my darling
the next time you feel small
and I’ll show you, you’re a part of me –
moving as one, we’re a part of it all.
Ya know what really burns my biscuits?
One-Uppers
I am not talking about the cute mushroom guys from Mario.
You know the types, you could be talking about how you were mugged one time while walking the streets of Philadelphia, and a person in the group interrupts with their story of how they got shot, sounding like they’re out here getting shot at all of the time, like they’re 50 Cent.
They do this constantly, and it’s more than just sharing a similar story, because we all do that. You could talk about how you almost died during an operation and they’ll tell you about the time they DID die and had to be revived 3 times.
You talk about how your kid took their first steps and they chime in with how their kid took their first steps two weeks before yours did.
UGH!!!! One-Uppers!
What burns your biscuits?
Love & life lessons,
Kristian
i would travel to fifteen
and tell her
to hold her head high
to not compare herself
to other girls
now or at thirty-five
for we are not the kind of beautiful
that turns heads
or steals breaths
we are the kind of beautiful
that watches sappy movies
and attempts sappy poetry
the kind that cries
watching national geographic
while a baby animal dies
the kind that fills
the room with laughter
and the car with song
the kind that sings
as loud as our lungs
will allow
we are not the kind of beautiful
that brings a man to his knees
or his jaw to the floor
we are the kind of beautiful
whose hearts become shattered
when others are
the kind that gets lost
gazing at stars
and sunsets
the kind of beautiful
that will never abandon anyone
yet understands when we are abandoned
we indulge in reese’s cups
and nachos and horror movies
and genuinely love the little things
we may not turn heads
or steal breaths
or make men weak
but we are smart
and kind
and look great in blue jeans
i would tell her
she is smarter than she knows
and stronger than she looks
and one day she will master
how to write a hook
and her own cupcake recipe
i would tell her
her worth is not defined
by the mirror or the scale
but in her light
that shines from her soul
that she has always carried so well
we are not the kind of beautiful
that turns heads
but beautiful, we are still
