Apostrophe

Because the speed of light is 3.0 x 10⁸ m/s
We have color
We have movement
We have refraction, detraction, contraction
It's wasn't I'm don't can't
Won't
Will
Willpower to make things happen
Because people who make a difference
Do it themselves
We have mediocrity
Alacrity, catastrophe, apostrophe
A punctuation mark used to show possession
To separate contractions
Or talking to something that can't, won't respond
(You won't respond)
But I know You're there
I can talk all I want
Speak into the silence
And still hear nothing but echoes in return
Echo, echo, echo
Noise reverberating off the walls
At the speed of sound (343 m/s)
Because we have the speed of sound
I hear echoes
I hear crickets
I can hear You
Only delayed
Because it takes billions of years to see the stars
And if light travels faster than sound
How long will I be waiting for answers?

The Birth of the Universe

It all started from a spark
Or maybe
There was only matter all around
Inside the deep blue space
Particles of nothingness residing
Side by side with insignificant
Clouds of dust and magic
Planets and swirling
Galaxies with
Stars and light reaching beyond
Our understanding of
Life and the miracle we have in
Our existence in this
World where science is king over
All things that crawl upon the
Earth and skies
There was nothing and then
Something light occurred
Perhaps
We're not as alone as we like to think

(Now read from bottom to top)

Throwing Knives

The oldest brother stands in the backyard, teaching the two neighbor boys to throw knives.  They practice hitting the palm tree, making the metal stick into the tough bark.  The older brother poses between the younger boys, giving technique tips and making sure they follow the proper safety procedures.

No, wait to retrieve your knife until you've both thrown.  Don't tilt your wrist so much.  Here, watch me.

Whoosh.  The thin metal piece flies through the air and lands with a thud in the trunk of the palm tree.  The neighbor boys cheer, awed and amazed at their teacher.  They listen intently and pay close attention as he picks up the metal and paces back between them with a rare satisfied smile on his face.

One.  Two.  Three.  Each knife is a blur as it leaves its owner's hands, each one like a flash of silver lightning snaking its way through the misty gray air of the post-rain afternoon.

The two younger brothers join the other boys.  There are only three knives.  They must take turns.  The middle brother begins arguing with everyone else, and they shun his bellicose presence.  He fights more, and they refuse to let him practice.

Finally, the oldest brother picks up all three knives without a word and packs them away in his backpack.  Silently he jumps up the stone wall and lands over on the other side, disappearing from the scene.

The remaining four boys look at each other and the magic of the afternoon dissipates.  They all go their separate ways like cats fleeing the site of a skirmish.

Suddenly, the clouds completely obscure the distant mountains and drizzling rain begins to fall, as gently as a lover kisses his beloved goodbye.  While raindrops meet the ground in dreary jubilee, the middle brother picks a fight that requires the parents' involvement.  Defiant yells and harsh tones split the air like thunder cracking across the vast expanse of gray above.

In only an instant, the day is no longer peaceful, but charged with tension.

And the rain falls harder on the ground, turning dry earth to mud and washing away chalk drawings from yesterday.

Roots

The stone bench beneath me
Is cool to the touch
The warmth leeches out of my body
As I gaze through sliding glass doors
I close my eyes
And feel a breeze on my face
The smell of wet dirt welcomes my nose
And the wind chimes play their mournful tune
The last rays of dusk leave the sky
And night truly falls at last
Taking a deep breath
I feel weightless
And the strain of moving tables
Raking stone
Hanging lights
Is lifted from my body
There is only me
And the stone bench that holds my weight
Looking back inside, through the doors
I see a different space
I do not recognize its fresh paint
Reupholstered chairs
New mosaic lights
I realize the feeling of domestic happiness
As it settles over me
From the day's work
And I can't believe that unexpectedly
This place feels like home
After two and a half years
Plus two and a half more
I think this place which I so scorned
Will hold me here for good
I no longer want to leave
I wish to stay grounded

Price Tag Happiness

Get her what she really wants this Christmas:

Perfume, a new car, jewelry

Rubies sapphires diamonds!

A massage, a night out, a luxury cruise

50% off, what a steal

Get him what he really wishes for:

A truck, tools, outdoor gear

Tickets to the football season

A 72 inch TV

(That’ll keep him busy)

Save buckets of money for the really important things

Get them everything on their lists:

Dolls, cars, legos galore

Video games, electronics, phones, and more

Everything they never dreamed

Until seeing it in the shop windows

‘Tis the season of giving

The only important thing to remember

Is that no one is ever happy

Nobody will be satisfied with what they have

Because there’s always more

So, make sure to prepare for everything

Go overboard and cover it all

Join the throngs of 12/26 crowds

Rushing to return the happiness they borrowed

The joy they could only rent

It doesn’t matter anyway,

Because everyone’s happy

But no one’s ever happy

There’s always something else

Another distraction to replace

Real happiness

Make sure you have everything you need

Leave nothing out

Be prepared for the slightest altercation

Put on a brave face

Smile

Let no one see your fears

It’s almost upon us

The beast has arrived

Time to be happy in a world

That values nothing

Except dirt

NaNoWriMo is Here!

In just one short day (insert Wicked song here) Halloween will have breezed by and November will be here like a flash.  And of course, with November comes National Novel Writing Month!

In July I gave a description of NaNoWriMo and all that it entails.  That still holds true, but now it just seems more daunting.  The prospect of writing 50k words in 30 days is a huge undertaking, and I think I must be a a little crazy for doing it.  Regardless, this year I'm jumping in to the wonderful world of writing without looking back or thinking twice.  Who says you need to start with training wheels?

Actually, to continue the bike metaphor, I would say that Camp Nano was my practice, and now it's time to do the real thing.  Of course, I'm going at basically the same approach I did last time: have an idea and the main characters an completely wing it with events.  This is not generally what I wish would happen, but for some reason things creep up on me before I have time to face them.  That being said, with one day to go, I have exactly three and a half characters planned, a rough outline of a backstory, and a handful of events that will probably run out within a week.  Yep.  So much for being on top of things this time, I guess.

Regardless of that, I'm still looking forward to writing this novel this month.  I have a tendency to dabble in all sorts of fiction, but I've never tried anything sci-fi before, so this book should be a challenge and a roller coaster.  I think that perhaps my recent leaning towards sci-fi can be explained by my excessive Doctor Who watching over the summer and by my interest in The Twilight Zone as of late.  Hmm...

Also, here is the latest from Inksanity.  While everyone else has been working up a storm with planning and plotting and conspiring, I have been creating my Halloween costume.  Who knows?  Maybe I was subconsciously planning the setting for my novel.

Hello, Fall!

Hello again, dear readers!

It's that time of the year again where fall is upon us (although from my vantage point in Tucson it doesn't really feel like fall yet) and the holiday season is looming ever closer.  Autumn is my favorite time of the year for a number of reasons:

1. Pumpkin spice everything is the best
2. Halloween
3. In other universes there are leaves changing color and looking gorgeous
4. Fall break
5. Although this will be my first year participating, NaNoWriMo!

I am SUPER excited for November to come because I'm looking forward to the challenge of 50k words in 30 days!  I should probably come up with a plot before then...

I'm going to try and share a little bit of everything from my list, so to kick off fall, here is my latest Inksanity vlog about what I did over fall break.