The Beginning

The sirens went off with an ear-piercing whine.  Everyone heard them and immediately awaited instructions.  We are in lockdown.  Please remain sane and reasonable and make for the shelters.  Twenty-one pairs of frightened eyes looked towards the teacher.  She calmly stood up and gestured out the door and into the hallway.  Silently, the students filed out in a perfectly uniform line and waited in front of the doors that led down to the underground shelter.  The teacher met them and motioned for them to descend, but she held up her hand to stop one girl from entering.

“Astrid, what do you think you’re doing?”

The girl had been whispering something under her breath, her face so full of fear that she was white as the snow on the ground.  She glanced at the teacher, terror-stricken.  “N-nothing,” she stammered in a voice that betrayed her fright.

The students behind her were beginning to grow impatient and began mumbling.  The teacher waved them on.  As they passed the girl, they gave her exasperated and rude looks.  Unable to move, she held the eyes of the teacher.

“I asked you a question, girl,” growled the teacher.  “What were you doing?”

“I was--” she took a deep breath, "--praying.”

“How dare you?” said the teacher vehemently.  “Don’t you know better than to do such a thing in public?  Do you possibly think that any god could protect you better than the System?”  When Astrid didn’t reply, she continued, “God doesn’t exist.  You are alone.”  She turned away to face the line of other students who were going down the stairs.  

Astrid let out a shaky breath, and relaxed her shoulders slightly.  Just then, the teacher turned around and grabbed the necklace hidden beneath the girl’s neckline.  She yanked it and Astrid gasped as the chain broke.  The teacher held it up, examining it briefly.  A blue fish outline twinkled back at her.  “Such nerve,” she said as she thrust the pendant away from her.  It landed in the snow at their feet.  “Go to the back of the line.  If anyone is to die first, it will be you.”  She stalked away for real, and Astrid, too afraid to disobey, walked humiliated to find her spot in line.  Just before she moved, however, she stooped down and quickly stuffed the fish into her pocket.

Be prepared to die.  If war occurs, you will never see your families again.  Leave the house every day on good terms, and say goodbye as if it is the last time you will see them.  After all, it most likely will be.

The Piano

I hear the piano playing

It’s a sound I haven’t known for awhile

For months now it’s sat in the corner

Gathering dust and unused notes

A symbol of abandonment

All it wants is to be loved

All it needs is someone to play it

But no one’s been around

Because life gets in the way

And our routines day to day

Do not coincide with beautiful things

People change

And the things we once valued become obsolete

We chase after things that are not worth the fight

And we clutch sand in our fists,

Trying to stop childhood from slipping away

But it’s so hard when we ourselves speed up the process

And make time go faster

We urge the clock onwards

Without mind to what we’re leaving behind

We’re always a step ahead of life

Always wishing for what hasn’t come

And grasping for times yet out of our reach

Then, at the very moment we reach that of which we’ve dreamed

The lights go out

And the illusion is shattered

Suddenly we want what’s passed

All those missed opportunities

And lost memories

We mourn that we took it all for granted

And we’re back to yearning after what we can’t have

All those thoughts of greatness and fame

Lofty goals of future orient

Suddenly seem so impossible in retrospect

How could we reach so far and come up so short?

Never are we content

With where we are

We only hope

We only dream

That tomorrow will be brighter

When today is already polished sterling

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