Building a home for a couple who are fun and interesting. Both are retired. She likes cats and he likes toys… by toys I’m talking about Jeeps able to climb cliffs in fourth gear while the driver wears a parachute.

Today, the man helped me start forming up the stem walls. It went well and it was also amusing.

If any of you watched the old show, Beverly Hillbillies, you’ll remember a character on the show going by the name, Jethro. Now Jethro used to wear a rope for a belt on his trousers. Today, the man working with me wore some baling twine as he had forgotten his belt at home.

I too, wear a rope as a belt very often as it is practical, comfortable, and fun.

All day long he was constantly adjusting the twine; amazing how simple things are so inspiring. And gives a whole new meaning to, ‘baling wire’ and farmers.

***

Tween twine and a drop in drawers

Choosing a reveal or conceal

Wearing colored baling cordage

is a wonderful deal.

Sweat rolling down, trousers trying

and smiles.

She just shook her head

He just went with what was on hand

in his hand

a knotted line only getting cinched tighter.

And when the day is over, pants over the chair,

still hanging by a thread

a simple line of the familiar.

Hot weather to almost the extreme. Setting metal re-bar for a stem wall with metal so hot it burns. Yet, at the end with the temp in the high nineties, a red spider sat on top of one of the footing sticks of re-bar.

It was a proud and very wonderful little creature. For such I have great admiration. We talked and I told it that tomorrow the concrete forms will be installed and thoughts of a web should be moved.

Tomorrow, we’ll see if the spider took the advice. Though, it is much like me and probably will just proceed.

Thus, the inspiration for a poem.

*

Web Slinger

Often silken nets carpet the ground, bushes, and trees

In size large to small, the spiders work and watch it all

Flying the currents so high, burrowing holes so deep

even some swim under water with a bubble to call home.

Today the visit by the red spider, it was nice to see

Eagles soaring in the distance and cry

Ravens social circle of rage

Sun so hot it burnt

yet the red spider

stood

and

talked to me.

Today, the harvests are in full gear as the combines consume countless bushels of Idaho grain fields. And endless vista of dust clouds, trucks, tractors and combines. With the high heat and low humidity, the conditions are perfect for harvesting.

It reminded me of my farming days. Those wonderful days where their was no internet, cell phone, satellite, fast-paced world of digital shit. And combining was indeed a joy.

A Massey Harris model 90 combine. Ugly rusted red. Flathead Dodge six banger. But for all it’s faults, it harvested many, many bushels. And it was in my memory today as the harvest comes in.

*

And thus a poem is cut, sifted, and ground.

**

to the sky

***

Shadowed trembles stalked dry

With height of Spring behind amid a Summers binding

comes the breeze of calm winds and the ignition of spark plugs

in a combine finding.

Circle, a blur of yellow with polished mirror reflecting the blur

the zippered line of receive and churn

for before it all fell, fallen, consumed…

Hand upon the wheel while in a hopper feel

falling

gold

feeling…

Smile bearing direction

Inside feeling the day

Those were the great ones in those old combining days.

Dumpster diving… Two words joined together to represent a profession where people search for ‘treasure’ in dumpsters where garbage is cast.

I love dumpster diving and have found elk antlers, mowers, motorcycles, books, rototillers, wire, lamps… So much ‘good’ items it would be impossible to list them all.

Today, on the way home from work I stopped to drop off some garbage and much to my delight, I found three heavy-duty tomato trellis. They are the ones costing around $10/ea. This country is great!

Americans on average are truly wasteful. Food is thrown away for no real reason other than lazy, boredom, or habit. People clean out estates and don’t want the hassle of trying to sell or salvage, instead, choosing to just ‘throw it away’.

Some day, people will mine the refuse sites. In those sites as old as America lay much treasure. This treasure could be in the form of antiques, metal; so many forms to include actual currency.

And it’s true, one man’s/woman’s junk is another man’s/woman’s treasure.

What is real?

Philosophy: the study of potential? Of the abstract? Of reality?

Bullshit is real. Anger is real. Hate is real. Love is real. Death is real. Pain is real. But, but, but, is it?

?

?

?

Maybe that is the real answer. Questions. Questions are real as they are asked by humans starting the moment they enter the real world.

A lot of words and philosophy and actually the real deal is bullshit. Pure. Real. And absolute… bullshit.

Thus, in the beginning and end of all human reality, it comes down to the question mark (?) The question. And maybe, far off into the future, the reality will be that humanity is ready for the answer.

Mars
God
of
War

…

They were given choice, of chance, of meaning and circumstance
Bellows of Hell fires cooling mankind’s hearts
Son against father
Daughter against mother
Laurels of white strung flowers trampled with hate
Wolves howling casting down the ravens loss
Beast pounding at the door
Windows broken
a child cries, not from hunger, love, loss… a child cries with hate
revenge borne so many times before in so many colors
…
Pulling the sword from sheathed calm collections
Sharpening upon the stone of preparation
Razor sharp focus
with shield in hand and crossed blade
giving thanks to the coming war
to the Father of War
spill the blood deeper than the oceans deep
raise the cries of anguish and horror to honor the vultures high
level all innocence in between
…
Hail Father, come to me so I too, can plunge the blade of paternal power deep
into your heart where then the dogs of war
can feed.

*

Mars has always been a strong influence and lately in the night sky, very powerful. Just look at what a full moon does to the lunatics.  Crazy powerful, and the moon is just a small chunk of dust, imagine the planet of Mars… It stirs the desire to kill, destroy and make war.

So, to those who embrace the power of war, relish the smell of blood and taking of life, it is what you crave and desire. From an individual to the entire world, let it bleed and afterwards, the numbness of your actions can be fully appreciated by Mars, the god of war leaving those who survive left to pick through the ashes to once again prepare for the next influence of that most powerful craving… WAR!

Who is Norma McCorvey? Well, if you didn’t know, she is the woman that was figured in Roe Vs Wade.

She wanted an abortion of course and it ended up all the way up… to the Supreme Court. Of course, the rest is history and millions of dead humans.

It is easy to take up sides. ‘My side is right, you’re wrong!’ as spoken by any opposing sides. Norma chose her side when young and then changed her choice to be for life. Yet, few talk about it.

Tonight the talk by the ‘important’ people in America is that the new nomination for the Supreme Court Justice, (Canaugh) is that he is ‘GREAT!’ by one side of the issue of Roe V Wade, and ‘HORRIBLE!’ by the other side.

The side opposing the choice would oppose any choice other than the one they made, or would have made under a Democrat President. Logical. Precise. The way the world works and always has worked.

My stance on abortion is by method of science and logic. It is the killing of life. The name for the life can be as one chooses… zygote, fetus, baby, human… It does not matter as life is life.

Is the taking of life wrong? Depends on perspective. War. Self defense Harvesting plants or animal for food (yes, plants are life)… Taking life is to be a part of life.

Is killing a human baby wrong? Depends on perspective, but, it IS the taking of life.

Now, this debate about abortion has and will go on for as long as there is ignorance and choice of denial. So, tonight’s bit of writing deals with a Supreme Court nominee.

One side who ‘hates’ Cavanaugh says he’ll overturn Roe V Wade and that the country currently called, ‘United’ States (Ha!) of America, will return to bathtub abortions and horror of ignorance… Really?

Sides seeking power to impose their will, any will, will use worst case situations. All people of all walks of life do so.

Some points to make. Since the ruling of Roe v Wade, science has made leaps and bounds in advancing biological science. There are now facts known regarding the growth of a human baby that was not known at the time of the original ruling.

My thinking is that through time and evolution of the true ignorance of the human species, it will come to realize the logic, science, and thus truth, as to what is and what should be.

The Supreme Court too, has and will evolve, it will uphold the laws, it will uphold laws that are changed  based of facts, logic, and science. (remember, slavery was once legal and accepted by law and society)

I feel sorry for the millions of lives killed by ignorance. Be it from war, disease, abortion, hate, cancer… but I have some percentage positive feelings when seeing that people/humans can change. Norma McCorvey is but one example that change for the positive is possible and not impossible.

In a nice country I enjoyed visiting, the Philippines, there is a man who is currently president. His name, Rodrigo Duterte.

Rodrigo is definitely a character and has an interesting way of expressing himself. This flamboyant style is probably one of the reasons he is the president. People hate him. People like him. And currently, he is the president of the Philippines.

In case anyone missed his latest bit of attention-grabbing for the world, he said that if anyone could prove to him that God exists, he’d step down from being president.

When first reading that it caused me to chuckle. As his current age is 73, soon he’ll not be stepping down… he’ll be laying down for a long, long time; buried and in a few thousand years, no one will know him, mourn him, or be glad he is dead… No one, that is, except God.

This is one of the great things I enjoy about God. All life able to discern  its existence with its journey to find something greater… A higher power, so to speak.

All species of life scattered from here to infinity that evolve to the stage of free will and thought, have/do debate the existence of god, gods, God’s, God. All very humorous… And of course that is another great thing I enjoy about God… God’s humor! What a hoot!

Humans have not only the gift of a soul on loan by a very comedic deity, they have the choice/gift of doing whatever the heck it is they want! They  can engage in sexual activity with a dog/horse/mule… They can sacrifice their life to save the life of a stranger… They can follow the path of hate, of love, of both… Humans are free to do whatever they want even if they think they can’t.

Now, as for Rodrigo wanting proof that God exists or ‘talks’ to people, he already has that proof. Actual, real, tangible, proof… He just chooses not to believe. You see, the body of Rodrigo; brain, muscle, bone… those are material elements from a world of elements… His soul however, is not of this world, it is an extension of God’s hand. And all souls know full well who and what God is…

Just like you can lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink, so too, creatures such as humans. Fantastic! A most excellent joke by God.

So. While there is much I’m not allowed to say as it would only reinforce the thoughts of crazy that many people think of when talking with me, let me finish this with a thought…

No matter how hard people try to deny God, God has never once. Not once, never lost belief in humanity.

And, to conclude (which is almost like saying, finished) You may or may not have heard this sentence, “God is dead.”

To this I smile and ask, if God is dead, then where is the body?

Many parents can relate to what happens when a child is spoiled. By spoiled I do not mean as if the meat of the child was turning rancid and rotting, but spoiled by  getting everything they ask for.

History is filled with what happens when an individual gets everything it wants. Society too. And the main action of getting everything wanted is, to hurt others around and stifle growth and creativity.

It is true that adversity builds character. It tests the mettle of the individual. Use whatever metaphor you desire: ‘For every door that closes, two open’ … ‘No pain, no gain’… ‘You reap what you sow’… Endless sayings, even proverbs, as to what experience by those of the past can share with those of the present or future.

Lately the news is filled with President Trump and his picking of the next Supreme Court Justice. How humorous to see those opposing Trump scream and cry, trying to express their opposition. And if Hillary were the president then the Republicans would be wearing the same faces and screaming and crying.

I love how people of great importance to the human condition in the past were perfect examples of what happens when not getting everything they want.

History if full of such people. Dr. Martin Luther King. He wanted peace and was killed in violence, thus his sacrifice brought about a peace of a different kind that is now a part of the human fiber.

Many people such as Saints, politicians, average people, even Jesus.

Imagine, a man many believe is the Son of God, wants/wanted love for the world of man. His actions lead by what he lived. Did he get what he wanted? Yes, and , no.

Because of Jesus, there is a huge following of people who try to emulate his teachings. And yet, as with Jesus, there are many killed for trying or wanting what Jesus wanted.

It is interesting, wanting something. To crave, desire, strive; it is a part of the human condition.

As to the next Judge taking their place on a very important part of the American legal system, I hope they do not give any political party everything ‘they’ want. I ””want””’ that they can wear the blindfold of justice and mete out rulings that are in the best interest of law, even if that law goes against what the judge wants inside their personal wants and beliefs as justice truly should be blind to bias of mankind.

But, as in all wanting of the impossible, it is nice to dream…

An ant was caught up in its wandering…wondering…not. And why? The chemical transitions of mundane, (as defined by those not ants) dictated the predictable journey of the ant… Yet, an ant was caught up in its wandering…wondering…not.

In a book many find inspiration from, the Holy Bible, the paradox, the metaphor, the story is presented to an ant caught up in its wandering…wondering…yet, not fully embraced or content (as defined by those not ants).

Each and every soul wanders…wondering…not. And why? Because it already knows the knowledge, the answer… so what is the problem? Answer: Nothing (as defined by those not ants)

An ant sought solace from family of familiar. The colony. The queen. The soldiers. The workers. The pile/hole called, home. Food. Comfort. Expansion. Journey. A trail for the ant to follow…wandering…wondering…not.

Do ants walk upon the surface of the water? Do ants circle the stars? What is it ants do? So much…yet so much nothing?

A view from side to side                                                                                                                          a view from back to front                                                                                                                      and these sensations of                                                                                                                          something…

Love.

Peace

Hate.

Evil.

War.

The soul knows all… so much so it is above an ants real understanding

And yet the ant clings to wandering… to wondering, about nothing.

A soul… ah yes… there is what an ant cannot truly embrace or understand. Only.

Snippets and pieces, much like an ant bringing wing or bit, to a puzzle of consumption. Parts leading to fullness, still, hollowed out hunger and need/desire.

Future has past, past has future, for ALL to wander…to wonder… to TRY in explainable failure…as God smiles.

God, the laughter in a Nova’s explosion. Such guffaw when a baby hummingbird first takes flight. A chortle concerning a whale devoured by disease. And yet, with human understanding, the conflicts become almost incomprehensible,  by the reprehensible, twisting trail so chosen by the ants to travel.

Clapping hands as soaring heights laughs the eagle. Burrowing worms turning rock into soil. Joyous expletives where shit poisons, where bullets tear flesh and familiar.

A cosmic comedy in play where an ant will be caught up in wandering… wondering… not.