This is a poem I wrote in 2012. I imagine all of my poetry set to music but I am rarely able to come up with my own tunes. This one I imagine set to the tune of Learning To Fly by Pink Floyd.

​Digging through relics
Day after day
How did they work?
How did they play?
Broken fossils
Are all that's left
Was the way they lived
The cause of their death?
Their names long lost
Their dreams never done
Nobody knows them
No, not one
Was she a peasant?
Was he a scribe?
Question is, did anyone
Know them even when they were alive?

If I was gone
Would you miss my support; how I always tried to help?
If I was gone
Would you miss my insights; how I always saw through tricks?
If I was gone
Would you miss my jokes; how I always tried to entertain you?
If I was gone
Would you miss my attention; how I embraced your quirks?
If I was gone

If I was gone
Would you ever wonder what went wrong?
Would you think I was insane?
Would you find someone to blame?
If I was gone

Friend of harlots
Frauds and thieves
A wino, a glutton
Was this your creed?
Enemy of the law
Enemy of good
Casting out demons by witchcraft
Or misunderstood?
Want us to rape you
What does that mean?
Did you marry for love?
Why do you smell like a teen?
Wise men say
You were the king
Do any remember
The way your hips used to swing?

If I was gone
Would you remember the foods I liked?
If I was gone
Would you remember the books I read?
If I was gone
Would you remember my favorite dinosaur?
If I was gone
Would my catchphrase finally catch on?
If I was gone

If I was gone
Would you ever wonder what went wrong?
Would you think I was insane?
Would you find someone to blame?
If I was gone

Would you ever wonder what went wrong?

Would anyone find this song?

Would anyone even notice?

If I was gone
Who would wonder why?
If I was gone
Would they look for clues?
If I was gone
Would they find my blog?
If I was gone
Would they find this song?
If I was gone
Would they buy my books?
If I was gone
Would they buy my shirts?
If I was gone
Would they search my notes?
If I was gone
Would they understand?
If I was gone
Would they find my lists of things with no description? Can they read my shorthand?
If I was gone
Would they understand?
If I was gone
Would they make theories?
If I was gone
Would they make interpretations?
If I was gone
Would they ever get it right?
If I was gone
Would they ever know?
If I was gone
Would they cut th...(uncomfortably abrupt ending)

​I visited Robinson Preserve in Bradenton, Florida in October 2016 and was rewarded with beautiful sights of a variety of plants. There are trails for bicycling or hiking across wide fields, marshes, and small wooded areas. There is a quite tall observation tower next to one of the lagoons, which is where I took the photos above from. If you have good eyes, you can see the Skyway Bridge in the distance.

The usual animals were around, including dragonflies, ospreys, ibises, fiddler crabs, and lizards. I also saw a rabbit. Something strange was going on that day with the bees. There were a lot of bees throughout the park everywhere that there were flowers. People say bees around the world are dying out, but I think they have just been hiding in Robinson Preserve. No matter where I went I could hear their distant roar. I did not know what I was hearing at first before I found them. I even saw a hive at the base of Tern Trail. I decided not to go that way.

Another mysterious sound was an occasional bark I would hear throughout the park. It sounded like a cross between a honking goose, a very confused seal, and a human child screaming in mortal terror. I finally discovered that the ibises were making this noise. Every so often they would look up from poking in the mud and bark. I had never heard ibises make noise before. I have not heard them make noise since. This is a strange place.

Along the northern edge of the park there are breaks in the vegetation separating the trail from the bay. These lead to small, secluded beaches. The water remains incredibly shallow far into the bay. I could see ibises and herons walking on the mirror-like surface of the sea as far as a hundred feet from shore. On the southern edge of the trail there is a narrow channel of water that connects the sea to the water bodies inside the park. This runs like a river when the tide comes in or goes out. I could see it branch as it cut through the trees into places where I wasn’t allowed to go. What goes on inside there?

Here are some more pictures from my adventure:

​This is a poem I wrote in 2010. I imagine all of my poetry to music though I am rarely able to come up with my own tunes. This poem I imagine set to the tune of Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen.

​Always busy with your studies
Always busy with your plans
To make lots of money
You never had time for a man
You're always so driven
You're life's so full of haste
To learn the world of finance
How long can you keep up the pace?
I thought I'd give you...
I thought I'd give you that chance
For fun and recreation
And maybe just maybe romance
Now you're still alone
Baby, I'm lonely too
Here's just an idea
Maybe I could spend time with you

You can make me think
That's such a rare find
To find a woman
Who has more than half a mind
You've got a nice figure
I like your smile, I like your face
I like the way you stand up
And you put me in my place
We could take over...
Take over the whole God-Damn World
I'd do the politics
And you'd be my economics girl
Now you're going nowhere
Soon you'll have to go home and leave the states
I'm not asking for commitment
I'm just asking for one date

We could just try it...
Try it out and see what unfolds
What better option
But to leave each other in the cold?
I know its hard
When you've got so much on your plate
I'm not asking for commitment
I'm just asking for one date

I'm just asking for one date

I'm just asking for one date

just asking for one date

asking for one date

Mmm-mm mm mm mmm

Deep in Lithia, Florida lie the 6312 acres of mostly forest that make up Alafia River State Park. This is a popular place for bicyclists. Off the sides of the mixed-use trail are countless bicycle trails. These trails are narrow, twisted, and very hilly due to the entire place having been used as a phosphate mine in the past. Mountains are a rarity in Florida and this is one place for mountain bikers to get their fix. They are rated as “epic” by the IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association).

I did not know any of this before I went and I don’t have a bike; I went for the extensive walking trails, which are shared by bicycles, horses, and also tortoises. Soon after leaving the trailhead, I rounded a corner and saw a tortoise coming from the other direction at a decent speed. Only when I got close did it take any notice of me and this was just to slow down a bit every time I moved. I also saw a navy-blue dragonfly.
​
The trails were a bit confusing. Even though they are marked, they are not always marked at every intersection, and there are many side trails not on the map. Most of these are bicycle-only trails, but it is not always easy to tell. After getting lost several times over I found myself near where I started. Since I was more tired than I expected that day, I decided to leave early without seeing most of the park. On the way back to the parking lot, I saw two tortoises where before there had been one. Very cute.

​This is a poem I wrote in 2010. I imagine all of my poetry set to music but I am rarely able to come up with my own tunes. This one I imagine set to the tune of Hell’s Bells by AC/DC.

Feel your blood
flowin' through your veins
How you feel
you can't explain
Life caught up with you
livin it as a game
Who never told you
that's not okay?
This morning
you f-felt okay
Should've known
you'd go d-down t-today!

You're stomach hurts
you're turnin' white
The world is spinnin'
and your breathin's tight
Instincts are screamin'
fight or flight?
Doesn't matter one bit
once she has you in sight
Doesn't matter
if you w-win every f-fight
Cassie'll getcha
she'll getcha t-t-tonight!!

Seeking the Golden Gloves
it's on your face
You've fought before
and you like the taste
Try to tell me
you're one of the greats
But you're still a member
of the human race
Cassie'll put you
b-back in your p-place
These Golden Gloves'll
kn-kn-knock you t-to outer space!!

It doesn't matter
if you practice all night long
It doesn't matter
if you practice till dawn
It doesn't matter
what charms you have on
Either way, in three seconds
you'll be gone
Makes no difference
if-f you've done r-right or wrong
You'll b-be on your back
when the b-bell goes d-d-d-d-dong!!!

​My favorite thing about Hammock Park in Dunedin, Florida is the covered platform I can watch the boardwalk from. There are also several trails, a small playground, a butterfly garden, restrooms, and disk golf available. The day I went to the park the butterfly garden was still flooded from the recent storm so I can’t say much about that, though I did see a couple butterflies elsewhere in the park. From the boardwalk itself one can look down and see fiddler crabs and turtles. The playground features a pyramid of ropes that shifts around as you climb it. You haven’t lived until you’ve climbed something that moves as much as you do. The gravel fill below it I discovered was strangely bouncy. Upon closer examination I determined it was made of little bits of rubber tires. I suppose it makes for a softer landing when you inevitably fall off the ropes.

​It seemed boring at first. When I first arrived, I took the trails around the eastern perimeter of the park. There were benches named after various people. There were numerous puddles and muddy spots that slowed me down. These puddles had tiny tadpoles! The larger puddles had larger tadpoles! This redeemed what was otherwise a boring area. A drier trail was completely blocked by fallen trees. I climbed around and over the first two only to be utterly defeated by the third. The only redeeming feature there was the patch of plants I found with touch-sensitive leaves. The sun was hot and there was less shade than I like. I was starting to think the park might be a dud. I was very wrong.

Returning the way I came I saw an egret guarding the dam. While I walked along the brook, two jays shrieked and chased each other at high speed. They did the same when I returned that way later and the same again when I passed a third time. Then I discovered the boardwalk and the platform overlooking it. A short ways along a bridge spans a waterway. A very loud duck-like bird flew over the short bridge just as I passed, clearing the railing by inches. I was very thirsty by this time and thought of returning to the car for my water, crackers, and sunscreen so I could sit there and read (I had a book, too). Unfortunately, there was a trail heading the other way and I had to know where it went. I stood there for almost a minute trying to decide which way to go. The struggle is real!
​
When I did finally make it back to the platform I ended up talking with a pretty lady who had the same exact idea I did. She soon left and I decided to finish exploring. Beyond the boardwalk were some paved trails and beyond those another boardwalk nestled among tall mangroves. There I saw six mangrove crabs on a trunk facing each other in a circle. Were they having a conference? Was it about me? I’m probably just being paranoid, but they scattered when they saw me coming. I’ve never seen such behavior before. I also saw a dark beetle and later observed a woodpecker from only twelve feet away. It eventually figured out I was behind it and kept turning its head sideways to look at me. I saw so many things I can’t fit them all in one post. Below are only the highlights:

​This is a poem I wrote in 2010. I imagine all of my poetry set to music but I am rarely able to come up with tunes of my own. This one I imagine set to the tune of Barracuda by Heart.

​run, run,
as fast as you can
you can't catch me
i'm the gingerbread man

i'm hunted in daytime
i'm hunted at night
i'm hunted by smell
i'm hunted by sight
i run as hard as i can
until i ache to the core
i turn the corner
only to find fifteen more
winged demons from hell
bring kisses of death
relentless pursuers
tracking the warmth of my breath
riding my back
they bring me down
all the while
singing with that distinctive sound
Aaaaaaaaaaah-Mosquito!

candles can't stop them
neither can sprays
one hundred preists
can't make them go away
finally swat one
there's two more in its place
they're tricky and sneaky
make you swat your own face
they won't give up
until you're totally dry
they won't give up
until you finally die
it doesn't take
much of a spine
they don't need one
to make you lose your mind
Aaaaaaaaaaah-Mosquito!

Aaaaaaaaaaah-Mosquito!

I bought this book in the hope that I would understand how certain political ideas are spread enough so that I might sabotage some of them and spread some of my own ideas. Unfortunately, very little in the way of marketing advice can be found in these pages. Written in 2005 by David Kupelian, The Marketing Of Evil is more about what he considers evil than about how evil is marketed. He covers topics such as the ineptitude of our educational system, fraud in the Kinsey Report, the long-term effects of no-fault divorce policies on society, and tax evasion in abortion clinics.

Throughout the book, he also bemoans marketing techniques that appeal to our subconscious emotions, claiming that such techniques treat people like animals without souls and breed attitudes of contempt for human dignity. He forgets that such techniques could not work if humans were purely rational agents and that marketers would not use these techniques if there were known a better way to sell products. The truth is that in many ways humans are like other animals and appeals to reason often do not work. The way to fight evil being marketed is not to complain about the marketing techniques, but to market good, and market it better than the competition markets evil.
​
Any ideas?

Five Galleries: The Dunedin Fine Art Center boasts five galleries, a gift shop, the Palm Café, and a lounge area in the central lobby complete with art books, couches, and a piano. It is located on Michigan Avenue in Dunedin, Florida. There is good parking. By one entrance is the alien machinery pictured above. By the other entrance is a long tile mural built over the course of several years by many children of different ages from different schools in the area. The center is open seven days a week and paid for by donations.

Thought-Provoking Exhibits: Of course, it’s what’s inside that counts. I caught them on a transition day when only two of the five galleries were open. The Entel Family Gallery hosted an exhibit called Dignity: Tribes In Transition. It was a collection of photographs of indigenous people from around the world, often in a mixture of traditional and modern dress. Pictures of people are interesting because unlike landscapes or abstract sculptures, people have dreams, thoughts, goals, aspirations, and can interact in their environments in complex ways. What were they thinking? I could not tell. There were several plaques on the walls explaining what the project was about. They referenced a UN declaration in the seventies to protect the rights of indigenous people, though I question what else the declaration might have had in it since the four nations to vote against it (New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States) are not exactly known for human-rights abuses (relatively speaking). Another plaque stressed the importance of learning the culture of our ancestors. It suggested that in order to know where we are going, we must know where we come from. I’m not sure I buy that argument. Since the past can only influence the future through the present, why isn’t it good enough to just know where we are now? Another plaque suggested that trees feel pain and that Africans have somehow known this all along. Hmmm. The jury is still out on that. The exhibit certainly got me thinking, which I’m guessing was the point.

Pretty Pictures: The second exhibit (Harmonic Divergence) featured works inspired by music. There are two paintings that stand out to me now. At first glance, it looked like a swirl of color probably representing music was escaping from a trumpet or horn of some kind. A drum and harp floated nearby. Upon closer examination, I decided it looked more like the horn was escaping from the swirl. Do instruments make music or does the potential for music encourage the invention of instruments? I’m probably thinking too much. The other painting I liked was a borderline impressionistic scene of a man with a guitar-like object and four women in hats. There were large flowers in the background and fruit on the table. The women appeared to have their eyes closed, probably enjoying the music. It was all very colorful. The instrument itself had several regions of different colors on it. There was just enough consistency in the highlighting to discern the direction of illumination. I liked it.

This is a poem I wrote in 2010. I imagine all my poetry set to music but I am rarely able to come up with tunes of my own. This one I imagine set to the tune of Know Your Enemy by Green Day. I was going through some things then and rather than help, people at church just kept telling me to give thanks even when I didn’t mean it.

Note: Due to our hypersensitive and intellectually stunted society, I feel compelled to point out that where the poem thanks God that I'm not a Jew or a woman, this in no way reflects my actual feelings; it is a direct reference to the Pharisee mentioned in the gospels who thanked God he wasn't a gentile or a woman. It's silly on purpose.
​

​Thank you God for our home and our family and that no one's sick and for my new bike and for dogs and cats and horses and butterflies and for Jesus...oh, and for chocolate too. Amen.

i thank God for freedom
and for good times
rejoice in the lord always
this is the day he has made

i thank god for sunlight
and this gorgeous weather
i thank god for this picnic
and all this delicious food

i thank god for skateboards
and for iphones
i thank god for cookies
and vanilla ice cream

i thank god for cartoons
and for pencils
and i thank god i passed
my test yesterday

i thank god for liberty
another word for freedom
which i thanked him for already
earlier in this song

i thank god for verbs
and for consonants
and for syllables
and for sentences

i thank god grampa got his scooter
to get around with
even though he wouldn't need it
if he was young instead

i thank god i'm young enough
to outrun grampa
though it wouldn't matter
if instead i left my sister alone

i thank god for oxygen
so we can breathe it
although if there was no oxygen
we'd never ever know it

i thank god for anaerobic microbes
that don't use oxygen
i thank god i'm not anaerobic
though i have no idea why

i thank god for aliens
that don't use oxygen
assuming god created aliens
instead of leaving the skies for us

i thank god for the friends
that i know i'll have someday
and for the friends i used to have
though they left me all today

i thank god for my new bike
even though i can't ride it
because i was just paralyzed
in a car crash yesterday

i thank god i'm paralyzed
and that i'm going blind
i thank god for sympathy berry pies
though my mouth is wired shut

i thank god for a hill to sled on
even though there's no snow
and my sled is missing
and gramma says the hill blocks her view

i thank god i'm not always thankful
like when i'm depressed
and can't enjoy anything
or else have nothing to enjoy

i thank god for sunlight again
even though it gave me sunburn
yes, i thank god for sunburn
and i thank god for my frostbite

i thank god for beer
yee-hay-yeah!!!!
even though it was the beer
that made me crash my car

i thank god for this song
that i wrote myself
and i thank god for this shed i built
by the sweat of my brow

i thank god i wasn't born a jew
or a woman
thank god i'm not like the Pharisees
or those no good Sadduceees

i thank god for fractals
and for mathematics
i thank god one and one is two
and that i can't divide by zero

i thank god for god
and that there's not no god
and i thank god for the universe
and the passage of time

i thank god for everything
you know he made everything
i thank him for everything
and that i'm thanking him now

I thank him for evil
and for satan
i thank god for sin
and i thank him for doubt

i thank god for everything
you know he made everything
i thank him for everything
and that i'm thanking him now

i thank god for everything
you know he made everything
i thank him for everything
and that i'm thanking him now