we were friends and have become estranged.

but this was right, and we do not want to conceal and obscure it from ourselves as if we had reason to feel ashamed. we are two ships; each of which has its goal and course. our paths may cross and we may celebrate a feast together, as we did -- and then the good ships rested so quietly in one harbor and one sunshine that it may have looked as if they had reached their goal and as if they had one goal.

but then the almighty force of our tasks drove us apart again into different seas and sunny zones, and perhaps we shall never see each other again; perhaps we shall meet again but fail to recognize each other: our exposure to different seas and suns has changed us. that we have to become estranged is the law above us; by the same token we should also become more venerable for each other -- and the memory of our former friendship more sacred.

there is probably a tremendous but invisible stellar orbit in which our very different ways and goals may be included as small parts of this path; let us rise up to this thought. but our life is too short and our power of vision too small for us to be more than friends in the sense of this sublime possibility.

let us then believe in our star friendship even if we should be compelled to be earth enemies.

who should be blamed when a leaf fall off a tree?

is it the wind that blew it away?

or the tree that let it go?

or is it the leaf that grew tired of holding on?

i wish you could have been here

for the sun

and the rain

and the long, hard hills.

for the sound of a thousand conversations

scattered along the road.

for the laughing

and crying

and remembering at the end.

but, mainly,

i wish

you could have been here.

{SP}

Jesus died to save you.

If you were to die at this very moment,

can you honestly say the life you've lived was worth saving?

cow-headed.

level-headed.

vowed

to

sever

ties

with

the

moo.

I feel cheated.

For not having what I want.

For not having what my heart has been desiring for ages.

What on earth have I done not to deserve something that seems to be given to those undeserving?

The dust is always blown away from me.

I am so sad I could hear the sound of my heart being crushed.

I am so bitter I could no longer be happy for other people.

I am consumed by envy.

Not an ounce of optimism left in my cup.

Can I go any lower now that I'm on my lowest?

Amuse me.

Once upon a time

there was a pig who spoke eight languages

and did sculpture with pieces of wood and rusted metal he found on his travels.

One day he was out in the woods working on a new installation piece

and he met a family from a small town in Tennessee.

They had been walking for days.

The dad saw the pig and said what are you doing, little piggie?

They were all quite surprised when the pig said

working with counterbalanced forces using found objects.

They all stood around and looked at the piece for a long time.

No one said anything.

Finally, the dad shrugged and turned to the mom and said

I don't know much about art but I know what I like

and then they killed the pig

and ate him.

i hate the time before i go to sleep

because

that's when all the thoughts

i've been trying to avoid

start to linger.

I don’t remember you looking any better.

but then again I don’t remember you.