Wednesday, August 30, 2006
speculative fiction aside
we are left to
care for our companions
provide for
serve
protect
love
respect
amuse
guide
and let them
do the same for us
as it applies
care for our companions
provide for
serve
protect
love
respect
amuse
guide
and let them
do the same for us
as it applies
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
New Authority
first there was a Designated Agent
gifted by and in understanding
with the New Authority
he had been chosen to give us all a heads up
the part he ended up playing
was more a lesson to the NA than to us
he gave everyone a choice
make an understanding with the New Authority
to collaborate on an end to suffering
or experience the woes of those
whom we cause to suffer
naturally since this was the first
anyone had heard of the whole business
progress was slow
on a one to one basis
the fellow offered up the choice to each person he knew or met
charisma and a modest smile afforded a fairly decent rate of conversion
1 out of every 17 or so candidates accepted his opportunity to understand
the other 16 or so refusers ended up living the hell of their immediate oppressees
it took usually one to five disorienting days of feeling the misery of
the pet dog chained to the stake, the snailbait victims last moments,
the boiled egg's mother's beakless crowded caged horror
before the refuser made the connection
to the moment of refusal and the promise of understanding
repentance was unnecessary
all the refusers had to do was get face to face
with the DA and accept the understanding
and the misery would be replaced by
a permanent satisfying alignment with all things living or not
as well as a deep and unshakeable self-forgiveness for all the
crimes against fellow beings of the past
and the strength of character and will
as well as the conviction not to repeat them
this wasn't such a bad deal
if you'd just accepted the understanding in the first place
but for all those undergoing the suffering
of their oppressed as incentive to understand
there was lasting damage
human cells store it
that kind of damage
and the New Authority
from wherever they were elsewhere
began to sense the damage
radiating out from the newly understood
and long before the DA's influence
ever left his own little town
they sensed the suffering
of those still refusing
magnifying the suffering
of those already oppressed
the little town became the agonized throbbing
future nucleus of their great plan for human understanding
so the New Authority rescinded the fellow's Authority
and made him a regular guy
with the regular understanding
and self-forgiveness and no regret
if the New Authority are the kind of beings
that could be humbled
then I'm sure they were
but humble, I imagine
is some kind of human comfort word
that probably only applies
to pre-understanding humans
jealous of their former authority
and it looks like that might be me
but back to the NA
it was their contention
that punishment for cruelty is unjust
and any power any gift that facilitates punishment
will be used by humans
who are beyond suffering
which was their tertiary gift
to the Designated Agent
#1 the understanding
#2 the power to disseminate experience
#3 no more suffering
strategies must evolve
gifts can be rescinded
suffering and slavery
will be eradicated
without more of the same
gifted by and in understanding
with the New Authority
he had been chosen to give us all a heads up
the part he ended up playing
was more a lesson to the NA than to us
he gave everyone a choice
make an understanding with the New Authority
to collaborate on an end to suffering
or experience the woes of those
whom we cause to suffer
naturally since this was the first
anyone had heard of the whole business
progress was slow
on a one to one basis
the fellow offered up the choice to each person he knew or met
charisma and a modest smile afforded a fairly decent rate of conversion
1 out of every 17 or so candidates accepted his opportunity to understand
the other 16 or so refusers ended up living the hell of their immediate oppressees
it took usually one to five disorienting days of feeling the misery of
the pet dog chained to the stake, the snailbait victims last moments,
the boiled egg's mother's beakless crowded caged horror
before the refuser made the connection
to the moment of refusal and the promise of understanding
repentance was unnecessary
all the refusers had to do was get face to face
with the DA and accept the understanding
and the misery would be replaced by
a permanent satisfying alignment with all things living or not
as well as a deep and unshakeable self-forgiveness for all the
crimes against fellow beings of the past
and the strength of character and will
as well as the conviction not to repeat them
this wasn't such a bad deal
if you'd just accepted the understanding in the first place
but for all those undergoing the suffering
of their oppressed as incentive to understand
there was lasting damage
human cells store it
that kind of damage
and the New Authority
from wherever they were elsewhere
began to sense the damage
radiating out from the newly understood
and long before the DA's influence
ever left his own little town
they sensed the suffering
of those still refusing
magnifying the suffering
of those already oppressed
the little town became the agonized throbbing
future nucleus of their great plan for human understanding
so the New Authority rescinded the fellow's Authority
and made him a regular guy
with the regular understanding
and self-forgiveness and no regret
if the New Authority are the kind of beings
that could be humbled
then I'm sure they were
but humble, I imagine
is some kind of human comfort word
that probably only applies
to pre-understanding humans
jealous of their former authority
and it looks like that might be me
but back to the NA
it was their contention
that punishment for cruelty is unjust
and any power any gift that facilitates punishment
will be used by humans
who are beyond suffering
which was their tertiary gift
to the Designated Agent
#1 the understanding
#2 the power to disseminate experience
#3 no more suffering
strategies must evolve
gifts can be rescinded
suffering and slavery
will be eradicated
without more of the same
Sunday, April 30, 2006
crowdog
crowdog takes me for night walks
down by the creek
mostly the trail is barely lit by moonlight
or maybe barely by starlight
I read the trail with my feet he stays close
sweeping the path behind me or darting past
huff and tail slap
domesticated jaws
cultivated wild thing
guardian property
crowdog bit somebody
so he's dangerous
at least to someone
at least that once
bit badly enough
to be considered unfit to live
by those that consider
who may not
most likely did not
consider just that
and only that
dogs do bite
I take him to live in the woods
to be neighborless friends
no danger to me
I know that crowdog does bite
down by the creek
mostly the trail is barely lit by moonlight
or maybe barely by starlight
I read the trail with my feet he stays close
sweeping the path behind me or darting past
huff and tail slap
domesticated jaws
cultivated wild thing
guardian property
crowdog bit somebody
so he's dangerous
at least to someone
at least that once
bit badly enough
to be considered unfit to live
by those that consider
who may not
most likely did not
consider just that
and only that
dogs do bite
I take him to live in the woods
to be neighborless friends
no danger to me
I know that crowdog does bite
Saturday, April 29, 2006
sweetened into shame
Phil tells me of an interaction with a friend. Crowded around the toilet are Phil, Vince, Theo & Monty. Phil is snaking out the toilet, Vince is supporting Phil's back, Theo and Monty are leaning in close to see what's going on.
In a sweet voice Vince asks Theo to step away from the toilet. With a loud, scolding tone Vince commands Monty to back off. Neither Theo nor Monty pay any attention. After a few rounds of this Phil gets annoyed and asks why Vince should speak so kindly to his son and so meanly to his dog. Because, explains Vince, it's the only the way he can get Monty to do anything or listen. But he's not listening to you, Phil protests.
Some period of time later as the project is ending, Vince, as he's leaving the bathroom, in a politely sugar-sweetly mocking voice asks Monty to please leave the room. Monty quickly and simply complies. Vince is quickly and simply embarrassed.
This is of course nothing new. Humans, towards pets, often alternate in acting the part of vicious keepers of idiot chattel and drooling adorers of sickeningly precious attachment disorder inspiring infants.
Maybe a little bit new is that apparently Vince let his shame show.
In a sweet voice Vince asks Theo to step away from the toilet. With a loud, scolding tone Vince commands Monty to back off. Neither Theo nor Monty pay any attention. After a few rounds of this Phil gets annoyed and asks why Vince should speak so kindly to his son and so meanly to his dog. Because, explains Vince, it's the only the way he can get Monty to do anything or listen. But he's not listening to you, Phil protests.
Some period of time later as the project is ending, Vince, as he's leaving the bathroom, in a politely sugar-sweetly mocking voice asks Monty to please leave the room. Monty quickly and simply complies. Vince is quickly and simply embarrassed.
This is of course nothing new. Humans, towards pets, often alternate in acting the part of vicious keepers of idiot chattel and drooling adorers of sickeningly precious attachment disorder inspiring infants.
Maybe a little bit new is that apparently Vince let his shame show.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
The New Authority
so then the world came under
the influence
of the insufferables
truly they were all about
the eradication of suffering
and their mission was unbearably intolerant
of any cause of suffering
except, it seemed, for the tremendous
amount of suffering they caused
everyone they annoyed
but for the most part they had a point
and our civilization has been severely reduced
in it's growth and populous
to sustainable proportions
manifest balance
somehow they got to the most powerful of us
and shifted the value system of all the holders
to one of balance and compassion
their methods are obscure hard to describe
but often attempted at gathering and assemblies
the frenzy for accumulation dissolved
along with the grief anger loneliness
and was replaced by a peaceful contentedness
among those of us who theorize
are people who intellectualize without rancor
that we may not be human any longer
but these are people who were once beyond compassion
those who had to have compassion artificially instilled
and for whom the resulting contentedness
is alien and disorienting
there were some among us
who were able to learn
through practice
to let compassion guide us in every action
and our contentedness is hardwon
and suits us well
our happiness drives each action
the desire to spread it is compelling
and yes we learned to use the word us
for any and all of the human species always
we are comprised of the entirety of us
the more and less powerful
in the 500 year plan
we are at the stage
where the animal slaves
are about to be liberated
clink clunk and thud of every chain and collar
of every tethered animal
silence in every kennel barnyard and field
the influence
of the insufferables
truly they were all about
the eradication of suffering
and their mission was unbearably intolerant
of any cause of suffering
except, it seemed, for the tremendous
amount of suffering they caused
everyone they annoyed
but for the most part they had a point
and our civilization has been severely reduced
in it's growth and populous
to sustainable proportions
manifest balance
somehow they got to the most powerful of us
and shifted the value system of all the holders
to one of balance and compassion
their methods are obscure hard to describe
but often attempted at gathering and assemblies
the frenzy for accumulation dissolved
along with the grief anger loneliness
and was replaced by a peaceful contentedness
among those of us who theorize
are people who intellectualize without rancor
that we may not be human any longer
but these are people who were once beyond compassion
those who had to have compassion artificially instilled
and for whom the resulting contentedness
is alien and disorienting
there were some among us
who were able to learn
through practice
to let compassion guide us in every action
and our contentedness is hardwon
and suits us well
our happiness drives each action
the desire to spread it is compelling
and yes we learned to use the word us
for any and all of the human species always
we are comprised of the entirety of us
the more and less powerful
in the 500 year plan
we are at the stage
where the animal slaves
are about to be liberated
clink clunk and thud of every chain and collar
of every tethered animal
silence in every kennel barnyard and field
Saturday, March 25, 2006
nighttime human
Tony trots down to Buster's door
to work the latch in reverse
only the new girl three kennels down one across
makes any kind of sound
a startled shout
as Buster plunges into the hall
everyone else is quiet as he follows
and watches Tony teethe open the yard door
the nighttime human
is on the other side of the fence
delivering fragrant sounds
cooing unintelligible missives
to it's bags and bottles
each dog pads to the corner
to accept food offerings
and clumsy finger scratches
through the chainlink
to work the latch in reverse
only the new girl three kennels down one across
makes any kind of sound
a startled shout
as Buster plunges into the hall
everyone else is quiet as he follows
and watches Tony teethe open the yard door
the nighttime human
is on the other side of the fence
delivering fragrant sounds
cooing unintelligible missives
to it's bags and bottles
each dog pads to the corner
to accept food offerings
and clumsy finger scratches
through the chainlink
nightime human
scene
the smart dog
releases the bad dog
the shelter is quiet
the time is half dusk
in a smooth motion
evincing only a subtle clunk
paw and snout pinch the latch
and tony swooshes out
a thin boy and tall
his serious wisdom gaze
is locked on a point
through the end of the kennel wall
past the row of kennels
through the farthest yard
to just the other side of the viney fence
on the face through the vines
of the stinky canned fish bits
of the chewy bread roll chunks
talking and laughing and grumbling
steady and predictable
the nightime human
the smart dog
releases the bad dog
the shelter is quiet
the time is half dusk
in a smooth motion
evincing only a subtle clunk
paw and snout pinch the latch
and tony swooshes out
a thin boy and tall
his serious wisdom gaze
is locked on a point
through the end of the kennel wall
past the row of kennels
through the farthest yard
to just the other side of the viney fence
on the face through the vines
of the stinky canned fish bits
of the chewy bread roll chunks
talking and laughing and grumbling
steady and predictable
the nightime human
But that's not all it takes to perfect a world: equal rights for all beings. There must be other things too. It sure felt like the one crucial element when I wrote that. I suppose that if we must strive to live our lives so that all beings have [and here I am struggling with what comprises "equal rights"] then in the struggle and as a result of the struggle we might effect the other necessary elements.
It is an exercize to be gentle with myself as I think about these things. The novice thinker.
It is an exercize to be gentle with myself as I think about these things. The novice thinker.
Friday, March 24, 2006
a dictionary definition
"An animal kept for amusement
or companionship. An object of the affections."
We keep our humanlanguageless companions as prisoners and call them pets. Our pet prisoners are kept for entertainment; captives that we keep alive, healthy and manageable enought to be entertaining.
A Perfected World
a world in which animals and plants and humans have equal rights
what would be the catalyst for that kind of world?
an uprising of the animals and plants?
intervention by an alien being?
irrepressable revelations through science?
"An animal kept for amusement
or companionship. An object of the affections."
We keep our humanlanguageless companions as prisoners and call them pets. Our pet prisoners are kept for entertainment; captives that we keep alive, healthy and manageable enought to be entertaining.
A Perfected World
a world in which animals and plants and humans have equal rights
what would be the catalyst for that kind of world?
an uprising of the animals and plants?
intervention by an alien being?
irrepressable revelations through science?
