Here I lye with you-
you don't listen, so my words
write reversed haikus

I don’t need your drugs,
but I do need you to know
no one deserves this.

I choose to let you
treat me like I’m blindfolded;
Still, I gift to you-

Graphite and color
a blank sketchbook (with this piece)
Inscribed in the front.

Art is all I know
so this opportunity.
to express it all-

Has such strong power,
you might never truly know…
Still- I hope you do.

I am a plant.
I am a thistle.
                   Cirsium arvense.
                           Creeping thistle.
When you first see me I am a beautiful, colourful flower. But if you come closer, you will notice two things.
1. I can ***** you. My needles are few and nearly invisible, but very sharp.
2. I am not ONE flower. I am a cluster of a hundred tiny flowers.
            I am possibility.


My opportunities were not the best when I was a seedling.
                The ground was dry and the sun burning.
However, as the forest around me, the sunlight that hit me directly lessened. The rain made the ground more fertile.

The ground is still too dry. I need more moisture to live. It is difficult to see the sun at all through the dense trees.  I wish I could at least see a little bit of the sun.

I am a plant.
I am a thistle.

Being a partner
Means you're just
Making coffee

You start to
Realize that
It's just work;
An opportunity
"To do"
You're not learning
You're just
Doing something

Then it starts
To mean you're
Not getting by
You're "going"
And it's just a job

Your fellow partners
Aren't just colleagues
They're a company
And you're just
An employee

“Everything you ever wanted
Is on the other side of FEAR”
George Addais

you see fear
I see fun

you sense dread
I sense opportunity

you feel loss
I feel recovery

you hate
I love

you believe in the bad
I believe in the good

you think the end
I think the beginning

you touch sorrow
I touch enlightenment

you hear pain
I hear healing

your glass half empty
my glass half full

your life hard
mine a life of ease

your life
my life

Andreas Simic©

I believe most Americans are appalled at the wanton gun violence in America today.

Surely the ****** of young children is revolting to almost everyone and begs for some action.

But what can we DO about it? I mean REALLY.. really.

Republicans want to arm themselves more, while democrats use these events to ******* to gun control fantasies that either cannot pass as law or will be struck down by the courts.

I’d like to propose a real, actionable solution.

We would announce this plan in every high school in America, propagate the offer in every morning announcement until further notice:

Any young man (or woman, let's not be sexist here) who, in their heart of hearts feels sufficiently motivated (****-crazed) would immediately be sent to Ukraine where they could **** real Russians to their heart’s content.

They would only be trained if they wanted it, only be part of an organized unit if they desired it, they would be armed on arrival or they could bring their own initial arsenal if they had it at hand.

Once they achieved 200 certified Russian kills (this number is negotiable) they would be declared heroes and could either continue their good work or receive some sort of scholarship or cash.

This is just one, practical idea - you, my reader, are free to propose others.

This is not a joke, not sarcasm, irony or parody - let’s actually DO something, shall we?

People won't always be there
to tell you what you want to hear.
What you need to hear.
So let me take the opportunity to be clear.
Even if no one tells you,
it's okay to be proud of yourself.

It is a lie.
I can’t get into your skin
nor see the blight on your soul
nor know the wealth of your life
in the darkness and the light.

It seems to me – and I could be wrong –
these four words
discount the other’s experience
dismiss the depth of a friend’s feeling.

Can’t I come up with something more creative?
Ask a question to find out more?

Have NOT been there
like you have.

She is the kiss I never knew
Like the breath I never drew
Like the thought I never did
Like the heart I always hid
She’s the taste upon my tongue
Like flavoured lips dripping numb
She’s the fragrance I’d never breathe
She’s the warm welcome I’d never leave
Shes my dreams of little sleep
Of tears we keep and never weep
Of things we’re told and never hold
She’s the karat in the gold
A secret I cannot help but tell
She’s a piece of heaven sold in hell
She’s the whisper among the noise
A bleeding petal pricked by thorns
She’s the truth I’d never believe
like her love I’d never receive
She is the past in my present
She is and now she isn’t

The spinning hand
of fickle fate
Will rarely land
Square at the gate

So if it do,
Set fear aside.
With faith anew,
Push the gate wide.

You seek Opportunities
But if you work hard, be patient,
Opportunities will look for you.