A Digital Coffee Book of Poetry & Musings called To Be Continued (Updated 8/11)

 Post 2

It takes all kinds Pt 1

It takes all kinds.

to have real meaning
It takes all kinds, is more than just an old proverb.
It takes short, to define tall. It takes taller to re-define.
It takes confidence, to fail again. This is how we learn.
It takes bad things to know what good even is, doesn't it?
It takes knowledge of good and bad, to make a shade of grey.
It takes all kinds, to inspire innovation.
It takes all kinds to find average
it takes all kinds to know we are all exceptional
It takes all kinds, to recognize, to educate
it takes personal tragedy , to recognize the beauty in a flaw
it takes all kinds to create character
it takes all kinds to mold a person , and it takes all kinds to strengthen a person
enough to break that mold
It takes love, hate, time,
 accidents, experience,
life and death, knowledge and a lack of it
good, bad and
more and less
fame, famine, prosperity, loss
my point of view, your point of view
freedom and oppression
to foster imagination
to see beyond
It takes all kinds to see that perfection is not defined
that there is more to see beyond sight
Good day, good night

pt  2

 Parody satire troll 

Caricature of one's self

Oil water

Sugar salt 

Mirrors always show

Who is at fault 

One person's sweet words or moment or candied delicacy 

Is another person's 

Toxic memory event atrocity 

One person's normal is another person's abhorrent 

Diametrically opposed 

dogma

live and let live

sanctimonious vs acrimonious 

Only technology changes. 

We remain the same.

 The art of dehumanization is a long game hidden by a facade of good intentions. 

pt 3

As I've written before...

it takes all kinds.

 Joiners. Believers.

 Skeptics. Stoics. 

Outliers.

 ...those who need approval.  

     Those who don't.

 Groups. Individuals. 

Doers. Procrastinators.

 Those that know better. 

Those that don't. 

Those that will.

 Those that won't. 

Those that have no idea.

Those that can't. 

Those that keep a distance.

 Those that know what's coming.

It takes all kinds 

for a species

 to scatter and survive.

pt 4

Someone has to fight

Someone has to quit

Someone has to not care

Someone has to give a shit

Someone has to die

So someone can live 

Someone has to live

So someone can die

Someone has to hold their emotions 

Someone has to cry

Someone has to leave problems behind 

Someone is a problem 

and has to leave

Some stay no matter what

Some suffer loss

Some are rewarded

 substantially 

Reality Is Quite A Notion

Most people don't see it
they just walk around it
like it's not even there
but it moves them
as it sees fit
they think they are walking a few blocks
but it is a maze , and it is miles
light years away

The most solid things on this material Earth
are not concrete
but abstracta

your eyes do not see it
but your mind knows it is there

Cash in hand is only real
until someone says your money is no good here

You can love someone
whether they are there or not

Do you fear Law, or God? Do you respect the rights of others?  Boundaries that do not physically exist.....Government and Church is the attempt to STEEL the boundaries of an abstract structure

Dream, or reality?      Manifestation is as subjective as reality itself.   Some people bounce off walls, others trip constantly on the various abstract construction.   Some take a jackhammer to it all.

The abstract would say we are less than concrete. 

Conceptu Vivus

Some believe the abstract exists but does nothing...

The numbers were there before we were...

Concepts exist somewhere unseen, but have no power on the concrete?  

 The abstract "nothing" beats matter to dust on a daily basis. 

The great weapon, BELIEF (BELIFE), liquifies the concrete, or steels it. 

Do we will the concept to life, or does the concept manifest us? 

We are spacedust. 

The Feeling Is Mutual

There has never ever been a shortage of smart guys/people who know they are right. There has also never ever been a shortage of not so smart guys/people who know they are right. I'm not so sure about either.

-------------

An a/c repairman parked his large truck next to our wheelchair accessible spot. Another one was available, but it is used often. I asked the repairman if he needed our space to get his work done, or can we park there. He said we can park.

A few minutes later, he said thank you. He has never been asked if he had enough room for his job. I could only say Thank YOU...

The world is full of simple appreciation if you give it and don't expect it back.

--------------------

A dozen times or so in my life a cashier at a liquor store has asked me about my day and I said " My day has been great. I swear, it's like this alcohol is addictive or something. Do I have a need to worry?." I say thank you. Good day. There's no reply....

I also like to look them in the eye and tell them this is cheaper and works better than the prescriptions. Which is true.

------------------------

The other day I was walking on a trail, and two old ladies were coming from the other way. I was kind of hoping they would mug me, so I had that story to tell.

---------------

As the svelte ninja of Exercise In Futility descends from the heavens to remind me I'm not counting my steps regularly...

The E.I.F is like the green lantern core of shit that seems proper and right but useless and a waste of time but you try to do it well for no reason.

------------------

Going to be a need for forensic accountants soon....

.................................

Problems exist before you notice them. You just walk into the situation. Just like numbers existed before math...or the math wouldn't work. Somewhere off in the land of abstract concepts...

Which brings me to free will. If there is no free will, are suicides actually a murder by design ? With no free will, who put that thought in your head? The narrator between your ears may not be your friend. Someone ok'd that thought.

It's almost like we can be killed off like...characters in a story.

No, I am not contemplating suicide. I am contemplating the operating system of life.

-----------------------

Tact only works with people who employ the same skill.

--------------

I knew the jig was up when I walked into a bowling tournament and someone yelled "Hey everybody. 1998 is here."

I thought it was hilarious, but to be honest, I was at least somewhat decent in 2012.

-----------------

Wife says to turn right on Firth in 4 miles. I say " If I see thecond, have I gone too far? "

I thought it was funny.

We are lost now, but I love this woman.

------------------

I just did a practice bowling shot in the mirror and threw the imaginary ball behind me.

------------------

Gas has gone up, but that is ok.

We will teleport or astral project to the grandkids birthday parties.

No carbon footprint.

I feel for those of limited means.

-------------------

As dreams are taken away, they will be sold back.

-------------------

Half of these are probably reruns.

----------

I am soooo tired of Big Shoestring trying to run my life. 'Your shoe is untied' and all that constant peer pressure. "Gotta be TWO loops, man"

It has been that way since I was 4 or something.

_______---

Because it needs repeating...

Social Media is performance art for those that don't leave the house. I am a Caucasian Social Recluse. Often found in cardboard boxes, attics and under beds and dark, dry, low traffic places. The social recluse rarely bites unless provoked. Seek medical attention if bitten.

-----------------

I've always wanted to be a writing amalgamation of Milne, Bukowski, Dennis DeYoung, Martin Mull and myself.

By God, I think I have it pulled off. I may have to rephrase that.

Put this under 'Careful What You Wish For.'

This is how I cleverly blame others for my own shortcomings

---------------------

I've got the beginnings of another flare starting. Sudden exhaustion and a nap. Itchy skin. Rash intensifying. Hands curling up and so on...    All I did was walk a few days in a row. But I have to walk when I can cause ...well fuck. Movement leads to can't move. Non movement leads to can't move. It is a no win situation that I have to prolong as long as possible, right?   Nobody gets out of here alive. 

I can't move well when I wake up. I force the walks, and I can't move well afterwards, or I can't move at all.  But my love for fresh air and nature keeps me moving. Hearing kids laughing in a park keeps me moving. Sunlight...It is worth a possible flare up, I just can't do the laps I used to. 

Characters Of The Game

I swear, there was a decades worth of 'Events' in an hour of news yesterday. Does that mean there were a centuries worth that we did not see? Exponential growth is a fascinating thing to try to perceive. The game moves at the speed of life, whether you are or not.

...........

We live in a time of restricted freedom. Once you enter a hospital, there may not be any opportunity for closure.   Pre death memorial service , online or in person- based on your areas current legal situation, may be advisable. 

Not joking. 

............

How to think critically?    Abstract.  Imagine things not being there. Subtract things.  If we did not have chairs, how would that impact daily living?  Just subtract things from your view of life, or add, and you will be on your way to seeing things that aren't there. Ask those questions to yourself, and google as you see fit.  Why would someone use those words? What are they NOT saying? 

You will start asking questions that challenge. 'Why' is a big word. 

Just as some do not get humor, not everyone thinks critically. Even fewer appreciate it. 

..........

Still waiting for that emergency announcement saying WHOOPS ,vegetables are sentient and we weren't supposed to eat ANY of this. 

----------------

Fascinating,

 the hills 

some choose to die on.  

Much like Tolkien pointed out

 that not all who wander

 are lost,

 every now and again 

a competition will arise 

that you thought 

you won, 

but did not.  

Your opponent knew the scoring rubric,

 you did not. 

You were playing

 two 

entirely different games. 

----------------

Haven't been in much of a bloggy mood.  Just found out a guy I knew passed away.  I'm at that age, you know?  Anyway, never knew him well, but every time I saw him for over 30 years he made me laugh or smile.  Just nothing but positives.  I can be a depressing asshole, but I greatly appreciate good people.  

 

I have a story about John.   He used to throw bowling balls called The Bandit, and the Outlaw. During league, he would drop quarters in those gumball machines, trying to get the little toys.  Some were little pistols.  If he left a ten pin, he would draw, and shoot at the pin.     You probably had to be there....but it was at that point that I learned to start appreciating the characters I run into.  The characters in your life make it worth living. The characters of a game make it worth playing.  

Abstract Living Ideas

Everything you write

 is just one more brick in the wall

  Numbers exist

whether we discovered them 

    or not

The story is real

     even if you forgot

The writer is a tool

 an instrument, a fool

I typed one word

and the story wrote itself

--The Muse is alive and well

It is
while you are nought

My Superpower

I am the abstract entity of the spelling error that is phonetically correct.
I will tell you the profound to enlighten you, but be shrugged off due to an e where an I should be.  You will understand the communication and disregard it as foolspeake.

Not everyone can, or should, fly.

My Act as it plays across the internet

Remember....whether you like my little performance art , stream of consciousness stuff or not...even if you don't like my sense of humor...my stories...my voice or tastes...    you may love having me write your greeting cards.  

Post 1

Tapestry

You do things your way

I'll do things mine

maybe we will get along just fine

but the rules will say 

we can't do that

or this

it all seems hit or miss

1 good book says it is about love

1 says it is about things 

you haven't thought of

be useful seek value 

don't chase happiness

nobody knows

what that is

You take photos

I play with word

some write music

with feeling never heard

some paint pictures

with colors and brushes on anything they could

some solve puzzles, some make them

 I just try to recognize when I am in one 

inasmuchas I'd hope you would

Art shows you the future

art shows you what you cannot see

sometimes it is premonition

sometimes it is made to spec

is it magic 

or is it tech   -nocracy 

Our whole lives, everything we see and do

all woven together, 

entwined in a multi media forever

A divine Tapestry of if , when, why, was, is,  and never     -to be

Tapestry   09/07/20

Honor

Honor
is a unique thing.
It starts at home.
It starts inside.
You have to see it
understand it
& claim it as your own
before you
can expect it from others.

It matters
those things you
have done in the past
Honor
is always waiting for you

Perhaps no one
respects honor more
Than those who desire it
But do not possess it.

Honor isn't righteous
It's not.
It's just right.

It's not situational
It's not even free will

It's best to
find it early
But just find yours.
It's waiting. Still

Mark Burkenbine copyright 2017

ever get the feeling

that life is a battle

with few knowing participants     -2016

To some eyes

the empiest of spaces

have the most going on               -2016

What could it be?

it isn't that we get one side of a story

It is that we get no side to the story we should know about -2016

Occams Razor

looks like duck

quacks like duck

shoot when in season

pick berries while you can      -2016

There is something magical about watching people 

            bitch

about the littlest of things

yet missing the big picture

    completely

we are manipulated constantly

people get paid very well to do that job    -2016

i've never been bored in my life

sometimes i wonder what it must be like

i suspect it leads to 

      sleeping

 for the fun of it

i'll never know                              -2016

Contrary

I have never argued

just to argue

Often, I argue because you are wrong

Mostly I argue

because it is clear to me

that you have not considered 

a point of view

you obviously missed

OK. Sometimes I present a half baked jab

at a smarter person than myself

to provoke a conversation

so I can see how they think

I like to learn. I acquire knowledge. 

but to date, lack intelligence.                      -2016

Sharing

Didn't everybody know that kid in school that was picked on all the time?

Yeah that was me. The strong one.

 I remember in first grade when they started stabbing me with pencils

 and breaking the lead off under my skin. {I still have the green spots marking where the lead is}

 I suppose I could have put a stop to it, but I didn't feel it, really.

... and if I passed on this job, then who would these morons go after? 

Some kid that would snap and hurt them bad? Nope, it was best for everyone that I handle it.

and that is how I got my fascination for comedy.
#SharingMakesForAComedicMoment

Definition

one good way of recognizing the success of a program, is to criticize it and see how many people on the wrong end of the program stand up and fight for the very thing that hurts them. -2016

Was just on the internet looking for the definition between intellectual and pseudo intellectual.

Where do all these people find the time? Idiots -2016

I asked my wife what she knew about string theory and quantum mechanics...cause she finished high school and college, and I did not.  She said " do you realize you were born into the wrong class?"  I said I prefer the term  'Hidden for my protection'.    She called me a rich whackadoo, and said   "of course we were taught some of that, I read it because I had to.   Nobody else reads and studies those things for fun. "    
I take this as a compliment.   And 'Whackadoo'  knows no financial boundaries.     -2016

Fat Hipster

It is always special when you run into someone that doesn't know much about you, and does that quick shoddy once over of your current situation.....without grasping that you have the skills and similar experience to fully understand the nuances of their job. I suppose that is part my fault. I tend to create appearances that may not be truly representative of my knowledge of a situation. The words belittle and belie may have relevance. Sometimes I overstate and use false bravado intermingled with signs of being meek and even unkept. I have never really been concerned with myself..I am learning about you by how you react over me. It is always fascinating.

- While disappointment has been my address, I built that house in my land of confusion, and I am Master of my domain.

Enjoy--Mark Burkenbine -2016

The ability to never be taken seriously is a finely honed craft that took years of study to discover I was born with it -2016

so earlier tonight, my wife gave me a hug. This , to you , would be insignificant. But I, being of pot belly and no ass, use a unique belt positioning system to keep my pants up. My wife hugs me around my tummy , and my pants fall off. Thus exposing my 'whuppin stick'. The thought of this happening in public has brought a suspenders purchase into the budget. -2016

PuZzles

Everybody loves puzzles,
but so many think of them
as a game
that comes in a box

but they are everywhere
we can see and beyond
some with keys, clues & so on,
some with chains and locks

Some made by people
some with words
numbers ciphers and moments
some with  pictures and events

Some on a grand scale
that can sweep through
 the everythings
and all the nothings and whispers
& happenstance

The greatest puzzles
 you will ever play
will be the ones you didn't know
 you were a piece of

The puzzles you aren't given the picture of
The puzzles your aren't told the number of pieces of
The puzzles you paint yourself as you meet new people,
read new books, see the world and maybe find what you love

Puzzles that span all of time
Puzzles are poetry that does not have to rhyme
puZzles are people you have met but only think you know
PUzzles are coincidences that do not exist
as you sink into a life that is just another piece
into this giant work of art that your parents worked on,
their parents and your kids kids will or did, to.

Mark Burkenbine
11/26/2017

Waste Landish illusion of Randomness

If only persuasion STOPPED at the acceptable good.

I've got so much to say

Nothing is true and everything is possible

rotini milk  3.31

but soon nobody will be allowed to hear it

vitamin b3   psilocybin  lions mane neuropathy

Rough morning.  Woke up at 4 am. Fell asleep waiting for the shower to come available around 9 am
only thing unusual is I usually wake up at 3 am.

I'm a big fan of mistakes. The right typo can change the meaning of everything. It's as if definition is fluid.

So, if every decision propels you along on Fates predetermined path, are mistakes moving you away from it, or back to it....

It's like Destiny can always say "yeah, that was all part of the plan", after the fact, and everybody KNOWS that is bullshit.

My own bullshit sounds better and better to me, all the time. Not sure drinking my own sugary drink can be good, or if this is "WISDOM".    ( Oh fuck. He caught WISDOM.  Can't be long now...)

I realized awhile ago that I don't write for the masses, or my kids. I write for my great, great grandkids.  Because they won't have my ex wives around to tell them what an idiot I am, or was.....

To be fair, I am an idiot to most. I spent most of my life about fifteen years behind on social interaction skills. Fortunately, because I was some sort of narcissist, I did not kill myself over the chaos and got to an age where I caught up enough to understand what was happening.  The power of believing in yourself for no reason is amazing.  Maybe this will end on a productive note.

Well, it's hard
 to do
something that's never been done

by definition
I am not qualified
I am just the only one

and I am telling you

It is hard
 to be
a financially successful me

The meaning of life
no more no less
poetry in motion
if I took a guess

things in common
common core math
anti/meta humor
professional bowling

everybody gets to where they are going
everybody does what they can
there is something about
the end of the line
most people
just don't understand
you always thought
there would be time
you always believed in your plans
it never crossed your mind

you think you are in over your head
everybody gets to where they are going


black ops  no hole pin under middle
iq tour no hole pin over bridge
ink no hole pin over bridge

refrigerator casualties
milk tea garlic hot dogs
oj eggs milk tea honey

I've got nothing to say

trying to succeed with no influence

Scrying Waste Land

Concepts can bleed

So many people see the physical walls still standing with barely a scratch, hardly what you would call a battle wound

but the real damage is at the abstract- the living walls that offer the real protections... laws, rules

In war, the concepts always bleed before people do.

War is over before the fighting

Sabers rattle loudly but how many can hear? It's much like a dog whistle, the early onslaught...   it happens on so many seemingly imperceptable  fronts, and it walks slowly to your gates and just strolls in. Blood is spilled eventually. One side screams "it is war". Another side screams "it is change". But all see the same monster too late.
Mark Burkenbine , 2018

Abstract Corral 

Time will tell

us common folk

if the threat was real

or an exercise

trading fear

for security

freedoms demise

I could add

a thousand verses

the winds of mind

suddenly still

Prisons of our own device

no walls nor shackles be

captured all the same

by surrendering free will --2020