We don’t make eye contact when we aren’t speaking and we rarely speak. Living in an urban area has inspired us to let go of these courtesies. I say good morning and my words fall on deaf ears. Why make the effort to engage when we will encounter hundreds of strangers today, most of whom we will likely never see again? You can look past me at the bus stop in the rain, or better yet stare at your handheld computer. It is far less risky to engage with people via this filter of social media than to have to talk to someone who likely has little to contribute to my experience of life. Still, when we ride together, we are in fact doing so as a group. There are many destinations and still, we are heading in the same direction. I can’t help but smile with a sense of unity, a sense that, in this city of unfamiliar humans, we, on this city bus, are moving in the unison of a shared experience.
Month: May 2019
The Sound of Life Alive
I was always chasing stars
I never thought I was leaving scars
And a slap to the face wont leave a mark
Until you wear a ring
Lover lovingly torn apart
Old skin again to then restart
A child’s eyes, a broken heart
And now with me you sing
We could never be enough when we were broken
Loves labors thrust into words never spoken
I’m only grateful that a cancer would finally have awoken
In me
The sound of life alive
I believed their words were true
Caught up in a feedback loop
And then I passed it on to you
Never claimed to be king
But I’m bigger now than I ever was
All that heals a heart is love
I’m dancing now inside because
I am wearing a ring
I could never be enough when I was broken
Loves labors thrust into words never spoken
I’m only grateful that a cancer would finally have awoken
In me
The sound of life alive
Some Thoughts on the Pursuit of Sleep
Sleep requires one to leave this reality. This is why echoes of this reality keep us awake. In order to more easily fall asleep, push away remnants of this reality and embrace the dream world. Often, thoughts of our obligations in this world will keep us awake. It is often not the actual stress that keeps us awake, but rather the fact that obligation inspires action and to be ready for action keeps us in a state of connection. Even a mindfulness of our physical surroundings can be detrimental to sleep. Our minds analyze surroundings and prepare to engage with them. But when we let go of our physical surroundings and of happenings in this reality, our brains will fill the space with dream. It may be helpful to embrace the abstract space of your mind. Let your mind create new sights and sounds. Play in this free creative space and go with whatever whim comes to mind. Do not try to control the space, but rather, let your consciousness be a part of it.
A Painting of Mice
Individual and one
Scurrying through each day
We smelled cheese here before
But we settle for crumbs
Hoarding any extra for another meal
The machines have eyes
Yes, we are alive
Can we look on it and think it beautiful?
The color of our skin doesn’t change the hues of the canvas
Can’t we stop buying in to this lie?
The enemy is nowhere in sight
Spread love, heal wounds
The machines have nerves
Yes, we are alive
Author Phil Force 