The Conversation of a Lifetime

Daily writing prompt

Who would you like to talk to soon?

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My “A” to that “Q” would be the Cosmic Custodian; the Mistress / Master of the Multiverse; or, all summed up neatly and a tad more reverently…

God!

And I would hope that the prerequisite for such a confab would not, necessarily, involve my dying.

Anyway, I’d attempt to keep my quips and questions to a minimum but, based upon the complexity and grave nature of our worldly woes, keeping such vow would likely be impossible. Our conversation would commence with a bit of a concession…

I do reckon that you’ve likely been staging your Fatherly, on the QT, interventions to prevent us, your children, from totally annihilating ourselves, YET, wherever we look, there seems to be no end to the chronic human suffering and abject misery. What the hell is preventing you from really, Really, REALLY putting your foot down?

You know, to, once and for all, render impossible the rise and spread of authoritarianism, racism, sexism, classism, ageism, narcissism and materialism (on steroids); as well as every other horrifying “ism” known to humankind! In other words, how about unleashing your own, considerable power to topple all of the power and land grabbing, money grubbing freedom choking, nuclear saber rattling Trumps and Putins; that inane and insane ilk, who only lives to lord over their ill-gotten, obscene wealth and drool all over their overrun nations’ real estate.

Why can’t you convince the gaggle of insufferable multibillionaires that they’ve already accumulated more wealth than they could ever, possibly piss away if they were cocaine / heroine addicts and shopaholics, who lived to be 50,000 years old. Why is it that you cannot ensure that conscientious, common-folk, who want and need to work full time, can secure living wage jobs with decent benefits? Why is it that health care for all, cannot be regarded as the birthright that it is?

Why did you grant the coronavirus free rein to go on its debilitating and deadly worldwide rampage; to fatally infect the (known), nearly seven million souls, AND, simultaneously, fail to fully motivate world leaders to motivate the citizenry to take the necessary, life saving precautions (such as sheltering at home, social distancing and masking up publicly).

Why can’t minority groups be afforded all the other birthrights; to name a few more, equality, life, liberty and justice for all?

Why can’t we convince all of our leaders that catastrophic climate change is real and looming; that we are stomping so damned many of our carbon footprints all over the good Earth that we’ll (sooner that we think) be condemned to exist within an inhospitable world that’ll, in all likelihood, morph humanity into an endangered species.

Well, at about that juncture, I’d begin to suspect that our Mistress / Master of the Multiverse might be growing weary of me; so, I’d quickly save the rest of my questions and quips for another day, HOWEVER…

Not before expressing my final, for the day, desperation fueled, heartfelt plea for help…

Dear God, IF you don’t feel it’s within your purview to directly, interminably stage such interventions, can you, bare minimum, at the very least, school and spur-on a sufficient number of us mortals; embolden us to take on this Herculean DIY Task? Perhaps you could help us heighten our own powers of persuasion and hone our communications skills; so we can more effectively spread the life saving, good word (or gospel, as it were).

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And speaking of the good word…

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Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

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Advertisement

“We Meet Again” (Part 2)

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Compelling how that headline’s quotation marks can express such contrasting sentiments. When specifically connected with this post’s Part 1, it involves words I don’t really mean; i.e., signifies my shunning days of yore, superficial, dreary students. Yet, when associated with Part 2, it refers to an actual quotation; words which showcase a long ago, meaningful, far too fleeting friendship with a delightful classmate (more about her in a moment).

BTW, if you happened to miss Part 1, my following catch-up synopsis should prove adequate.

Of late, I’ve been flouting bygone, classmate acquaintances’ persistent messages (logged on my landline answering machine / lodged within my snail mailbox); thwarting their attempts to invite me to OUR… correction… THEIR 50th Class Reunion. Here’s why…

• From the 4th grade, onward, bullies had rendered me a social pariah
• As such, I have absolutely boycotted all of THEIR previous reunions
• Past reunion organizers could not track down THEIR other outcasts
• If “lepers”, such as I, aren’t gonna to show up, why bother attending?

Even so… truth be told… I certainly would love a second chance at transforming that above mentioned fleeting friendship into something more forever. Alas… long sigh… No Way On Earth could that ever, possibly happen.

You see, a delightful young Miss had officially joined the Class of ’72 at September’s outset of the 2nd Grade. Assigned to the desk directly in front of mine, on that Day-1, she spun around to introduce herself. Tho she had certainly needed no assist from beauty, Debbie’s charming presence did get further enhanced by her shoulder length wavy blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes and beguiling smile.

And that was just for starters. From each school day, onward, she’d turn to face me, remind me, “We meet again.” Wow, what an original expression from someone so young!

Regrettably, that was not for long. Debbie was destined to complete her formal education ten years too early; “graduate” in a most unexpected, unconventional manner when her oncologist meted out his death sentence diagnosis.

Sadly, in that bygone era, schools didn’t, yet, have grief counselors in their employ; delegating such a duty to our teacher, Mrs. M. Her sixty seconds, tops, somber announcement was all we could rely on to console us.

The problem with such a scenario… developmentally speaking, seven and eight-year-olds have yet to fully grasp the finality of death. Personally, up to that very moment, my only previous experience was as an even less aware six-year-old; my ambivalence to my maternal grandmother’s passing on, due, mainly, to the multiple hundreds of miles between Minnesota and Michigan; the expense of travel keeping us apart (my school teacher father was working for peanuts).

Returning now to the life that Debbie might have had… to this day, I cannot help but wonder. Had she remained healthy, been allowed a full lifespan, what might our friendship have become? Considering how well we had gotten along, might the phrase childhood sweethearts have been appropriate?

Returning now to the life that Debbie had been denied… due to the custodian’s next day, get ‘er done efficiency, my classroom’s far left column, where I was situated, was now shortened by one desk; that omission advancing me forward. Somehow, none of this seemed right. In essence, I was now seated at Debbie’s desk; and even worse, would never, again, ear witness her cheerful greeting… unless…

Theologians’ claims of an afterlife do prove true. If so, once my final day on Earth arrives, perhaps I will finally be granted my second chance at transforming a fleeting friendship into something more FOREVER?

I do intend to train my ears… correction… fine tune Eternity’s equivalent telepathy, which will permit me to discern Debbie’s in good spirits, three welcoming words…

“We meet again!”

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Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

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Chewin’ the Fat

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Even tho I haven’t been an adherent of the Roman Catholic faith and regular churchgoer, since my preteen days of the 1950s/60s, I’m still a spiritual, moral man; fully aware that today is the advent of the Lenten Season; where the following doctrine will be playing out for my former sect’s estimated 1.2 billion, present day congregants:

“Summed up succinctly, Roman Catholics must fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Wednesday, March 2, 2022 and Good Friday, April 15, 2022. Additionally, they must abstain from meat on all Fridays during Lent.”

The Catholic Telegraph • 26 February 2022 • Read Full Article

Of course, back in that bygone era, such dietary restrictions were year-round; tho, our having always been allowed to substitute fish for beef / pork / poultry products, strictly speaking, meant “meatless Fridays” had been (still is) a misnomer.

And, tho it’s unclear whether or not the earliest Catholics had even the slightest inkling re the actual health and environmental benefits of humans maintaining a more fish and plant based diet, that was the net effect.

One thing for sure, the earliest agriculturists had certainly realized how much simpler / cheaper sowing and harvesting crops is, in comparison to the breeding and slaughtering of livestock. Better yet, is the life cycle of fish, which requires very little human supervision / intervention.

Anyway… from the time where my age was still measured in single digits, I had actually felt a distaste for meat. You see, my folks had both been poorly paid public school teachers and, as such, had little choice but to purchase the far from choice grades of beef / poultry / pork.

To flesh that out further, whenever Mom had served up the typical hunk of beef-with-a-bad-attitude, it oft meant our biting into gristle; an eye tearing episode that, at times, required conscious suppression of the gag / hurl chunks reflex. To fully fess up, once the Morton brand salt had rained till it poured, I’d frequently chew (to no avail), discretely spit it out into a paper napkin and toss it into the trash.

ASIDE… you know, deep down, I would’ve much preferred meatless Friday rules being in play, everyday, and could’ve easily become a vegetarian; i.e. had my parents been more aware of / amenable to that alternate, far healthier lifestyle.

Be that as it may… the only thing worse than the chewing had been the flavor… uh…

WITH ONE NOTEWORTHY EXCEPTION…

My mom’s pot roasts, totally imbued with onions, garlic, black pepper and other seasonings; the drippings turning into savory gravy; pooling all around the accompanying spuds, carrots and green pepper slices.

I can still fondly recall our intentionally postponed, Friday night suppers, where she’d be slow roasting everything for approximately six hours and then, one minute past the midnight hour; our being safely ensconced in Saturday, temporal territory, we’d dig in and pig out.

Typically, these cuts of rump roast were all large enough to last our family of four, the entire weekend; the delectable leftovers getting served up as both warmed over stews and as cold thinly sliced beef, oft warmed up between two slices of fresh out of the oven, made from scratch, homemade bread.

Truth be told, what this all proves is how our being carnivores is far less about the meat, itself; is all about how expertly everything gets prepared.

So, as for my own observation of the Lenten ’22 dietary restrictions, I’d say all shall go well; seeing how, when I am feeding my face, my primary, protein sources are plant based; how, when I’m not chowing down, this is mainly due to my heightened awareness of all the tasteless, sickening, bad actors playing out their uniquely, ugly, unappetizing current events upon human-UN-kind’s world stage.

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Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
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Stay Healthy!

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Respect people who don’t deserve it?

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A fellow blogger, whose devoutness, nearly always, translates well into the secular world, recently posted the following paraphrased Biblical passage, which I simply cannot cotton to. Check it out…

“Show respect even to people who don’t deserve it; not as
a reflection of their character but as a reflection of yours.”

Titus 2:7

Really? Is that even possible? Let’s e.g. my concerns…

Just how, pray tell, could anyone ever respect:

• Genocidal autocrats who oppress and slaughter millions of innocent people
• Propagandists who irreversibly poison gullible minds
• Insurrectionist tyrants who subvert their homelands’ charters to deny personal freedoms and thwart the peaceful transition of power
• Sadists who rebrand torture as “enhanced interrogation techniques”
• Misters 9 to 5, time clock punching, airbased drone pilots who commit carnage and merely say “Oops!” when the collateral damage starts to literally pile up
• Science deniers / eco-terrorists

Need I go on? Yes, I do need to go on…

How could anyone ever respect:

• Mass murderers, who shoot up elementary school houses and houses of worship?
• Nazis and Klansmen who lynch people of color; all who can’t conform to their whitebread criteria?
• Bristling with bloodlust and bigotry cops who deem the badge as their license to kill with impunity?
• Human traffickers / perpetrators of sexual violence / child molesters

Now, I’m not about to suggest that such problematic people don’t deserve compassion. Au contraire! Once due process does its thing, each individual deserves all the time and attention that’s humanly and humanely possible; inclusive of livable lodgings; namely, cells of the barred and/or padded variety; for as long as his / her rehabilitation, if possible, may take.

My conclusion… Titus EITHER dwelt in a never-neverland, where serious crimes never existed OR with a bevy of bodyguards in tow, he routinely donned his rose colored glasses while traipsing thru a much earlier incarnation of un-American Donald’s Dark Ages.

To end this post on pragmatic note, consider my constructive criticism / slight revision of Titus 2:7…

Pay close attention to people who don’t deserve it; not as
a reflection of their character but as a reflection of yours.
The survival of innocents will depend on such awareness.

Tom 1:1 (numbering subject to change if/when re-dos become a regular feature)

Now, to be sure, I honestly believe that, just as I do, the above-mentioned blogger feels appalled by all the above-mentioned, deplorable conduct. I merely deemed it necessary to rehash this particular, paraphrased passage to point out how it’s far too easy for spirituality to (unintentionally) impair 20/20 vision / cloud reality.

In today’s world, that could prove downright dangerous!

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Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

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No Title Necessary

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A toast to each day’s rising sun
Even if all that’s left sums up, just one
Salute this day’s setting sun, too
For tomorrow may arrive without you

Toast, next, our reunion, Supreme
Be it secure in the elements’ stream
Be it obscure sphere beyond mortals’ dream
Be it pure light of eternal life’s gleam

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Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
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Stay Healthy!

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Wake

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Why oh why has the pathogen’s pitiless surge
Been utterly unable to exorcise / purge
Evil prejudiced cops’ / mass murderers’ urge
To vie with a virus; be party to slaughtering splurge

Mourners envision their victims; their march heavenward / merge
Blood splattered crime scenes they leave; leave us to regurge
Meanwhile, tough laws, unwritten, won’t be on enactment’s verge
‘Mazing Grace / Going Home; vie for Billboard’s chart topping dirge

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Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
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Stay Healthy!

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Top Secret? (1 Quick Limerick #104)

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Forward: With Poetry Month winding down, the time is ripe to trade off the serious for a bit of the silly…

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Intelligent Design can create big bustle!
Doubter debaters’ Qs pop up / up rustle!
Like, why oh why is there hair?
In zones in need of fresh air?
Are roll-on potions God’s Secret™ side-hustle?

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Stay Healthy!

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To Souls Present and Passed…

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A toast to all humane humans, who persevere;
And to whatever remain of our worldly tomorrows;
Even if that tallies out at one; just tomorrow.
And to today; in the event tomorrow never comes.

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A toast to all kindhearted souls; present and passed;
And to our eventual, eternal reunion;
Be our shared existence at the elemental level,
On the anticipated, heavenly plane,
Or within some extraordinary realm that
cannot be fathomed by the mere, mortal mind.

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Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

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Masses Mass Murder the Masses

Let’s not bog down this blog with the particulars to this TRUE story; mainly because that’d only divert our attention from the larger issues at hand.

Cutting to the chase scene, science based leader, purely in the interest of public safety / public health, attempts to rein in religious services, a.k.a. the documented, superspreader events of a ferociously contagious, deadly pathogen. Faith based judges rein in said leader with their ruling that his pandemic protocols infringe upon the rights of the people to worship in whatever manner they see fit!

Issues:

• WTF kind of “religious leaders” would ever file a lawsuit, for the express purpose of winning the right to knowingly sicken / sicken to death their congregants?
• WTF kind of “judges” would rule in favor of clergymen who, in essence, are little more than premeditated, mass murderers?
• Whatever happened to the Commandment, Thou Shalt Not Kill?
• Why would a technically legal judicial ruling not, bare minimum, include an attached caveat to sternly warn the victorious “vicars” that their masses could easily wind up mass murdering the masses!

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Donny Didn’t Have a Prayer

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Obviously, presidential spiritual adviser Paula White’s impassioned prayer service, for the express purpose of snagging Donald J. Trump a second term, did not work. Perhaps the pacing back and forth dude distracted her?

Methinks she should’ve attempted an exorcism, instead; you know, to chase off Donny’s demons; namely, his pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth.

Demonstrably, she has missed her true calling, too. Think about it, folks. Minus her speaking in tongues shtick, she could’ve easily had a promising career as a baseball home plate umpire. I mean, have you ever heard anyone saying “strike” with better conviction and diction?

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Stay Publicly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

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