The Wonder Tree, Klamath, California
photo via acidprince
p.s. remember how the earth is hella big
p.p.s. remember how it’s smaller than the sun
p.p.s.s. well this is how small the sun is
Bill Hicks was right
The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it’s very brightly colored, and it’s very loud, and it’s fun for a while. Many people have been on the ride a long time, and they begin to wonder, “Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?” And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, “Hey, don’t worry; don’t be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride.” And we … kill those people. “Shut him up! I’ve got a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, and my family. This has to be real.” It’s just a ride. But we always kill the good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok … But it doesn’t matter, because it’s just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. Just a simple choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.
James and the fly
This is a short poem/story I wrote via AOL instant messenger to a friend in high school when we were bored one day. I recently rediscovered it:
once upon a time
there was a bullfrog named james
all his life
james went about his days hopping from lily pad to lily pad
eating the occasional fly
the weak ones
who couldnt fly fast enough to evade his tongue
one day
when james was mid-hop
he spotted a fly that was so large
so fast
and so elegant
that he made it his dream
his quest
his destiny
to catch this fly
day and night he would think of this fly
he referred to it in his thought
as
THE FLY
to him
there were no other flies
this was
THE FLY
weeks would pass
and he would only see it once
flying high above the pond
reigning over it
it was his pond
james had once thought himself to be king of the pond
he was after all the largest and most resounding bullfrog
his ribbits would wake the animals
he could out leap even some of the rabbits
he was a superb bullfrog
but even he felt miniscule compared to the fly
oh how he dreamt of one day conquering the fly
making him into dinner
or perhaps a large lunch
regardless
his mind was set
he was going to prevail
it was a thursday the next time he saw the fly
he hadnt seen the fly in a couple of days and today he even looked bigger than before
“oh how i loathe thee fly” james ribbitted in frog-speak
sitting on the lily pad he called home
the fly seemed to tease him coming closer and then darting to the safety of the skies
james was determined however
he vowed that the next time the fly entered his domain he would leap and snatch
his signature move
james spent hours practicing on smaller weaker flies
the leap and snatch
he was ready
james was keeping an eye out for the fly and for the canoes that sometimes frequented the area when out of the corner of his eye
a glimmer
it was the fly!
james turned to face him
this was his chance
he had practices for so many hours
it was now or never he thought
the fly neared him
almost knowing of james evil plan
perhaps the fly had seen james practicing the leap and snatch
perhaps the fly was precticing on his own all this time for his evasion
these thoughts kept toying with james as he readied himself on his lily pad of choice
he had waiting too long to be distracted however so he quickly cleared his mind
he steadied himself
discreetly
not to give away his position too quickly
this was his chance
the fly moved in
james decided this was the moment
he leaped
the flay seemed to move in slow motion in front of him
he had the fly right where he wanted him
he began to coil his tongue
which was already salivating
waiting for the snatch
he knew he was going to be victorious
just before his tongue was about to strike the fly
ending his life and making james a very satisfied bullfrog
something james could not control happened
he was trapped
he was trapped in a very fine net of some kind
aha!
a canoe had drifted into the area
frog hunters
drat!
his plan was foiled
he was caught
he had been robbed at his chance of becoming the best frog in all the land
or had he
just as james was about to let out a gigantic ribbit of despair
he noticed what else had be caught in the net
the fly!
the fly was too fat to escape through the net
all this time the fly thought he was great because of his size
now look how it had hurt him
james was left with a decision
should he eat the fly and satisfy his hunger of weeks
or should he show mercy and compassion and team up with the fly in order to plan an escape
for james the decision was simple
no fly ever tasted so good
the end
This kid is the real deal! His timing is spot-on, he obviously know the piece very well, and the excitement on his face is priceless. I love when he starts picking his nose (he is only 3 years old after all) and his mother or whoever is filming starts laughing in the background. I hope his enthusiasm doesn’t fade as he gets older.
i miss barcelona
