I hope the world ends

One night from slumber woke abruptly
I shot up and peered about me
Across the room and scarcely moving
A man in black stood cowed and cringing
Black gloves wrapped with careful  strength
Around my most treasured Monet

I inquired "Do you desire
To collect, curate, inspire?"
"I just wish" he roughly said
"To not live life in scraps of bread"
"And at days and to know and lay
My head in home with rent I've paid."

"But this art holds value here
From its mantle place it peers
Down at houseguests of high status
Surely you see how that matters"
Alas I knew I could not reach him
There was nothing I could teach him.

Morality annot be taught
And ignorance cannot be bought
Unlike paintings, homes and bread
The only things in this thief's head.
Security disposed him then
I never thought of him again.

In a quiet moment

In some ways blues dancing is a lot like seining in a marsh.
Seining is a type of fishing that requires two people each wearing rubber overalls up to their armpits and holding the end of a long sheet of netting to drag said netting in a circle so that fish are forced to swim into the net and be caught.
Blues dancing is a form of social dance that emphasizes the connection between two people. Blues draws from the most basic beat of the music usually to move in very close contact with another person.
One of the first things I learned about blues is to pay attention to the space between the steps. Never pick your foot up with the intention of putting it back down again, always just pick your foot up. Be mindful of the way you sink into your foot that is left on the ground. Be mindful of the multitude of places your foot could go. Engage your abs and remain balanced and when you're finally ready to place your foot in a spot you've carefully chosen, only then should you take your next step.
I certainly don't reccomend this philosophy for all things in life but for seining it's certainly useful. In huge rubber boots in waist or chest high water where the bottom is obscured by dark muck the next step always warrants careful examination. When you're unsure of your own footing it pays to find your center of gravity.  Feel the ground gently before you put any weight onto it.  Investigate each step as an individual and significant choice.
The other thing seining and blues have in common is that they're both hell on knees.

Happy national coming out day

Happy coming out day  my loves.
I've been thinking on this pretty long and hard because although I'm openly queer in person, its definately worth considering that as an educator this post could cost me a job someday. That said, I think that's sort of the purpose of national coming out day. To make the world safer for me and other queer folks, however out or closeted you may be.
So here I am. I'm here and I'm queer. Sometimes I also like the labels gay or pansexual depending on the day.
Have a lovely and gay day ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

Red Leaves

"There's something nostalgic about fall"
He says to me.
The trees hum in agreement behind him.
The road in front of and behind the car waves goodbye
And hello.

"Or maybe,"
He muses,
"It's just that in fall you notice the time passing.
And you remember"

The great lindens are bright yellow at their tips and
Deep green at their center.
Maples flashes scarlet in great swathes
To hide its own mundane chlorophyll.

"You remember all the other times time has passed."