Cactus

Cactus standing all alone,
It’s a wonder it has grown.
In the parched desert heat,
graciously admits defeat.
A sandy waste is its domain,
vacant and desolate terrain.
Keeping company with none,
silent, doleful, under the sun.

J.A.Scott

The Terminal

It's where it begins
and where it ends.
A time for sadness
and a time for joy.

Waiting patiently
for new arrivals,
as reluctantly ebbs
A coming departure.

A women runs to
the arms of her lover.
He twirls her around
In an endless embrace.

A mother watches
as her son departs.
He walks to his future
as she wipes her tears.

An endless cycle,
forever more.
A welcome arrival,
and a sad farewell.

J.A.Scott

Cold Coffee

R.a.n.t. of week 05/26/13

Currently, there is a lot going on in my life. Heartbreak, depression, lack of zeal, disappointment, etc. However, the last straw doesn't come from any of these, but from something just as irritating. It's something that happens on a daily basis while at work, and nothing I've tried seems to work. I'm talking about the temperature of my coffee. It never fails, it's always cold before I finish. I'm a sipper by nature, so my coffee lasts much longer than a thirty minute time frame. You see, I don't drink the coffee at work, I prefer to bring in my own special blends. The result is either drinking my Thermos of coffee quickly before it loses it's steam (pun intended), or try to savour as much as I can during the course of the morning as it grows colder and colder. I've tried many things, and various containers, all to no avail. So what's a man to do? Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Of course you are. Wait around for a coffee delivery service to be introduced, thus offering piping hot fresh coffee. Till then, buck up and drink the cold coffee.

Distant

She breaks my heart, that special girl.
Just walks away, my minds a twirl.

Suddenly my mood starts a change,
before to long I'm feeling strange.

My love burns for her, so ever bright,
but she keeps her distance, as a kite.

J.A.Scott

Mending

When I need to mend my heart,
from each anguish newly made.
A tranquil place will play a part,
so I have to seek the shade.

Resting as I start to read,
under a tree and by the brook.
Imagination's all I need,
imagination and a book.

J.A.Scott

Beautiful Trash

R.a.n.t. of week of 05/19/13

The world is truly a beautiful place. It doesn't take long after opening ones eyes, before you find something wonderful. Granted, it can be harder and harder to find true beauty without philosophizing the wonders of cement, but it can be found. An anthill on the sidewalk, a squirrel running up a tree, pretty flowers in a well kept lawn helped by bees, and so on. But nothing really compares to a scene of tranquil serenity as an open field, a grassy knoll* or a densely populated forest. Fortunately, most cities, even in large ones, make sure to retain some form of ecological beauty. Where I live is no exception.

But now we come to a problem. What if, despite the best intentions of the city, the park is trashed. How might that happen you might ask? Well, no. You probably aren't asking that, are you? I'll bet you know the answer as well as I do. People are pigs, and realistically that's giving pigs a bad name. People have no consideration or appreciation for beauty. One of my local parks I visited recently was sadly really trashed. As I strolled along, there were several park officials walking around trying to pick up trash. I wonder how awful the park would look without their maintenance. One of the hardest places to pick up trash is the shoreline of the pond it seemed. Walking around the pond, I noticed trash practically dotted the shoreline. How upsetting and distracting. People have no pride any more.


* Unless (of course) people are shooting from said, grassy knoll.

Going It Alone

R.a.n.t. of week 05/12/13

Sometimes it's nice to be by yourself. No one to answer to, no one telling you what to do, no one you have to share your chocolate cake and milk with. But there are times, it's not so great. One small example would be when you have a bad back and really need a back rub. Sometimes a back-rub can be a somewhat magical thing. Instantly making you feel better physically, and putting you in a better mood. But missing out on that is nothing compared to the other negative aspect of going everything alone. I.E., having to deal with painful incidents in your life and you have no one to help build you up, console you or 'be there for you'. Well, I mean unless you want to go external. The internet and smart phones make all our best friends and family quickly within reach. But whose there for you on a regular basis when you go everything alone? When you hear about a friend who has died, who is there to grieve with you? When you are dealing with a father who is dying, who is there to console you? The answer, no one. Not unless, as I stated before, you reach out and schedule a time to be with some of your friends. And ultimately, when you are down, who really wants to schedule a time with someone, just so you can cry on their shoulder, cry in their beer, or knock their milk over and cry about that?

Awesome City Living!

R.a.n.t. of week 05/05/13

Oh the joys of living in the city. It means I'm blessed with tons of human contact. For example, a neighbour upstairs shares her music with me late into the evening. At times till one or two in the morning. Sometimes it's a film she's watching, but the sounds are still shared with me. Additionally rewarding is the great view I have from my bedroom windows. From one side, I get to observe the traffic of the busy street and the other a fantastic view of the panelling from the house next door.

Also, there is much to do during the day while living in the city. Just this morning I was able to listen to one of my audio books while I sat in bumper to bumper traffic on the motorway. My favourite game when I arrive to work is the "Find a Parking Spot" game. In this game, the object is to find a place to park close enough so you can keep tabs on your car during the day. You automatically lose this game if you park too far away and have your car broken into. This happened to me once, it sucks losing the game this way. Of course, the only way to really win this game is to find a decent parking spot in the morning, and then still have the same parking spot available once you arrive back from lunch. No, it doesn't happen frequently. The city is also filled with many awesome decorators. Not really my cup of tea, but their attempts to decorate the streets with used drink bottles, snack bags and cigarette butts is encouraging. Truly, I find the decorations puzzling, but they must seem to like it, why else would they do it?

Once the work day is over and I'm done playing games and admiring the decorated landscape, it's time to head home. And yes, the evening in the city is just as fun. If you want to enjoy a calming fire, you don't have to worry about constructing or maintaining a large fire pit. The city insists you keep any fire small and contained. And living where I live, I don't have to worry about setting much on fire because the only place to set a fire-pit up is on a cold hard parking stall. How awesome is that? I don't have to worry to much about the cars that park there either because they are out on the street speeding up and down. Nothing makes an evening more enjoyable than the sound of cars gunning their engines. Certainly more enjoyable than the annoying sounds of evening birds chirping. One last reason why the city is so much better than living in the country, the intense traffic and street lights drown out the hum-drum view of the nightly stars. It's kind of like living inside a giant light bulb. Now who wouldn't want that?

Yes, city living. Near perfection.