“Can We Find Her?”

This is the tale of kind strangers whom I will never, ever forget. Writing a grateful, heartfelt letter to them will be my cherished pleasure. But first, the backstory:

Our dear friends asked us to babysit their dog, Binky, (name changed) a docile mixed breed, medium-sized sweetie pie. We would have her for a week. We were overjoyed. Our family loved dogs, but we were never home, so we could never have our own. Keeping that cuddly, calm soul for a week–what a treat it would be…until it wasn’t, on the last day.

Our eleven-year-old youngest daughter had taken Binky around the neighborhood. About a half hour later, we looked out our kitchen window to see our tween standing on the driveway, holding Binky’s empty-collared leash and sobbing. What?! Oh Lordy. Uh-Oh. YIKES! We came running out to ask which direction Binky had gone, and immediately loaded into the car. My husband began to drive before we even closed the doors.

This November day was chilly. I remember parking the car and wandering around woodsy areas, praying. The wind was bone-chilling, and my hands were freezing. I had even enlisted my mom and sister, who lived down the street, to look in their adjacent woods, and they gladly helped, armed with doggie treats and toys, just in case we would get so lucky.

Obviously, the stakes were high. My husband and I wondered if our long-term friendship could withstand us losing their beloved dog! It was catastrophic to think about. To add to this devastating event, their son struggled with bi-polar, and Binky was his constant solace during the awful patches of his mental illness.

We drove every street within a five mile radius. We also called for her, on foot. A dad and his daughter came upon us and learned of our plight. I remember being particularly touched that our problem became important to them, and they quickly went to a nearby grocery store for dog food to carry around, in hopes of luring Binky out of her hiding place. These strangers must’ve helped us for over two hours. I never even learned their names.

Here we were in the car, hoping for a miracle. Our daughter had red-rimmed eyes. I said to my husband, “How on Earth can we ever fix this?” I envisioned how it would feel to lose this decades-long friendship. I knew it would be a scar for life. Cruising along the main drag in that town, hollering, “Binky!” out the windows, I remember gazing at the other people walking along. I wanted to be someone, anyone else. I wanted my soul to sneak out of my body and enter one of theirs, so I would not have this devastating problem.

It was getting late, and our friends were to return from their vacation in an hour or so. I begged God to fix this. Our youngster and I held hands in the back seat, “Lord, PLEASE HELP! Now!”

My better half suggested, grabbing his cellphone at a red light, “Why don’t we call the local police non-emergency number, and maybe a cop driving along his beat could also be looking for Binky, if he is having a slow day?” Excellent idea, indeed.

A half hour later, we got the call. That sweet, blond/brown doggie was out in a yard, two miles away, playing with some kids. It just so happened that she was right out front where the policeman could see her!

This lovely man brought our precious, borrowed furball to the station where we could pick her up. She was exhausted and quite hungry from her adventure, collapsing on the floor of the car and snoozing. In all of my life, I have never been so relieved. Twenty minutes later Binky’s parents came to get her. Saved by the bell. Lord, have mercy. We greeted them at the door, so relieved we were almost comatose.

Today Binky is healthy, and the relationship is intact. Praise God.

Dear Dad, Daughter and Policeman,

Thirteen years later, after one of the most traumatic episodes in my life, I am beyond grateful to all of you. You three could give packed seminars on “How to Be the Best Stranger”!

Dad and Daughter, you probably had no idea that your relaxing Saturday stroll would end up becoming a frantic search and rescue operation! You did not even know us, but you spent your rare time off assisting us to find our friends’ lost dog. You generously took on our problem as your own. You two remain VIPs in our lives, and you don’t even know it. How far-reaching was your service that day. We continue to enjoy a non-strained friendship with two special people who placed their trust in us, to carefully watch over their pet.

You two have inspired me for life. We are committed to paying it forward. We will always drop everything to help anyone who loses their special canine family member.

Policeman, my chocolate chip cookies for you could never thank you adequately for what you did for us that fateful day. To take your time during a busy shift watching over our town, and thoroughly search for an escaped fur-baby, is a colossal gift. You embody “Protect and Serve”, and are a role model to all Police Academy hopefuls who come behind you. Your character and caring are true blue.

To all of you, I will forever carry your kindness and generosity of spirit with me. God Bless You.
With Tremendous Gratitude,
Theresa Siller

Men deserve flowers too.

Ones that sparkle like the Ocean’s blue.

From the time they were a child, when the thunder went boom!
They were told “you’re a big boy, boys don’t cry” and sent back to their rooms.

Moving on to the falls off the bikes and standing their ground in after school yard fights, they then were told “dust yourself off , you will be alright”.

As a teen, not really having a place to feel seen, a place they can be vulnerable and bear out some of those anxieties, they make constant pleas,some go unnoticed but their zest for life keeps them focused.

Flowers come in varieties and they deserve them too.
Ones that light up the room like most of their presence do.

For far too long they’ve been taught to stand tall, affirm their fears and smile in the place of tears.

Men deserve flowers too.
Ones that smell as fresh as morning dew.

For far too long they’ve been groomed to be the biggest yet most resilient in the room, to protect, love and guide even when their own world is full of doom.

Men deserve flowers too.

A change I want to see in this world is that EVERYONE loves a Man a little more.

Support the dreams that make them beam, create a space free from friction so that they too can breathe.
Pray with them and speak new life to them.

We always uplift our wonderful Queens.
When doing so we must not forget about our Kings

Royally, I’m here to shed some sunshine and love on you.

Ones that sparkle like the Ocean’s blue. Men deserve flowers too.

Because plants are nothing without food.

It’s no secret! Everywhere we turn, everywhere we look; we are being lied to. As I lay on a thorny bed of lies forced to endure my racing beta thoughts. Grief struck me with the force of lightning, for my thoughts once naively lain upon the idea that the people running the world would never deceive us.
Elected officials are akin to the wagging tails and sloppy tongues on happy, goofy dogs; and world leaders share the same thing in common: They all have a serpent’s tongue. Media syndicates cause more devastation than nuclear weapons, weaponized to disseminate fear and upload subliminal messages, hacking into our subconscious minds with rogue viruses.
Due to social programming (conditional programming), change is not so easy for most people, but change is what the world needs to see. Changes in: Governments, politics, economics, and our legal systems are long overdue. Perhaps the reason why change is so hard for most people: It requires them to reprogram their minds to look at the ugly truth. Most people would rather look the other way than face change.
Change is removing the knife that was stuck in Malcolm X’s “back 9 inches” from our legal systems, and implementing ways for citizens to heal. Instead, the same bloody knife is left in everyone’s back 6 inches deep, impeding progress, causing citizens to bleed profusely from their unhealed wounds.
Propagandists feed us innocent truths, obscuring a host of nefarious lies. They tell us fluoride protects our teeth, but it severely calcifies our pineal glands and fogs our brains. Globalists make insidious claims about chemtrails being harmless or how they curtail global warming, yet chemtrails are laced with undisclosed toxic chemicals; killing us off and controlling our minds. Although misinformation is seen as something more forgivable than disinformation, depending on the news sources or sources of information, all lies can be spun as the truth.
Real change is giving citizens the power to stop Derrick Chauvin while he had his knee firmly pressed on George Floyd’s neck and spine, suffocating him to death. Real change is removing authoritative power from the unscrupulous grip of Governments and putting it back into the hands of the people. Real change is treating people fairly and equally because they are human beings, not just because they identify as LGBTQ.
If you ask me, everyone can see the necessity for change in the world, but it’s before they realize “they must be the change they want to see.” Then, most people take a step back or revoke their original stance on change. There can be no change until people take a sobering look at themselves and do what they can to make a difference in the world. Unquestionably, what must change in the world is simple! There need not be anymore Top Secrets and we must stop being lied to. Lied to by our Governments; lied to by politicians; lied to by physicians; lied to by philanthropic organizations like the WHO. Lies! Lies! Lies! Like rotting flesh in a bag being sold as fresh meat at full price.

I don’t know if you will remember me, but I wanted to let you know, I will never forget you. I was the young mother trying so desperately to survive. Hands holding on to my two little boys, and a car seat at my feet, and had my little ones so closely by my side as I checked into the hotel.
I was exhausted and I was terrified. I think you saw my blacked eye through the makeup that I tried so hard to hide from the world. I only had cash, as he was closely watching our bank account.
The woman working the front desk looked down on me and rolled her eyes when I tried to explain that I didn’t have a credit card or debit card for personal reasons, but I promised I was not going to throw any destructive party’s with my babies in tow. The truth is, I didn’t know who I could trust. I just wanted to rest. I wanted to feel secure, and to hold my babies tightly at night instead of standing watch for the headlights to pull into the driveway bringing home a drunken monster. Anyways, enough of that. You stood up from your chair, and you approached the impatient lady with your credit card. You sternly told her to “put a week on your tab” My jaw must have hit the floor because you put your hand on my shoulder ever so gently, and ushered me aside to where your beautiful wife and daughter were sitting. She picked up the car seat and walked with me to the elevator. It was unreal. The silence. You handed me my room card, and softly asked me if someone I loved had left those marks on my body. Through tears, I could only nod my head. They wouldn’t stop coming down. Your beautiful wife held me in her arms. She told me to “let it all out” that I was safe from harm. You explained to me that you held a high position in the local church, and that you and your family were staying at the hotel because your home had flooded. You placed something in my hand, and we parted ways. The next morning, there was a bag of groceries at my door. There was clothes for my kids, and a few items that I needed for myself. The morning after that, a beautiful basket of fruit with a note that said- you are so loved. The morning after that, donuts for us. Each morning, a new blessing was left at my door. My week ran out, and I had to go. I never saw you, or your beautiful wife. I didn’t even know which room was yours. When I checked out, there was no information on the sheet for billing and privacy purposes, they had to cover it with something before I received my copy. I never got to say thank you. For the time I had in that hotel was the most beautiful and relaxing of times. I was able to find clarity. I was able to think about my future for the very first time since the local shelter told me they only had room for myself and one child- I thank you kindly and Sir. With all of my heart. You, and your beautiful wife. For being my Angel. In my darkest time.
Because of you, I am safe. I am strong. You showed me that there was kindness. Many years later, I think of you, I think of her as I do my very best to create special gift bags for the victims and their children as they enter into what is the scariest of times. Thank you again, for your beautiful light. Grateful beyond words,
– Michelle

Changing the world is a daunting task; all the dust and debris that we can not unsee. Crime and killings are almost as common as finding a dime on the street and the amount of homeless people is not a sight to see. These are the poor aspects of the place that we live in, but don’t have to live in a world that we aren’t proud to see! How do we change it when we all see things differently?

No matter what side of the winding world you are on, time is distributing equally. There are 24 hrs in a day, and we all choose to use it in our unique way. if every gun was substituted with a thought of graditude, every crime substituted with a compliment and for everyone without a home a place to stay, hey, who’s to say that tomorrow can’t be a world changing day?

Hopeful World

A clean ocean for the earth, ocean life no longer in danger,
A world where violence cease, when people let go of hate and anger.

Love and respect for humans, and animals as one,
A world with love and laughter, where world peace has now begun.

A world where our children have the chance to learn and grow,
Keeping them away from evil, that world they need not know.

A world where it doesn’t matter of your gender or your race,
A world where everyone is equal, calling all into a loving embrace.

A world without hate is starting to begin,
No walking around on eggshells because of the color of my skin.

A world without hunger, meals go to everyone in need,
Teachers and parents working together, teaching our children to read.

A world full of bliss, where peace and love will soar,
A world that we can be proud of, a world that we can adore.

The Change I See In Us – By: Macy Fluharty

Decades ago,
When I was young,
I dreamt of a world,
Living as one.

A world where we all,
Lived a balanced symphony.
And decisions were made,
From a place of empathy.

I thought of a time,
We could coexist,
You do you, and I me,
And that’s it.

But now what I see,
Is a world in pain.
And a life of love,
Dying in vain.

I see people attacked,
For merely existing.
And others pushed down,
In effort to extinguish.

What else do I see?
I’ve seen the people rise.
I’ve seen change begin.
I’ve heard voices amplify.

And so what will be next?
I’m not quite sure.
But what I hope for,
Is that our joy will endure.

It is a shame that we shame a woman who feels what she feels between her legs when a man aware of his power is there because she was never afforded that comfort, first, in her father’s arms: so now she feels safe in a devil’s charm.

A man willing to wear vulnerability on his sleeve and shed pent up tears of fury from years of violence and silent worry ‘because real men carry pain until they’re buried’ is ridiculed and mocked – until he breaks himself and then others due to the lack of a nurturing mother.

Individuals trying to escape curses from both sides of toxic family ties are criticized and forced to wear masks of false valor and blinded eyes with no real place of safety to hide from those in which they do not wish to socialize.

No congregation of normal; everything is swept under the rug and we must speak formal to not offend what society says is acceptable and necessary: when will we receive actual sanctuary and support outside of rapport and openly oppressive courts?

Yin must submit to Yang versus balance from both energies.

No respect for the source, power and love from the Omnipotent and Divine deity.

We crumble and shatter at the slightest shift in favorable circumstances with no guidance into harmony or unity.

The standard of synchronicity has been established on a shaky foundation and left us all broken; therefore we’re in the perfect position to change the narrative and even the playing field.

Allow women, men and children to dream.
Afford peace and liberty to all.

Yes, divided we may fall but may we all be given a fair chance to live out loud and safe spaces to kneel when all we can do is crawl.

Opportunities in the world missed from fear,
A foe I know too well.
It reminds me of why I stay up all night,
Scrolling and scrolling,
At the lives of others,
The blue light in the background putting me to sleep.

I want change in the world where I am not dreaming someone else’s story,
Where memories aren’t digital and photos are taken with cameras,
Images I can hold in my hands and cherish in my heart.
Rather, a tangible memory at the hands, like a beloved book I can turn the pages to a time I once loved.

I want a world where it is safe to love, no more heart breaks or lack thereof, because
If you love yourself, you can survive a heartbreak.

A world where you have a story to say how you met your significant other.
And not just on an app, which is fine, fate has its tale.
But I want a world where there is change in how we speak with one another.
And by speak, I mean actually speak not just through hands on a touchscreen.

I’d like to see thought put into the words spoken to one another,
Where time is taken less for granted.
And where communication has improved,
To the point you know if you’ll never hear back from a love interest,
Because you communicated your disinterest or shared your feelings.

I want you to tell me how you feel
Without fear of a disappearing act.

I want change in this world where we learn how to deal with difficult feelings.
And not push them to the side like that message left unsent,
Discarded love letters on the side of the road.
I want encouragement to say hi to someone new, less social anxiety.

I want change in the world where you can toss your social anxiety to the side,
Where fear is faced instead of avoiding, change.
I want a world with less fear because it prevents you from talking to your neighbor.
Not only that, but I want to live my daily life in peace.

I know it is daunting to want world peace,
But there can be world peace in my internal world.

In my peaceful internal world, I am basking in the grass with no shoes on,
And dancing to the music of my soul, the change I want to see where time
Stops still. Being able to take in the moment, no guilt for a silent stillness and
Enjoying a moment, to be fully present in the moment. A mind focused at one task
At a time, I want to be able to live life with only one job on my mind.

I find that fear and change go hand in hand.
There is comfort in staying the same and I want a world where change is embraced.
And I want time to stop still with a pause in the moment at night, returning to
Simpler times, phone out of sight, dreaming my own dreams.

Requiem For A Digital World

Wasted my life away
online
all-day
“so I’ve got to stay awake”
I tell myself
make up for lost time
through the night

all I did was shop online
all I did was think about what I want

I should appreciate what I’ve got;
educate and edify
my Inner Childs
dreams & desires

but I knew about
the Vaporwave Aesthetic
and I couldn’t recall
the Artist
who sculpted
David

a popular motif in today’s age
10 year old me would be so ashamed…

Think I knew more at that age

than in my 20s.

All I did was waste away

(…Scrolling…)

“can’t scrapbook
this moment
it’d just be
a sad
memory…”

When did it come to this?
Do I have a phone
for a face?
And a smile
for a frown?

They said television & video games
would rot our brains
but they fueled my imagination
instead
I didn’t have to please anyone
I could just

Exist

in my world

but these days
you can lose

_ your = (soul)

in…

a…

scroll…

and Virtual Reality
is as real as the ones & zeros
making up my brain waves

why do we let these screens
_control us?
as if we’re allowing
_a microchip
in our minds_?

… nothing is
Real…

yet nothing is…
systematically
Fake…

It’s like we let Pangea
become a circuit board
of little white lies
we call
“life”
Likes,
Views,
Comments,
“Subscribe!”

I miss when
going online
wasn’t about getting a reaction
it was just for
fun!
Share your imagination
to make them
laugh & think

and that was never seen as
a waste of our energy…

I’m so tired of this generation
being self-obsessed
with technology-

if we don’t step outside
our house
our selves
we devise
such little dreams

we have little imagination
without the blades of grass
to cut our feet

because
everyone is nostalgic
for a time
that doesn’t exist
still, they take
zero…
steps…
to make it
a reality

ashamed to say
I’ve lived
the way I wish others
wouldn’t…

They don’t understand
how social media
can be
physically isolating;

mentally, we go mad
without a hand in our hands
miles across wires like
telephone poles & seas

world’s away
on the same page
same tab
same window
opened

but I can’t step outside
my door _closed_
glued to the screen
always looking down
never up
where the sun can blind me
so bright!
I start seeing for the first time
Start believing

“I’m
Alive!”

Instead
I feel alone
psychologically
without
someone’s eyes
to look into;
Mind, Heart, and Soul
the gates
to gaze
stay
closed…

Face the phone.
Lose control.

Lose emotion.
Sense of self.

“I’m so inspired!” I say
not a smile
on my face

_stay glued to the screen
until you
don’t
feel
A
thing

numb from comparisons
train yourself
like a sleeper agent
and try to hide
…can’t feel a thing
desensitized
from imperfections immortalized
like a magnifying glass
so they erase them
blur
change
copy
cut + paste
until they cease to exist;

until everyone is perfect.

And so I watch
glued to the screen
force myself to laugh
at what I see on TV
wonder how to have fun again
when YouTube can’t teach me
wonder how to talk again
when Google raised me

{I_don’t_know_how_to_feel}

So I go on online
a sanctuary with
bars …

Still loading…

So I don’t have a thought…

*click refresh*

I don’t have a memory
to remember
anything
symptomatically
real

I wonder if I never left
The Internet
if it would be
(…Utopian…)

{teach_me_things_I_don’t_know}

_help_me = “tell me how to feel”

{tell_me_who_to_be}

Teach me
things I couldn’t learn
from The Birds
from The Trees
and other Tangible
Souls & Things

I would be
(Offline.)
instead of
A l i v e.

I wonder if I’m
{_secretly_programmed_to_be_an_AI}
since I don’t know
the last time

I examined the shape
of someone’s hands
how they fit perfectly in mine
or the look in their smile eyes
when they see my face again
for the first time.

Oxytocin
Serotonin
Hugs are a natural
Antidepressant;
In 20 seconds or less
you’ll feel the weight lifted
like you’re on a merry-go-round
playground equipment
like you’re a kid again

but
you
can’t
feel
someone’s arms around you
as you type:
“I miss you.”

sending Ghost Hug Gifs
in place of the real thing

I miss your eyes
that I never looked into
and I hope you miss mine…
though you probably can’t recall
the color that resides

an intimate
interpersonal experience
so rare
it’s surreal

no middle schooler
or high schooler
could keep a straight face
a trust exercise
but they felt
awkward and out of place
a state of normalcy
misplaced from today’s society

lost in the translations
of trying to translate the world
around us
to make sense
to make it easier
until we become
idle & depressed…

How did it come to this?
even the adults can’t talk
to each other
for long enough
to see
every fleck
of color
in a stare
like a staring contest with
a Firework or Flare
like constellations found
in conversations had
like gazing into the Soul
of the Universe.

I wish I could pretend
it’s the turn of the century
again.

Maybe I should
~ sign off ~
before I become
just another
punctuation in a piece
of code…

{_tell_me_what_to_think}

{_tell_me_who_to_be}

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
ERROR 0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
ERROR 0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
ERROR 0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
ERROR 0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
ERROR 0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
ERROR 0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
ERROR 0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
ERROR 0100010101010010010100100100111101010010

0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
0100010101010010010100100100111101010010
E R R O R

_system_error

Can we all stop for just a brief moment and listen?Listen to your inner self, with intention and care.
Go for a walk with yourself and by yourself.
Let’s observe and see where your thoughts, wants and your desires will guide you.
Let’s concentrate and build a better relationship with ourselves first and then others.
Let’s focus on open and raw communication.
Open communication without any distractions and acknowledgment of our fears.
Let’s be real with ourselves,
and with others who we deeply care for.
Let’s opened up and embrace it all.
Life is worth living and experiencing all by being present and connected.
Clear communication is the bridge
to a positive change.
A change for a better tomorrow.
Let’s be honest and drop the pretense.
Let’s connect with each other with
intent and integrity.
Let’s our emotions and fears be present
as you and I intellectually grow together.
Let’s leave all the past in the past and
start a new today.
Now is the time!
Today is the day to create a better tomorrow.
Together we stand .
Together let’s build confidence and trust.
Together let’s build a bridge
using clarity and dedication.
A bridge with great foundation.
Henceforth, let’s start by listening closer
and connecting deeper.
Let’s be vulnerable
and present with each other, for each other.
Today, tomorrow and for ♾️.
Poly_Poet

Humanity’s Reset
By Michelle Halloween

It’s an all-consuming inquiry.
The backdrop of most of my daydreams.
Humanity’s Reset.
A refocus for all humankind.
And endure, Indigenously.

We are amid this Pluto Shift, anyways.
Perhaps it’s our last chance to thrive.
Humanity’s reset had colonialism and classism.
Racism and phobias had not been imagined.
Or
Too devastating to consider its execution.

The evolution of music stays the same.
Art becomes the currency void of any capitalistic intention.
As Earth and humanity heal and overcome its present devastation.

Huh.
Imagine what it’s like to daydream of Humanity’s Reset.
The refocus of billions;
counting the rapacious eighty million.
The Shift I fantasize of.
Is to endure; Indigenously.

All body equality,
No differences to see.
My limb, your limb.
She, he, her, him.
Gender bender,
Fat and slender.
Talk or sign,
Sighted, blind.
All the same.
No self shame.
Always be true.
Love, Me
Love, You