“Rest easy, oh stars.
Your soft glow warms endless worlds.
Close your tired eyes.”
Glossa Guru Glossing, Glowing, and Growing
Iso, please teach us.
The master of Great Equal.
Accompany us.
Give to us the same to all.
Render out complete justice.
Hésuchazó, come.
Tranquil guidance from the night.
We seek not to fight.
Maquisards
Maquisards
A micro-story written by Daniel J. Neumann
We all knew it was a suicide mission, but I’m not sure if it registered on an emotional level what that truly meant—were the worst to happen. For my part, I wasn’t ready to die. I would tell people that I was. I would tell people I would fight to the last breath against the Nazi pigs to defend France.
Re: Petition of the Select
Re: Petition of the Select
(a short story by Daniel J. Neumann)
“The Moon is so beautiful,” I said as I gazed at her. “So sterile… glowing… distant.”
“It won’t be in about 5 hours for you, big guy.” My co-pilot, Hans Wagner, didn’t like me because I was landing on the Moon while he had to stay behind in the orbiter. The jealousy hung in the air.
I figured we shouldn’t speak anymore. Instead, I turned my thoughts to the mission. The idea of being the first man to step on the Moon scared the hell out of me. What if I botched the landing and stranded myself or blew myself up in a crash landing? How might that failure affect our entire species? Our Great Nation values the evolution of humanity, and I felt like I was the bearer of that ideal. This demonstration of ingenuity and ambition might have enlightened humanity and connected us together. The world’s states could put aside their paranoia and realize a globally stable world. I considered the posturing between nuclear powers as the possible end to everything, the economy encouraging cruel and unhealthy practices, and people all across the world consequentially revolting against their governments. Our world was tearing at the seams. I would have liked my part to stop mankind from self-annihilation.
“We’re in stable orbit, near your site. Time to get in the landing module.”
Signum Ex Nihil, Lux Ex Sententia
Completeness has to include lack thereof. Often, it is the steps between, and the travels toward, that fill up the content of our lives. Satisfaction may be appreciated in moments of silence and isolation. The space between particles, principles, and people helps define us.
Elymas Bar-Kim
I know people who put their faith in a man claiming to be a prophet. When people give away their personal relationship with God to follow someone wicked, it’s tragic. I won’t name names out of respect for all parties, but I will say this: Critically think; deeply engage with the divine; and always judge self-acclaimed holy people by their fruits.
Paravanes in my Veins
I decided to write a poem that’s different than my usual syllable-based stuff. This is a ballade (not to be confused with a “ballad”). The rhyme scheme is A-B-A-B-B-C-A-B-A-B-C for the first 3 stanzas and A-B-A-B-C for the last stanza (the envoi). The theme may be considered political to some. The beauty of poetry is that it could mean anything to anyone.
Truth Can Be Simple
I created all but one image in MS Fresh Paint. The exception is the featured image, which I made in MS Paint. As always, I hope that you enjoy consuming my poetry.
Convergence
I typically always do the same thing for my poetry: 5 haikus sandwiched between 2 tankas. But I decided to mix things up by changing my format. This is 4 stanzas with 8 syllables for each line.
The Cool Air
Sometimes your head gets heated and you just need some cool air to refresh your thoughts. There’s no dishonor in taking a few moments for yourself. So sit back, relax… and chew on this poetry and abstract images that I made.