Word from the front is
that the provisions will
arrive at any moment.
…
There’s rumblings from
the second and third in line.
They’re saying the food
is never coming. It’s all
a ruse. It’s all a lie.
[..]
Word from the front is that the provisions will arrive at any moment. … There’s rumblings from the second and third in line. They’re saying the food is never coming. It’s all a ruse. It’s all a lie. … Shouts erupt from the front and back, “Shut up! We might not hear our orders!” … And I’m sitting third from last. Beginning to question it all, “What even was my order? “Will I make it home for Christmas?” 09/16/21 M. L. Michael
Based on a True Story.
There was this one night I fell in love with a ghost for the first time.
All because I could not let go.
I was still just a kid, and this was the first ghost
that ever haunted me in such a way
that I felt frozen to the spot where we began,
Beholden to something I would not release.
[…]
Giving Up The Ghost
There was this one night I fell in love with a ghost for the first time.
All because I could not let go.
I was still just a kid, and this was the first ghost
that ever haunted me in such a way
that I felt frozen to the spot where we began,
Beholden to something I would not release.
I don’t remember my first words…
Only that they were surely awkward,
(but awkward in a charming way,
like a trip over a rock that turns into a brisk jog.)
We met like this, night after night,
One physical being, holding, hugging a memory,
One spectral being, staying, delaying a departure.
Night after night, holding, hugging, staying, delaying…
Until there was this one night.
When the act of giving up and moving on meant more than hugging tight and holding on.
M. L. Michael
07/20/2021
There’s this phrase that I’ve been obsessed with since I heard it for the first time.
“Giving up the ghost” most often means some kind of mechanical or electronic device breaking down/”dying”.
However, in Britain (and sometimes the U.S.), it can also mean giving up on something that you know is futile.
Both definitions spoke to me…and it wasn’t long before I had the idea of giving up the ghost being the memory of a person…rather someone that has passed or someone that has moved on.
I hope you enjoy.
Take Care Out There.
dear jacket zipper that never fully zips down,
why must you torture me so?
whenever I am about to take you off,
why must you suddenly go cross-eyed and hackneyed?
so I must try, in vain, to unzip, again, and again,
your meaning all the way down?[…]
Dear Jacket Zipper dear jacket zipper that never fully zips down, why must you torture me so? whenever I am about to take you off, why must you suddenly go cross-eyed and hackneyed? so I must try, in vain, to unzip, again, and again, your meaning all the way down? it's almost like with omnipresent glee, you'll make me struggle, as I try to match this sudden and absurd festivity. I'll zip up and down, up and down, compulsively punctuating the monotony with muttered curses and swears. I'll gather looks from strangers like some loon escaped, struggling in their straight-jacket, and cursing at the unseen. ....Whatever, I don't care, let them stare. You challenged me from the very first wear. ....but this is our umpteenth, our unknownth, time of such a dance, and in our enduring carol, you have grown brittle and thus broken, and in our end, you fell to the ground without so much a sound. ... dearest jacket zipper, you have taught me so much about life. 01/04/16 M. L. Michael
In order to be a more tolerant person,
I think I’m going to wait and do my grocery shopping on the eve of Christmas Eve,
I’ll do it at the biggest, the most crowded, HEB or Wal-Mart around.
This merry grocery gauntlet will test my mettle in almost every way.
I will compete with hordes of hungry procrastinators and foolish planners.
And I will suffer them all. […]
In order to be a more tolerant person, I think I'm going to wait and do my grocery shopping on the eve of Christmas Eve, I'll do it at the biggest, the most crowded, HEB or Wal-Mart around. This merry grocery gauntlet will test my mettle in almost every way. I will compete with hordes of hungry procrastinators and foolish planners. And I will suffer them all. I will be patient with them as we move, like zombies, or like cattle, down the aisles. I will forgive those who trespass against me, for they have forgotten the etiquettes of traffic, as they travel with their carts half full, and their children fully irritated, down the wrong side of the aisle, glaring at me like I'm the jackass in the way. And then, inevitably, whenever I feel that bit of cynicism that exists in us all - that humanity is irredeemable, that life is a futile circus of charades... I'll pause to take it all in, and I'll shrug and laugh. What's the next thing on my list? Two hours later, plus thirty minutes in line, I'll give my bounty to the pour souls trapped behind the cash registers and grocery bags. I will smile at them and wish them a Merry Christmas. They will say the same, but their eyes will be pleading. Thus, with my cart full, my list marked off, I will emerge from HEB, a stronger and more forgiving man. ... Life may be a circus of charades .. or it may not be. But I know one thing. It is far from futile. Because I checked off everything on my list. . . . ...except the rolls... son of a god-dammit it all to hell, I forgot the fucking rolls. ....You know what, screw it. We're eating rolled up wonder bread and calling them rolls. Such is life. 12.22.15 M. L. Michael
Settling and settling and settling
Settling in to the unsettling sound
The on and on and on drone,
The twitch, twitch, screech,
The prowling paranoia,
This –my friends- is the disturbing din of Discordia
…The unsettling settling in – reaching out from the rafters of time,[…]
Settling and settling and settling Settling in to the unsettling sound The on and on and on drone, The twitch, twitch, screech, The prowling paranoia, This –my friends- is the disturbing din of Discordia ...The unsettling settling in – reaching out from the rafters of time, -- A claw screeching across our chalkboard mind. This is the unsettling settling in – all before us – The cacophony of chaos ringing out, forever and forever, The unsettling settling in –all around us – The unsettling sound… ::click:: In world news, we have multiple reports from across Europe, that an unidentified extremists group has gone on a destructive spree across the country. Cutting a path from the UK to France , down through the Middle East, and cutting through India and China. Top officials around the globe are calling this the single largest attack on civilization since the… ::click:: …reign of the Kardashian family? They certainly do not show any signs of slowing down. Earlier this year, Kim quote unquote broke the Internet with a scandalous picture of her naked backside. It’s been said the image has been downloaded, shared, and tweeted, well over 800 million times. And never to be outdone, Kim’s husband, Kanye West, has thrust himself back into the spotlight after he stormed the Grammy’s to protest… ::click:: ….a sexy stomach and a tight rear? Just one pill a day and you could be shaving off that excess weight in no time. Be ready this summer for the bikini body you've always wanted. Some side effects of Faminall include acute gastronomical distress, insomnia, cognitive dissociation, and cotton mouth. If you have any of these symptoms, please contact your doctor immediately. Faminall – the pale miracle pill that promises to make you thin. Be sure to ask your doctor if Faminall is right for you. ::click:: ::click:: ::click:: Unsettling and unsettling and unsettling Let's turn instead, settle down to the settling sound, The ring of right from wrong - of sound from fury, the crack of dawn from din, of symphony from cacophony Break free from the unsettling and Settle into something pure, something passionate, Settle into the lyre – the lute – The ordered lines and notes – The beaming eyes and beating hearts… . The settling down. That settling sound. Settling down. Settling down. 2.28.15 M. L. Michael
A bruised banana that doesn’t realize
It is still healthy and nutritious.
A banana split melting
In the mental-ward.
A man in a banana suit
Running the Bank of America.[…]
still life with fruit A bruised banana that doesn't realize It is still healthy and nutritious. A banana split melting In the mental-ward. A man in a banana suit Running the Bank of America. A banana in a man suit In charge of the monkeys at the zoo. A worm hidden In the apple of my eye. A bulls-eye on the apple Atop Eve’s head. An apple flavored sleeping pill Endorsed by Snow White. A rotting apple pie On a foreclosed home's windowsill. A sweet peach that was grown From a bad seed. A boy with a bit of peach fuzz thinking he’s the fucking man. A peachy-keen outlook In a brutally-blunt world. A peach of immortality As a myth that died in the minds of man. A servant poisoning the royalty With the grapes of their wrath. An overweight kid playing A game of marbles with his grapes. A lone grape drunk With the delusions of a wino. A sour grape sober With the realizations of life. A bowl – Keeping all the plucked fruit One step away from the fallen. 11/26/13 M. L. Michael
To her alter,
on bent knee I offer
words poured in her honor.
&
With this ink I thee wed,
the passion in my stead
to the heaven in her head.[..]
a proposal To her alter, on bent knee I offer words poured in her honor. & With this ink I thee wed, the passion in my stead to the heaven in her head. 11.18.13 M. L. Michael
once upon a time
there was a little cloth doll that emerged from the assembly line slightly unstitched and slightly askew. errant strings stuck out of its sides and unnecessary stuffing peaked from behind its plastic eyes.[…]
fairy tale for the discarded once upon a time there was a little cloth doll that emerged from the assembly line slightly unstitched and slightly askew. errant strings stuck out of its sides and unnecessary stuffing peaked from behind its plastic eyes. with one look from the line supervisor it was tossed to the recycle bin. where it would have been lost forever had it not been for its cockeyed weight, which caused the doll to hit the side of the bin and flop to the floor. countless feet then kicked and shuffled it around until it eventually found a dusty corner for a rest stop. the factory was shut down in the evening and darkness slowly rose to power. the rats and roaches came out to roam, to gnaw and to gather, and spiders skittered across the doll like never ending shivers. hope was nearly lost to the ravages of misfortune…and the doll endured all. finally, the lights crackled on as the cleaning crew arrived with the dawn. but this was no reason to rejoice. they had brought with them a terrible abomination to life, one that made a destructive racket as it swept across the floor and yanked the doll from its corner. the roar of the monster was deafening. it mounted in frustration as this stubborn doll refused to be devoured. this little doll that was unworthy of the price tag was defying the maw of this monster with every fiber of its stuffing. an epic struggle ensued until the creature sputtered and choked, until smoke escaped from all sides, and the defiant doll was spat out. an enlightened eye saw what everyone else missed, and the doll was grasped with curious hands. hands that were as rough and cracked as the doll was malformed, hands that had nightly coaxed a child to sleep and kept the place of comforts they could not afford. hands that then carried this doll home to happily ever after. 09/04/12 M. L. Michael
WHAT TIME IS IT?!
It’s time for Steve’s WILD AND CRAZY STRAWMEN SALE!
Are YOU tired of losing arguments you KNOW are WRONG?
Well do we have the deal of a lifetime for you!
Yes, Steve’s WILD AND CRAZY STRAWMEN is having a
MASSIVE STRAWMAN SALE!
All of Steve’s WILD AND CRAZY STRAWMEN are half off! […]
WHAT TIME IS IT?! It’s time for Steve’s WILD AND CRAZY STRAWMEN SALE! Are YOU tired of losing arguments you KNOW are WRONG? Well do we have the deal of a lifetime for you! Yes, Steve’s WILD AND CRAZY STRAWMEN is having a MASSIVE STRAWMAN SALE! All of Steve’s WILD AND CRAZY STRAWMEN are half off! It’s not a going out of business sale, it’s a stimulate the economy sale! YES, YOU HEARD ME! HALF OFF!!! With deals like this, who needs to stop and think?! ACT NOW. -M. L. Michael- 06/29/12
Strawmen are some of the most common types of fallacies that you will come across on social media.
So much so that I figured someone has to be off selling them like mad.
A random encounter, a chance delight.
She sat in a chair, which may have well been a lounging couch,
I sat next to her, in a chair that may have well been bathing in sunlight,
and –by the causality of a magazine that she was merely browsing-
the furnace in my chest was fueled and stoked into a fire for our conversing… […]
From A (from Bee) to Z (Safe Sex #3) [a journal poem] A random encounter, a chance delight. She sat in a chair, which may have well been a lounging couch, I sat next to her, in a chair that may have well been bathing in sunlight, and –by the causality of a magazine that she was merely browsing- the furnace in my chest was fueled and stoked into a fire for our conversing… Still…nervous as a bee approaching an unfamiliar flower, I buzz, like the bumbling-bee only I can be, -being careful not to be overt with my bobble- …being careful to not wobble, tilt, or, topple… but to merely give, ^flutter by flutter^, to gravity…so I may land as sensual as a feather; …but instead, I prove my previous bee-behavioral thesis: with a fall&fail, with a thump on my rump, that’s followed by a blurt of some improvised blubbery: ‘Ah, Discover, that’s is a great magazine. Are you a subscriber? I am… …I see you are reading about one of my favorite subjects, too. Ya know, what do you think about all of this nano-technology? All those miniscule robots – acting for our favor, with a hive like mentality.’ She laughs…and I struggle to gauge her range, “Oh, I am just casually reading. I’m not too familiar with any nano stuff.” I push up my glasses; and straighten up in my chair, ‘Oh well, hell! The possibilities are mind-boggling, they are…infinite/infinitesimal!’ Then, looking into her eyes, I added, ‘…but of course, they’re brilliantly altering…as they are dangerously threatening.’ She folds her magazine and pivots to me. “Really? You sound so psyched about them. Are you some science major?” (…I’m netted, tangled, in her eyes… and released to only stare down at my feet…) ‘No, just a science geek; if anything I’d be a journal major, doubling in dabbling at a lover of life from A to Z.’ My nervousness tickles at me; but I’m merely grateful that I didn’t sketch her a complete stereotype by chortling as well. She chuckles, again, in a pitch I cannot catch, (although I am already needlessly cursing myself over the miss) “Oh? So, you’re double majoring in some fake degrees, and a lover of all things A to Z?” Another laugh, this time I know it’s jest, but still not sure what at. Instead on lamenting over paranoid speculations, I’m picking up these specks of nature, of hazelnut, in her oaken eyes… And I am stammering for any specks of conversation from the ruinations of my tries, ‘No, I mean, yes. I love…anything…well almost anything. Whatever celebrates life…anything that…explores reality… So, yeah, all these things - A to Z… From… ah…Aesop’s fables to…ya’know…stuff like…Zodiac symbols.’ I shame my self with my forehead in palm, and my shoulders quake while my head shakes… but she laughs, this time in a rhythm with me that I cannot mistake, for it’s the sound of candy unwrapping, of a jolly-rancher undressing… ”From Aesop to the Zodiac… and, really, all those letters in between?” One of her eyebrow lifts, and suddenly I’m darting, from this flower to the floor, those vibrant eyes to my dull toes… ‘Yeah…yeah, I’m definitely not lying when it comes to something so…fleeting.’ I sense a hint, an uncomfortable silence verging on becoming a pregnant pause; and I eject: ‘I’m sorry, I was just trying to be stupid, or silly - whichever, really.’ Her eyes brighten and those specks shimmer like lacquer in the light. I am awkward at a level beyond a tipsy toddler…or a fumbling bee, and before I can summon all the courage, as young Arthur did before Excalibur, a man comes out of the bathroom to tell her “Hey, Honey, I’m ready; let’s go.” She puts down her magazine and tells me it was a pleasure… I nod in honest agreement, but with a somber smile as a place card. When she is out the door… I crack my journal open… and I start my pen buzzing… M. L. Michael 2.16.12’
Every Breath Poetic 