Little green bugs are abundant where I live.
Tiny, short-range missiles of the insect world
Buzzing, crawling, sneaky little devils - what I wouldn't give
To get rid of them, all innocence with wings unfurled
Saying "Who could hate me? I'm so small and harmless."
Harmless, maybe, up to the point when one goes
Around and around my head, nothing is worse, unless
It's when it decides, after all, to fly up my nose.
Thank God for spiders, though not when they're inside
My home - No, when they craft their webs and set
Their traps. I can see the bodies of the bugs who died
Struggling in vain to free themselves, to glide
Up, up, and away. But the wise little spiders wait
Patiently, quietly, biding their time until bugs fly
Into their invisible, intricate snares made by eight
Clever legs - ready to suck them dry.
Thank God for the bats when they come out at night!
Little flying mammals navigating by the sound
Of squeaks and echos. I love the sight
Of them at dusk. I love watching them flit around
Darting this way and that. I never shared the fear
That these amazing nocturnal creatures change
Their taste for bugs into a taste for blood. It's clear
That they're happy with their diet, though it's strange.
Little green bugs are always landing in the pool
And drowning. On a long day when it's hotter than hell
I just want to come home, grab a book and cool
Off in the water - water filled with the bugs that fell
And couldn't get themselves out, but the silly things
Are at their most alarming when I'm asleep in my bed.
What are they doing when I'm unaware? A bug clings
To my hair, making its way to my ear to lay eggs in my head.
Or so I believe, when I wake up with a start.
I dig frantically at my ear, trying to get them out
Until I realize I'm dreaming, and my pounding heart
Goes back to its regular rhythm. I seriously doubt
Those insects intend to frighten me so.
They're just trying to live - the thought of them tugs
At my conscience. I feel sorry for them, though
I hate them. Damn those little green bugs.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Don't-See TV
I promise that I'll try not to do this too often, but I'm going to have to rant - just a little bit. I promise that I'm not a major couch potato. I would rather read than watch TV, but I do turn the TV on for background noise while I'm cooking, and there are a few shows that I watch regularly. This posting is not about those shows - the good ones. This is about the bad shows. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Really? There are lots of awful shows on TV." Very true. I'm just going to focus on the ones that are particularly annoying to me at this time.
Jon and Kate Plus Eight:
I'm not ashamed to admit that I have never watched an episode of this show, but I sure am sick of hearing about it. I'm tired of all of the drama surrounding the parents on this show - did Jon cheat on Kate? What's the big announcement that the couple will soon make? How will this affect the show?
Can I respond with a question of my own? Thank you. Who the f*** cares?! These are people who took advantage of an opportunity - and who could blame them? Raising eight kids is no walk in the economic park. Still, they have brought this on themselves, and in my opinion have not considered the long-term effects of this stupid reality show on their children. I know that the children are reaping benefits indirectly, but I'm sure that no one asked their permission to appear in this show. What happens when they get older? If Jon and Kate do file for divorce, how are they going to be able to deal with that? My parents' divorce was bad, but it wasn't on national television.
Flavor of Love:
I swear to you that I'm not making this show up. Remember Flavor Flave, the guy who wears clocks around his neck and big Viking helmets? This show is all about him. It's like The Bachelor, with Flave as the Bachelor. This is a show that consists of Flave trying to choose from a bunch of pretty but psycho women, who obviously do not respect themselves or each other. It's cat-fight central. I only know about this show because it appears on the TV Guide channel, which also has the programming schedule, and I have to mute the channel whenever it's on - it's that bad. I assume that this ridiculous show is on the TV Guide channel because no other network would stoop so low.
Whale Wars:
I understand if none of you have heard of this show. Being the major geek that I am, I like to watch channels like National Geographic and Discovery. Whale Wars is on Animal Planet. It's a documentary show following the exploits of a group of activists who use every means short of outright violence to stop Japanese whalers from killing whales in the Antarctic. Please understand that I'm not expressing disapproval of their goals - I think that killing whales is a long-outdated and barbaric practice, and the Japanese whalers are using loopholes in the law in order to continue. They claim that they're conducting "scientific research". Killing whales for profit is obsene, okay? That being said, these activists are complete morons. They call themselves the "Sea Shepherds", and they were founded by a guy who was kicked out of Greenpeace. In fact, Greenpeace wants nothing to do with them at all. Basically, this is a ship full of idealists who are under the delusion that if they somehow manage to stop this particular whaling fleet, then whaling will be stopped, permanently, all over the world. Has the thought crossed any of their minds that there just might be more than one whaling ship in the world? And that's not even the worst part - for me, at least. The worst part is that most of these people have such a disdain for "the system" or "the Man" or any kind of authority that the way the ship is run is an absolute joke. In the first episode, three crew members were almost killed because the person who was lowering their small boat into the water had no clue what he was doing. If these people really cared about the whales, you'd think they would step up their game.
Okay. My rant is done now. Mostly. There will always be shows on TV that really suck. I'll just have to content myself with the good ones. I just had to rant a little in order to make myself feel better.
Jon and Kate Plus Eight:
I'm not ashamed to admit that I have never watched an episode of this show, but I sure am sick of hearing about it. I'm tired of all of the drama surrounding the parents on this show - did Jon cheat on Kate? What's the big announcement that the couple will soon make? How will this affect the show?
Can I respond with a question of my own? Thank you. Who the f*** cares?! These are people who took advantage of an opportunity - and who could blame them? Raising eight kids is no walk in the economic park. Still, they have brought this on themselves, and in my opinion have not considered the long-term effects of this stupid reality show on their children. I know that the children are reaping benefits indirectly, but I'm sure that no one asked their permission to appear in this show. What happens when they get older? If Jon and Kate do file for divorce, how are they going to be able to deal with that? My parents' divorce was bad, but it wasn't on national television.
Flavor of Love:
I swear to you that I'm not making this show up. Remember Flavor Flave, the guy who wears clocks around his neck and big Viking helmets? This show is all about him. It's like The Bachelor, with Flave as the Bachelor. This is a show that consists of Flave trying to choose from a bunch of pretty but psycho women, who obviously do not respect themselves or each other. It's cat-fight central. I only know about this show because it appears on the TV Guide channel, which also has the programming schedule, and I have to mute the channel whenever it's on - it's that bad. I assume that this ridiculous show is on the TV Guide channel because no other network would stoop so low.
Whale Wars:
I understand if none of you have heard of this show. Being the major geek that I am, I like to watch channels like National Geographic and Discovery. Whale Wars is on Animal Planet. It's a documentary show following the exploits of a group of activists who use every means short of outright violence to stop Japanese whalers from killing whales in the Antarctic. Please understand that I'm not expressing disapproval of their goals - I think that killing whales is a long-outdated and barbaric practice, and the Japanese whalers are using loopholes in the law in order to continue. They claim that they're conducting "scientific research". Killing whales for profit is obsene, okay? That being said, these activists are complete morons. They call themselves the "Sea Shepherds", and they were founded by a guy who was kicked out of Greenpeace. In fact, Greenpeace wants nothing to do with them at all. Basically, this is a ship full of idealists who are under the delusion that if they somehow manage to stop this particular whaling fleet, then whaling will be stopped, permanently, all over the world. Has the thought crossed any of their minds that there just might be more than one whaling ship in the world? And that's not even the worst part - for me, at least. The worst part is that most of these people have such a disdain for "the system" or "the Man" or any kind of authority that the way the ship is run is an absolute joke. In the first episode, three crew members were almost killed because the person who was lowering their small boat into the water had no clue what he was doing. If these people really cared about the whales, you'd think they would step up their game.
Okay. My rant is done now. Mostly. There will always be shows on TV that really suck. I'll just have to content myself with the good ones. I just had to rant a little in order to make myself feel better.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Story Central
Airports are interesting places. They are basically centers of flux. Everyone in an airport is in a state of transition. People are coming from everywhere and going everywhere else. It seems inevitable, at least to me, that with such a massive mash-up of origins and destinations there are so many individual stories coming together for one brief moment (or seven-hour layover, as the case may be) and then continuing on alone. Emotions run high in airports. People are leaving or returning, alone or together. The casual observer, sitting at the gate waiting for their flight to start boarding, can see many stories immediately surrounding them.
There's a single man sitting on his own in front of the large airport windows. I say single because he's traveling by himself, but it's obvious that he's involved with someone. He's holding a bouquet of flowers. Is he re-connecting with someone after a long separation? Is he on his way home or is he visiting her? She must be really important to him. Important enough to put up with the inconvenience of traveling with such a fragile carry-on item. He cares about her so much that he won't wait to buy these flowers after he arrives. He holds those flowers on his lap during the entire flight.
Another man is sitting on his own at the gate, himself and his possessions taking up all three of the seats in a short row. Though seats are scarce, both of his carry-on items occupy the seats on either side of him, and he has his laptop open and his headphones on, effectively closing himself off from the rest of his fellow travelers. A woman traveling on her own hovers hopefully near him and his seats, but if she expects a sense of chivalry to overpower the headphones she will be disappointed. He doesn't look up, doesn't acknowledge anyone outside of the bubble he's created, doesn't budge.
Two children traveling with their mother are obviously trying to make the best of a situation that they obviously believe could be improved upon. There's nothing with which to entertain themselves other than what they've brought, but children are inventive and adaptable when they need to be. One has a suspicion that this brother and sister would not normally willingly play together the way that they are, but beggars can't be choosers! Their improvised game of mis-matched toys (robots and dolls, respectively) spans the floor around their seats, the luggage sitting under the watchful eye of their mother, and sometimes even their mother, who puts up with their play with the obvious internal conclusion "It could be worse. They could be screaming."
A soldier in combat boots and desert fatigues is also sitting on his own, his last name stitched onto the back of his practical Army pack. Is he reporting to a base in the states, only to be shipped overseas? Is this his first tour? Unlikely, if his age is anything to go by. He looks like he's in his early thirties. My only thought, looking at him, is "Will he come back alive or in a box?" A wedding band on his finger makes me send a quick thought out to whatever gods may be listening - let him come home safely.
Airports are interesting places. I, for one, am glad that my time in this one was as short as possible. It may be fascinating to see the convergence of so many stories, but I have my own story to worry about.
There's a single man sitting on his own in front of the large airport windows. I say single because he's traveling by himself, but it's obvious that he's involved with someone. He's holding a bouquet of flowers. Is he re-connecting with someone after a long separation? Is he on his way home or is he visiting her? She must be really important to him. Important enough to put up with the inconvenience of traveling with such a fragile carry-on item. He cares about her so much that he won't wait to buy these flowers after he arrives. He holds those flowers on his lap during the entire flight.
Another man is sitting on his own at the gate, himself and his possessions taking up all three of the seats in a short row. Though seats are scarce, both of his carry-on items occupy the seats on either side of him, and he has his laptop open and his headphones on, effectively closing himself off from the rest of his fellow travelers. A woman traveling on her own hovers hopefully near him and his seats, but if she expects a sense of chivalry to overpower the headphones she will be disappointed. He doesn't look up, doesn't acknowledge anyone outside of the bubble he's created, doesn't budge.
Two children traveling with their mother are obviously trying to make the best of a situation that they obviously believe could be improved upon. There's nothing with which to entertain themselves other than what they've brought, but children are inventive and adaptable when they need to be. One has a suspicion that this brother and sister would not normally willingly play together the way that they are, but beggars can't be choosers! Their improvised game of mis-matched toys (robots and dolls, respectively) spans the floor around their seats, the luggage sitting under the watchful eye of their mother, and sometimes even their mother, who puts up with their play with the obvious internal conclusion "It could be worse. They could be screaming."
A soldier in combat boots and desert fatigues is also sitting on his own, his last name stitched onto the back of his practical Army pack. Is he reporting to a base in the states, only to be shipped overseas? Is this his first tour? Unlikely, if his age is anything to go by. He looks like he's in his early thirties. My only thought, looking at him, is "Will he come back alive or in a box?" A wedding band on his finger makes me send a quick thought out to whatever gods may be listening - let him come home safely.
Airports are interesting places. I, for one, am glad that my time in this one was as short as possible. It may be fascinating to see the convergence of so many stories, but I have my own story to worry about.
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