Porthole

There comes a ghosting

There comes a ghosting

...to the gathering —
laughing, running,
flying kites
upon cold hills,

and to my childhood
innocence —
lost to the world
so long ago.

© Kåre Enga (21.oktober.2021) [174.255]

Mel Groves RIP 11 October '21. "Even after Groves’ death, his loved ones were fighting those systems. Just hours after he died, they had to reach out to local news outlets that misgendered and deadnamed him while also grieving his loss, Gumbs said. Some updated their stories; others said they couldn’t change them without confirmation from law enforcement or Groves’ immediate family."

Lauren Witzke, a self-styled "Christian nationalist" who embraced QAnon and support from white supremacists, was the Delaware GOP's candidate for Senate in 2020.

In a post on Gab, Witzke claimed she was "recovering from this insane bio-weapon called Covid." The 33-year-old, who has worked as a political commentator for the right-wing Christian conspiracy site TruNews, said she had decided not to tell anyone earlier so as not to alert "the shitlibs in the media."

"This bio-weapon is demonic," she wrote. "I've lost all of my senses and struggle with constant indifference, brain fog, and I've lost my joy."

In posts shared on her Telegram channel, Witzke blamed TruNews for making her aware of the infection, insisting that nasal swabs were ultimately responsible for her getting COVID-19. "I'm an idiot for submitting to their demands and getting tested," she wrote, "and yes I know I need a good husband in my life to keep me from making bad decisions."

PP#20 Anarchy [256] (Campfire)

Anarchy

This is how it started:
         a ring of stones,
         cold bare earth,
         a campfire lit
meant to shed some light,
some warmth,
some heat,
         enough to boil water,
         steep the tea,
         brew the coffee,
enough to awaken the world
that preferred to sleep.

And this how it ended:
         an errant scrap of paper
         lit then borne aloft
         carried on the wind to where
the waiting tinder glowered,
welcomed its glow
its power to light
         the imagination of the angry world,
         enough to burn it down,

to burn it down.

© Kåre Enga (21.oktober.2021) [174.256]

22 lines

PPC#19 As the sky lowers [257] (dream dust)

As the sky lowers

Dreamdust sifted over embers
a desperate attempt
to assuage the dying fire.
Oh to live and die again!
Once as a tree they provided shade
while a child attempted to touch the sky
flying high on her swing.
Now logs die to keep her warm
snug under an worn-out afghan
she once wove — long ago.
We ask what were her dreams,
what now her future —
as the sky lowers to kiss the earth
and caress her cheek.

© Kåre Enga (21.oktober.2021) [174.257]

14 lines

To Charlie: "Covid didn't help my emotions one twit. It severed my routines and left me rudderless. Here at WDC? In general, people send out the vibe that they don't want to be connected except at some happy happy superficial level... and I'm not good at doing that. So I have fewer close contacts than before. And it's not for the lack of trying. I've really been trying.

As for leaving... At various times in my life friends left; at other times in my life I did. Now we're just ghosts that use to know each other. At least ghosts have little power to hurt; but, the living sure can."

I wanted to add: folks do not understand how hard it is to get out of bed or how daily living can overwhelm. My good news is that a friend has agreed to be my lawyer. I'll set up a simple will and should problems arise ... they can just call Nick.

KINDNESS

There are words of kindness (an assertion said in a kind way... think 'tact'). There are kind actions (like opening a door for someone... think 'respect').

So there are many kind thoughts and deeds.

But there's toxic kindness too. The smile that covers up the lies, the 5-star reviews that won't point out flaws, the insincere pat on the back.

One can kindly disagree on social-media, here included, but many choose to play it safe and say nothing.

Stik has written a blog entry about toxic kindness.

Yes, it's important to be kind and in 16 years I've mostly been showered with kindness at WDC.

However... let's be real. A 5 star rating for a 2 star poem isn't being kind. Friends are willing to point out that your zipper is undone or slip is showing while others silently laugh.

How to point out flaws, give it a 2.5 and still be kind is the question. If you can... it would be helpful to provide examples that are both honest and kind.

Being dishonest isn't kind.