The System

The System #OccupySF #OWS

Photo taken in front of the San Francisco Federal Reserve building from the Occupy SF encampment in 2011. This iPhone photo is one of my most viewed photos. Far more views than most of my landscape photos. So, is the system still built this way?

Broken

sky

Yes, she did find love the voice intones with wisdom born from knowing the past, or is it the future? But now she is broken and the melancholy though hopeful score is of no help.

Hey voice, actually do something helpful or shut up! Right, you are just a voice. The voice believes it has shone through the clouds, a revelation it thinks, but it just reveals the broken walk of stars.

 

Apocalypse Whenever

itself

I’ve always been fascinated with post apocalyptic worlds. The visceral intensity and camaraderie of survivors always seemed a better alternative to my family and school life as a kid. Of course narratives can be written in any counter-factual way one wants. First you have to be one of the few survivors, followed by needing the correct survivals skills, a lack of serious medical issues, and the good luck to fall in with the right group of survivors.

But why ruin a good fantasy? In my fantasy I am the hero or at the very least I can step out of the mundane existence most of us have. At least this is how I conceived of fantasy apocalypse worlds when I was young. Now I think perhaps we already live in a slow motion apocalypse. You know, global warming this, toxic that, bad other stuff, blah blah, why even bother explaining it at most people only rhetorically care. Our children will just have to fucking deal with the problems we are creating on their own, right?

I suppose we could just wait for Jesus to return and burn everything, or is that bathe everything in blood? It’s hard to keep track of crazy sometimes. Probably better to just drown our fears in social media. A little Facebook here, some duck face selfies there, followed by some inappropriate Snapchat. There’s also Twitter, though why bother, it’s just people following celebrities (and a kind of post apocalyptic world of its own.)

Oh, I’ve buried the lead here, the apocalypse starts tomorrow! … I wish 😉

Apparition

creatures

A very low tide. Shallow waves among the rocks. The apparition as if captured in a long exposure sees me. It is hunting for something alive so it looks beyond. The humans, unaware of its desire, chatter as they walk past. We have something in common, this apparition and I. If I wait long enough the tide will cover me and I will wash away like the sand, and then I will know its secrets.

I’ve Been Lying to You

lie

I’ve been lying to you. Still waiting for things to begin. When will they? It’s definitely me walking alone. I am always someone else. The loud voices of people watching the game. The music starts. My favorite band onstage. Hit your mark. The Ted talk is about to begin. Prepare to be impressed. You can make anything. From a single source the shining light reveals nothing, and I lie again. The lie is that I don’t love you.