Chickens are identified as the subspecies of the red jungle fowl. Over the years they have been illustrated in a number of children’s books. In many tales, chickens are portrayed as having positive virtues and are in stories of bravery, maternal love or industrious labor. Because of their traits, feathered hens are represented as less desirable in many books. In many stories, roosters and hens are respectively portrayed as brash and cowardly. Let’s go through the following instances of children’s story books in which the barnyard fowl are illustrated as a leading character.

If you want to know the way how hens used to practice with humans for harvesting and planting pumpkins, you can read Chicken Said, “Cluck!” This book will let you know how the “cluck, cluck, cluck” of chickens used to save the plants from the reaches of some harmful insects like grasshoppers.

Another interesting book that children can try reading is Little Red Hen. In this book you can see how the story progresses as the hen tries to incorporate her lazy pals in a task to plant the seeds, cut the wheat, carry them to the mill and reach the farm with a bag full of flour. Children find it interesting the way she asks the idle dog, drowsy cat and a loud duck for their assistance in baking the bread. Accordingly each of them comes out to help the little hen. Finally, she decides to manage the bread all by herself.

Children can also read the story of Chicken Little, a story which has been published in several versions. The leading characters in this book include Chicken Little, Henny-Penny and Cocky-Locky. Though the birds depicted in this story do not illustrate a good sense, “The sky is falling” has been famed as one of the catchiest phrases in the history of literature.

In one of the versions of Chicken Little, you will find how an oak nut strikes Chicken Little on his head while walking in the woods. Out of anger he starts flying assuming that the sky is falling over him. Then he decides to meet with the king to explain everything. Later on his way, he shares the instance with Ducky-Lucky and Henny-Penny, who finally gets convinced that this is an alarm of a possible disaster. When the group discusses the story with Foxey-Loxey, he tricks them into entering his cave for dinner.

There are several other books based on a rooster who forgot how to brag. One such readable number is “Cock-a-Doodle-Moo!” This book tells you the funny story how the bird forgets to crow and finally manages to save the farm from the reach of a cunning fox.

In addition to these books that your child can enjoy reading, you can also make it all funny for them by reading aloud. You can also find some audio versions and picture books of “The Little Red Hen,” “Cock-A-Doodle-Moo!” or “Chicken Little.”

Have you ever noticed that a vulture soars high in the sky but its eyes are always cast on the charnel pits where carcasses of animals are burnt. – Bhagvan Ramakrishna

I have all along been like a hero – I want my work to be quick like lightning, and firm as adamant. Likewise shall I die also. Therefore kindly do my work for me – no question of success or defeat enters here at all. I have never retreated in a fight – shall I now? There is success and failure in every work. But I am inclined to believe that one who is a coward will be born after death as an insect or a worm, that there is no salvation for a coward even after millions of years of penance. Well, shall I after all be born as a worm?

In my eyes this world is mere play – and it will always remain as such. Should one spend six long months brooding over the questions of honour and disgrace, gain and loss pertaining to this? . . . I am a man of action. Simply advice upon advice is being given – this one says this, that one says that; again that man threatens, and this one frightens! This life is not, in my view, such a sweet thing that I would long to live through so much care and caution and fear.

Money, life, friends, and relatives, and the love of men and myself – if one wants to enter into work fully assured beforehand of all these – if one has to be so much ridden with fear, then one will get just what Gurudeva used to say, “The crow thinks itself very clever but it cannot help eating filth – well, he will get that.

Swami Vivekananda

Today I want to tell you a very special story.

There was a very steep, high and rocky mountain in a village in southern India. No one had ever reached to the top of the mountain. One day 100 people mustered sufficient courage to climb this huge mountain. They had no clue of how much time it would take to get to the summit. However each of them was determined to succeed. In the beginning they helped each other but as days passed by a handful of them who were more talented at mountain climbing went quite a distance ahead while leaving the others behind.

The man who was ahead of everyone was very happy and pleased that he had beaten everyone. He was surging ahead with a rapid pace, determined to reach to the top of the mountain before anyone else. The other people in the group were also equally resolved to succeed. They looked upon this man, knowing his reputation, for inspiration and motivation. They talked at length about him his character, his confidence and personality, and admired him.

Their climb continued each person covering sufficient ground every day and making progress. Days turned to months and months to year but the journey went on. The man who led the race could see from a distance the top of the mountain but the more he advanced towards the summit he found more extra ground to cover. When he looked back at the height he had already covered it gave him tremendous satisfaction and the confidence to master the remaining distance. Meanwhile the distance between him and the others had also widened depending on the progress made by each of them.

There was a small child in the village who was watching all this. His dad was part of the group and ten years had passed by and his dad had not yet returned home. He was desperate to see him again. But no one could fulfill his wish. His mother had no clue of the whereabouts of his father. This child began to ask all the elderly people for advice but no one could really help him. Finally, the child met a wise old man who told him that a huge river flowed behind the vast mountain with a beautiful island at the other end of the river. “Your dad might be in that beautiful island,” the old man said. “I can show you a way to reach that island in a week’s time. But you have to cross a thick dense forest.”

The little child was thrilled. . He was bold and determined to meet his father and readily agreed to cross the dense forest.

The wise old man then took a piece of paper and wrote two words on it. “On the third day of your travel in the forest you will meet a person. Hand this paper to him and he will take you to the beautiful island where you can meet your father.”

The little child couldn’t hide his excitement. Seeking the wise man’s blessing he grabbed the note and headed in the direction of the forest.

On the third day of his journey he met a strange man in the forest. As advised by the wise man the little child handed the note to this person. No sooner had he handed over the note this man seized the child, slapped him hard, and tied him to a nearby tree with a strong rope. The little child was all in tears. He had eaten very little for the last two days and he had no clue of what was happening. He thought this person would help him meet his dad but instead this ugly man was beating him to death. He cried bitterly. This strange man was the head of a tribal community and he told the child that tomorrow by 12 noon he would kill him and offer him as a sacrifice to the Forest God. The little child pleaded for mercy to be released. But the strange man refused to pay any heed to him.

“Why did the wise man lie to me?” How could he be so cruel? Why did he do this to me?” the little child wondered. Weeping bitterly he fell fast asleep. He had a beautiful dream that night. God appeared before him. The little child complained to God that the wise man had fooled him and the tribal head was going to kill him by 12 noon tomorrow. With tears rolling down his eyes he asked God whether He could him get out of the forest and meet his father.

God knelt down, took the tender child in his arms, and whispered two words in the child’s ears. ” Utter these two words tomorrow morning when the tribal head comes and he will free you and help you meet your dad.” God kissed the little child and bid him goodbye.

Early next morning the tribal head arrived. The little child smiled. He uttered the two words and then …?

One of the best professional experiences I have ever had was working for an adolescent drug treatment center for a good part of the eighties. I certainly didn’t make much money there, but what I learned during those six plus years was priceless.

HALTS is an acronym commonly used in substance abuse treatment that can be very usefully applied to stress management. A HALTS approach to managing our stress recommends that we avoid getting too Hungry Angry Lonely Tired Scared.

Hungry – Although food comes immediately to mind (when doesn’t it?), there are many other things for which we can “hunger.” We all need a sense of worth, connection to others and to something bigger than ourselves, appreciation, and many others. Miss out on some of these basic emotional needs for very long and we can end up sad or depressed.

Tip:Angry – I get angry, you get angry, we all get angry. No problem there. The problem comes when anger is our most common emotion and our first response to most situations. Recent research has demonstrated that constant anger is not only not good for you, it can kill you.

Tip: Pay attention to and deal with the emotions that anger typically grows out of: fear, frustration, hurt.

Lonely – In spite of all the modern ways we have to communicate with each other, we still live in a culture where it is incredibly easy to become isolated. Most people don’t know the names of their neighbors on either side or across the street. I know of people who are “just too busy” to spend the time to connect with other people. These folks are way too busy for their own good.

Tip: Take the time to connect and stay connected to others. Walk next door and introduce yourself. Call an old friend you have not spoken with in a while. Stay connected.

Tired – Vince Lombardi said “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” It’s not that most people don’t have the time to rest, it’s that most people have actually forgotten how. When it comes to the ultimate form of rest, sleeping, when was the last time you got the recommended 8 – 10 hours? You can stop laughing now. We can push ourselves just so far before the body takes over and forces us to rest. I’ve worked with clients that have told me that it’s actually a badge of honor among their colleagues to have been hospitalized for exhaustion. Go figure.

Tip: In addition to getting enough sleep, schedule time to rest. Put it in your appointment book, and protect it and keep it like you would any other important appointment.

Scared – In the Tarzan movies I watched as a kid, there were these natives with blowguns who would shoot darts coated with poison that would render a person temporarily paralyzed. Fear can do the same thing – paralyze us into inaction. Fear of failure, of rejection, of success, of the future, you name it, we get too scared and we freeze up.

Tip: Facing your fears and taking action is spite of them can reduce or eliminate your fears. Remember that fear stands for forget everything and run and false evidence appearing real. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is being afraid of something and doing it anyway.

For better or worse, we may have too much of one of these on any given day. Consistently having two or more can indicate a situation in need of change. Practice these tips to successfully manage your stress or you might want to get with someone who can coach you on making your stress work for you.

As a professional, your communication skills can make or break your career. No matter how much you excel in your technical skills, if you can not say it right or write effectively, it’s time to look into Business Communication Training.

There are many corporate training programs available online and offline to help you with your business communication skills. Talk to someone at HR (Human Resources) department of your organization to learn what corporate training programs are available at your workplace.

If you’re self-employed, or your company doesn’t believe in offering corporate training programs, try to find a suitable communication skills program on your own.

Here are some of the aspects of business communication training that I cover:

Body language and Gestures – Even if you don’t open your mouth, or write anything, your body is communicating with everyone around you. Maybe it’s the way you stand, lean against a wall, gesture with your hands or eyes, or simply stare, you ARE sending out signals, and people around you ARE reading those signals, LOUD and CLEAR.

So getting a control on your body language is the first step in conquering your business communication skills.

Assertiveness Skills – Do you have difficulty saying “NO’? Most people do. So it’s not about being a coward by saying “yes” to everything and everyone. All you need is a boost in your assertiveness skills to understand AND say “No” when it’s required.

Personal Impact training – What is your personal image at your workplace? Are your colleagues afraid of you, joke about you behind your back, or love being friends with you?

Your personal image is your personal impact at your workplace. It affects the working dynamics in the office, but plays an important role in your job satisfaction. So it is essential to project the kind of image you want, rather than confusing others with a jumbled image.

Business Networking skills – Networking is essential to succeed as a professional and as a business (especially if you’re self-employed running your own business). Business networking is connecting with like-minded professionals in your line of work, who can recommend, help, or collaborate with you (or your business) down the line.

For networking, it’s important you understand the kind of etiquette and grooming skills expected from someone in your respective line of work, and that’s what business networking skills’ training does for you.

There are many more aspects to business communication training. As an image consultant, it becomes my duty to improve your listening, responding, and presenting skills – verbal and non-verbal, to make you more successful at your workplace and in your life.

In the past, fake tattoos were only for kids. However, that never stopped adults from wearing them back then. Unfortunately, they did it at the risk of being called “posers”. If you wore a custom designed temporary tattoo in the past, it sent out the message that you didn’t have the guts and tolerance for pain in order to have a real one made. This is the reason why a lot of people didn’t wear serious or custom designed temporary tattoos in the past even if they really wanted to do it.

It’s really just a common misconception that fake tattoos are only for kids. But there are a lot of valid reasons on why people might prefer temporary to permanent. Fashion is a good reason and this is why a lot of women wore them back then. This is quite evident in the available temporary tattoo designs. You can easily find patterns of roses, butterflies and the like.

Men had it bad. Men were called posers for wearing them. A poser is defined as a person who’s always pretending to be someone else. Tattoos were seen as skin art for tough guys. This is the reason why it’s very popular in prisons. It’s true that there are a lot of men who wore them in order to look tough. But how can anyone achieve that with designs of roses and butterflies? The limited selection for false tattoo designs never helped the cause of the fake tattoos.

Fortunately, some manufacturers saw this problem and felt that they had to do something about it. First, they realized that there’s a huge potential for them. However, this potential is being stopped in its tracks with the notion that they are for frauds or cowards. A lot of men and women are afraid to wear them because they didn’t want to be labeled as posers. It’s hard to blame them. But things are now changing as some manufacturers are doing things to take out the misconception.

The most important thing that you have to know is they’re not for posers. In fact, they’re widely used today for different causes and we have these visionary companies to thank for it. What they did was pretty straightforward. They acquired the equipment and skills necessary to produce great results with the help of great temporary tattoo designs. The resulting tattoos are so great that they’re not just for skin art anymore.

It’s not hard to see a stadium filled with 10,000 fans wearing fake tattoos. Now, are they posers? No, because they’re wearing them to show support for their team. A lot of schools and teams come up with designs that show the colors, names and mascots of their respective teams. They sell them in venues or even give them as giveaways to raise the team’s spirit. No one’s going to call you a poser for wearing one in these events. In fact, they’ll just see you as a good supporter of the team. In the end, it’s the team that will benefit greatly as they’re supported by fans with raised spirits, and possibly they’ll benefit from funds raised from the sale of the temporary skin art.

But you can even find people who want custom, unique designs to lend to their self-expression. They may not be looking to support a team, a cause, or a company, but they may have a message or an image they want to wear in the world. They may not want this image to be permanent. It may be for an occasion like a wedding or memorial service. It may be something they want to try out before getting a permanent tattoo done on their skin. It may be that their style constantly changes and they don’t want to tie themselves down to a permanent tattoo being shown. It may be that their job won’t allow visible tattoos, but they still want that face tattoo for weekends… The reasons for wearing temporary tattoos are vast, and can be highly personal.

Sure, there will be a few people who will not be convinced that sporting temporary tattoos is a valid form of self-expression. The “No guts, no glory” motto sometimes runs very deep. But deep inside, you know that you’re just supporting your team, your local charity, your best friend’s marriage, or your mood of the week, and those around you will understand. That’s the important thing.

My latest read is one that appears on almost everyone’s ‘to-read’ list. And I’m stumped as to why. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is an American classic that I’ve heard about for years, but only recently read. To me, it fits into a particular genre of books – one that is easily identifiable as being written in the first half of the preceding century by Americans, just like The Great Gatsby, or The Graduate. I think the real problem lays in the fact that there is no real plot to these books, merely a collection of observations about human emotions, strung together by characters who aren’t the least bit likeable, but who have attained entrance into the zeitgeist due to generations of readers. These books strike me as trying far too hard to be meaningful, and perhaps Salinger’s work is the leader of the pack.

The story focuses on Holden Caulfield, an entitled rich boy from New York. Holden’s biggest problem with the world is that it is full of ‘phonies’ – people who are too polite, people who are less intelligent than he is, people who don’t meet his expectations. Holden begins telling his story at the point where he has been kicked out of yet another boarding school. Afraid to tell his parents, but unwilling to stay at the institution for another 3 days, Holden bolts for New York and sets up in a sleazy hotel. While in New York, Holden meets up with an old girl friend, an old teacher, and his kid sister.

Throughout Holden’s time in the city, we learn more about his personal history. Holden’s father is a corporate lawyer; he has an older brother who is in Hollywood writing screen plays, and a younger brother who died of leukemia; he’s been expelled or dropped out of various boarding schools; and he’s a virgin, for which he blames himself for being too much of a gentleman to force girls. Most importantly though, we learn that Holden is a coward. He calls himself such multiple times, but he’s a far bigger coward than he’s willing to admit to himself.

And there’s the rub of the story – Holden won’t admit anything to himself, beyond surface niceties. Fine, he will say that the fact that he’s bounced from school to school is his fault, but he doesn’t mean it. We repetitively see him parroting back the opinion and advice that responsible adults give him during his narration, and it strikes me that his willingness to accept blame is something that came from being lectured countless times about his unwillingness to buckle down. Finally, while discussing his situation with an old teacher that he respected, I felt that Holden was going to finally learn why he was a habitual failure – this teacher tells him that life is a game and, whether you like it or not, it’s a game that has to be played or else you risk a crash and burn that you can’t bounce back from. Holden finally seemed to listen and (maybe) get it. Then the teacher made a pass at him, and he ran, forgetting everything he seemed so willing to absorb.

The only other moments of emotional or intellectual honesty are those that Holden seems experiences while with his sister, Phoebe. She asks him at one point what he’s going to do with his life, to which he describes his ideal job as a fantasy of his, based on a poem by Robby Burns. The poem runs, “If a body meet a body coming through the rye,” but Holden thought the ‘meet’ was ‘catch,’ and so his fantasy is to keep the children he envisions running through a field of rye from running of a near-by cliff by catching them before they fell. Ah, the delusions of one who has never had to apply himself. In the end, Holden is placed in a mental health institution (I think – Salinger never overtly states it), and the story ends.

The Catcher in the Rye seems like a work that would pop with people in their late teens/early 20s, before they wake up to the reality of the world in which rent it due on the first of the month, you have to buy your own toilet paper, and you hate your job but feel you can’t quit. I can see Holden’s tale of woe appealing to those who find themselves is a similar boat as the main characters, in which there are no real responsibilities in their lives, and the veneer of cynicism that applies itself after half a decade of self-reliance has yet to solidify. For me, however, Holden’s tale is one of self-deluded grandeur, in which he has yet to be forced to grow up. His concerns are ones that normal, hard-working, self-aware people never have to struggle with, and are the stronger for. There was nothing in Holden’s life that was particularly difficult to deal with, and his teen-angst was an invention of his own creation. In the end, Holden was the biggest phony in his own tale.

Salinger’s work didn’t resonate with me. Because I couldn’t sympathize (or even empathize) with Holden, it felt like 214 pages of teenage emotions that have no place in the real world. I wonder though, had I read this work 10 (even 5) years ago, would my outlook be different? I don’t know, but what I do know is that The Catcher in the Rye has no place on my personal ‘to-read’ list.

Francis Bacon, (1561-1626) the most influential and resourceful English writer, is a practically wise man. His essays are store-house of wordy wisdom and practicality. We find a touch of reality and practicality in his views towards truth studies love, friendship etc. Now we are going to discuss his views.

Bacon is very much frank is expressing his view towards truth in the essay “Of Truth”. Truth, according to Bacon, lacks the charm of variety which, falsehood has. Truth gives more pleasure only when a lie is added to it. He believes that, falsehood is a source of temporary enjoyment as it gives the people a strange kind of pleasure. So the essayist says:

“… a mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure”

To Bacon, a liar is brave towards god but cowards towards men. A liar does not have courage to tell the truth to the people but he shows courage to tell a lie disobeying god. As the essayist comments:

“For a lie faces God, and shrinks from man.”

This is indeed a paradox. It means that a man does not fear god when he tells a lie.

Bacon’s attitude towards study is completely practical. He emphasizes the function of studies. To him, reading improves the natural abilities of man. Through reading a person becomes a full man and by discussion he becomes a ready man. Then he needs writing to which makes a learner’s idea clear and accurate. As Bacon says:

“Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.”

At first, a man should carefully, then discuss the ideas and finally write them.

Again, Bacon suggests us how we should read the books. The books should be read according to their importance. There are some books which are read only for pleasure, a number of books are to be memorized but a few books are to be read deeply with hard work and concentration. As the author says:

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”

Bacon points out that, study enlighten human character by removing darkness of fault and follies. Study becomes fruitful only when it is combined with experience.

Bacon also mentions the benefit of reading various subjects in “Of Studies”

“Histories make men wise, poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep”

Bacon is very practical in treating love. He considers it just one of many passions of human mind. He does not pay extra favour to it emotionally; rather he sees love as a “child of folly” in his essay “Of Love”. As he comments:

“Nuptial love maketh man kind; friendly love perfecteth it, but wanton love corrupteth and embaseth it.”

Moreover in Bacon’s view, the wives and the children are the hindrance in the way of the success. As he says:

“He that hath wife and children hath given hostage of fortune”

In his essay “Of Marriage and Single Life” he tells the readers the practical benefit of wives. In his own speech:

“Wives are young men’s mistress; companions for middle age, and old men’s nurses.”

In the essay “Of Revenge”, he shows a certain high morality by saying that-

“Revenge is a kind of wild justice”. A man takes the revenge on the person by whom he is oppressed. So if he takes revenge, it will be a justice. But at the time when a man takes revenge he takes it more aggressively than he is oppressed. This is why Bacon calls the revenge a kind of wild justice. So he suggests us to be aloof from taking revenge.

In his essay “Of Parents and Children”, he shows both the utility and the futility of having children. As he says:

“Children sweeten labour, but they make misfortune more bitter.”

Last of all, we say that, Bacon is very exact to his views and thoughts. His essays are the hand-book of practical wisdom full of morality and practicality as well as enriched with maxims.

Half the battle in successfully managing your emotions during a job search or career change process is in recognizing and naming what you’re feeling. Most of us could barely brainstorm a dozen or so emotions, yet many, many more exist. As you begin naming what you’re feeling, this list of emotions, each arrayed within a cluster of similar but different emotions, will help you expand your awareness of the depth and breadth of all that you feel in the course of any given day: Happy:

• buoyant
• festive
• playful
• brisk
• generous
• pleased
• calm
• glad
• relaxed
• carefree
• grateful
• restful
• cheerful
• hilarious
• satisfied
• comfortable
• inspired
• serene
• complacent
• jolly
• surprised
• contented
• joyous
• sparkling
• ecstatic
• jubilant
• spirited
• elated
• lighthearted
• thrilled
• enthusiastic
• merry
• vivacious
• excited
• optimistic
• exhilarated
• peaceful

Eager:

• anxious
• earnest
• keen
• ardent
• enthusiastic
• proud
• avid
• excited
• zealous
• desirous
• intent

Doubtful:

• defeated
• hopeless
• skeptical
• dubious
• indecisive
• suspicious
• evasive
• perplexed
• unbelieving
• distrustful
• pessimistic
• uncertain
• helpless
• powerless
• wavering
• hesitant
• questioning

Physical:

• alive
• paralyzed
• tense
• breathless
• repulsed
• tired
• empty
• sluggish
• uptight
• feisty
• stretched
• weak
• hollow
• strong
• weary
• immobilized
• sweaty
• nauseated
• taut

Sad:

• ashamed
• dull
• quiet
• blah
• embarrassed
• somber
• choked up
• gloomy
• sorrowful
• compassionate
• heavy
• hearted
• sulky
• concerned
• ill
• at ease
• sullen
• disappointed
• in the dumps
• sympathetic
• discontented
• low
• shameful
• discouraged
• melancholy
• unhappy
• dismal
• moody
• useless
• dreadful
• mournful
• worthless
• dreary
• out of sorts

Hurt:

• aching
• heartbroken
• pathetic
• afflicted
• injured
• suffering
• cold
• isolated
• tortured
• crushed
• lonely
• worried
• despair
• offended
• distressed
• pained

Affectionate:

aggressive

Afraid:

alarmed

Angry:

• annoyed
• frustrated
• offended
• awkward
• fuming
• provoked
• belligerent
• furious
• resentful
• bewildered
• grumpy
• stubborn
• bitter
• indignant
• sulky
• boiling
• infuriated
• sullen
• confused
• inflamed
• wrathful
• cross
• irate
• enraged
• irritated

Fearless:

• bold
• determined
• loyal
• brave
• encouraged
• proud
• confident
• hardy
• reassured
• courageous
• impulsive
• secure
• daring
• independent

Interested:

absorbed

Miscellaneous:

bored

Print this list and try reviewing one or more times daily to expand your awareness of what you’re feeling and build your emotional vocabulary. The more you know about your own feelings, the more equipped you will be to deal with them safely and appropriately throughout your career.

Is to Was [A Poem]

Love, love, love–: love:

Words that fill an empty space,

Gives a life, a purpose, a place;

To get ready to stay dead–love

Gives us meaningfulness…

Must we die before one converts?

Invests, energy into love, as a

Repayment for life? Growth comes

At a heavy price…love, love: love,–

As a corpse, I’ll be more important

To my loving, loving kin… while

Alive they never had air or breath

To give, just decomposing sounds

Far off in the distance…strangers

Yes strangers for an audience…

The putrid, biological mass, that is

Dead, I will be among; so sing your

Songs–sing them now for existence

It is not long we will go from is, to was!…

#889 10/2/05

A Season Left

I have lived everywhere

pagan blood returns!

The demons are near

(Christ has granted my

soul nobility–not mankind).

I am here in a café in Minnesota

the air with the people burns my

lungs, skin: my limbs of iron…

limp: decay; sockets burnt out:

pretty soon the lights will go out.

#881 10/1/05

Night Lantern

Most people are cowards

And prefer treachery

Because it has a dull

–surface

Admitted fear, naked

Fear, flings the covers

Over a persons guts

Like a horse: one needs

A heel in the ribs–

To make him dance…

Flesh and bone inside

A man, is stubborn–

It’s like a night lantern…

–needs adjusting.

#884 10/1/2005

Note by Rosa: Dennis is kind of on a Macabre roll I think with some of his new poetry, and somehow it has some real deep meanings for the advid poetry reader I do believe. He just recently had a review of his book: “The Macabre Poems…” by Benjamin Szumskyj (if you care to read it): http://calenture.fcpages.com/

“Wouldn’t you just know it?!

You go to earth for a little adventure, some fun and games, some learning and growing, and the next thing you know, you’re trapped in a sea of illusions, trying to figure everything out with a little human brain, sweating the details, and desperately seeking approval and appreciation.

Sounds like reality TV, except you can’t vote anyone off.

Here’s what you do: You just remember how things really work.

You remember that the thoughts you choose to focus on, from this day forward, will become the things, events, and people of the rest of your life… no matter where you’ve been, no matter what anyone else says, and no matter how scary things may seem to be.

And, ACTION –

The Universe”

All your thoughts will eventually become things with appropriate action. When you choose to become someone special in your own way, you need to think of the characteristics traits you strive to get and start making the changes needed to reach that goal. You are in control of your own destiny and everything you do amounts to the actions you take to make things happen in your life. Some things may be scary and you will face challenges and many obstacles but you will be the one deciding the outcomes. You decide your path and no matter what happens, as long as you are ready to assume responsibilities for your actions, you will grow as a better person throughout your journey in life. Never point fingers to him or her or anybody else because of what happened to you or because of not reaching your goals. Cowards do that and that is not you. Work on yourself and be persistent. When you start something, do not quit. Go all the way until the end and go above that as well. There is never an end to anything, as life is a cycle, just like our spiral galaxies navigating through our vast universe. You are the gravitational force in the middle of your own galaxy and you dictate the speed and angle of turn. You have that control so you make the decisions.

It can be scary, I know that but if you prepare yourself the right way, fear shouldn’t be a part of the equation. When you get yourself ready by studying a math test, and you learn thoroughly the material given in class, there is no reason why you should fear failing? You look forward to it because you know you are very well prepared and ready to tackle whatever math problems the teacher presents to you in the exam. Everything else in your life should be approached the same way. When you are confronted with a problem, take the time to sit down and analyze the issues, do not rush, study what is in front of you and once you selected the best solution, you need to take action and move forward with it. If the outcome is negative, do not despair. You may need to tweaks here and there to do damage control. Sometimes the first solution is not always the best one. No one can really predict the best outcome based on the solution taken. As long as you take responsibility for your actions, you are taking a step forward to becoming a better person.