I've Never Said I Was a Hero

Many times on my blog, including the future, I’ve written about the villains in my life.  I’ve had many, many people do me wrong over the years, or simply be evil people.  Every time I think I see one that is the winner, someone else shows up to take the cake.  From the drugged up woman whom I used to live next to that berated her children in public, to the mother-in-law, to my own dad, I’ve seen a ton of people do truly bullshit things to people or even to me.

But I’m here to say that I’m not immune to the evils.  In fact, I’ve never claimed to be a hero, I’ve been a villain in many a person’s story.  How could I be human and not be?  But in the end, I have to live the best life I can, and sometimes that means stepping on toes.

Language Fails Me

Words are slippery things in the English language.  I have a friend who was in the Navy being a linguist.  Since he had a better understanding of languages, he always said, “English is the best language in the world.”  Personally, I disagree.

I disagree on many points.  The fact is, I cannot say many things without some string of adjectives in front of it to define what the heck it is I’m trying to say.  I think that’s pretty dumb.  I can’t tell someone I love them as a friend, without tacking on a bunch of stuff, because if I don’t tack on that crap, then suddenly I’m in love and my entire marriage is in jeopardy.

A Crossed Line of Racism

It’s truly hard to make it through the day without offending someone in today’s society.  I mean…seriously, just look at how the internet is these days.  People just launch into other people, trolling every aspect of online life.  A few months ago, I posted a sarcastic comment on a Facebook discussion, hoping to get a chuckle.  The owner of the thread exploded, hardcore, with a rant a couple of paragraphs long about childishness and civility.

They are one to talk, though….  Over the past year or so, I’ve started noticing a frightening trend, and I hate to say it made me realize something about myself.  Let’s start there, actually, on the inside.

Things that have to happen for me to Enjoy a Book

Everyone that knows me, knows that I’m a picky reader.  Its ingrained in me and nothing will ever change it.  I don’t enjoy wasting my time and I’ve left quite a few theaters because I refused to sit through a movie that was bad.

But movies are one thing, books are another.  Books require a commitment, in fact, any reading does.  It takes your full attention and concentration.  Good ones just yank those from you and push out the world all by themselves.  The fact is, good books are rare, and some of the ‘best’ books in history fall short of me wanting to spend any time on them at all.

(poem) - The Liars' Games

I’m shocked at the lies
Some people tell
I truly hope there is
A inferno like hell

There shall be no forgiveness
From my lips at all
For those people lied
They actually had the gall

Trust is the foundation
Upon which all relationships are built
They burned that bridge
Showing absolutely no guilt.

I want to scream
I want to kill
I want to do anything
But allow them to do what they will

Lying will be the downfall
Of the entire human race
Not greed, nor hate
Nor lust for power’s sweet grace

We cannot succeed
Without the trust of each other
Yet deceit commonly
Makes an enemy of one’s brother

People wonder why
I run and hide
Away from the outside world
Way deep inside

I look at them
Incredulously
Do they miss
All the dishonesty?

Its everywhere
Its all around
Its in the face of everyone
Who’s sent a pet to the pound

A great man
Once had a dream
Of a world without
The lie of racism

Yet it persists to this day
Because lies are believed
Which makes me fall to my knees
And grieve like a bereaved

The lies must stop
For the sake of us all
Else we will all end up
Under a draped pall

With no one to bear us hence
For the future will die in flames
It will burn behind the fence
We built to ignore all the liars' games

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Patronizing Praise

I truly hate being around those type of people that praise you with patronization.  There’s a way to tell someone you appreciate them without downing everything in life that’s come before.  Ever been around those types of people?

Some of my old bosses were especially bad.  They wouldn’t think much of me, with my long hair.  When I proved them wrong, they’d give me praise, but they’d make sure that they knocked me down first.  It was almost as if they honestly didn’t think my life was much of an accomplishment.

Why I Hate Fishing

Fishing.  No other word dregs of the type of hatred that word does.  It’s the most boring, mundane exercise that I’ve ever participated in.  I would honestly rather be taped down to a chair, staring directly at a wall, starving, with an itch I can’t reach for hours than spend any time fishing.

Which sucks, because Lisa apparently loves to fish....  Yay!

Recently, we had a friend come up to visit, who loves to fish as well.  And with multiple poles laying around, guess who got to go man one?  Me!  Yay!

(poem) - Being an Individual

Diversity is what makes
The human race so great
So why is it when someone’s different
All they get is hate?

I just do not understand
Why it seems to be everyone’s plan
To simply be sheep
In this herd of Man

Someone does
Some really cool to their hair
And the preppies pick on them
Without a single care.

I’ve spent my entire adult life
Marching to the beat of my own drum
And I promise you this
I’ll never conform

My differences make me unique
I’m the black sheep of the bunch
Standing over six feet tall
I have broad shoulders, and never hunch

Yet my hair flows down my back
A beautiful mane
Its part of who I am
Its dictated by my genes

Yet I’m ridiculed for it
Have such lovely locks
I get more flack for my hair
Than a guy with leprosy and pox.

In the end
I know the truth
They are jealous of my uniqueness
That’s why they are so uncouth

I stand up tall and proud
And show the world who I really am
I’m not a sheep at all
Definitely not as meek as a lamb

I’ve had many heroes
Through my long life
And now one truly is
The daughter of my wife

Fuck all the people
That give her flack
She’s her own person
And she’s never going back

To the drab misery
That is being part of the herd
All those people are good for
Is looking like the girl in ‘ermahgerd’

I’ll not be part
Of any crowd
That spreads any form of hate
All over town

The best part about it all
Is that the ‘normal’ person in class
Will end up working 9 to 5
Kissing their boss’ ass

While us unique few
Will make the art
That the ‘normals’ entertain themselves with
And only wish they could take part.

So look down your nose
All you want
I’ll smile right back
Because I have individuality to flaunt.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

The Divided States of America

I’ll be honest with you, I’m tired of being so depressed about being a citizen of the USA.  The things I see people do in this country, on a day to day basis...lets just say I completely out of tears of shame.

The HATE that is spread by people who think they are so much better is amazing.  And the sad part is, most who read this will think I’m talking about someone else.  No, I’m talking about the average citizen.

The Water Heater Conundrum

I hate our water heater.  With a burning passion.  There are very few people I hate worse than this contraptions design.  I’ve never had a water heater need so much upkeep.  Hell, I’ve never seen any appliance in an entire house need so much upkeep....

Such is the price of home ownership though.  When things go wrong, you have to fix them, replace them, or pay someone way too much to deal with it.  Fact is, we’ve had several people look at the thing, and only one person understood the problem, but his ‘fix’ was a workaround that is a bit crazy.

(poem) - Some Bosses Have it Coming

Bad bosses, bad bosses
They are all around us
Those that take their power
To throw us under a bus

I’ve dealt with them
All my life
They are good for nothing
Except way too much strife


But how do you get them back
When you’ve finally had enough?
Do you lash out and quite
As soon as it gets rough?

Say the day before your scheduled
Would that be okay?
To walk up to the boss
And tell them to have a nice day?

Or maybe you shouldn’t
Even show up at all
They’ll call to yell
And you can tell them where to crawl


Or are you the ‘better person’
And allow them to win
By turning in your two week’s notice
Showing up until your days end?

The fact is, many bosses have it coming
They allow their power to go to their heads
And treat their workers
As if they were brain dead.

Why do people get that way?
How do they fall so far?
Or are assholes predisposed
To climbing the corporate ladder?

All I know for sure
Is that I’m sick to death
Of all these douche bags
Being allowed to take another breath

So if you are in a position
To screw your boss over
I say go for it
Its not like they’d give you a good reference ever

Don’t let anyone take your happiness away
Especially not for a paycheck
Money might be hard to come by
But if your on the way out anyway...what the heck?

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

The Hating of Dreamers

Why is dreaming of a better world such a bad thing?  Why is it taken as a bad thing?  I’ve never understood why people just don’t want to put aside their differences and put together a world where we can all work together....

Yeah, I’m a dreamer, I fully admit it.  How can I not be?  I’ve watched this world tear itself a part, day after day, minute after minute for over three and a half decades.  There is no end to the pain and suffering, and there is no end to the coverage of it.  This is the stuff that drives ratings?  This is the stuff people want to see?

(poem) Sanity in an Evil World

Even as I dream,
I wake up crying
Knowing that the world,
Is outside dying.

Someone is out there
Being lied to by a dove
Someone else is getting hit
by someone they love

This world is an evil
Masochistic place
Where evil parades around
With a sadistic face

I long to scream
And make it better
Yet noone raises a hand
Or writes a letter

I can’t believe
How scary life truly is
When it all seems to fly by
Without much flavor or fizz.

How can I stand up tall
And enjoy all of this life
When everyone else
Seems to struggle with the strife?

The answer is simple
Yet completely sad
My life is my own
And not to make you mad

But what others do
Does not concern me a bit
For everyone else in the world
Seems to be throwing a fit

I’ll lie in my hammock
And sway in the breeze
While reading my Kindle
Enjoying a book about zombies

And all you silly people
Can keep on fighting for your fictions
While I enjoy my own life
Oh, did I mention?

That I’m in love
With my wonderful wife
And completely enjoying
This crazy life

Maybe you should stop
Flaming out in the night
Embrace your neighbor
And help them with their plight

For humanity is doomed
By humanity’s own hand
For we strive and struggle
To battle over simple land

All you do is
You fight and kill
And you want me to believe
Its not just for the thrill?

None of your Saviors
Would be proud of the way
You wake up in the morning
And do nothing but plot and slay

God gave us this life
To completely enjoy
But you waste it away
To shamefully destroy.

So just stay away
From my life and lease
Because you’ll find nothing here
But wonderful peace.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Racism Is For the Ignorant

Hate has been around for a very long time.  It seems that since humanity has began, people have hated one another for whatever reason they can.  One thing about society growing, is the fact that most of these lines are starting to blur or disappear.

Admittedly, I will always be able to stand by my friend David, and we’ll be able to be told apart by the different colors of our skin.  The fact is, we both know it.  We both know that not only is there a pigmentation difference, society sees us in different ways.  He joking laughs how he’s the only black man he’s ever known that hasn’t been in the back of a police car.  Its just a sad fact of being alive today, no matter how good the joke is

Foreshadowings of the End

I personally think its cute how people start talking all these plans when the subject of the government failing comes up.  Everyone has their own scenarios, most go the way of the new show Revolution, which is turning out to be a fine show I might add....

So many rumors persist about all sorts of militia movements, and uprisings if a certain president gets elected.  I know if any of it happens, I wouldn’t even want to be in this region of the world, because so many people are going to be warring against one another....  The depth of hatred would boil over, and civility would die along with civilization....

The Only Thing Bigger in Texas is....

There are many stigmas people collect over the years, as they age and they add things to their personality or person.  Tattoos have become more accepted, but some of the locations on the body are quite stigma still.  Visible tattoos will keep you from getting some jobs, while certain locations brands you as slutty or a punk....

I’ve seen the stigmas affect the old, as people start thinking you are senile, and I’ve seen the stigmas that affect the young, how they won’t be heard, no matter how good their ideas are.  I still remember having to fight major stigmas when I was young, and it never mattered when I was proven right, I was still a kid and just got lucky....

Addressing my current state.

I’m tired of spreading hate, and tired of having hate spread.  Its truly a shame when it hits so close to home, in a more than literal sense there.  I mean, I have such happiness in my life, but then as I’ve always know, when people see something that’s truly beautiful, they try to destroy it.

I’ve seen it happen time and time again, to so many people.  Everything is going great, and people just start picking.  There’s been songs about it, there’s been songs about the condition of people just having to cause drama to keep themselves occupied.  I’ll never fully understand it.

(poem) The people who Hate.

There is always one
Who will hate you
One who will throw your happiness
Into a busy avenue

I know these people
I know them well
When they speak
I can hear the bells of hell




They ring loudly
In my mind
Thoughts of murder
Rage making me blind

But then I smile
Into their face
And do their job better
At a quicker pace.

I wonder why
They are so intimidated
By one such as me
I’m always so timid

Yet this is what they do
They pick out your superiority
Even if its not flaunted
And plan its atrophy