563. Human Experience

I’ve experienced the infinite gloom of the soul,

Devoid of hope.

A bottomless hole.

I’ve experienced the ageless cruelties of man,

These would-be gods,…

Seeking praise since time began.

I’ve experienced the horrors of where no one dares to go.

Where no one understands,

And no one will ever know.

I’ve experienced the suffering of more than one human’s plight.

I’ve split apart so many times,

That nothing ever feels right.

Yet, I’ve experienced love and joy, and inexpressible beauty,

So I wonder if in the end I’ll feel it was worth it…

To have been part of humanity.

K. Aldaya, 9/15/21

Picture: By Joshua Earle on Unsplash; https://unsplash.com/photos/wyaMgb1ToUI

562. How Many Will Be Here Tomorrow?

As the world decays beneath us,

I wonder sorrowfully,

How many will be here tomorrow?

And will one of them be me?

The ground has opened wide,

Threatening to swallow us all,

As devil’s in humans’ clothes,

Neighborly push, to help us fall.

I have not prayed for many years,

And it may just be absurd,

But I find myself wanting to,

Even if it won’t be heard.

I fear that the demons are real,

And all the good angels have gone.

Now all we have is one another,

And little ground to stand upon.

For I am but a mortal child,

Yet, I wonder anyway,

How many will be here tomorrow?

…I better write this today.

K. Aldaya, 9/13/21

Picture 1: By Fakurian Design on Unsplash; https://unsplash.com/photos/1r0TPtmhEZA

Picture 2: By National Cancer Institute on Unsplash; https://unsplash.com/photos/701-FJcjLAQ

Picture 3: From ABC News: Michael Franchi; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-09/mining-camp-designers-plan-covid-19-quarantine-hub-in-wa/100119364

Picture 4: From CNN (VCG via Getty Images); https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/covid-china-quarantine-camp-hebei-b1790210.html

Picture 5: Posted by Jim Davidson on Twitter; https://twitter.com/planetaryjim/status/1298645415831777280

561. Estranged

I crossed mountains,

To warn of evil,

And you did not even care;

Then made friends with the devil,

And cast me out.

I crossed oceans,

To deliver you,…

To protect you, and to care;

Then you left and never knew,

I was drowning.

I crossed deserts,

To be by your side,

And quench your soul with hope;

And you rolled on as the tide,…

And left me there.

I crossed highways,

To run away to….

Nowhere in particular.

Desperately,…ran from you,…

And you let me.

K. Aldaya, 9/5/21

Picture: By Simon Berger on Unsplash; https://unsplash.com/photos/ET6NrIKz7Ak

560. Untouchable

I place my hands in front of you,

Though you do not see,

And I ask myself,

“Why do I do this to me?”.

I try and cry for sight,

In a world of the blind,

And expect to be seen,…

Out of sight,…out of mind.

I place my hands in front of you,

And you do not even know.

I wished for years to be like you,…

Now I’m just going to go.

K. Aldaya, 8/29/21

Picture: From The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; https://weheartit.com/entry/328118982

559. Two By Two

Two by two, with hands of blue,

The Covid Nazis are after you.

They will not stop. They do not care.

They monitor you everywhere.

They tell you what to think and do.

They harm, and say it’s all for you.

They want us all to stay inside,

‘Til prison’s where’er we reside.

They want you to be so confused,

You can not see you’re being used.

Two by two, with hands of blue,

The Covid Nazis are after you.

So, stay inside. Sleep away,

Until you wake again someday,

To find you can not recognize,

Any truth in all the lies;

And find it is too late to stop,

The corruption from the very top.

What will you do when two by two,

They turn and then come after you?

It will be too late for you to say,

“I wish I hadn’t given it away,…

My freedoms and my personal choice,

For now I do not have a voice.

And now when they come two by two,

And grab me with their hands of blue,

I’ll be one of those people too,

Who cry, “Dear God, what should I do?

Why did I hand my humanity away?

Now I’m a slave, and merely prey!””

One day they will come after you.

Believe me, for they always do.

Do not make men lords of you,

Or they’ll come with their hands of blue…

Two by two by two by two,…

By two by two by two.

K. Aldaya, 8/16/21

GIF #1: From Firefly (TV Series); https://tenor.com/view/river-tam-hands-of-blue-firefly-serenity-summer-gif-11224084

GIF #2: From Firefly (TV Series); https://outintheblack.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/wedding-planners-interlude-one/

Picture: By Mika Baumeister on Unsplash; https://unsplash.com/photos/8Qi6Yn6qDyA