evolve -By Ani DiFranco


i walk in stride with people
much taller than me
and partly it's the boots but
mostly it's my chi
and i'm becoming transfixed
with nature and my part in it
which i believe just signifies
i'm finally waking up

and there's this moth outside my kitchen door
she's bonkers for that bare bulb
flying round in circles
bashing in her exoskull
and out in the woods she navigates fine by the moon
but get her around a light bulb and she's doomed

she is trying to evolve
she's just trying to evolve

now let's get talking reefer madness
like some arrogant government can't
by any stretch of the imagination
outlaw a plant!
yes, their supposed authority over nature
is a dream
c'mon people
we've got to come clean

cuz they are locking our sons
and our daughters in cages
they are taking by the thousands
our lives from under us
it's a crash course in religious fundamentals
now let's all go to war
get some bang for our buck

i am trying to evolve
i'm just trying to evolve

gunnin for high score in the land of dreams
morbid bluish-white consumers ogling luminous screens
on the trail of forgetting
cruising without a care
the jet set won't abide by that pesky jet lag
and our lives boil down to an hour or two
when someone pulls a camera out of a bag

and i am trying to evolve
i'm just trying to evolve

so i walk like i'm on a mission
cuz that's the way i groove
i got more and more to do
i got less and less to prove
it took me too long to realize
that i don't take good pictures
cuz i have the kind of beauty
that moves


posted by 123454321 at 3:24 PM

Hades' Fire -By John Carter

Old warriors rattle rusty sabres
Old women retire to their chambers
While young men live in a ball of fire
And young women cry for their hearts desires
But who are young shall soon be old
And then shall have their story told
Of men and women who dared to dream
Yet did nothing, and are now astream
In a river of lost hope and desire
The River Styx, in Hades' fire.

posted by 123454321 at 11:44 AM

Fallen Horses

A long summer's day
Stretchin' out the cold
Searching for the answers
And some say I'm not alone

Could you tell me
Where I might find
Fallen horses
Their spirits, they fly

Blinded by the whiteness
Staring at the sun
I'm wishing that I had wings
So that I could become one

Would you help me
If I wanted to die?
I could ride off
On fallen horses tonight

Now that I've arrived here
I know I'm not alone
All my friends around me
Tell me, "Welcome home"

But could you tell me
Where I might find
The one I'm looking for
Her Wings have arrived
posted by 123454321 at 11:43 AM

Quicksand -By Lit

When I bring it up
You shut me out
So I keep on writing letters to myself
Are you doing alright
Are you burning out
Are you happy with the way it turned out
Running out of you
Running out of you
And I know you'll be running out of me
Are you holding up
Are you caving in
Are you happy with the way things have been
Running out of you
Running out of you
And I know you'll be running out of me
When it starts sinking in
Like quicksand
I can't stand
Watching the best of me
Go down with
The worst of you
Are you doing alright
Are you burning out
Are you happy with the way things turned out
Running out of you
Running out of you
And I know you'll be running out of me
posted by 123454321 at 11:41 AM

Surgeon Generals Warning: Smoking is bad for you. You always known that, just like everybody else. So if you do it for 20 or 30 years, don't come crying to the courts if it makes you sick. How stupid are you anyways?

posted by 123454321 at 5:51 PM

I believe I think too much. I believe I'm literally drowning in a thick swamp of thoughts. No, swamp's not right. It's more like being in the middle of a swarm of bees, all of them flying insanely about, occasionally stinging for no apparent reason. Yup, bees, definitely -- thoughts are bees. In fact, I believe my entire understanding of the world is based on my thoughts, which are generated by my emotions, which are generated by ... well, I guess my reaction to stuff that happens. Anyway, I understand the world through the filter of my thoughts and emotions. If this is pretty much how you understand the world, it brings up an interesting concept. Probably since we were infants, none of us have directly perceived this world we live in. What does it mean to directly perceive something? Well, I suppose it would mean to be totally with that thing, as opposed to observing and thinking about it. It's a duality issue. Here's me, here's you. here's me, here's the sofa. Ya dig where this is going? We live on a planet dominated by a race of beings whose only connection to reality is constantly buzzing, mental bees. We're all walking through life in a dream state that is, at best, a funhouse mirror-image of what's really out there. It makes you think, doesn't it? Ouch! Dammit!

posted by 123454321 at 5:35 PM

Dave still had vivid memories of when his mind was a quiet, useful ally -- a handy-dandy accessory that would discreetly remind him not to stick his little Dave fingers into light sockets. But that was long ago. Dave's mind was now in full revolt. One moment it would be idling nicely, waiting to notice, judge, critique or consider -- then, without warning, like a spider monkey on methamphetamines, it would start thinking ugly, angry, snarling monstrosities. Dave didn't know what to do. It was the only mind he had. And then he realized, it was out of his control because it was never his mind. It was just some scanning mechanism generated by billions of years of evolution, genetics, and conditioning. That made Dave feel better. At least until #*&^ #&$^ ^# mEeP ^%$^&!#^grrrrr %^%_+ +*&^) &% MWHA-HA-HA!&&*( &^ *&*&78=07 WHOOO-gaa !$^& )argeep++tynoop! &*

posted by 123454321 at 6:51 PM

Surrender is a powerful word. It runs directly counter to everything Dave was taught. Dave was taught to fight for dominance -- to struggle to be the best. And after years of doing just that, Dave finally arrived at the mountaintop, the pinnacle, the hallowed place where eagles crap. But Dave was still unhappy, because no matter how hard he fought, winning was an illusion -- a mirage. But then, Dave thought, what would happen if I just gave up? This universe isn't meant to be dominated. It's an incomprehensible vastness which created us and to which we'll all return. So Dave surrendered and discovered a happiness he never dreamed of. A sea of bliss in which he willingly drowned. But then, he met this guy who was even happier and more blissful. You can guess the rest.

posted by 123454321 at 6:50 PM