Unbeknown to his doctors
and his family
Brian was deeply aware
his blank stare
a mask
he wore everywhere
inside
he could hear and see
reality
confidentially
-30-
Riff: Deeply Aware
Category: reality
On Alternate Realities
There are alternate realities despite what some may say
There’s more mystery than just the passing of each day
seers, wizards, prophets, fortune-tellers, are visionaries
who explore hidden realms with their own itineraries
using portals as entries
portals can be found in mirrors
forests and mountains
their everywhere
secrets to dimensions to nowhere
or in your nightmares
and your fantastical dreams
nothing is as it seems
-30-
1970 Diary
helicopters in the sky playing “That’ll be the day I die…”
1970
“Let it be” – words of wisdom from The Beatles that spoke to me
I lusted for an “American Woman”
Crossed the Song Bay Bridge under fire listening to
“Bridge over Troubled Waters”
wishing young men back home
would “Walk a Mile in My Shoes”
and know about a grunt’s blues
too many villages on fire
“Somethings Burning” by a ghostly choir
Smoky Saigon opium dens wistfully playing
“House of the Rising Sun”
1970
long range patrols in the night
“Travelin’ Band” playing in the USA
going into hostile territory every day
wondering what’s “Up around the Bend”
living in a hot humid climate
“In the Summertime” that seemed like it would never end
Taking “The Long and Winding Road,” in country
dreaming of “Lookin Out My Back Door” at home
trying not to “Spill the Wine” because I’ve seen
“Fire and Rain” and will never be the same again
***
Evacuating Your Home: What It Feels Like
The cities of Phoenix and Talent, next to Medford, have been burnt to the ground in the historic wildfires that raced through the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon.
When wildfires threatened my home, and my family, we had to flee from our southern Oregon community of Medford. At the same time a new reality dawned upon us; climate change was coming faster than anyone predicted.
It wasn’t that my wife and I didn’t believe in climate change. We just naively thought it was something our grandchildren had to face. The fact that the entire West Coast of America is now on fire has cast cold water on that theory.
There’s more signs across the planet that point to climate change, but we’re dealing with the worst air quality on the planet here in Medford, Oregon, and it’s got my undivided attention.
How we got here is no longer important. The dystopian future of famous fiction writers is reality. I look at the bruised orange sky from my backyard during the day and wonder if I’ll ever see blue skies again.
When my wife and I had to flee our home last week after a Level 3 warning of impending wildfires, it was a first in our forty-six years of marriage. As we raced to an evacuation center at the Jackson County Expo grounds, the fire followed us north in a shower of flaming sparks until we arrived safely at the designated sanctuary near Central Point.
We arrived with our five animals – three cats and two dogs – packed into our Nissan King cab pickup truck alongside family photo boxes, important papers, and food and water for us and the animals, and parked alongside 500 other vehicles containing refugees like ourselves. Most of us stayed in our vehicles because of the fear of COVID-19 inside the Red Cross refugee center.
My wife and I sat up all night. We couldn’t sleep. The thought that our house was burning, like hundreds of others, was a nightmare. When we found out that it was safe to come home we were relieved to find that our our house, and neighborhood, still stood.
I wish that I could properly recount my feelings. All I can say is that it’s a surreal feeling not knowing what happened to your home. You go for a ride on a roller coaster of fears that leave you weak and exhausted… until you find out that everything you owned was not destroyed by the fires engulfing the state you live in.
****
Tidbits of Truth
there is only one truth
in reality
there’s no guarantee
on what you hear or read
is not a partisan screed
facts are often muddied
with lies
that galvanize
people’s bias
until
tidbits of truth
break through
people must make do
with the tried and true
**
Apocalypse Road
Everything was reduced to a survival mode
when mankind walked down Apocalypse Road
the journey was slow but sure
after each world war
until there were no more
and civilization broke down
in every city and town
leaving few humans around
and those that did survive
fought every day to stay alive
until the Apocalypse finally did arrive
no surprise
but
there’s still stars in the sky
and planets and meteorites
that still exist in forever nights
solar systems and galaxies
planets with water and trees
and life evolving mysteries
Strange Days
have you ever had a day when everything seems strange?
like normal routines interrupted with a sudden change?
days when nothing seems right?
days darker than night?
days when you wonder what you’re doing?
days when you feel like people are pursuing?
days when you find nothing going your way?
days when you just don’t get to have your say?
days that seemed like some sort of odd dream?
days when to your horror nothing was as it seems?
then you’re just agreeing
that you’re a human being!
A Deadly Sense of Grace
slithering sideways across the desert sand
the scaly predator rules the land
it’s deadly fangs and sharp eyes
are assurance that it’s victim dies
the snake moves swiftly
and surely
looking for spore
on the desert floor
a sleek desert dancer
with a sense of grace
and place
Stupid Things
You see it all the time
people doing stupid things
like making batches of slime
there’s no end in sight
of people
who aren’t too bright
we live with them every day
shaking our heads in wonder
at their disarray
they’re at home and on the street
doing dumb things
and being indiscreet
it’s not about being bad
we all do dumb things
like following a stupid fad
it’s about the realization
that stupid things happen
in any kind of situation
Dance of the Hypocrites
they go through each day
doing the “Hully Gully”
in their hypocritical way
they do the “Twist” with facts
holding reality at bay
hypocrites always dance
to the opposite side of sense
doing the “Hokey Pokey”
and a “Tango” on a fence
they go “Gangnam Style“
when caught redhanded
they do the “Moonwalk”
down denier’s aisle
you can easily see
a hypocrite
doing the “Monkey“
A “Macarena” line forms
when hypocrites gather
defying norms
They do the “Shimmy”
and the “Shake”
whatever it’ll take
to hide what’s true
recognizing the dances
that they do
is a good warning
for you
The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff 