Last Commented Prose Poems (415)

The dualist traditions posit a heaven and hell, but their own sacred texts insinuate that these are states within a person, and not spatially located 'out there'.

No one has ever really been 'out there' anyway; our accumulated knowledge about it comes from information collected by our senses. That information is then processed, or 'understood', in a certain way which influences and largely determines everything we do in response. Because of this, our opinions about 'out there' have a very direct effect upon 'out there', so much so that one could say how much it thrives or malfunctions is CAUSED by what all of us CHOOSE TO THINK.

This is a responsibility of unbearable proportions. Even as I write this, if I were to believe it 100%, my mind could not bear the implications. This, I think, ...is why I and we don't really want to know 'the truth'. Thus, the 'hell' of unredeemed, incompletely processed information that Creation supplies us with suffers, incapable of ever ascending to the redemption of a 'heaven' which is its birthright.

Aviva Zornberg suggested in a recent book of hers that the biblical tree 'of Good and Evil' could also be translated as something like 'of what is and is not preferred'. By preferring only some of the specific information that we each are uniquely competent to understand and 'elevate', but ignoring or hiding from what we would rather not have to deal with, I and we CAUSE the continued imbalance and damage of Creation.

This can be a bitter pill to swallow. Or I suppose it could be like milk and honey? It may very well be that I even have a choice about whether the unpleasant can actually 'taste' pleasant. It may be that my opinions really matter, whether I like it or not

"The Masked Avenger"

Lamont and his men seemed badly outnumbered as the soldiers

burst through the barricades, shooting and killing indiscriminately.

Norrington realising the situation is desperate and decides to leave

the battle zone so he could once again become the Black Dove.

By now Garcia's men had captured the remaining survivors and

marshal them to a temporary enclosure until they can arrange

to move them back to Mexico for trial. In the dead of night the

Black Dove attempts to rescue the men from the enclosure. There

are three guards present making it impossible for the Dove to

rescue them, so the Dove sneaks past the guards and into Garcia's

tent. Sword in hand, He now forces Garcia to sign a declaration of a

new bill to be passed by the Mexican government, stating that

Monterey is to be withdrawn from Mexico now under the control

of the North America government, meaning the Mexicans have no

rights to the farmers' and landowners' wealth. The Dove now has

this declaration stipulating the Mexicans are now on foreign soil

and will be imprisoned if they do not leave. Garcia and the

Black Dove step out of the tent to give the order for his men to

free the prisoners and remove themselves from their lands.

Lamont and the prisoners cheer as the Black Dove finally has the

whip hand over the Mexicans. Lamont asks the Dove to reveal his

identity, who responds by saying he stands for justice and his identity

must remain a secret, and rides off into the distance. Making a Circle

and riding back he becomes John Norrington again and rejoins Bill Jenkins

on the journey back home. Boarding a coach they travel to Monterey

harbour, where they board the ship 'Columbia' making it's maiden

voyage, it's destination being England. The ship leaves the pier and is

finally at sea. The weather is cold and the sea is calm as the 'Columbia'

goes out to sea. Norrington and Jenkins fall asleep in their cabin at last

after there exhausting ordeal. Up on the deck the captain senses something

is wrong with the ship. As the weather picks up to a squall the ship gains

amazing speed and then a strange mist engulfs her. By this time the

ship is travelling at an amazing speed of 2000 knots, and then she slows

down to almost dead stop. Once again they are in a harbour, but where are

they? It is daylight again, it only having been night just for an hour before they left.

Where are they now ?

What alien force controlled the ship?

Make the discovery in Part 9...."Voyage To Where"

"The Voyage To Where ?"


The weather is cold and the sea calm as the 'Columbia' goes out to sea.

Norrington and Jenkins finally fall asleep in their cabin while on deck

the captain fears something wrong with the ship, the weather picks up

to a squall as the 'Columbia' gains tremendous speed and a strange

mist engulfs the ship. She is travelling an amazing 2000knots and

then suddenly slows down. They are in a harbour once again, but

where are they ? It is now daylight, it having being night just an hour

before going to sea. The jolt from sudden stopping awaken Norrington

and Jenkins and they head up on deck. From the captain, Norrington

finds out the ship has travelled to some unchartered land, he

orders for a boat to be lowered intending to go ashore on a

scouting mission and asks for volunteers, Norrington and Jenkins go

along with Captain Dennis Owens and his first officer Glenn Hill plus

two crewmen. As they approach Dover harbour (is Dover here an

unchartered land?) the passengers and crew behold a very unusual

sight: instead of sailing ships they notice ships of strange types moored

in the harbour, along with the 'Enterprise'- the sister ship of the

'Columbia' which must be brand new, but appears to be worn out and

ready for scrapping. What are these strange ships, what had happened

to their own ship ? The Captain decides he needed some answers

(The Captain wishes to find out) so they all decide to board one of the

strange vessels. When on board they go below deck and find a propulsion

system of strange design on the cellar deck. they are all amazed at what

they see. The captain discovers the bridge of the huge ship full of weird

levers and instrumentation. Owens notices a placard on the ship's wheel

mount on the 'Albatross' built at Newcastle in 1929, as well as a calendar

dated 1930,and it all starts to make sense: the weird mist had transported

them through a time portal from 1750 to the year 1930.....

Is the crew of the 'Columbia' marooned forever in this particular time period ?

Is there any way back to their own time?

Make the discovery (Find out) in Part 10...."The Unknown World"

Posted the first day of each month.

"The Unknown World "

After leaving Monterey by ship, the Columbia encounters a
strange storm accompanied by a heavy mist that creates a voyage through time to another place. The Captain discovers they are in Dover harbour but everything seems different, Norrington, Jenkins, Captain Owens, and first officer Hill investigate the huge ship named 'Albatross', which is moored in the port. The huge ship's bridge is full of weird levers and
instrumentation, Owens notices a placard on the ship's wheel stating ''The Albatross built at Newcastle in 1929", also a calendar dated 1930, and it all starts to make sense, including the weird mist that transported them through time from 1750 to the year 1930. Captain Owens realises that the freak storm may possibly return and if they were lucky enough it may take them back to their normal timeline. He suggests they should all return to the Columbia. They are about to leave when the watch crew comes back. They are heavily armed with rifles and a machine gun. The Captain of the Albatross tells them: "Halt! Hands up!" and their men search them for concealed weapons. They are later taken on deck. While the two captain's hold a discussion Owens tells Captain Ryder that they are here by accident not design as a strange wind brought them from 1750 to 1930. He could not understand why this happened but they seem now stranded here. The only chance of returning is to try to reconnect with the wind taking us back to our own time, and things will once again be normal. While they are talking they see in the distance that the storm is returning, and Ryder agrees to help them but they need to be quick, as the storm is approaching the Columbia very fast. Ryder tells his crew to release the men and start the ship's engines. Within a few minutes the Albatross reaches the Columbia. The storm is now upon them. As Captain Owens man's the ship's wheel, they set sail towards the storm whereas the Albatross flees the scene. Seconds later the Columbia is engulfed in fog. It is happening again, the speed becomes faster and faster, the ship begins to shake and buffet, and then starts to slow down again. Norrington and Jenkins look around to see if they are near some volcanic island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Captain Owens arranges a landing party to try to get some supplies, food and water and anything else they can find. They also take their guns for protection.

"The Unknown World" (Continued)

Flying above the ship are two large birds, but on a closer inspection they observe flying reptiles, Pterodactyls: it seems they have been transported to the prehistoric times. They decide to carry on moving towards the island. Owens, who is leading the men, realises they have to go in, get through and out as quick as possible through the rainforest with its strange vegetation and small animals. Moments later they notice a Stegosaurus eating foliage. Avoiding confrontation they walk around the trees only to encounter an Alosaurus- a flesh eater which notices them. Growling it starts to chase after the crew. They shoot their pistols at it. While running
Jenkins falls to the ground, Norrington turns and decoys the beast away from his friend, the other crew members help Jenkins escape the beast's clutches. Without being noticed Norrington is transformed into the Black Dove and is trying to lure the beast in his direction. The other men are now on board the ship, while the
Dove is playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Alosaurus. The Dove uses his super strength and speed to jump onto the monster's back and render it unconscious. The dinosaur slumps to the ground. Becoming John Norrington again he rejoins his friends. Captain Owens is successful in getting fresh water and some plants for their voyage home. The storm is approaching the Columbia giving them another chance to return home to England. Everyone is on board, knowing not where they will be going to next.
Will the Columbia's crew finally arrive in England?
Or will they end up in another time zone again?
The startling answer is in Part 11...."Destination Unknown"
Posted the beginning of next month (December)

"Destination Unknown"
John Norrington joins his friends. As the storm is approaching
the Columbia they attempt once again to return to their own time
and home in England.The mist engulfs the ship and the wind
becomes gusty, Captain Owens and his crew are ready for any
immediate manuever they may have to handle to keep the ship
on course. The ship slows then stops, things seem to appear
normal, there is Dover Harbour. The ship now heads in to port,
John Norrington and Bill Jenkins disembark from the ship and
travel by stage coach to Norrington manor where they are
greeted by their servants and staff.Hours later Bill Jenkins
goes on duty at the hotel pub, only to notice his adversary
Jack Wild standing at the bar, Jenkins slips out the back
door for a moment to tell John Norrington about Wild's
presence, Norrington could not understand that Wild is still
free undaunted by Jenkins being present. Only one conclusion
can be made, is that time travelling had brought them back to
an earlier timeline. He also realises if this is the case his
wife may still be alive,so he mounts Warrior his horse and
rides out to visit her two miles away in their summer residence.
He dismounts then goes inside. He notices her in her armchair,
they hug each other. Norrington knows now that the stage
coach tragedy is just hours away and the location where it
is to take place. He tries to tell his wife not to travel
by coach tonight and to go in the morning instead, but
she does not want to do so because she would not have
much time with her mother on her birthday, as she is
travelling to Somerset the next day, and her ship was
leaving very early. Norrington knows now he has to try
to stop the coach from crashing over the cliff. The coach
is now ready along with it's cargo of gold, the dignitaries
are prepared to leave and Norrington also boards the coach,
being part of the original passengers. The coach then leaves
on time. As it approaches the fateful bend the Wild's outlaws
attack. The coach pulls up and Wild has his gunmen hold the
passengers at gunpoint. Norrington must act quickly, so he
leaps at Wild and knocks him from his horse to the ground.
Norrington pulls out his gun as the outlaws fire at him
gunning him down. He is lying motionless.......
Has Norrington been killed ?
Will the Black Dove save the coach from destruction ?
Don't miss the exciting final conclusion in
Part 12 ...."Terminal Paradox"
Posted the 1st January 2014

What is a guillotine ? It is a device for cutting large quantities
of paper, in commercial use these machines supply reams of
packaged paper for use in offices around the world, they are
used for many similar uses in many different forms in countries
all around the world, but the guillotine had a far more sinister
use that goes back to the tenth century, it was used as an
execution device used by many forms of government the most
noted during the period of the 1790's in France. The event was
known as the French Revolution, were the people of France
were treated really cruel, and the guillotine was a cruel form
of injustice to anyone who would be caught conspiring against
the then French Government, the commoners in the end rose
up against the tyranny of the government and their evil dictators
were executed by their own creation of death, and shown no
mercy and by the end of the century was under a new ruler,
Napoleon Bonaparte, he was hailed as a hero of the time, but
was eventually exiled on an island named Elba. those times are
now gone but the guillotine still remains with us today though
it is used for far less violent operations, for simply cutting paper
in our offices and homes. Which proves even the most evil things
can be used for good with a little imagination.

Whenever I write you,
I get blue,
whenever you write me,
You get something free,
However they rant and rave,
it's always about what the fave',
Whatever they say or do it's always about being true,
But reality dictates today,
One MUST get their way,
Male or female it's their say,
Versus truth and personal disarray,
I'd have to think it's a lonely world gone astray.
Online madness,
offline secrecy,
NSA and Obama-nation mess,
Political savvy or interests made personal,
everyone is in for their own distress.
Don't lie to me and others if you're not sincere,
Just go get your highball wine or beer,
Drugs are the demise of humanity and society,
when will we ever learn of this contrived insanity?
When the world comes to an end what will you be,
oversexed and buzzed from all the being "free"!
Who are you and what shall we be...
no more lies cheating and devised excused away triviality.

Breaking Camp

Hell's terain was smoother than the soil when breaking camp.
The cauldron of a thousand meals lies empty.
A tent once risen to hold a world of laughter
now collapsed, shreaded from the tines of pain,
flaps in winter winds, cripling fingers scrawling
good-bys in the bitter snow.
The warmth of campfire is lost to memory
too far to be reached.
One dweller triped on seduction,
stumbling into pipe dreams.
The young one, with the sweet and smiliing face,
with eyes that watched the deer and squirrel run,
has become the ash of dying embers.
No love to feel.
No feel to love.
The remaining one walks round the camp
as though it were like it was.
Stakes stab heart instead of ground.
The only smoke, from dying embers.
And the cauldron's still empty lying sideways
frozen in the ground.

Twenty days since the pall bearers passed
twenty days she wore the hat.
It sat on her head lie a mushroom on stem.
And all who glimpsed could readily see
the hat was smaller than ought to be.
The man in the market hollered "ship ahoy",
remembering the smile of the little boy
wo saluted him daily in the grocery store.

Like theatre curtain raised with a tragedy
below her eyelids raised in a sad hello
like ancient parchment ready to crumble in unversed hands
her face, once warmed by the laughter of a child
Now shivered in pain, loosing what expression of life that remained'.
The hat so engored with the glutton of pain,
so weighed her head that her eyes did rain.
on the arrival of fdusk on the twenty first day
that time that seduces the darkness to stay
her heart, loosing rhythm shed layers of hurt,
And her spirit gave way to the hungers of earth.