Why do we sometimes stare
into the eyes of oncoming cars?
Is it merely for the thrill of it?
Or are we testing ourselves?
Do we pretend
as they do in stories and on TV
that the good hero darts away
just in time, to save himself
while the evil villain is crushed
beneath the vehicle, blood on his lips?
Do we wait in anticipation
until the last possible moment,
pulling back to understand
which role we play?
Testing Ourselves was originally published in Impspired Magazine, 2026 all rights reserved.
Some people think they’re talented
When clearly, they are not.
Yet maybe they are better off,
Believing that they’ve got
The kind of skills worth noticing,
Perhaps to lead to fame,
A place where everybody
Everywhere will know their name.
Yet others criticize themselves,
Believing that they lack
Whatever talents that might earn
A pat upon the back.
No matter what they try to do,
It seems to come out wrong,
So to those more accomplished types,
They never will belong.
The truth is often in between,
For how we are perceived
Is often quite the opposite
Of what we have believed.
Yet it might be impossible
To burrow deep inside
To change the way we see ourselves,
And most have never tried.
The time set aside in life for friends, it seems to me, comes to an end in much the same way for many people – at any rate, I have never read or heard of anyone expressing surprise at this, but I have read several disappointed confessions, and rather verbose ones at that (notably by Frisch). And what do I have in common with this person now, sounds a rhetorical question, and the answer is instantly provided by silence. But what is even funnier is that the time set aside for oneself also comes to an end in a similar way. We cease to take an interest in ourselves, rituals easily erode meaning, life signifies only itself, and not just in moments of peace, but always, every minute.
How we, as shop windows
Do present ourselves
You only, down any street
Need this but descry
Out each passer by:
Appreciably, what as gleams
For sweet fruit, a face.
Or less so (though not to some!)
A piece of chunky
Beef, alike juicy.
Love, it is like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall/tree,
or trying to catch a big yellow bee.
Love is like wearing your heart on your sleeves,
never knowing them or ourselves or thieves.
To really know ourselves we must start from the bottom and work our way up
we imprison ourselves for years
staying in jobs we no longer care to do
worse yet, some of us stay in jobs we never liked
we abide by rules we do not believe in
wanting to keep the peace
or keep these banal jobs
the most stringent prison guard we will ever have
is our self
Strange destiny: in the shadow of dreams, we lose and find ourselves again,
In the night sky, stars are tears that silently disperse,
I sing silence while others shout, in chaos I find my calm,
In this era, courage is a mask that hides the fear within us.
Strange destiny: when everyone has found answers, I seek the mystery,
With tears, I wash the ailing sphere of the world, hoping to heal it,
Pride and tumult are edelweiss flowers growing on ice-cold cliffs,
And now the poor flute plays a forgotten longing from fence wood.
Strange destiny: we are woven from straw and unshaped mud,
We lead our lives on this path, carrying the burden of the old world,
But maybe one day, through a miracle, we will rise,
And understand that the burden is the gift that bends us.
Strange destiny! But if, through an unforeseen twist of fate,
Even birth had not been allowed to us in this world?
Perhaps in our absence, another destiny would have been born,
A universe of dreams where death means rebirth.
The dawn breaks soft upon the world,
A hush before the dawn, begins to stir—
Change comes not outward, but from deep within,
A flame rekindled, small and sure.
We cannot sculpt the souls of those we meet,
Nor force their dreams to blossom or to fade,
But we can shine, and in that gentle light,
Show them the beauty courage made.
Praising the labor of another’s hands,
We find our own grow steadier, more kind;
To lift another soul ascend,
And leave no lesser self behind.
Dream vast, and help another dream come true,
For empathy transcends the mortal fragile frame—
It passes through the air like morning dew,
And leaves no heart entirely the same.
No flag, no party, can divide the stars;
The soul is brighter when it loves to see.
Love yourself, and watch the world respond—
A mirror not turned inwardly, reflecting unity.
So lead by being gentle, firm, and free,
For in your change, the world can see,
At fifty seven your doing fine.
The Apostle Paul speaks here earnestly
of the importance to be cleansed
from every defilement of sin
clearing the dirt through our spiritual lens
This cleansing comes in God's power
through his divine merciful grace
praying in and through His Holy Spirit
telling of His love in constant praise
Holiness is so important to God
as scripture tells He's triple holy
proclaiming His pure godly character
to be clothed in holiness solely
Let us live in the fear of God
making us complete in Christ's name
having a right reverential fear
pointing heavenwards our constant aim
Underline with priority these words
cleanse, defilement, holiness and fear
bring them to mind regular and often
hear God's spirit in your inner ear
('let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body[a] and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.')
2 Corinthians 7: 1 (ESV)
May we be blessed as we build the fire that lights our life….
to surround ourselves with people here about…
Who are there to fan the flames…
not put that fire out.
Spiritual visions are gifted not to just a select few
May the warm glow embrace us in calm sincere rapture
Allow not dogma guide us toward an elusive grand view
Or a truer and lusher emerald pasture
By grace, our inner sanctum ignites in a blaze
leaving all judgements behind to gather dust on the shelf
The experience serves to enlighten and amaze
It's best to keep our visions to ourselves
We Can Fix______
We can fix him
We can fix her
We can fix them
We can fix the car
We can fix the cat and dog
SO WHY CAN’T WE FIX OURSELVES?????
May we be blessed to love ourself…
and may that self-love like a bubble surround us…
because it’s easier once we love ourselves
to spread that love to everyone around us.
I think i'm Bukowski
because i drank three beers
He thinks he's Hemingway
because he fought a poodle
She thinks she's Nina Simone
after her third piano lesson
We all kinda suck, but that's alright, i hope
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