tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60964737229564328372024-03-12T17:01:18.236-07:00Crauhnice[T]here is a thinking among the amused that involves doing quite unexpected or strange things, in an attempt to spread amusement as well as other equally unexpected goodness...This is a principle which I like to refer to as the Crauhnice Principle. ‘Crauhnice’ simply being a word used to describe anything that is so strange, abnormal, insane—crazy, if you will—that it turns out to be nothing other than truly nice.
--From 'The Crauhnice Principle' by Joy OsympelminJaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-1211771838580455882020-03-20T08:30:00.000-07:002020-03-20T08:30:05.074-07:00Neil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XWJIbscXfNY/XnQ_FRHfMAI/AAAAAAAABC8/C7mv5ldH9kQPE9UQXeqhkLo7YpbKmkaTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/mushroom-2798150_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XWJIbscXfNY/XnQ_FRHfMAI/AAAAAAAABC8/C7mv5ldH9kQPE9UQXeqhkLo7YpbKmkaTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mushroom-2798150_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Return of Neal was met with great fanfare and celebration. An enormous parade through the streets of New York was held the next day. Several notable groups gave vociferous replies to the new coming of this alien from outer space—this bright light in these dark times—this creature newly resurrected from the dead.<br />
<br />
The scientific community was astonished. Through many superfluous words and phrases, they eloquently expressed their opinion. In short, they claimed that they “didn’t understand how this could happen.” This alien had clearly been dead, and now, with a brand new spaceship (though smaller than last time), he landed in a small field just west of Philadelphia and was now clearly not dead. Incredible, they said.<br />
<br />
The Church of Neal claimed it as their greatest day since the dawn of time. Not necessarily the greatest day since the dawn of time, but at least their greatest day. After all, they hadn’t been around for very long—just four years since Neal arrived the first time—and most of those days had been pretty crummy. But not this day. This day was great. Everyone could see that. So they established a mandatory holiday and drafted petitions to require its observation by every government of the world.<br />
<br />
The governments of the world were not amused. They did their own thing. They slapped a helmet on the space alien immediately.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the New Purists, those who completely rejected all teachings related to Neal, completely rejected the resurrection of Neal. Sure, there was an alien being paraded around like the latest hero, but clearly this was no more than an elaborate hoax. Either Neal had never died or this new Neal was a holographic projection intended to fool the masses. At least their guess was close to being correct, though in the end still very, very wrong.<br />
<br />
The ufologists, who also did not trust the government because of the events surrounding and following Neal’s first appearance—they accused the government of receiving Neal and the truth about him only at the tables of shady back rooms—mounted an assault to kidnap Neal and question him in their own secret facilities. The truth, after all, needed to be made public through trusted hands. Their attempted kidnap failed.<br />
<br />
Indeed, it wasn’t until the end of the parade when they had the alien sign a release waiver that they suddenly and embarrassingly realized that this wasn’t Neal the space alien at all. It was Neil the space alien. The spelling of his name on the document confirmed it. And now that they looked at Neil, it was quite clear that this wasn’t Neal at all. As one onlooker observed, this alien didn’t have a chronic dry skin problem.<br />
<br />
All those who had been vociferous about the Return of Neal retracted their statements and replaced them with new, louder statements. These statements were less interesting.<br />
<br />
At the end of the parade, the media whisked Neil into an enclosed chamber, already darkened for the impending interview. After the days of Neal, when they forgot to ask him for his proof concerning God’s existence, there had been a massive, worldwide poll taken to determine the top three questions they would have asked if they had gotten around to it. The questions were:<br />
<br />
1. Does God exist?<br />
2. How do you know this?<br />
3. Can you show us your proof?<br />
<br />
The media interviewed Neil and asked him these questions. Neil, not being Neal, responded in this way:<br />
<br />
1. Yes.<br />
2. I don’t know.<br />
3. I don’t know.<br />
<br />
This interview was televised worldwide. Subsequently, wars broke out all over the Earth. Josiah Swanson began work on his next bestseller, <i>-EA- is for Intelligence, -EI- is for Stupidity</i>. Those who circumcised themselves during Neal’s tenure fell into an even deeper depression. Neil slipped away to South America in the confusion. Now that’s irony, everyone concluded later.<br />
<br />
Fortunately for Neil, he was wearing his government-supplied protective headgear. After he discovered his liking for jungle mushrooms, he spent several days—or so the story became in the retellings to follow—stumbling around and losing all sense of reality.<br />
<br />
When the authorities finally located him, they proved that they had learned nothing from the days of Neal. In the ruckus of obtaining the poor alien, someone tackled him and knocked his head hard against a tree. Neil’s helmet saved his life, though his brain was quite concussed from the incident. Josiah Swanson felt vindicated. Children who enjoyed riding bikes decided not to bother going for a ride anymore—now overprotective mothers would certainly suck all the fun out of it.<br />
<br />
Concussed Neil was even less interesting than the normal non-Neal Neil. During recovery, he expressed to a nurse to whom he had grown attached all of the trials of his previous life on his home planet. He told how he had been a drug addict, a thief, and eventually a murderer. He told how he wanted to be better, that he was well-intentioned, but always his good attempts failed. As a result, he was sent away from his planet and landed on Earth, hoping to find a largely uninhabited planet upon which he could settle down and live out the rest of his miserable life in solitude. He wept sorrowful tears when he told his story (or so the nurse later claimed when she sold out to the nearest news outlet to relate the tale). Journalists went to surround Neil. Neil confirmed the story.<br />
<br />
Some people tried to muster sympathy for Neil. Hardly anyone succeeded and most people lost interest in a few weeks. At least until the release of the final version of Josiah Swanson’s book, <i>Neal the Missionary, Neil the Outcast</i>. The book sold well, but it received poor reviews because it was more about Neil than about Neal.<br />
<br />
Most everyone just lost interest and went home at night, locked their doors, and tried not to think about how the world was mostly oversized and generally too scary. Neal had been a light, but Neil had stamped that light out. Most people couldn’t have even told you about how Neil ended up living in and becoming a productive member of a small Swiss town in the Alps.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, a boy in Peru who had recently been cured of cancer had a most wonderful thought about how he could make the world a better place.<br />
<br />Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-83509407714433204222020-03-19T13:08:00.000-07:002020-03-19T20:53:55.903-07:00Neal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QY1rV4TpttM/XnPQyF-cLrI/AAAAAAAABCw/3sDvVArg3AY-mPg6XyO0d7M8cw-zAfLEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/alien-667966_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QY1rV4TpttM/XnPQyF-cLrI/AAAAAAAABCw/3sDvVArg3AY-mPg6XyO0d7M8cw-zAfLEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/alien-667966_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When Neal the alien from outer space first arrived on Earth, he astonished the world in his first appearance on television by announcing that yes, indeed, God exists in truth, and that he had proof. This caused quite a stir across the Earth for the ten days Neal remained with us.<br />
<br />
Immediately, those with a fervent awareness of the Creator's name tried their hardest to find out if this scaly alien was actually a false prophet. "After all," they pointed out, "if he really knew the Creator, he would also know his name." In reply, Neal pointed out that he was merely using the common vernacular of Earth to reference a 'mighty one' and that furthermore, due to his alien language and severe accent, they had undoubtedly misinterpreted what he had said. These people noted that he had spoken English. In response, Neal said, "Exactly."<br />
<br />
Upon being theologically satisfied, the more religious people of Earth carefully examined how they should best follow the new teachings of this stranger. In his announcement, they realized, he had used the word 'indeed' to describe God's existence. That is, in deed--and with hardly any need for faith--God could be found. So the men circumcised themselves, the women started wearing full head coverings and veils, and everyone went on their merry way. The apostle Paul churned in his grave.<br />
<br />
The conspiracy theorists and ufologists took a somewhat different approach to Neal, though it was found to be just as loud. They pointed out to the media that this alien and supposed do-gooder looked very much like a reptilian and therefore couldn’t be trusted. Every word he spoke was a lie, and that in the real truth, it was all an intergalactic conspiracy to overtake the world from the inside. To quell their concerns, Neal explained that his scaly reptilian appearance was simply due to dry skin and besides, he was obviously acting alone. The conspiracy theorists answered by saying, "Clearly his denial of the truth is enough evidence that the truth is true, so we must admit that the great deception has finally arrived." Neal made no comments about the irony of their statements, and so the media became bored with this new angle of the story.<br />
<br />
But just when things appeared as if they were about to calm down, the secular politicians of the world caused the biggest uproar. Regardless of any theological, philosophical or otherwise tricky statement this alien decided to make, he needed to be controlled, and so for two and a half days, World War III was fought for the rights of one nation to have sole authority to give this strange being over to the international community of scientists. Unfortunately, when the smoke and the fanatics cleared, it was discovered that no one actually knew where Neal had wandered off to during the battle.<br />
<br />
In no time at all, he was tracked to South America, where he was visiting a small Peruvian boy who was sick with cancer. The authorities quickly ran to apprehend Neal, and they were mostly successful in doing so. However, as they grabbed him from the sick boy's bedside, Neal reached out one last time to comfort the boy. As he reached out, he lost his balance, tripped over someone's boot toe, and fell backwards, hitting his head forcefully on a cinderblock in the corner. He was killed by the impact.<br />
<br />
Thus ended the ten-day period of Neal the space alien, which was later to be memorialized in the factual account written by Josiah Swanson, entitled, <i>Neal, If Only We Knew Him Better</i>, followed by the bestselling sequel, <i>The Importance of Protective Headgear</i>. And soon enough, things began to return to normal, with Neal's claims that God definitely exists becoming what seemed to be no more than—except for those who had been circumcised—a faint memory of a brief moment of clarity. A great candle, people said, had been held high in the darkness of the times. What beauty, what beauty! they cried.<br />
<br />
Sadly, no one ever got around to asking him about his proof.Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-82117827701382165602020-03-16T16:25:00.000-07:002020-03-17T10:05:33.770-07:00The Tale of King Frosch<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v6JEvsCf03c/XnAKsaK90-I/AAAAAAAABCk/JtcQL82zfhg19ngvETX7o4NxzPxJYYoFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/nature-3056347_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="1600" height="194" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v6JEvsCf03c/XnAKsaK90-I/AAAAAAAABCk/JtcQL82zfhg19ngvETX7o4NxzPxJYYoFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nature-3056347_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Once upon an imagination, in a place
some distance from here, and yet somehow near, past the great green field and
beyond the evergrow tulips, there lived a frog named King Frosch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">King Frosch was the leader of the
frogs in the pond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day he would
gather all the frogs together on the shore and demand that they bring him
food to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I’m hungry!” he would
scream, and the other frogs would rush to bring him food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This occurred multiple times daily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To find so much food, the frogs would
scour the surrounding forest and meadow, and when those supplies ran out they
would send one or two of their swiftest jumpers and head over to the human
market in town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, they could snatch
some food from the vendors when no one was looking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a dangerous job, but it sufficed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As a result of King Frosch’s
tyranny, the rest of the frogs were very glad for every winter when it became
time to hibernate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were all glad for some much needed rest
from all the hard work of pleasing King Frosch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One winter, in the middle of the
night while all of the frogs were hibernating, King Frosch suddenly bellowed
out, “I’m hungry!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody stirred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They hoped it was just a bad dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>King Frosch cried out again, “I’m
hungry!!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple frogs moved in their
beds, and the rest of them knew then that there was no escaping King
Frosch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Come feed me <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">now</i>!!” he screamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And so the rest of the frogs rose
from their sleep to find a way to feed King Frosch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was no easy task, as the area was
covered in snow and ice. No nearby brush would provide any sustenance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only things not hibernating or dormant
were various sharp-eyed predators desperately searching the cold night for a good meal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">After much deliberation with the
shouts of King Frosch in the background, the frogs decided to attempt the
market in town, despite the fact that it was the middle of the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So two brave frogs made their way
through the wintry dark and hopped toward the market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The market was quite empty at this time of
night, as all the people were snuggled away in their warm houses and beds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the market stalls were closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, the frogs managed to find a cluster of frozen
grapes outside the house of the local winemaker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">They brought some of the grapes back to King
Frosch, who eyed them carefully before partaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had never eaten a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">frozen</i> grape before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
whole community of frogs watched nervously as King Frosch popped a grape into
his mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sucked on the grape for a
few moments, and then chewed and swallowed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“How delicious!” he said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“More!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And so King Frosch ate all the
frozen grapes that the frogs had brought him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For the time being, he was satisfied and went back to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the frogs, much relieved, went to
find their own beds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, their
relief only lasted for one day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
night, King Frosch woke again and demanded more food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wearily, the two frogs from the night before
journeyed to obtain more frozen grapes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Trudging through the snow on the way
back, one of the frogs got the idea to try one of the frozen grapes to see if
it was any good, seeing as how King Frosch had quite enjoyed the grapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The frog very much enjoyed the frozen grape
as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“You know,” said the frog, “we could
make some good money selling these grapes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re right!” said the other
frog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We could sell them at the market
for a good profit, and then we could buy as much food as we need to satisfy
King Frosch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither he nor us would
ever be hungry again!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Happy with their immense discovery
and business plan, the frogs returned to King Frosch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They first gave him the grapes, and then they
told him their idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>King Frosch liked
both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So when spring arrived, King Frosch
set his frogs to work developing a flash freeze machine and locating a sustainable supply of grapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They soon accomplished
both of these things and took their product to market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The product was initially met with varied
success, but it nonetheless created enough revenue to provide the frogs with an
abundant food supply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Things really took off when a young
entrepreneurial investor from New Jersey visited the small town market and
discovered frozen grapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He thought to
himself, “What if I froze grape <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">juice</i>
around a small wooden stick?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And that, boys and girls, is how we
came to have grape-flavored popsicles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Also, the frogs lived happily ever
after under the tyranny of King Frosch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-72132322260918534142016-08-29T11:38:00.000-07:002016-08-29T11:38:58.253-07:00Roving StarIt’s not just the distance traveled,<br />
That taught us to become friends,<br />
But also the knowledge that always<br />
We would stay together till the end.<br />
<br />
Moving light in the night sky tells<br />
Of a sign of the beauty we have here<br />
At the journey’s end of the beginning,<br />
A new adventure drawing near.<br />
<br />
Campfire, friends and solution found,<br />
We look on to the peace of finding.<br />
Fir trees, stars and tranquil fields,<br />
Let us tarry here in the evening.<br />
<br />
And when they come looking for you to carry you away—<br />
Stay calm.<br />
Remember your life below.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 28.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-76408557152526071962016-08-26T16:56:00.003-07:002016-08-26T16:56:55.136-07:00Below the LandThe raging torrent comes for me again,<br />
A wild avalanche of razor sharp lines<br />
With fever and sickness crawling through<br />
My legs and my arms, a fire drawing<br />
From somewhere deep within,<br />
My heart ready to burst at the fear<br />
That it’s far too much to ever contain.<br />
<br />
Please let it stop, let the underground waters<br />
Keep me far from the hot flames<br />
That rapture at the edges of my mind<br />
And fly far out beyond who I am,<br />
Threatening to drive out past my fingertips<br />
And toward those I care for on the shore<br />
Here in the torch-lit cavern below the land.<br />
<br />
And yet, this is who I must become,<br />
Alone to the rest of the world who can’t<br />
Ever know these tremors that carry me<br />
Out past who I’ve ever been before now—<br />
This is my strength and my ability,<br />
To light up the sky with fire<br />
Or to drain it all down to finest point.<br />
<br />
Tie it off, hold on to the sour fire<br />
Until it stops and turns to strength,<br />
As the water cools and calms and radiates<br />
Away the worst of the heat and fear,<br />
So now the water is under my control<br />
Along with the joy of this whole world<br />
Here in the torch-lit cavern below the land.<br />
<br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 27.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-91246996665465707152016-08-26T15:32:00.002-07:002016-08-26T15:32:21.820-07:00To Let Come What MayWe’ve come so far across the lands,<br />
To see now lakes calmed somehow<br />
Beneath the trees that wait for<br />
You to become who you’re meant to be.<br />
And I still fear now that it’s all too much<br />
For your little self to handle<br />
In the great world under shadows<br />
Of the mountains and dark waves.<br />
And yet I find that I must let you go<br />
To take hold of the greater wonders<br />
That shine up from within you<br />
And show us all something beyond us.<br />
But still I want you to know for sure<br />
And never have in your mind a doubt,<br />
That I will care for you forever,<br />
Even when the sun goes out.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 26.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-69074442213855760922016-08-25T13:44:00.004-07:002016-08-25T13:44:36.494-07:00Action and ConsequencesThe great burden is not the fevers<br />
Or the tremors late at night<br />
Or even the length of the journey<br />
To find a solution to our troubles.<br />
<br />
It’s not overwhelming nature of the power<br />
Or the misunderstanding of these abilities<br />
By all those around us who are afraid<br />
That this could be the end of their lives.<br />
<br />
But rather it’s the consequences of my actions<br />
And the unknown results of what I do<br />
When I change things for better or for worse,<br />
All good intentions mattering little in the aside.<br />
<br />
So what do I have to do to understand my actions?<br />
I will learn everything I can, and I will take hold of this strength.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 25.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-53094385325746864072016-08-25T13:41:00.000-07:002016-08-25T13:41:11.080-07:00The Great Changer WarClashing of mighty power<br />
Tearing down the heights<br />
Fomenting war’s beating drum<br />
Picking battles and finding fights<br />
Terrible torture of the dark ones<br />
Quiet abstinence of the light<br />
Fighting for home and nation<br />
Finding difficult what is right<br />
<br />
They come now to Quake Town<br />
Determined to end this endeavor<br />
Battling for nation or evil intentions<br />
Knowing this can’t go on forever<br />
They whittle down their numbers<br />
To only a few banded together<br />
And one who sacrifices himself<br />
To ensure life in the land isn’t severed<br />
<br />
Take to heart this lesson<br />
That there are bad and loyal and good<br />
Your heart is caught between<br />
Using your abilities as you would<br />
And the cry for release from struggle<br />
When you already know you should<br />
Control these longings for freedom<br />
Even though you know you never could<br />
<br />
For the sake of your friends and the world.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 24.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-71464564586574026252016-08-23T09:48:00.001-07:002016-08-23T09:48:26.910-07:00Out There in the DarkTremors in the night—<br />
The non-terrors are full wonders.<br />
To mold the water and the dripping faucet<br />
Must be to carve my future from the stone.<br />
<br />
I can discover what rages within—<br />
Push it down beneath my bones and skin.<br />
Fill up for yourself peace at my persistence,<br />
Knowing I must resolve my own heart.<br />
<br />
Out there in the distance—<br />
I can feel more than anyone else.<br />
The rising fire of past things lost to us<br />
Will be, I promise, the worst of our heartache.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 23.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-70195836722623008962016-08-09T12:39:00.003-07:002016-08-09T12:41:18.661-07:00Nearing Journey's EndThe green leaves nearly glow<br />
In the hilly land near the mountains,<br />
Traveling south to the smoldering peak,<br />
Where the rising smoke is our sign<br />
<br />
We draw inspiration for the smallest<br />
Among our weary group of souls,<br />
Find no room to complain about anything<br />
When our struggle cannot compare<br />
<br />
Nearly to the end of this journey,<br />
Or at least this portion of the travels,<br />
Not yet sure what to think when<br />
You show me pursed lips and a cold shoulder<br />
<br />
Regardless, we must carry on now,<br />
Approaching the final stretch,<br />
Trees lift us up as we search out<br />
The location of the man at Mt. Sull<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 22.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-50388745649627126902016-08-09T12:39:00.001-07:002016-08-09T12:39:41.999-07:00My Love for You Isn't SafeIf I had known from the beginning<br />
That my love for you isn’t safe,<br />
I wouldn’t have told you how thankful<br />
I am for how much you care for<br />
Doing the right thing and protecting<br />
The good and the true and me.<br />
<br />
I would have lay awake under the stars<br />
And drifted to sleep thinking about<br />
Someone other than you.<br />
<br />
But now danger has come to remind me again<br />
Of all that could go wrong when we<br />
Lack the focus that is stolen<br />
When we let our emotions carry away<br />
Our sensibility and awareness<br />
Of the traps closing in around us.<br />
<br />
I wouldn’t have come to you last night<br />
To feel the pull and strength of your arms,<br />
Had I know that my love for you isn’t safe.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 21.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-82520860437379964582016-08-02T12:55:00.000-07:002016-08-02T12:55:01.948-07:00SmolderingThe dark forest where we run<br />
With burning sticks from fires gone<br />
Hearts ablaze and about to burst<br />
Memory rising to the surface to scare<br />
Away the feelings of awe as we touch<br />
Careening toward accusations<br />
Unable to prevent the fear<br />
But let us draw near to the villain<br />
And root out the screams we hear<br />
Into the flickering we fly at the beasts<br />
Gleaming steel shearing the flesh<br />
And the guttural cry of lighting up<br />
Like a glowing log in the furnace<br />
Smoking out our hearts with terror<br />
<br />
And at the end of the night,<br />
We are exhausted, shivering, bleeding, weeping,<br />
And once more left alive.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 20.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-87112838418070068852016-08-02T12:40:00.000-07:002016-08-02T12:40:21.871-07:00The Pain of MemoryDon’t you remember what it was like,<br />
Back before you knew about this life,<br />
When every day was an exploration,<br />
And not just a waving voyage to a fight.<br />
<br />
what I remember<br />
is the blood on the floor<br />
cries of horror from the door<br />
the pain of tragedy for hours<br />
and feeling sick at the flowers<br />
they picked to remember<br />
what I hoped to forget<br />
<br />
So watch out for the worse things still,<br />
And if you won’t, then trust that I will.<br />
<br />
what need is there to watch<br />
for the gripping fear that is before me<br />
in the daylight when I still see<br />
the sight of those lifeless eyes beneath<br />
staring up and condemning me<br />
for what I can’t bear to speak about<br />
even so far out beyond that life<br />
<br />
So let us stand tall against this together.<br />
but I can’t while I fear I’ll remember forever<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 19.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fefdfa; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-12240662049845176092016-07-27T05:34:00.000-07:002016-07-27T05:34:02.302-07:00Once We've Passed Safely ThroughI once read it in a book,<br />
But I’ve never seen it with my own eyes,<br />
Not that I’m one who denies<br />
The chance to go have a look.<br />
<br />
Guide us down through the deep woods,<br />
Watching out for the Thura cats,<br />
Now as we go take our chance,<br />
Traveling south, wondering if we should.<br />
<br />
Because I trust you, if he trusts you, if she trusts you<br />
Now to run with us unimpeded,<br />
And our contract is done and completed<br />
Once we’ve gone and passed safely through.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 18.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-25779938822928150612016-07-26T09:18:00.000-07:002016-07-26T09:18:52.048-07:00The Sheer FuryHow do you express it?<br />
That sheer fury at the terror of life,<br />
When everything is just looking up,<br />
And then you remember the ones<br />
Who were left behind in the red<br />
Dying sun of the northern sky.<br />
The anger that comes in the warm night,<br />
In the coldness of a scarred heart,<br />
For the never ending distress of<br />
A frightened mind in the dark waves.<br />
Cheer above that frustration, I say,<br />
But I can’t anymore as I lay<br />
In bed and cry myself to sleep for those<br />
That I left behind in the orange<br />
Of the blazing moon of the starry field.<br />
I scream out at you for justice<br />
Because you’re the only one who listens<br />
To everything I speak<br />
And every pain my heart cries.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 17.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fefdfa; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-37359716326955347062016-07-19T11:17:00.001-07:002016-07-19T11:17:20.736-07:00Running TowardThe low rumble of the world below us<br />
Dreams of escape trying to rise up<br />
Through the dust of our shaken day<br />
With nowhere left to run but toward<br />
The danger of the risk of exploding<br />
Like a sunburst in the sky of clouds<br />
Or the moonbeams in the drawing night<br />
With starlight fading to shimmering points<br />
<br />
Dried up salt lakes don’t worry me<br />
When I know we started by climbing<br />
Over the mountains to find the desert<br />
The extreme lifeline to the wells beneath<br />
But it ain’t for thirst that I dwell on<br />
Finding a path to the screaming answer<br />
That breaks down the boulders in our way<br />
Or the trouble trembling up from the ground<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 16.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-23516659857874364412016-07-15T17:27:00.001-07:002016-07-15T17:27:12.882-07:00Still Leaping HeartThe oddest idea I can think of right now<br />
Is that there might be romance in the stars,<br />
With the way they dance in ordered spins,<br />
Rising and falling as the night passes on.<br />
<br />
In the lightless forest we linger for a moment,<br />
The touch of your hand on my shoulder,<br />
Making me wonder about purpose—<br />
Can there be something great in such a small notion?<br />
<br />
As the wind that passes through the trees,<br />
So the thoughts rustle through my head<br />
When I see you feeding my soul with your smile,<br />
As warm as the broth that strengthens my limbs.<br />
<br />
Twilight is still just enough illumination,<br />
Even away from the hot fire we know we must kindle,<br />
To see the honesty of a friend in the shadows,<br />
And I trust you would catch, with ease, my still leaping heart.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 15.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-33088545542704352112016-07-12T17:09:00.001-07:002016-07-15T17:26:40.542-07:00Decision and RiskI remain behind the safety<br />
And comfort of what I have here,<br />
Soft pillows and renewed strength<br />
And the dissipation of my fear.<br />
<br />
To stumble out into the green and gray<br />
World of the unknown and unexplored,<br />
It takes at least the confident urging<br />
Of friends with assurance as they implored.<br />
<br />
But it’s not from their reasoning<br />
That I find myself convinced to take the risk,<br />
But rather because of the call to explore<br />
The possible paths to understanding this.<br />
<br />
Health for myself and more importantly<br />
The safety of those who surround me,<br />
These must be the reasons that call<br />
Me to travel back out among the trees.<br />
<br />
I don’t know if it could possibly be the truth<br />
Or the only path available for me,<br />
But I will continue to carry on for the good<br />
Whenever or not they mention prophecy.<br />
<br />
And to explore must be the great call<br />
That pulls me up from sleep to sunshine,<br />
For the risk will be worth it if I can find<br />
A way to help me and these friends of mine.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 14.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-28917182706574005862016-07-08T15:22:00.000-07:002016-07-08T15:22:20.380-07:00Can You Survive Who You Become?So here we go into the bright sunrise<br />
Floating waters toward the ceiling<br />
Laughing for the renewed healing<br />
Bring about a lifetime of learning newness<br />
This amazing trial showing a promise<br />
Of the incredible things around the bend<br />
Where the corner is illuminated in dust<br />
And the elderly are always on our side<br />
The prophecies to tell us we can stand tall<br />
In danger now that we know even more<br />
But we have to tell her of the difficulty<br />
Though what challenge has she not faced<br />
Marching to the mountains and beyond<br />
Fearing no more as the dark pain subsides<br />
So lift up the curtain of our mystery<br />
Find the answers at the smoking peak<br />
Of how we might survive this circling fight<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">_____________________</span><br style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 13.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-35778632980064328352016-07-08T05:45:00.001-07:002016-07-08T05:45:21.734-07:00Entering Pass TownThe yellow sun rises once again<br />
over the dry terrain of this land.<br />
So let’s rest for a little while,<br />
if we can in such a sandy place.<br />
Just enough water for the sparse green<br />
and almost enough to satisfy.<br />
<br />
Take what you need and don’t let them see,<br />
if at night you take more than your share.<br />
A people so friendly in this desert place,<br />
until you want more of what is rightfully theirs.<br />
Where we go next is a mystery yet,<br />
but for now may this dust be called home.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of </span><a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #7d181e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 12.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-40663385832586848972016-07-07T13:00:00.000-07:002016-07-07T13:00:07.847-07:00To Create Such as ThisThe mountain ranges that rise to the sky<br />
Or the great dark forests that spread the land<br />
Running up to the lakes and rivers<br />
Giving way to the wide salted ocean<br />
<br />
To make such as these is far beyond me<br />
And to imagine how to make the smallest leaf<br />
Or the tiniest of specks of ash or sand<br />
Is something for only the Creator to perceive<br />
<br />
And to hand off this ability to those with strength<br />
Is not something to take lightly<br />
And is indeed surely full of impossibility<br />
When all we can do is change what we already see<br />
<br />
So destroy not, O my soul, for how difficult it is<br />
For good things to be formed and remade<br />
When the poison of wicked women and men<br />
Comes stomping through this beautiful world<br />
<br />
Thus may we carry on into the purple-orange sunset<br />
Where golden treetops wave in the rising wind<br />
Of life and good change beneath snow-capped heights<br />
And crystal reflectors shining when starlight begins<br />
<br />_____________________<br />With the release of every chapter of <a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529">Below the Land</a>, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 11.<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-51527220831719630082016-06-28T09:03:00.001-07:002016-06-28T09:03:52.296-07:00Dark WavesThere’s a hope in the dark waves,<br />
Softly lapping against the pitched boards,<br />
Where I find safety in running away,<br />
But freedom in heading to somewhere new.<br />
<br />
Hiding our faces in the dark night,<br />
These hoods are meant to conceal us,<br />
But it’s the turning of the rudder<br />
That sends us where we want to go.<br />
For campfire and open fields<br />
Give us a sense of purpose and choice,<br />
Though the sadness of the past comes,<br />
And we remember those who left.<br />
<br />
And yet, there are those who have stayed,<br />
Even as we haven’t, dusk after dawn,<br />
But before night comes we search the tall grass<br />
And see there’s a hope in the dark waves.<br />
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With the release of every chapter of <a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;">Below the Land</a>, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 10.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-25260998505489593312016-06-24T18:10:00.001-07:002016-06-24T18:10:24.459-07:00In the Abandoned HouseDark corner, musty air<br />
Fled to edge of reach<br />
Here he comes<br />
Wicked glint in his eye<br />
Reaching for her<br />
Scream to the sky<br />
<br />
Window shatters<br />
Floorboard creaks<br />
Fabric bursts<br />
Dust ignites<br />
<br />
Bitter end, choking away<br />
Hopeless tears<br />
Here he comes<br />
Through the bright door<br />
Reaching for her<br />
Come to save the day<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">__________________________</span></span></span></span><br />
With the release of every chapter of <a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529">Below the Land</a>, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 9.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-90598154151251878392016-06-21T18:23:00.000-07:002016-06-21T18:23:09.239-07:00First CityThe white bright highlights on the crests<br />
Of waves wandering to the shoreline<br />
Below the brown wooden docks<br />
Lined with clean sails and knotted ropes,<br />
Down under the shadows of lined houses with<br />
Beams holding up red and blue thatched roofs<br />
Covering families and businesses and inns<br />
Hiding in the beautiful day of such a grand<br />
New and wonderful city of a town.<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">__________________________</span><br style="line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of <a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Below the Land</a>, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 8.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s1600/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="color: #7d181e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4YvQMJQ7NU/V0S5LSF2hrI/AAAAAAAAAso/vUz2lGqKoS43sRCKOK8Uju8SpUzpzRehwCLcB/s320/Below%2Bthe%2BLand.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6096473722956432837.post-1640807311280253662016-06-19T16:15:00.002-07:002016-06-19T16:15:21.874-07:00Into the Night<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those shadows come out</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the dark and the deep blue.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Searching for the brightness</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of the new day dawning,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I yet find beauty in the faint light</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Given by the stars that meet the horizon.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-9e917404-611c-3f5d-582c-a45592b90c14" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why has it come to this,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the deep pain and the fear?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Has this shadowed beauty</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Been created for us,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So far away from shining day,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where green flowers bloom</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And red trees bear fruit</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Under the northern slate mountains?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I must go on in search of the healing,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To find the right way through the doubt--</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beyond the tremor and past the shout.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This path must be before us now,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For we couldn’t can’t be left alone in this.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so I know there has to be an somewhere better.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There must be a way.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There must be.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So now or never we trust this,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let us go onward,</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even when the sun has gone down.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">__________________________</span><br style="line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.2px;">With the release of every chapter of <a href="http://jukepop.com/home/read/9529" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Below the Land</a>, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 7.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"></span>
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Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00178946035967092798noreply@blogger.com0