english

Along the Garden Path

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We’re walking the old dirt road with wildflowers,

seeing the new sod from before over and over again.

That I can see the end and am lead astray frustrates us.

What we have established has collapsed still stands,

we were at least right about that.

From there we have to reevaluate what happened

I see the trail goes on from here it’s pretty short

but I’m curious as to how I got to where I am.

Every one who comes here loses,

dropping like a ton of fruit flies drunk with power.

The few raced past the exit turned back,

even they couldn’t believe their eyes.

When they saw it through,

everything matched up with what was not expected.

Omissions

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Without “you,”

the phrase “you don’t talk to me anymore”

demands an entirely different kind

of response.

“All you can eat, kids free”

Lacks some needed nuance,

Without the comma.

Although synonymous

An “I don’t know,”

Can create a lot less drama,

Than a shrug and a grunt.

Just one tiny piece in a conversation

Is key

In understanding

Misinformation.

You may fill in the blanks,

With what you want to see,

Or miss the forest for the trees,

In making assumptions.

Sometimes you can say everything

You need to say

By not saying anything.

Some Inconsistencies

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“Hopeless romantic,” really should be considered an oxymoron.

As should “diet soda,”

And “clean coal.”

Yeah, we drive on parkways and park in driveways, but why is being connected to the Internet also isolating?

Why do people scream when they see small animals but not when they see people that they know (which are far more likely to be dangerous)?

If no house is truly air-tight, then aren’t we always outside?

When can I go inside?

Why do we want somewhere to go when we have nowhere to be?

Why isn’t there anything to watch on TV?

If the point of language is to name the unnamed, why is English so full of misnomers?

Why are there silent letters?

Why do I bother?

Human Behavior

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With each additional option,

We see liberation,

But practice caution.

Each consequence with direct causation,

On the results of the action-auction.

Personal persuasion,

Is a zero-sum game,

A perfectly balanced equation.

There is no evasion,

Protesting makes you more tame,

Each strike leaves an abrasion.

Like sipping fine wine from a Klein stein,

That leads you astray, away, aside,

Where you reside on the incline,

And slide back inside.