For the Love of Gay

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Hey there,
I ate lunch today in the adjacent hotel lobby next to my work as I do every now and then. Sometimes I use my lunch hour to write because it’s out of the way, hotel quiet, and a great place to people watch…and not in that creepy way.

I was sitting there, minding my own business when a couple who I think were in town off a cruise ship from the United States. They were sitting a couch down from me, they were chatting about whether or not they were going to partake in an afternoon bus tour, debating because the weather sucked. Perfectly normal conversation until I overheard the lady say something that was like “what the ****”.

What was it? Well, there’s a KD Lang concert this weekend and I guess they had been deciding earlier if they were going to attend because it came up during their back and forth. The husband asked a couple of times if the wife (60ish) wanted to go and she replied with “I don’t know, I like KD Lang, actually, I did like her before she was gay”….This is 2017 correct? I was flabbergasted, couldn’t believe what I had heard. I was like, “really misses, before she was gay”, so what, KD Lang now uses her gay voice to sing, or shoots gay bullets from her eyeballs, like come on. I immediately turned in her direction and made sure she was aware that I had heard what she had said so that for that millisecond she could realize how ridiculous she sounded.

It amazes me how this ignorance still exists, how people don’t realize the hurt this kind of backward-thinking creates. No disrespect to KD Lang but if this lady didn’t know that KD was gay before she actually came out, then she probably thinks dinosaurs still exist or the earth is flat. Lady, please educate yourself my love, open your mind and allow people to be who they truly are, god I feel bad for you.

I don’ t know, I was having another bad day and that put the icing on the cake. Live and let live, treat others as you would like to be treated and love your partner, man, woman and the like. This lady is clearly lacking something in her own life (maybe a pet dinosaur) she feels the need to chastise others for her own misery.

My thought is this, no matter what, there are going to be people out there that will try to keep you down, try to dictate you life, and try to tell you what they think is right. We just can’t let them, we need to stay true to ourselves and remember that understanding, acceptance, and genuine love for one another is something this world should never be “constantly craving”.

Two Legs and a Heartbeat.

So after a 17k bike ride last Saturday, I was bound again on Sunday…only this time it was for a 12k walk. The sky had a hue of overcast, but it was warm, perfect conditions actually, so I suited up, gave the bike a rest and headed out on foot. Again, I was blindly setting out to wherever my instincts led me, and as usual, it wasn’t long before I had my phone out taking pictures.

You know, there’s something about a good walk, breathing in the fresh air with nothing but your own thoughts to keep you company. Just like the bike, walking was a huge part of my youth. We didn’t have a vehicle, so if I needed to get anywhere, I would have to get there using two legs and a heartbeat. Probably has a lot to do with how I am today, I would choose walking somewhere nine chances out of ten if I could. Living in the city, I kind of “have to” take the vehicle to get to certain places, but if it’s walkable, I’m doing it.

At the foot of the hill, I started to see civilization again. There wasn’t a lot of traffic, only Sunday drivers, really and the odd dog walker. By the way, this hill was the same hill that I had to be careful with on Saturday, and trust me, it was a lot easier walking down that thing than biking it. Oh, I like to take a moment for this guy, too, who looks like he was “shrewed” right from the start.

Sorry, the pun was right there….k….moving on. I paid my respects and made my way off down the trail, which was nicely tucked away, relaxing, and it was beautiful. I could hear the nearby river as it kept me company with its constant free-flowing. I decided to take out the headphones and take it all in, best playlist ever.

I could smell the harbour long before I could see it; the tinge of salty water reminded me of my days growing up. The gulls were squawking, flying low-level as they scoured the shore for anything that resembled food. Random fishing boats steamed through the harbour, bidding adieu to the city, their engines putter-patter rhythmic, (insert homesickness here). It was a serene moment, picturesque as the city was once again settling down for a cozy Sunday evening.

A little further down was my point of interest, probably should mention where I was planning to go, it was Fort Amherst. I went there by bike not long ago, promised myself I’d return, but this time for a stroll. The views were unreal, and bouts of nostalgia hit me as I eyeballed each little house one by one, tucked away along the hillside full of character.

I also had to somehow pull myself from the backdrop below, crazy how all this stuff is free, just got to get outside and discover it for yourself.

Behold, in all its glory, the lighthouse. Finally, I had made it. The walk that I had pictured that day on the bike proved to be quite the aesthetically pleasing amble, only at that very moment, looking out at the beautiful open ocean before me, I realized….now I have to walk back…lol.

Thanks for tagging along for my brisk Sunday walk, hope you enjoyed the pictures, and you’re all welcome back again for another glimpse of Earth to Ash.

Happy trails!!!!

I Will Remember You

Pop Smart

Hey all,

Just wanted to post something a little close to the chest today, it’s another birthday of my Grandfather whose passed on and a few years ago I put together this little video in his memory. I did so for my family, to give them something they could enjoy, sure, there were probably a lot of tears shed when they viewed it but I thought sometimes we can all use a good cry to get those feelings out. As you may interpret from some of my poems, I have lost a few people that are near and dear to my heart. It has not been an easy journey moving on without them, but I feel that expressing myself through writing has helped me with my process of healing so I decided to share.

It’s not easy losing someone, it’s something that we at most times are never prepared for. It’s not until you go through it yourself that we finally understand that our time on this planet is very short and we must utilize every second we can to show our family and friends how much they truly mean to us. Nobody is perfect and we all have areas of our life that we can maybe improve on and our relationships are no different, especially family, relatives are forever bound by blood but it’s true that sometimes we forget what matters in our hectic lives because somewhere along the line we lost our way.

I am guilty of the above, I have relationships that have deteriorated, gone astray that keep me up at night, another part of life I guess. I think about it all the time and I feel sometimes like it was something that I did, sometimes I pass the blame on to the other, none of those examples are 100% true, forget about the blame and just make it better.

Days like today I put my life in perspective and realize that there are those that have gone before me that I wish every day that they could come back, even for just a moment. But I have to realize as well that there are people that I love that are right next to me or only a phone call away, so what’s stopping me?

Give your kids a hug, kiss your spouse, call your mom and have a beer with the buddy because today we have while tomorrow, who knows?

Miss ya Pops

For a Spell

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Quotidian stories they share,
sitting shoulder to shoulder.
Those confabulating chaps
with their doddery routine,
fidget on a bench of stone.

Each muster for a spell,
hoary old fellows chinwag
anecdotes to their nature,
as I eves-dropped for a tale.

The Rain Made Me Do It

I surveil the abstract of raindrops as they slither the outside pane
its journey, merely a moment in time
each tiny drop…
they dazzle like fireworks synchronizing with my deluge of thoughts now cached from a once juvenile me
I beam with the sound of the pitter-patter
the torrent tone lulls me to a reminiscent state as I recall the stories of my olden

For Granted

Blare my name,
call me to the table,
wake me up early…
just
one
more
time…

The Inside Chair

chair
The inside chair was always where,
I felt the most at home.

I’d rush to dinner, always the winner,
to sit on my dining room throne.

Argue your matter, try with the flatter,
this spot was mine alone.

If you sat in my place, or stole my space,
Grandmother would make it known.

I sit no more, like i did before,
time has only shown.

That the inside chair is always where,
i’ll miss about my home.

Someday Again

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Fist held against your chin staring beyond, adrift in recollection.
A ponder of well-being was the focus of those faraway eyes.
Rock…rock until contentment, unbroken ritual.
You miss, you worry, because you loved.
The tittle-tattle of your kindred always spawned a glow in your half-cocked smiles, your infectious being.
Dear grand, by and by with a simper,
someday again.

Dandelions to Babes

Out the door, I pick up the pace.
Time to play…no time to waste.

Down the yard, tightrope the curb,
As I zipped up the road, not a “hello” was heard.

Along the path such a pretty site,
Dandelions, Dandelions like a sea of white.

Where did I go you must be starting to ask,
to my childhood friends where my youth was passed.

T’was her mother who greeted me each time at the door,
a humble sweet lady who I will always adore.

I will miss your dear smile for the rest of my days,
miss my best friend’s mother, miss the Dandelions to Babes…RIP

Mildred Organ

The Hillside

a hillside where I played, now lies dormant…unused.
laughter no longer carries in the wind
where childish breath was once contrasted to the pitch night sky
the grass, still worn, but not from play
for there is a gray hue of neglect that looms across its blades
this lonely hillock connects me to my past
the lost adventures of a youngster
where berries were alien and stones stood as kid’ish vessels
simpler then, necessary, far from times reach
now that time binds me to the present, I can only reflect on the before
as I do, memories swarm my mind and I start to see the patches of green again
familiar images beautifully paint my imagination, chasing away the dark shadows
irrelevance slowly deliquescing away
my boyish reminiscence forever welcomed
I see more beyond this passed-by place
and embrace a trigger to the memories it has kept for me this long
that hillside…
…where I played

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Out the door, I pick up the pace. Time to play…no time to waste.

Down the yard, tightrope the curb, As I zipped up the road, not a “hello” was heard.

Along the path such a pretty site, Dandelions, Dandelions like a sea of white.

Where did I go you must be starting to ask, to my childhood friends where my youth was passed.

T’was her mother who greeted me each time at the door, a humble sweet lady who I will always adore.

I will miss your dear smile for the rest of my days, miss my best friend’s mother, miss the Dandelions to Babes…RIP

Share this:

Share this:

Out the door, I pick up the pace.
Time to play…no time to waste.

Down the yard, tightrope the curb,
As I zipped up the road, not a “hello” was heard.

Along the path such a pretty site,
Dandelions, Dandelions like a sea of white.

Where did I go you must be starting to ask,
to my childhood friends where my youth was passed.

T’was her mother who greeted me each time at the door,
a humble sweet lady who I will always adore.

I will miss your dear smile for the rest of my days,
miss my best friend’s mother, miss the Dandelions to Babes…RIP