Open Mic

So, let's hear it.
This is an open mic.
I want you to tell me everything.
I want you to tell me about that one girl at work who slows everyone else down,
About that promotion you just can't seem to get,
About how no matter how hard you study, you can't get higher than a C
About the pretentious book you just finished reading.
I want you to tell me about the last time you even read a book,
Or the last time you fished
Or fought
Or fucked
Or, better yet, had sex
Or, even better yet, made love
Or made music with a stranger
Or made conversation with a stranger
Or made eye contact with a stranger
Or made eye contact even stranger.

I want you to tell me about your favorite X-Man.
I want to hear about the 3 chords you know how to play on a Piano.
Tell me about your favorite Bible passage,
Or the best place to get a burger around here.
I want you to tell me that you're a Werewolf.
And I want to hear you howl, because this is an open mic.

I haven't been able to scratch down a single word with this ballpoint pen
In the past two months, and you know why?
People haven't been talking.
Well, they've been talking...
But they never say anything.
I want you to say something.
So, let's hear it.
This is an open mic.
Just let me hear it.
Let us all hear it.

I haven't posted anything in a long time because of the holiday season, and I'm sorry about that. There's some spoken word poetry to cheer you up, maybe.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

V

Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of the everyday routine, the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much sas any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration - whereby those important events of the past, usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, are celebrated with a nice holiday - I thought we could mark this November the fifth, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat.

There are, of course, those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now orders are being shouted into telephones and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there?

Cruelty and injustice...intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance, coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those who are more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told...if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War. Terror. Disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you and in your panic, you turned to the now High Chancellor Adam Sutler. He promised you order. He promised you peace. And all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.

Last night, I sought to end that silence. Last night, I destroyed the Old Bailey to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago, a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words - they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, then I would suggest that you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek...then I ask you to stand beside me, one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament. And together, we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever, be forgot!

Credit for the monologue goes wholly to Alan Moore. I in no way own V for Vendetta or any of its characters, London, Old Bailey, or any part of Britain, despite my desperate prayers.

 
If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

I am Sitting, I am Breathing

 On my Formspring account (link at the bottom of the post), I've received a surprising number of questions asking if I could write a little bit more about my experiences with meditation. I didn't answer those questions because I wasn't really sure if I was fit to tackle the subject, but I've gained a new confidence lately that I want to try out.

Meditation is a practice that's ancient as spirituality itself, and while there are different styles of meditation that exist for different purposes, the basics of it are as simple as sitting.

I'm not joking! In the book Lamb by Christopher Moore, Jesus (called Joshua in the book) travels across Asia learning about different forms of spirituality. He ends up in Tibet and meets a Bodhisattva  named Casper (That's right-- one of the Three Wise Men in Christian lore) who teaches him about meditation. Joshua and his companion stumble upon a Buddhist monastery, and Joshua asks them what they are doing. They simply answer, "We are sitting."

Meditation, at its core, is a state of high mindfulness. That's it. So, if you're by yourself and have enough room and a quiet area, try it out.

1. Be sure the area around is isn't too bright, isn't too loud. Turn off your music, your TV, anything that could be a distraction, be it auditory or visual.
2. Sit cross-legged, or if you can, in half lotus, on a flat surface with your back straight (this may require a cushion for your lower back-- don't be afraid to use one!)
3. Let your eyes slide into a neutral state of being half-open. Your head should be pointed slightly downward in a very relaxed position.
4. Breathe normally. Don't try to regulate it-- Just be aware of it. As you breathe in, think to yourself "Now I am breathing in. This is what breathing in feels like." As you exhale, think to yourself "And this is what exhaling feels like."
5. Be aware of every sensation of your body. The rising and falling of your shoulders and belly, the feeling of the floor pressing up against your legs, your breath passing over your upper lip, your heartbeat in your neck, fingertips, and chest. Remember that each breath gives you life and each moment your heart beats.
6. Don't try to focus too much. Let your thoughts come and go, wave at them as they pass by. 

It's not magical. It's not going to make you levitate or let you taste music or smell colors. It won't let you see into the future or communicate with ghosts. What it will do is give you a higher peace of mind, a sense of oneness and a healthy, relaxed attitude. Meditation is a form of prayer-- They both let positive energy in and help heal negative energy. I'll say it again for emphasis: Meditation heals.

So, if someone asks you what you're doing, answer "I am sitting. I am breathing." That is the first step of that crazy thing called "mindfulness" I always talk about.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.