An Eighth Shot of Espresso: Coffee and Creativity on Mum's Third Shift

Youthful optimism  a chance to change the world  find cures for old diseases meet new people  see a different outlook visit faraway places  blaze a new trail up a sacred mountain try odd cuisine strange flavors on  the tongue cherish the history of peoples all over learn from their mistakes to avoid strife in the future witness history as it unfolds in front of your eyes.   but like gold that tarnishes  and iron that rusts with time  shelve naive thoughts  for the world no longer  feels safe to explore.

A passport to other lands  other ways of thinking  seeing and feeling Fresh perspectives, new ideas.   broaden your horizons  no man is an island it takes a village the lone adventurer Immovable stones are worn down by time, wind and rain become diamonds with pressure that all sounds so cliche so many roll their eyes but it's quite important  now more than ever Reach out and explore yes it takes effort for life does not  just come to you Songs yet unsung paintings yet unmade the possibilities are endless it takes so much courage The first step is the hardest to leave the familiar behind but to free your soul and mind you must decide to go there.

Raw emotion gives voice to unvarnished truth the reason why they strive to break our pens Words sound flat and static leached of all known fact When life is messy and complicated with its twists and turns Half lies still count as lies even if technically correct The human heart not reduced to mere simulacrums The human soul can't fathom a fake carbon copy

I see the sands in the hourglass fall slowly to the bottom in a pile of ash I hear my joints pop and my bones creak with every passing day. I feel waves of warmth like a hot summer though snow is on the ground I look in the mirror face wrinkled hair grey as ice I mark every birthday the months pass at the end of the year I wonder if I have lived too long and seen too much

Sinuous letters a special kind of code the key was lost so long ago only to be rediscovered millennia later Painted and inked on alabaster walls pressed into soft clay baked in a permanent frieze the details of a business agreement permanent for all to see. Every little detail a sequence of images a flourish here and there faces stare out with golden or azure eyes expect you to understand what they think and feel all these years later.

Banshee cry pierces through the night a wail of mourning a warning of what is to come mothers, protect your children fathers, barricade the door the drunk who stumbles home should really watch his steps For the night falls quickly  the the wind swirls the leaves the veil between the worlds becomes thin, even thinner and the dead can overhear the call for yet another to join their ranks.

Strings vibrate my fingers stretch more than one octave over several frets practice they said you'll get it. It requires as much problem solving as a scientific riddle when your bones and muscles don't stretch that far. Smaller keys custom built but sometimes  a normal instrument is still too big to play.

when the impossible becomes possible whom do you believe? the ones who achieve it or the ones whose opinions are mere words? the optimists want to believe the good in everyone the pessimists think change will never happen at all. the realists see the potential but also realize  the roadblocks and the posturing that obscure the vision of justice. Will it ever come to pass? we all know the truth we all know proof exists but  to make it happen involves those who have a vested interest to keep it blind.

A fall can really hurt and you lie stunned for what seems a few moments that can last for eternity. It's amazing how long it seems. The seconds tick away that turns into minutes then into hours and into days It's amazing how much you lose. By the time you finally come back to yourself the sounds of the crowd has long faded into silence. It's amazing how loud the silence gets. It's too late to call it back. You are too far behind can never catch up even if you try. It's amazing how you can be forgotten. The only thing to do is to dust yourself off and start again with your words. It's amazing how different times change.

Just one day: the sky does not weep rain the debate isn't about the very right to existence the music sounds not like a dirge. Just one day: the distractions don't divide us the evil are brought to justice the hearts all beat as one the anger does not blind us. Just one day: the children play in the sun the air rings with laughter the warmth of people shines the world is at peace.

You can do a job day after day regimented with precise steps it takes a conscious effort to break free from  the rigid mindset that is has to be perfect. Cracks fracture on the surface scratch it with a file and find a rebel underneath They might have to look closer but they do not choose it. Willful ignorance quiet defiance the way you walk carry yourself produce items say your words they reflect what you truly believe in.

Waves head to the shore hit the sand then hiss on back retreats to gather power and do the same again. Voices rise and fall go into a crescendo then become softer and softer heading to another peak There are good days where it seems Luck loves you then She turns her back and you gnash your teeth. The highest highs and the lowest lows. It will happen over and over Don't expect either to last.

A mess of wires what plug goes where sitting there in the tangle trying to make the crooked straight. So many devices too many to count what do I need what can I remove what doesn't work anymore? Connectors not connecting plugs not conducting devices not updated: remove all the fodder dismiss all the outdated. Technology is supposed to make all our lives easier give us more free time to do whatever we want but that time is spent on upkeep.

The temperature rises the grass sprouts into a carpet beneath my feet Tulips poke their leaves out of the newly turned soil. The sound of carpentry from the next door neighbor as the new addition of a sunroom takes shape at the back of their house a dream made manifest. A group of children playing ball in the next court they're having a pick up game basketball on one end a cricket pitch on the other. Our subdivision comes out of its winter slumber the parks and the pool come alive I sit on the porch and smile as they all go by.

Trending downwards down to rock bottom the bar is set so low look above the light has disappeared a murky darkness surrounds and permeates the skies and ground The pits of despair so described throughout the ages never thought it would appear here for real no sound, not even the howl of wind from an evil demon overlord. It would be easy to just withdraw and watch the world burn in a wave of apathy and a blanket of hopelessness. But that would be handing all of existence on a silver platter. If not for yourself then for the ones who come after. The souls not yet born the songs not yet sung For a single sliver of dawn can lift up their hopes for tomorrow.

Every letter typed every word written a bit of emotion packed into each one. Straight from the heart the mind struggles to make ideas coherent complicated made simple. Some understand others shrug and move on but the lines impact a reader one way or another. If opinion say to agree even if your soul says no will your words reflect the truth that you feel?

 I. Can you imagine rainbows at your fingertips cool rain on your skin no ash falling on your brow no blood dripping from your hands? II. Dawn shows its promise golden light streams from the East Birds sing their praises and their hope begins anew maybe today things will change. III. They are supplicants pray that all will turn out well while their fellow man revels in extravagance they wonder why words don't work. IV. Afternoon wanes low and dusk begins to approach sun sets like always bloody red on horizon shadows loom between the trees V. You sigh and then smile as the birds all fall silent everything the same yet you still cling to the hope that the dawn comes again.

The pillar that holds the foundation ever reliable ever dependable. Through wind rain and hail lightning storms and deep snows Worn smooth with lucky touches on the way to work Early or late it will always be there Never erring and never complaining of the weight it carries. The young grow up and move on to their lives The old tell the stories of the one fixture in the past. But what will happen when the invisible cracks that run deep suddenly shatter apart?

Not all is shiny and new with time all becomes more natural what it is meant to be. The storms overhead bring hail and high winds yet even in the dark clouds there is a hint of sun. The maelstrom swirls all round but you learn to stand fast they cannot uproot anything with a firm foundation. No one is in a vacuum nothing is left untouched but the strength of your resilience comes with the heart of experience.

They thrive in chaos One well-placed word one half-true fact They let the knives fly The truth is flexible and it is not completely a lie. It all depends on a certain point of view. All from a seemingly benign sense of propriety: "I thought you'd want to know. So and so has been talking you might want to set the record straight. After all I don't want to see you get hurt." Then they sit back and watch the arrows land straight on their targets. An observer of justice. Nothing is ever their fault no one is ever their favorite Everyone is treated equally at least as far as they can see. Pitting friend against friend lover against lover royalty on the chessboard but they're careful to cover their own tracks as they enjoy the festivities.