The World Needs Guts

Stand up for what you believe in. Learn to say yes. Learn to say no. Learn to be stupid. Learn to be brave. Make crazy your normal. Make normal an option (not a must).

Put some steel in your spine. Put some spine in your stance. Grow some balls (even if you're a woman). Walk with one foot in the clouds. Walk like you're dancing. Dance like no one's watching. Be eccentric. Be bold. Be brave. Live without apology.

Live honestly.

- - -

...it is better to be sincere than silent.

Serpent 6:67

Electric

I love lightning bolts. Sure, I don't enjoy actually being on the receiving end of one, but it's something I can't stop doodling of late. So it was no surprise when I walked into a tattoo studio yesterday and asked for one on the chest.

I never even noticed till later that the bolt was pointed straight at my heart. In a way, it's fitting.

Lightning, to me, is many things. Energy; brilliance; passion; a strike to the gut; a flash of fever in the veins. (And not forgetting rock 'n fn' roll.) It's a kick of adrenaline. It's what moves people all around the world.

It's what moves me.

I'm hungry, boys and girls. Literally. (I need my dinner now.) Be back soon...

Holy Zeus! Details here.

In A Darkened Playground, The Night Is Ours.

9.30pm: the power goes out with a silent bang. There is a collective groan from those who were halfway through a movie download or awesome novel.

Ever notice how the sky brightens when you turn off the lights? Every faded cloud comes to the fore like half-formed nebulae. Every star is a miracle in the mottled velvet patchwork.

The stars lean down to kiss you
And I lie awake and miss you
Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere
'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly

We light candles; we text; we tweet. Thank the gods it is a cool night without the bother of not having a fan just when you need it. We tweet and text some more. We play games on our phones. My battery is running low, and I need something else to do.

I'll find repose in new ways
Though I haven't slept in two days
'Cause nostalgia chills me to the bone

My brother and I hit the playground in front of our house. He is seventeen; I'm twenty-four. Both a little too old for swings and slides. But in the cover of lampless night, our age becomes less obvious.

I'll watch the night turn light blue
But it's not the same without you
Because it takes two to whisper quietly
The silence isn't so bad

To my delight I am fit enough to climb the monkey bars. My adult legs can close the gap between rungs that my kiddy limbs couldn't. The swing offers the same delight; the see-saw feels the same.

Drenched in vanilla twilight
I'll sit on the front porch all night
Waist-deep in thought; when I think of you
I don't feel so alone

We climb atop the tunnels, the weathered smooth cement cool against our backs, and lie on them watching the moon. The night belongs to us.

When violet eyes get brighter
And heavy wings grow lighter
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again
And I'll forget the world that I knew.


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© Vanilla Twilight lyrics belong to Owl City.