i fell asleep last night
in the safe company of monsters,
played as slow moving cutouts from movies

and the last nervous leg twitches
of fragmented light and euphoria.

A single grounding foot on my dog's soft belly
says 'you partially belong
within the warmth of lovers',

partly in the self-contained
world of greyscale fractals,

but mostly in the safe company of monsters.

something happens here

a race condition
to fill pixels with relevance

a scramble to the top

a search to remove the
blankets of insecurity

tearing styles from the flattened work
of favorite magazines

the glory becomes more relevant than the work
the instructors work becomes the students

collections fill with empty accolades and falsehood

The ancient tree looked down obstinately at the fresh young vine as it was beginning to make its way up the tree's weathered bark.

 "Why should I let you live?" asked the old tree.

"While I am defining your dimensions and singularity, I make you part of something greater than yourself," replied the vine.

The ancient tree looked down obstinately at the fresh young vine as it was beginning to make its way up the tree's weathered bark.

"Why should I let you live?" asked the old tree.

"The cords that bind us can be stronger than those that pull us apart," replied the vine.

The tree neither respond to, or destroyed the young vine.