Monthly Archives: October 2015

Creature Walks 2015-139

Posted in Humor, Poems by

How many of us have become afraid of the dark, the unknown, or the unexpected that awaits us as we travel in life or just live where we do? Do we imagine the creatures that ARE out there, waiting, stalking, and preying on those that are not aware of their existence? I wrote this with those thoughts in mind and offer this to contemplate……..

Creature Walks 2015-139

The creature shuffled stealthily along,

Dragging its left foot behind him.

His cloths were torn, ragged and dirty,

With a musty smell lingering in his wake.

The flopping shoes were moldy, oozing with mud,

Slime clinging from a field far behind.

Ah, a light up ahead, beckoning him onward,

Like a moth towards a foretold fate.

Stumbling past a nearby darkened car window,

A heinous, disfigured face returned his gaze.

A smile deep inside swept over him finally,

As he stalked the promise of reward.

Closer to the source, his heartbeat quickened;

Ahead was a porch light, showing his prey.

Standing alone by the door outside.

A young woman, back turned, not aware.

Silently, so quiet, he approached, so near.

Slowly now, no noise, he made.

Suddenly, she turned around and screeched,

A frozen look upon her face, with fear.

As little Tommy dressed up so great, yelled,

“Trick or treat, Mrs. Bier”.

Den Betts

Sense of War 2015-138

Posted in Contemplation, Poems by

I cannot really identify with the feelings expressed in this poem, but being a U.S. Marine, I have had friends that experienced at first hand the trials and tribulations of the horrors of war. An old Gunny Sergeant I knew would give me a 1000 yard stare of remembrance, when he related to me the things that happened on islands of the Pacific during WWII. I say old, but he was probably only around 40 at the time, whereas I was ONLY 21 or 22 then.  The related stories were unbelieveable, but true, due to the living of the time, the way it was for him…..

I wonder who we can give credit to for various wars. Obviously, certain leaders of countries have the overall blame or credit. But, then again, can we as individuals, look in the mirror and say we have partial blame, by supporting those in power, not stating our beliefs enough against war, waving the flag of our country as a national pride issue, and on and on and on…….  Is war necessary? Is war justified? I will save that for another time……….

Sense of War 2015-138

How sad the eyes that peer outside

Which view the world with pain

The mouth set grim from thoughts that hide

the truth inside the brain

 

A shell of a rose from

upturned nose that covers

a putrid stench.

Both ears that hear the

mournful cries of beasts

within the trench.

 

The taste of blood upon torn

lips, bit from cries of anguish

A touch upon sallow face,

streaked with tears of sorrow.

 

A feeling left from a deadened heart

that hopes for the arrival of tomorrow

A sense of shame from being part

of a war that makes no sense.

 

Den Betts

Fight Within the Mind 2015-137

Posted in Contemplation, Poems by

The mind is something, many people take for granted through the course of their lives. Only, and often, only when something happens to it, do we sometimes become aware of its unique features, attributes, and certain characteristics. Then, we are brought forward into facing reality of what it is, how it is and its complexity of existence. When, after an accident, I spent months in the hospital and rehab, I came, finally, to terms with it, myself overall, and eventually others around me.

Fight Within the Mind 2015-137

The hardest battles to win,

are those fought within

The Mind

that gives not an inch

in fighting with itself.

Infernal strife with confusing thoughts

that pitch and close the reality of

The Mind

Grasping for an answer

long in coming.

Perhaps acceptance;

release from conflicts of

The Mind

seeking solitude and peace

from self taught struggles.

Den Betts

Drug War Won? 2015-136

DesertTo even mention “drug war” is acknowledging the past when we had a drug czar to oversee the so called war on drugs. Today, Meth labs abound, with different concocted drugs than ever before, and now marijuana being sold in stores in certain states. It is a different world now, and the war is not being fought, it is being lost to greed, power and the quest for so called happiness. The heroin epidemic that is raging now is horrible and getting worse. What is the answer; I do not know.

 

Drug War Won? 2015-136                  

 

His breathing continued in gasps with wheezing,

He realized he would have what he needed soon.

Earlier, a quick grab at an old ladies purse, flight,

Then an exchange behind a dumpster in an alley.

 

A cigarette dangled from lips, cracked and swollen,

Two sunken eyes, red rimmed and veined, searched.

The burning gut sensation, beckoning him to hurry,

Ah, behind the office building, good enough.

 

Hurry, his body pleaded, the craving screamed,

Alone, now, prepare, yes, Ohhh, so good.

A stupor, a glazed look as he settled in a heap,

Once again, the feeling of forgetfulness.

 

A bureaucrat sat in front of desk so clean,

Thinking the war on drugs was being won.

Not knowing the anguish below his very window,

Or taking heed of the reasons for the need.

 

Is reality so much a chore to live in a daily way,

Where a false set of hope is in a vial or pill

Which becomes a better way to deal with life

In a way that promises nothing

 

The cost for this artificial crutch is immense

That goes way beyond the monetary,

And affects so many besides oneself,

Bringing on a bitterness of life.

 

What IS the answer for this additive scourge

Which permeates life in the fullest?

When will it end, if there is an end

To life in a different way than now?

 

Den Betts

Ralphie 2015-135

Posted in STORIES by

Ralphie   2015-135

My name is NOT Ralphie and I resent those that call me that! You would think that after all the time I have been around; people would know that I do not like to be called that. Usually I do not acknowledge them when they do, but they still do call me that name.

My name is Ralph! I don’t particularly like the name I got, but I am stuck with it. There should be a rule that you get to change your name at a certain age. This way, the name used is a temporary one for when you are only little.

Can you imagine Ralph Waldo Emerson being called Ralphie Waldo Emerson after he wrote the poems he wrote? Who would want to read a poem by a dude named Ralphie? See what I mean? A name is personal and what you call someone is therefore a very personal thing.

I am fed up with those that do call me Ralphie! They should know better, or at least I think so. I would really like to tell them so, but cannot. I would be in the dog house if I did so. No one would want to talk to me or give me the time of day.

At least I can think what I think and nobody knows what I think. Or at least I think that is so. Didn’t that sound neat? Anyhow, my mind is what it is and I am not going to change it, of course, or change what I think others call me.

Another thing; dear sweet Ruth is not my real mother, and I know that fact. Still, I don’t call her Ruthie!! She is nice though! When she calls everyone, including me, for dinner, she doesn’t say “Here you are, Ralphie” as she starts serving food to all of us. Everyone is called at the same time and usually not much is said when we arrive to eat.

I don’t look at big Max as Maxie either. He married Ruth later in life, after her first husband died and I guess we are all stuck with him. Max was the first that called me Ralphie and I guess I can blame him for the name. I did get even though. When I was little he held me up above him and was saying “Hey Ralphie, how ya doing guy” while somewhat going up and down, as he laid on his back in the living room. Well, I didn’t like it then either and proceeded to pee on him. Ha!!!! That got his attention real quick.

Well, I could go on, but will not do so. I hear Ruth in the kitchen and I know what is coming. It is time for my daily Kibbles and Bits meal. I will scoot out to the kitchen, chow down, get a drink from my bowl and go lay down by the fireplace and take a nap. Max is snoring on the sofa, sounding like a freight train, which will not bother me too much. I look forward to dreaming about the cute little female cocker spaniel next door.

Den Betts

I am a Christian 2015-134

Posted in Statement by

                                         I am a Christian 2015-134

This is inspired by the atrocity in Oregon where the individual asked people about their religion before shooting them.

I am a Christian and not ashamed to say so. I cannot say I am “proud” of saying this, but I am happy that I am one and have to be thankful for being one.

What is a Christian? Like I said, I believe I am one and try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, so, therefore, I believe I can say I am one.

I do not care if others are or are not Christians or feel they are but are not in reality. That is not for me to judge if they are so or not.

I will continue to expound on Christianity and what it means to me. What it means to others is their thinking and not mine.

I feel that following a God-man named Jesus is what I want to do. It means much to me and I tell others what I believe so they know how I feel, that’s all.

How others lead their lives is up to them, I cannot control what others do and only have control somewhat, on what I do.

What I do is not always the Christian way of doing things and that does bother me and affects my actions to a degree.

Living a life of a Christian is complex, sort of.  It involves following the teachings of Jesus of long ago and that is sometimes that is not easy at times. Many of His teachings are shown in the New Testament in the Gospels and that is what I would like to follow.

I said like. This means I do not always do so, as I stated before.

I would think many people say they are Christian, but are not really sure what it entails; just a thought.

I am involved in a mainstream religion, a Lutheran one, and find this religion is one that I can accept, even though the modern hierarchy has put out statements and messages of their beliefs that I do not completely agree with in concept. The founder, Martin Luther, had his reasons in his day for breaking away from the Catholic church, but that is a different account I will not go into right now.

I believe most religions somewhat try to control the thinking of their believers and that affects the way things are done by those religious believers.

In the past and even now, religion has been, somewhat, blamed for many deaths and destruction in mankind, as a general statement, but that fact is not something that determines a belief or not. I do not apologize about what happened 900 years or so ago during the Crusades, for instance. I did not cause them and was not part of those terrible happenings of then. I am a Christian today, trying to live the life that Jesus Christ of then, would want me to do now, today. Simple as that………

Therefore, many blame religion or a particular religion as the reason for things they feel are responsible for something, whereas many times it is the person of that religion that is at full fault for an action. This would apply to then, whenever that was, and now, today……….

I would believe that it is hard to convince someone that there is a God or even, was a Jesus Christ, whereas that person truly believes there is not one or ever was a God human names Jesus.

I also believe that it is impossible to PROVE there is a God, just as it is impossible to prove that there is not.

I am a Christian because of Jesus Christ, who was a man of peace and love. Christianity in its absolute form, is the same way, about peace and love. It is not based on things that some other religions adhere to, which shall not be named.

If any others reading this are NOT Christians, I am fine with that. So be it. Whatever floats your boat is good and I am happy for you. We just differ in our beliefs and that is OK. Again, so be it..

May Peace be with you.

Den Betts

Quotes Blaise Pascal #1 2015-133

Posted in Quotes, Statement by

Quotes   Blaise Pascal #1 2015-133 

“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction”

“There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.”                   Blaise Pascal 

How true, how true. Religion is a way of life for some and a way that is not of life. I say this because of the unmentionable young man in Oregon that killed people, apparently after asking them if they were religious.

I don’t think it mattered, what religion they were, just people that believed. How sad and terrible. I don’t know if the shooter was religious or not, but it does not matter either, he was a person doing evil things.      Den Betts

Help Me!!!! 2015-132

Posted in STORIES by

Help Me!!!!         2015-132

 

Help me!!!!!

I am writing or typing this as fast as I can. I guess I am asking for help, but doubt if you can do so. Stop, let me start all over….

I have been getting this feeling in my head, well actually in my ear. It was driving me nuts or at least bothering me a lot. I would get my fist at my right ear and rub it to try and get the feeling to disappear. It did not work. The more I rubbed the more my ear inside hurt and the outside got red.

This started last week. I would put my little finger in my ear and scratch inside, but that did not work. The rubbing was making my ear look like the dickens. I had one ear my normal color and the other a reddish glow or ember of light looking like a lightbulb.

My ear doctor said, “Never put a Q-Tip inside your ear”. It was easy for her to say. I went and got two of them from the drawer and proceeded to dig. Well, not dig, but swab tenderly; sort of. I inserted it in and pushed it deeper until I could go no further.

I felt resistance and then something happened. It was somewhat pulled out of my fingers and just hung there, wiggling. What the heck! It went up, then down and then round and around. I looked in the mirror above the lavatory and watched it rotate.

I took this in for about a minute that seemed like ten. This was something I did not experience before, and just looking at this was unnerving. I became transfixed with what I saw, but my mind was spinning with questions. What in the world was going on, I thought.

Time for action I decided. I reached up and carefully grabbed onto the swab. As soon as I did I could tell that whatever was causing this, did not like it. The swab was tugged and it went into my ear a little farther. It could only go so far I thought at the time. I slowly pulled on it and it started to come out of my ear.

Now I am heartened with the realization that I was in control. I kept tugging and finally it withdrew the whole way. At this time I was shocked. There was something on the end. I held the swab up, closer to the light and peered at a strange object.

On the end was, what looked like a, well, like a lady bug, or so I thought. It was the same size, and had what I thought were legs. The back was colored, and somewhat changed color. I thought of what oil on water would look like with a swirling color. At the one end was kind of like a head with a mask on it, or so I thought. It pivoted and looked up at me.

Now I am a little scared. What is it? What is it doing in my ear? How did it get there? What now??? Too many questions and no answers. As I stood there thinking about it, something then happened. It, whatever it was, turned and was pointed at me. Then it decided to do something.

All of a sudden, a beam of light came out the things other end. It was green, a dark green light. It was on the swab and then it was not. It took off toward the window of the bathroom. Like a laser beam it was traveling in a straight line toward the window. Then it hit the glass and a cracking sound occurred and the “thing” fell to the window sill. The glass was starred with a circle in the middle and rays of broken, but intact pieces radiating out. Whatever it was now on the sill, very still and it was not moving.

There was a glass mason jar with candle wax in it, nearby, so I grabbed it and turned it over on top of this buggy type thing. I decided to get my camera and magnifying glass to record and look at it better. I took off for my den to get them and returned in minutes.

The candle glass was still there, but inside there was now a blue hazy smoke obscuring the thing. I carefully lifted the jar up and there was now a smoking, black piece of debris with what looked like a charred leg sticking up. I would not be able to tell what it was now. That was OK, I thought.

I had enough. My experience was really different and to say, unusual. My right ear was fine now with the thing gone. It started to look better, and the itching pain was gone. Relief was evident in my mind, but the questions were there about what I just experienced..

I went and sat down on the bed in the bedroom to go over what had happened. I then put my head on the pillow to think some more. Then I felt it. My left ear started to itch and I rubbed it with my hand to make it feel better

Help!!!! Another one is here; inside me, in my ear making me itch like my right ear. Help me!! I think it is going the other way, INSIDE my head, not out of my ear; HELP MEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Den Betts

Quotes —- C. S. Lewis #2 2015-131

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Quotes —- C. S. Lewis #2    2015-131 

“The safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

C.S. LEWIS            

            The evil one likes to make it easy for us to take the path that we would not want to tread if we knew we were going that way. Many of us are affected by this “easy way” that allows us to be tempted to do the things that go contrary to what we would not normally attempt. Each time I see on TV something that has happened by a person doing something stupid or bad, I think if that person had it to do over, would they? Or would they want those minutes back to try something different or better. This is true for many of us daily……… Den Betts