“divine timing tastes sweeter than forcing something you’re not ready for into existence.”

— iambrillyant

warm hands

//fs navratil

An important checklist for your safety.

Can you see the human?

YES: All is well. A human will not usually be doing anything dangerous to other species when they are able to be clearly observed.

NO: Go to the next quesiton.

Can you hear the human?

YES: All is well. A human knowingly doing something they aren't supposed to do will rarely be done in a manner that will attract unwanted attention.

No: Go to the next question.

Is this the human's designated rest period?

YES: All is well. The human is, most likely, asleep.

NO: Go to the next question.

Is there supposed to be a human at your location at this time?

YES: Follow procedure #3.

NO: All is (probably) well. You are in a location where a human is not supposed to be and you can not see or hear a human. It is usually safe to assume that a human is not present.

Procedure #3: Missing Human.

Begin by loudly ordering that any humans present must make their locations known. Humans have a natural knack for stealth and have been known to climb into unlikely places for various reasons which include, but are not limited to, "fun," "to be alone," "to see what was in there," and the well known, "Hold my beverage." Occasionally, you may increase the likelihood of a human response by loudly shouting the human name, "Marco."

If the human has not made themselves known at this time immediately make an announcement using your ship intercom and order the human to contact you with their location. Remain calm, this does not necessarily mean your human is doing anything dangerous. Perhaps your human is refreshing themselves. See procedure #19: Coffee Break. Perhaps they did not come out of their rest period at the regularly scheduled time and may still be sleeping, or they are still on route to your location

If the human has not made contact at this time immediately make a ship-wide announcement ordering that any crew member knowing the location of the human in question must contact you with this information.

If the human's location is still unknown to you at this time call a general alert and have your crew begin search procedures. It is likely that the human is doing something they are not supposed to be doing, most likely as a form of entertainment.

sometimes walking down the street is almost too much for me. there are children laughing and moms watching them clinging to this fleeting moment and elderly women telling each other to take it easy and praying they will both be gentle to themselves and teenagers going out and learning who they are and young couples looking for their first home together and older couples holding hands leaving what will be their last home together. the world is full of love and all of it is precious. the world is full of people and all of them are precious. what a beautiful thing it is to be a person

thought the year would change how I feel about you, but while everything around me changed  you’re still the only one in my head

by laurenmaerie, still you

Qaraar dil ko sadaa jiske naam se aya;

Woh aaya bhi toh kisi aur kaam se aya

Agents are required to leave their weapons with security upon entrance to the ICA headquarters. It's always a special day when 47 comes back.

First he leaves his pistol. The silverballers are handled with care, because people who mishandle them go missing. The fiber wire is handled with equal consideration.

Next is poisons: ICA grade vial of lethal poison. Rat poison. Some sleeping pills he found in a hotel room. Rat poison. A rare South American poison dart frog. Rat poison.

The explosives are pretty limited, as 47 prefers to be quiet. A remote-detonated explosive. Proximity exploding rubber duck (disarmed). A vial of nitroglycerin.

The miscellaneous category, however, is what the security team is excited for most - the random assortment of objects 47 picked up along the way. Anything can be a weapon, after all, when it's in the right hands.

47 leaves a wrench, a crowbar, a hammer, and a screwdriver. Then there's a machete, a can of soup, a bronze cowboy bust. Another screwdriver, a fish (?), a hatchet, a letter opener. Another crowbar.

Then a lead pipe, a pool ball, a brick. Another bust, this one made of plaster. A kitchen knife. A pair of scissors.

47 pauses, taking another inventory of his pockets, before adding a can of soda, another can (this time it's expired spaghetti sauce)...

... and a third crowbar.

find someone whose name brings you to your knees, whose eyes tell you stories you'll repeat each millennia so the earth can never forget them,

find someone whose hands leave stars on your skin that you kiss in gratitude at the thought of proximity to them,

don't ever let them go.

a diaristic prose-fragment-undefinable-textual-reflection on climate change, sudden awareness, naïve gratitude, dubious blessings in disguise, realisations dawning, normality coming to a close, and the dismissal of early signs of danger. title after nope (2022, dir. jordan peele)

the original title, local warning for global warming, was scrapped because it sounded more like a pithy protest slogan than something attached to a poem you’d actually want to read.

by jamie doe 9.10.23

"We don't just 'move on.' We cannot simply untangle the sewn-together edges of our lives and call it a clean break, a clean cut. We remember the people who have touched our lives in pieces. We remember them in sunsets, in our favorite songs or the songs that we immediately skip when they sneak up on us on the radio. In the restaurant we would only visit on Thursday nights but no longer go to at all. In the way that autumn arrives suddenly with a chill but now without the borrowed jacket hanging over our shoulders to lessen it. In every new memory we create without their presence to accompany it, and likewise, in the immediate dull urge to tell them about it. Sometimes we move on while people are still in our lives, and other times we never move on despite them being undeniably out of it. But no matter when it happens, or in what way, it rarely passes quickly. Invariably, it's a slow burn. One that we find ourselves lighting with gasoline to accelerate it; the warmth of another lover, or the cool touch of solitude and comfort of memories that only live behind our eyes. So, you see, there is nothing simple about moving on. Because the task itself asks us to bury something we once loved. Something we once clung to with a white-knuckled grip. So don't just move on, move through it, move with it, move forward from it. Because if life suggested you leave something so valuable behind, there must be better things ahead."

I tried many ways to leave but death doesn't want me either. And yes, at this point, I'm not so desired to be present around.

--- h.harouche

“you’ve spent too much time mourning the ones you’ve lost, and spent too much energy reminiscing by the tombstones of old connections, instead of preparing yourself for the beautiful ones who are yet to come.”

— iambrillyant

one day i'll come home again

//fs navratil

i want to learn to look at myself the way i've come to look at the world. i get my breath taken away at the ever-constant, ever-changing sky. feel tears well in my eyes at the distant sound of children's laughter. but i can barely muster a smile at my own reflection. i have learned to love this world. to take the awful and the awe-inspiring and hold it close to my heart. one day, i will find space there for me too. i will wipe my own tears. tuck myself into bed. believe the good things about myself. smile at my reflection and mean it. i will hold myself in my arms, like the crying child i tried so hard not to be, and wonder: how could i have ever wanted to leave you?

[ blackoutpoetry | 02 ]