The Red Queen (A poem by Troy Powell)

Subtle transformation, wooven under the surface, a monolithic movement barely noticed.

And here we are, standing on the broken pieces of what was once Pangea.

Unity split and spilled into cacophonic progenies, we float adrift, reeling under the new status quo. Fruits new and forbidden borne from the divine tree lure us. As they tempt our senses, we realize they are both poisons and panaceas.

We behold the mysteries of life, its fragility and ferocity, its protean yield to circumstance, to change. Species, civilizations & languages, rising and falling like the breathe of man, a gentle and necessary equilibrium maintaining the gestalt.

In-between the spaces we can see it all there, the thread of unity which binds it all, the mother tongue that was before Babel. Before misunderstanding, before conflict, before the illusion that was division. We know better now. In the purview of centuries of struggle, we can see it all clear, was the status quo really new?

We cannot pull through threads that hold us in place, yet answers lie right before us, split apart, misunderstood. Apotheosized into ineffable prophets and holy lands, sacred creeds enshrined and sealed with war and blood. But she whispers, a muffled plea, echoing through cathedrals, synoguges, mosques, laboratories, classrooms and theatres. One voice, primordial and fragmented by the facade that we are uncommon, that there is no common purchase on the truth.

We recoil from the harsh realities, the poisonous lessons borne from this fruitless struggle, Atrocities both near and far, wide and deep, concrete and ephemeral. A reaction which also yields an ironic promise the potential panacea, we cannot run from what is, we cannot run from the opportunity to make a difference. Fragments remain the same parts of the whole and it takes all the running you can do to stay in the same place. Perhaps in time, we will rediscover where the fragments fit.

The Little Pleasures. (Musings on tipping points and critical mass)

So I have to admit I've been having quite the odd week and an even stranger Thursday. All week my thoughts and emotions for the most part have been disjointed. The best way I can describe it is as television static, nothing received, nothing being sent, confusion and disarray. (Warning this will be the first of many cheesy metaphors to follow) It has been really hard to work this week, and I could feel my stress levels responding in kind to all of this, as I've been having a hard time concentrating on life and work. (That endless to -do list and the even more pressing "now")

I did something a little unexpected today and took a little pit-stop if you will. While racking my brain on how I would relieve this pressure and change my current state, I looked within myself and in my environment. I decided to put the brakes down on what I was working on and do something's that I would enjoy and some other things, that I've enjoyed in the past that I haven't done in a long time. I dusted off my old saxophone and played along to some new music I've discovered recently, meditated to some ambient music, and massaged my palms with Chinese Stress balls.

In the fog of all the things that have been pressing down on me this week, I gave myself the opportunity to actively do nothing and it was so liberating. Not too long ago my solution would have included copious amounts of alcohol, a temporary and loud reprieve, complete with massive headache and a return to all my problems the next morning. My breakthrough this evening was more holistic I found. A lot of the time when we are stressed we head to defcon one, we panic, and our solutions are usually more drastic than the situation itself. If we listen to our system though, we can find a lot of simple solutions within reach. Sometimes when we've overloaded our washing machines, a simple bump will suffice to put it back into a healthy equilibrium. (Last one I swear)

Simple comforts can be very powerful tools in stress management, and getting to know ourselves in general. Things we enjoy, things we've forgotten usually help renew us. Tonight I found a very efficient and neglected way to unclog my focus (sorry) doing stuff that I like, (who knew?) taking time to focus on myself, and mind. The word comfort comes from the French, with etymologic meaning tied to "that which brings strength" It can be so easy to forget ourselves when we are working on life's necessities, and without realizing it start to run on empty and are fighting our battles weakly. (For real, last one) Don't forget yourself in the process, and don't be afraid to take a time out, I promise you, your body and mind will thank you for it, and you will find those obstacles easier to deal with when you have renewed vigour and focus.