© words and pictures by Dan DeMarle 2017

© Dan DeMarle 2017

© Dan DeMarle 2017

There is light. There is dark.

There is day. There is night.

There is good. There is evil.

How many times do we confuse all of those concepts.

We believe that light equals day and that dark equals night.

We are so stuck in our equatorial mindset.

We forget that in whole parts of the world,

Day is never graced by light for months on end,

and that during other seasons night is never graced by dark.

There are no absolutes.

There is no left, there is no right.

The world is not flat, afterall

It is all a circle.

The dragon really does chase its tail.

If I run fast and far enough, I will be able to touch myself on my shoulder

Now pass the coffee and sit and join me.

In contemplating, the dusk and the dawn.

Ragnarok is scheduled for noon.

© words and picture by Dan DeMarle 2017

Happiness does not come from a place,

from a location,

from another person.

All those things can help bring happiness,

but they do not give you happiness.

Happiness comes from inside.

Every second of everyday provides an opportunity for happiness.

It can occur in the still of a moment,

between one heart beat and the next.

Sometimes it is just there,

waiting for us to reach out and grab it.

But you have to reach for it.

Sometimes it waits sitting around the corner,

just waiting for us to walk into it.

Sometimes we catch it from a glint in a friends eyes.

So the next time you are looking for it,

just stop,

wait,

breathe,

and then smile.

© words and picture by Dan DeMarle 2017

What has the flooding on Lake Ontario shown us?

1. Its not about Plan 2014. There is flooding all over the Eastern United States in lakes and rivers not effected by that plan.

2. That for years our local governments have allowed people, largely white people, to build houses, many expensive houses, in known flood zones. Hey members of my family owned cottages, but they were cottages, not houses.

3. That the City, and Town of Greece have had for years vastly inadequate water treatment plans. That is why they are flooded and dumping stuff into the lake that definitely should not be there. This has been years of governments just hoping this day would not come. They are also just pleased to pink, that they can blame their own incompetence on the Obama Administration and not on themselves. People are often dumb enough to fall for misinformation and misdirection.

4. That if involves middle class or rich white people our local media love it. If it involves others who aren’t in those groups, not so much. How many times have we seen or heard some wealthy white male complain about this.

5. That our local media does not want to talk about the real root of the problem, climate change. That local politicians, largely Republican politicians, see this as great opportunity to do photo ops. Fill a few sandbags, here, hang out with Angry white men and blame President Obama there, what an opportunity. Of course Cuomo has jumped in here to. Great opportunity for him to look like a manly man.

6. That in the end, nothing will change. People living in flood zones are like those villagers in third world countries living on the side of an active volcano, wait that includes parts of Hawaii. Ok not just third world countries. Oh yeah, there there was Mt. Saint Helena. OK, nonetheless, we all know the volcano is going to erupt, we just don’t know when. So don’t be surprised when it does.

7. They will be surprised and then they will demand the Government come in and spend millions of dollars to fix the problem for them.

8. Then those silly politicians will do their best to help those stupid wealthy white people.  Meanwhile, nah, not so much for anybody else who isn’t wealthy or white.

5/9/17

© words by Dan DeMarle 2017

Playing monopoly.

My sister has the wheelbarrow,

my other sister the top hat,

my brother the red crayon,

I have the whistle from the cereal box.

I am sitting next to a jar,

holding my other brother’s snake.

The neighbor friend sits in,

for another sibling called away,

somewhere for the moment.

We all cover the board,

as the youngest runs through the room,

chased by an older sister.

In a large family.

pieces go missing.

but luckily no one ever does.

© words and pictures by Dan DeMarle 2017

Cold day of bike riding reveals the worth of heading out on days like this.

"Some say the world will end in fire, 
Some say in ice. 
From what I’ve tasted of desire 
I hold with those who favor fire. 
But if it had to perish twice, 
I think I know enough of hate 
To say that for destruction ice 
Is also great 
And would suffice.

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

1-8-17

© words and pictures by Dan DeMarle 2017

I have a blue guitar, I do not see things as they are.  You see a slight change in the status quo, and I see the need to rise and fight tyranny.

© words and pictures by Dan DeMarle 2017