Sparky's World

Meet me in my world...

Name:
Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Grand Finale

It's been a long time since I've blogged. I kinda missed blogging. Sometimes I feel that blogging beats talking to myself hands down. It is better this way. At least I don't get those "Is he talking to himself or is he on his phone?" looks from people's faces.

Some of my readers at one point said that they had a hard time understanding my poems with the exception of "Iron Link". I decided to write a blog about a poem that I wrote about 10 years ago. It is titled "Grand Finale" and also relates to my last blog entry. My style of writing is still largely the same with small differences that I can't place myself. Perhaps my past writings were less polished...

Anyway, the poem below is about taking on challenges in pursuit of a greater freedom in the world of the unknown. During this pursuit, obstacles were encountered and a helping hand was offered. This helping hand turned out to be offering false hope and was full of deceit. While on this pursuit, I wasn't the one going for a ride on life's roller coaster, but instead, I was the one taken for a ride. At the end, the lesson that I learned was that I trusted people too easily and that I felt dumb about it. Well, that's the Cliff Notes version of the analysis. :)

When I wrote the poem, I felt trapped and betrayed. The one person I thought would understand the truth was also blinded. I admitted defeat. I succumbed to lies thrown at me and was allowed to die on my own. That was how it was and I have scars to prove it.

Grand Finale

The night has dawned.
The moment is right.
To skate in the sea.
Chasing the moonlight.

The path is long.
The distance is far.
I glide with each push.
I fly with each star.

Faster I go.
The further I reach.
The sun is jealous,
And braces the beach.

The ice shatters!
Abandons my feet.
Slipping and sliding,
I admit defeat.

I turn my back,
Feeling a sad breeze.
I bow to the crowd,
Shaking on my knees.

What have I done
To deserve this gift!?
A strong hand comes forth,
"I'll give you a lift."

Grabbing strongly...
Reaching for the hand.
Vanishes it goes.
I don't understand.

Crackle, split, splash!
The grand end has come.
Voices are shouting...
"You are just plain dumb!"

The poem was started at 12:52am Sunday, 5/10/98 and finished on 3:29pm Tuesday, 5/26/98. Back then, I took longer periods of time to express myself thru writing. I did fail the CUNY writing test when I was a junior in HS. My writing skills improved during my college years where I wrote love letters and poetry for that someone special. I also spent hours each day crafting my emails to prevent any possible misunderstandings, as there were many due to our cultural differences.

Sigh... like I said in my previous blog. I wrote this poem in response to a professor's actions. Gosh... it's such a long story to tell. I don't even know where to start off telling it. This is the same reason why I never wrote my book. Whenever I sat down to write my book, I would dance around the subject and write about other things, much like what I'm doing right now.

Ok.

So, the story begins... I fell in love for the first time when I was a junior in college. Before my junior year, my life was largely a lonely one. Throughout high school I had no friends. When I say I had no friends... I mean I had no friends. I had acquaintances. Acquaintances that I never hung out with, in or out of class. I didn't have a social life. I never saw one single movie with friends... scratch that... I never saw one single movie EVEN with A friend. I never was invited to hang out or to even sit with people during recess. I went to school alone and I went home alone. I only called up someone when I needed to ask a question regarding classwork and the same when I received a phone call... even those were very far in between. I never cut a single class. I had perfect attendance... for 4 years in a row. I basically lived life in a vaccuum and was very depressed.

Throughout high school I cried often. Often before bedtime when I finally had time to think about life in general. If I wasn't so strong minded in doing what's good or what's right in life... I would have committed suicide long time ago. At one point, I was pretty close to doing that. I made an audio tape one night talking about the things that were going on in my life. I kept the tape for that what seemed to be an inevitable day that would finally come.

A long story short... my college life didn't change one bit for the first two years, but during my junior year I befriended someone special. This someone special helped me find happiness in life in a whole new light. He might not have known how he affected me initially, but it was he who gave me reason to live life with a happier rhythm.

Our first encounter was a weird one. He was wearing a t-shirt with this cute and very childish cartoon character of a cat on it. The shirt was very colorful and had black and white thick stripes on the shoulders. He said it was one of his favorite shirts. I thought it was too childish for his age. He had light brown hair parted down the middle and was wearing jeans and sneakers. He caught up to me in the lobby of our school and asked me for an interview. We sat in the lobby for about 10 minutes and the interview was dumb. It was "What's your favorite color?" and "What's your favorite food?" kinda dumb. The interview was a chore for him and not one that really allowed him to get to know me.

Our second encounter was also very brief. He was in pretty much the same outfit... I know he must have washed it, because he's a clean freak when it comes to his body... his living environment... uhm... it can get quite dirty at times (just to be fair). He had a tummy ache the second time I conversed with him. I must have offered him Tums since I carried it all the time after my breakdown.

All the depression that was bottled up in me over the years did me in at the end of my sophmore year. I took the bare minimum of credits to maintain my scholarship and my GPA plunged from 3.5 to under 2.7 in two semesters. I was prescribed medication to help me deal with my anxiety. I carried the same medication with me for over 5-6 years after the breakdown, because I was afraid of a relapse. The medication made me sleepy and slowed my breathing and made me go into a state where I didn't know how to worry about what was going on around me. It made me happy in a sad way. The pill was tiny, white, and had a slight bitter taste to it, but moments after taking it, I would be in la la land.

During our brief second encounter, we just talked about the classes we were taking and which professors we had and what we did over the summer. We were in the same social science class and sat next to each other. During this encounter, I noticed something different about him. He was a little nervous or jittery even. He seemed to have alot going on in his mind and was skeptical of sharing it with anyone. He didn't seem depressed or comtemplative, but instead, friendly and jolly. This jolliness however came across as being fake. Not fake in a bad way, but fake as if he was hiding something or simply what he now calls "being reserved".

It was not until our third encounter where things became more apparent. It is also our third encounter where the story -truely- begins.

<<
The night has dawned.
The moment is right.
To skate in the sea.
Chasing the moonlight.
>>

The moment had arrived where the door to a new life opened up. I changed the black water of the sea, my fear, into ice. It was on this sea that I skated with freedom while chasing my inner peace.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Blue Water

Gosh... I feel a bit sad now after looking at my calendar. The calendar came as a gift from a friend and I use it at work with my fellow cube mates. We all take turns changing the date on the calendar and marvelling at the beautiful picturesque locations that we all rather be at than in the office. Today's picture is of a beautiful beach in the Bahamas.

The picture is actually one of the "simpler" ones... just a coconut tree, sand, two beach umbrellas made from grass, a clear blue sky, and of course the blue water.

Staring at the picture for about 30 seconds made me realize one thing. I've never seen true blue water before in my life. Never have I seen true blue water other than water in a hotel pool or someone's yard... and even that is artificial. The water only looks blue because the pool bottoms are painted blue. :(

So, why am I feeling sad about not seeing blue water? After all... it's just water. Well, I think it is because it brings up thoughts of certain places, events, and wants in life.

Hawaii. Hawaii tops the list where someone special in my life went during my grad school graduation ceremony. Needless to say, it was pretty upsetting. I tried hard to keep my cool, but ended up returning the shirt and tie that was given to me for my graduation. But, at the end, I accepted the gift to not make this person feel guilty. And... coincidentally... I'm wearing the tie today... as if it was meant to taunt me all over again. I wear the tie from time to time to force myself to accept certain facts of life, but recently it had moved it's way to the back of the closet. Perhaps, wearing it today in conjunction with blue water is a sign of some sort?

Cancun. Cruise. I always wanted to go to Cancun or on a cruise. It just never happened for one reason or another. I just want to see my toes wiggle in the blue water... that's all. Not too much to ask, right? Well... maybe to see all the little fishes swim around my feet too. I think it would be cool. :)

I actually have a confession. I actually feel/believe that I died drowning in my past life. It's funny to say that because I'm suppose to be a Christian and Christians don't believe in past lives. We simply go to heaven and that's it. But, I think I did die of drowning. I fear black water the most. Black water is simply water seen at night. Have you ever looked into the distance of an ocean and see nothing, but hear the waves crashing beneath you? It is a scary feeling for me. Black water is like a black hole where you can fall into it and end up in limbo or something. Looking into black water on the most peaceful nights still sends a trembling chill deep into my bones.

Although I fear black water, whenever I have the opportunity, I stare hard at it; while suppressing the inner fear. It's weird I know. But I do it to make my heart race then to feel my heart calm down. I look for the glittering reflection of the moon to help find the inner peace.

Water, the moon, and skating... these are all reoccurring "themes" in my life. Water represents fear. The moon represents peace. And skating represents freedom. I even wrote a poem over 10 years ago with all three themes in it. The poem was complimented by a school professor... "It reminds me of Robert Frost." The poem was actually about him and how he broke apart my first relationship. I showed him the poem to tell him how I viewed him as a disgusting person... but I was always at his mercy. He wrote a poem back to me using the word "rape" to describe the desire for love. He was an intelligent, but disgusting man. It's no accident that he chose the word "rape"... that's how I felt. More on the past at another time. This story was meant to be told in my book.

I'm not please with this blog entry. It doesn't flow like water or provide peace like the moon. It fails to bring freedom... just more turmoil.

Blue Water

The Tie

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Lunch Date

Yes! I had a lunch date with a French dude today. He's been in the states for some time and is here on a business venture. He's quite successful too. I spent about $45 during lunch.

He promised me many things during our fleeting hour... "reduced facial expression lines", "a more radiant look around the eyes", "fewer wrinkles on my forehead in 3 weeks", and even "smoother skin overnight". I don't know whether to trust him or not, but I thought that I owe it to myself to give him a shot. I mean, I've believed more shallow things that I've been told over the years. Why not trust a flirty Frenchman? :)

So... I decided to place my trust and my youth or lack of, in his hands... I don't have a choice do I? In this shallow gay world, beauty is not just skin deep... it is our key to getting noticed. Inner beauty has no weight if outer beauty is not first perceived. It's the truth. It's reality. It's a cut throat world out there. As gay men, we have to constantly "beautify" ourselves, stay as "beautiful" as our significant other, or simply be "better looking" than the gay friend next to us.

Sigh... beauty... blame our childhood story books that brain-washed us since we were kids.... "Sleeping Beauty", "Cinderella", "Snow White", and of course... "Barbie"... yes... she's not a story book... she's just a biatch for dumping "Ken". I hope "Ken" is gay... at least he's more beautiful than that ugly gay "Billie". To think of it... I made Barbie clothes from scraps of fabric as a kid. I even broke her head off one time when I tried to outfit her in one of my sleekly designed night gowns. I guess she was fat.

What to do? What to do... when outer beauty is so important? I figured, one way is to date a Frenchman full of promises for a few weeks... meet my Frenchman... his name is Loreal...

Calling in Sick

MY GAWD... my moral views just dropped after participating in and reading a CNN survey...

The question asked was:

"Have you ever called in sick to work when you were perfectly healthy?"

Yes: 63%
No: 37%

"No" is only 37%?? I thought "No" should be like "1%" or something... I guess there are more honest people out there than I thought. I feel sleazy and dishonest now. :(

Monday, November 12, 2007

Desire

<<--

If There Is Something To Desire
- by Vera Pavlova (translated from Russian)

If there is something to desire,
there will be something to regret.
If there is something to regret,
there will be something to recall.
If there is something to recall,
there was nothing to regret.
If there was nothing to regret,
there was nothing to desire.

-->>

The above poem makes me think of the chicken and the egg scenario for some reason. So, what she is saying is that... a desire is not a desire?? But to me, desires are very real. I think we all have many desires or wants or needs in life. I equate all three since they are separated by a fine line.

We are sometimes taught (often by ourselves) not to desire or to "expect" certain things in life because all of us have been burnt one time or another wanting something. It is a case of lowered expectations due to the fact that we don't believe or try not to believe that what we want possibly exists out there and is possibly attainable. We usually stow our desire aside or suppress them and settle for less to spare ourselves of the heartbreak or the regret. But, then again, the keywords are "possibly attainable".

I am increasingly torn between keeping that desire or settling for "less". I put "less" in quotes because viewing "less" in a different light, using lowered expectations, "less" can be "more". "More" is in quotes too because "more" is only apparently "more" due to lowered expectations. Another chicken and the egg kinda feel here... sucks.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is... when do we let go of our desires in life? When do we say to ourselves that what we desire is not attainable... well, at least not by ourselves?

I've chosen most of my life to not settle and to keep that fire in my belly to continue to make that desire a reality, but that fire needs fuel desperately. Being 31 and questioning where have I taken my life in the past decade is not an easy one to answer. In short, I've done well... in long, I've been a failure. In great details, I've been a good person. In a glance, I'm no one special. How do you evaluate your life? What is the measure?

We can all conclude that life is not a walk on the beach. Or is it?

Story in Sand

Sandy shores
We call home
Grows and wanes
On its own

Walk with me
Along the shore
Setting footprints
One step more

The trail left
Is steady and sure
With each wave
Prints no more

The sand holds
A story each day
Gone by morning
Washed away

What difference
Does it make?
Another set foot
At day break

Nothing grows
In barren sand
Like in life
Where I am

Looking back on
The trail of life
Not much good
Just plain strife

-- Sparkyx, 3:24pm, 11/12/2007

Monday, November 05, 2007

Iron Link

I haven't been writing as often as I normally would for the past week or so. Partially because I've been quite busy and partially because my browsers refuse to cooperate with me. I need to get a new computer. I can't seem to get my laptop straightened out.

But... I finally got FireFox working enough to make a post this evening...

I'm still having trouble sleeping every other night it seems. No night light... not my bed... too much thinking. Yes, I'm sleeping in someone else's bed, but not with that someone in it. If I get that lucky, I'll let you know. LOL!

Well, I've been thinking a lot on the subconscious level as I go about my daily routine of work and etc. The thoughts come and go and they play back at night like a broken record... or shall I say DVD for our younger readers. These thoughts are eating at me from the inside out. A little piece dies along the way, but gets reborn a bit stronger. However, a patchwork body is fragile; it can crumb from a pin wound. That's how I feel. That's how I've been feeling for quite some time. It is sort of like the game show "The Weakest Link", but it's just that each link is iron strong, but the latch and hook between them are rusted away. Have you ever felt that way before? It really isn't pleasant. You appear strong, but it's all an illusion. You feel strong, but you know you can break away easily.

Perhaps that's how we are all built and I'm no different? I never asked this of anyone, so, I can't say for sure. But, what about those times where someone starts tearing or stuttering when he/she starts talking about something emotional? Do they live in a patchwork body too?


Iron Link

A thousand links
A thousand men strong
Complete and whole
This can't be wrong

Each rusted link
Replaced in time
Withstanding weather
Beauty with shine

Perfect structure
Forged with will
Heavy and solid
Cold and still

The chain seemingly
Pulls a thousand tons
When hooked to life
It pulls none

With time
The links are no more
Back to nature
As powdered iron ore

Blown in the wind
Stepped on as dust
Once almighty
Now just crust

Never can be gathered
Never whole or new
Nature just decided
Gone when the wind blew...

Life is a chain of events
Held in succession
Once broken
Dreams - as a concession!

-- Sparkyx, 11/05/2007 11:11pm


Wow... all that just came out in one sitting... so... yes, life is a chain of events held in succession... once it's broken, dreams are our concession.