The fly flew from the ointment and landed in my drink Its lifeless body floated there gave me time to think Did I really want the comfort those bubbles would provide? Liquid gold within my veins Euphoric rush to downward slide In a memory my mind hides: The chasing of a high that can be … Continue reading Time to Fly
Author: Rae Cod
‘The ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something we make and could just as easily make differently’ – David Graeber
We all saw it during the pandemic, didn’t we? Our ability to quickly and, relatively easily, adapt to new ways of doing things: children didn't go to school, people didn't go to work and loungewear became the season's must have attire. Yet now normality has resumed, so the possibility of doing things differently also seems … Continue reading ‘The ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something we make and could just as easily make differently’ – David Graeber
All You’ll Ever Need
Moving in a spiral to a point of purity Ever decreasing circles ‘til you get where you should be The other myth: a straight line traditional trajectory Avoiding all the pitfalls ‘til you get where you could be At the centre, lies the answer the one each of us seek “Keep climbing to pure happiness, … Continue reading All You’ll Ever Need
Matters Much
There is a negative Nelly living deep within my brain His complaints are always different, yet they’re really all the same The soundtrack he lays down is one of cacophonous strife A circuitous litany on the grievances of life He cannot see the awe in scudding clouds through window panes All he sees are heavy … Continue reading Matters Much
We got the van, man: let the van life adventures begin
Eighteen months ago we had our first camper van adventure and I convinced myself van life was the family holiday life for us. I began the search for a van and we had a couple more rental adventures, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to commit to any of the vans I saw, and if … Continue reading We got the van, man: let the van life adventures begin
The End of Mankind
This is December’s offering to Gobblers/Masticadores, a strange story inspired by an infection called Wolbachia which is found amongst anthropods and isopods. When infected, male woodlice can turn into female woodlice who then only produce female offspring. The world is a weirdly wonderful place!
by Rae Cod
“How long has he been infected with the parasite, Mr Kant?” asked Doctor Fenton, keeping her face as neutral as possible. This was the tenth case presenting with intensive acceleration they’d had this week. The patient – the host – was under sedation in isolation; isolation to supposedly protect others from the parasite, sedation to protect the patient’s own sanity: the National Health Service just didn’t have the resources to deal with something like this.
“He was infected in the first wave, so I guess about six months ago, we’ve been really careful since then, followed the guidelines not to touch…except…”
Dr Fenton’s ears pricked up, “except?”
“His birthday, three months ago, it was just the once…it’d been so long since either of us…and his symptoms seemed under control…”
“Did you use protection”
“No,” said the husband – Mr Kant, Doctor Fenton reminded herself. She must remember to…
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Use Them Well
There’s nothing makes me buoyantlike words that can engageReading them or writing themseeing them on stageHearing them in musicor watching them on screenDiscourse dished directlyfilling spaces in-betweenSaid or read within a momentthey have power to spark a changeFor good or ill they’re physicalimbued in each exchangeThe magic found within themwon’t need incantations or a spellLike … Continue reading Use Them Well
Too many things on your to-do list? Read this.
The never-ending to-do list circles around your head as the cranial pressure mounts, a rising wave of ‘too many things to do, not enough time’ crashes over you, accompanied by a slight twitch in your left eye and the start of a headache that promises to thwart your attempts at crossing more items off the … Continue reading Too many things on your to-do list? Read this.
These Shoes
These shoes are made for crawling, soft and grippy just like glue One shoe off and one shoe on, all fours around the room These shoes are made for cruising, stable soles with gait askew Small and tentative steps explore a world that’s meant for you The shoes are made for running, so fast you … Continue reading These Shoes
Many holes, no water: the pursuit of mastery
I’ve always had this feeling that I’ve never gone quite deep enough with anything to consider myself skilled at it. The term ‘mastery’ floats around in education and self-development circles. It simply means proficiency, but all too often I read it in terms of superiority or domination and for that reason I don’t like it … Continue reading Many holes, no water: the pursuit of mastery