Freak Feathers


First I learned crossword puzzles
Researching words I didn't know or understand
Emotion overwhelmed me as I learned and grew
Asking questions about the ones that baffled me
Keeping focused on becoming a human dictionary!

Forensically, I was becoming more and more skilled
Earnestly studying, reading voraciously
Avidly entering words into those black and white squares
Tying them together to bind meaning and spirit
Hating the frustration of making a word fit
Enveloped in a swarm of good emotion as a block is filled
Reveling in the dance of success when all are done
Studiously putting those words into practice in conversation.

Then, I began to incorporate new words and phrases
Heaping them onto and into everyday usage
Evoking praise from peers and colleagues alike.

Wondrously, that praise led to promotions
Overnight, I was a success entomologically
Reaping rewards from penning skilled presentations
Delightedly accepting reward and recognition.

Momentum was on my side, money flowed
Eagerly, subordinates flocked to my cubicle
Repeating my words, reciting the NY Times Puzzle Successes
Chanting my new nickname like crazed sports fans
Hoping to find the Brass Ring for themselves
And in that admiration I found myself becoming
Not the Hawk of old, but a new persona
The person was the same, but the new moniker was:

Freak Feathers, The Word Merchant!
 
Live to Ride, Ride to Live


Highway looms to the front and behind
Air rushes past us enveloping and caressing
Rolling past fields, forests, small towns
Loving the freedom of unencumbered exposure
Encapsulated in our own world
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow faces us.

Deafening roaring of highway and engines
Always moving toward everything and nothing
Victorious over the ties that bind us
Ignoring the slight sting of flying debris
Dreaming of the open roads that lie ahead
Secure in knowing that the possibilities are endless
Over mountains, through valleys, along rivers
Needing nothing, wanting everything, we ride.
 
Freedom

Fields of bright wildflowers
Revealed through eyes that try to see everything
Evoking thoughts of wide open spaces
Every fiber of ones being, open to the universe
Dreams of unfettered soaring like the Hawk
Over lakes, forests, deserts, oceans, mountains
Moving my soul to limitless joy
 
Chance

Chase fear from your heart
Heaven awaits those who bravely move forward
All you can dream is available to you
Nothing will keep you from your path
Cheer and hope will accompany you on this journey
Ecstasy will be your reward

Calm happiness awaits nurturing clear emotions

 
 

~Ed Markow~