Is there any other kind?
Northern Indiana has fertile land with dark loamy soil, full of promise. Each spring we plowed a sizable patch, the soil churning up with the rich smell of fresh earth.
We laid out arrow-straight rows with stakes and twine while picturing a verdant, orderly haven of vegetables and fruits that would burst forth with a robust healthy glow. At the end of each row, empty seed packets capped the stakes: acorn squash, zucchini, lettuce, cabbage, pumpkins, birdhouse gourds, tomatoes, peas, and string beans.
Of course, reality yearly dashed this illusion. Tomato worms the size of sci-fi monsters gorged non-stop on…
A Misty Hike Upon Boreas Mountain.
In the early morning, Boreas Pass is a land of mist and movement
An old train Section House materializes from the low clouds, broad and sturdy, standing near a squat mountain hut that gradually takes shape. The Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad used to chug up and over this steep grade on its way to Breckenridge.
A sign at Boreas Pass announces that we stand atop the Continental Divide, an elevation of 11,482 feet. Beyond, higher still, the green mountain beckons. Boreas Mountain.
No trail shows the way, but the invitation from the summit is unmistakable. I start hiking…
A Life-Altering Commitment You Can Make Today
Where Happiness Lives
Happiness lives in the now. You won’t find it by re-living the past or pre-living the future. You won’t find it in past regrets, or future worries.
In our busy world, you’d think demands on our time would anchor us in the present. Instead, the present has become an endangered species, increasingly lost to time spent inside our heads.
The World Inside Our Heads
Inside our heads is an alternate universe where we can hang out and engage in self-absorption and inner dialogue. …
SF Poem
Riding on a seething plain
proto men on my heels,
Ur beings, loose of shape
featureless, hunger-driven
Under the throb of purple sky
the horse beneath me gone to lather
I cannot outrun them by myself
Their awkward flow,
so blinding quick
and still they come,
this pack of demons, closer now
eyes like holes cut from space
These are the men from when the world began.
Set to destroy me?
To reclaim their place
from a stunted branch of evolution?
The splash of river and my horse falters,
I dismount into the soft mud
cast about for…
Might As Well Face It — We All Do It
You may think you’re the least promotional person in the world. Many of us would say, “That title belongs to me. I own it.” But the truth is, we’re all self-promoting. We have to be, we live in a competitive world.
We’re All Promoters
We constantly market ourselves. Getting a job, pitching a concept, laying the groundwork for a salary increase, a promotion, finding a partner — we’re always putting our best foot forward, presenting ourselves in the best possible way.
If you’re interesting in advancing, then you’re marketing yourself, your skills, education, appearance, experience, and your ability to get…
Ken Martin
Gets his best ideas while hiking. Loves the Mojave Desert, English Bulldogs, and sarcasm and irony even though he can’t define either. Editor of Blue Noise.
