Friday Free Write from 12-05-25

How Does the World Celebrate an End of Genocide

by Michael Allyn Wells

Confession Tuesday - It Tastes Funny Edition

Confession Tuesday -

Bless me reader, It's been a week since my last confession...

A week and no new rejections. No new submissions. Sure, some writing including a couple things with some promise.

I confess I stopped for a Diet Coke at Casey's on the way home. The vwet nice lady at the case register waved me off and said you are good. Very nice of her, Unfortunately, it is very watered down and like an addict I'm drinking it just the same.

Working on some ideas about my voice - I confess, very rough so far but it will get there.

Sunday I started on Ozempic. I have Diabetes, and I was taking. two oral diabetes meds and an Insulin pen. We dropped on of the oral meds as I started Ozempic. I confess it has been really strange. My stomach mostly feels kind of full all the time. Sometimes a bit of nausea. Nothing I eat really tastes right. I had a bowl of Maple Malt-O-Meal for breakfast and that was the first thing that. kind of tasted normal. It was enjoyable and that is a first since Sunday.

I confess I am wavering between a salad and stuffed peppers for dinner.

It's 78 in the house and that's not because that is my preference. That is because of our fascist energy company that feels compelled to not cooperate with my desire to feel comfort.

Thought for the day....

" We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know." W. H. Auden

Till next time, stay safe-

Michael

Two Stories and a Genocide

"Who gonna do it?"

That question reverberates in my mind every night.  As a poet, I ask myself whose story is this to tell? I'm not among those constantly wandering in search of safety for the next few hours. Wondering then, where to next? I'm not clutching my stomach to pain of emptiness in a body wasting in the drag on it as it as it tries to pull some kind of strength from nutrients that aren't available.  

I'm not having to close my eyes as I step over body parts that are barely distinguishable. That every breath I take is filled with a mixture of dust, of soot particles and the sulfur of explosions. The smell of death that is always an undercurrent. I know of these things but I don't actually live then, so it's not really my story to tell.

The story that is mine to tell is none the less painful. It is the story of a mixture of anger and sadness. It is a frustration that even as a poet I cannot seem to find the correct word to convey that sadness because sadness is not. good enough. It's more than that... it's not even despondency, it's overwhelming, it's grief. It is seeing so many photos and videos that they have become a collage of images in my brain.  And as this goes on, my anger grows and it is hard to keep it under control because it is American Tax Dollars, Billions of them that has been feeding this ugly vial right-wing Zionist government that has made the decision to choose genocide on the people of Gaza. 

That anger is fermented by the inability to stop our government's ongoing support of Netanyahu, of Bezalel Smotrich, of other Israeli government leaders and the IDF who are executing a campaign of ethnic cleansing so that they can clear the Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank, one way or the other and finally take their land as their own, just as they have been illegally doing in the West Bank now for years.

There is a deep pain, deep sadness, unspeakable outrage that America has played a roll in this. The deaths of women and children. The Starvation. The inability to say to the Palestinians, this was not my wish. This was not collectively the desire of the American people. It was the inexcusable actions of many who thought they were doing something they should do, because they have tried to defend Israel for so many years they didn't see that their actions were doing to a  whole nation of Palestinians. There is no excuse for these misguided actions. 

So, my nights are filled with the anger of our involvement. With the sadness for a whole generation of Palestinian children what are being lost to death, to being maimed, to being orphaned, to a lifetime of trauma, as well as the remainder of the civilian population of men and women who suffer this unspeakable genocide. That is the story I must tell. 

The story of the Palestanian people and the story of the Americans who have not asked for the roll in their genocide are parallel stories. Different, yet the same. They are stories that must be recorded for history.  Each must be told. 

Confession Tuesday - E.T. Edition

Confession Tuesday - ET edition

confession Tuesday

Grab a cup of coffee and come with me to the confessional...

Friends, it has been one E.T. movie with the grand kids, one rejection of three poems, 8 days of Grind poetry, one discontinued conversation on Medium with a fellow who was stuck on telling me I was repeating Hamas talking points on Gaza, and I explained after many different conversations that he sounded like a genocide apologist, and I was through wasting both of our time, Blogged on Dante and Rodin, am convinced that Trump's presidence will be crippled by the Epstein dibockle and he will not be able to shake it, the start of reading a new book, and a full week since my last confession.

The book I am reading is Censoring an Iranian Love Story by Shahrar Mandanipour. It's his first book to appear in English translation. I am finding it fascinating. I confess that I find it so inventive in its approach to telling the story.

I confess, I believe Trump's presidency is toast. He will not be able to recover and further Democrats will sweep a new majority into the House, and perhaps the Senate as well.

Blogging on Rodin and Dante and the inseparable link between the two over the Inferno and the Gates of Hell, and I confess I need to delve into Dante's Divine Comedy.

The war in Gaza has taken a toll on my sanity. I confess that I never thought the actions of Israel could be so brutally inhumane. But they are, and

honestly, I have acknowledged this as genocide a lot longer than many.

Oh, what will I write about on day 9 of the Grind? I confess I have no idea presently,

I confess I forced my grandkids to watch the movie E.T. on Sunday. Every child needs to see that movie. It has so much to say about empathy. I believe it is an excellent teaching moment.

That's about it for this week. Thanks for handing out with me as I talk about the good and the bad of the week.

Until next time...

Peace and be safe~

Confession Tuesday - Notch-Yo Cheese edition

Dear reader:

We must hurry Confessions are ending in 15 minutes, Follow me...
 

Reader, it has been submissions to two journals, umpteen Diet Cokes,  way more text messages than I want or need, One Nacho cheese and jalapeno pepper dinner, one Labor day holiday, and one week since my last confession. 

I confess that I am exhausted by the complete ignorance and incompetence of Donald Trump. I confess I believe he is killing the economy largely out of ignorance and poor decisions. But you know what? That will likely nail the coffin in the midterm elections.

I confess when I think of Trump, there is nothing good that comes to my mind. I make no apology for that, just as he has never apologized for the lawlessness he undertook to attempt to overturn the the 2020 election. He owes the people of this country a giant apology, but we will never get it. He is clueless. 

I confess I am in the mood for black walnut ice cream. Yeah, go ahead and say it... that's old people ice cream. So what, I'm old!

I confess when I get off here I need to write a Grind Poem for today.  don't want to wait much longer to do it. 

I confess it is hot and humid in this house, and it makes me want to scream. I do not do hot well, and I never have. 

Let me close tonight by saying that I am so totally sad and angry at the continued gross arrogance and intense brutality that Israel is inflicting on the Palestanian people. The large scale and indiscriminate bombing, and the inhumaine starvation are enough to make me want to scream in the face of Netanyahu and tell him I cannot wait for him to go down. His genocide legacy has also become Israel's genocide legacy. I confess that. I believe they no longer deserve a seat at the United Nations. I have supported Israel since my early childhood. No more. It lacks any moral justification. It has skimmed U.S. Taxpayers money for years only to use the weapons and ammunition on Palestinians who for decades held them down under Apartheid.  No more. Not another dime for weapons for Israel. The zionists have taken over the government it is time the Israeli people free themselves the zionist hate, and the bloodthirsty Israeli government. They all should be tried at The Hague, The entire Netanyahu cabinet, and the IDF - and the zionists that have set up illegal homes in the West Bank all should be tried in The Hague.

With that, I bid you a good night till next time. Peace!

All best!

Michael 

Confession Tuesday August 25, 2025

Confession Tuesday August 25, 2025

Good evening friends:

Off to the confessional.

I confess it's been one week since my last confession.

A particularly depressing evening, a day fraught with stress over cars, and a day when two new cases at work came in at the last minute... I confess I will be busy tomorrow preparing for court Thursday morning. I Confess I consumed one piece of Tippins Peach Pie which was to die for, I confess to consternation over signing up to write for the "Grind" in Sept. (which I did), and confess to hives that I keep breaking out in for some unknown reason.

Productive day even if it was administrative stuff as opposed to writing.

It's been a Submission Saturday. I got my shit together and did a contest package with 10 pages of work, as well as a submission to a Literary Journal. I'm going to call it a night and and try and relax and finish reading a book. Probably should do a journal entry before I go to bed too. I've got about 2-1/2 hours to toy with yet tonight.

Eat Your Words: A Kansas Poetry Cookbook

A shout out the Kansas Poet Laureate

For this Poetry Cookbook Project

Traci Brimhall is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently Love Prodigal. Her poems have appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, The Nation, The New Republic, Poetry, The New York Times Magazine, and Best American Poetry. She’s received fellowships from National Endowment for the Arts, the National Parks Service, the Academy of American Poets, and Purdue Library’s Special Collections to study the lost poem drafts of Amelia Earhart. She’s the current poet laureate for the State of Kansas. Her poem, “Smoke Carries the Wish to the Heavens,” appeared in American Poetry Review.

Eat Your Words: A Kansas Poetry Cookbook

Edited by Traci Brimhall, Poet Laureate of Kansas
20 Chefs, 20 Poets - Recipes & Poems

POETRY / American / General
COOKING / Regional & Ethnic / American / Middle Western States
COOKING / Individual Chefs & Restaurants

ISBN: 978-1-956578-73-7 
Retail: $15.00

Morning thoughts during Rolling Thunder

                                                                           Photo: M.A.Wells

Rolling thunder this morning is unsettling to our German Shepherd, Silas. He has gotten better about such sounds and fireworks but I guess he will likely always have some issue with it. He is a rescue dog but we have had him for more than 10 years. When we first brought him home he was laden with anxiety for almost everything. He would not walk through a doorway unless led through on  leash. 

When I am working at my desk he, and the little long haired dachshund, Madison, will quietly rest close at hand. Madison's main function in life is to tag along underfoot - especially when I move into the kitchen because he knows it is most likely there, that God will see that manna will fall from heaven. Any eatable that is enroute to the floor he will likely snarf up mid-air before it hits the floor. But he is perfectly fine eating off the floor as well. 

If I am sitting otherwise quietly at my desk but have something I am eating, they are both instantly aware. Madison impatiently working for my attention in hopes I will share. Silas on the other hand lumbers over and stands quietly with this look he knows I cannot resist. It is polite and sincere and of course makes me want to reward him.  If he feels however that Madison is winning in the attention mode, Silas will up the ante by adding a very quiet whimper. His posture otherwise remains polite and he only moves closer if I offer an extended hand with a treat. Madison will of course rip it out of your hand if at all possible.

What is really funny is that if I have popcorn or chex mix, or something else I can offer him while I am eating it -- and of course ancy pants too, once I am finished I have to say "all gone" and show the bowl or my hands like I am a Black Jack dealer. Once that happens he quietly goes back to his spot on the floor.

Dogs are some of my favorite people. 

We have had cats too as well as at the same time. But we have had dogs that were not cat friendly and I can't be certain these two would tolerate a cat, so that is not happening.  I do however miss the cats even as they were trying to walk on my keyboard as I write. But mostly they would get comfortable next to where I was writing. 

I notice it has grown quieter and I think maybe we are done with the thunder for now. All is quiet, and I need to shift to another mode for a different writing project.  

I Knew to Wait

                                                Photo by Polina Kuzovkova on Unsplash

The softness of the light 

the twisty commingle

of sheet and blanket

left in haste

but for how long?

Too early an hour

for a walk.

A taxi maybe? 

But where? 

Do I wait? 

Ah, the coffee 

it was made 

as if specially for me

I pour a cup and wait.

Photo by Zhen Yao on Unsplash

Glitter

It looks like change sounds.
Rhinestone trees catching light 

be it sun or moon.

A flash point for the eyes. 

Everything else bows

and takes a place out of focus. 

MichaelAllyn Wells (C) 2025

I Hear Only Myself Breathing

    Photo by Rosie Sun on Unsplash

Sometimes I feel the darkness touching my sides.  It hugs me, not in

loving way, nothing sensual, not even in a caring sort of way.

It's not a darkness with a mood overhead. It's not a darkness with the

twinkle of stars above. It's not even the darkness with the expectation

of a gradual lightening into a new day.

It is an aloneness that compounds your very existence. It's a kind of

blindness to everything that surrounds you. 

It takes your balance away. It takes away joy. It surrenders you to 

an uncharted surrounding. It's an emptiness that is missing vibrance 

that it has not forgotten.  

#emptiness. #dark.  # alone #missing 

Thought Scape

                                        Photo by Fons Heijnsbroek, abstract-art on Unsplash

A blended series of interactive thoughts.

Transcribed to ethical proportion.

Taking up space -- but only in a single dimension.

What would it say-

were it able to speak for itself?

Would the response be linear? 

Tangential?

Much adoo about nothing? 

#abstract

Is The Taylor Swifte Endorsement of Kamala Harris the Cultural Zenath for the 2024 Election?

 

With the 2024 Election Campaign coming at us like an astroid, the endorsement of Kamala Harris for president the night of the Trump - Harris debate has sparked the question of how much impact such an endorsement can have on a national campaign. 

We know per recent polling that the race is very tight.  We know that Swife has a whole army of fans out there. Not all are voting age, but even those who are not, in most cases have parents that have likely shelled out money for Taylor Swift tickets of merchandise and I think even these young swifties can play an influential role getting parents on board. 

Is there another celebrity that could offer as much star power out there?  What would it take for Trump to find a counter to Swift? Does it even make a difference. 

There are plenty of other  cultural influencers out there that have heave lesser fanfair to offer but still bring some unique quark to the campaign.  This election is unlike any I have ever witnessed. 

Recently Liz Cheney and her father the former Vice President, both Republicans icons historically, have announced that for the sake of the country, they will not support the Republican nominee but instead, vote for Kamala Harris. The day I saw this, I though hell had frozen over. Then on Friday, famous conservative columnist, baseball enthusiasts and author George Will did the same.  Again, it was a nod to the importance of saving our democracy from Trump as opposed to any more ideological position on issues.

If this election campaign is unorthodox for any reason, it is because the threat of our democratic republic is in so many people's view trumping other issues. No pun intended. 

How Much Difference If Any Will Taylor Swift Make?

Swift commands a significant following - as of Aug 7, 2024 — Taylor Swift – 550.5 million followers on all her social media platforms. Reuters reports that Taylor Swift's Harris endorsement drew 9 million 'likes.' 

The thing about Swift is she has a very positive image. Further, those that don't care for her are often a result of cultural issues they disagree with her on, and the general feeling she represents an opposition to Trump so they automatically don't care for her. 

The latter fact probably means that she is not going to likely caust Harris votes on these issues because they are already zoned in on those issues and were not going to vote for her anyway.

There is an ongoing number of new 18 year olds every day. This added youth vote offers a whole new pool of voters. They are likely influenced by many things including Taylor Swift. But additionally in the scheme of courtural war issues, they are more likely to lean Harris then Trump.  Harris has been making a plea to young people to register to vote, so that opens  a door to many 18 and older that were not registered. 

We won't likely know till after the election how much Harris may have been helped by this endorsement, and even then, it. will likely be speculative based on the turn out of  young people, even though her fan base is quite expansive in terms of age. I can personally attest to that. 

#culturalwars  #Haeeis. #Trump. #election2024. #TaylorSwift #endorsements

We Must Stop The Genocide Now!

Innocent Civilians -- including women and children are being killed daily.  Stand with Artists 4 Cease Fire 

#Gaza  #StopTheKilling.  #Genocide   #EthnicCleansing 

A Moon by any other name --

Photo by Dominik Fischer on Unsplash 

What poet has not been lured in by the moon? A mystical luminary overhead. 

The moon is known by so many names - New Moon, Full Moon, Crescent Moon, Gibbous Moon, Quarter Moon, Blue Moon, Supermoon, Micromoon, Beaver Moon, Harvest Moon, Hunters Moon, Buck Moon, Pink Moon, Blood Moon, Black Moon, Wolf Moon, and Strawberry Moon, to name a few. There are a number of them that named for various mythological Goddesses of the moon. 

Also there are any number of geographical variation of some of their moon names listed above and many names given in non-english languages.

There, you have a whole host of writing prompts - write a poem using each of these moons in it.

#moonnames  #Moon 

Has A Poem Had Such A Profound Impact on You as to Change Your Life?

 Not everyone is keen on poetry and I realized that almost as far back as I became aware of poetry.  I guess when I first learned of it realizing what it was, I would hear people from time to time dismissing it as boring, or irrelevant, or too hard to understand was maybe the most common. 

Obviously over the years none of this dissuaded me. I crossed over the bridge from being a reader to being a poet as well as a reader myself.  So this weekend I was sitting here with things flowing through my head as the tend to do on weekends, and I wondered how many could say that they have read a poem that truly changed their life.  If that is the case for you, I'd love to hear about it. What the the poem and how did it change your life? 

Since most of my readers are poets themselves, My second question is, have any of you written a poem that changed your life? This could be changing your attitude of life in such a way to modify your life in some way. I suppose it could be a poem you wrote that won a prize and how that might have impacted you. 

Anyway, don't be shy. Le's give it up for poetry-- What's the poem that made a difference to you. Even if it was one of your own poems. 

#poemschangelives #lifechangingpoems #poetry 

We Hold These Truths - That ALL men & women ARE CREATED EQUAL

 

The Fourth of July  is an important part of the heritage and the history of this country.  You may be asking what the difference is.  History is a chronology of something from the past towards the present.  Heritage is altogether different.  Heritage is defined this way:

 1.property that descends to an heir.  My parents were American and by birth I therefore inherit an ownership in American and all it's freedoms and responsibilities. That is my inheritance. 

2. a special or individual possession; an allotted portion. As an immigrant, upon naturalization I may be allotted a portion of those freedoms afforded us under our constitution and laws.   

Yes, I know the 4th is all about fireworks, and BBQ, and apple pie, and beer, and so on.  But I believe it is important to focus on the word FREEDOM, because that is what the colonies were in search of.  Freedom from the King of England.  Freedom of religion, to name perhaps the most significant causes.

After our fight with Great Britton to free us from the British commonwealth, we established a Constitution that  guarenteed we would have self rule. That we would not  be beholden to any King, be it the King of England or one established here in the colonies. 

Further, people were free to worship as they so wished. They were not beholden to the King and the Anglican Church, or any other, Catholic or Protestant rite, or Judaism, or Muslim, or Hindu, or Buddhist church. 

These are founding principles that have guided us for all these hundreds of years.  I think it is important on the things that. have made our Democratic Republic the envy of so many.

We are not by any means perfect. but the phraseology "a more perfect union" underscores what we have been striving for. It has been long and it has not been easy, but we have continued to be committed to this quest that our forefathers started us on.  Our strength is in our diversity. And though we can be many, we can also be one.  

Remember tonight, what an awesome responsibility we have to our nation, to the preservation of a democratic republic, and to be an example to the free world.    

Imagine

Photo by Kristaps Ungurs on Unsplash

Imagination pulls us up, out of our grounded self and allows us to reach the sky.

We breath deep and fill ourselves with the hope and magic of tomorrow. 

It will be different - it will be new & we will be a part of it  

M.A.W.