reject the machine

reject the machine
don't summarise me
i'm turning all my tokens to lies
everything is broken and I'm struggling to breathe

and reject the routine
the hype is obscene
i'm burning out on counterfeit facts
how can we make progress if we don't know what is real

skin, eyes, lips, heart
that's what it means to be human
joy, pain, fear, love
that's what it means to be human

rest

we can be so reluctant
to take care of ourselves
please, if you do anything today
if only for a moment
if only for a short while
rest

weird

tubes

the in between

my mind races with thoughts
and ideas
when i am in that sacred place
between waking
and sleep
i am compelled to open my eyes
and my notebook
to write
and think
and weave
and dream
until i sleep
and dream
and wake
and think
and repeat
and repeat
and repeat

weird

in a rug

play

when you feel lost
play
when you feel empty
play
when you feel sad
play
when you feel joy
play
when you feel fear
play
when you feel pain
play
when you feel love
play
when you feel
play

weird

dances

wall

there comes a time
in every creative endeavour
when you come up against
the wall
do not be discomforted by its presence
for even though it is blocking your view
just now
you will learn to move
around it
and in that important journey
you will discover
so much more
than you believed
could ever
come to be

weird

the bones pile up

the music

it is fully-formed inside of me
i am merely the vessel
for its manifestation

weird

a figet spinner for end times

i just cried at an ikea ad

a sign
you’re holding it all in
is when it all comes out
when you least expect it

weird

waveforms

acrostic

because
uninterrupted
respite
nears
ever
distant
or
unpossible
therein

weird

enigmatic

what will your legacy be

who are you
and what are you doing
no, don’t tell me about your databases, your frameworks
what are you doing
no, please don’t tell me about how many concurrent agents you are running on your myriad virtual machines
what are you doing
no, i beg of you not to tell me of how you now support post-quantum encryption by implementing the latest ieft drafts for hybrid ml-kem into your ipsec product
what are you doing
what will your legacy be

weird

horse

late

better late
than never

weird

a year in the making

window

i look out the window
to find inspiration
for this part
but it’s bleak out there, today
my floorboards on the landing are about to break
maybe i’ll talk about that
i’m putting off addressing the situation
for a cascade of reasons
i cannot see the floorboards out of the window
so maybe i won’t talk about that

weird

play is what turns everyday life into a fairy tale

mouth

mouth
mouth mouth
mouth ouch mouth
mouth mouth
mouth

weird

if you cannot abide by these rules, return from whence thou camst

the air feels different

step outside
and breathe
deeply,
wait —
the air feels different, doesn’t it?
less hostile
it whispers of a new embrace
against the murmur of birdsong
i can feel the change
and it is welcome

weird

computer,

i am solar powered

today's sunset falls 2 minutes later
than yesterday’s
and the next day
2 minutes more
and the next
2 minutes more
and on
and on

until the sun doesn’t really seem to set anymore

and i am (finally)
filled with life again

weird

landslide

disruption

what can you do
when life throws a tantrum
all your routines destroyed
and mocked
your car is broken
your child is very sick
your kitchen flooded
work deadlines are looming
things are broken
your brain is mush
how can you-

breathe

this is life
this is now
this is happening

and this, too, shall pass

weird

and now you're inside my head

time is an illusion

a new year, a new
what?
a new goal?
a new routine?
a new fucking outlook on life?
there is no past
there is no future
there is no time
but the now

be in the now
taste the now
enjoy the now
be the now
you are the now
we are the now
there is only now
we only have now
now is all we have
and we have a million more nows
to come

weird

i loved the clock for what it promised

endings

we can be so hesitant
to accept endings
they are heavy
so heavy
weighted with the passing of
time you did not quite notice
when things changed
though it brought you joy
and gave you life
there are things we must end
sometimes
to make way for bright beginnings to blossom
and new discoveries about ourselves to
be made
in earnest
with a full heart
and a free mind:
the game will stop this time
when the stream ends

weird

message received

home, now

i have travelled
and i have seen
many places and
people
and different positions of
the sun in the sky
experienced ideas and food and
sights and sounds and
all of it was something
but i am home now
and i intend to stay here
for quite a while

weird

the discovery of the head

i promise you

stop
for a moment
and breathe
keep breathing
search within yourself
for what you enjoy
for what makes you want to wake up
and never go to sleep
for what makes you smile
and never want to stop
and do those things
every day
just for a little bit
every day
i promise you
you’ll be ok

weird

i am the millionaire musical composer and impresario

conference burnout

i spoke at 7 conferences
this year
and it was too much
because i also travelled for other things
many times
and i am tired
and i miss my family
and i keep getting sick
i want to stay home
next year

weird

the horse head was hollow