Better Speeling

How can you figure what's what
when words that ought
to be spelled the same are nhat?

It's hard to know whether
spelling inventors weren't quite bright
or whether they spelled words
every which way out of spight.

You can't find the word
You're looking up if you're not spelling
It the way you should...
Which you won't if your spelling
Is none to gould.

English spelling being so bizarre,
Being a poor speller doesn't mean
That your IQ is below parre.

Contrariwise, it may prove
Your intelligence is high,
And this is wigh:
For example, the absurd way
We spell "half"
Is enough to make any intelligent
Person lalf.

As for the ridiculous way we spell "ache"
It could only happen by mistache.

Unarguably, the "b" in doubt
Should have been left oubt,

While whoever dreamed up the
Nonsensical spelling for "juice"
Was a silly guice,

And whoever put the g" in gnat
Couldn't have been anything but a gnut.

Therefore, if spelling your mother tongue
Has you all unstrongue,
Cheer up and take heart!
It probably proves
You are not stupid but smeart!

The Thin Line

AFTER ONE OF the punishing prison lock-downs and room searches, a lone voice echoed through the air vent from another cell...

"When does the fun begin?"

The irony of this question reminds us of the thin line between tragedy and comedy. As pain and pleasure get really intense, they become mysteriously similar. Isn't it hard to tell when someone is crying tears of agony or tears of joy? Many times, even the one who's crying isn't sure. Agony and ecstasy are forever intertwined. If we avoid agony, we push away the ecstasy as well. The core of each is the same.

From one perspective there may be suffering; from another there is simply a deeper understanding. Much of our growth in awareness is about the expanding and maturing of our perspective.

Often, something perceived as a disaster or catastrophe may ultimately transform our entire life for the better. We cannot always go by appearances. Things are not always as they seem.

When we choose the lighter perspective, we see that we're crazy as loons, struggling for illusions that we can never obtain, on a planet that doesn't support the style of life we try so hard to create.

Some of life's absurdities are...

• We get bored with being children,
  are in a rush to grow up,
  and then long to be children again.
• We often lose our health to make money,
  and then lose our money to restore our health.
• We think so anxiously about the future we forget the present,
  such that we live neither for the present nor for the future.
• And how about the fact that most of the bloodshed in the world involves our biggest religions, all of which preach love and mercy?

The bottom line is... we can be more fully aware of the thin line separating tragedy and comedy, and live life fully as human beings, while, at the same time, seeing the bigger picture.

We can play our parts with great power in every stage of our lives. Even though the body decays and falters, our hearts and souls can be free of fear, aversion, and the countless limitations we imposed on ourselves before we knew the score. We can be free enough to enjoy our highs, endure our lows, cheer our victories, and complain about our defeats, all with an underlying freedom and humor.

© 2000, Tom Brown

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles "Tom" Brown was a successful investor who did very well in real estate, oil, and the stock market. Friends began asking him to invest for them, too. And he did. Things went well, and more people heard about his abilities and wanted to be included in the investment strategies he had devised. All went well until there was a dramatic change in the market. All that went up turned down, and Tom wanted everyone to still have a profit - his big mistake - as he wanted to be well thought of. Tom was accused of defrauding investors. Although it was shown that he had never diverted any money for himself other than a modest commission, through unbelievable mishandling by an incompetent or dishonest attorney, what should have been a one-year sentence became a 17-year sentence. At the time of judgment, Tom was 62 years of age.

The purpose of Tom's blog is not to dwell on the injustice, but rather, to show the incredible unfoldment of consciousness in a man who has taken this sentence and created a workshop of Soul and Spirit out of it. His words are designed to help us see into life and do better with what we've been given. Tom's Beyond the Wall blog is located at www.Beyondthewall.blogs.com.  If you would like to write to Tom, he appreciates correspondence.  He does not have access to a computer but can be reached via Charles "Tom" Brown, # 140237, ASPC - Lewis, Barchey Blue - D2 - E5, P.O.Box 3200, Buckeye, AZ, 85326.