Stretch

Dear friend,
I fear you have become inelastic again

It is time to
S t r e t c h



Let's start with the body

Stand up straight
    Touch your toes
Lift your arms
    Wiggle your nose
Bend your legs
    Twist your torso
Crick your neck
    Not too hard though!

Spend more time if things feel stiff
Give your whole body a little lift!



Ok, now for the tough part.
It's time
to stretch
your mind

It's time to ask yourself honestly, was I kind today?
Both to yourself, and to any others who crossed your way?
Are you thinking critically about those opinions you follow?
Remember your heroes have flaws even if that's tough to swallow!

What about longer term, over the past month or year?
Has your anxiety been causing you to act out of fear?
Were you fair to people, or did any biases seep through?
They are hard to overcome, but I believe in you!



Nice, good work - your body and mind send their utmost thanks!
It's vital maintenance for all our inner clinks and clanks.
To avoid becoming vulnerable to stiffness we must toil
And provide all our gears with much needed oil

So to stop yourself becoming a physical and mental wretch
You should simply remember that you have to stretch

A kinder world

Sometimes I wish we couldn't turn away
From those things we did not wish to see
But instead, that were forced to face our actions
In their cold entirety

You saw your ex cry after the break up
Or the long mirror-stare made after a weight joke
Your parent in the aftermath of shouting
The tired neighbour your loud music woke 

Melting ice from a plane trip for pleasure
The animals who were killed for your meals
Infection spread when you ventured out while ill
Worn fingers of the child that made your new heels

The hospital bed of the person you hit drunk driving
The therapy of the person you bullied to their core
The homelessness from sound financial investments
The souls that would be lost if you declared war


Morality is tough, and sometimes tough action must be taken
Yet sometimes tough actions are taken without regard

So I maintain that the world would be a bit kinder
If we made these hard actions just a little more hard

Inspired by this chilling but beautiful short story https://www.tor.com/2019/10/23/as-the-last-i-may-know-s-l-huang/

The early bird

It was early in the day
Yet a tale was quickly spun
A bird and a worm both emerged
But soon there was only one

The early bird gets the worm!
The birds would proudly boast
Let's all get up early
And seek out worms on toast

The early worm gets the bird!
The worms would warn with fear
Do not go out bleary-eyed
For the birds are vicious here

A famous tale you may have heard before
Both sides equally true
But if you pay heed to just one side?
Well, that is up to you

A little lighter today

The world is a little lighter today
The sun is a little brighter today
The air is clear
Right now and here
Things feel righter today

Someone turned up the colour today
My mind is in less squalor today
There is still mess
Just slightly less
I would be happy with another today 

When I leave behind today
I hope I find tomorrow okay
I don't know when
It'll come again
So I'll enjoy this kind today

Ow my legs hurt

 Hello everyone. Here is a poem, called "Ow, my legs hurt"

Ow, my legs hurt.

Ow Ow Ow.
Ow.

They hurt because of my hubris. Ow.
Knowing this does not make the hurt less. Ow.

I regret nothing
    Except that my legs hurt.

Ow Ow.

One day my legs will not hurt
That day is not today
And I am resentful of this fact.

Ow. My legs. They hurt.

No idea what inspired this poem, but on an unrelated note I'm going to try to keep my bike rides below 8 hours in future.