Murky Clarity

Flutter By

 

If my thoughts were butterflies
fluttering by
I would catch them with a net
lest I forget
I would pin them on a board
Each wing a swirl of thought
And put them on display
So I'll never run out of things to say.

Fly, fly, my butterflies
Spread your wings and take to the skies.

If my thoughts were butterflies
fluttering by
I would keep them in a jar
and they would never fly far
Wonder against wonder
As they merge together
Seeds will start to grow
As thoughts are wont to flow.

Fly, Fly, my butterflies
Spread your wings and take to the skies.

If my thoughts were butterflies
fluttering by
I would witness the hatching of the eggs
Tiny caterpillars with tiny legs
I would feed them ideas as they grew
I would feed them knowledge, old and new
In cocoons they would converge
And from them, more butterflies would emerge

Alas, my thoughts are not butterflies
fluttering by.

________________________________________________

 

I wrote this in response to a post in my local FB writers' group, where one of the members shared the painting as a prompt to write a poem or a short story. I am not a poet; I don't have the finesse or the skills of one. Sometimes, however, the words flow out, especially when I haven't written a story in a long time.

The world is a scary place. It's an ugly place. But it is also a place of unimaginable beauty and wonder. The words we share can be ugly; they can hurt. The words we share can also be beautiful, and can heal the soul.

Maybe these words can never do the beautiful painting that inspired them justice. Maybe these words will float in the void that is the internet.

But still. The world needs more beautiful thoughts.

 

 

Stray Thoughts, by Maggie Taylor
Source: The Curiously Creative Maggie Taylor

 

The Power of the Media

In the wake of singer Christina Grimmie's tragic and senseless murder, I came across a random tweet. Paraphrasing it, it goes like this:

Muslim killer - 7 days before name is released. Black killer - 3 days before name is released. White killer - name released immediately.

The source of the tweet is, of course, a white guy. Most probably complaining to the void about how unfair it is for white folks, how they are singled out when other peoples' identities are protected for as long as possible, when in reality, it's the other way around. And after half a day has gone by, I still find the tweet disturbing.

First off, it's scary how freedom to own and carry guns in America has led to all these senseless killings. The victims are mostly children and young adults. So much potential, lost. So much life, taken too early.

Here's the thing: by naming the perpetrator immediately, by giving him a face, the media absolves everyone else from his crime. I'm not surprised if within these few days, terms like 'mentally unstable' and 'lone wolf' and 'disturbed individual' will come into play. All of these are excuses to mask the terror that has taken place.

The reason why it takes much longer to name a Muslim murderer is because the longer the term 'Muslim' is broadcasted, the bigger the suspicion toward Muslims in general. The bigger the suspicion, the easier it is to rally people against a common enemy. Not an individual who may or may not be mentally unstable and disturbed, but entire communities of the particular Faith.

Rule by fear. That's powerful stuff right there.

Sheep are terrified of shepherd dogs. They move as a unit wherever the dogs round them up. We are such lambs. Baa.

How are these acts of unforgivable violence by white people not an act of terror? Why is a rapist protected behind the term college athlete, and his act of violence called sexual assault instead of rape? Why are mass murderers protected behind the terms 'lone wolf' and 'mentally disturbed'?

When did the world decide that the whites are a supreme race?

The sad thing is, even in Malaysia, we have the same problem. Malay supremacy. The privileged race. A delusion, no more than that, but still. Who decides which race is superior over others?

The media.

With wordplays, they package stories for the masses. With well-worded headlines, they control how the public thinks. Those who control the media shape how the world thinks.

It's disturbing how powerful words are.