Sunday, December 29, 2002

"Castles"
a poem, by Michael Sherrillo

No matter how high the castles we build,
Or the depth of the footprints we leave,
Soon after we have left all these behind,
They are swallowed by time's tides and seas.

Lost are the riches, the fame and the glory.
Forgotten are all names and all deeds,
With a few steady strokes of the clocks infinite hand,
All I am will be washed away clean.

Tuesday, December 24, 2002

"Night Call"
by Michael Sherrillo

Tortured sounds fall upon anguished ears,
In misery I cover my head and weep.
Unable to stop the bleeding cry;
Devils dance while mortals sleep.
"Her Beauty"
by Michael Sherrillo

Her beauty sounds of Sirens lure,
Pulling my soul towards red stained rocks.
Unable to resist its pounding call,
I chain myself away from deaths docks.

Thursday, December 19, 2002

"Left Behind"
a poem, by Michael Sherrillo

Weighing the soul with invisible chains,
Long empty halls echo strange things.
Laughter and weeping, great joys and great shames,
So depressing, so sad, since no one remains.

Souls long departed, the still hallways call
Crying out, longing for their space to be full;
Though there is no one to hear them...
No one at all.

Sunday, December 15, 2002

Life's Lesson #3491A
by Michael Sherrillo

Even the best, most mind blowing, amazing sex you can ever have can't even compare to the feelings you get just sitting next to someone you truly love and care about.

Wednesday, December 11, 2002

"Depression"
a poem, by Michael Sherrillo

Coffee forgotten, turning bitter and black.
Untouched, alone on the counter it sits.
The slam of the door long faded and gone.
Empty silence, piercing, no longer held back.

To bright, cold light gleams off tiles to clean.
And the high polished faucets reflect maliciously;
Void, and the bleak cup's sharp voiceless scream.

Tuesday, December 10, 2002

"Power Nap"
a haiku, by Vance Tran

The dejected fall,
Sleep not to dream but forget,
Perk of depression...
"On Finding Joy"
a moment of Zen, by Michael Sherrillo

I firmly believe in each day stopping for a few moments outside, closing your eyes, taking a deep breath, and just absorbing a little bit of the world's beauty and warmth. You never know... on days colder and darker than these, you may be able to spread some of that beauty and warmth too others.
"The Season"
a Hallmarkian message, by Michael Sherrillo

We leave this world as empty of possessions as when we arrived... maybe even more so, since even our bodies are left behind. This should teach us what is really important in this world. Right now we are entering upon the time of harvest, for this is the season in which the fruit of our souls ripens and is shared. I firmly believe in the importance in gifts, but not as objects, rather as expressions through which we show our love, appreciation, respect, compassion, and empathy for those around us. Gift giving is more than the money the new Gap jeans put a person back, it's a symbol for what you mean to them, a physical expression of the inexpressible intangible emotions which we have for each other. This sharing is what binds us together as people, for it is truly a custom that crosses all cultures and countries. The act of giving is a universal one, it is something that can be understood and recognized no matter what religion you believe in or culture you have. The one thing that grows and changes in our lives, the one thing that matters, is our relationships with other people. This connectedness of humanity, this love, is truly the only and most important gift that we can ever give and receive, and the only one we take with us from this world when we depart from it.

This time of years tends to make me wax religious, so bear with me if this isn't your denominational taste. I firmly believe that when god said he made man in his own image, he wasn't referring to our physical nature. We need only look around to see the inherent differences in each other's appearance. I believe that god was referring to what was most important, the soul. God made the soul of man in his own image, and as we strive for a relationship with our fellow man, and we desire and hunger for that connectedness we have with close friends and family, so does god share that hunger to be with us. The human condition can be said to be a constant state of reaching out, each in their own way, and so is god eternally reaching to us. To often we get caught up in the dogmatic practices of each particular faith. God becomes less of a real being with feelings, desires, and emotions, and more like a scale to which our actions shall be judged on. But god isn't really about religion... god is about relationships. It's about the relationship we have with our creator that matters most. And the relationships we have with each other that reflect this. Make sure that you plant through the year what it is you truly wish to harvest during this season, both in this world and the next. Invest in what really matters, and reach out to all those around you... you'll be suprised at who you find reaching back. =) ~Happy Holidays! (and Festivus for the rest-iv-us)


Monday, December 09, 2002

"Why I Could Never Be Gay" or, "Why I Understand Lesbianism"
a musing, by Michael Sherrillo

Humor. A very normal and essential part of human nature, to laugh, and love laughing. And why shouldn't we? Haven't myriad studies been conducted on the health benefits of a jolly guffaw, or the biochemical endorphins and relaxing drugs released into our bodies with every twitter? Of course, so my frustration lies not in the problems of humor, but rather in what subjects it is that we tend to find humorous. Let me illustrate... there is a quite room filled with people, everyone concentrating on his or her tasks. Suddenly, punctuating the silence, someone farts. Many a disgusted look will appear on the faces of those nearby, even before the odor, if any, arrives. But if careful attention is played, you will notice on almost every male face a slight snicker, the hidden attempt to not smile or laugh. Maybe this is a genetic trait carried by our genes, but ever sine our first days in preschool, to the male gender, farts, burps, and other bodily noises have been an endless reservoir of untapped potential humor. The male fascination in the disgusting extends on into adult life to include bathroom jokes, sexual puns, limericks that would make a sailor blush, and other entries into the physically repulsive. I cannot even count the number of times I've seen men intentionally fart on others, burp in their friends or girlfriends faces, and run away laughing hysterically. Unfortunately this trait seems dominant in our whole gender, as statistically accurate as any other number pulled out of... well you know, can be, I'd estimate approximately 30% of men actually participate in these crude instances. While 90% percent of men laugh at them and find them funny.

Now, I think, in a non-homosexual context, that the male figure can be very attractive. (Though sexual organs of either gender I believe are rather repulsive looking) I can understand how many great Greek statues and sculptors have shown great examples of mans physical perfection immortalized in stone, bronze, and marble. I also know now why so many of them don't have heads, or are only of the upper torso. Because this perfect model which the sculptor was using probably spent the whole time standing their farting and burping! I can only imagine what a laughing stock of Athens the artist would be if with perfect proportions, lean and slender form, high forehead, godlike nose, chiseled chin, arching cheekbones... and mouth half open and grinning frozen as he passed the time trying to burp the alphabit, an imaginary belch of noxious fumes ripping forever silently through the museums air. This is probably half the reason I like girls so much (ther other being hopefully obvious). I’ve never had a girlfriend who while studying with friends would run over, moon me, and fart in my face, and scamper away giggling (I've had all to many male friends however who have [BUSTER!]). I'll never understand how men can like other men. Maybe as friends this kind of behavior is acceptable... but as a boyfriend? How romantic… after a beer he emits a loud belch and then would call me over for a kiss... my gag reflex is instantly triggered by the very though. This is also why lesbians make so much since... if you consider their crude habits and personalities (or rather lack their of), there really isn’t all that much attractive about guys in the first place! If women didn’t need us to make offspring, our whole gender would have died off eons ago! The Amazons had the right idea, though I thinks it's a good thing men were in control so the movement didn't spread too much or I wouldn't even be here! And for all you straight girls... I am so very sorry. I'm sure you know what rude obnoxious creations us men can be. And I have that much more respect for you for putting up with it, for our species sake. Though I now know why you always silently hope for a little girl. And frankly, so do I.

Sunday, December 08, 2002

Erm... Correction
an informative post by Vance Tran

Due to the design change, the message board link is on the right...
The Messageboard Situation
a administrative post by Vance Tran

Due to popular demand (an e-mail from one reader... hey, that's fairly popular for this *hush-hush*, "underground" site, um... yeah....), a UEF Messageboard(TM) has been added. I haven't used it yet, but I think you have to sign up for an account. I'll post some more info and a permanant link over there on the left-hand-side of the page later. Have fun. Go nuts.

United Elbows of Fury - The Messageboard...