Trucks and, to a Lesser Degree, Buses

There are occasions where I am inspired to write poetry.  Usually in the darker parts of the year when the sun crawls out of bed just long enough to count as a day, then retires to the south before the out of school are out of work.  For we who are solar powered it can be a soul dragging period.  So I write poetry.  And sometimes I write poetry to make myself laugh.

In truth, I cannot remember if the following poem was written when I was in a dark or light place.  Either way, poetry magazine rejected it.

Trucks and, to a Lesser Degree, Buses

I hate trucks.

Next to the sky scraper,

Tall and majestic,

With its sleek granite sides,

Reaching for heaven

And pulling my eyes with it

Into the skies,

I almost find peace.

The awful noise

Of the truck

And its gagging

Anti-air

Yanks me from my reverent

Wonderment

At our feats of engineering.

And I think,

We have so far to go.

I hate trucks.

Buses are scarcely better.

Headphones cannot defend

Against their noise.

Like conservative radio

It seeps in

And ruins everything.

The screaming behemoths!

And they always pass

At the most poignant,

Significant part of the song.

I could rewind it,

But the moment is lost.

Submission Declined

So, update:

I submitted my first short to Frederator Studios for consideration as an Internet short animation.  It was declined.  I have to say, I agree with every reason they rejected it.  In fact, as I was reading it I kept thinking to myself, “STUPID! Why did you do that?”  lol

It is what it is.  A failure is a wonderful learning experience.  Unlike just about anyone else in any other medium who has denied my work – and I’ve been denied by some of the very best in many mediums – Frederator actually took the time to tell me why they were denying me.  That’s what’s called Constructive Criticism.  I’m looking at you, Poetry Magazine.

Years ago the webzine Ideomancer also gave me really good advice for a short story I submitted.  Back then I was an idiot and refused to take the editor’s advice and alter my story.  Who knows what could have happened if I had.  But aside from that editor and the people/person at Frederator who reviewed my idea, most places give you nothing.  Some don’t even give you a rejection.

What Frederator gave me was not just one thing, but many things I need to consider.  It’s much more than I could post here without going way into detail about the idea I suggested.  I may do it in the future as a “How Not To” guide.  But for now I’m gonna ruminate on their advice and see if I can work up another of my ideas into a story that is more in line with what Frederator is looking for.

Sigh.  I’m gonna go cry in a corner for about 15 minutes.  Then I’ll grow up and start fresh.

Here’s a pic of a goblin stippling project I’m working on.  I’ll drown my sorrows in lots of dots.

Hungry for a Career Change

There is no way to make my job interesting.  I take statistical information – demographic, educational, employment and financial – that our customers don’t want to give and I format them in ways that my bosses don’t understand to produce reports they won’t agree with and then will turn around misrepresent to their federal counterparts who also don’t understand the numbers, but then turn around and use to tell the country that everything is fine and awful at the same time.  By the end of the grapevine the data the people hear about is so far away from how it began that we could tell a person about themselves and they probably wouldn’t know it.

Ok, that’s an exaggeration.  The data doesn’t really change.  But the way it is interpreted does.  I once had the department Public Relations guy come to me about a report and ask, “Can I use these numbers, where it says we only put 15 people to work, and say that this program is failing and that is why we are closing it?”

“Well, the program is failing because the Commissioner sent out a memo that the field is no longer allowed to spend any time on the program."

“Yes, but I won’t be saying that.  Can I say that these numbers show the program isn’t working?”

“Why doesn’t the Commissioner just say he doesn’t want to continue funding the very successful program his predecessor from a different political party started?  Why doesn’t he just tell people the program they loved and that helped them to get jobs has been discontinued?  Why doesn’t the Commissioner just admit that he’s a douche bag?”

Ok, I didn’t say the last section.  And the program wasn't that successful.  But it was moderately successful.  And I did tell the PR guy he couldn’t say that our numbers meant the program was failing.  At least, not from any data that I would be giving him.

This is not the fault of the program.  I am not a fatalist type who would tell you that the system is broken and should be revamped or privatized.  And I’m certainly not for closing down the government.  I think our system is invaluable to the people.  I just think the people don’t really know all of the things that the government does for them and so they don’t have faith that it can do anything right.  This is the government’s number 1 failure.

See?  Dull.  Dull as shit, no matter what I do.  I couldn’t make this exciting if I were to have naked women set it on fire.

Also, I hate it.  Not because it’s dull, but because… well, a ton of reasons.  But mostly because it just isn’t me.  And also because it's dull. 

I think my bosses sense this.  They say things like, “What would we do without you?” and “Only you have the brains to figure this stuff out!”  But it’s all flattery.  The truth is, when I took a leave of absence a few years ago to nurse my wife back to health, they did just fine without me.  They hated it, but they did fine.  And I think they got a taste of what it would be like without me.  A person can eat dog food and live.  It would be a miserable existence, but they can do it.

I don’t want to eat dog food anymore.  I want to eat people food.  I want to eat at a five star restaurant to see if it really is that much better than a two star restaurant.  I skeptical.  I want to eat the stuff they make on the Food Network.  Ooh, especially those wonderful desserts and weirdly flavored ice creams.  And succulent meats that make you say words like " succulent" and "savory" and “unctuous.”

Ok, I got a little off track there.  My metaphor turned literal.  It happens.

But you get the picture.  I want a better job.  With better pay.  So I can afford better food!