The 17th Sense

A couple days after the horrendous attack on the WTC buildings and the Pentagon, I logged on to a chat room devoted to the memory or the victims and helping people handle their grief. What I found was a mixture of racism, bias, hatred, and very little of the good ol' American spirit.

Much of the nauseating conversation centered around blocking immigration and evicting anyone not born here or of remotely Middle Eastern descent. Evidently we are not reading enough history. I must not be the only one to have slept through that class- but even I picked up on the bad things Hitler did, what we did during WWII, and the countless other segregation and racist separatist attacks that have occurred throughout history. What follows are some of the comments I wrote down. Be warned, these are not the worst of what I found there:

"Only good Arab is a dead Arab." --- LunyAmerican

"I am a god fearing American not some heathen."
"We shouldn't let the towel heads or the other ilk like them have any type of power."
"Gods chosen people are told not to mingle with the conquered people, but to put them to death it is in the bible Deuteronomy 7." ---HE11CAT1

"KILL THEM ALL" ---RODEIRIK

In their credit, there were people in the room that opposed these views and eventually the host of the room came in and removed a few of the more radicals. But what disgusted me was the majority view that they were correct, that the 'big melting pot' of America could turn so violently anti-outsider. And not just outsiders, but anyone that looks remotely like the radicals who murdered so many people.

We definitely don't need this right now. We need to draw together in the aftermath of this great disaster and become the great, loyal, and diverse nation that I know it can be.

Good-bye, the hardest words to say in the entire world. What makes them so hard to say? Well they are usually spoken when something comes to an end or in the event of change, and most of humanity despises change. Some good-byes come along at the end of a vacation, a social event, or even a life. At this point in my life it seems that's all I've been saying lately, good-bye. It just never seems to get easier.

Just recently I had to say good-bye to the most important guy I've ever had in my life. I don't cry very often, but in this case I couldn't prevent it. I am a very strong person in the eye of the person I'm saying good-bye to, but afterwards I realize exactly what has happened and I can't prevent it any longer. This wonderful guy made me realize what it was like to feel again, and I fell for him completely and totally. And as all good things must come to an end and as fate would have it, he's leaving to set upon an adventure. He may return and he may not, but this was my one and only chance to leave a piece of myself with him. It wasn't an article of clothing, or a keepsake, or even spoken words (as I have a hard time speaking my feelings). It was a letter, and for some reason the words just seemed to flow from my fingertips as I wrote it. Then, without even thinking, I left it for him to read. I didn't even think twice about what I had written. It wasn't a love letter, but merely words that I believe in strongly, words of friendship and care. Words that I hope will stay with him forever; words not necessarily to change his direction in life, but words to make him think.

Good-byes are never easy, but it's even worse when you say good-bye and then something happens that makes it good-bye forever. I'm not necessarily talking about death, but disagreements among friends. Yes, it is said that friends come and go, but isn't it said somewhere "friendship is forever." It makes me wonder if the elder that stated this had ever had a huge misunderstanding with her best friend. Huge misunderstandings aren't always forgivable and are definitely never forgotten. Well, in general life is full of good-byes, but we don't have to get used to saying them. We'll just have to learn to take a deep breath and realize life goes on and the world still orbits around the sun. Then say good-bye, and make a statement of an ending and a frightening new beginning. The question is: where do we start?

As a young child, I was always considered odd. Even by my own large family. I even looked odd among my many siblings. They all had fair hair while mine was a rich dark black. Even my eyes were different from the others, a bright shimmering blue. And I was the largest of them all too, even the boys.

I was born on a farm in Indiana on a cold winter day in December. From the very beginning it has been an eventful life. My mother was killed early in my life. She was found dead on the country road in front of the farm. We still don't know what happened but it looked like a car ran her over on purpose. I never knew my father. He left my mother before I was born. So we were left to basically to raise ourselves.

One spring day, being independent by nature and very curious, I decided to go out into the wide world and (I hate to use old clichés, but) find my fortune. The countryside was beautiful. Full of green grass and tall trees! There were all kinds of wildlife. Squirrels, rabbits and all sorts of birds!

I was crossing a field and came across a nest. It was full of eggs. I've seen eggs before. The fat hens were always laying them on the farm. Usually in the strangest places! I used to love to eat them. They were always tasty. Of course the old hens would always have a fit if they caught me filching one or two. It became a game for me to find the newest lay, because they tasted the best, without the hens catching me.

These eggs were different. Smaller with flecks of brown on them and smaller than the hen's eggs. I was just about to try one when there was a loud flapping noise and a big brown blur came out of nowhere. Gave me a good scare! All my hair stood on end. I must have run a couple of yards before I stopped. I looked back and saw the mother bird still flapping about. I thought about going back and facing her but lost my nerve and kept going. I was only a baby and knew nothing at that time.

After a few hours I became hungry. It had been awhile since my last meal. I started searching for anything edible I could find. Not being good at hunting yet, I missed a couple opportunities at some squirrels. They didn't miss their opportunity to scold me in squirrel chatter. I don't know what they said, but I know there had to be some bad words in their speech. I found a couple of fat slugs and a beetle and settled on that for my supper. Not the best of fare and they didn't fill me up, but I wasn't quite as hungry.

It was getting dark now so I headed for the lights I saw up ahead. A small town! I might be able to get a handout from the people who lived there. I walked to the nearest house I came across. Being on the careful side and apprehensive to be in unfamiliar territory, I walked around the house to case the place, so to speak. Getting a lay of the land, I like to keep my options open.

While I was checking out the back yard the door of the house opened and a little girl came out. She had long yellow hair and was wearing a pink dress and little tennis shoes. She couldn't have been any older than seven. She was carrying a doll in one arm. She came down the steps and walked towards the picnic table near the tree in the middle of the yard. She didn't see me at first. She was talking to her doll like it was her child. Playing house it seemed. She laid her doll down on the table and turned around to the sandbox. I was sitting beside it. She saw me at once. She seemed surprised to see me there but smiled at me rather and I liked her immediately.

"Hi kitty!" she cooed. Oh, I forgot to mention that I am a cat didn't I? I usually don't think about things like that. After all, I already know I am a cat. It should be obvious.

She approached me cooing "Here kitty." She had such a sweet aura about her. I let her approach me and stood up. I rubbed my body around her ankles. Cats love to do that. Besides marking territory it also feels good. She bent down and scratched the top of my head. Oh boy, did that feel good. I gave her hand a lick and that made her laugh. It was such a musical laugh.

Her mother poked her head out the door calling the little girl's name, "Sally, come in supper now."

"Oh mommy, look at the kitty."

The woman was surprised to see me, and a little anxious. She came over and looked down at me. I gave her my most endearing smile. Cats can smile. You have to know what to look for. Most cats don't like to smile much.

Attention my fellow Americans, we have a President. All throughout the burgeoning of his career, I admit I never liked Bush much. Neither did, or do, slightly more than half of the population I gather. But his speech on Tuesday, September 11 in the aftermath that night of the blast really had me believing.

Trust me, it even had me misty-eyed. In his public address I caught a glimpse, not of the small lawn gnome of a man he was, but the great President he could be. I saw a man who was serious about his country, protecting it and defending it. I also caught a slight glimpse of radical extremist but given the circumstances, I can overlook it.

I was just so proud of our little Bush (stop snickering ;)) that I couldn't almost help being 'proud to be an American." The status of our freedom depends on what our dear dear President plans to do next. Option 1- he could bomb Afghanistan not really knowing if Bin Ladin is there or not. Or he could wait and be called a sissy by huge superpowers like Britain (no offense intended). Right now he's waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

Frankly I think that's the best course he could take. If it blew Afghanistan out of the ground, then he would start the next world war, but if he waits and keeps the troops on ready, then when the moment to strike will arrive and we will do our best to eradicate who ever was responsible. Not saying more murder will solve anything, but that's was the people want: revenge and/or justice, not necessarily in that order.

Try to say what words can't say.
Try to feel what feeling can't feel.
Try to eyeserve (observe) what eyes can't see.
Life a bearing tree for every children to eat
that shines a bright light no one can call it's name
it has a distance no one complete it's journey
I look beyond what did I see a stillness of silence
life a bearing tree for every child to eat
no colour was there, No complexion
life is for every one,
but where is the all one, they break apart
then suddenly a crisis a calamity
I can't describe
Try to say what words can't say
Try to feel what feeling can't feel.
Try to eyeserve (observe) what eyes can't see
life a bearing tree
for every child to eat
they tread upon land and sea
scientific name pacific, Atlantic
scientists trick the next generation
but who could say some one could not see
there isn't any separation upon land and sea
deep under the depths of solid ground water still
deep under the depth water you still find
of solid ground.
high hills and valley under water still
they grow up so high, mountain flowing water
to fill in empty space
It tells, it's life long
Try to say what words can't say.
Try to feel what feeling can't feel
try to eyeserve (observe)what eyes can't see
life a bearing tree for every children to eat.
they built a city create a sky god ,no one never see
but who could say some one would not see
with out the solid ground ,there city could not be
and I dough if any man would be in his physical form
now don't be blind
if you only lesson, you still learn lest
now don't be blind ,just look and you will see
nature natural sound speak in no one
common language, still I
Try to say what words can't say
Try to feel what feeling can't feel
Try to eyeserve(observe) what eyes can't see.