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Nat Lipstadt Jun 2013
You Are Appropriately Named
    (But did your parents ***** you?)*

parental fortune tellers we be,
when in  the task of
appellation speculation
(a/k/a name that baby!)
we engage

we tongue taste old vintages,
and some new varietals,
look to the ancient biblical, Greek Gods,
a naming to affix and let it be
the reddest of good luck omens.

baby's future unforeseen and yet,
foretold, perhaps molded?

do we have any clue
of what we do
when, our children, we name?

Foolishly, we plot, we plan,
minor items, woman or man,
we leave in God's hand,
all the rest, content to accept
product of our cooking ***,
recipe of genetic seasoning,

but

when we christen them,
when we nominally oil
and anoint tiny foreheads,
we are choosing for them
whether they will be
annointers or annointed,
Samuels or Davids,
prophet or king

O irony!
'tis no *child's game,

or wordplay fun,
nor a zero sum decision elected,
is it construct, or destruct
the nominal we have selected?

the Oscar envelope is
star-delivered, and unsealed,
futures altered,
determined, revealed,
and for these tiny ones,
there is no appeal!

Think on it.

Endlessly debated, or not,
sources from a list infinite,
grandparent, novel, imagination,
origin indeterminate,
no matter,
we make them sweet or salt,
nuanced, threaded, gruff, plain,
confirmed, or perhaps condemned

do you honestly think there is
no alteration in their fate,
their course not rejiggered
when upon a suspicious world
we emanate them as
Ian or Nate,
Adolf or Shylock,
Jason or Jakob,
argonaut or patriarch,
Scarlet or Abigail:

we have chosen the
color of their visage,
color coded the A
of their alphabet unique,
the one they will speak
a hundred years on

the world's greatest rivers,
are mere droplets at inception,
a trickle upon Mt. Marcy,
becomes my beloved Hudson magnificent

explorers, through peril,
search jungles, risk all,
to find the "source,"
they comprehend,
it does too matter!

so too with human "conception,"
it's all, in the name,
genes be ****** and
habitat may alter animals in
a science laboratory a tad,
tho your heart you will consult,
best hire an ad agency,
for you have, a brand, created!

therein is the rub,
debate no more
tween nurture or nature,
what you nominate, rules,
for better or worse
for shock or awe,
for them, and alas,
for you

This then is the parental sin most original:

you need to believe in
open architecture,
but the first will be last
your selection is a
a table set,
upon which,
you will "re-past,"
many meals in your future
equal parts of joy and regret,
Parents, there is no substitution,
you, the menu have, selected and set






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Created:      Oct 3, 2010 4:35 AM
Completed: Mar 6, 2011 7:32 AM
Shula E Nov 2011
After lunchtime, and before tea
Donna quietly bade farewell
to Mr. Samuels
and to herself.
Calmly, she twisted the bolt
into the lock
and pleasantly drew the curtains
closed.
She gratefully glanced at a photo
of her dog
and touched the piano as an
afterthought.
Making quite certain that everything was
tidy, Donna swept up
some dust she had overlooked.
and then after lunchtime and before tea
on a perfectly pleasant tuesday morning
in a perfectly pleasant day in Donnas life
she sat herself down in the
center of the parlor
and without hesitation
ceremony
or further ado,
in 2 swift motions
cleanly slit her wrists.
Alyssa Jun 2015
August 28, 1922.** Clarence Samuels is holding his wife’s hand, she’s groaning out limbs by the minute, pushing hard enough for life to cry out of her. He can no longer feel his fingertips from the vice grip she has on his knuckles, but that is just one more piece of himself he would give for his family.
November 16, 1924. Clarence’s daughter is over two years old, and they are taking walks to the beach. She takes interest in a dark feathered bird with a snowy underbelly like the way God only sees things in black or white, its combination of threat and promise. She asks Clarence what it is, says she would like to have one, would like to be one. But he notices, those birds only come around when it’s raining and he hasn’t seen the storm clouds yet.
March 31st, 1925. The Samuels’ daughter hasn’t stopped vomiting in two days, her radiance turning achromatic. The doctors have been prescribing medication but nothing seems to work because she cannot keep down any form of help. So Clarence starts looking up that shadowy bird they saw in the fall. Maybe that could take her mind off her affliction, maybe it would help him too.
September 4, 1925. Clarence now whispers “I love you” like the flickering flames of prayer candles, but hasn’t seen the inside of a chapel since the funeral, since he stopped being able to look into his wife’s eyes. His days are filled with sacrilegious drunk, his kitchen floor littered with whiskey labels and scotch tops, wondering what he is if not slain by this everything holy. He’s scrawling out letters to his daughter on the napkins he took from under his drinks at the bar. He’s got enough to write a book or his suicide letter.
September 30, 1925. Clarence notices that instead of crawling out of bed, the bed is crawling away from him. He chokes on the muscle memory he still retains when he walks into his daughters empty room, now turned office because his wife seems to be the only one working, the only thing still working. On the desk is his research of the bird that haunts him since that November, the Parasitic Jaeger. Their name begs question of the godless nights spent bent wave sea sick over the toilet seat, innards cascading past the roof of his mouth, making friends with the holes in his teeth. He has managed to drink himself swiss bone garden.
October 1, 1925. Clarence walks to the beach, clutching a picture of his daughter. He planned on drowning himself in the tide to mimic her, choked up on bile and lungs. Before he stepped foot in the water, the Parasitic Jaeger flew past him chasing a gull.
October 1st, Clarence went home and slept.
October 2nd, Clarence returned to the beach all guilt and full body, BAC hitting a record .25 and he slipped into the sea only to watch the same Jaeger chasing another gull. Clarence watched as the gull emptied itself open casket into the water and flew away while the Jaeger feasted on the sick. Clarence took another small step into the shore line, now chest deep in more than regret. The bird turned his head slowly towards the human moving closer him. Clarence, open arms and locked eyes whispered, “I am sick too, do not forget me.”
Micheal Wolf Aug 2017
I trusted a boy called Sam
For me Sam was the man
Sam made my heart strings sing
To me he was everything.

Oh Sam Oh Sam... You were the man.

We did everything together just me and Sam
Then one day I got a photo, he has another fan!

Oh Sam oh Sam.. Who the **** is she?

So I thought things over and I'm moving on.
I don't share with skanks who steal other girls man

Oh sam oh sam .. Who the **** is sam.
Ivan Hernandez Oct 2013
Today is October 3rd.
On October 3rd, Aaron Samuels asked what day it was.

*It was October 3rd.
Always remember.
Big Virge Apr 2020
Ya Know I Read Today On A News Webpage …
That... Samuel Jack...
Was Mistaken For Laurence Fishburne' MAN … ?!?

Well It Seems As Though This White Media Bloke …
Thinks Samuels’ Role In Django … HOLDS …

... TRUE Fa’ REAL … ?!!!?

It’s Really NOT A Big Deal Cos’ As Sam Explained …

“ All of us blacks, still look the same !”

Well This Would Seem To Be The Case … ?
For IGNORANT BRAINS With RACIST VEINS … !!?!!

That’s NOT A CLAIM I’m Merely Saying … !!!
Racism STILL RUNS... Or Am I MISTAKEN … ?!?!?

When What’s IDENTIFIED Is A Lack of RESPECT …
From Those GENTRIFIED SUITED LOVELY White Men … !!!

Whose Identity’s... "Hidden” …
Kind of Like …… “ Robin Givens “ … !!!!!!

Mike Tyson KNOWS When Covers Get BLOWN … !!!
That MISTAKES Can Lead To Prison Scenes … !!!!!!

Where Mistaken Identities …
Can Be Left In Penitentiaries … !!!!!!!!

Well Maybe They DO … ?
And Maybe They … DON’T … ?

I Don’ t Have A Clue And Don’t Hold Much Hope …
That Blacks HELD In Cells Are ALL Criminals …

Identities In Court …
Are NOT All Born From TRUTHFUL Tales …

That Would Seem CLEAR …
From That Flick... " Primal Fear “ … !!!

Some Set Sail …
After Being PREPPED By Those Adept …
At MISLEADING And Then PLEADING …
To Juries Seeing A DIFFERENT Being …

To The One In The Dock Who’ll LIE Like A Dog...
To Convince And Deceive Like A Grifting Thief … !!!!!

Trust Me BELIEVE EVERY Skin' Teet’ …
Does NOT Breed … " Smiles “ … !!!
More Like Mistrials When What’s Profiled …
Allows Cons’ To ROAM WILD …............................................... !!!

But Let Me Change The Style...
of These Words I Now File …

... “ Mistaken Identities “ …
Are MANY And … PLENTY … !!!!!

But Soon Become CLEAR When Things They Hear …
Affect Their Ears To The Point Where THEY FEAR … !!!

... Their OWN VENEER …. !!!!!

Like Those QUICK To CLAIM … !!!

... “ They Don’t Discriminate !!! ”...

Which Is A MISTAKE If Talk About Race …
OFFENDS Their Brains …
To The Point Where They Have To Run Away...

From Colour Lines That They CLAIM To STAND BY …  
But Are QUICK To …............ BRUSH ASIDE..............… ?!?!?

These Days ONLINE And In REAL LIFE …

It’s HARD To Find...
People Inclined To Speak Their Mind … !!!

Who Deal In STRAIGHT TRUTH … !!!
TOO MANY ABUSE The BASIC RULES … !!!!!

If You’re Gonna HOLD BACK It’s CLEAR You Lack … !!!
What It Takes To Be REAL... See There Are NO DEALS … !!!!!

When It Comes To TRUE Expression... !!!!!!

You Must STILL NEED SCHOOL …
If You’ve NOT Been Taught THAT LESSON … !!!!!
of Speaking From YOUR HEART …
From The End Back To The START … !!!!!

It’s CLEAR These Days That ….. “ Women “ …..
Well ACTUALLY They’re … “ GIRLS “… !!!!!
IDENTIFY Their Worlds …
With TRUTHFUL OPEN Ways … !!!

When The Truth Is What They Closet...
Are More Secrets Than Gays … !!!!!
Identities MISTAKEN... Mostly When They Lay … !!!!!

So Fellas Get To Listening …
Cos’ These Words HERE Are STRAIGHT …. !!!!!

A Lot of Girls Be Swimming …
In Lakes Filled With MISTAKEN …
IDENTITIES … “Well Hidden” … !!!
From End Right To BEGINNING … !!!!!

So Fellas.....
DON’T BE … “ Winking “ … !!!
Unless You’re Down To … “ Play “ …
The Game I’ll Name As ……………………..

" Who Is It You THINK You REALLY ARE... ?!? “

Because The Game Is Getting... HARD … !!!!!

NOT THAT WAY... CLEAN Up Your Brain … !!!!!

The Way Girls Behave Just Makes Me LAUGH … !!!!!

So Here’s The Deal … !!!
I’m Seeing NOW That What SURROUNDS …

Does JUST THAT......... NOTHING MORE …. !!!!!!!

What’s At THE CORE of Human Scores …
Is MUCH MUCH MORE Than What’s ON SHOW … !!!!!

DON'T Believe YOU KNOW How People ROLL … !!!!!!
MISTAKEN Roads... IDENTIFY Holes …
In What Resides … Inside SLY Minds …. !!!

They’ll TRY … They’ll TRY … !!!
To Say … “ It ain’t so !!! “ …

They Will DENY Til’ The Cows Say … NO … ?!?

That’s Just … A JOKE... !!!
Before One Last Quote...  

These People Are A PLENTY … !!!
So Keep Your Vibe ROCK STEADY … !!!!!

When Drinking With These … “ Entities “ …
Who CLAIM TO BE … “ Allegedly “... ???

Those Who Live RESPECTFULLY...
Because They Have This … “ Tendency “ …

To Hide Behind Their Own FAKE GUISE … !!?!!

DISCREPANCIES....... And ……….

...... “ Mistaken Identity “......
It really is becoming, harder and harder to know what, and more importantly, WHO you can trust, nowadays !!!

— The End —