haiku 29 Dec 2017

Tall, swaying palm trees
Green coconuts freshly cracked
Hot and sweaty nights

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ] 

haiku 27 Dec 2017

An endless sandscape
Dunes marching infinitely
Is there water, near?

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 25 Dec 2017

The early riser
Up before everyone else
Witnesses life first

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ] ​

a symmetrical octopus

sticker graffiti street art found 2016 in Boston, MA, that depicts an octopus with thorny tentacles, two shells, and these decipherable alphanumerics: octopus
[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

decks grip shipping by @worshipskateboards

sticker graffiti street art [by artists @worshipskateboards] found 2016 in Boston, MA, that depicts a man wearing a gas mask, an aiming reticle, and these decipherable alphanumerics: worship skateboards dot com decks free grip free shipping
[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

cook thugless

sticker graffiti street art found 2016 in Boston, MA, that depicts a pixelated man with a round haircut wearing a white jacket and these decipherable alphanumerics: cook thugless
[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

raiyi kma saft

Reflecting upon habits that have helped me survive the act of bicycling many hundreds of miles through various cities, I have settled upon three basic rules, which are provided below (next to their corresponding acronyms):

raiyi (ride as if you’re invisible) Motor vehicle operators - especially ones who are in a hurry or looking at their mobile devices whilst driving - are not looking out for and don’t give a fuck about cyclists. Persons who move themselves across the phaltscape balanced atop a few tubes of metal, skin-to-sky, would do well to ride in the center of the lane, stay out of blind-spots, and always wear brightly flashing lights - day and night.

kma (keep moving, always) Bicyclists who stop within a lane to check a map or ask a passerby for directions are liable to get struck by a passing car. When you’re riding a bicycle, keep moving, always. If you come across a traffic jam, don’t sit there waiting for it to unfuck itself - mount the curb or seek out a side route, even if this adds distance to your journey. Bicycles were invented to let people move themselves around swiftly, not as a wheeled seat upon which to wait around for others to get their shit together.

saft (stay away from traffic) Prefer side routes, alleys, bicycle paths, empty lots, sidewalks &c. to roads frequented by cars. If motor vehicle operators in your city tend to cut in just behind you, missing your rear tire by inches as they slot into your lane, avoid them like the plague. Even slight contact can send a velocipedist sprawling onto the road - and under the wheels of the tailgating two-ton slave’s chariot.

This is not an exhaustive list; it covers the most fundamental rules for surviving whilst bicycling in an urban environment, only. Always wear a helmet, especially around moving cars. Unless you have no soul, yield to pedestrians. And slow down, for the love of love - death awaits us all.

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ] ​

haiku 20 Dec 2017

From a distant star
A fast scout arriving first
Ice and hard-baked gunk

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ] ​

haiku 18 Dec 2017

A boiling ocean
Waves crashing against cold rocks
Great peril abounds

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 15 Dec 2017

Frozen, biting wind
Snowdrifts gathered here and there
Warmth beckons, inside

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 13 Dec 2017

Incense lit, hands clasped
Quiet words to greet the dawn
A grand beginning

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ] ​

five seven five

This author is changing his usual daily writing efforts, preferring haiku to prose in an effort to avoid speaking divisively. He finds that there is enough vituperation being posted online and appearing on paper, these days. Laboring to point out the faults and shortcomings of politicians and society at large is exhausting work; unless there are radical shifts in income and wealth distribution, a rekindling of compassion for the less fortunate, and an adjustment of the public mindset away from ego-driven materialism, trying to come up with feasible solutions to common problems faced by all Americans is akin to flogging a dead horse.

Hence haiku, the five seven five, which allows him to say something meaningful without saying anything concrete. Shadowed hints and subtle nudges are more likely than brute-force tactics to succeed in sewing useful doubt and shattering inflated egos. Among the primary purposes of the LieSmith and Americanifesto writing projects is to play the tenth man, to look at the world from non-habitual and irregular points of view. The ends he strives for are democracy, happiness, liberty, and prosperity; only his means are different.

To make weak butter
Skim off the layer of cream
Blandness remains, then

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ] 

haiku 8 Dec 2017

Santa Ana’s curse
Whips wildfires into frenzy
Cleansing the parched land

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 6 Dec 2017

A secret chamber
Filled with smiles and joyful glee
Ruins all worry

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 4 Dec 2017

Crunching frozen leaves
North wind blowing swiftly cruel
Jackets, gloves, and scarves

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 1 Dec 2017

One room’s for laughter
Others hold space for mankind
Bound loosely in Wu

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 29 Nov 2017

Seeing through one eye
Thought and memory flying
Sleipnir stamps stoutly

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 27 Nov 2017

By Nature’s decree
All things begin; all things end
Calmly embrace change

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 22 Nov 2017

Pizza sits heavy
Clogging up the inner works
Fat and carbs - yum

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ] 

haiku 20 Nov 2017

Bent, stooped, or injured
Nonetheless striving forward
Mankind perseveres

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 17 Nov 2017

Light incense at dawn
Sit quietly, empty mind
Rest in nothingness

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 15 Nov 2017

A light fog settles
Gathering gloomily now
Mystery abounds

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 13 Nov 2017

Green leaves fall frozen
Arctic winds sweeping southward
Deadly beautiful

[ americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan ]

haiku 10 Nov 2017

Knife and cutting board
Vegetables washed and ready
One false move - blood flows

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

on warmer feet

Following the recent onset of winter, and after relinquishing a blanket to its rightful owner, I noticed that my feet were getting and staying cold during my daily writing sessions. Previously, I would rest them on a bunched-up comforter; it did a good job of shielding my lower extremities against the uninsulated flooring panels that drag heat down into the frigid earthen cellar below.

In an attempt to mitigate my current discomfort, I threw down a single, thin sheet of cardboard, which provided little relief. Since today is recycling day, however, last night I walked repeatedly past a bin overflowing with cardboard. I took from it various sheets, cut them to size and taped them together at the ends (to keep out debris and bugs), making a block of cardboard roughly one inch thick upon which my feet now rest.

Unlike before, my feet are now far less likely to shed body heat into the linoleum tiles beneath them as I sit in an unheated room within an uninsulated house smithing lies, putting words on paper. And all it took was a pair of scissors, a few feet of tape, and a pile of rubbish.

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 06 Nov 2017

A moving canvas
Images etched into skin
Beautiful, self-so

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 03 Nov 2017

Distant shots ring out
Then, responding sirens wail
There be dragons, here

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan​

on reducing stress

There’s a disc golf course in Montebello Park, Baltimore City, MD. I go there at 5pm, after a day’s work, to throw plastic. I find disc golf to be a cheap way to get exercise, hone my skills, challenge myself, and practice patience.

Until the past weekend, however, the path I took to bicycle there lead through gang-controlled neighborhoods and busy intersections. I’d arrive at the park agitated and stressed out from not only trying to avoid aggressive, distracted, and inconsiderate drivers but also worrying about drug-dealer hostility. Hence, my disc golf game suffered, and my peace of mind was compromised.

After consulting with a psychiatrist, I have decided to take a new route, one that skirts the rough areas and the hurtling, gasoline-powered, one-ton, steel battering rams driven by people ignoring their surroundings in favor of looking at their mobile phones. In terms of distance travelled, the new route is actually shorter than the old one, with fewer hills. Now, when I step up to tee off, my my anxiety levels low and I can disco stress-free, and contented.

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

hale, healthy hallucinations

Dreams are, in essence, hallucinations. While dreaming, we see, hear, and feel things that exist nowhere except within the subconscious mind. Absent the type of appropriate sleep that facilitates reaching dream-state, we humans tend to become listless, our brains foggy, our moods sullen and prone to depression. Some research suggests that dreams help improve social interactions. Another theory is that dreams help us connect with our emotions, reducing the burden of negative ones such as fear and worry.

Consequently, it is important to do everything possible to get a good night’s sleep that is neither too long nor too short. This author knows that strenuous physical exercise during the day helps him fall asleep quickly. He also knows that the presence of both light and sound keep him from sleeping well, wherefore he makes his bedroom dark and quiet before going to bed. One of the reasons he doesn’t drink booze is because he knows that the use hard drugs such as alcohol poses a danger to healthy sleep patterns. Also important is not eating food or drinking water before bedtime, as these can interrupt nocturnal cycles.

There are few if any drawbacks to having the kind of sleep that allows to occur dreams, but many risks associated with poor sleep-related habits. For long-term health and a free bout of beneficial hallucinations, please skip the mind-altering drugs and try to get a good night’s sleep.

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

parameters for success

One of the reasons that video games are popular is that the parameters for success within them are clearly established. In the game Clash of Clans, for example, as long as one player destroys a certain amount of his opponent’s defensive towers and property he is rewarded with trophies, stars, and in-game resources on top of what was gained through raiding. He know that he must wipe out at least fifty percent of the other’s things or kill the opposing town hall in order to be a success. He feels good after a win, and bad after a loss.

In the world outside of video games, however, the parameters of success (and the celebrations and positive feelings that should accompany doing something well) are often lacking. For freelance workers who lack a direct command structure, the success of accomplishing tasks and meeting deadlines is rarely celebrated, acknowledged, or even recognized - even though progress was made. The correct emails are sent on time, but only infrequently do clients issues words of encouragement and praise. The job of the client, after all, is to receive things and pay for them, not soothe egos or boost morale; it’s up to the worker to stay motivated and light of heart.

As kids, our parents (hopefully) praised us when we got something right and helped us to regroup when we didn’t. As adults, however, and especially as orphaned adult freelancers, we bear the twin burdens of establishing the parameters of our own success as well as instituting rituals to regularly acknowledge and properly praise ourselves when we stay on target and get things done. Given our trying economic realities and the supreme value of time, this author recommends that such rituals be kept cheap, short, and simple. A minute or two of quiet reflection during which one imagines putting the completed project in a box and giving it to the recipient, to the sounds of cacophonous fanfare and much rejoicing, is better by far than wading once more into the breach, without pause.

By copying the video-game model of clearly established success, it’s possible for life as a freelancer to be both rewarding and bearable.

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 25 Oct 2017

She begs for fish-juice
Then cleans herself with great care
Eyes like slits, watching

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 23 Oct 2017

The gate is now closed
Our harmonious harvest
Will resume next spring

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 20 Oct 2017

Oh lazy rivers
Willoughby, Waring, and Kling
Your asphalt I miss

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 18 Oct 2017

Wisps of rising steam
Bitter slosh, gunpowder green
In tea: salvation

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 16 Oct 2017

Don’t pick the winners
Unless it’s war, overseas
Then, pick the winners

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 11 Oct 2017

White gun owners plus
Unconscious murderous rage
Equals mass shootings

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 9 Oct 2017

When confronting a
Punitive superego
Proceed with intent

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

haiku 6 Oct 2017

Blowing winds fly birds;
Earth, on its hurtling orbits,
Carries man starward

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

logic of difficulty

In an effort to increase productivity and spend my time left on this mortal coil wisely, I’ve been experimenting with making certain things difficult. Not good things, of course, such as ritual, spirituality, creative expression, or spending time with people whose company I enjoy; the things I’m trying to make difficult are detrimental and wasteful activities such as watching internet videos, eating when I’m not hungry, and spending more money than necessary on transportation.

To avoid getting lost down a YouTube rabbit hole, I tether my laptop to the internet via my mobile phone instead of using house WiFi. Due to the limited amount of mobile data my plan provides, watching internet videos is out of the question. When zoning out to the latest trending vidz threatens to eat into my allotment of wireless gigabytes, staying on task and hammering out the paragraphs becomes the path of less resistance.

To avoid stuffing my face between meals, I buy most of my food dry, raw, or in bulk, which means I have to prepare something before it’s ready for consumption. With the exception of the odd carrot or apple, this has allowed me to drastically cut down on spells of random munching, given that I can’t just eat one cookie after the other while standing in front of the kitchen cupboard but have to bake a batch first, from a box.

To avoid wasting time driving around out of laziness or spending money unnecessarily on a gym membership, I bicycle or walk nearly everywhere I go. Bicycling and walking, as well as a daily hatha yoga practice, sets of burpies, and regular disc-golf outings, fulfil most of my upper and lower body workout demands without monetary expenditure. (Plus, these activities contribute little to my overall carbon footprint, which I estimate to be roughly 9 tons of CO2 a year.) Since getting access to a car or a gym is difficult, I resort to the options at my ready and immediate disposal.

By making that which I want to do easy, and that which I want to avoid doing hard, I find myself living a more productive and active life than I ever did watching TV or driving around in a slave’s chariot.

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan