Ithaca

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
the Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your heart does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.


***Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933)
Translated by Rae Dalven.

Getting Personal...Not Good

I MISS YOU.
Period.
I've run out of other things to say.
........
**Light a cigarette**

SILENT PRAYER

Dear God,
The most forgiving, most compassionate
I still hold on to these thoughts
That you love me in every way
With my knees on the ground and my face
In my palms
I pray for a better life
Me and my family
My blood
I pray that I have
All the power and strength
To make a difference
To build an empire
To have all things beautiful
With only a scrap of ability that I have
Please tell me what to do
Because I doubt and I am weak
Yet I am hopeful
I am trying to make sense of myself
I know you listen
And I love you still.

IN BETWEEN GALLANTRY & POLITICS

Chivalry's dead. It always is. It's funny how the older we get, we gain so much acquaintances yet lose a lot of friends. It's even funnier how the mouth gets away with everything whilst the heart just deteriorates. Genuinity has lost it's value. It used to be the nice one who gets all the love and admiration. Now it's the bitch who reigns supremacy. I guess being grown up is not half as fun as growing up.

There is always a reason for everything. Always a catch. Excuse my cynicism, but it's not that hard to sense honesty after a few hellos. Let's face it, baby. We all want and need something from everyone. Hence, the phoniness in courtesy. And compliments, or rather, ass- kissing, is often the best method to make you likeable.

We heard it all before. She sleeps with him although she has to fake orgasm and despite being treated as nothing more than just a disposable undergarment. Yet, she carries on being the loyal dog that wags its tail at every sight of filthy leftovers. All due to the obviously shallow reason. He's a who's who, the connection to all the hotshots of the IT crowd, the life of the party. Losing him would mean losing all the joy and fun of being acknowledged (p/s: acknowledge does not equal appreciate) by the people he hangs out with. So, it's better to be a concrete pile of shit in a group that she so- called belongs to than an almost non- existent dust, right?

The same story goes for the Queen Bee. The Ace of Spades. One who pinches your cheek and calls you adorable but laughs behind your back. No matter how mean and pretentious she is, hey, who gives a damn about the ugly side as long as she's on top of the popularity poll? Be nice to her and soon enough you'll be able to indulge in the luxuries she holds with her delicate fingers.

We're all blessed with charm. Somewhere. So use it wisely because we don't know who we'll encounter. As much as I'm disappointed with the dissipating altruism in this sick, sad, little world, I'm not going to preach about honesty being the basis of humanity because this is not a blog about some fucking boy- scout moral values. After all, who am I in this complicated world?


***This post has no intention of targeting any specific being.. ;-)