Illustration "Reflections" originally appeared as filler art in the Spring 2014 issue of Star*Line.
My account got suspended for more than 24 hrs, and I thought the suspension was going to be a permanent one. However, I appealed, and it seems my appeal did some good.
After that, I now have to think carefully regaring whether or not I want to remain there. I think I'm going to limit my presence on that platform, restrict myself to posting mainly about sales in my print-on-demand stores. My latest suspension left a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyway, I did write a poem about it:
Social Media Suspension
Exiled from the electronic town square,
Silenced by a system inhuman and unjust,
With soap box snatched from 'neath his feet,
The suppressed outcast screamed in vain
But no one heard his righteous racket —
An abominable AI despot had choked his cries!
Battered But Still Afloat
By Richard H. Fay
Tethered to troubled memories,
I remain caught in crashing waves
Pounding this poorly protective port
Lashed perilously by a pernicious past.
Vile recollections batter this frail vessel
Threatened by thoughts of previous wrongs,
But somehow this assaulted craft remains afloat.
Too Many Times
By Richard H. Fay
Forgiveness may be divine,
But you unfairly painted me the devil
Far too many times to ignore.
Forgiveness may be sacred,
But you unjustly treated me as Satan
Far too many times to forget.
Forgiveness may be merciful,
But you unduly called me a monster
Far too many times to forgive.
Never a Father
By Richard H. Fay
A selfish, self-centered, substitute sire
So swift with the stern scowls and stiff scoldings
Played the part of pinch parent but poorly.
A brooding, bearish, brute of a buffoon,
With a beetled brow and boneheaded ways,
Proved a wretchedly rotten role model.
A lanky lunk lacking paternal love,
A self-absorbed simp with scant tolerance,
Neglected his task to nurture and care.
An irascible, immature jackass,
A greatly glowering glob of a goon,
Utterly failed as a father figure.
Never a son of yours;
Never a father of mine;
Thank goodness!
Misfits Among the Masses
By Richard H. Fay
A cornflower among daisies,
Bright blue sail among foaming white waves.
A butterfly among moths,
Orange-clad king among grey-garbed serfs.
A tiger among lions,
Boldly striped blazer among drab tan coats.
A misfit among the masses,
Defiant character among the compliant flock.
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| Background is a public domain image of the Official U.S. 12th Army position map at 2400 on D-Day. |
Divide and Conquer
By Richard H. Fay
Key strategic concepts
In the war being waged
Against modern society:
Confuse and miseducate.
Deceive and misinform.
Confound and misguide.
Delude and aggravate.
Enthrall and agitate.
Beguile and demean.
Enrage and inflame.
Besiege and infuriate.
Upset and violate.
Distress and misuse.
Unsettle and subvert.
Disturb and humiliate.
Subdue and intimidate.
Repress and silence.
Suppress and constrain.
Restrain and dominate.
Disjoin and subjugate.
Segregate and enslave.
Disunite and vanquish.
Separate and annihilate.
Divide and conquer.
Tormented by Shadows of the Departed
By Richard H. Fay
Larvae slither across my floor at night.
Lemures whisper taunts in my ears.
Specters trouble my sleep with their moans.
Ghosts haunt my dreams with their groans.
My tortured existence is forever haunted
By the shades of those who have come before.
Revised and expanded a poem I wrote earlier this year, "Stop and Start", and rendered a background for it using GIMP.
I strengthened the stormy metaphor a bit and also tried to make it a little more inspirational, thus "Start being / An unstoppable force of change."
In Anger and Hate
By Richard H. Fay
In anger and hate, I planted a seed
From which a sickly sprout sprang.
Nourished by strife, sustained by grief,
Tainted seedling grew twisted and bent
'Til corrupt sprout became warped sapling.
Gnarled branches scratched a somber sky;
Black roots delved deep into my rotten soul.
