Precious metals.

I literature it is not uncommon to hear authors going on at length about gold. It is used shamelessly as an adjective to denote positive attributes, the golden features, the golden touch, a golden future, etc.

Not as much attention is paid (in my humble opinion) to steel. If anything, steel (when used as an adjective) denotes unpleasant if not negative attributes, a steely gaze, a heart of steel, a will of iron, etc.

This has always made me wonder.

Steel is by far the more useful of the two metals.

Aside from its application in modern electronics, gold is relatively useless. It is soft, malleable, doesn't take to heat treating, makes very poor tools, cannot be used as structural reinforcement, it lacks tensile strength, compressive strength and shear strength, and it will not hold an edge. Heavier than lead, and less useful.

By comparison steel is strong, flexible, adaptable but with a long memory, versatile, susceptible to heat treating, structurally stable, excellent for making long lasting tools, is abundant, can be magnetized, and (when it weakens and can no longer be used for its original purpose) can be continuously reborn.

Gold and steel, the two most precious metals.

Gold and lead, the currency of modern civilization.

Gold to pay the boatman.

Lead to pay the debts of life.

Steel to offer a chance at rebirth.

This isn't really going anywhere.

For the most part I neither like nor understand people.

Sometimes I can like or understand a person,
but I suck at people.

I spent a fair chunk of my life trying to learn about people, and convince myself to like them.

It didn't work.

For the most part they seem to laugh at things that aren't worth laughing at.

Very few, in my experience, have caught on to the big joke.
The complete absurdity of our existence on this planet.
The utter futility of our actions, and the infinitesimal impact on the larger existence, of the lives which we all hold so dear.
The unimportance of "The important things".
The weight of our "inconsequential" actions.

They take themselves seriously.


For the most part I neither like nor understand people.

And for their part the majority of people tend to return the favor.

On round the bend.

Shut up now lad,
drink up now lad,
suck it up now lad,
and keep your thoughts to yourself.

'Cause the worlds full of dark places lad,
empty spaces and listening ears,
eyes are in the shadows watching,
waiting on your next mistake.

Keep your head down,
and keep your feet a walkin lad,
keep your eyes searchin and ears open,
the world'll look better round the next bend.

So keep a handle on your pride lad,
it'll just bring you to sorrow,
and keep control of that mouth son,
or it might just be the end of you.

So buck up lad,
drink up lad
get your feet under you,
and keep your mouth shut.

Doe.

The body lay in the field a quarter mile from the nearest tree,
approximately two hundred yards from the gravel frontage road,
in tall brown trackless grass,
draped in a buzzing wreath of flies,
putrifying in the mid-day sun,
the bulls eye shadow of circling buzzards.

Nameless.

Getting there.

I havn't been on in a little while. But I'm going to be soon (really I am), I've just been working multiple jobs and filling out apps, so I have no time or inspiration or energy.

I ain't dead, I ain't in the hospital, and I ain't in prison.

That should be enough to give fits to any recovering english teachers in the audience...