Miles From Home

Soothing like lucid rose petals, scorched by fire, flourishing with adolescent whispers. Tormented by tragedy, yearning for unrequited peace below the Tuscan sun, lounging in the Aegean sea. Miles from home is what one needs at times. To gather thoughts, meet those humans that thrive amid tumult, bathing in glorious cultural rituals, hearing the call of the wild. Letting time fly by, no worry of the clock, just yourself and loved ones in harmony. No more ordinary, rebellious thoughts fuel the minds, revolutions in the making. Somber lullabies put one to sleep, words of prose bring tears to the eye. Joyous enchantment seek the eye of the beholder, reminiscent of green pastures and emerald sea water alongside the seashore. This is what I breathe and dream. Luxurious silk and velvet, tender to the touch, draped to perfection like a queen's couture. Dead in the night, lit only by a mysterious cigarette, a scream in the night, a murder not beseeched. I wish to set out, break out of my suburban home, explore the world. Arrive in the city of lights, opportunities abundant as may showers, unmarred by restriction and guilt. Intricate art adorning the wall, a troubled van Gogh, a profound Warhol, a unique O'keefe. This is all I ask for. One life to live.

Sing Me a Sweet Lullaby, in Hushed Tone

Running away from haunting tumult, rummaged safely between the woods, humming below the moonlight. Because in the end, the grotesque, wild landscape, is nothing like society. Out there, one can be free. A testimony in the wind, alive between the exotic gardens that tickle your nose, or those cool winds that rustle your wool coat, and make you yearn for a warm cup of tea. All this, can not compare to worldly indifference, unjust jurisdictions, pointing fingers, accusations, judgements taken to the heart, crippled souls. The soul must never be crippled, wealth and jewels become dust, long trips, midnight relishes, friendly gatherings, wisdom, those last eternity. Traveling the hemisphere, hearing tales of long ago, becoming one out of the many. Pouring out one's life onto paper, writing in tattered journals, a wounded love, restored. When this life becomes too much, seek out the world. Call it's name, feel its hymn, pulling you to ultimate reconciliation. Earth will crown you with it's gifts, you'll become a royal denizen. When fright and opposition mar one's destiny, seek the truth. Compose notes, crumble notes, scream to one's content, run for miles, succumb yourself to a quiet bookstore, huddled with coffee and prose. Only then, do I feel like returning to routine. And even if reality is mundane and staunch, returning will reward me in the end.

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."

                          - Oscar Wilde

Photo Credits: vi.sualize.us

Book Review- Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk

A girl who has it all. A fashion model, a gorgeous boyfriend, a career, a best friend. Yet, there's something much poignant, deep, that's missing. Sprouting from the detestation of living in the shadow of her brother, and tormented by the demons of her intense vanity, she is discontent. After a freeway accident leaves her without a jaw bone, and unable to speak, she meets Miss Brandy Alexander Supreme, the beautiful transgender with a tragic past. Hideous and now completely invisible, Shannon must confide in Brandy Alexander, and erase her past. She must resolve her problems, and find salvation in the last places you'll ever want to look.

Being a firm believer in the idiosyncratic and bizarre, I borrowed "Invisible Monsters" from my friend. I immediately became intrigued with Palahniuk's intense knack for story-telling and in this story, his decisive voice and plot line. I enjoy the way he follows no literary boundaries and jumps around, creating a whirlwind of tales, which come together in a beautifully crafted but slightly disturbing story. I don't recommend this novel to the traditionalists, those who are against liberalism, or those who oppose to same sex encounters. While there were some parts I would have edited out of the unorthodox dialogue. All in all, Shannon McFarland's story shines as a beacon of hope for those in despair. Even those who come from wealthy families, riches and success don't always satisfy one's spiritual and adventurous appetite. To those without hope, Invisible Monsters will be a philosophical tale told in perverse humor, a soap opera of rarity.