 I'm showing my age a bit here, but some of you may remember the Edwin Starr "War" lyrics from the Vietnam Era.
Taking a bit of liberty with that song I give you.... Twitter, What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, uhh, Twitter, huh, yeah What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, uhh Twitter, huh, yeah What is it good for? Absolutely nothing Say it again, y'all Twitter, huh (good God) What is good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me, oh I will be honest, I've had a lot of misgivings over the years when it comes to twitter. Is it a vehicle that can be used for good? Very likely. Has it been of much good lately? As a writer, I can say it has allowed me to keep up with other poets and writers, follow events, new publications, etc. And I have utilized it for those very purposes. I have used it to some degree to follow news. But this is not the most beneficial of its uses. Quite frankly many. consumers of news are quite frankly too lazy to do their homework and fall for stories that have no reputable sourcing whatsoever. More precisely, Twitter has become a vehicle for not just haphazard attempts at journalism, but the exact opposite. Very precise and contrived reporting of information that has been intentionally utilized for the purpose of spreading misinformation. The recent purchase by Elon Musk of Twitter causes me some construnation. This is not that Twitter has not been without its own problems. Russian Bots, white spread white supremacists messaging, the wide misuse of the Platform by Trump before he was banned, misinformation during the pandemic, and election propaganda that was flat out inaccurate. I have from time to time reevaluated my usage of the platform (as I have facebook as well) and I have taken pauses at times in how active I have been on it. The purchase of the platform by Elon Musk or by anyone is in and of itself not going to make of break Twitter. But the underlying changes in day to day operations over time can make it healthier or just the opposite. What bothers me is the fact that Elon Musk has rained retribution on those in the organization who actually gave the general public a break for hate and disinformation of Donald Trump. The platform did not owe him anything. Nor does it me, or anyone for that matter. Trump was not a responsible actor on Twitter. Nor has he been on any platform that he has been able to spew forth on. This is not simply a matter of disagreeing with him. There are plenty of people I disagree with, but. do not for that alone wish them off any platform. I know there will be people who will not like what I have said here and that is fine. You have a right to your opinions. I have not concluded one way or the other if I will continue to stay on twitter. Let's say I am watching and my options are definitely in flux. I don't exactly consider Musk a stabilizing factor. I'm not suggesting he is not an intelligent man. There are intelligent people who lack common sense. There are also intelligent people who lack emotional maturity as well. To the extent that twitter can be utilized as a vehicle for good, more power to it. But Twitter has been used by many people to spread hate and disinformation and organize to the detriment of our Democracy. How Musk handles this platform for good or bad will have a lot to do with my continuation as a tweeter. #Twitter #ElonMusk #Force4Good #Force4Evil #WritersToolBox
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 Only the contempt the birds had for the children seemed obvious. Chasing their sneakers and pecking at them. It's always difficult to know who to blame, the parent or the child. There is a third option, the dog.
The fountain of youth was observed on the Country Club Plaza, It was a statute of a young child bending to thrust his tiny erect penis forward and a stream from it splashed on a frog, sitting on a stick in the water. There was little in the form of art to this. Okay, maybe it was really more art than it was pornographic display. Children holding their mother's hand would stop, point and appear to be asking about it. Grownups could never deal with it. Togged the child's hand to move on. Flys made themselves at hone sitting on the statue's head. Well, both of them. Sho-fly shoo. The candle burned and the night growled. Why? There is no splendor in this world quite like a lady on ice. The jumps, the lifts, Salchow... Oooo. yes, a triple Salchow. There are always people in line to ride the Zamboni. It's han on for your life as it makes its way across the ice. Laying down a smoother surface. But where are the clowns? There must be clowns. Don't bother. The war is never really won. But it can be lost. See Putin (N. war Criminal, lier, Trump protague. Bully, murderer, purveyor of Russian souls to hell. Gold medaled in targeting civilians. Killing Children, kidnapping young Ukrainian children, giving them Russian names. What is a Russian word for Putin? Нечестивец? Maybe too good. сатана? How many Russian Revolutionaries does it take to change a Russian President? When will the ice age end? Will the buffalo roam? Will the children sing on the playground? Vote, but don't vote twice, though the temptation is great. It fucks of Democracy, Just like some people are tirelessly trying to do. #Putin #Russians. #WarCriminals #Salchow #FreeWrite  Only a day away, and many miles. Break the branches up and make kindling. The night air could be more pleasant if it didn't smell of asparagus. The pattern of the clouds are capable of explaining a multitude of sins. Take your pick. Have a smoke. Play like you really care that I am here. It's just pretend. It doesn't mean anything. At least that is what she told me.
The birds scattered about the the sky. It is a tenuous foray into the night. Bumping and falling from heights unknown to man. There is a planet, a big box store, a fancy guppy. So many things things on. the way down. Going down on the night can be scary. The principal point of. education is participation. Just do it! Oh, wait, that's competition. Education isn't competitive. Or is it? What about the grades? What about the sororities and fraternities? What about the Meal Plan? The dean's list? What about the student loan debt. The Fact that. you can't. stand up to the creditors when they call. The motions we go through are sometimes seem pointless. Other times they puncture us in the side and we bleed like Jesus when lanced. But it's not really like Jesus. That would be blasphemy to suggest. That would mean we have gove over the bridge of no return. We might be on acid, is that a defense? I tumble into oblivion, but I've been here before. I recognize the patterns paisley print patterns and the wooden buttons being worn. I am so naked. Out of place. Obviously this is a mistake. I don't belong in oblivion #FreeWrite Moods #lonely #sad  Sometimes the noise is the crown jewel, sometimes not so much. Redirecting the question is a strategy. So is coming up behind the enemy. Without hesitation the Lincoln logs were dumped on the floor. They become treacherous to bare feet. Bare hairy feet like Bigfoot that compromises the forrest wherever he roams. It should be compulsory to wear socks in space. Socks are in Tang is out. But I could use a glass of tang right now. Where is this all headed? Bulky trash pick up is Monday. Let's put the house on the curb and see it they will take it. Time and time again I have called to see what the time is. I remember doing that as a kid and thinking it was great you could do that. I guess they were ahead of the time, the forerunner of getting time on your phone. She said aloud to no one in particular, but I was the only one present, "But no one gives a flying fuck." Oh, I guess that was intended for me wasn't it. I can't deny the temperature sometimes goes up a few notches in one room or the other as hot air moves about like a candle blowing in the wind. and where is the tiny dancer, least I step on her? A beer or two, a hot dog or two, a ball game, a passive aggressive night at home. Pell Mells smoked one after another into oblivion. Mean, strong, take you to the mat coughing. It's not. candy baby. It's real and I'm about to light one now. #Random #FreeWrite #FreeFlow #Mood2NiteSubdued  The job of the writer is to make revolution irresistible. ~Toni Cade Bambara I'm not aware that I have started any revolutions yet this week, but I have had two poems accepted with the same journal. Lines I wish I had written -
"How long must you know someone until they see your scars?" Kelli Russell Agodon "I made for you a new machine and all it does is hope." Richard Lucyshyn "But that is not, as they say, one of the attributes of exile!" Mahmoud Darwish Mood: #cautiouslyExcited #PoemsAccepted #WishIhadWritten "So if you stretch out your body, suddenly in the lugubrious shadow, your blood upwells into the river of time and I hear the whole sky cascading through my love and you're part of the wildfire that sparks my whole lineage, grant me then, by your golden life, the branch I've needed, the flower that directs and sustains us, the wheat that dies into bread and portions out our lives, the mud with the smoothest fingers in the world, the trains that whistle through frenzied cities, the cluster of wildflowers, the weight of gold inside the earth, the froth born and dying behind the boat and the wing of a seabird rocking between waves like a clapper bell." Pablo Neruda #NewWord Mood: #lugubrious |
AuthorMichael Allyn Wells - notes & musings Archives
November 2024
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(c) Michael Allyn Wells - 2017