the stranger

by wiggly jones, "the little hippie boy"

if you see a stranger stealing something help him get away he may rule the world tomorrow and then what will you say? if you see a stranger laughing by himself in a doorway dark he might be father noah catching animals for the ark if you see a stranger weeping by the side of the highway broad he may have won and lost a kingdom is that so very odd? if you see a stranger walking on the surface of the waves though the ocean not devour him he may still wish to be saved if you hear a stranger tapping on your window late at night he might be judas iscariot trying to make things right if you pass a darkened window and see a demon in its depths run to the nearest mountain for the demon is yourself

the little man

by chuck leary

i saw a little man he was nothing at all like me who am going to be rich and famous you just wait and see he was waiting for a bus it looked like it might rain i knew i should not laugh but i could not feel his pain going home to his wife and children or maybe his dog or cat or maybe just watch a ball game but i am not like that i am different from other people and am the child of fate i smile at your little problems because destiny awaits you may think i am just like you as i stand here in the street but time will show the difference victory, not defeat maybe you should be nice to me you would be the first but i will make it worth your while when i rule the universe

misbegotten

by chuck leary

my mother didn’t like me neither did my dad though i was the best and only child they ever had my mother was a dreamer my dad a drunken bum they waited for an angel from heaven but he never did come i was a beautiful child with a sensitive soul to bring a message of love to the world was ever my goal where did it all go wrong is the burden of my song why are people so nasty? why can’t they just get along? countless wanderers before me have asked the question and yet it must be written in the wind and stars there is something we just don’t get

clouds

by wiggly jones, "the little hippie boy"

you may ask me what i want but i don’t really know i never asked to come here but am afraid to go if i could look inside the heads of people passing by maybe i would laugh but more likely i would cry o people with your smart phones pressed upon your ears the sidewalk that you walk upon is a river of tears o children with serious faces intent upon your games the clouds look down upon you but do not know your names

the white flower

by emily de villaincourt

illustrated by eddie el greco

when bertrand was a little boy, his mother went to see the gypsy one day and she took bertrand with her. the gypsy looked at bertrand and announced - “one day you will look out the window and see a man walking along and carrying a white flower. on that night, you will die.” “good heavens!” exclaimed bertrand’s mother, “what a thing to say to a child!” “but it is the truth, madame,” the gypsy replied, “and i always speak truth. it is my profession.” bertrand’s mother had no answer to that, and she proceeded on with her usual business with the gypsy. the years went by. due to a combination of excellent connections and fortunate circumstances, bertrand grew to be a very successful and very old man. one evening at dusk he looked out his window and saw a man, apparently some sort of deliveryman, walking along carrying a white flower in a crystal vase. had the gypsy’s prophecy finally came true? bertrand had almost forgotten it. bertrand rushed into the street as quickly as he could on his cane. he saw that he must have been fooled by a trick of the light, for the flower the man was carrying was actually red. much relieved, he went back into his house. that night he went to bed at his usual time, and fell asleep immediately. in the morning his housekeeper found him dead.

two philosophers

by nick nelson

illustrated by eddie el greco

a worm and a beetle were sitting in the dust having a conversation. a butterfly flew by. look at that butterfly, said the beetle, i wish i too could be as free as it, and could wander wherever i would, instead of having to sit here in the dust. just then a human wearing khaki shorts and a pith helmet came along with a net, and captured the butterfly. you see, said the worm, the butterfly was not so free as all that, but could be captured at any time by a human in khaki shorts. look at that river, said the beetle, because they were seated near the bank of a river, it can flow all day, never stopping, and travel to distant lands. a nasty little boy came along and began throwing rocks in the river, splashing water in the air, and disturbing the river’s steady flow. you see, said the worm, anyone can come along and throw rocks, and who knows what else, in the poor river, and it is helpless to stop them. look at that blue sky, said the beetle, up there smiling all day long, without a care. dark clouds suddenly filled the sky, and rain began to pour down. see, said the worm, how quickly the tranquility of the sky can be disturbed. yes, said the beetle, but it is raining on us, not on itself.

an obituary

by fred flynn

citizen johnson harrison died today, at the age of 131, at his home in city 224, second european-atlantic sector. citizen harrison was born on february 27, 73 b r, in the former province of britain. citizen harrison is believed to be the last person to have been designated as an “adult” before the old designations of “adult” and “adolescent” and “child” were abolished in the year 33 b r, by edict 347-fg of the world congress. he received a certificate of “adulthood” on his 45th birthday, on july 20, 33 b r, a couple of days after edict 3467-fg was promulgated but before it could be effectively put in place. according to neighbors who knew citizen harrison in his last years, he took an unreasoning though harmless pride in this fact, and kept the certificate well preserved and prominently displayed in his living space. he was an active member of his local art, poetry, and cooking groups, but won few prizes in them. he was not so active in the local exercise and fitness groups, and took no part in political affairs.

walking in the rain

by wiggly jones, "the little hippie boy"

walking in the rain with a hole in my hat tried to conquer the world didn’t know it would end like that walking in the rain drifting through the mist tried to conquer the world didn’t know it would end like this raindrops on my head water in my shoes this is how it ends when you begin the booze sirens fill the air flashing lights ahead i will answer every question with, soon we’ll all be dead walking in the rain water floods the earth this is how it ends when you are cursed from birth