Papa Doc Abraxas' Omnium Gatherum

The Grand Finale. Five poems for two days. A Summer’s Day, Part 1 The sounds of the city echo and resonate, Telling of a useless busyness, a rush to nowhere. And the wind, the glorious wind Blows into the sails of my mind, Leading to paths known and unseen. A Summer’s Day, Part 2 A pool of still water reflects The deepness of the world’s soul, Full of the dreams of all, Empty from the strains of the sky. A pool of still water projects The quiet of my own soul, Peaceful within my world, Hectic from the world outside. A Summer’s Day, Part 3 The sun shines down upon the just and unjust, Sharing its light with all. Making no judgments of the kind of men Who bask in its warmth. Yet the eyes that use this summer light to see Judge all that falls within view, Seeing without fully seeing The souls beneath the flesh Nor understanding That karma and kismet tend to all. A Fragrance bittersweetness fills the air, wiping away all my care, strips my soul and lays it bare to all the beauty that’s the...

Three more days to go. Sunlight And Moonlight golden rays bring lazy days and good feelings. silver lights bring romantic nights and good times. On Practicing Buddhism Of life before I can only say Fading into constant ashes day to day, Then I heard the phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo And my life had something to praise. For causes I did make another time The reward was to know this time The Mystic Law and all it unfolds Within and without my life lived bold. So I chant in times good and bad, When I am happy, when I am sad or mad, To achieve enlightenment this time around, And to set up the same chance next time around. ‘Tis not easy, this Buddhist life, It isn’t always free from any strife. The struggle is part of the game, The drama that troubles this spacetime frame. For the rest of my life, I will say Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Every night and every day. With no regrets, this I vow, From this one until another Now.

Two more poems for today. The Mystery I think, therefore I am, it is said. Yet what is this that I am? For I think as I am an ego, And yet, I AM is the greater Self. So, as the Self does think Then it is therefore an ego, the Ego. So the conflict between the Self and the Ego Is silly, just as difference of viewpoint. So no difference at all. Just as ice and water are the same, It all depends on your perception. So the Self that thinks and feels Is the Ego; as I think Therefore I am because I AM. The Solution Two sides of the same coin, The ego and the self, High and low, Each defining the other As the way of defining the one. Yet the self is larger, The ego more focused and local. Still just as heart and mind And stomach can’t exist without the others, The self and ego need each other, To function, To rise, And to fall. Liberation and Manifestation, Two sides of the same coin, A cosmic circuit, Makes us human, fully human, Yet carrying the seed of the divine within.

And to send my first NaPoWriMo out in style, I'll do two poems a day. This was fun. Across Lands And Barriers Across lands and barriers do I reach, For someone to know. Someone who my open soul can show, A place upon my beach. It seems my heart has passed away To a beautiful one, With a life afire like the bright sun, And a smile for play. A pen to paper scribes many lines, For her, a love, A princess whose friendship is a dove, As truly is mine. So, an ode to she and I, the desire Across many lands, Reaches for bonds and joins our hands, Our hearts afire. Time And Space Across time and space there are many worlds, Many other homes where life whirls and twirls. Different in form and shape and size, Different to many different eyes. Yet all the same are the core, down in the soul, In the essence of life which is beyond our control. Which why two or more souls can touch and find Each other, finding their lives ever entertwined, Bound together in ways not easily explained, Bou...

It's three poems for two days, this time around. Home What is my home, where does it lie? Will I know it soon before I cry? My home, the place where my heart lies, My possessions and purpose, my reason why. I know ‘tis not just a building of stone, A cold dwelling where I feel alone, Through which my fellows’ blight shones, Chilling me down through my bones. My home lies forevermore in part In another place, in another’s heart. And nothing can hold me or thwart My search to join this other’s heart. Another part is a much beloved dream That fills me to near bursting at seams. To build a craft and travel among all that seems Where what’s real is not and all are dreams. Lastly, I am my home, the one I’ve become. My heart is home for all I love and then some. I know for true my time will come, To leave where I am and build my own home. Love Glowing in my heart is a feeling, a wish, To find she who is my other part. Just like Pisces, the twin swimming fish, Always together, our tow youn...

Decision Tree Decisions to make, Decision to take, Paths untraveled, Mind unsettled. Decision to make, Causes to make, A path chosen, A will unbroken, And further down the road we go. Causes to make, Decisions to take, Choices a’plenty, Just too damn many, Yet one must be picked. Reaction, Dilemma, Decision, Action, Goal, Conflict, Disaster, The cycle begins and continues. Life is drama, Drama is life, The play must go on. Art imitates life, Life imitates art, Our lives are stories We have a hand in writing, Our lives are movies, We star in, produce, Direct, and write. So decisions must be made, Out of many paths, Only one taken.

Sunset and Moonrise Watching the sun fall, Staring at all Of the beauty around. The world unbounded. And wondering And pondering Which way to go, What gifts to show, And how to do it all. Watching the moon rise In spring skies, Shedding light down Upon this town And enjoying the sights at night. The bright night Holding in the sounds Of those making their rounds, To see friends, Or to shake their rear ends, Or simply going home after the work week. Sitting comfortable inside Taking it all in stride While listening to traffic. Thinking it’s terrific To live in such a time And a clime Where it feels like forever summer. And with only a murmur, A few words on the page And I set the stage For new adventures to come.

Meet The Buddha Meet the Buddha On The Road. Kill the Buddha. Such it is said. Does mean the Buddha is dead? No, for the Buddha Is in your head. You are the Buddha, I am the Buddha, We all are the Buddha. To kill the Buddha Is not to cling To even that Which you love most. To turn the things You love Into compost, The ground from which You will grow. Reap the lesson From the seeds You have sown. Show how You have grown. The lotus flowers And seeds At the same time. Cause and effect, The Universe’s poetry.

Okay, folks, I've been tardy to the party with these poems so far this week. So I'm making it up by giving six poems to cover four days. How's that for a bargain? Wait, don't answer that. Take care, y'all. Namaste. Opening Volley Words are the song of life, Words grant shape to the shapeless. Within these pages are many words. Tales from the head. Be careful as you journey here That my ghosts do not haunt you. Dreamtime, take 1 I’m staring across a mossy field, The sun is shining. It’s warm and summerlike. And there I sit. For I don’t know if or when this may end in a nightmare. Fear #1 Shed I a tear, For I do fear, By hand I may end Before I can mend. A Sight Unseen A flower of life and love, A gift to another’s heart. Ah, sweet love, To ever embrace your warm coat. And yet I know not Who my love is to be. So I must love her As a sight unseen. The Maker tools I make, songs I sing, what for, for heaven’s sake? for the joy they bring. Dreamtime, take 2 I’m staring a...

TOTAL RECALL #3 Written by Vince Moore, art by Cezar Rezak, covers by Darick Robertson, Cezar Rezak. Picking up from where the film ended, the end of issue #2 changed forever the situation on Mars for humanity. Quaid and Melina find themselves dealing with circumstances that are shifting faster than any dream ever could. New arrivals! More tragedy! And the return of old enemies give our heroes a run for their money. Will Quaid finally start to figure out what's going on in time to save the Mars colony? Check out this penultimate chapter to find out! 32 pages, $3.99.

Swinging Swinging, Swinging through the sky, Falling, Freefalling, Near flying, Free from care. Heroic and humble, Guilty and strong, Making your way Through a world you never made Struggling to honor The memory of a loved one Gone to the other side. Adventure, Thrills, Laughing, And chills. Seeing danger Before and after And during. Power And responsibility. The fantasy come true. The reality, too. Still, it is fun to dream Of swinging through The canyons of the city, Not a care in the world While carrying The weight of the world On your shoulders.

Hey, folks, there's a brand new Omnium Gatherum column up at Comics Waiting Room. This time around I wonder aloud about the hidden chivalry in feminism. Won't you join me? http://cwr.comicswaitingroom.com/2011/04/16/omnium-gatherum-72.aspx Thanks.

A Prayer, Part One Little light, Please live, I have so much Love to give. Find your way, Fight to stay, And I will love you forever. A Prayer, Part Two Fly and be free, Little light. Fly and be free. We will meet again. By the turning of the wheel And karma, We will meet again. Until then Fly and be free.

I Am I am a man, A man of many talents, With a man’s contradictions. I am a Buddhist Who loves the pulps And superheroes. I am a Scholar Warrior. I am a Writer Who doesn’t write enough. I am a Critic. I am an Artist Who needs to draw more And get better. I am an African Whose Motherland is America. I am a Citizen of the World. I am a Loner Who has a company of friends. I am a Genius Who makes dumb decisions. I am here Wishing I was there And everywhere. I live in the Now And dream of The Future That Could Be. I believe in the Middle Way And Nuclear Power And Genetic Engineering And Space Travel And Progress. I fear not the unknown; I fear not knowing. I am the Hero Of my own Story That I have A hand in writing. I reject being small. I reach for becoming great. I walk the path, Follow my bliss, And Seek Enlightenment And Discovery. I love women Without being a feminist. I Love and Hate humanity. I am what I am. If that’s good enough For God and Popeye, Then it’s good enough For me.

The Buddha In Us All The Buddha declared, “Let experience be your guru. If what I say accords with that, accept it, if not, discard it.” And so the quest for truth and enlightenment begins. In libraries vast And academic halls. Out amongst the redwoods And busy city streets. In the faces of those on encounters And in the face that stares back in the mirror. Enlightenment, Samadhi, Nirvana, Is found when one finds it, Only lost when one does not search. It simply is And needs only to be recognized. A destination, A process, And a journey. The interconnectiveness Of all things. The butterfly flaps, The star novas, And under the Bodhi Tree The Buddha sees and knows And invites us, Buddhas all, To see as well. Namaste.

A Lament For The World Of Tomorrow. Power from the atom, Ships to the stars, Colonies on other worlds, Flying cars. All dreams of the 20th Century Turned into daydreams And fantasies In the 21st Century. Where once The sky was the limit, Now the limit Is indeed the sky. Where did our drive go? Who drained our spirit? Culprits too many On right and left, Of the people, And of the beautiful people, All of whom are to blame For why the future is so lame. The world outside my window Is increasingly a small And terrible place. Filled with too many Who race to be More common than the last. Rather than be extraordinary Exemplary, Stellar. The days drag on Until the end of day. Plain and small, Tribal And myopic. And yet the stars still To me. If only, if only…

Due to technical difficulties, I present days 7, 8, 9, and 10 of NaPoWriMo. Long Night Long Night has fallen, Our hearts broken and sullen, It was so sudden. Our Dreams Our dreams fade, Our dreams die, Our dreams end, Our dreams never lie. We dream our dreams And never doubt, Never wonder What our dreams are about. Our dreams have the meanings That we give them. Our dreams only ask That we believe in them. If that happens, Our dreams never fade, Our dreams never die, Our dreams won’t end, Our dreams will fly. Heaven Is Not Enough For My Wanderlusting Soul Heaven is not enough For my wanderlusting soul. Hell cannot contain What it cannot control. My soul wants to fly, To see the stars And worlds beyond the sky Instead of angels or demons At the end of day. If there is free will, Then my soul too is free. Free to roam and fly, Not any lord’s property. Samsara turns, Yugas blossom and fade, Still my soul is my own, Not an item to trade. So I stand tall Against all Who would seek to own my...

Her Beauty Her beauty is a promise. Her beauty is a wish. Her beauty is a drug. Her beauty is a vicious circle. Her beauty is a trap. Her beauty is a dream. Her beauty is a miracle. Her beauty is irredeemable. Her beauty is a lie. Her beauty is the truth. Her beauty is a scream. Her beauty is a youthful dalliance. Her beauty is a dance. Her beauty is a wonder. Her beauty is a rose. Her beauty is a blunderbuss. Her beauty is everything And nothing And all things in between. Her beauty is in all that is seen. Her beauty is.

What is Truth? What Are Lies? What is Truth? What are Lies? And why on Earth Should we even try To tell the difference Between the two? Aren’t they just interference Caused by you Trying to judge reality Through only one’s own eyes? When the truth is so much more And there is more to the score Than what is only seen on the surface. That Life is made by the many Who live and breathe and see All that is, which is plenty. So the truth is bigger Than only one can see And it’s only just a trigger For many ways to figure Out what’s going to be And not be As times passes by.

Dancing On The Ragged Edge Dancing on the ragged edge of disaster, Walking the razor’s edge, Acting as if I have no inner master, Teetering upon the ledge. Time stands still yet ever flows Lasting not forever. Time goes where no one knows Past from future severed. And the race continues going on As runners fall By the wayside, while others move on Giving it their all. While I wait and watch and wonder Which way to go. Deeper truths I continually ponder But never truly know.

The Whole Divided The whole divided Not as strong as the whole. The parts against each other Never to find balance again. Male and female In never ending war. Victories sought Where none truly wins or loses. Yet this game goes on. All because of the view That one must conquer the other. Instead of seeing The deeper truth. That one is the other And the other is the one. Complementing, Not competing, Should be the way.

There Once Was A Woman from Venus There once was a woman from Venus Who was an incredible genius, At building starships That could go fast clips Reaching up to speeds luminous.

TOTAL RECALL #2 (of 4) 32 pages FC • $3.99 • Teen + Written by VINCE MOORE • Art by CEZAR RAZEK Covers by DARICK ROBERTSON (main), CEZAR RAZEK (1-in-5) “Black & White” Retailer incentive cover by DARICK ROBERTSON Continuing the sequel to the smash hit 1990 film, Douglas Quaid and his dream lady Melina find themselves reeling after the tragic conclusion to issue #1. Yet there is no time to mourn as the Mars colony struggles to keep itself from falling apart. With more tragedy on the way, Quaid and Melina have to figure out what’s going on before all hell breaks loose. Meanwhile the mystery of Mars itself deepens, and as our heroes discover, the creation of air for Mars was just the beginning.

And So It Begins And so it begins, Like the need to sin, And giving in To the urge To merge And fuse With the words I use To express the outsides And the deeper insides Of my mind and soul. To be out of control And let thoughts roll And wander Out from under The dark places That interface With the light.