Food For the Gods

Ambrosia with its heavenly taste was considered the food of the Olympian gods, and they drank nectar, but basically, they were the same thing.  It was thought that the gods needed to eat ambrosia and drink nectar to maintain their immortality and that anyone who would consume this would become immortal for a while.  Whoever consumed ambrosia would no longer have blood flowing in their veins, instead the rarefied golden fluid called ichor, which is the substance that would make them immortal.  In order to live or exist, everything needs sustenance, as nourishment supplies the necessities of life.  For people to understand the gods, they had to be like us in certain ways, so it was decided that they needed to eat and drink, but since they were different from us, they would not eat or drink the same stuff that mortals did.  Dining is the principal expression of social harmony, and this was central men and gods, but the gods considered mortal food to be beneath their dignity.

Certain foods can be named ambrosia and nectar, but since the gods were not real, there is no such thing as ambrosia or nectar and I think the closest thing that we have today to compare with them would be donuts and coffee.  Some people won’t eat donuts, saying that they are loaded with sugar and trans fats, but me being a realist, I never turn down the opportunity to snag a free donut, especially when they are given away at meetings.  I always felt that any meeting held that didn’t serve donuts was not worth attending.  People say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and nothing makes a simpler breakfast than donuts and coffee.  People associate donuts with empty calories, because they have little to no nutritional value, but even though they don’t contain vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber, they can supply your body with energy to make it through the morning.  As a type 2 diabetic, I need to consume carbohydrates and my aim is to aim to get about half of my calories from carbs, which donuts are loaded with, so I refer to them as food for the gods.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #103.

Magic Carpet Ride

Disney’s Aladdin was not the first to have a magic carpet, as there is a legend says that the Queen of Sheba gifted King Solomon a green and gold flying carpet studded with precious jewels, as a token of her love, but other stories say God bestowed the magic carpet to Solomon.  This huge flying carpet was woven on a giant loom, and its dyes that were made out of a special type of clay held spectacular powers.  Its hovering ability was controlled by a few mechanical devices like gears and pullies and it was able to fly several hundreds of feet above the ground, at twice the speed of the fastest horse.  The carpet flew swiftly, bringing Solomon from Damascus to Media in just a few hours, but Solomon didn’t appreciate this gift, because although he was not afraid of heights, he didn’t like looking down from the edge of the carpet and he also got motion sickness.

His advisors built a brick house for this iconic carpet and they dug up a chunk of land to support this house that remained under the carpet.  Solomon was riding in style now, hosting banquets while he was traveling full of pride with how he was better than everyone else.  Since pride always comes before the fall, God saw that Solomon was being arrogant making him more prone to sin, and He decided that it was time to deliver some punishment.  God shook the carpet in the wind, sending all King Solomon’s men flying into the air, and this brought Solomon back down to Earth, so he could concentrate on building the Temple, instead of hosting flying diner parties.  This was the end of the magic carpet rides and Solomon would have to ride on that lousy camel from now on.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #102.

A Walk in the Woods

Alicia went for a walk with her daughter Morgan to go visit her mom who lived just off the path in the woods.  They were holding hands and singing songs together like ‘Lions and Tigers and Bears’ and ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf’ and Morgan hoped that they would run into the Three Little Piggies, Fifer, Fiddler, and Practical Pig and maybe get to see them building their houses.  Morgan asked her mom why grandma always smelled so bad and her mom said that the woods are musty because of the moisture-rich environment and the extended amount of time that they are exposed to the elements could be the reason.  Alicia told her little girl that when things get damp that they start to decay and mold sets in and since your grandma doesn’t sweep, mop and vacuum as much as she should be doing, maybe we could help her with those things.  Morgan said that it is not grandma’s house that she smells, that it is grandma who has this medicinal old person smell that is always around her.

Alicia knew that her daughter was right and that kids tend to say the darndest things and she told Morgan that her grandmother was taking a lot of medicine, because that is what happens to people when they get old.  Alicia said it is normal for old people to smell because they don’t wash themselves as often as young people, and that as our skin matures, its natural antioxidant protection begins to decline.  This decline results in greater oxidation of lipid acid and that accounts for most of the old people smell that grandma has.  This unique scent that elderly people have, lingers wherever they live and it gets absorbed into any confined spaces they occupy, but most people don’t mind this smell that much, however some do find it unpleasant.  Experts still don’t fully understand how body odor changes with age, but they think that it could be the result of interactions between skin gland secretions and bacteria living on your skin.  Morgan said, “I love grandma, but the bacteria living on my skin is really creepy.”

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #100.

My Ship Has Come In

The Flying Dutchman is docked below, but oddly only certain people are able to see it.  Many said this ship would never be able to make port, because it was doomed to sail the oceans for eternity.  People felt that anyone who encountered this ship would have horrible things happen to them, but I am totally fine and I am almost certain that I have not been cursed.  There are plenty of stories about people who have seen this ghastly ship, that ended up with a deathly disease or ended up being killed in an unlikely accident.  Sightings have been rare lately and although this is the most famous ghost ship of all time, most people don’t know anything about The Flying Dutchman.

A legend says that the captain of this ship Willem Van Der Decken found himself struggling to round the Cape of Good Hope during a ferocious storm, when he swore that he would succeed even if he had to sail until Judgment Day.  The Devil heard his oath, and took him up on it, thus the Dutchman was condemned to stay at sea forever.  Other stories say that every one of the crew on this ship caught a nasty disease and no port would give shelter to this ship, because they were afraid that this infection would spread and for this reason the ship is still drifting in the oceans.  People still tell tales about Jack Sparrow, Davey Jones and the Kraken, but nobody ever dares to speak about the inexplicable mysteries concerning the Flying Dutchman.  If you see a ship that reportedly sunk, a bad omen is sure to follow, so many sailors sitting up in the crow’s nest would keep their sittings of this ship silent, for fear that they would fall to the deck.

Some people say that there never was a ship known as The Flying Dutchman and all of these sighting can be attributed to the phenomenon called Fata Morgana, where people see mirages that they think are real.  These mysterious optical events associated with the open ocean get their name from the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, who is also known as “Morgan the Fairy” and scientists explain this as being atmospheric refraction.  People see what they want to see, but I know the Flying Dutchman is real and it is docked just below these stairs.  I am the great-great grandson of Captain Van Der Decken and I plan to board the vessel and take command of my ship.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #99.

All My Love

I give her all my food, as I enjoy sharing everything with her.  That’s what I have done ever since we have been together.  We met in a hurricane and all the branches on the tree that I was in were shaking like crazy.  Once I saw her lovely plumage, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her and I made room for her on the sturdy limb that my feet were locked securely onto.  My perch was sheltered by dense vegetation and when she came seeking shelter from the storm, I was more than happy to ride out the strong winds with her.  She in turn, gives my everything and her tenderness will get me through any storm.  She will then move her tail aside to expose her most intimate areas to me and I love her for doing that.  A love like ours will go on forever, as long as she is by my side.  At night we watch the bright stars that shine in the dark sky.  I know this love of mine will never die.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #98.

Rich Uncle Pennybags

The portly old man sports a white moustache, wears his morning suit with a red bowtie and he often tips his top hat thinking that he is J. P. Morgan.  He sailed on the maiden and last voyage of the Titanic and actually gave up his seat on a lifeboat to the unsinkable Molly Brown, but that was mostly because that lifeboat wasn’t up to his standards, and he decided to wait for a better one.  A better one did come along, one that gave him more elbow room and that is always the way it goes for the rich, the ones born with a silver spoon in their mouths.  He knows that money makes the world go around and my Uncle Pennybags’ dreams are filled with money dropping out of the sky and falling right into his lap.

He bought some property in Atlantic City to support his bootlegging operation and his men would row out into the ocean to meet the Canadian smugglers.  He paid off the police and the Feds to leave his operation alone and as long as they got their cut, they see, hear and speak no evil about him.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #97.

Hanging Out

Melissa, Sadie, Brenda and Linda were hanging out and laughing in their usual spot, when Melissa mentioned that her date last night was the best kisser ever.  Brenda said, “What made him so good, was it his soft lips, or was it his amazing breath?”  Melissa responded, “He knew exactly what to do to get me going and it was mind-blowing.  He started off with a gentle sweep of my lips with his, and it was so close that I could feel his breath, which built up my anticipation about what he was going to do next.  All the time we were making out, it was so exciting, as he paused to kiss my neck, and let his breath linger there, tickling me and making my heart race.”

Sadie spoke and said, “He sounds like a good kisser, but the best kisser is any person who kisses exactly like you do.  When this person kisses you, you will feel as if the two of you are focused on each other and the rest of the world blurs around you.  Kissing is an art, not a science, and everyone likes something different.  The effect that a great kiss has on someone is like a drug, and it should cause you to crave more.  A really great kisser knows how to expertly signal the end of a kiss with the turn of their head.  It doesn’t feel abrupt, yet it leaves you wanting more.”  Linda said, “I have never been kissed like that and I have kissed a lot of frogs, hoping that one would turn into a Prince one day, but no one has ever ben able to curl my toes yet.  I need to feel that tingly feeling down my spine that melts me like puddy.  I would love to feel the kisser’s hunger that would make me want to kiss him for hours, days or years and then I would press my body into him.”

Brenda said, “The best kisser that I have ever been with was Jack, as his kisses just kept on getting better and better.  It is not like there were ever any bad kisses, but they always got better, as he made me tingle from top to bottom.  There must be a direct link between my tongue and every one of my erogenous zones.  He smelled so good, and his pheromones mixed together with mine, which was so heavenly.  I loved exploring his mouth, and being able to penetrate him with my tongue and sucking on his.  It was great when he would suck on mine.  We would kiss for hours, taking foreplay to a whole new level for me.  I can’t really say what it was that made him better than anyone else, but I knew that it was perfection every moment we were kissing.  From the first kiss to the last, it was heaven to be in his arms, sharing that most intimate that love has to offer.  Even after our love was over, he was still the best kisser I’ve ever kissed.”

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #96.

Women and Booze

Most of the loot captured by pirates was quickly divided up among the crew, with a slightly larger share of going to the captain and also sometimes the first mate and this money was often spent quickly on getting drunk and on having their way with whores.  A lot of the pirate booty was not really treasure, as it consisted of perishable goods like fabric, cocoa, food or other things that would quickly become ruined if it was not consumed right away.  Some pirates did burry their treasure and try to keep the location secret, but none ever created maps marked with an X, so they could find it again.  Since dead men tell no tales, it was customary for a pirate to kill anyone who helped him burry his treasure.  A pirate was a criminal and they could only hang out in places where criminals were welcomed.  There were no banks in these places, because they would be robbed, but if the treasure was buried out of sight, it was thought to be safe from others confiscating it.  It was not an easy life, but some men liked going after whore after whore and drinking a bottle of rum.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #95.

Trouble in The Garden

They had common interests and they all met on TicTok, a social media platform is used to make a variety of short-form videos.  They started out as environmentalists, all coming up with different ways to save the planet.  It all started out so innocently and nobody realized that they had become wrapped up in a dangerous cult, till it was too late.  They were all on a mission to improve to improve the earth and the insidious leader promised them enlightenment.  They all made a Vow to do whatever it takes to protect the values that this organization stood for and they enjoyed that they belonged to this special group of like-minded people called the Tree Grabbers.

The ritual of everyone placing their hands on a newly fallen tree allowed the leader of this cult to create a pack mentality, as everyone wanted to connect with the others, hoping that they would have something in common with all of the others.  They all felt love coursing through their veins every time this ritual took place.  The leader referred the commune as the Garden and he would always talk about climate change and global warming, enforcing their views and he told them that in order to save the earth that they had to save themselves first.  The way to do this was to give up all of their worldly possessions and live naked in the Garden together.  He did allow them to keep some rings and bracelets and he also allowed them to paint their nails, but everything else must be cast off for the greater good of the group.

The leader realized that by having less possessions, his members would be easier to control and his bank account in the Cayman Islands was getting larger by every new member that was recruited into the cult.  However, the less possessions that his followers had, the more depressed and hopeless they became and trouble was brewing in the Garden.  The leader had an escape plan and he knew it was time for his followers to drink the Kool-Aid so he mixed up the Jim Jones special.  He knew that some of them would not want to move on to his new Nirvana where they would be reborn in a much better place, so he had those members bound and gagged after they were forced to drink the toxic deadly mixture.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #93.

Let’s Trade

Superman said, “I’ll lick your ice cream and you can lick my ice pop.”  Batman replied, “That is so disgusting, as I don’t want your lips and tongue all over my ice cream and I can buy my own ice pop if I want one.  You are more like a dog than a superhero, and I am sure that your tongue is full of nasty germs, because you have a bad case of halitosis.   What is that lemon, with all the flavors that are out there, why would anyone ever choose lemon?”  Superman came back with, “You compared me to a dog and I will take that as a compliment, as there is nothing more loyal than a dog.  I heard that a dog’s tongue is cleaner than a human’s is and if I wanted your ice cream, I would just snatch it away from you, and eat it before you ever saw anything.  Licking is part of life and the first thing that a mother does with her new born puppies is to lick them, in order to clean them and show them her love and this is the first form of communication that she has with them.  I am not surprised that you wear that mask all the time, as I doubt that any girl would ever want to kiss you.  If you don’t want to share, that is fine with me, but I never realized how insecure you were before, and if you want to remain friends you need to get over your trust issues.”

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #92.