Charles Anthony Hood

We have fun times at “Whisky Pete’s.” Open mic night is my favorite time, Because I can get up and share my songs. I cannot sing well, nor are my songs inspired, But I have passion and a dream that won’t die. On the small stage, sitting on the stool, is… An older man who claims to be a time traveler. He claims he is older me from the future. He warns me of impending doom—Apocalypse. He strums a few cords on his guitar and… Hums a bit of a toon before he drops dead. 

  I don’t have any answers, But I wish I did. If I did have any, I would gladly share them.   Since the beginning of humanity, People have asked big questions. Some of the most important ones… Still lack satisfactory answers.   Unanswerable questions defy… Our will to understand. There on the page in print: A beautiful question to ponder.

  Sitting in her English Comp 101 class, Her mind wanders a million miles away. She thinks of her grandpa—his wrinkled hands and… The far away look in his eyes sometimes— Those eyes watched the world unfold.   When she was 5 and too small to… Get onto a bar stool by herself, Her Grandpa took her to have ice cream… At “Holly’s Ice Cream Shop.” She had a single scoop Strawberry cone.   Grandpa had a double scoop… Chocolate cone with sprinkles. She had a pink dress on that was… Taking many of the drops of melting… Strawberry Ice cream—Grandpa laughed. Back in those days,   People were not so connected by… Technology—their heads were not… Down staring at their phones. People were closer in those days too. She remembers the time she’ll never get back.   Grandpa left this world before cell phones… Were even a thing—a luddite would go… Bonkers in today’s world of smart this… And intelligent that—She smiles at the...

  Because I was raised in a cult, The experience made me… Agnostic—unsure of what the… Ultimate truth is or could be.   I have researched religious ideologies: Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, The Church of God, Salvation Army, Non-denominational, Catholicism, Unitarian Universalism, The Church of Satan,   The Church of Christ, Universal Life Church, The Church of Reality, The Church of the Universe, Atheism, Monotheism, Polytheism, Pantheism—it is an intriguing idea.   If the Universe is all that exists, We are not just Human beings… We are the Universe. If the Universe is God, Then we are also God.   But what if God does transcend the universe— Both permeate and transcend existence?   Panentheism is the idea that God both… Permeates and transcends existence. There are millions of ideas about God. We’ve had ideas about God since ancient times.   Consider the Ancient Greeks: They believed in ...

  Do Gods and Goddesses exist? We understand who we want to be and… Our capabilities and ambitions. The true power of any individual… Is the power to create.   Creation is bringing life to… Something previously nonexistent. What one creates may be… Constructive or destructive… Depending upon their personality.   The power to create belongs to the Gods… And Goddesses—we create from what we know. Pain begets pain; suffering begets suffering. An escape exists within the realms of… Human imagination and intense desire.   Gods and Goddesses do exist. We are Gods and Goddesses robed in flesh! We are strong and prideful! We are those poring philosophy… And science books in the libraries.   We are those capable of making wise decisions. We are those who take responsibility. We are those capable of rational discussions. We are those who champion the strong. We are those Gods and Goddesses.

  Sometimes the road is long and lonely. We travel it because we must. If we’re lucky we meet a few lovely… People before we return to the dust. Taste the biscuits and warm tea.   Fate has brought us this far. Our strength is slowly failing. Our hearts have more than one scar. Oft it seems we are not prevailing, But staring at an unattainable star.