The world is only changed by those that are compelled to speak

When the crowds go your way, you may sit back and listen

There is no need to overuse your voice

But the masses part slowly and before you know,

Your silence has  lead the talkers to victory

There is no rule that those that are good win

Only those that don’t shut up climb the mountain

Your words break their footing as they near the summit

And you can watch them slip as they stumble

There is no rule that those that speak are good

They say the first line is the hardest

But this one wasn’t a walk in the park either

The third line’s can be a challenge

But the fourth is when it fails

You’re losing readers by the fifth

No one even reads the sixth

You might as well just skip this one

And move right on to the eight

No one ever ends their poem on line nine

Tonight I wrote the words

That I know will change the world

As the pen streaked the page

I prepared for all the change

But as I finished up my script

My enthusiasm slipped

I knew what I must do

For my apprehension to be soothed

I tore apart the paper

And disposed of all the staples

In my head the words are kept

And the letter remains unsent

It turns out I like the world for now

And I don’t want to tear it down

Give me thirty seconds

And I’ll give you back your time

What would you ever do with me

If you ever knew my kind

I’ll run around in circles

And fall down into the dirt

There’s nothing you can do

To ever stop the hurt

The skills it takes to make

A thirty second poem

Are the kind of things it takes

To make a house into a home

_______________________________

(opening music for celebrity jeopardy)

“The Other Mangler”

By Ian

Narrator: It’s the Mangler! Created in a basement by his nemesis and Grand-pappy, Doctor Horatio, The Mangler has been endowed with the totally awesome superpower to see into the future and discover whether a person will grow up to be good or Jewish.  With this knowledge, he is able to eat babies before they can grow up to become the next Michael Bloomberg.

INT. IAN’S APARTMENT – DAY

We open on a ringing telephone. Much like some scary movie, although instead of being the harbinger of doom for the character who answers, this call will bring forth good repercussions. Sort of.

Ian

Hello?

Voice

(from phone)

Ian?

Ian

Yes?

Voice

Who was the killer in Friday the 13th?

Ian

Mrs. Voorhees, Jason’s mom. Look I have the whole Scream box set on DVD, so don’t go trying to scare me with old material. Be original.

Voice

(changing)

The boy packed his bags and left the house. It was his 13th birthday and this convinced him he was a man able to survive on his own. Five pairs of socks and two pairs of underwear was all he had rolled up in a paper bag he stole from the local grocer. This was his day and he was sure to make the most of it. Anything else he needed, he assumed he’d find in one way or another when he needed them.

Issue 1

I first saw him when I was six years old.