Murk

Sometimes, I see a hand rise from the murk,

and with surprise, I realize that it is my own.
As all the wet dirt and grime and mud slides down, off the fingers, it looks almost clean, almost normal, as it reaches out for the bark.
But of course, the bark really is a blade of straw.
The mud crashes over my head as I briefly pull the straw down with me before it slips through my fingers and floats back to the surface.

Then, things are as they were.

Helter Skelter ?

Now that I have started my very own blog, what world-moving and epically important topic am I to tackle first ? Why, my own vanity,
of course !

As you probably know, most internet forums and message boards these days feature "avatar pictures". You know, those personalized square or rectangular pictures on the upper left of a post to show you who just posted without even reading the name.
(You obviously don't have the time to read names. You're a person of the world, you have
to go places, meet people, make money, move major revenue, and rule the world from your
secret underground lair of doom)

Now, my own, personal picture which I use across most
forums is that of an eye. To be more precise, it's this one:


I've been using it for years and it has kept me recognizable.
Probably not a smart move, because I tend to make more enemies than friends.
In any case, there's an issue I hadn't been aware of all this time:
People seem to think that it's Charles Manson's eye.

There are two problems with this.
1: I don't support serial killers, mass murderers and their likes in the field of politics.
2: It's my eye.

So I have to ask you, my willing, my dedicated, my obedient audience....
Do I look like Charles Manson? Do I? Of course I don't ! So tell me. Except if I do. But I don't.