The truth failed to assuage my fears. A lie would've ameliorated them, but at too great a cost. Deception, I've found, is never the better part of the valor. #bravewrite

Share. Overshare. Floodgates of scrutiny open. Torrent of regret follows. #vss365

Death's eventuality offered no fear, only resolve. It was not of a question of whether I will pass. The pressing issue: what was I going to do with the time alotted until that morbid moment? #vss365

"The world's a stage, n' we're all characters in some godforsaken show. Does this show amount to art, or chaos? The answer is both, always, n' it keeps the audience intrigued." #bravewrite

A solitary note was struck on an out-of-tune piano. More notes followed and the villagers cried. They'd been robbed of music for such a prolonged, dolorous epoch, that even the imperfect melodicals lifted their spirits. #vssdaily

The overseer's acolytes grew more desparate and pungent in their impositions and proclamations. They knew nothing of the fury they were feeding among the populace. #bravewrite

"I sought to game the system, else it would game me, phase me, judge me in the balance, n' find me wanting. My act may be a crime by some, but I hope it's seen as a bellwether: the first, grand transformative action of its kind." #vss365

A bright field of flowering lavender is where we conspired. There was nothing extraordinary about it, aside from the fact we were there and that's all that mattered. Amidst the fear of getting caught, we embraced and commingled right there. #vssdaily

Another temporal jaunt: 52 years, 2 months, and 3 days into the future. A transformational catastrophe averted. But the aftereffects are rising in intensity: sensitivity to light and sound, cluster headaches, and every night, I awake drenched in sweat. #vss365

"Be wary of any mope whose spurious pontifications begin with 'They say'. 'They' is either nonexistent or it's a consortium of like-minded mopes who'd struggle to tell night from day." #bravewrite

Rumors of wars and turmoil sent stock prices tumbling. The spirits of the populace followed shortly thereafter. Bit by bit, the signs pointed to a disaster in the midst. #vssdaily

I entered with a silent, barely-controllable anger. Without breaking my stride, I took a seat, grabbed pencil and paper, and unfurled my missive. I poured every bit of my palpable frustration upon the page. Two hours later, the missive was complete. #vssdaily

"Eat or starve. That's the guiding force behind most action. N' in desperation, the prospect of going hungry will make many entertain some vivid ideas." #bravewrite

A veritable treasure was lost in the river by bumbling, stumbling mopes. Down a winding path did it travel, through many an estuary and many a branch, finding its terminus down a storm drain, to be unceremoniously forgotten. #vssdaily

Manfred's response to the kitten was the result of a processing error, due to faulty synthesis of his catecholamine analogues. We were lucky; had we been a half-second late, Manfred might've devoured the kitten whole. #vss365

"The world is hard n' laden with horror. She softens the blows. She's armor against the slings n' arrows. She rejuvenates me with little effort. My gratitude and enchantment is endless." #bravewrite

"Boundless optimism was so much easier when I was younger. Then seasons changed and adulthood announced itself . . ." #vssdaily

I recall the first time I saw Via on the train: raven hair in a bun, mauve silk skirt, killer smile, untroubled and unfettered. An awful lot of noise on that train competed for my attention. She had it, and it proved nigh-impossible to relinquish. #bravewrite

"The internet does loud, stupid, and gross so good one would think those kinda messes were what it was invented for. When lifeforms from other worlds beam down and inventory us, our clickbait madness won't do us any glory. That said, the cat stuff is top-shelf." #vssdaily

All he got from us were flippant remarks and terse confrontations. It escaped him to consider that perhaps he earned every bit of it, due largely to his "leadership" style. #vss365

He found the source of his potential victory was equidistant from the source of his potential defeat. In strategic, stealthy steps, he maneuvered himself in a manner that prosperity and victory would be guaranteed. #vss365

I remember the day well. Late August. Hot as shit. U.S. side of the border. Rattlesnake chili and cervezas by the dozen. And then: the interdiction. Defense of a comrade. My fists were especially prodigious that day. I bear callouses to this day. #vssdaily

"What they want, they'll plunder, pillage, n' steal to get to it. Only discipline they have n' too lazy to deign to be better. Pray they don't run into me. It would be painful n' exacting for 'em." #bravewrite

"Batcrap crazy town this is! They got a guy in the city jail, broke a noise ordnance. His supposed crime: unironically singing off-key." "That's a crime?" "In a town that has a memorial to a tire company mascot, apparently so." #vssdaily

The violence of the evening reverberated. For Mason, it was rough art, but he was used to it. Lanna was another story; the episode was overwhelming. They shared a warm shower. She sobbed and he pulled her closer. No words uttered. His embrace spoke volumes. #bravewrite

The narrative we spun for falling short of the mark was "We ran out of time." The cold, much more precise truth: we exhausted time and other precious resources alotted to us. We elevated cheap amusements to an undeserved predominance. Our sins costs us dearly. #vss365

The number of surviving members from the unit had shrunk dramatically in the past year. Each departure was more gut-wrenching than the one that came before. The reunion was a most poignant event; time's trying nature and finite quantity were made vividly clear. #bravewrite

"By all means, believe in 'love'. Doing so can make life bearable. From where I sit though, it's an abstraction, an aspiration, something that eludes us, something far too great for any of us to grasp." #vss365

First tat. Black ink upon tan skin. The indelible image of the warrior I aspire to be. A decade and a half on, I don't regret it. Even amidst the pithy recriminations. #bravewrite

My travels brought me to a stifling wilderness of mediocrity and gloom. Qualities like wonder, imagination, and spontaneity had no currency here. The desires and appetites of the populace were simplistic and vulgar. I jettisoned with elan when the chance came. #vss365

"Lady's gone. Firm's downsizin'. Taxman's lookin' for a bigger slice. Happiness eludes. Life is, was, n' always will be, a mountain that's increasingly tough to scale'. Jus' me n' Fernet now. Least there's this." #vssdaily

"Summertime in my childhood, when imagination was limitless and adult responsibility was thousands of miles away, was the most carefree and pronounced exhibition of bliss in my life. It has to be equaled." #bravewrite

"One entered in a devil costume, the other entered in an angel costume. To hear others in the room tell it, they've should've swapped garbs to achieve uniformity with their personalities." #bravewrite

In an instant, I became fully conscious of my own nothingness in the world. And I rejoiced, for I was free in a way that others weren't. #vss365

"The indecisive man is his own worst enemy. He radiates a pungent brand of cowardice. He sleeps less, enjoys life less, and maintains a ledger full of regret. Bravery and purchase elude him. Only and until he becomes untethered to his condition does he truly live." #vss365

Redemption: within his grasp, but the fool didn't seek. Contention: Shrill unending rasp, and the fool could only shriek. #bravewrite

"Pillar of the community." S'what they called 'im. A mask he wore, really. Sure, he had riches and totems. But he attained leisure in dark corners. Tale of the tape: Him intertwined with a lass adorned in rose gold lace. The missus will fry 'im when she finds out. #vssdaily

The neighborhood bully. Saw himself as the fearsome kind: Force of nature. Toughest of toughest guys. Goliath in a constellation of mewling Davids. What he really was: A loudmouth reprobate. A professional coward. A balloon in need of proper deflation. #vss365

"My eccentricities n' proclivities earned me nothing but the cold shoulder. Ain't a club or clique that would entertain me or include me in their action. Somebody were to tell me that they sincerely dig me, I'd lose my mind." #bravewrite

Lydell, as best we knew, was a hip-hop devotee. If it had beats, breaks, and turntable wizardry, he consumed it fully. That morning, we were surprised to find him relaxing to a classical piece, on the verge of tears. #bravewrite www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR2J...

"Don't make the mistake of mixin' business n' pleasure. Makes a pungent mix. This is a party. A social thing. A convivial thing. Don't start talkin' shop. Otherwise, the party becomes a flop." #vss365

"Death is such a crass interrupter of normalcy. You n' those in your orbit go through the trouble of building a routine, n' in comes death to throw a wrench into it. Cope, mourn, n' slog back to normalcy . . . until death returns ungentlemenly once more." #vssdaily

I had the goon cornered. He protested with gusto. He tried his best to state his case. In the end, there was no case to make. He swing first: dead air. I responded in kind: right cross, elbow to the nose, and a uppercut that decimated his mandible. #vssdaily

The malignant and irregular seek daily to make themselves permanent fixtures; show them every disrespect. #vss365 #poem

"Moonshine upended me. First taste woke me up. Second taste made me jovial n' receptive to any fruitful offer. Third taste of that mess n' surrender to temptation was automatic." #vss365

"Each of our lives unfolds over an unpredictable, chaotic interlude between the twin certainties of birth and the grave. That interlude tells a tale. Make sure yours is a powerful, viable one." #bravewrite

"The schoolhouse is simultaneously these: madhouse, doghouse, and shithouse non-pareil. Allegiance is legion, obedience is required, sentience is frowned upon." #vss365

Succour and aid from allies in a bewildering hour brought tears to my eyes. I finally had reason to believe that I mattered in some measure to somebody. In this case, it was many somebodies, who in my mind became heroes unequivocal. #bravewrite

"Killin' 'em with kindness is a nice idea in the abstract. But in real life, doing so would go over like a fart inna typhoon. It's unrealistic as hell. Ev'ry now n' then, you gotta bare your teeth, show 'em ya got bass in ya voice, match a cut with a deeper one." #vss365

A fight. A brawl. A picaresque vision, animating a violent, pugilistic ballet. #bravewrite