“In your text’s mirror, Your mirror’s text.” -C.G. — “We are nothing but images of images. Reality, including ourselves, is nothing but a thin and fragile veil, beyond which … there is nothing.” Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli Thank you for being here. A rose is a rose. A nose is a nose. A crow is a bird. A turd is a turd. Thank you for being here. That house over there. There’s something behind it. It hints of things we cannot see. Nevertheless, it is there. The house behind a house. Thank you for being here.

The practice you are about to learn is almost never described publicly — “I wish they made a pocketbook where everything had a spot. Holy spirit, show me some hand jive.” “There! Everything has a spot! Sha Na Na goes here. Holy spirit goes here. Light of the world, here. Vanishing point, here. Singularity, here. Thought things, here. Perfect fifths, here. Shiva and Shakti, here. Sonny and Cher, here. The mystery of fire, here.”

I was ahead of my peers for I had a PEZ candy dispenser. Small victory, that. I was soon displaced by Rollo’s Creamy Caramels. But, I still had my PEZ. And, I still had my dress. I was a hot mess. So stretch out. Claim your space. Dare aspire. Light my fire. We’ll light on outta here and nobody ever find us… ‘cept maybe your pa. You like my dress? Pa made it.

Just playin’ — Entertaining the idea of walking in that soldier’s boots is fairly astonishing to me.

‘cept now I do — Looking through the little window, he marvels at the wonders within. And, frankly, I am somewhat repulsed by it all.

Voters in tights storm Detroit. Arizona State stuns Alabama with mascara. Potholes are good for you. Add to cart? Joe Biden falls up Air Force One stairs. Minnie Mouse sues for divorce. False flags are kosher. Add to cart? Major winter storm buries Las Cruces in six feet of something. Bird flu signals coming of Christ. Prince didn’t die. Add to cart? What’s in your cart?

I remember riding solo on an unexplored two-lane highway. A dream within a dream. The clock is ticking. Living in three worlds can be dicey. Dreams within dreams within dreams. The clock is ticking. Metamorphosis is a fine word meaning change of form or character. The clock is ticking. Gravity wants to pull me down. A brain scan is ordered. The clock is ticking. My affairs now in order so I pen my manifesto.

The clock is ticking and your time is running out… look under the hood.

Keys to the kingdom like the Bible promised me? Look under the hood.