Thomas On The Fence – 26th October 2024

I don’t know what I believe anymore
The fence gets more comfortable every day
The Holocaust, massacres and genocides
Did they really happen that way?

Is it all a facade, my own Truman Show?
Is the grass actually greener over there?
To discover my world was built on lies
I wish to remain blissfully unaware

Now reality assaults me at every turn
Left guilty and helpless at the pain
Paralysed by the bystander syndrome
The fence is where I choose to remain


Today I’m feeling:

Pretty good, though not enough sleep as we were up and in a rush to get to Chiang Mai.

Almost 1pm and only now getting my first coffee! I’m a little tired and thirsty and it’s sticky hot.

(Later) The coffee and Kao Soi lunch (not a good taste combo) kicked my ass and I felt great as we drove around and then up to the Doi Suthep temple, where we took photos and wandered around.

After that, though we all felt heat-tired and we drove to our hotel for a quick air-conditioned break before heading out to the night market.

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

A safe journey from home to Chiang Mai despite all the roadworks and dodgy roads. Amy treated Almy to a wash just after we picked up her old flatmate, Crisia, from the airport.

The best thing about today was:

Feeling happy and playful with Amy after the coffee kick and then driving up the mountain to get a view all across Chiang Mai.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Amy complained and whined a lot as we were driving this morning and it was just about things that she had no control over, so I didn’t feel inclined to say anything and just felt amused.

Something I learned today?

Lanna means ‘a million farms’. This made me realise that it is a good way to remember that ‘lan’ is the word for million (not that I have much use for this word!)

Review your acts, Good and bad.

I’m sorry to the lady who tried to help me at Tops with the self-serve machine. There were so many steps to be able to pay by QR code and it was only 36 baht, that I decided not to bother buying anything. I wasn’t upset or anything but Amy said that I should at least say ‘Thanks for helping and don’t worry about it’ to the staff. She was right.

I took this picture to celebrate going back up the mountain in Chiang Mai again. The last time we were here was before we were married.

Living In A Story – 12th August 2022

We are living in the world of a novel
Where fiction has become all too real
Satisfied within the home of a hovel
And being told how to think and feel

This dystopia goes unrecognised
As we’re distracted with flashing lights
We’re no longer surprised
To find we’ve given up our rights

The man on the screen makes me glad
And the woman, young, beautiful and smooth
Advertise a world that contains no bad
Merely there to comfort and soothe

The Truman Show, The Infinite Jest
Were warnings not to be imitated
But when we put ourselves to the test
That’s exactly what we’ve created

17th May 2024 – Submitted to Ragtag Daily Prompt – Dystopia


People interpret religious texts on the content of their own hearts.

Shane Fang, Facebook comment