I can't see this as anything other than a dystopian fortress of American empire. Yet it's our neighbor. We lived here before, and we'll continue to live next to this fortress of dystopian tourism, and we'll pray for the resistance, wherever it may grow.

 As the atrocities of Israel escalate, the hegemonic machine advances toward the collapse.  

 Happy birthday Rose. It's like we're dreaming of this life, like we could be floating in space, dreaming of this. I repeat myself. I know you didn't believe in the afterlife, and I haven't seen you in my dreams, and you used to cross out God in your Daily Reminder, and you asked if we wanted your and Stanley's plaid suitcase, saying you wouldn't be needing it, and I said no, now you'll be traveling light, and you said Oh, right, with a choir of angels singing me to heaven. Anyway maybe it's all imagination, and I sing happy birthday to you in the imaginary afterlife, though I never really liked the birthday song, it makes the room feel awkward. Anyway, I imagine everything is different than we imagined it would be in the real afterlife. Anyway, my back is feeling better, and I'm gladly resting, with our dream cat Olive beside me, as you may be wondering.

This cat is dreamy. Sometimes I feel like we're dreaming of this life, like we could be floating in space, dreaming of this. 

 

Your claws are getting a bit too sharp for kneading the old man's belly, kid. 

Oh, ok, I'll bear that in mind when I claw the couch. 

Gotcha.

 i also noticed, or i think i perceived, that we can see the curve of the earth in every body of water, no matter how small, even a drop. happy birthday, jay.

 Some folks will say it's always been this way — genocide, war, history repeating endlessly, but I feel (and what do I know?) it's different this time. The time is thinning, and it's not just the season, it's  consciousness, not just human, but cosmic, the ether that flows through our minds, winnowing fine matter. Just now I think of water striders striding on the surface tension of water. I did a collage a while ago that said It was a beautiful struggle, something like that.