Month: January 2023

Motorcycles and riders can both have AFib

Ian HunterLeave a comment

A watched a man throw a strong leg over his Harley

A press on a button fired up the beast

The motor roared with that distinctive Harley Davidson beat

A highly tuned combustion engine with AFib

The big fat heavy motorcycle defies gravity on two wheels 

Staying vertical while rolling along slowly

But it needs a strong rider leg to stop it toppling over when static

On the open road she just purrs along

Taking sweeping curves with the rider leaning to the side

A perfect combination of man and machine working in harmony

Its a totally different story riding in heavy traffic 

Inching forward with legs splayed out ready to keep the monster vertical

Blistering acceleration whenever a gap opens up to surge forward

Then braking to a stop and spreading those legs to stabilize it

I noticed cars drivers seemed to be afraid of the motorcycle and gave it a wide berth

Either they find the motorcycle itself intimidating

Or they are afraid that the rider is a drug crazed Hells Angel looking for trouble

In either case there was little eye contact between car drivers and the motorcycle rider

With the exception of children in cars who stared endlessly at the big shiny machine

The bearded rider warmly smiled back at the waving children

Car occupants live in a different world with AC and music flooding their interior space

They do not have to dress up in boots and leather and brave the elements

Riders live in the outside world with no cocoon to protect them from heat, cold or rain 

Conversations with passengers on the back must compete with the roar of the engine

When motorcycles roll in packs they instantly become a gang

They could be a group of doctors and lawyers on an outing for the day

Or a bunch of pop culture deemed lawless Hells Angel outcasts looking for trouble

Each group is equally considered a gang and feared by motorists

Car windows remain tightly shut and driver’s eyes do not wanders towards the gang

The gang takes on special powers rolling along in formation two or three abreast

Cars magically move out of their way like a parting sea

Nobody wants a fender bender with a member of a motorcycle gang

Their reputation is however unfairly tainted by urban myths

Most motorcyclists are the true knights of the road

Always ready to help out a stranded motorist

Many Hells Angels are military veterans having proudly served their country

Its a strong brotherhood with strict codes of conduct and they honor their fallen

They are really big into social work and supporting local communities

A fact often overlooked by the pop culture image of outlaws on two wheels

They almost always ride Harleys purring with AFib

Some of the aging riders might even have AFib themselves too

Next time you see a motorcycle rider show respect and give a friendly wave

The fourth dimension- Part 5 FINALE

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Kevin put the gun on the table while he explained everything

We are both characters acting out a dream in our own imagination

Our real selves are still asleep in bed

The only way for this dream to end is to kill the main characters

I was having difficulty understanding all this

Look Kevin, if we are imaginary characters then we don’t exist in reality 

Which means we cannot be killed like normal living beings

You are exactly right said Kevin, our characters can only be killed in our imagination

This is never going to work Kevin, there is no way I am going to shoot you

Kevin walked over to his bedside table and pulled out a second gun

He placed one bullet in the chamber of each gun and handed one to me

I took the gun and asked him what we were supposed to do next

Take the gun back to your apartment and put it by your bed

When you go to bed this evening wait until exactly midnight and shoot yourself

I will do the same at precisely the same moment

Then tomorrow we will both wake up from this dream

I could not think of a better plan to escape from this eternal groundhog day

I took the gun and shook hands with Kevin before returning to my apartment

Just before midnight I got a text from Kevin saying see you on the other side

Picking up the gun, I counted down the seconds with the barrel at my temple

Pulling the trigger at midnight before everything went black

I woke up in bed not knowing if I was still stuck in the fourth dimension

There was no gun on the bed and no signs off trauma

I got dressed and raced down to Kevin’s apartment but there was no answer

Maybe he was still sleeping I thought so I went back to my place

I could not get onto my balcony because all the balcony furniture was piled up inside

A new paint job had magically appeared on the balcony walls and railings

I called the front desk to find out what was going on with the building

Spencer answered with his usual joyous voice

Welcome back Sir, we missed you, how did you enjoy your three year assignment in Europe?

It was err great I stuttered,  but why is my balcony furniture piled up inside?

Oh that was brought in during the building renovation while you were away

I will send somebody up to put it all back outside

OK thanks I said, one more thing, do you know if my friend Kevin is home?

Spencer fell silent for a moment then his voice went uncharacteristically somber

I am very sorry Sir but your friend Kevin passed away more than a year ago

You obviously did not hear the sad news Sir

He tragically took his own life, he shot himself in bed

I thanked Spencer and hung up before checking the date on my phone

Sure enough it was three years ahead of my last memory

I must have spent those three years stuck in the fourth dimension

The fourth dimension – Part 4

Ian Hunter1 Comment

There was no sign of life in the desert surrounding his building

He went back inside and turned on the TV

All the stations were in Arabic with no subtitles

Hunger pains led him to the kitchen

None of his usual bland stuff in the fridge and pantry

It had all been magically replaced by middle eastern delights

He settled for Turkish coffee and baklava

All his jeans and T shirts were missing from the closet

He tried on the Arabic robe and headgear

Admiring himself in the mirror and noticing his new long beard

He tugged hard on the beard to verify it was not fake

Intense pain proved it was real but how did it grow so fast he wondered

He walked all round his apartment talking out loud to himself

Asking if he was going mad or could this all be another dream

He even got in and out of bed to simulate waking up

But the dessert was still there and his beard was growing longer

Another futile ride in the elevator kept returning him to his own floor

The stairwells up and down went nowhere either 

He knocked on all the doors on his floor

Patiently waiting for somebody to answer before moving to the next 

On the fifth attempt he heard a voice inside and the door opened

It was his neighbor Kevin wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt

Kevin did not recognize him at first with the beard and robes

Hey Kevin something really weird is happening to me he said

Keven replied No shit man, you gotta come in and see this

He followed Kevin through his apartment and onto the balcony

The desert was no longer there having been replaced by a bustling island

Palm trees were swaying in the wind and the beach was crowded

He started yelling down to the people below

You are wasting your time said Kevin, they cannot hear or see you

Kevin showed him the massive HELP sign hung over his balcony railing

Nobody looks up or responds to this he shrugged

He led Kevin back to his apartment to show him the desert outside

A place where your imagination completely takes over your mind

Kevin was speechless looking out over the featureless desert

They went back inside trying to unravel what was happening to them

Amazingly they had both had the exact same dream about the giant and falling 

Kevin concluded that they were both stuck in the fourth dimension

So how do we escape from this fourth dimension? he asked Kevin

We will have to kill each other replied Kevin who then pulled out a gun

The fourth dimension – Part 3

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He felt no pain as he lay on the ground motionless

Vividly remembering his traumatic fall

He felt his spirit was leaving his body

A bright white light shone above him but it was blurry

He tried to reach out towards the light but he could not move

After blinking a few times the white light slowly came into focus

Angels were nowhere to be seen sadly

He was looking up at his bedroom ceiling

A quick check of his limbs confirmed no injuries

He realized it was all a dream and that he has simply fallen out of bed

His pajamas were drenched in sweat so he took a shower

Recalling all the details of his dream as the water streamed over him

Trying to determine the significance of such weird events

Why was he ripping up buildings before being thrown from a roof

Was there something traumatic he saw on TV to trigger that dream

He could not find the answers and decided to shrug it off

Morning coffee was a welcome back to realty

Flicking on the TV as he made breakfast

The news was showing the city in disarray 

Rubble blocking streets and cars piled high on parking garage roofs 

Surely this dream cannot be continuing he asked himself

He picked up his phone to make a call but he had no service

No WIFI either but strangely the TV still worked

He needed to get out of the building to see for himself

Leaving his apartment and walking to the elevator he passed no other residents

The elevator doors closed and he pressed the button for the lobby

He sensed the elevator moving before the doors reopened 

No lobby area to be seen as he was still on his floor

It was time to abandon the elevator and take the stairs

Walking down from the 20th floor would be good exercise anyway

After descending a few flights he noticed that every floor was marked 20

He walked up and down the stairwell searching for an exit

Every door he entered took him back to his own floor

He was beginning to think this was all another dream

It was futile trying to exit via the stairs so went back to his apartment

The TV was no longer working so he decided to go on his balcony

Expecting to see his normal views of the bay and the city

He froze at what his eyes were seeing and kept blinking slowly

There was no bay and no city at all

Just an empty featureless desert as far as the eye could see in every direction

The fourth dimension – Part 2

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The giant’s hand gripped him tightly

Lifting him to the top of the highest building

The giant was standing on the roof

He felt the grip on him loosen and he fell onto the roof with a bump

The giant loomed over him menacingly

Who said you could move the buildings in my city?

This is my playground and you just ruined it

He stood up and dusted himself off

Looking up at the giant defiantly

Its my playground too and I am not scared of you

The giant roared with laughter at the little mans defiance

Picking him up by the legs and dangling over the side of the building

He froze in terror as he looked down at the streets far below

The giant shook him violently and threatened to drop him

Before throwing him roughly back onto the roof

He dusted himself off again and stood up

The giant insisted that he moved to another playground

He resisted saying this was his home and his own playground

The giant started to get really angry and started shoving him to the edge of the roof

Leave me alone you big bully he screamed

I will if you promise to fix all the damage you caused and then leave town

Not happening was his reply

The giant was furious now and picked him up roughly

Have a nice ride down to street level he grinned

Before dropping him over the side of the building

He was hurtling down fast towards the ground

Buildings flashed by him like speeding trains

Time slowed down as his falling continued 

His whole life flashed before his eyes

Wondering why it had to end this way

He knew the impact would be severe and he braced himself

Hitting the ground with a thud

Then total blackness

The fourth dimension – Part 1

Ian Hunter2 Comments

He stepped out onto his high rise balcony

A breathtaking view of the bay

Sailboats moored down below resembled little toys

A sailing regatta was in full swing on the water

Each boat searching for some extra wind to beat the others

He looked inland across the city

Most buildings were shorter than his 

Looking over flat rooftops brimming with vents and fans

Extracting the heat to keep their occupants cool in this sun drenched city

Cars rolled slowly through the busy streets below

They also resembled small toys

A metro train went by in the distance completing the array of toys below him

He felt like a giant in a three dimensional playground

His vivid imagination took him into the fourth dimension

Making a list of buildings he felt were ugly and out of place

Before bending down and plucking each one from its foundations

Smoothing away the dirt and planting a few trees

Them moving some fine architectural structures to fill the gaps

He then proceeded to crumble some of the removed buildings

Creating road blocks all over the city

Stranded cars could no longer move through the gridlock

He plucked the cars up one by one

Posting them gently into high rise parking garages 

Until all the streets were completely devoid of vehicles

People now walked merrily along empty streets 

Next he turned his attention to the regatta on the bay

Leaning over and blowing swirling winds towards them

Tiny sail boats were tossed about with each breath

Sailors were having so much fun with the new winds

Noisy helicopters and planes buzzed through the skies

They were all scooped up in his giant butterfly net

Each one being safely parked at the airport and told to stay grounded

He proudly looked out over his toy city with no more noisy cars and planes

Suddenly a giant hand came down from above and grabbed him

Pulling him off the balcony and lifting him skyward

I think we just had a baby

Ian Hunter1 Comment

We just completed a major home renovation project

It occurred to me that its just like having a baby

First of all you need to fall in love

Then comes the honeymoon phase

You enjoy every moment with your home

Until you and your spouse agree that something is missing

A new addition would make your home complete

Its a fun time exploring ideas on what it might look like

This is the beautiful phase of conception

You eventually draw up plans and engage a contractor

Once the contact is signed you are pregnant

The first few weeks of the pregnancy are easy

Then you hit a few snags

Its going to cost a lot more than you budgeted

You have no choice but to press on

Meetings with the contractor are like pre-natal doctor visits

He assures you that its all going to come out great in the end

Tells you not to worry about the bumps along the road

Your home starts to grow fat with construction mess

It looks ugly and almost unrecognizable

Dust and dirt make you feel sick every morning

The baby starts to grow and kicks you frequently

You have to make decisions on so many things

Many surprises along the way have to be managed

It becomes a 24/7 activity that needs constant attention

You get fearful and anxious towards the end

Like a passenger on a run away train

You can see where its going but you cannot get off

As the completion deadline approaches more pain and suffering are endured

The punch list of things left to do keeps growing

Then the miracle of birth occurs

The contractor hands over your newly completed renovation 

Your new baby is just perfect in every way

Everybody is happy and full of joy

Friends come round to congratulate you on your new addition

You rapidly forget about all the pain and worry over the last nine months

Its so much fun waking up every day with your new baby

Within a short period of time

You start to dream about another big addition