You hate my callousness...
And I have to agree.
You call me a "cold-hearted bitch"
for focusing on my career,
my future,
and no one else's.

You accuse me of treachery,
for not letting you interfere,
because I'm not willing to attach
myself
to anyone
ever again.

You continue your attempts,
to comfort me,
to know me.
You'll persist for awhile,
but just like the others,
you'll give up.

No one knows
how to reach me

not even myself.

- Hannah Jo, 2009

Labels: callous, interfere, persistent

"I wish we could make this work."
Words whispered quietly
to herself.

Wanting,
wishing,
She could un-see
what had been so obviously displayed.

- Hannah Jo 2009

Labels: heartbreak, love, wanting, wishing

Another train comes tomorrow.
Another plane leaves later today.
But I won't always be here.

You can leave with the setting sun.
You can leave when the wind blows.
But I won't always be here.

You can stay here,
warm my hands with your own,
because I won't always be here.

You can crawl back under the blankets,
stay here safe and warm.
Because I won't always be here.

We can share another nutritious meal,
Spend another breakfast safe in our kitchen corner.
Because I won't always be here.

We can run wildly through the woods,
make love among the wildflowers.
Because I won't always be here.

Or I can pretend to be asleep in my bed,
secretly watching you dress, knowing
You won't always be here.

After you leave, I'll make my pot of coffee,
warm my own hands,
Because I always knew...

You wouldn't be here.

- Hannah Jo 2009

Labels: alone, heartbreak, leaving, love

You are everything I've ever wanted
in anybody
And you are kind, caring, and considerate.
You are creative and intelligent.
And you are sweet
And don't care what others say.
You are ambitious.
And you are able to give me space.
You are trustworthy
And you are crazy about me.
And most of all, you act like you
actually
love me.

But I...
I can't see myself with you.
I can't picture our future.
I can't trust you,
because I couldn't trust him.
I can't be affectionate,
the way you are towards me.
I can't stop myself from shutting you out.
And sadly...
unfortunately...
I can't
love you...
the way you
deserve to be loved.

I can't.

- Hannah Jo 2009

Labels: hurt, imperfection, love, perfection, relationships, trust

My grandfather lied to my grandmother. I guess it runs in the family. My father also lied to my mother. Yet, I seem to be the only enlightened member of the family. Due to my avid curiosity, I come across many family secrets, including those that should have remained hidden. For you see, the men in my family apparently have a tendency to wander.
During my younger years, I greatly enjoyed wandering the vastness of my grandparents' attic and exploring the many trunks and crates. I uncovered may great treasures here, as well as the love letters from Elizabeth Rogers, dated long after my grandparents had wed.
My father's secret came in the form of a phone call. A young woman, Eloise Bryant, calling my father, asking him to give her away. The query was quite puzzling, because while I knew the young woman, I didn't know her bond with my father.
Eloise was my half-sister, but everyone thought she was my cousin. I remembered vaguely the scandal behind her pregnancy, because she claimed Eloise's father was unknown. But the idea that her father and mine were one and the same was completely alien.
It would seem that the many "business" trips my father journeyed on, were not actually for business. He had secretly been raising two families.

- Hannah Jo 2009

Labels: adultery, cheating, liar, lie, lies, lying, secret

Not exactly creative, but it's writing. :P

Locke & Hobbes

Both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke believed that there should be a form of government. However, the two philosophers differed in opinion on what form of government was needed.

John Locke argued that the government must be influenced by citizens of a nation or state. He believed that it was the government’s responsibility to care for the citizens’s needs. If the government failed to do so, the people had a right to revolt and overthrow their government. Locke also believed that because people were equal, and had similar conscience’s that they would be able to coexist peaceably within nature.

Thomas Hobbes was a strong supporter of an absolute monarchy. He argued that once the citizens’s placed power with a ruler, it must stay. The citizens’s would be denied the ability to revolt or regain power. Hobbes believed that an absolute ruler was necessary, because he considered mankind as any other savage beast. He argued that humans are naturally selfish and inately wicked, therefore the strong authority was required in order to keep mankind in check. The title Leviathan comes from this belief. Hobbes compared a successful government to a large sea monster: fierce, strong, and powerful.

The two men were influenced by the events that came to pass during their lifetimes. Hobbes experienced the English Civil War and Locke observed the Glorious Revolution. The English Civil War (1642-1651) was a time of great turmoil in England that ultimately led to the rule of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell’s behavior caused many, including Hobbes, to support a monarchy. Locke, however, witnessed the Glorious Revolution (1688). No monarch has had absolute reign since the revolution. Thus began the practice of parliamentary democracy.

I find that I agree with John Locke and his beliefs. Larger governments hold more power than necessary. If you allow one person, or a small group of people, to make many decisions concerning the entire population, the populace will suffer. We, as humans, are raised to believe we are all equal to one another.

The vast majority of humanity understands their natural rights and pursue them. Few people attempt to hinder another’s pursuit, unless wronged. This also falls under Locke’s doctrine. We, the wronged, are the ones to punish those who have wronged us. In larger governments, those who have wronged another do not have their actions reciprocated properly. The judgement is left in the hands of one man, or a small group of people, rather than his peers or those wronged by him.

Locke argues that mankind can leave peaceably, and I find that I agree. Even in today’s society, the majority of the population live harmonious lives. Very few people witness crimes or wrongdoing. Mankind knows instinctively the difference between wrong and right, as stated by Locke.

Hobbes’ idea of an absolute leader and of human nature is jaded, to say the least. He witnessed chaos during his life and believed that a strong leader would have stopped it. Humans are not purely selfish creatures, nor are we savage beasts that need a master to guide us in all we do.

Labels: civilization, class, history, hobbes, locke, philosophy