Cogito Ergo Sum

FOOD

Find your nearest food bank or mission, for food

grocery stores with free samples, bakeries + stores with day-old bread

different fast food outlets have cheaper food and will generally let you hang out for a while.

some dollar stores carry food like cans of beans or fruit

SHELTER

Sleeping at beaches during the day is a good way to avoid suspicion and harassment

sleep with your bag strapped to you, so someone can’t steal it

Some churches offer short term residence

Find your nearest homeless shelter

Look for places that are open to the public

A large dumpster near a wall can often be moved so that flipping up the lids creates an angled shelter to stay dry

HYGIENE

A membership to the YMCA is usually only 10$, which has a shower, and sometimes laundry machines and lockers.

Public libraries have bathrooms you can use

Dollar stores carry low-end soaps and deodorant etc.

Wet wipes are all purpose and a life saver

Local beaches, go for a quick swim

Some truck stops have showers you can pay for

Staying clean is the best way to prevent disease, and potentially get a job to get back on your feet

Pack 7 pairs of socks/undies, 2 outfits, and one hooded rain jacket

OTHER

first aid kit

 sunscreen

 a travel alarm clock or watch

 mylar emergency blanket

 a backpack is a must

 downgrade your cellphone to a pay as you go with top-up cards

 sleeping bag

 travel kit of toothbrush, hair brush/comb, mirror

 swiss army knife

IS HE DOING THE FUCKING ELMO MEME

Penelope: Oh reeeaaaallllyyy why?

Odysseus: I made that as a symbol of our love! It's carved in a tree, it literally can't be moved!

Penelope: And why would you know? Oh wait, it's cause you're my fucking husband!

Odysseus: I-

Penelope: Like, no shit you've killed people. You went to a war, Odysseus. What do you think happens in wars?! Dance parties?!

Odysseus:

Penelope: War is literally the shortened version of the word manslaughter and trauma! No shit that's what happened!

Odysseus:

Penelope: "cLeVeReSt mAn iN gReEcE" BE CLEVER THEN oh my gods. I didn't wait twenty years just for you to ask me the stupidest question in existence.

Odysseus:

THIS. THIS IS WHY EPIC IS GOING PLACES. THIS WHY ODYSSEUS IS THE SINGLE MOST AMAZING PROTAGONIST EVER. THIS ONE LINE. DO YOU KNOW WHY???

Alexander Hamilton, protagonist of the hit musical of the 2010’s: How could I say no to her? My wife will never know. No one has to know.

Also Alexander: This is the only way to protect my legacy. The Reynold’s Pamphlet.

Odysseus: Hell no, I could kill you where you stand. I’m no pet, I’m a married man.

For those interested, here's the link to the poems I've posted on a site called AllPoetry. I'll still post some separately on here for those who don't want to look through all of them. I'm actually quite proud of most of these! :)

Jay, I want to say that you are a wonderful poet. Please never stop writing poetry. These are all so great.

I love how so many of your poems are somber topics--- that they touch on themes of meaninglessness and doubt. However, despite these somber themes, I feel rather hopeful after reading them. So I want to say, thank you. Thank you for writing these.

Now to get into specifics.

I love how in "Traveling Light," "Constellations," and "Underneath the Stars" you use stars as a motif. I love how all three of these poems are hopeful, even if what we do as humans can be considered absurd if we think too long on it.

I love your poem "The Woman in the Sun." I love the Sun being personified as someone we can miss; someone's warmth we miss; someone we take for granted.

I love how so many of your poems ask the reader to reflect on the poems after they are done reading them; I love how at the end of "Never Walk into a Labyrinth" it ends with a question which invites the reader to ponder your warning.

And which is my favorite? If I had to pick it would be a "Future Classic." I love how it touches on such a big fear we as writers have--- is what I write really going to matter? It's a question we all ask ourselves. And I want to say: yes. What you do write does matter.

I live in the present and so does my art, So while I am here, I will pour out my heart Instead of wondering, asking if I Will keep on being loved even after I die.

In my poetry workshop for college, one of the big important things we're learning to do "say something" in our poems. We take what's important to us and make sure that readers have something to "take away". I never once considered writing this way before.

Sure, I wrote some of my poems with the idea that they were gonna be deep or symbolic, but some of them were just me having fun writing. "Never Walk into a Labyrinth" was just me practicing alliteration with every line. "Woman in the Sun" was a spin-off to the phrase "man in the moon" with some imagery towards how we consider the sun. "Underneath the Stars" was written as a nighttime song for my bard in DnD. A lot of my poems are just me toying with themes and concepts I find interesting.

So to hear that my poems are "meaningful" and that they matter means so much to me. I was never really attached to a lot of my poems, but now I think I'm going to re-read and appreciate them all again. Thank you for this

I wholeheartedly agree with the other dude.

I HIGHLY recommend that everyone read Jay’s poetry.

I CANNOT OVERSTATE JUST HOW WONDERFUL YOUR WORKS ARE.

Never in the past 3 years have I read poetry that so utterly filled me with awe. It’s a truly enchanting experience to read through and genuinely feels like this was written by a classic poet (I mean that as a compliment of the highest of magnitudes)

Some pieces that particularly stand out to me are “The Woman in the Sun,” “Becoming Just a Blossom,” and “The Night Is Made For Dreaming”

I really like how “The Woman in the Sun” portrays how people usually ignore the sun, even hide from it when the day’s hot. We’re so used to it that we take it for granted, only ever giving it notice when it rises and when it sets even though life would quite literally cease without it.

“Becoming Such a Blossom” is a beautiful illustration of embracing change. Using the seasons as a motif is really perfect, too. There aren’t just 4 seasons, there are intermediate phases too, and those can be just as beautiful. That ending stanza, though, damn.

“Transition is a season, too,

One that isn't always sweet.

But becoming just a blossom

Is such a glorious feat.”

Absolutely brilliant, my friend.

I absolutely adore the cozy and comforting vibe of “The Night Is Made For Dreaming.” I feel that it’s a really important reminder that a lot of people tend to overlook: Rest. Take a break. Thinking about your troubles 24/7 will get you nowhere.

AND NOT TO MENTION JUST HOW BEAUTIFULLY ALL OF THEM ARE WRITTEN T^T

Man, you really have a way with words. The flow, the pacing, everything just feels right. It’s like the English language is to you what a chisel is to a sculptor. I’m genuinely floored.

Odysseus: *whispers in his ear* we're bros

Eurylochus: bro, why'd you whisper??

Odysseus: because you're my whole world bro.

Eurylochus: bro...

@cecret-with-a-c , speaking of old hyperfixes merging with the new, Ody and Penelope's song was made for a Cheleanor edit (not my vid, tumblr doesn't let me embed tiktoks). 😭

do you think the anger faded momentarily, do you think he stared at her stricken face, and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach? Do you think he opened his mouth, but for once his his life, his silver tongue was dull? Because he knew it was too late? Do you think his mouth closed while Athena opened hers, do you think he just stood there while she hurled the rest of her words at him, every gutted farewell? Do you think he took it in shame, rather than bitterness?

a few more that were brought to my attention that i liked a lot