OCTOBER 31, 2025 POETRY What we built MONIQUE CALDWELL Groundcover contributor For Sean, I Love You We built this love like a lighthouse— steady, bright, and meant to guide. Through storms, through silence, we held each other like anchors refusing to drift. We didn’t know love would find us— two hearts worn thin, still hoping. But we built something rare: a friendship that bloomed into firelight, a love that held us steady when the world shook. We were never promised forever, but we gave each other everything true. Now, the road bends— not away from love, but into different skies. We’re not breaking. We’re choosing to protect what we made. To walk apart so the bond stays whole. You’ll always be my lighthouse, my once-in-a-lifetime calm. And I’ll carry us like a sacred song— not ended, just echoing in a different key. UNHOUSED from page 10 with him through the city of Pontiac near a homeless shelter downtown, we saw homeless people wandering, even as they crossed our windshield at a traffic light. My brother mentioned to me that his experience has been that the plight of most of the homeless in his acquaintance was due to some character maleficence, or attitude problem. To me this was too broad a brush and probably was the quiet opinion of the majority. I have always seen the best in every person, and no one is without good traits. I could never position people within narrow categories even when there was glaring evidence that could support that view. I have not spoken much about my own experience with homelessness, but I want to mention my first night on the street, with the hope to say something about the nature of mother earth, human goodness and the will and power to survive. It was Christmas Eve. Hopefully, in the future I can reveal those circumstances that brought me there that GROUNDCOVER NEWS Sci-fi mentality? Our future Without prejudice, legal term, court costs Court profit rates, local, state, federal, international Social security growth rates over time. Job opportunities, community outreach, Places of worship, uniform practices of Worship doctrines Medicine Medical costs, profit rates same progression as courts, fair taxation, free lawyers, free Govt. Insurance, Insurance rates by corporate interests Daily time management Fair equality between men and women Organization mentality Organizational charity rates and regions or influence same progression as courts Respect, public image and sufficient work for survival of families, for lifetimes over time Consequences of war De-escalation of nuclear practices Environmental impact of the industrial revolution A peaceful environmental revolution Financial support between NASA and and the departments of local housing regions Stabilizing the economy in times of technological and medicinal advancement Military organizational practices for common citizens and those with abnormally high IQ rates, and discrepancies between IQ progressions over time, Which of our world leaders need more help, where and when? Which occupations do the most good, vs money made over time. Taxing the 1% and American corporations, and impact of non-governmental cooperation The future of international victories, treaties, and potential government shutdowns. Servers, security on and offline, and hackers vs the system, are they breaking their own governments? Whose servers are powerful enough to correlate population expansion rates and repercussions internationally? NASA and whom? How do we abolish outdated practices lawfully and legally? Are our world leaders being ethical, and do they have a common language to communicate peace today? The answer is “yes." DAVID PUTMAN Groundcover vendor No. 679 13 cold wintry night. I was aware that night was coming on, but there is something about the will to survive, self dignity and hope that wouldn't allow me to see the dire situation. For sure, I was scared as I wandered around in the cold, maybe I was naive, I was in a foreign city. As the night grew closer I grew more frightened and apprehensive. Christmas lights lit the trees in a beautiful array, and the rushing cars and people got fewer and fewer. I was surprised at how my survival instincts started to kick in. Thoughts of “Where am I going to sleep”, “Where is a safe place to sleep?” “It's too cold”ran through my head. I began to wonder about personal safety, “Will I be attacked or mugged, killed?” As the night came, I hid in places, any place unsuspicious, or that could conceal me for the night. I thought of trees, bushes, walls — anything. I sat on a grassy area with trees, strangely I felt peaceful, I felt one with the night sky, the cold air and trees. The moon and stars seemed to welcome me as a long lost native son. The universe seemed to say, “What are you afraid of? Where have you been? You are safe here.” I said, “What about thieves, murderers?” Mother Earth seemed to say “All is well.” I suddenly realized humanity is good, and that no one is seeking to do me harm, no bogeyman, no monsters in the grass, no fear. The cold even began to be mild — No really, mild! I felt like some brave mountain man, better like the first man on earth. You might say, “naive” or “stupid,” but I only mean to state that the earth is not, empirically, a dangerous place, and that it is our first house, place and home. We can actually live on and with the earth, have no fear. We are not hopeless chattel to be manipulated against our own true selves. LONG LIVE THE HUMAN SPIRIT!! 12/31/2025
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