The Collosus of Antiquity The weight is greater than The sum total of the parts. The stress tears and strains The immovable fool And his Persephone lingers, ever-present. As the burden grows and mutates, The acrid stench wafts. Decay and dread fills his nostrils, Yet he remains, steadfast, Unfaltering. Aching and throbbing, He never flinches as Persephone's stare Bores straight through his soul, For he knows that she is his lover, Their fates intertwined. The sins of the world Claw and bite at his spirit, But the mass remains upheld. The Colossus of Antiquity Longs for Persephone's kiss. The Fountain I stand beneath the fountainhead Letting the purifying water Pulse through my flesh. Wave after wave of sweet water Flows over me, Permeating into my soul. My knees begin to shake And I know my purpose is near. The hunger of the water tugs at me. Flesh begins to fall away, but The pain is a tender reminder Of what is to be. The bones of the shell clatter to the ground, Yet I still stand. The writhing water takes me in. As the water consumes me, I realize There will be no return. The water is the end of what was. The culmination electrifies my soul, Wiping my awareness away And replacing it with bliss. New Study Reveals Prison Isn't So Bad Prisoner's Enjoy Their Punishment According to a study conducted by the IMS (Institute of Meaningless Studies), federal prisoners seem to be enjoying their futile, costly existence within the prison system.  Despite recent restriction increases, inmates report that they are having a blast repaying their debt to society. "Well, we do let them watch TV every now and then," says Gordon Lockheed, warden of Forest Hills Federal Prison.  "And they get to make license plates.  I guess that might be considered 'fun.'"  The study conducted by the IMS reports that 85% of federal inmates are extremely happy, while only 8% claim they are extremely unhappy.  Blacks are reported to be the most happy, which may be linked to the recent contract the Federal Bureau of Prisons signed that has allowed the cafeterias to serve "Crunk Juice," a delicious mix of Kool-Aid and cheap liquor. Dr. James Maddox feels that it may be related to the recent smoking ban in federal facilities.  "I know I feel better knowing that someone isn't going to shank me for a cigarette," claims Dr. Maddox. Although morale seems to be linked to the smoking ban, Corrections Lieutenant Scott Summers thinks Dr. Maddox has it all wrong.  "They don't care about the smoking, they're just happy to have some discipline.  Nothing makes a hard-nosed, homicidal sociopath happier than being told what to do every second he's alive." And inmate Jerome Daniels seems to agree.  "Those dirty motherfuckers," Daniels explains, "made all that shit up.  I know I didn't take no goddamn quiz.  I hate this fuckin' place and every goddamn cracker that works here."  However, David Williams, Director of Human Studies at the Corrections Studies Institute of Educational Awareness of Corrections, disagrees with the study.  "Well, first off, they're in prison.  That's a pretty good sign they're not happy." Williams continues, "Secondly, they're in fuckin' prison.  Even if they did, by some unholy witchcraft, become happy, we would have to restructure the entire criminal justice system to make them unhappy again.  Because if our inmates are happy, then we're not teaching them to not break the law." When asked about Williams' statements, Warden Gordon Lockheed replied, "Well, I suppose he's got us there."  So maybe Mr. Williams doesn't know as much as he thought he did.  When asked for a retort, Williams simply hung up the phone in quiet resignation. Today's inmates are happy and thriving in captivity.  Nothing warms the heart better than thinking about countless child-molesters and drug dealers frolicking and playing in our beautiful federal prison system.  Who wants to think of our cold, heartless, merciless prisoners enduring the righteous punishment that so squarely fits them?  Not this American! Sarcophagi: A Summary and Explanation of Cassandra Gemini The Mars Volta is a new face to rock 'n' roll, but they have already gained more critical acclaim than almost every modern rock band.  Praised for their unique, groundbreaking style and often obtuse and "oblique lyrics," the band claims that they are only being selfish by breaking the rules of popular rock 'n' roll (wikipedia.org).  Their latest studio album, Frances the Mute, is a collection of five songs that are arranged and play as one epic song.  The band insists that the album should play like an opera or movie in that it follows a main character.  According to the Mars Volta's website, Frances the Mute is based upon a diary a former band-mate found in a repossessed car.  The album follows Vismund Cygnus as he follows a list of names in order to learn more about his family.  The band says little else about the album because they prefer the listener to interpret the album for his- or herself.  Although the album has no breaks in sound, it is arranged into five movements.  The last of these is titled Cassandra Gemini and represents the album's climax.  It is a very confusing and interesting song, in both written and vocal forms. The song begins with the repetition of the same line three times.  It could be argued that Zavala wanted special attention paid to these words.  However, it must be remembered that the lyrics are derived from a diary, so they come out more as thoughts.  Perhaps this thought is more important to the character of Vismund Cygnus, from whose viewpoint these words are coming.  The second stanza describes an eerie yet sex-filled scene.  This stanza really stands out from the rest of the song on paper in the way that it describes Cassandra as a sexual person.  To listen to the song reveals why this stanza is so different; the voice is altered to sound as if it comes from another person.  This helps to point out that Cassandra is not Vismund's love interest.  Also, it punctuates Cassandra's sexual experience in a macabre manner, preparing the listener for the dark truth of Cassandra.  The last line presents foreshadowing with the line "She was a mink hand job in sarcophagus heels."  The word "sarcophagus" obviously shows the listener that death is at hand. Throughout the next several stanza's you find that Cassandra is obviously dead.  Zavala paints a very dark picture of pain and mourning as Vismund is brought to his knees.  He caresses her fontanel, the "soft-spot" of the skull, and then swears to "kill every last one."  Later, he talks about his dreams being "splintered off" of her catafalque, the prop for a casket.  Clearly, Vismund is not only heartbroken by his loss, but he is filled with anger.  In stanza five it is clear that the fear of death's mystery disturbs Vismund even more than Cassandra's death.  Zavala truly captures the flood of confused emotions that comes with the loss of a loved one.  Hidden in stanza six is the truth of Cassandra's identity.  In the fifth line, Cassandra is identified as Vismund's mother.  This adds much to the tale and plunges the song into another direction all at once.  From here, the song seems to emphasize Vismund's feelings of abandonment and his thirst for revenge.  However, the tragedy that ends Cassandra's life is still vague to the listener. Throughout the song lies the undertone of the use of crack cocaine:  Stanza Two: All my arms, bled me blind Spilling from morgue lancet Stanza Eleven: And now when the craving calls I'll scratch my itchy teeth Stanza Sixteen: You can't bend your crooked arms or fold your punctured proof Soon there'll be no gauze, inside the confessional            These lines send an underlying message of the world the characters are coming from.  It seems as though Vismund and Cassandra live in a very dangerous world of shadows and fear.  Perhaps the message of the song is what drives people to drug abuse.            Throughout the second half of the song, Cassandra's tragedy becomes clearer.  In stanza thirteen, Zavala points out that Cassandra "fell for the whispers."  The next line insinuates Cassandra's rape; "That night tore a river, in her barren womb mirror."  Then, in stanza fourteen, another tragedy is discovered: "Conceived from the stabbing, was Vismund Cygnus."  With this line, Zavala shocks the listener with the fact that Vismund was conceived by rape.  Slowly, the pieces have fallen together.            Cassandra Gemini was introduced as a sex worker (whether she was an exotic dancer or prostitute or both is unclear) in the second stanza.  Later, we find that she had attracted men who raped her.  From this rape she conceived her son, Vismund Cygnus.  The song seems to be exposing Vismund's feelings after his mother has passed away.  The enigmatic lyrics provide a mysterious tale that is both captivating and shocking.  Shining a light on the mind of an urban orphan, Cedric Bixler Zavala seems to write thought patterns in an accurate yet random pattern that is eerily lifelike.  Zavala's tale of urban drama easily resembles classical tragedies and almost seems to preserve the dying tradition of musical dramas.  The cryptic wording and confusing timeline of Cassandra Gemini make it very unique in today's world of corporate songs and slogans, and stands as a testament that our ingenuity and inspiration still exists.