{"id":11166,"date":"2019-01-18T06:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-01-18T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/?p=11166"},"modified":"2019-01-18T06:00:12","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T12:00:12","slug":"__trashed-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/?p=11166","title":{"rendered":"The Myth of the Venerable Trauer Klouse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>by Cigan Cuk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the Myth of the Venerable Trauer Klouse<br>How his fame and story came to be<br>Of his origin and acclaim<br>And the fragments that are always left to see<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The year was two thousand and eighteen<br>Winter holidays were selling in every store<br>A jolly red clothed man was famous<br>But behind this image there was something more<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer Klouse lived alone<br>He watched the world go slowly by<br>His brother got all the attention<br>Trauer was just like a piece of leftover pie<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every year his brother was so famous<br>And Trauer sat forgotten<br>No one really cared about him<br>His holidays and soul were often rotten<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer had long white hair and a beard<br>He looked like a mountain dweller that lived inside<br>His appearance was derided by the judging masses<br>And his eyes were dried from tears he had cried<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>He sat alone in his apartment<br>Untidy floors and dishes matched his mind<br>He felt he had been inside too long<br>Hiding from the world with values undefined<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this year and this holiday Trauer had had enough<br>He decided to leave his dingy apartment<br>There was a world to explore<br>And he was going to make his own merriment<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer opened his dark home to the bright winter light<br>He stepped outside and walked with the public<br>Onlookers gave him the strangest looks<br>And he felt that he needed food in his stomach<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The snow crunched under his feet<br>The cold made him want to withdraw within<br>He had not walked the town in so long<br>But still he knew he had to shed his skin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He walked into a greasy diner<br>He ordered the daily special of sustenance<br>Strangers gave him bewildering glares<br>But yet he just knew his betterment was about to commence<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A child walked up and asked him if he was lost<br>As he seemed so out of place<br>Trauer heaved a deep and great sigh<br>The criticism was a reminder of his unwelcome face<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He read in the newspaper about an urban legend<br>Of a holiday spirit and Amthistyax was her name<br>She was a person of a very corrupt sort<br>And putting others to shame was her game<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amthistyax was rude and hurtful to everyone<br>She walked with an air of high superiority<br>She made others feel self absorbed<br>And took away their feelings of shared humanity<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amthistyax revelled in the holiday buying<br>She spread false hope of&nbsp; money to solve a problem<br>She was truly wicked in her ways<br>And pushed people toward their bottom<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer was very disturbed by this<br>That a person could live their life so cruel<br>He decided such a tale should motivate him to be better<br>To combat such vile would be his fuel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that he left his syrup soaked pancakes behind<br>He went back into the harsh world<br>He wanted to spread some cheer<br>He wanted his spirit to feel unfurled<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As he walked past an alley<br>He saw a group of kids laughing at a homeless man<br>Trauer charged at them and yelled for them to stop<br>He was appalled at the treatment of someone for being perceived as less than<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The kids laughed and ran away<br>Trauer leaned over to offer support<br>The homeless man said his name was Joe<br>And that the youth thought he was of a different sort<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer felt a kinship with this man named Joe<br>That they both were misunderstood<br>Trauer helped Joe stand up on his feet<br>And together they walked through the neighborhood<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stares and frowned upon faces met them<br>But that judgement was their loss<br>On a day of presents they were unafraid of showing their presence<br>The world may force it upon them, but they owned their albatross<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pair of them went by the junkyard<br>And a stray dog with white fur barked at their entrance<br>Yet the dog quickly realized this group was no threat<br>And they all came to an acceptance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His name was Mr. Barksgrowl<br>He was given up to the pound years ago<br>Abandoned and left behind to the outside world<br>Now he had a new family with which to feel aglow<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minutes later a sound came from deep inside a cardboard box<br>They all heard a rumbling sound<br>Out jumped a purring black cat<br>It pounced with an attitude that it wouldn&#8217;t be pushed around<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its name was Mrs. Meowpurr<br>She had been living in the back alley<br>Now she strutted with her new crew<br>And their numbers grew in yet one more tally<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The four forgotten beings<br>So unloved and unwanted from the Earth<br>Had a shared unity of respect for each other<br>They now walked with confidence and self worth<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They all walked back into the downtown streets<br>The city lights said buy all the things<br>Commerce flowed in the air<br>Selling a desire to pretend to be kings<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was in this walk that Trauer had an epiphany<br>A spark of what exactly to do<br>He had a platform to stand on<br>And he could do it while experiencing this feeling that was new<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His brother got all the praise<br>For being the icon of commercialization<br>But Trauer was determined<br>To idealize a more unique actualization<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amthistyax made people not care for others<br>And that was just not right<br>He would challenge that notion<br>And give the winter weather a shade of light<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He realized his message would not be about products<br>But rather about spreading kindness and love<br>A gift is not always material<br>And there is more to a season than a single discounted turtle dove<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer Klouse became a new kind of holiday symbol<br>An image for the so called misfits and losers<br>Many rejected them based off their appearance<br>But they were often of stronger stuff than their accusers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer and his crew represented an idea of grace and thanks<br>Of forsaking materialism for acts of kindness<br>To give to others a respect that is lost in forced consumption<br>To shine a new star that offered a different kind of brightness<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer was not here to compete with or dislike his brother<br>Rather he wanted to offer some form of contrast<br>To be more than just material goods<br>To make sure he was available to every caste<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer did intend to compete with Amthistyax<br>To be against her evil blight<br>To stand in defiance of such behavior<br>To show that generosity had not reached its twilight<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer saw that not everyone had money for gifts<br>While his brother gave something more of the physical<br>He could aid with those who had not<br>He would be charitable and offer something spiritual<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He pondered all the universal possibilities<br>How our bodies were made from star dust<br>And that there needed to be more for our lives<br>Our souls were not meant to simply rust<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer and his rag tag band got some interesting looks<br>Two men dressed in a style that many would describe as unkempt<br>Walking along with both a dog and a cat<br>But they were about to give this holiday their best attempt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They stopped and spoke to everyone they saw<br>They made time to ask how others were doing<br>They engaged with kindness to strangers<br>And asked questions about what they were pursuing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer and his group set a new level of patience<br>A calm in the seasonal bustle<br>To pause and show attention and warmth<br>To stop the holiday hustle with their heart muscle<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One person they came upon had no way to get home<br>For he had lost his wallet and his things<br>Trauer gave him money for a cab<br>And a sense of compassion that uplifted as it sings<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another person was wandering with no where to eat<br>Trauer bought him dinner at a local store<br>No return was asked or given<br>These things were done as they offered something more<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer knew his brother would always be famous<br>His brother got all the notoriety and headlines<br>But Trauer&#8217;s new mission was of a humble sort<br>And he operated in his own confines<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The snow fell on the city as night fell<br>And a child was lost in the crowd<br>Mr. Barksgrowl and Mrs. Meowpurr caught their cries<br>And intervened to protect them and enshroud<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer and Joe knelt down to learn more<br>And identify where their parents might be<br>Soon the child was with them once again<br>Reunited quickly and safely<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After an eventful evening of helpful grace<br>The night grew long and the clock struck midnight<br>Trauer Klouse knew his brother was ready for his big event<br>And Trauer&#8217;s time would vanish like a hippo with an appetite<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As they were walking back home they saw a sight<br>Standing in the middle of the street<br>It was Amthistyax herself<br>Clothed in darkness and with an aim to mistreat<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her hair was like snakes with tendrils<br>Her black cloak swirling in the air<br>She waved her arms all over<br>And cast spells to reduce care<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amthistyax cackled loudly<br>That she spread mass consumption<br>That her selfish nature was truth<br>And selling greed was her function<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer and his crew had enough of her lies<br>Enough of the ever expanding ego<br>It was too much negativity<br>All dressed up like a tuxedo but meant as a torpedo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer charged ahead with determination<br>He and Amthistyax locked arms in a struggle<br>They were tied in a battle of wills<br>And he knew his efforts he would have to redouble<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something happened in that moment<br>As Trauer gave it his all<br>His force of belief gave him strength<br>And his desire came out to call<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A portal opened up in the street<br>A one way trip to another dimension<br>He knew he could banish Amthistyax there<br>And thus he could begin his ascension<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Somehow Trauer knew this portal had a limit<br>It only would hold her for a year<br>That every year on this night she would return<br>And he would meet her again on this mortal sphere<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a mighty heave he pushed her away<br>She floated falling into this void<br>She didn&#8217;t seem all that surprised<br>She was a legendary creature and couldn&#8217;t be destroyed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Amthistyax would no longer trouble the Earth for now<br>She would be away for one year it seemed<br>Trauer would be waiting and with hope<br>As he believed no one was unable to be redeemed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His work for this evening was done<br>And to his apartment he must return<br>There was only so much time in one day<br>And like the Sun a fire must burn<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer and his crew all went back to his apartment<br>To live as a family under one roof<br>To harmoniously coexist<br>To show compassion as a truth<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Trauer the spirit of the season was now about more<br>It would be about seeing the ways you are blessed<br>To share acts of grace with others<br>To show the world the love in which you manifest<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer had no angle or ulterior motive<br>There is more to it than just to ingratiate<br>It was about being genuine to others<br>To be true to his essence and radiate<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trauer sat down on his couch<br>Joe took a seat on the chair<br>Mrs. Meowpurr nestled on the carpet<br>And Mr. Barksgrowl guarded the home lair<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new family unit was united as one<br>They enjoyed each other&#8217;s company and their time<br>Next year when Amthistyax returned<br>Trauer would too and now be prepared for his prime<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amongst the general populace<br>His legend was quietly told<br>Of a rarely seen fellow<br>And his travelling family that was a sight to behold<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who knew waited patiently<br>Next year brought both Klouse brothers once more<br>To spread their unique skills to others<br>And&nbsp; share their gifts from their gentle core<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amthistyax would return a year from now<br>Trauer would be ready to defend<br>He took it as his honor to do so<br>Over her way of thinking he would always transcend<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seasons come and go like stars in the sky<br>Time passes and the Earth still spins<br>The Klouse brothers return each year to give to and protect others<br>And when that feeling persists all of humanity wins<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The End<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Cigan Cuk This is the Myth of the Venerable Trauer KlouseHow his fame and story came to beOf his origin and acclaimAnd the fragments that are always left to see The year was two thousand and eighteenWinter holidays were selling in every storeA jolly red clothed man was famousBut behind this image there was 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