(Un)Limited Poison

 

by Kiyasu Oka

matcha latte with honey

 

I sat behind my friend. His back had an unlimited symbol. He likes doing… unusual things.

Including mixing poisonous liquids in math class.

We were solving limit equations today.

“x squared minus three. Hmm… over x minus four,” I mumbled.

Suddenly, he turned around.

“Hey Sally, you should pretend minus three and minus four never existed. That would be fun! Let’s change the homework problems, yahoo!”

“You can’t just edit our math problems!!!”

“Ha, of course you can. If me, the oh-so-great-ish Dr. Almighty Poison King with (Mad Scientist) Glasses says so, then you can. But really, I have so many flasks of liquids at my house… it’s crazzzzy, dude!”

“Whoa there, poisonous? That’s pretty scary!”

“Nah, it’s my hobby! You know, anything to do with poissssson, snake style!”

“Huh…?”

“But I have so many flasks that if you broke into my house and stole some, I would still be in Happy Happy Poisssssonous Flasks Wonder Land!”

“Why would I want to steal flasks from you?”

“Well, why wouldn’t you? I mean, it’s my passsssion!”

“I have passion in math, not poisonous liquids and flasks.”

“Can you feel my passion, though?”

“Uh… I guess…”

“I have sooooo many flasks that it is as if!! As if!!!!!!!!!”

“… Yes…?”

“As if!! Me, keep doing same passion, every day. A billion years later, still SO many flasks left. Wow!”

“… Huh…”

“Like, there are SO many flasks!! An unlimited supply for more than eternity! An UNlimited supply of poisssssion for me!”

“…So…?”

“If you steal three or four, it is as if nothing had happened, dude!”

“So, whether or not there is a minus three or minus four, it feels the same?”

“Now THAT is what we call abundance, man! Wow! And yes!!!!!!”

“…Oh…?”

“Because when x is so infinitely large, like a billion times fifty more, does it make any difference as to whether minus three or minus four exists? They are, like, trivial, dude!”

“…Oh…”

“And this is an infinitely abundant universe, with an unlimited supply of beauty! That’s why it’s probably not a good idea to get carried away with the minus threes or minus fours. You might inadvertently make your life harder, by blocking the riches of life in this moment, when it is not necessary. Non non, dude!”

”……”

“You see, dude, you might think this world is limited in resources and has a, you know, lack of things. You have ten dollars, someone steals three, and you only have seven left because the three is gone. This lack thing.”

“……?”

“But!!!!!!!!!! With excessive exclamation marks!!!!! What if, within the limited-ness, you can somehow discover the UN-limited-ness of things? And passsssion might help!”

“Huh…?”

“The magic of life, sir. It might then reveal its truth to you, and whoa!!! You realize that you DO have plenty. All along. Wow! But it wasn’t, like, see-able with your previous eyesight depths, mentally and emotionally. That’s why you couldn’t see it before and no magic, dude.”

“Huh…”

“Like, when we focus on lack, like whether someone would steal three or four, we limit our mental and emotional eyesight depths, dude! We see a fragmented-ish world and universe. But!!!! This universe we live in is so vast, and maybe our eyesight depths should, too. Or else!!!!!!! Whoa, we might unconsciously make our lives hard to live. Especially with that money thing.”

“…Oh…”

“Mr. Kind Sir, even though you are Sally, but anyway! People are usually uncomfortable with this money thing. At least unconsciously. And with themselves, too. You know, there is not enough to go around, I am not good enough, I can’t afford this, etc. This is this fear thing, which is caused by lack.”

“…Oh…!”

“But anyway, that’s why I don’t mind you stealing my flasks and I don’t count the numbers in the dollars when it comes to money. Because if I do, I might limit the un-limited-ness of my sight, and then unconsciously block out the riches that are just around the corner, or maybe even right in front of me!”

“……”

“Oh, whoops! Looks like it is time to go home! Yay, Flasks Wonder Land, here I come! Super dash!!! And good luck on your h-o-m-e-w-o-r-k~~~~~”

His voice started to echo away as he distanced, but I smiled and said, “Thanks for all the help, Ken! You might look crazy and creepy, but you have a rich heart, and I am so glad to realize this today.”

We waved goodbye as we parted our ways, lengthening the distance even more, but this moment felt like the closest moment of my life.

“Mr. Ken Dokutai, now known as Doctor Poisson to me, made a special place in my heart, I guess,” I thought as I walked home. “Thanks to his passion for poission, I guess. Both with only two Ss, of course!” I chuckled along the journey there. “And his love…” I blushed as I thought about how I would be thinking about him tonight as I fell asleep for the night.

This one math equation became so much easier to solve, and along the way, I learned to live as infinitely as I could, every day.

Maybe that is what the unlimited symbol on his back means… to live with a rich eyesight, and a rich heart. And then maybe all the other riches will flow along the way, along the next journey.

With plenty more to come.

About the Author:

KIYASU OKA is a Taiwanese professional illustrator and entrepreneur, whose title can be referred to as a professional color magician. She is the “Magician of Color” from Taiwan. Her most well-known writing work is a personal love letter called “Taiwan is my Country,” published on her Web site since April of 2016. Kiyasu Oka’s Web site is at www.kiyasugreen.com.