We went into town to do shopping today. So here is a tree from the archives.
This tree in spring bloom is in front of the building where the Karma Academy was, in its last location in Goyang City, South Korea, where I worked from 2011-2018.
[daily log: walking, 1km]
Month: May 2019
Caveat: Poem #1019 “Random noise”
Hi, narrator here. Please disregard these meanings. The words stand alone.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #133
I drove to Hollis this morning, to drop Arthur at the ferry for a day trip into Ketchikan, because he is supposed to get MRI and CT scans. I told him to watch out for those high-energy photons.
I stopped by the road on the way back to Craig, and took this picture of a tree (or rather, it’s the snag that’s so prominent, here).
I also made this unexpected anachronism sighting by the road near Hollis.
I drove back to Craig, hung out at home (I didn’t get called to substitute, today), then drove back to Hollis in the evening to get Arthur back off the ferry.
[daily log: walking, 1km; driving, 130km]
Caveat: Poem #1018 “Three signs of the apocalypse”
ㅁ Firstly, we gazed askance at the spaceship Plunging wild through the grim-faced sky. Flares were winking on a trailing wingtip Where a faded emblem seemed to fly. Secondly, speakers sung with the voices Screaming out dangers and proffering choices, Hinting at various important things. Dark was the mood then, beshadowed by wings. Thirdly, our leaders emptied the city. Multitudes fled to the sun-tortured hills, Some of them starving while others sold pills Which the wounded endured. Such a pity. Endless miseries kept ensuing - Doubts, above all. What were we doing?
– a sonnet in an irregular tetrameter (maybe).
Caveat: Tree #132
I got to go be a substitute teacher today.
Here is a tree (or three) at the north side of the Craig Elementary School playground, today.
[daily log: walking, 1km]
Caveat: Poem #1017 “Disentanglement”
ㅁ a desolation can unfold in a moment unexpectedly
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #131
Arthur and I went out fishing this morning, fishlessly, and when we got back well after lunch, I was feeling rather “under the weather.”
I have almost never experienced anything like seasickness in my life, but the seas were somewhat heavy as we reentered Port Saint Nicholas, and I think that there is a kind of exhaustingness in riding the boat up and down across the water. I was driving, too, which requires some degree of intense focus.
So I took no walk in the afternoon, and I took no picture of any tree.
Here is a tree from my archives. I saw this tree ten years ago this month, during a visit to 장수 (Jangsu), the village in South Korea’s Jeollabuk province that is my friend Curt’s hometown.
If I recall correctly, that Buddhist temple is the one that Curt’s father was a deacon for (or whatever is the Buddhist equivalent of a deacon – in any event, a lay administrator).
[daily log: walking, 1km]
Caveat: Poem #1016 “As souls will do”
I detached my soul, let it float for a few hours, tasted the trees' roots.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #130
The one hundred and thirtieth tree is too tall for the camera’s frame. And somewhat canted at a strange angle, seeking solace in the sea at the bottom of the slope.
[daily log: walking, 3.5km]
Caveat: Chowder Tradition
Since coming back from Australia I’ve developed a little mini-tradition of making Chilean style chupe de pescado (spicy fish chowder) every Sunday. I use the less perfect pieces of frozen salmon Arthur has. Partly, it’s one of the few dishes that I cook well that he seems to consider “acceptable.”
I love to make curries, but Arthur doesn’t like those, and he considers mole poblano to be a sacrilege against chocolate. I haven’t tried making borshch, but when I described it to him he was not at all impressed by the concept. I made fried rice once, but he didn’t seem to like it much either. So these things I’d have to make on my own without hope of patronage. That, of course, lowers the incentive to make them.
Caveat: Poem #1015 “Reassurances”
ㅁ the day's first two hours - when I sit, have some coffee - those reassure me
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #129
Here is a tree from the archives. I took this picture of a tree at the back entrance (parking garage entrance) of the Urimbobo apartment building, where I lived for 7 out of the 11 years I lived in Korea. So I knew the tree well, and no doubt walked past it hundreds if not thousands of times – I would pass it anytime I left my apartment building to go anywhere except to work, as all the shopping and the closest subway station were out the back entrance.
At the time I took the picture, I was noticing the Buddhist icon (the swastika) on the advertising – realizing I had a Buddhist fortune-teller in my building with me.
I didn’t take a picture of a tree today because I was working on my well-head-shed-thingy, and got really tired out doing that.
[daily log: digging, a lot]
Caveat: Poem #1014 “Logos”
ㅁ The thought climbs up astride its weary mount To better seek and target its intents, Infecting other minds like airbourne scents - A viral dream where every glance will count. A prophet then, I forge through these events, Betraying with my words their very fount And caring not at all - who could discount? You see them, now, such cloudy, cool portents. Let's undertake to rule the world's wide mind By sending out that energetic thought: Its consequences gradually unwind. And finally, behold what thinking wrought: Baroque descriptions seemingly designed To lift a universe up out from nought.
– a sonnet in iambic pentameter.
Caveat: Tree #128
Arthur and I went out in the boat, past Baker Island. That’s farther than I’ve ever gone with Arthur in his boat before. I think he was hoping to find some early Coho Salmon. But no fish.
I saw this tree, on an island.
At Siketi Sound, if you look southwest, you see the open ocean. There were broad, slow, large swells rolling in from the sea.
[daily log: walking, 1.5km]
Caveat: Poem #1013 “The minimum”
the fog blanked it all, and white water, white mountain only existed
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #127
This is the tree outside the kitchen window, as seen from the balcony.
The hole seems wholly unholy. 헐…
[daily log: walking, 1km; digging down, 0.5m]
Caveat: Poem #1012 “Unwarranted enthusiasm”
that rooster's crowing seems too enthusiastic when at four thirty
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #126
Here is a tree from the archives.
I didn’t walk or take pictures of trees because I was digging a hole.
The hole will accommodate a pipe off the new well-head, when the well-drilling guys return to put in the pump.
The hole is difficult to dig because there are quite large rocks embedded in the gravel, which Richard put those rocks there when he was building the driveway / parking pad, where the new well is located.
[daily log: digging rocks, 1m down]
Caveat: It’s a cold world
This is interesting. There’s a new thing being tested (invented): it’s called a negative illumination diode. It generates electricity in a way similar to the way a photovoltaic cell does, but instead of generating current from the incoming photons (from e.g. the sun), it generates electricity from the outgoing photons. Outgoing photons, you ask? There are always outgoing photons, on earth, because space is cold and the earth radiates heat (infrared photons) from all its surfaces, including from the diode in question. See here.
Caveat: Poem #1011 “Trees by threes”
the daily listing a mere enumeration tree plus tree plus tree
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #125
Here is a tree.
Here is an eagle, down by the dock, supervising Arthur’s boat.
I tried to get closer, for a better picture, but the eagle flew away.
[daily log: walking, 3.5km]
Caveat: Poem #1010 “Ex nihilo”
art reveals nothing. it's not projection, instead: an alternate self
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #124
This tree is down at the northwest corner of lot 73. In fact I was standing on the stake to take this picture.
Here is the pond at the Rockpit City Park, turning green for spring.
[daily log: walking, 3km]
Caveat: Poem #1009 “And the dog noticed”
the water is still but a dull dog is barking some bird gave notice
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #123
This is a tree seen from the bottom (the cut for the road dug out under the tree, but left it standing there on an outjutting of soil).
[daily log: walking, 3.5km]
Caveat: Docked or Undocked
Arthur and I went out on the boat, seeking fish. We met no fish.
But we met this barge going up the inlet.
It turned out the barge was heading to our slightly antisocial neighbor’s house, where he has been hoping to install a dock. We knew at least this much, because we received a notification from the Army Corps of Engineers about the intention to do so, which is, I guess, a legal requirement that neighbors of such projects be notified.
They spent the day trying to pound metal poles into the beach with giant hydraulic hammers.
And then the barge guys left, and the neighbor remained dockless. We didn’t actually talk to the neighbor (because of aforementioned antisociality), but Arthur speculated that his beach was too rocky, and that the effort to install a dock had failed.
I felt alarm and a substantial empathy. It can’t possibly have been cheap for the neighbor to hire the barge people to come out and work at his beach. Did it really fail? Wouldn’t the neighbor feel anger and resentment over this failure – looking over Arthur, with his pleasant dock just a hundred meters down the shore…. did this story really have this ending?
I guess we will find out more, later. But I feel badly.
Caveat: Poem #1008 “A typology of darknesses”
The types of darkness are manifold: firstly, before the big bang's boom; secondly, the night's blackness; thirdly, shadows of doubt; also, underground; next, when dying; there's holes, too; and caves; last...
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #122
Not fully a tree… a ubiquitous shrub called devil’s club.
It’s a rather horrible thing to walk through, clustered in the underbrush, but a woman along the road one day told me it was “strong medicine.”
[daily log: walking, 4km]
Caveat: ella me llamó pa tras
What I’m listening to right now.
Proyecto Uno, “Te dejaron flat.” I like this song so much. I’ve posted it before (about 7 years ago, here). It’s not that I like it in thematic terms, per se – it’s pretty typical of a certain genre of Dominican-American music, called merengue-house. Rather, I like it because of what’s going on in it linguistically. Constant code-switching, not just between Spanish and English, but between different registers and dialects within each language, too, including all kinds of non-standard calques going on, such as in the title of this blog post. It’s the sort of revelatory text that can reveal how new languages suddenly emerge out of the interaction of existing ones.
Letra.
Primera noche, recibí una llamada, aha
Fue mi exnovia, sorpresa en mi cara, aha
Ella me llamó pa decirme, negrito me haces falta, aha
Yo la quiero sacar a bailar pero yo no tengo plata, a.
So what’s up baby, echa pa acá y yo cocino, aha
Es una mentira, sin embargo es mi estilo, aha
Ella dijo sí, en una hora estoy ahí, aha
Me quedé esperando hasta que me dormí (you tell me)
Uh, ya tú sae, oh, te dejaron flat
Uh, embarcao, he, plantao
Say word, (word…) oh, te dejaron flat
Uh, embarcao, he, bajo ya
Que lo que, que lo que sube
Que lo que, que lo que sube
Que lo que, que lo que sube
Que lo que, que lo que sube
Segunda noche, ella me llamó pa tras, aha
Pero como Robelto Durán, yo dije no más, aha
Ella lloró y me dijo discúlpame por favor, aha
Si vienes a casa te demostraré amor, aha.
Me tardé pero arranqué y yo llegué, aha
Pa la casa de la chama, le toque y timbré, aha
Ella contestó con una cara asustada, aha
Dijo que su novio vino sin decirle nada (damn!)
Uh, ya tú sae, oh, te dejaron flat
Uh, embarcao, he, plantao
Say word, (word…) oh te dejaron flat
Uh, ya tú sae, hey
(Alrigh’, y’all sing wi’ me now)
Eo, eo, eeo, eeo, eieio, eieio
Eo, eo, eeo, eeo, eiooo, eiooo
Sigue
Think you gonna play me out this time? (this time)
Think you gonna leave me stinkin?
Think you gonna hurt me?
Think I had what you been drinkin?
Hey mami no te cruces porque no soy tu jueguito
No me llames por teléfono si tú no quieres dar
Con mala fama y yo te lo confirmo
No quiero problema, tú así conmigo
No vale la pena, ay negra, ay negra
(ay negra, ay negra)
Por qué me trata así, no me digas que me quieres
Si yo sé que tú no tienes tiempo para mí (you tell me)
Mami menéalo, mami menea, nea
Mami menéalo, mami menea, nea
(Break it down)
Dale pa bajo baby, dale pa bajo así
Dale pa bajo baby (pick it up, pick it up, pick it up)
… con Proyecto… Uno!
Y la gente dice
Uh, ya tú sae, oh, te dejaron flat
Uh, embarcao, he, plantao
Say word, (word…) oh, te dejaron flat
Uh, embarcao, he… (break it down)
Así, así, así, así, así, así
Así, así, así
Que lo que, que lo que sube
Que lo que, que lo que sube
Que lo que, que lo que sube
Que lo que, que lo que sube
Caveat: Poem #1007 “Perforations”
day comes in fragments leaking out of the spaces in the atmosphere
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #121
I worked at the school library again today. The work is a little bit dull, as there is some down time between seeing students. It’s more just “holding down the fort.”
So I didn’t take a tree picture today. I should have and could have, in the parking lot at the school, but didn’t.
I’ll present another tree from my archives. This tree (and the ones all in a row behind it) is from my daily walking commute to the Karma school in Goyang City, South Korea. The street is 강선로 (Gangseon-ro), in front of 강선초등학교 (Gangseon Elementary School), taken February, 2013, a few blocks north of where my apartment was at that time.
[daily log: walking, 2.5km]
Caveat: Poem #1006 “As fog will do”
the fog over there fraternizes with the shrubs while the sun's hiding
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #120
Because I worked today, I forgot to take a picture of a tree.
Here is a favorite tree from the archive: a tree seen in Kagoshima, Japan, in March, 2010.
[daily log: walking, 2km]