An elderly man (whom I know quite well) came in the store yesterday. He was shopping for an anniversary card for his wife. “Oh,” I said. “What day is your anniversary?”
“It’s today,” he admitted.
“Wow, you got married on the last day of the year. Why did you choose that day?” I asked.
“Well, we saved a whole bunch on taxes,” he answered.
ㅁ a few weeks ago the chilly moon rose above the grocery store
– a pseudo-haiku.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“Doe maar gewoon dan ben je al gek genoeg.”
ㅁ heptagons of time spin through the four dimensions tracing helices.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Jimmy Carter died. He was the president of my political awakening – I was in middle school during his presidency, and I transitioned from being merely an echo of my parents’ politics to starting to form my own opinions. For my parents, Carter was too ‘establishment,’ and too far right. My own opinions of that time leaned more libertarian, as they took shape – possibly under the influence of my uncle Arthur (for whom I’m now caretaker in his senescence).
Anyway, I’m not sure I really agree with the current hagiography. He was quite guilty – as any Democrat in his era – of playing “both sides” of race issues. There was no other way to get elected, in Georgia, at the time of his governorship. I’m not sure much has changed. Looking back, historically, I am also painfully unimpressed with how his administration handled the situation in South Korea – among many other foreign policy fiascoes. Arguably, decisions made by Carter’s national security team led directly to the Gwangju massacres of the democracy activists, who were protesting against the ruling dictatorship of the time. No, Carter was no saint.
That said, I came very close to meeting him. And I did meet his wife, Rosalynn – I had a fairly involved conversation with her. This was when I was living in Mexico City, in 1986. Jimmy and Rosalynn were visiting the refugee center where I volunteered, teaching English. These were refugees from Central America. I had individual friends among the refugees who had been imprisoned and tortured by US-backed governments and/or paramilitary groups – e.g. ‘contras‘ (depending on the country). The refugee center was run by the Mexico City Quaker community, so the Carters, in a ‘progressive, interfaith’ mode, visited. It was a way to score points, I imagine, in the opposition to Reagan’s wars in Central America. I missed meeting Jimmy because he was late catching up to his wife, and I had to leave because of something related to my job. But anyway, Rosalynn Carter is possibly the most famous person I’ve ever had a conversation with.
ㅁ The sky remains all overcast; the rains have passed, the dampness reigns. Perhaps the ground will dry at last. The sky remains all overcast. The moon is weak, no shadows cast; behind the clouds, its signal wanes. The sky remains all overcast; the rains have passed, the dampness reigns.
– a triolet.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“English is weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though.”
ㅁ dark dawn littered with rain caressed by blowing wind and devoid of warmth or comfort begins
– a cinquain.
ㅁ I start my poems with too many words. A jumble of semantic cruft. In need of painful trimming. Gradually, I cut. They fall down, broken. Bits of meaning, discarded. What's left? Noun.
– a nonnet.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“Her face would stop traffic. It was large, octagonal, and red.”
ㅁ The boxes triumphed. Not the gifts. Not the good cheer. Just all the boxes.
– a pseudo-haiku.
ㅁ Trees. Gray skies. Scattered rain. A distant rock, battered by a surging gunmetal sea.
– a tetractys.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“Let the mind of men be blind to what is to be. May those who fear be permitted to hope.” – Lucian
ㅁ let's just pardon all: those deserving, and those not start with a clean slate.
– a pseudo-haiku.
ㅁ The solstice is past. It's a good thing, don't you think? The world's too tilted.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“The end is nigh. In fact, the nighness of the end is really quite undeniable.” – JL Jones
ㅁ These last few days, there's lots of sales, procrastinators rule the town: they come out now, with cries and wails. These last few days, there's lots of sales, their shopping plans were made by snails... they grimly throw their money down. These last few days, there's lots of sales, procrastinators rule the town.
– a triolet, summarizing life working in retail this time of year.
ㅁ When I lose my mind, I will be quite unhappy. I will cuss at things.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“I once almost choked to death while eating food. I did my own research and discovered that I am not alone. Thousands of people choke every year while eating, and hundreds of those people die. That’s why I don’t feed my kids. Its dangerous. Now plenty of people will point out that food supposedly “prevents starvation,” and that might be true, but Its not fair to completely ignore all the dangers food poses, like choking, allergies, gingivitis, and garlic breath. I’m just saying, do your own research and decide what you think is best for your kids. If you choose to give your kids potentially deadly food, that’s your problem, but as a parent, I don’t think the government has any right to tell me that I need to feed my kids.” – Gordon Scott
ㅁ At some point in life, we become just our habits. That's all that is left.
– a pseudo-haiku.
ㅁ I opened an eye. My consciousness verified, I lay still a while.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“Remember, if you’re ever feeling down, free will means you can just eat a whole block of cheese anytime you want.”
A stray thought.
I feel like most people believe very strange things about sleeping surfaces. I sleep on the actual floor – the hard floor, with just a blanket under me – and I have no issues with it. It works fine. Humans didn’t evolve to sleep on mattresses. ‘Big Mattress’ has everyone hoodwinked. Is this a conspiracy theory?
ㅁ Kiamon pondered the point of the game. Seemingly, all of the turns were the same. First she'd get caught, after which she'd escape. Villains would chase, like a repeating tape.
– a quatrain in dactylic tetrameter. Part of the continuing chaotic snapshots from life of the fictional being, Kiamon.
ㅁ Stars stare down at the sea at moonlit hills at swathes of trees arrayed against the cold.
– a tetractys.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“By saying mostly insane nonsense, I can imbue the few meaningful nuggets that I utter with more significance.”
ㅁ I start awake to a sudden sound. Well, rather, the sound's memory... the sound was a dreamed event. Still, it made me sit up. Awake, in moonlight. What kind of sound? A plonking. Unknown cause.
– a nonnet.
ㅁ Unmotivated. So much so that all the words decomplexify.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“The kids might still do yoga and say namaste, and they still think there’s a universal consciousness that’s ultimately identical with their own self—but they’re no longer interested in renouncing desire or achieving union with the divine. They don’t want to escape the material world. They don’t want enlightenment. They are driving their bodies like cars, and they have no interest in getting out.” – Sam Kriss
ㅁ The stones are unturned: you really can't go looking under each of them.
– a pseudo-haiku.
5
ㅁ We need to discuss the roadside grass, that grows beside my daily drive. The grass seems unimportant: green, perhaps non-native. But as winter comes, with heavy rains, it turns gold, flaxen, pale.
– a nonnet.
Here are some links I found interesting- with minimal comment.
An illustration from the internet.
A quote.
“When stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent.” – Issac Asimov
ㅁ I don't want to be that old guy who's complaining... wait, that's a complaint.
– a pseudo-haiku.
ㅁ "Where have the trees gone?" They told me they missed the trees that I used to blog.
– a pseudo-haiku.
