Sunday, July 17, 2005
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Random Acts of Poetry
Random Acts of Poetry
DNA
You felt the same mindless
wind of that country,
a landscape unrolling
in every direction.
I look straight up
at the same white sky,
one pin on the map,
while the stones mumble.
You grew things, you
"kept house" for the census.
Everything goes but that.
Still I knot old strings together
though there is only now
and a dead tree ---
a tangle of branches,
selves that would never
conceive of me.
DNA
You felt the same mindless
wind of that country,
a landscape unrolling
in every direction.
I look straight up
at the same white sky,
one pin on the map,
while the stones mumble.
You grew things, you
"kept house" for the census.
Everything goes but that.
Still I knot old strings together
though there is only now
and a dead tree ---
a tangle of branches,
selves that would never
conceive of me.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Word of the Day: Pridian
Word of the Day
pridian (adj)
Relating to yesterday
"Thrice a-week, at least, does Gann breakfast in bed -- sure sign of pridian intoxication."
--William Makepeace Thackeray, A Shabby Genteel Story
pridian (adj)
Relating to yesterday
"Thrice a-week, at least, does Gann breakfast in bed -- sure sign of pridian intoxication."
--William Makepeace Thackeray, A Shabby Genteel Story
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
A Guy Named Ethel
A Guy Named Ethel
I've been doing some genealogical research, trying to trace back one line of my family (the Gates line) back through several generations. Some interesting male names were apparently popular in the 1800s. A lot of them start with the letter E: Elias, Elisha and, surprisingly, Ethel. Yes, Ethel, which means "noble," was once a male moniker. Now I'm wondering if the reason why no one in my family seems to know the name of my grandfather's grandfather is that Grandpa never talked about him, at least by name -- possibly because his name was Ethel and he didn't want to have to explain that, or listen to the snickering. A Google search for "Mr. Ethel" reveals that it was a fairly common male first name before the 20th century, and still is in some places, like Nigeria. It also reveals that Ernest Borgnine was once known as "Mr. Ethel Merman."
I've been doing some genealogical research, trying to trace back one line of my family (the Gates line) back through several generations. Some interesting male names were apparently popular in the 1800s. A lot of them start with the letter E: Elias, Elisha and, surprisingly, Ethel. Yes, Ethel, which means "noble," was once a male moniker. Now I'm wondering if the reason why no one in my family seems to know the name of my grandfather's grandfather is that Grandpa never talked about him, at least by name -- possibly because his name was Ethel and he didn't want to have to explain that, or listen to the snickering. A Google search for "Mr. Ethel" reveals that it was a fairly common male first name before the 20th century, and still is in some places, like Nigeria. It also reveals that Ernest Borgnine was once known as "Mr. Ethel Merman."
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Shakespeare Insult Kit
Thou artless, beetle-headed boar-pig . . .
Thou gleeking, flap-mouthed foot-licker . . .
That Shakespeare had quite the vocabulary. With the Shakespeare Insult Kit, you can choose a single nasty adjective from Column 1, a hypenated combo from Column 2, and a colorful noun from Column 3 to create a taunt your enemy won't soon forget.
Thou gleeking, flap-mouthed foot-licker . . .
That Shakespeare had quite the vocabulary. With the Shakespeare Insult Kit, you can choose a single nasty adjective from Column 1, a hypenated combo from Column 2, and a colorful noun from Column 3 to create a taunt your enemy won't soon forget.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Haiku madness
Haiku Madness
Laughter haiku
Seek the giggle cure
Prozac without prescription
Stupid jokes cure blues
Salad haiku
Lettuce tomato
Diced green pepper in a toss
Here comes Paul Newman
Vitamin haiku
A, B, C, D, E
Should I buy all these tablets?
Real food has plenty
Writer haiku
A scrap of parchment
On the wind that passes by
Still writers seek fame
Laughter haiku
Seek the giggle cure
Prozac without prescription
Stupid jokes cure blues
Salad haiku
Lettuce tomato
Diced green pepper in a toss
Here comes Paul Newman
Vitamin haiku
A, B, C, D, E
Should I buy all these tablets?
Real food has plenty
Writer haiku
A scrap of parchment
On the wind that passes by
Still writers seek fame
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Quotables
Quotables
"A bomb outrage to have any influence on public opinion now must go beyond the intention of vengeance or terrorism. It must be purely destructive. It must be that, and only that, beyond the faintest suspicion of any other object. . . . But what is one to say to an act of destructive ferocity so absurd as to be incomprehensible, inexplicable, almost unthinkable; in fact, mad? Madness alone is truly terrifying, inasmuch as you cannot placate it either by threats, persuasion, or bribes."
--Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"A journalist is someone who cannot distinguish between a bicycle accident and the end of civilization."
--George Bernard Shaw
"A bomb outrage to have any influence on public opinion now must go beyond the intention of vengeance or terrorism. It must be purely destructive. It must be that, and only that, beyond the faintest suspicion of any other object. . . . But what is one to say to an act of destructive ferocity so absurd as to be incomprehensible, inexplicable, almost unthinkable; in fact, mad? Madness alone is truly terrifying, inasmuch as you cannot placate it either by threats, persuasion, or bribes."
--Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent
"A journalist is someone who cannot distinguish between a bicycle accident and the end of civilization."
--George Bernard Shaw
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Something Happened
Something Happened
Just outside the wrought-iron fence surrounding a house down the block, neighbors have erected a small shrine. A framed photo of a young man wearing a football jersey is attached to the fence, with a semicircle of flowers and tall, flickering votive candles on the sidewalk beneath. I have no idea who the fellow in the picture is, or what happened to him. Due to an electrical power failure downtown, the local newspaper hasn't been published for the last two days. Yesterday, while I was walking on the opposite side of the street, I saw a man holding a professional-looking video camera standing next to the shrine, while a TV reporter explained that "he never returned from a trip to see the fireworks on July fourth." Or something like that. The reporter, dressed in a dark business suit on a 90-degree day, kept repeating the sentence over and over, never quite getting it out perfectly, at least while I was within earshot. I kept walking, as I don't like such scenes. And I think I prefer the mystery to knowing what happened, anyway.
Just outside the wrought-iron fence surrounding a house down the block, neighbors have erected a small shrine. A framed photo of a young man wearing a football jersey is attached to the fence, with a semicircle of flowers and tall, flickering votive candles on the sidewalk beneath. I have no idea who the fellow in the picture is, or what happened to him. Due to an electrical power failure downtown, the local newspaper hasn't been published for the last two days. Yesterday, while I was walking on the opposite side of the street, I saw a man holding a professional-looking video camera standing next to the shrine, while a TV reporter explained that "he never returned from a trip to see the fireworks on July fourth." Or something like that. The reporter, dressed in a dark business suit on a 90-degree day, kept repeating the sentence over and over, never quite getting it out perfectly, at least while I was within earshot. I kept walking, as I don't like such scenes. And I think I prefer the mystery to knowing what happened, anyway.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Word of the Day: hypnoetic
Word of the Day
hypnoetic (adj)
Pertaining to logical but unconscious mental processes
When Horace said he would "sleep on it," we knew the problem was about to be solved, thanks to his hypnoetic talents.
hypnoetic (adj)
Pertaining to logical but unconscious mental processes
When Horace said he would "sleep on it," we knew the problem was about to be solved, thanks to his hypnoetic talents.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Picture This
Picture This
Me sitting in my parent's sunny backyard, surrounded by green hills and gardens buzzing with life. I'm eating a turkey sandwich. A few inches away, Fred, a large, white, well-fed dog (a Turkish Akbash) stands watching me, wagging his tail and whining. He is tied to a heavy iron chair, and his leash is stretched taut. He stares at me with sad brown eyes as I slowly eat the sandwich, feeling absurdly guilty.
Just another holiday weekend in the country.
Me sitting in my parent's sunny backyard, surrounded by green hills and gardens buzzing with life. I'm eating a turkey sandwich. A few inches away, Fred, a large, white, well-fed dog (a Turkish Akbash) stands watching me, wagging his tail and whining. He is tied to a heavy iron chair, and his leash is stretched taut. He stares at me with sad brown eyes as I slowly eat the sandwich, feeling absurdly guilty.
Just another holiday weekend in the country.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Random Acts of Poetry
Random Acts of Poetry
Scythe
A rip opens in the fabric
of morning,
and now the laundry
drips tears.
Joy or sadness?
The shaving mirror is silent.
A gray horse gallops
toward a hungry horizon.
What does it mean
to dream of black swans?
Scythe
A rip opens in the fabric
of morning,
and now the laundry
drips tears.
Joy or sadness?
The shaving mirror is silent.
A gray horse gallops
toward a hungry horizon.
What does it mean
to dream of black swans?
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