Currently Listening All Points Bulletin By Dispatch see related

Villanelle

I don't like to read explanations of poetry, so I'm not going to explain this one.

The only thing I'll say is that after 4 revisions, I still have a ways to go.

Forty Years Since Cancer

"People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of

life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they

continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive.  It

is as though they were traveling abroad."  ~Marcel Proust

It was the dark of my stairs that's my Grandfather's house

Detached from my memory, a cardinal flew in.

His yearning was mine for his ever dead spouse.

While I persevere, the darkness does souse,

His memory pained to be near her again.

It was the dark of my stairs that's my Grandfather's house.

The coo of her voice, the curve of her blouse

I walk my dark stairs, the memories rush in.

His yearning was mine for his ever dead spouse.

And there on my stair, his memory did douse

my mind with his mind.  Oh what corruption.

It was the dark of my stairs that's my Grandfather's house.

With the light off he feared not burglar or mouse,

But hoped that through darkness he'd see her again.

His yearning was mine for his ever dead spouse.

"We're still here in death," claim the writings of Proust.

He waits for the cardinal to unite them again.

It was the dark of my stairs that's my Grandfather's house.
His yearning was mine for his ever dead spouse.

Currently Listening Hopes and Fears By Keane see related

For Those Studying Poetry

When I write poetry, I often use the genre as a theme.  (I write poetry about poetry...)  In this particular poem, I tried to have the second line of every other stanza seem like a continuation of the first line - even though the first line had ended.  (either with a period or question mark...)  I wanted to see if this would increase the emphasis of the poem.  Read it and see if you know what I mean.

This is one of the poems that I have edited quite a bit.  Tell me what you think when you're done if you want.  I won't be offended.  Honestly.

The Poet I Am

Whatever happened to the days of walking to the market and being greeted?

With a smile, the clerk chats patiently with you before you proceed to shop.

Four red tomatoes, an orange or two (they came by train from Florida)

"Harold?  Harold, I'm sorry, what aisle is the basil in?"

"Front of the store on the left ma'am, I'll lead."

You follow friendly Harold, not to fret about finding the basil.

Not today though, with security cameras and self checkout.

Lines where you don't even have to interact with a human.

Face it, the friendly grocer era has passed.

Not here though, not on my page.  A bell dings, the door opens.

Wide-eyed readers inspect the first lines to test how ripe they are.

          "Try one," I manage.  "It's on me, and they're all delicious."

The reader bites in and juice dribbles down.

Her wet hand has wiped the excess from her smiling lips.

          "Can you tell me which aisle I can find the one on love?"

"Certainly.  First couple pages on the left.  Let me lead you there."

Currently Reading A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini see related

Congratulate Me

So, I'm teaching a Sunday School class.  You would think that it's not a big deal, being a teacher and all.  It is.  The thing is, I'm teaching adults.  Adults scare me.  Kids, kids are fine.  We get along.  (usually - you hooligans know who you are.)

The other thing is, these adults that I'm teaching have been going to church their whole life.  They know that Bible.  If I make a mistake, well I don't think they'd stone me, or call me a heretic... I don't know what they would do.  But the point is, they already know a lot about what I'm teaching.

So, I've pushed myself really hard to study the material out.  I've read several different translations of the Bible, and read several books on the topic we're studying.  (We're doing a character study of Joab - the head of King David's army.)

HERE'S THE COOL PART!!!  SKIP DOWN TO HERE IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE READING THE ENTIRE BLOG!

I got a book from an Illinois library. (long story)  I read it, it was tedious, but fascinating.  I had a ton of questions on it.  I wrote the author, said how much I liked the book, and asked him a couple questions about it.  (I wasn't actually expecting a response.)

He wrote back.  He said he didn't know the answers to my questions, but he would consult with some Professors he works with.  He said he'd write me back again.

All I can say is I felt good.  Really good.

Currently Listening 18 By Moby see related

Promises

Earlier in the week we were finishing up Promises.  We were going over the discussion questions, and came up on the one that read, “Who came in second, and what does it mean?”  The discussion got off to a good start with Faraj who came in second in the race, and Yarko and Daniel who came in second in volleyball.  In both instances the kids cried when they didn’t win.  The class had a good discussion on expectations, and the standard of living, and the feeling of utter defeat.

                In one of my earlier classes I related a story from my high school days that I always think about when I see those scenes.  I played soccer all through high school.  We were never a great team, but it always seemed like we had the potential to be great.

                My freshman year there was a kid named Jason on the team.  Jason was GREAT.  He carried the team.  He could run faster, kick harder and more accurately than anybody on the team.  Not only that, but he was a leader and respected by everyone in the school.  He wasn’t a jerk like so many of the other athletes at my old high school.

                My freshman year, we made it to the tournament.  We had never won.  We all played our hearts out.  We lost 2-1. 

                I remember back in the locker room Jason was crying.  I said something trite like, “Hey man, it’ll be ok.”  (I’m sure that made me look real cool.) 

                The thing is, I didn’t get it.  As a freshman, I didn’t get the fact that Jason was fed up with constantly being called a second rate team.  I didn’t get the fact that as the team captain and ultimately the team leader he had so much more riding on his shoulders than I had riding on mine.  I had seen him running around town during the summer too.  I was running myself, at least 3 miles a day.  But he was ALWAYS running.  I saw him doing sprints from a car to a stop sign and back.

                Somewhere around this point in the story a student said something like, “Yeah.  That’s probably how they felt.  They worked so hard, and no matter how much they wanted it victory wouldn’t come.”  And someone else said, “Yeah, those Palestinian guys, they’re like trying so hard to be equal to the Jews, but they’re always in second place.  And the Jews are trying so hard to have their own country but they always have to worry about bus bombings and stuff.”

                “It’s like what Yarko said, ‘In a war, both sides lose.’”

                I don’t know if that was the analogy BZ was going for, but I felt good.  I felt like some kids, at least, got it.

Duke of York

An interesting answer:

"The duke of york, was in love with himself and named himself the Duke of york." 

I'm not really sure how that one works out.