Data Et Errata

2019-02-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

Abundance Independence

23 January 2019

I feel fulfilled and good,

Keeping promises of my childhood.

Someday, maybe someday;

I'd dream and say

"Things'll happen one day."

Over time circumstances have changed

And my life's been rearranged.

Now I have the time and means

To give life to my dreams.

I no longer have to live in scarcity,

Lacking resources to overcome adversity.

Pulled up by my own bootstraps,

I'm the one setting improvement caps.

Shifting paradigms have lead to abundance,

Empowerment, choice and independence.

I don't have to do as others will.

I get to choose my own nectar or swill.

In choosing I evaluate the odds,

Is it nectar of swine or swill of the gods?

Dnieper Rapids

2018-12-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

I'm in the middle of writing a historical fiction short story. The plot is about a British teen who is enslaved by Viking raiders, then taken to Kievan Rus'. Along the way a skald sings about rapids on the Dnieper River. The place names I've only seen in print and never heard pronounced. I hope they rhyme.

From the Valdai Hills, the Dnieper River flows.

Mostly south to the Black Sea it goes.

There are rapids all along with twists and turns.

The count is nine rapids where the water churns.

Most are quite a fall. Only two are navigable

And the rest of them only spell trouble.

"Don't sleep!" at the first named Kodatsky.

"Island Waterfall" is the second at Sursky.

After that Lohansk's quite a zinger.

Dzvonesky's a real bell ringer.

Nenasytec's very naughty and violent.

At Vovnyzky the waves are turbulent.

At Budylo be sure to rouse

Or waves'll splash over the prows.

The term "rapid" is superfluous at Lyshny.

Finally, you're free at Vil'ny.

Cry Awry

2018-11-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

Cry Awry

21 Sept 2018

You're losing sleep.

Cancer's the reason why.

The hurt runs deep,

So go ahead and cry.

Your life's been sideswiped

And it's direction has altered.

As you've been stereotyped,

Perhaps your step has faltered.

There's a new normal starting now.

You're not sure of what will be.

You'll manage to get by somehow

In spite of all the ache and misery.

Unexpectedly life's different.

You're mourning the way it was.

Living has a new battlefront.

You don't care about dramas.

People around you voice opinions.

Regardless of what splatters,

You stick to your guns

And focus on what matters.

The pain and hurt run deep.

For some relief, go ahead and cry.

You're losing way too much sleep

And cancer's the reason why.

Detracts And Facts

2018-09-19T13:36:00.001-07:00

Detracts And Facts

13 Sept 2018

From the way some people declare

Frank unsupported statements,

There's no way to say they err

And point out how to make adjustments.

Frequently underlying conditions aren't stated

And little proof is asserted

So nothing can be debated

And counter arguments can't be inserted.

That's the way people communicate

About politics and religion.

There's no effort to educate,

Not even a smidgen.

The expounders come across as propagandists,

Not open to a different point of view.

In the end they become sadists,

Bleating my eardrums in two.

Convictions are intense opinions.

Their energetic claim detracts

From logic, and the companions

Of faith and belief aren't facts.

Overdue #metoo

2018-05-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

#metoo

Overdue #metoo

21 May 2018

It used to be you could

Blame the victim.

Male privilege would

Hand out the dictum.

Now we're claiming

Our worthiness by naming

The perps and reframing

The situation by proclaiming

An end to blaming and shaming.

Giving credit where it's due

And shining light on the issue

With the hashtag #metoo.

It's a topic that's long overdue

And talking about it's not taboo.

As victims we felt all alone.

Today we're setting a new tone.

Old ways are being overthrown.

Patriarchy isn't carved in stone.

We're showing some backbone.

Nostalgia doesn't cut it anymore.

No going back to the way it was before.

Our movement is too big to ignore.

We're fighting with words; and more

We're voting to make our voices roar.

Ring The Bell

2018-04-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ring The Bell

16 March 2018

At the end of chemo or radiation

They call it graduation.

All staff and caregivers congregate

With the patients to celebrate.

The young Mademoiselle,

With more meaning than she could tell,

Cried as she rang the bell.

No polite decorum for me.

It's not about dignity,

Nor preserving serenity.

I'm making the most of this opportunity.

After weeks of nausea hell,

With a rebel yell,

He grabbed the rope and rang the bell.

Let the bell of hope ring loud and long

As we celebrate becoming strong;

Strong enough to face cancer as beginners

And come out the other side as winners.

Hoping all would be well,

For quite a spell

The child rang the bell.

Shoes Blues

2018-03-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Shoes Blues

11 March 2018

Holes in the soles of my shoes

Has me singing the blues.

After looking at the selection

Of shoes in the store's collection,

Each with its own appeal,

I chose a pair close to my ideal.

At first I liked the look and feel,

Then the flaws started to reveal.

Holes in the soles of my shoes

Has me singing the blues.

Cracks appeared where the uppers flexed.

I didn't see what happened next.

The tops seemed to go unchanged,

But the bottoms were becoming deranged.

That went unnoticed until it rained

And the wetness I felt was unexplained.

Holes in the soles of my shoes

Has me singing the blues.

Much to my dismay, at home I looked at

My shoe bottoms and could see that

The soles had a crack across the ball.

That's why my socks were wet and all.

I'll have to buy some replacements,

Adding to my money disbursements.

Holes in the soles of my shoes

Has me singing the blues.

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Personal note: There's been a lapse in my postings. In December 2017 I got a sore spot on my tongue that made it hard to talk and chew, so I went in to see the doctor. On the 2nd January 2018 the doctor called to say I had medium squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. On January 21st I went to the hospital and fell among the surgeons. They knocked me out, yanked a tooth, cut out my tongue and slit my throat. The doctors were having such a good time they slit my throat twice, in front and down the side. After a week in Medical Intensive Care and 3 weeks in a skilled nursing facility, I came home. In the SNF I recovered enough to start talking again. On March 12th I started chemotherapy and radiation that will go on for six weeks. I get most of my nutrition thru a feeding tube. I can't wait until this is all over and I can come up with a funny way to tell my dramatic story.

Heart-warming And Charming

2017-12-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Heart-warming And Charming

28 November 2017

Your beauty welcomes me.

Your visual appeal touches me

And goosebumps manifest

To make me feel blessed.

Good looks come from symmetry,

Proportion and repetition,

Like in the marble parquetry.

All three are done to perfection.

Everywhere, underfoot and overhead,

Is elegance and loveliness.

Prettiness and grandeur are wed

Into luxury and courtliness.

The paucity of my treasury

Prevents me from staying long.

My enjoyment must be momentary,

Short, like I don't belong.

The fleeting moments are stowed,

In my memory where they won't corrode,

To warm my heart with grandness

From the sparks of beauty's flame.

In times of poverty and blandness,

I reflect back on your lovely acclaim.

‘I Want To Write’ Rewrite

2017-11-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

‘I Want To Write’ Rewrite

27 October 2017

Original by Margaret Walker

I want to write, not just anything.

I wanna write the songs of my folks.

I want to hear them singing melodies in the evening.

I wanna record the strains rising from their throats

As they form their dreams into words; their souls into notes.

I wanna catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl

As they fling dark hands to a darker sky and some

Reach to fill their hands full of stars.

Then they crush and mix such lights until they become

A mirrored pool of brilliance in Mason jars.

I Want To Write

by Margaret Walker

I want to write

I want to write the songs of my people.

I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark.

I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats.

I want to frame their dreams in to words; their souls into notes.

I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl;

fling dark hands to a darker sky

and fill them full of stars

then crush and mix such lights till they become

a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn.

Guidelines Road Signs

2017-10-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Guidelines Road Signs

27 October 2017

While traveling on vacation,

Anywhere across the nation,

Look for signs high and low

So you know where to go.

Hoping that by using GPS

You’ll avoid getting lost,

And steer clear of any mess

That would add to the cost.

In an unfamiliar location

It’s easy to misinterpret

The guidepost’s indication

And decide the right gambit.

In cities with multiple lanes

Sometimes it’s hard to see

Which way is right and pertains

Or leads to missed opportunity.

One wrong turn and suddenly

You have to get back on track.

The map app helps certainly

When you’re out of whack.

Still it’s a traffic matter

Of being in the right place

So you don’t go splatter

From being in the wrong space.

Fit Benefit

2017-10-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

Fit Benefit

9 October 2017

Today my personal power and wealth

Are indicated by my good health.

I’m strong enough that whatever life’s endeavor,

Today I feel like I could live forever.

This internal sense of superiority

Comes from my very own authority.

I don’t need any one else’s permission,

For sure I’m not bowing in submission.

I’m grateful for my physique’s agility

And all that gives me a sense of virility.

Even if I’m the one and only witness,

I’ll celebrate to honor my fitness.

Xenophobia Phobia

2017-10-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

Xenophobia Phobia

2 October 2017

As I juggle my internal struggle,

Emotion says they’re strange.

Logic says it’s time to change.

It’s hard to predict my inner conflict.

One part gives an unalike sermon,

Another whispers we’re all human.

One idea that I wrestle

Is they’re not people to nestle,

Versus we’re all in the same vessel.

Eternally I grapple internally

With an urge of what I ought

Against all rational thought.

I have notions of conflicting emotions,

Of wishing others ill and harm

Or keeping them safe and warm.

By day and night, myself I fight;

Against impulse to ignore and deny

Hoping my better self comes by.

As I blunder, sometimes I wonder

If it’s innate, this instinct to hate

Or if I can overcome that trait.

Jubilation And Appreciation

2017-09-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Jubilation And Appreciation

10 Sept 2017

My day began with joy and thanksgiving.

The joy in my heart comes from my inner child

And thanksgiving arises from this life I’m living.

Since my everyday ego and inner child reconciled,

There’s been an attitudinal and behavioral change.

I no longer have a compulsion for perfection.

I efficiently do my tasks and act to rearrange

My way of doing things and my personal direction.

One day I realized that it doesn’t matter,

How I dress doesn’t matter a lot.

Nobody will remember that stain or splatter.

My chore order isn’t the final upshot.

As long as the final result pleases me

Nitpicking doesn’t matter anymore.

I get to do whatever appeases me

And make the mundane less of a chore.

Squirting And Hurting

2017-08-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Squirting And Hurting

11 August 2017

My trigger finger’s itchin’.

I’ve got ants crawling everywhere

They’re all over my kitchen,

In my cupboards, in my silverware!

Insecticide has its own smell.

It’s not perfume that I can tell.

But I’m out squirtin’ fragrance

Doing my best to be hurtin’ ants.

What ants like isn’t for me to presume

They’re crawling in my bathtub.

And all over my powder room.

I’ll give that place a good scrub.

Insecticide has its own smell.

It’s not perfume that I can tell.

But I’m out squirtin’ fragrance

Doing my best to be hurtin’ ants.

Ants are on my computer desk.

There’s one on my reading glasses.

It’s not gonna be picturesque,

When I spray to kill their asses.

Insecticide has its own smell.

It’s not perfume that I can tell.

But I’m out squirtin’ fragrance

Doing my best to be hurtin’ ants.

2017-08-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Can Keeper And Bottle Reaper

19 July 2017

Up and down the alleys and streets

The pedal-powered urban gleaners toil.

They seek and sort for their treats.

Although they don’t harvest from soil.

In the evening and thru the night

They pick thru curbside recycling bins.

Bottles and cans bring them delight.

The looted booty becoming bagged burdens.

The reprocessables are taken to be reclaimed

To be itemized by weight or count.

Then a store voucher can be claimed

And redeemed for food or a cash amount.

In a gray area, the urban gleaners

Search and sort for their livelihood.

They may be vilified for their demeanors,

But they’re good for the neighborhood.

Hair Care

2017-07-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hair Care

14 July 2017

The fine hair floats down into my face.

After treatment by a brush and comb,

It doesn’t like to stay in one place.

It wants to wander away from home.

I don’t want to look too grubby

Even tho I’m thoroughly male.

One simple solution would be

To wear my hair in a ponytail.

Also, I could get all-day relief

By restraining my hair with a handkerchief.

Healed Yield

2017-07-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

Healed Yield

26 June 2017

“You never want a drink until the well runs dry.”

You don’t miss something that’s always there.

Suddenly, one day it’s gone and there’s an outcry.

For me, symptoms came the same as wear and tear.

One, then another affliction came to my attention.

None, by itself, was important enough to mention.

After a road trip, my hearing was diminished.

One ear was partially, then fully blocked;

Making words and music on that side hushed.

It was hard to gauge my volume as I talked.

Also, a sore spot under my tongue

Made it hard to vocalize and chew.

My personal song of life went unsung.

I discussed with my doctor each issue.

My physician prescribed a medication

Because of the results of my lab test.

I took the drug for my edification

And it’s benefits quickly manifest.

Now my mouth’s better, so I can talk.

My hearing’s cleared up, so both ears function.

I move, so there’s no problem with my walk.

I’m grateful to be at a healthy junction.

There’s a feeling of well-being where I dwell.

It’s like there’s fresh water in my well.

a.m. Gem

2017-06-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

a.m. Gem

19 June 2017

After the end of a dark night

Comes the gentle morning light.

The sun’s warmth feels like a shower,

Unlike midday rays that overpower.

I can enjoy exposure without concern,

Without risking any pesky sunburn.

It’s a peaceful, pleasant way

To get going and start my day.

At Most A Toast

2017-06-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

At Most A Toast

30 May 2017

Thoughts and a toast to the newlyweds!

Hopefully, from your warmhearted parents

You learned how not to be boneheads,

But life skills made their appearance;

Like how to reconcile a bank account

And how to change a car’s flat tire.

From siblings, thinking of the amount,

Of years spent fighting with fire,

You have now let hostilities cease.

With an armed truce, there’s peace.

A happy marriage extender

Takes additional personal skills.

First you experience surrender,

When limerence brings thrills.

Surrendering to love has its importance.

Later, personal needs will surface,

So you’ll need to learn to balance

To meet the demands of spousal service.

In the future, adding a child will make

For a triangular teeter-totter;

Dragging more tests in its wake,

Making for a trial by fire and water,

And requiring powers of persuasion.

Lastly, here’s to this happy occasion.

Love-In At Donovan

2017-05-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Love-In At Donovan

22 May 2017

I went to jail yesterday.

It was at Donovan state prison,

But I didn’t have to stay.

The occasion was a TEDx exposition.

Half of the speakers were from inside

And half of them were outside invitations.

All gave their speeches with pride

In spite of the facility’s limitations.

The theme was “Beyond the Surface,

Not judging a book by its cover;

Looking past another’s epidermis

To find all there is to discover.

After the speeches was socializing

With guests and inmates freely mixing.

Conversations ranged without specializing

Or having authorities doing the fixing.

For me the event was very positive

And I hope there’ll be repercussions.

The impact’ll make all more sensitive

And lead to productive discussions,

More dialog and experience exchanges

That eventually cause policy changes.

Yearning For Returning

2017-05-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Biltmore House

Bass Pond

Begonia

Golden Azalea

Tulip

Wisteria

Pansies

Daisies

Orchids

Click on photo to enlarge.

Yearning For Returning

26 April 2017

I’d like to go back once more.
Tell the Inn to save me a room
To see flowers at the Biltmore
When the azaleas are in bloom.
Let me visit when the tulips blossom
And the hanging wisteria’s awesome.
I love the colors of the pansies
That match to hues of the daisies.
I want to explore the conservatory
That shows off varieties of hybrids,
Including an amazing begonia variety
And bountiful sprays of orchids.
Let me stroll down to the Bass Pond
To see the brick bridge reflected,
The calm water and the trees beyond;
So my joie de vivre gets resurrected.

Meal Appeal

2017-04-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

Meal Appeal

19 April 2017

Dinner wasn’t normal comfort food

With the usual texture and taste.

This meal came with attitude

And it wasn’t made in haste.

The flavors were an attention getter.

The different presentation was no decoy.

Dinner wasn’t comfort food; it was better.

So my taste buds are dancing for joy!

Body Haul On A Rock Wall

2017-04-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Click on photo to enlarge.

Body Haul On A Rock Wall
8 April 2017

Fingers gripping and toes upholding
The climber rises like a slow kite.
With concentration and skill molding,
Defying gravity to reach a new height.
The crosswind erratically tugs
As the rock climber slowly advances,
On the way up positioning lugs,
Securing the climbing mate’s chances
Of a successful mountaineering.
The buddy retrieving anchors as she goes,
Sometimes requiring body engineering
And the shifting of equipment cargos.
At the top, another anchor will suffice,
Then long ropes are thrown down.
The descent is belayed thru a device.
With the ropes placed, they go to town.
Going up and down becomes child’s play
And a pleasant way to end the day.

Old Friends’ Dividends

2017-03-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Old Friends’ Dividends
27 March 2017

Like a flower’s lingering scent
I remember the time we spent.
Like the candle’s smell
After it’s been blown out,
Mentally I rehash and retell
Of us having dinner out.
We spoke of days gone by,
And remembering with a sigh
Gravy over bread as humble pie.
Contrast growing up in poverty
To us here and now eating out.
We could take the liberty
To order shrimp as it turned out.
Love and goodwill were traded.
A good time was had by all.
Sympathy and friendliness pervaded
The good-byes at withdrawal.
The memory’s been enshrined
To a special place in my mind.

Bloom Boom

2017-03-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Click on above photo to enlarge

Bloom Boom

16 March 2017

It’s called a super bloom

By reporters in the newsroom.

Winter rain’s brought out desert flowers.

There’s been enough to end the drought,

From barely sprinkles to thundershowers.

Nicer weather is bringing people out

To see the verdant growth mushrooming

And the vibrant hues sprouting.

It looks like a carpet blooming

And the perfect excuse for an outing.