Quote of the day

"Damn, and just when I was starting to get it!"

(Edgar Degas, on his deathbed)

just for fun

My Medicare Card Came Today

The mail has been lighter,
junk mail withdrawal.
It’s the economy, some say,
Wall Street schemes caused
it all. Most of my business
I do on the ‘Net,
no stash of stamps,
no envelopes, yet,
there are some things
requiring a physical touch, a few
magazines, but really not much.

One item required physical form,
no e-mail, fax, or twitter would do.
My Medicare card came in the mail
today, a benefit surely, a loud
comment too. I’m not really old,
still I’m well past my youth,
more than half-lived, no denying
that truth. I still find my do-list
gets longer each day, and this card
in the mail says there’s less time to play.

No use in denial, too many
mirrors in my home. We
think friends look older,
they’re the same age as me.
I laugh when I think of
how young we could be
if we didn’t have tokens
of aging like this, this benefit pass,
half-misery, half-bliss.

The Day I Died

I died that day long ago,
very far from home.
I lived that day as well,
seemingly unready for
what’s next. My mother’s
light came to tell
me to return, my time yet
incomplete, my tasks
not filled in full.
This life’s final pace
was not for me, hovering
then, above my mortal shell,
though self would have it so,
this turn required more.

I died that day long ago,
thought I was going home,
not sad, no fear, no swell
of clinging to
what’s here. From tunnel
bright a chiming bell,
calling my reunion to
the work undone.
Time enough remained
for service and, yes,
pain as well, for lessons
still to master, before
this life’s final peace
brings an end to war.

The Carnival Came To Town

It was sixty years ago
in our small Wisconsin
town, a drinking village
with a fishing problem.
For every need,
just one store, plus
five churches, one diner,
thirty-two taverns, no less,
no more.

Idyllically between wars,
our fathers back from
overseas, our mothers in
the home once more.
Rationing over, yet
victory gardens still in
vogue, but Swanson’s
frozen dinners had
their place for sure.

We had comics, radio too,
Der Bingle songs
from Sammy Cahn and
pin-up girls galore.
Slinky’s, Silly Putty, and
cowboy stories filled our
days, a fat-tire Schwinn
our greatest treasure,
save sun and shore.

Then came the day the
carnival came to town.
We’d know it for weeks,
the posters and such, with
clowns, a Ferris Wheel
and games all around.
We’d practiced with ring-pegs,
darts thrown at balloons,
and bean bags tossed at
boards on the ground.

There were wrestlers, most
famously old Gypsy Joe,
and those were no ladies
tugging tops down.
There were goldfish
in small bowls, a ball toss
to win, midst the noise
of the barkers, the joy
of the clowns.

But the thing I
held on to most fondly,
recalling even now,
were the smells, the
exotic perfumes of the
popcorn, the corn dogs
and, wow, the cotton candy
they spun out of nothing
but air.

It was the best of
a life filled with smiles
more than frowns.
I have dreamed of it
since, but especially now.
In a life too complex
it’s a joy to recall the
day that the carnival came to town.

Don't Just Sit There

One is prompted to consider the putting out of fires, real or metaphorical, and one responds obliquely


The world is aflame
with malefic direction,
alarmingly aimed at
itself.

Hotly armed people,
unafraid of detection,
freely pursuing
their end.

Sitting quietly
in cool observation
seems scarcely
enough.

Yet sear on burn
with hope to extinguish
has forever
misfired.

Lighting one candle
with pacific intention
feels hardly
sufficient.

Still, the sum of the lights,
the best protection
for our dreams and our future,
ourselves.

Amazing Young Artist

We first met Alina Eydel when she was not yet a teenager, and bought two of her works at the La Quinta Art Festival. She is a young woman now, and continues to grow her concept:

http://www.alinafineart.com/

Film Noir Lines

I love film of all types, but film noir lends itself to some of the greatest dialogue going...here's a site with some samples:

http://www.greencine.com/list?action=viewList&listID=4143

Nobody's Worth That Kind of Money

Stockbrokers don’t drive no stock
Chairmen don’t build no chairs
TV hosts don’t serve no snacks
News anchors don’t sail no ships
Weathermen don’t build no vanes
Athletes don’t play with kids
Movie stars don’t shine real light
But
Teachers really teach
Nurses really nurse
Waiters really wait
Poets really write
Garbage men really toss the trash
Postmen really deliver
Pedicabbers really pull their weight
Messengers really get the word out
And Moms, well moms really save the future