Poetry and Potpourri .... October 27-28, 2003

10-27-2003 | JustAmy, St.Louie1 and Mama_Bear

[JustAmy]

Nicko ... did you write "Looking for Byzantium"? It is very good.

I think that Arnold's "Dover Beach" reflects someone facing his own mortality. Arnold has seen and studied wars and knows that there will always be one somewhere.

When I read "Looking for Byzantium", I thought of someone who had seen many friends and comrades die. I see Mark Harden (nicko) as seeing the aging process and working to accept it.

Okay ..... I'm not good at this, but how did I do?

[JustAmy]

IT'S HALLOWEEN

It's Halloween! It's Halloween!
The moon is full and bright
And we shall see what can't be seen
On any other night.

Skeletons and ghosts and ghouls,
Grinning goblins fighting duels,
Werewolves rising from their tombs,
Witches on their magic brooms.

In masks and gowns
we haunt the street
And knock on doors
for trick or treat.

Tonight we are
the king and queen,
For oh tonight
it's Halloween!

[Diver Dave]

Food for Thought

If you put a buzzard in a pen eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat, and the bee. They are struggling with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there
"Above" them.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Evening friends.

ETHEL
by Joyce Grenfell

I don't understand Ethel.
I don't, I don't really.
She's one of my very best friends,
Just about the best, nearly.
She's an awfully nice girl, Ethel is,
Dainty and refined,
I mean she'd never do or say
Anything unkind.
But get her inside a stadium
And she seems to go out of her mind.

'KILL HIM!' she yells, 'KNOCK HIS BLOCK OFF!'
At ice hockey or football or what.
'KILL 'EM!' she yells, turning purple,
'KILL THE PERISHING LOT!'
'SH-SH!' I say, 'ETHEL!'
'SH-SH!' and I die of shame.
'KILL HIM AND BASH HIS TEETH IN HIS FACE!'
She says,
And calls him a dirty name.

I don't understand Ethel,
I don't, I don't truly.
She is always gentle and sweet,
Never a bit unruly.
She's an awfully shy girl, Ethel is,
Wouldn't say boo to a goose.
You wouldn't think she ever could
Suddenly break loose.
But get her inside a stadium
And her face turns a terrible puce.

'THROW HIM OUT OF THE WINDER!' she yells,
And her eyes go a terrible red.
'SWIPE 'EM!' she says, looking cheerful,
'SWIPE 'EM UNTIL THEY'RE DEAD!'
'SH-SH!' I say, 'ETHEL!'
'SH-SH!' and I nearly die,
'SWIPE HIM AND GRIND HIS FACE IN THE MUD!'
She says,
'AND PUT YOUR THUMB IN HIS EYE!'

I don't understand Ethel,
I don't, I don't, really.
She's one of my very best friends,
Just about the best, nearly.
She's and awfully quiet girl, Ethel is,
That's why I never see
What makes her carry on like that,
Noisy as can be.
Then last Saturday down at the stadium
Well... it suddenly happened to me.

'BREAK HIS SILLY NECK!' I yelled, 'IRON HIM OUT!'
Well, Ethel was startled at that.
'IRON HIM!' I said, feeling lovely,
'IRON HIM UNTIL HE'S FLAT!'
'OOH', I said, 'ETHEL!'
'OOH', and I did feel queer.
Then she grinned, and we both of us gave a yell
'BITE A BIT OUT OF HIS EAR!'

[Alamo-Girl]

Oh, I very much enjoy them! They remind me of home...

[Calpernia]

Good night to Potpourri

[The Mayor]

You don't need to know where you're going if you're following the Shepherd.

[nicko]

glad you liked it...I wrote it a little while ago (actually, I did the last edit on it some time ago) I kept having a dream similiar to the piece- thought that perhaps by writing about it, I could chase it away...and you are right, on several counts- acceptance of the way things were is difficult sometimes, as it comes slowly, if at all...I don't mind getting older (physically) but it's a constant struggle to make myself leave behind what's behind, and keep leaning forward- like Mike Durant,("In the Company of Heros") said last month in a speech, "look back but don't stare..." before I bore you too much, here is another piece from the same time...

Counting Coup in Mogadishu

it is a graceful combination of speed and strength,
nearly sublime, as the thin, dark skinned boy
raises his rifle from within the swelling throng-

lift and aim, smoothly,
stock to cheek, grip relaxed,
breath in, half out,
squeeze, don’t pull,
click-
rehearsed again and again,
while chewing khat…

I react poorly, heavy and slow,
out of practice-
too old, too dull to respect his skill,
or my depreciation…

But I just see, as he melts easily back into the closing crowd,
A flash of smile-

Mark E. Harden

I've read your stuff...I think you are good at what you do...

[dansangel]

Next time you sign on as someone else just to to disrupt, cootie, don't ping me. Your alter-egos are just as shallow as you are. Oh, and by the way, you don't have *my* permission to ping me.

[Billie]

GO, DANSY, GO!!!!!!!!

[dansangel]

How I spent Halloween at work as George W. Bush:

Sans mask in my office - notice the political expressions on the wall? LOL!

In front of my office, decorated as "The White House":

[Argh]

I dunno, Miss Angel, those smiles are almost identical.

:^)

[Billie]

GREAT pictures, Dansy! Looks like you had fun with it! Post it on the Halloween P & P thread, too, okay?! And of course, I hope you have posted it to the Finest! :)

[ladyinred]

I used to know two Halloween songs, but as I am now old AND blonde, I can't remember one of them, the best one of course. I bet everyone knows this one!

Sing along:

Halloween, Halloween!
Oh what funny things are seen
Witches Hats
Coal Black Cats
Broomstick riders
Mice and rats!!!!

(sing out really loud on RATS!!)


The other one starts out with:

The witch, the witch, the ugly old witch
Oh what a terrible sight, with eyes as thick and black as pitch she rides on Halloween night.
Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo.

Maybe someone else knows the song!
Are you back from your appointment already, or did you ditch it?

[dansangel]

Oops...thought I *did* post it on the Halloween thread - DUH ME!!!

[ladyinred]

WOW! Those pictures are great dansangel!
I have to ask the question burning on the minds of all vain (like me) females. How did you manage to keep your hair so pretty after wearing that mask? :-)

[dansangel]

LOL! I actually had a reason to smile *at work* today!

Billie gently reminded me that I should have posted these on *today's* P and P thread - had my dates mixed up. Off to the present to repost! :-)

[ladyinred]

Oh man! What did I miss? I had to get offline for awhile to actually do some domestic work, and Cootie visited us again?
I know she is watching so:

Happy Halloween! :-)

[dansangel]

Oh, that's a *before* mask picture ((((((ladyinred)))))

My hair was absolutely plastered to my head after two hours - spent a half-hour in the ladies' room trying to "dry and lift" - what a mess!!!

Thank you for your kind words!