The Blog of the Ancient Mariner
[This is a version of a post I originally wrote a while back about the reasons I took on my “A mind is a difficult thing to change” series. I thought I’d publish it again now that I’ve resumed the … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Poetry
Moving day: these I can unlearn to love
A while back I wrote about my plans to move. I put my house on the market in late spring, thinking—the current housing market being what it is (I seem to specialize in buying in a seller’s market and selling … Continue reading →
Memorial Day: mourning the war dead, honoring the war dead
Before Memorial Day became a national three-day weekend in 1971 and the official kickoff to summer festivities, it was Decoration Day. I’m not all that ancient, but my earliest recollection of the holiday is of the latter name. It was … Continue reading →
Twanging, from Homer to Cohen and back: music and poetry
I’m still on a bit of a Leonard Cohen kick, as well as a YouTube fling. Stay with me here, though; this isn’t just about Cohen. As Gerard Vanderleun has noted, Cohen has an even darker side than the one … Continue reading →
Making music: on playing the cello
I used to play the cello. Well, perhaps “play” is too strong a word. I was chosen for the instrument (no, that’s not a typo; I was chosen for it, rather than the reverse) in fifth grade, at the public … Continue reading →
Frost on poetry: “the happy discoverer of your ends”
Here’s a little relief from politics and its discontents–excerpts from a discussion by Robert Frost entitled “Conversations on the Craft of Poetry” (1959).” Any aspiring poets in the crowd, please listen to a guy who knows–who really knows. In response … Continue reading →
No surge, Dems urge: beware those helicopters!
You think I sing a repetitious dirge “Iraq, Vietnam; please let the two diverge!” But here’s some news: the Democrats they urge, “Oh Mr. Bush, don’t recommend a surge!” And why? They say we’re surely on the verge Of failure. … Continue reading →
‘Twas the Blogger’s Night Before Christmas
‘TWAS THE BLOGGER’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the ”˜sphere Bloggers were glad to see Christmas draw near. Their PCs were turned off and all put away The bloggers were swearing to take off … Continue reading →
Garden, late fall
Those of you who follow this blog know that when I bought my house I bought the responsibility of gardening, and I’ve tried to step up to the plate and do right by it. I’ve posted photos of the garden … Continue reading →
Glad to have gone, glad to be back
I’m back, after having gotten an eyeful and an earful of Paris. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times That’s just hyperbole, for the sake of a literary reference; but the truth is that it … Continue reading →
Fall ritual: closing the windows
Today is the first day of fall. I never quite get that date right, because it drifts around in confusing fashion (here’s a guidepost for those of you who care about such things). This year it also happens to be … Continue reading →
Going gentle into that good night
The memorial service for the father of a good friend of mine was held at the retirement community where he and his wife had lived for the last couple of years. The place is one of those spectacularly lovely and … Continue reading →