“There are hidden contradictions in the minds of people who “love Nature” while deploring the “artificialities” with which “Man has spoiled ‘Nature.'” The obvious contradiction lies in their choice of words, which imply that Man and his artifacts are _not_ part of “Nature”– but beavers and their dams _are_.” — Robert A. Heinlein — Time Enough For Love

“As for courage and will – we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.” — Andre Norton
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My guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
deceived me into thinking I had something to protect.
Good and bad I defined these terms, quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then; I’m younger than that now.
— Bob Dylan

I was happy to come across this little poem from the song of the same name; I had forgotten just how powerful Bob’s poetry can be. The poetry he wrote at times got overlooked by the music that he composed to display it; it made a good song, but that detracted somewhat from the message of the verses. It must have been hard for Dylan, to become so popular, but for what to him was the wrong reason, as people gushed over his songwriting, but not his message.

I remember an anecdote from an article I read on Dylan…. Perry Como was taping a special for television, but had a little problem with the studio piano player assigned to the taping. The musician kept adding arpeggios and other esoteric musical techniques to the sheet music, making it fuller and more interesting, jazzing it up, so to speak. But, it was driving Como crazy, as he tended to be rather straightforward and bland in his music. He said to the player, “You’d better quit adding all that stuff to the music. You’re never going to amount to anything in this business!” The player, of course, was a young Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan, destined to become one of the seminal forces for change in modern music, a man who is considered responsible for much of the originality of rock and roll, R&B, and jazz, by leading the way into the future with the power of his poetry, and his music……
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“In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly. But compared to the great Way, heaven and earth, too, are like a bubble and a shadow. Only the primal spirit and the true nature overcome time and space.” — Lu Yen (fl. 800 A.D.)

I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating: there were a lot of folks back in the days before the world got distracted by the alleged Christian messiah; folks who thought with great clarity, who were in touch with, and sought answers to the deepest mysteries of the universe. This statement is very close to the idea of the conservation of energy, which is commonly accepted to be a fact of natural law; this merely approaches the concept through the back door, instead of the front.

It makes me wonder sometimes just how accurate the pictures we have come to accept about cultures that existed long ago; the philosophers of the time seem to have had ample leisure time to formulate the ornate, complex philosophies that we have as legacy from those days. I had always thought that people who lived then needed to spend a lot of time securing the basics, such as food, clothing, and shelter. I can see now, though, that my impression was erroneous, at least for those who lived in the urban centers of the time. I’m glad I was wrong; the legacy left us from those days is deep and precious; we would not have the level of culture we have without the wisdom of the ancients…..
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Roses are red,
Violets are blue
Some poems rhyme
But this one doesn’t.

A perfect example of the kind of poetry that I write. Short but stupid, yet with a certain charm for all that. Actually, I can write poetry okay, especially haiku, but it never comes up to scratch, not in my mind. I don’t always know good art, but I know what I like, and my poems mostly don’t cut it. C’est la vie! One can’t excel at everything; I just wish poetry was one area of expertise that I could master, at least better than I do. But, I’m okay with it; I’d much rather try to emulate Hemingway than Shakespeare. Just more my type of guy…..whatever that means…..
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After enlightenment, do the laundry. — Zen proverb

Now, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Sheer genius! Sheer poetry! Four words, a mountain of meaning. This is the kind of koan that is almost guaranteed to take one down into the deepest part of the mind, and keep you there until you reach enlightenment. Layer after layer of meaning; my kind of Pearl! Today, I’m feeling a bit lazy, so I will leave the actual proof of this proposition as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…. treat it with respect; true wisdom can bite if angered…. we all know this, because it’s one of those experiences that everyone has to go through in life; how we react to that can determine the direction of one’s entire future, so it becomes a matter of survival to honor truth…. and don’t forget to take the soap with you to the laundromat…..
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Thus we come to the end of another day’s work. Of course, the day is yet to really start; it’s only around 0730. But, with the messed up schedule my brain has settled on, I’m up at 5, ready to rock, so that has become the part of the day when I write the most. It seems to work out fairly well, it’s just a little strange to be ready for a nap at 10:00 am. Ah well, so be it; it’s not like I have to be anywhere important. I can truthfully say, as a now experienced retiree, that retirement certainly has its advantages, as well as disadvantages. But the power over my schedule rests solely in my hands, and that is indeed a dizzying power. And hey, if you’re sleepy, go to sleep, I always say. Really, I do; ask anybody…… y’all take care out there…..