There won’t be a fresh Pearl today, for multiple reasons, the foremost of which is my most persistent demon’s reappearance at 0400 this morning. The ensuing battle continues to rage, & is distracting enough to prevent any focus on cogitation. I’ll be spending the day in meditation, when not actively struggling to douse flames of homicidal intent, & may, or may not, get to the next Pearl. Time, that mouthy asshole, will tell, as always.Y’all needn’t worry about me; I’ve lived through this before, and will do so again. For now, it’ merely disrupts my routine, which annoys Leelu no end, so, balance must be found, for both our sakes. In the interim, keep your weapons at hand, and stay alert. There is madness loose in the world; George Carlin was right, as usual; a little piece of hell breaking loose is worse than the whole deal at once. Until I can find my way back to sanity, y’all be well, & happy as you may….& I hope you enjoy today’s re-blog. This one is special, in a sense; it is the blog most recommended by WP as auxiliary reading…. See ya….
Morning, ffolkes. Gosh, I don’t believe I’ve seen a screen this white in a long time. Empty, too. I suppose I’ll have to do something about that…. Hey, I’ve got a great idea! Why don’t I write a Pearl? Yeah, I think I will. I haven’t done that in, well, at least 23 hours or more….
You may cease the giggling now, or, wait!…. Was that a growl I heard from the back of the cabin? No need to get testy. Just because I try something new doesn’t mean y’all can just fire off like that. Think of what could happen if one of those actually hit me! Nasty. Okay, so, I know it’s not all that, or even all that funny, or compelling, or any…
Hajime…. I do enjoy making my life difficult, it seems. Upon arising today, with the intent of finishing this Pearl before moving on to the rest of the day’s tentative plans, I found I had sandbagged any such effort; the only parts completed were the picture you see of the rose, and one lonely pearl. All else you will find below was thrown together, ruthlessly chopping the process’s usual leisurely pace, with the concomitant lack of pure mindfulness so critical to any sort of quality. Go figure, eh? Nonetheless, it got done, such as it is, so, I suppose I can’t complain….
Well, I can, but, I won’t. Instead, I’ll keep using that ruthlessness so liberally applied to the process, by getting us out of this section at our earliest opportunity. Naturally, that makes the, perhaps, erroneous assumption I’ll recognize any such opportunity, but, hey, we do what we can. It’s not as if you’re shelling out any hard cash for this, y’know…. All you have to supply is a bit of attention for a short while, to gain the possibility of an epiphany. What a bargain!
Oops. That’s not being ruthless, is it? Well, we do what we can, as noted, so, I’ll just pretend it didn’t happen & get us out of here, post-haste, before anyone has a chance to call their lawyer. How, otherwise, can we hold up our head(s) in any gathering of associates? Well, I don’t know, but, I can guess. However, rather than go down such a dangerous path, I’ll do this, instead….
Shall we Pearl?
“One’s friends are that part of the human race
with which one can be human.”
~~ George Santayana ~~
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Today’s selection touts itself as the “50 Best” classical music pieces of all time. You can decide for yourselves if you agree, or not. To be fair, you should listen to all six hours of it, just to be sure of your decision…. *grin*…. Enjoy!….
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Classical Music
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Meander….
Inimitable, grieving, garnering mere bargains, to taste;
naked apes, priapic by nature and choice,
filled up the only valid chalice, laid it to waste,
nobody asked, nor ever raised a single voice.
Formidable, dreams becoming so real;
clearly extraordinary, in a tawdry sense.
Deals to make, illusions to steal,
busy, busy, building fence after fence.
True nature’s existence, so to speak,
rests interiorly, as well as in your face.
Duality’s persistent insistence ain’t weak;
ignorance of reality leaves not a single trace.
Herds of commonality congregate before portals
shaking each other by the collar as they dance.
Chasing their illusionary dreams, as if they weren’t mortals,
born believing they ever had a chance.
Irony lives deep in the human soul, part, parcel, post;
holding four aces, betting a pair of jacks, or queens.
Expedience beckons toward mendacity, at most,
fox mocking grapes, while it dances and preens.
The wheel turns, inevitable, ponderously mundane,
grinding grain, chaff, and dust.
Bolstering connections aids those who may abstain
from the paltry tale of the bold, and just.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/5/2016
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I’m running very late today, without time to properly search out an appropriate group of pearls for this final section. Here, instead, is a combination rant/old-school pearl from early in 2013…. I hope you enjoy this blast from our past….
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From 4/18/2013:
MORAL, adj. Conforming to a local and mutable standard of right. Having the quality of general expediency.
“It is sayd there be a raunge of mountaynes in the Easte, on one syde of the which certayn conducts are immorall, yet on the other syde they are holden in good esteeme; wherebye the mountayneer is much conveenyenced, for it is given to him to goe downe eyther way and act as it shall suite his moode, withouten offence. _Gooke’s Meditations_
— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”
A reader commented to me recently that my rants have gone soft; she enjoys it when I rake someone over the coals, figuratively speaking, and asked me when I was going to get back on my white horse, or my soapbox, as the cliché may be…. I told her it is most likely a result of having some of the pressure of living removed, by the acquisition of my SS benefits, so much so that I’m finding it hard to summon up the outrage needed to rant effectively…. Like Voldemort told Harry, when he tried to use the Cruciatus Curse against Bellatrix Lestrange, in HP5-The Order of the Phoenix, “You’ve got to MEAN it, Harry!” Funny how not worrying about where the next meal is coming from takes some stress out of one’s life, isn’t it?….. Ha Ha…..
So, anyway, then I saw the above entry from the Devil’s Dictionary, and thought to myself, “AHA!” (I do that a lot…), “Now, here’s a subject worthy of a rant!”…. This is absolutely true, even though morality is sort of like reality…. there are as many versions of what it means as there are people…. of which, each and every one believes that what they perceive is the only correct version, obviously…. Right….
So, you can see the problem right away…. As a society, we have an unfortunate tendency to try to legislate morality, so that everyone is compelled to behave according to a commonly accepted pattern of behavior…. Supposedly, this legislation is supposed act as some sort of magic bullet, that will stop all the bad things from happening, like stealing, killing, and general misbehavior that is upsetting to the rest of society…. It never works, at all, but, we keep on passing laws designed to enforce a common morality anyway….
Such a drama is now being played out on the national stage, as the Senate just defeated the new gun control reforms that 90% of the populace wants in place. Out of a hundred Senators, it only took 45 Republicans to bring the proposed law down, meaning that once again, a very small percentage of people have forced their views on the rest of the public, to suit their own morality, and, more importantly, to suit their own special interests, who paid good money for their votes, dammit!…. I am somewhat piqued about this, but see little in the way of anything to be done that will make any difference, in the big picture…. No matter how stringent the laws, people who want guns will get them, and use them on other people…. The new laws would have made that a bit more time-consuming, but no less possible, or even less probable….
Since I can’t thing of anything positive to suggest, other than to stay alert to what may end up as a critical issue, I will fill out what should normally be a rant, with a number of cogent pearls, to try to jab the stick into the appropriate eyes…. and my friend will have to wait a bit longer for a good, old-fashioned brouhaha, as I get nasty and vicious in my denouncement of the BRC, the churches, and the corporate masters….. I will say this to her….. have no fear, my outrage isn’t gone, just temporarily dormant, and I WILL be back to rant….. meanwhile, enjoy these tasty gems…..
“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” — Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Linear Model: An assumption concerning the nature of reality applied unquestioningly to every relationship as though God had determined that truth must always run in straight lines. — Smart Bee
“The clinching proof of my reasoning is that I will cut anyone who argues further into dogmeat.” — Sir Geoffery de Tourneville (ca. 1350)
“Has history ever recorded a time when the majority was right?” — Lazarus Long
“He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world without having tasted of lying or pretense of any sort, or of wantonness or conceit.” –Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 2
“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” — Saul Bellow
“If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other.” — Carl Schurz (1829-1906)
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Damn! I did it! I honestly wasn’t sure I could, but, there it is, in all its tawdry glory. I’m going to risk losing credibility by doing so, but, so be it. It’s not as if we are taking advantage of anyone’s better nature, right? Well, I think so, &, at this juncture, that’s what counts. I’ll cease and desist this blather any moment now, & y’all can get on with the rest of your day, content in your having completed probably the toughest bites of the morning. I’ll also issue the usual warning, to wit: I’ll be back. For now, à bientôt, mes amis….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“The Soul is born old, but it grows young;
that is the comedy of life.
The Body is born young and grows old;
that is life’s tragedy.”
~~ Oscar Wilde ~~
Church window, Galway, Ireland…
Hajime…. In the TV series, Northern Exposure, Cris Stevens, the local DJ, made the observation: “There’s a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there’s a little Darth Vader in all of us. Thing is, this ain’t no either-or proposition. We’re talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can’t hide. My experience? Face the darkness. Stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. So give that ol’ dark night of the soul a hug. Howl the eternal yes!”
“…being human is a complicated gig.” There are mornings when this phrase assumes a relevance that always amazes. The mental process involved in creating one of these Pearls, as I have discovered of late, is more of a function of will than it is of reasoned effort. The reasons we find to perform those tasks for which we assume responsibility are, of course, personal, not valid for others. This means one must learn to trust oneself, allowing both reason and passion to guide and direct us. When we do, we become both sides of ourselves, which is, ultimately, both our goal, and our raison d’etre, our reason to be….
You may be asking yourself right now, just what is he getting at? Well, that, too, is somewhat personal, but, essentially, what I’m saying is, all you can do is all you can do. In the past weeks, I’ve managed to complete and post a Pearl most days, even those days when it seemed less than productive to even get out of bed. (Yes, there are still demons hanging about….). But, I got it done, and that has, again, saved my sorry ass from falling into the abyss, which exists always, nearby, ready to claim yet another victim to internal fears. In the process, I, necessarily, have been too distracted, too tired, and too unfocused in my mind to perform the other side of blogging, to wit: visiting other sites & exchanging views… In short, I’ve neglected my friends, if only in my own estimation….
I can only offer the excuse above, which, in the larger picture means little, but, in my mind, means a lot. I offer my humble apologies to those who usually see me, and hope to redress my absence in the near future. It’s tough, because, frankly, I’m finding more to engage my attention outside, in the Big Blue Room, a place we all need to remember is our true venue. Cyberspace, while attractive, and quite fascinating, isn’t actually reality, much as it seems it is.
Well, golly! Would ya look at that? Four paragraphs of philosophic blather, bowed, but, unrepentant; cheap at the price, too. I think I’ll go now, & find something better to do. Wanna come with? Okay, follow me….
Shall we Pearl?
“Everything has two handles,
one by which it may be borne; another by which it cannot.”
~~ Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Enchiridion, xliii ~~
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Last night, I watched this video, describing the elements and processes involved in putting on a tour, as well as the mindset required to do it her own way. It’s a fascinating story, with the added bonus of a number of most excellent performances from live concerts and pre-concert sound checks… The process, as related, reminded me very much of the food catering business, which is essentially the same exact process…. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did….
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Loreena Mckennitt A Moveable Musical Feast
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Off the proverbial cuff….
I never meant to kill that period of time,
it didn’t give me any choice.
It tried to hem me in without reason, or rhyme,
refused me any vote, or any voice.
You have to admit, I buried it deep and fast,
just as if I cared.
I knew, though, it would never last,
or ever be fully repaired.
No news, no pictures can bring it back,
once is all we get.
No pleas of public good, or even public lack;
in stone the past is set.
Futuristic visions now occupy my dreams,
I’m ready to go on.
Look! It fills up the screen, and it gleams!
Where’s the moment I’m sitting on?
Now, I remembered, at long, long last,
is all we really can hold.
Every moment goes by so bloody fast,
we’d best fill them all with beauty, warm and bold.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/30/2013
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Naked Pearls
Did you know?….
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“…all life is only a set of pictures in the brain, among which there is no
difference betwixt those born of real things and those born of inward
dreamings, and no cause to value the one above the other.”
~~- H. P. Lovecraft, from The Silver Key~~
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“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past,
not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles,
but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
~~ Buddha ~~
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“When we try to pick out anything by itself,
we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
~~ Muir’s Law ~~
~~ John Muir, “My First Summer in the Sierra”, 1911, page 110. ~~
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“A man of genius makes no mistakes.
His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”
~~ James Joyce, “Ulysses” ~~
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“Rock gives reality to the otherwise abstract notion of transhuman time.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
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All’s fair in love and war – What a contemptible lie.
~~ Lazarus Long ~~
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“Some days the dragon wins …”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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Though I won’t make any claims as to quality, I can honestly say, it’s done, & done well, if only measured by intent. This, of course, makes it imperative I try again tomorrow. It won’t make today any better, or easier to digest, but, it will get us outta here without more bother. I’ll also say, I hope to go surfing today, but, we’ll see how the waves are running before I make any firm commitments. I can also say, honestly, I don’t think I can do any more damage, so, there’s only one thing left, and that is to say, see ya, ffolkes. I’ll be back; it’s not a threat, though you may take it as such, should you be so inclined. It is, as far as I can make it, a promise, one I intend to do all I can to fulfill…. Ta, then….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“Everything flows and nothing abides;
everything gives way and nothing stays fixed.”
~~ Heraclitus ~~
The Shelbourne Public House, Cork, Ireland
Hajime…. Of late, each time I sit to begin this intro, a veil of lethargy settles heavily upon me, sending my mind off on tangential trains, each idea discarded before beginning to type, as being unworthy, or otherwise unacceptable to those vague standards my mind applies when examining them for their value. Today has been no exception, which is why I decided to just write about it, just so it’s out of my head, where it might do some good. Doesn’t seem to be working, does it?
Oh, well, so goes it for another day. I suppose I’ll need to find another direction to lead us out of where we’ve now ended up, but, that lethargy seems to be preventing any decision. I can’t say, at this point, I am convinced of my ability to get us where we need to go, but, I guess I’ll just keep typing until something presents itself, & we can go from there. Hmm…. this is a rather odd place, isn’t it? I find myself both unwilling, and, unable to decide what should happen next, & if I don’t know, whom shall I ask? The only other entity within the domicile is currently off on her own business, & really doesn’t care. Me, I’m gonna bail, I think.
It may not be the best decision, but, it’s the one I found, so, I’m going with it. I know I can do better, and, given the barest of luck, may someday do so. For today, since we obviously have no luck on which we may depend, I’m going the ruthless road, again, mostly because, a) it works, and b) I can’t think of anything else. Go figure, eh? Ah well, such is life in the blog world; entropy is always there, waiting to chime in. However, having thus disposed of yet another chance to create a masterpiece, without any clear success or failure, it’s the best I can come up with. Gosh, look! It’s a way out. I’m taking it…. Watch that last step, ffolkes…..
Shall we Pearl?
“Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called ‘Ego’.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
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Image from The Daily Express via Google Images
Back in the day, that is to say, during the 50’s, my first crush was this artist. I still think she is one of the most beautiful of women, with a voice that arrows straight to the heart of anyone, but, especially any man. She can still give me chills to hear her sing ‘Fever’….. I hope you enjoy this live concert from 1984…..
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Miss Peggy Lee Live in 1984
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Modest sounds of impatient concern….
Crowds converge at the raw and grisly scene,
comatose to compassion, curiosity tugging at the hem
with sharp, oh, sharp tools made obscene,
filing the essence of future hopes in spite of them.
Yet who has won the keys to the treasure,
who whipped up the fear of another brother?
Who spent the dreams of the old in selfish measure,
with such arrogant blindness grave issues to smother?
Fateful decisions may prompt still another pause,
to catch and release collective images of insanity.
Surely legitimate anger arises with ample cause
wallowing in self-made entrepreneurs, fluent in profanity.
A quartet of eternities must pass to guarantee change,
regardless of need, or desire, or autonomous manipulation.
Ancient rules and modern aggression is only passing strange
when golden delusion grasps futilely at its related illusory station.
~~ gigoid ~~
8/18/2013
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Naked Pearls
Notes on Life at Large….
*******
“Profound Truth differs from simple truth
in that the negation of a simple truth is a simple falsehood,
while the negation of a Profound Truth may be another Profound Truth.
E.g. a button with “Life is just as simple as it seems” on one side
and “Life is not as simple as it seems” on the other.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
~~ Aesop (620-560 B.C.) ~~
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“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.”
~~ Walt Kelly, Potluck Pogo ~~
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“The more crap you believe, the better off you are.”
~~ Charles Bukowski ~~
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“There are two sentences inscribed upon the Delphic oracle,
hugely accommodated to the usages of man’s life:
“Know thyself”,
and “Nothing too much”;
and upon these all other precepts depend.”
~~ Plutarch — Consolation to Apollonius ~~
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“I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly,
or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.”
~~ Chang-tzu ~~
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“Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live.”
~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~
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Definitely a bumpy ride today, eh, what? To avoid any further contretemps, or possible litigation, I’ll end this rather abruptly, so as to keep from falling into the same sort of abyss in which we found ourselves above, in the intro. Abrupt, btw, is a good word; strong and clear. It pleases me to be able to show you exactly what it means….. which is to say, watch this, ffolkes…. See y’all tomorrow, given a fair wind & a rising tide….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. One would think, by this age, I’d know better. I had planned to…. well, it doesn’t matter, now, because the plan is defunct. Rather than bemoan the loss, I choose to ignore it altogether, & just get on with it. We’ll do this instead…. Yesterday was a wash; we had our first day of heat this year, & though it only got up a bit above 90º F, it was enough to drain all energy, & keep me prostrate in front of my little, life-saving fan. I didn’t surf, I didn’t FB, I didn’t do, at all. I breathed, & endured, emulating my cat, who spent the day supine in the coolest spots in the house. Desert creatures like us know that in such weather, the key to surviving is to move as little as possible…. so, that’s what we did.
This, sadly, didn’t help get this Pearl done for today; I was compelled to slam it together this morning, in fashion best described as ‘willy-nilly’. Not that this is anything out of the ordinary, or particularly surprising, but, I figure honesty is always the best policy, so, I’m just telling y’all the facts, so you won’t expect any surprises (Ha!….), or, for that matter, anything at all. What you see, today, is what you get. Moreover, all the evidence I can find of late tells me the ruthless methods I’ve been using here in the intro have nothing but a positive effect on the overall product, so, we’re going to use just a bit more of it, simply because we can…. Oops, there’s that damn royal ‘we’ again…. Shit.
Oh, well, too late now. In order to fulfill my prediction, I have to do this, which, may seem a bit harshly premature, but, nonetheless, is what we have today, so, deal with it. At this point, you may ask, “what the hell is he talking about now?” Well, let me tell ya….
Shall we Pearl?
“What you see is from outside yourself,
and may come, or not, but is beyond your control.
But your fear is yours, and yours alone,
like your voice, or your fingers, or your memory,
and therefore yours to control.
If you feel powerless over your fear,
you have not yet admitted that it is yours,
to do with as you will.”
~~ Marion Zimmer Bradley, “Stormqueen” ~~
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I’d planned to put a collection of classical music here today, but, came across this iconic piece from Antonio Vivaldi, The Red Priest, as I searched. It’s one of my favorites, as well as one of the best-known, finest pieces of music ever written, by acclamation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, every time I hear it…..
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The Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi
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Measures of Intent
Hell is never far away; it slips in, then out,
like a ninja, bent on stealth and death.
Living metamorphoses, in the space of a breath,
sordid entropy fills us, within, and without.
Tide turns again; back and forth it tumbles,
like those little wind up toys, yet never stays.
All our efforts, all our silly little ways,
disappear like seaweed, as sanity crumbles.
The duality of reality in which we are firmly caught,
seems to inhabit every part of our natural selves.
Nothing is ever still, nor can it be placed on shelves;
we are dark, and light; balance must be taught.
Life is lived only one moment at a time,
past and future have no power to alter this at all.
We can choose to fly, or choose to fall;
finding truth, and beauty, can never be a crime.
~~ gigoid ~~
12/14/2015
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Naked Pearls
Subtle esoterica…
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“Sight is a faculty; seeing is an art.”
~~ George Perkins Marsh ~~
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“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for.”
~~ Louis L’Amour, “Ride the Dark Trail” ~~
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“Even a single hair casts its shadow.”
~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 228 ~~
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“I’m not a teacher
only a fellow traveller of whom you asked the way.
I pointed ahead – ahead of myself as well as of you.”
~~ George Bernard Shaw, “Getting Married,” 1908~~
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“It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out,
it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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“Truth is. Belief is not required.”
~~ Gerry Roston ~~
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“How he lies in his rights of a man!
Death has done all death can.
And absorbed in the new life he leads,
He recks not, he heeds
Nor his wrong nor my vengeance; both strike
On his senses alike,
And are lost in the solemn and strange
Surprise of the change.”
~~ Robert Browning, “After” ~~
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Gosh…. it’s done. How did that happen? Ah, I see. Okay, so be it. I am not sure just how this came to be, but, you know what they say about them silly gift horses, & all….. I’ll try again, & do better; I promise. Well, I promise to make the effort, hopefully tomorrow. But, if not, well, so be that. Until I do see y’all again, be well, be happy, & stay fucking alert, cuz you need to these days…. Ta, then….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
~~ Carl Sagan ~~
The bar at White’s Tavern, Belfast, Ireland ~ Est. 1630
Hajime…. Some of y’all may have noticed, a few years ago, when the world went totally insane. Mostly, people either chose to ignore the clear signs, or, actively & passionately celebrated the general loss of rationality, both of which, naturally, contributed heavily to the original problem, now in the critical stages. In the larger sense, it doesn’t much matter whether we acknowledge the insanity; what will be, will be. But, in the smaller sense, it promises to be a rather difficult time for individuals, especially those without the wit to understand why it all seems so crazy. In short, time is now NOT on our side, and the shit, stinky as it is, is about to hit the fan….
But, as they are wont to say downtown, oh, well. All you can do is all you can do, & I, personally, have done pretty much all I can do. So, I sit, and watch, as the world steadily marches to the end game. As T. S. wrote, “This is how the world ends; with a whimper, not a bang.” I am not sure if it makes me sad, glad, or just as confused as ever; since none of them matter, or can have any lasting effect, I’ll just be all three, & continue to observe, shaking my head every now & again, as things get weirder, & weirder out in the Big Blue Room.
For now, though, I suppose I should quit lamenting the state of the world, which I can’t control, and move on to something I can. If nothing else, I still have this, right? Right. Not that it’s fair compensation for extinction, but, it will do for this morning’s purpose, which is merely to reach the point where I may say, it’s done. To further that purpose, I’m dumping the rest of this intro, in favor of a quick flight to the rest of what I’ve managed to put together. I can’t say it’s the best ever, but, it does have that incredibly satisfying characteristic, to wit, it’s done. Or, it will be, as soon as I do this….
Shall we Pearl?
“God, to me, it seems
is a verb
not a noun
proper or improper.”
~~ R. Buckminster Fuller ~~
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I’m feeling both lazy and in need of elegance; this should do nicely to cover both needs/desires…. Enjoy!…..
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Chopin Piano Concertos #’s 1 & 2
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A Failure to Germinate
Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.
Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.
Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.
I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.
My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.
Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.
~~ gigoid ~~
9/27/2012
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Naked Pearls
Elements of Illumination….
*******
“Courage is the greatest of all the virtues.
You cannot consistently practice any other virtues
without being courageous.”
~~ Maya Angelou ~~
*******
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
~~ Hanlon’s Razor ~~
*******
“It is in changing that things find repose”
~~ ~~ Heraclitus
*******
“Anywhere is walking distance, if you’ve got the time.”
~~ Steven Wright ~~
*******
“In this world there is always danger
for those who are afraid of it.”
~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~
*******
“However many holy words you read,
However many you speak,
What good will they do you
If you do not act on upon them?”
~~ Buddha ~~
*******
“Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke.”
~~ J. R. “Bob” Dobbs ~~
*******
***************************************
Once more, having displayed the idiosyncratic nature of what we do here, I can say my self-appointed duties are complete. I’ll skip any comments on quality, or even quantity, & stay on the course set in the intro, which seems to have worked well to get us this far. We’re going to make that assumption, anyway, even at the risk of being right. I suppose that’s getting a little smarmy, so, why don’t I end this here, & see what I can do about trying to put one together for tomorrow? Yeah, that’s what we’ll do; besides, I can’t think of anything else to say. So, I’ll say, see ya, ffolkes, & be done with it….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. A satisfactory number of the elements for today’s Pearl are in place, so, logically, I can get started. To do so, however, would generally call for a modicum of intelligent words to fill in the intro section with some competence. Words, themselves, are not an issue; I’ve always got some hanging about I can put to use. No, it’s the ‘intelligent’ part that may suffer today; I’m awake, and reasonably alert, but, don’t find a lot of the power of reason in my pocket. Oh, well, I suppose that just means it will turn out weird, again. To that, all I can say is, oh, well. Such is life….
I’ll take just a moment to acknowledge the day, as May Day has long been one of humanity’s days of celebration, welcoming full spring after the dark of winter. Oh, we’re not going to get into a lot of historical reminiscence, or maudlin capering about some random pole. No, I’ll just say, happy spring, & get ready for what promises to be an ‘interesting’ summer here on Earth, as the naked apes who kill continue to pursue their program of paroxysms of violence & insanity, ultimately leading to our own rapid demise, rushing headlong & blind into history, joining the auk, the dodo, and a long list of other failed experiments in life forms.
It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but, it’s definitely an ‘interesting’ scenario we’ve created, isn’t it? Crazy as loons, we are, with no restraint, and very little to point to of which we can claim to be proud. Ah, well, it’s been a fun ride, for some of us. “One must have some faith…. that the universe is proceeding as it should.” — Spock to Valeris, STVI, “The Undiscovered Country” I guess it all goes to show, you never know….
Oh, heck. I meant to be uplifting, & turned dark again. Hmm…. That can only mean my brain’s current status, as possessing the wit of a two-by-four piece o’pine, is beginning to show too much for comfort. Rather than continue to beat the poor equine, we’ll bury it, here & now, by employing our most radical method of disconnecting, which is fast, & could cause some dizziness, if you’re not ready. Ready?….
Shall we Pearl?
“Death is every man’s final critic. To die well you must live bravely.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
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For years, I’ve listened to this artist’s music on the radio, without ever exploring her recorded works, or seeing her live. I feel like a dose of newness, with some witty lyrics. Everything I’ve heard of hers fits that paradigm, so, let’s explore some of her live music to see how it turns out, shall we? Enjoy, ffolkes…. Her lyrics make me think; always a good sign….
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Alanis Morrisette Live
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A dream, weeping….
“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said
with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.
“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….
what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”
So, we plucked up our dreams of old,
to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,
stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,
for luck, and perfect proof against charms.
Storms follow the sun, but, never stay;
lessons round every corner, all free.
Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,
the journey becomes the reason to be.
Simple kindness manifests untold riches,
in defiance of common cause’s demise.
Bold courage, hanging in stitches,
mends wounds that come as no surprise.
Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.
Too much pain cannot apprehend
the salient, sharp points of epiphany,
nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.
Folly dogs even the simplest truth,
fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,
alienated as a loose rotten tooth;
it often hides itself, for a long while.
Sought after eons ago, we cried out,
to believe, to suffer no more doubt.
But found instead good reason,
for love, and truth, from season, to season.
~~ gigoid ~~
— 8/30/2014 —
***************************************
Naked Pearls
Tied with a festive ribbon….
*******
“We are changing, we have got to change,
and we can no more help it
than leaves can help going yellow and coming loose in autumn.”
~~ D. H. Lawrence ~~
*******
“The sunlights differ, but there is only one darkness.”
~~ Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Dispossessed ~~
*******
“The fastest draw is when the sword never leaves the scabbard.
The strongest way to block is never to provoke a blow.
And the cleanest cut is the one withheld.”
~~ “Kensho”, by Dennis Schmidt ~~
*******
“Every extension of knowledge arises from making the conscious the unconscious.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
*******
“One must become aware of one’s legs in order to become more stable.”
~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~
*******
[Freedom is] the power to live as you will. Who then lives as he wills?
~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero ~~
*******
“…. don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something.”
~~ last words of Pancho Villa (d. 1923) ~~
*******
***************************************
I have received notice from the universe to cease and desist. Actually, it’s only my own sense of propriety urging me to get myself the hell out of this mess, before I do anything regrettable. Of course, that makes the assumption we haven’t already done so, but, hey, we do try to maintain SOME contact with reality. It’s only right we do, since we tend to twist it into such odd shapes most of the time. So be it. It’s done, so, I’m gonna go do something else now; what that might be remains to be seen, but, that’s my story, & I’m sticking to it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can dodge fast enough….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
~~ The Firesign Theatre, from the album of the same name ~~
Blooming in thyme…
Hajime…. Having, with an unexpected degree of success, completed the elements of today’s Pearl, I sat down to begin writing the introduction. After ten minutes, with any number of false starts, I’ve decided to just begin writing, & let my brain catch up whenever it can. It gets like this, quite frequently, it seems, trying to compose a new, interesting bit of literature every damn day. Not that I’m complaining; the process, successful or not, is what has kept me relatively sane for the past six or more years. No, just reporting the facts, ffolkes, because I’ve got nothing else to go with today.
Now, I can treat you to some nonsense; the way I feel today, it could be rather amusing, if only to note how awful it turns out. Or, I could get philosophic, & regale y’all with tales of virtue & glory. That one, however, is well beyond anything I could do just now, so, we’ll keep looking. I could, if I had no sense at all, try to convince you I planned it this way, but, that seems too futile, even for me on days such as this. I guess, all things considered, I’ll just have to resort to the recently acquired ruthlessness I’ve found so useful, just to keep from frustrating myself, and, y’all, any further than I have already.
Fortunately, that one is pretty simple to apply, especially at this point, when I’ve set the stage, so to speak, so precisely. In fact, so precisely, I can tell you, without fear of contradiction, we’ve arrived at that juncture most efficacious for our purpose. What juncture, you ask? This one….
Shall we Pearl?
“Hope is the denial of reality.
It is the carrot dangled before the draft horse
to keep him plodding along in a vain attempt to reach it.
I say we remove the carrot and walk forward with open eyes.”
Yesterday, I selected the piano concertos of Mozart to provide some reading/study music. Today, I have chosen to select another set of music from a single classical composer, to wit: Camille Saint-Saëns. He was an extremely prolific composer, yet, everything I’ve ever heard of his shows the same brilliance. Works for me…. Enjoy, ffolkes….
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Camille Saint-Saëns
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Adjectives of Quality ~~ Bloody Friday
A baleful lump of ironic introspection
sits upon my shoulder today
leaving traces of fey reflection
with a smattering of true dismay.
Resistance may be futile, many have said,
belief didn’t necessarily follow.
Abnegation of fear marks all bills paid,
leaving such empty threats hollow.
Symbolic courage never sleeps so deeply
as when delusion holds sway.
Bartered virtue, sold far too cheaply,
stands in shame, until honor fades away.
Too many culprits exist to count just one;
all of us bear obvious blame.
Evil is as evil does, only, when it’s done,
it begins again, all same-same.
Nobody seems to care enough to deny the lies.
Ignorant fear rules humanity’s masses.
When evil passes unremarked, innocence dies;
silence equals guilt, leaving only hope’s ashes.
Reality screams; tales of terror unfold,
flames fanned with purposeful malice,
insidious dangers hide beneath atrocity untold
as Gaia weeps into an empty chalice.
~~ gigoid ~~
10/3/2015
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Naked Pearls
Reality can bite….
*******
“Of all lies, art is the least untrue.”
~~ Gustave Flaubert ~~
*******
“Reality is that which,
when you stop believing in it,
doesn’t go away.”
~~ Philip K. Dick ~~
*******
“Before you can build a house,
you must first believe
that the bricks are in fact bricks.”
~~ Schopenhauer ~~
*******
“If you shut up truth, and bury it underground, it will but grow.”
~~ Emile Zola ~~
*******
“A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.”
~~ Michael de Montaigne — Essays, Book i, Chap. xxxviii, Of Solitude ~~
*******
“You can never get rid of what is part of you, even if you throw it away.”
~~ Goethe ~~
*******
“The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
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Well, there you have it, such as it is. I’m going to continue to use the ruthless tool, simply because I STILL don’t have much to say. I guess what awaits me in the rest of the day is distracting me; I just want to get done, & get out there to play with the mundanes. I’ll give in to my own lobbying, by bringing this to a rather abrupt close. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; remember…. be as strange as you can possibly be…. It’s our best defense against much of what gets tossed at us each day….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits
, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. I had hoped, upon arising today, to find it within me to write some actual prose here to begin. However, upon entering the trance state I use to search out the appropriate creative urge, I found nothing but a vast, featureless plain, without even any shiny objects off in the distance. Rather than retreat, as I generally do, into paragraph after paragraph of blather & nonsense, I will, instead, accept the limitations I have encountered, & just get on with the posting process. You may thank me later…. or, not, as you wish….
I suppose, in order to earn & deserve any thanks, I’ll have to employ yet another example of a ruthless ending to the intro. I realize it has become rather de rigeur, but, that’s what happens when a blog gets old, along with its author. We just don’t care as much as we used to. But, that’s indulgent speculation, when our intention is to get down the page. Why don’t I make a quick turn, into this little cul-de-sac, where I’ll flip the switch on our old #4, which has served us so well for so long…. That one works like this….
Shall we Pearl?
“My mind to me a kingdom is;
Such present joys therein I find,
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or grows by kind:
Though much I want which most would have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.”
~~ Edward Dyer (c. 1540-1607) — MS. Rawl. 85. p. 17~~
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When I want to focus my mind on a set task on the computer, this is what I put on. It’s a grand collection of Wolfie’s violin concertos, with what I’ve found to be the best music for such mental gymnastics. It just seems to help my mind relax, and enter the flow of thought with ease…. I hope you find it so yourselves…. Enjoy!….
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Mozart ~ Violin Concertos
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Life as we know it….
As we grow and learn to be, in this sad, yet joyous parade,
we only have our Self with which to face life;
small, we are, and weak,
but, smart.
Reality, in studied contrast, is an invisible, ubiquitous shade
dispassionate ambivalence brings us mostly strife.
It’s never enough to seek.
Take part.
The universe won’t make a compromise, but will make a trade.
Give away your fear for knowledge, and a reasoned life.
It often requires a tweak;
live Art.
Love is an essential part of our own particular charade
without it, life can be filled with strife.
Souls perch high on a peak;
sweet, tart.
Pain always balances with joy, the price has to be paid;
for us humans, each must be equal in life.
To know one, the other must speak.
Never apart.
We are all actors, playing parts we’ve chosen to have portrayed;
the director’s absence produces endless strife.
Trying to make sense brings only pique.
Go. Start.
~~ gigoid ~~
11/27/2015
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Naked Pearls
Grinding the stone….
*******
“There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry.”
~~ Mark Strand ~~
*******
“Hello darkness, my old friend,
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping,
eft its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision
that was planted in my brain,
still remains
Within the sound of silence:”
~~ Paul Simon ~~
*******
“Take me disappearing
through the smoke rings of my mind
down the foggy ruins of time
far past the frozen leaves
the haunted frightened trees
out to the windy beach
far from the twisted reach
of crazy sorrow.
Ah, to dance beneath the diamond sky
with one hand waving free
silhouetted by the sea
circled by the circus sands
with all memory and fate
driven deep beneath the waves
let me forget about today
until tomorrow.”
~~ Bob Dylan ~~
*******
“Nothing in the entire universe ever perishes, believe me,
but things vary, and adopt a new form.
The phrase “being born” is used
for beginning to be something different from what one was before,
while “dying” means ceasing to be the same.
Though this thing may pass into that, and that into this,
yet the sums of things remains unchanged.”
~~ Ovid — Metamorphoses ~~
*******
“It is the edge and temper of the blade
that make a good sword,
not the richness of the scabbard;
and so it is not money or possessions
that make man considerable,
but his virtue.”
~~ Seneca ~
*******
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”
~~ Kris Kristofferson ~~
*******
“The more I learn, the more I have to learn.”
~~ Anonymous Bee ~~
*******
***************************************
Having thus completed my assigned tasks for this morning, I’ll use a bit of compassion, & close it as efficiently as I opened. Perhaps that isn’t the most compelling technique, but, it works for what we need today. I’ll reiterate the usual caveat, to wit: I’ll be back, to spend more time on tinkering with my brain, so as to distract it from going wonky. Y’all are welcome to join me, tomorrow, hopefully, when I’ll do this again. See ya, ffolkes…. Stay alert; it’s getting more than just a little crazy out in the Big Blue Room….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth
that around every circle another can be drawn;
that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning,
and under every deep a lower deep opens.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Perfectly imperfect, or, imperfectly perfect?
Hajime…. Given the late start today, (hidden in the sands of time, to prevent any possibility of derailment), this came out rather well. Good music, a brand new poem, of sorts, & a damn fine set of pearls for the old-school section, for my purpose, made it shine brighter than I usually see this time of day. Since there’s nothing more to add to it, I think I’ll be really, really ruthless today. What does that mean? Well, it means, just this….
Shall we Pearl?
“You cannot face it steadily, but this thing’s for sure,
That time is no healer: the patient is no longer here.”
~~ T.S. Eliot ~~
***************************************
A friend posted this album yesterday, so, I’m stealing it for today’s Pearl, as it’s also two things: One, it’s one of the best albums, ever. Second, it’s always been a favorite of mine. Works for me. Y’all enjoy, now, y’hear?….
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Bloomfield, Kooper, & Stills Super Sessions
***************************************
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Just The Way It Is….
The truth is, you know; it all exists,
just the way it is.
More , we are part of that.
Wow.
We humans mimic reality,
just the way it is.
A mirror of exquisite clarity,
we dance, laughing as we weep.
Born whole, knowing how,
just the way it is.
Distracted with trust, we learn,
to filter, to deny.
Opposites attract; why?
Just the way it is.
Nature comes in twos,
named zero, and, one.
Fate vies with choice;
just the way it is.
fate calls the game,
we cut the cards.
Belief cripples, doubt frees us;
just the way it is.
The first thing a principle does,
is kill someone.
It all falls apart, too;
just the way it is.
Entropy battles death
eternally moving, eternally still.
In reality, we always get a choice;
just the way it is.
Act, or not, as we perceive;
then pay the price.
Reality’s nature exists, in duality;
just the way it is.
Like it, or not,
pain and joy is just the way it is.
~~ gigoid ~~
4/28/2017
***************************************
Naked Pearls
Watch that last step….
*******
“Really to see the sun rise or go down every day…
would preserve us sane forever.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
*******
“Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?”
~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~
*******
“A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants.”
~~ Arthur Schopenhauer ~~
*******
“A grave, wherever found, preaches a short and pithy sermon to the soul.”
~~ Hawthorne ~~
*******
“What is left when honour is lost?”
~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 265 ~~
*******
“…and remember you’re a Man, not just god,
and for you there aren’t and never will be any easy answers,
only questions, and no reasons,
only causes, and no meaning,
only intelligence, and no destination
and no kindly magic smiling down from above,
and no fires to goad you from below,
only Yourself and the Universe and what you make
out of the interface between the two equals.”
~~ Keith Laumer, “Night of Delusions” ~~
*******
“Roses are red,
Violets are blue
Some poems rhyme
But this one doesn’t.”
~~ Sassy Bee ~~
*******
***************************************
Well, there you have it; I don’t think, on short notice such as this, I can do it any better than that. Rather than test that assertion against reality, I’ll drop y’all here, like the proverbial hot starch. I will, however, be back, hopefully by tomorrow, with yet another attempt to get it right as right can be. Y’all be mindful, y’hear?….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
gigoid 